WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 278 Tell Me (8)

I had to make a decision faced with the tightening encirclement. At this rate, I either had to keep my Disguise skill off and continue on like that or turn back.

“This is bad……”

Of course, if someone were to ask me whether this encirclement posed any real threat to me, the answer would be, obviously not.

After all, a mob is nothing more than a mob even if a lot of them gathered in one place. If I were to unleash a horizontal Slash, the entire forest and everything inside would be wiped out. They couldn’t possibly be considered a threat.

“Haah……”

But… But, yeah. If the goal was simply to make it through the forest and reach Munmund that would be one thing. However, the condition of “not letting anyone detect my Demonic Energy” changed the situation completely.

If I wanted to make sure that the people of Munmund didn’t detect my Demonic Energy, or at least didn’t find out that I was its master, I would have to reactivate Disguise once the city was about 30 minutes away.

But what if I were to activate Disguise while still inside this encirclement? I wouldn’t be risking just Richa’s life at that point.

Normally, those things might not be a danger to me, but with Disguise active, the situation would become quite dangerous for me.

“… Just what am I supposed to do?”

So should I just turn back like this? When the city was already within sight? It was only an hour, or maybe even 30 minutes, away, you know?

I bit my lip and glanced back at Richa. He was still unconscious from my rough handling… transport… delivery, whatever. He wasn’t showing any signs of waking up.

No, if anything, he looked even paler than before. I mean, who wouldn’t, after being slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried like that for about an hour?

‘Pfftuhuhu.’

With that in mind, turning back would be a pretty bad choice. To reach that village again, I would have to run another half-day, and I had no confidence Richa would be able to endure that.

The same went for this sudden thirst and creeping Demonic Erosion. I didn’t really know the cause for it, but leaving him like this could only end badly.

‘How does it feel when what you ignored comes back at you twice as hard, brat?’

And putting Richa aside, there was another reason I couldn’t turn away. My gaze shifted toward the Demonic Energy swelling from the Demonic Realm.

‘How does it feel when the thing you most wanted to protect is standing on the brink of ruin?’

Could Munmund somehow withstand that being? Would the things I sought in that city still be there after this calamity ravaged it?

With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I came to an inevitable conclusion. I wiped my burning face with one hand.

‘The time has come for a choice you can no longer run away from.’

Drip. Cold sweat, something I was already used to, dripped from my nose.

“Ah.”

No, not sweat. It was blood running out of it.

I quickly pulled out a handkerchief and covered my nose with it. Ugh. My whole body ached, and my eyes burned, tears slipping out for no reason. It felt like I got transported into the body of someone desperately crying.

“Ugh.”

“…You’re awake?”

Just then Richa finally came to. His body was twitching slightly before his eyelids fluttered open, letting out a weak sound.

That ragged breath he let out right after he woke deeply showed the rigorous training he had undergone all his life.

“…Where are we?”

His voice was barely audible, more like a whisper. So I simply nodded. I figured he’d understand even if I didn’t put my answer into words.

“…Did we fail?”

As expected, Richa quickly grasped the situation. I furrowed my brows, showing an ambiguous expression.

“The city is already visible to the naked eye… But there are too many Demons. It seemed like we wouldn’t be able to push through them, so I stopped here for now.”

“I see……”

His face showed a strange mix of emotions. Disappointment that we hadn’t reached Munmund and relief that at least we were still safe for the moment. Both flickered through his eyes.

“…Are you still thirsty?”

“…Yes. Unfortunately, it still seems… Wait. Are you injured?”

His gaze dropped to my nose. My nosebleed. I completely forgot.

“…Ah. No, I wasn’t hurt by the Demons.”

Hmm. How was I supposed to explain my sudden nosebleed? Should I just say that I was frail? That it was from exhaustion? Those excuses would be far too obvious and, as such, pointless.

“I’t just a side effect of casting spells beyond my current capabilities.”

After thinking quickly, I found a more effective answer. I wasn’t really trying to burden Richa here, but rather to set up some insurance so that he wouldn’t say things like ‘Please use that spell again’ later on.

“That’s……!”

Phew, that should keep him from asking me to do this again. Even if someone else did, Richa would probably defend me or something.

I smiled faintly at that thought, even as cold sweat formed all over my body, slowly dripping down.

“Mister Richa.”

Just then, the bleeding stopped. I pulled away my handkerchief after noticing. It sagged limply in my hand, already half-soaked after such a short moment.

“Can you move on your own?”

“Of course.”

“And you’ll be able to keep going by yourself, right?”

“…Yes, I can.”

“Good.”

This thing was completely useless now anyway. Telling myself to discard this ruined handkerchief, the corners of my lips twitched, forming a smile.

Richa’s eyes wavered.

“I’m about to cast a spell.”

“…Alright.”

“But this spell has… considerable recoil. After I use it, I won’t be able to move from this spot.”

“Wait… Sir Wizard, are you saying……”

“So while I’m immobilized, I need you to run for Munmund.”

“Sir Wizard……!”

“It’s fine.”

Hmm, I had an inkling as to what the misunderstanding running through his head was. It was both funny and quite sad. I wasn’t planning on sacrificing myself or something. I just couldn’t let anyone see me hurling around dozens of Arcane Spears at those Demons, that was it.

“The Demons won’t be able to touch you.”

“That’s not the problem……”

“Ah, uhm, If you’re worried about me… Rest assured that I’ll come right after you once the recoil subsides and my Arcane Power recovers. It’s alright. Just look straight ahead and run. Do your duty.”

But from his perspective, not knowing the truth, the guilt he felt was probably quite considerable. I understood that. I softened my brows seeing Richa’s sad expression. He even seemed to be about to cry.

“I’ll start my preparations now.”

“…Sir Wizard, I’ll make sure your devotion is reported to the Lord.”

“Ahaha… There’s no need for that. Actually, that would only make things more difficult……”

What? Report me to the Lord? That was a bit……

Unless there was something I wanted the Lord to hear about, that would only be poison to me. The attention of someone high up always came with consequences.

“…I’d rather not get dragged back to that house after I finally managed to get out.”

Still, most people would want to impress the Lord in some way. So I decided to throw in another little lie.

It felt like the pile of lies was getting taller and taller, and I was a bit worried about what would happen next, but I was already living on the edge anyway. So I simply smiled like someone with nothing to lose.

“Wait……”

“Then, I’ll start now.”

“Wait, Sir Wizard—”

I grabbed Richa’s hand and helped him to his feet, giving his back a slight push. Since he had just woken up and barely managed to stand up, his body swayed slightly, but it didn’t collapse. That was enough to convince me that he would be able to run properly.

“Don’t worry about what’ll happen next.”

All that was left now was to shield him long enough that he could reach Munmund alive.

I gave him the brightest smile I could muster, hoping that it would reassure him. He hesitated before finally regaining his composure and turning slightly.

“Then… please take this instead. It might just be a superstition, but it’s supposed to bring you luck.”

“…Thank you.”

Just before he departed, he pressed something into my hand. A small charm pouch hanging from a cord. I tucked it into my inventory while I watched him walk away.

“Haah……”

Then, with a low groan, I leaned against a tree. The pain in my legs made them feel as if they had been trampled by horses, and exerting my strength was pure agony.

Still, having something to support myself with made it somewhat bearable. I closed my eyes, trying to focus, and drew a deep breath. With my vision gone, my other senses began to sharpen.

Ssshh.

Rustle.

Whooooosh.

The scent of soil and grass in the dawning forest, the rustling of my clothes, and the wind nibbling at leaves, replacing the sounds of insects.

Sound.

All my attention was focused on that sense. Echoes from every direction flooded in, but I somehow managed to ignore them.

There was only one direction I needed to pay attention to right now.

The path Richa had taken. I focused my senses there and gathered my Arcane Power. Thud. One Demon that had noticed him fell silent for eternity. Boom. Then another. Crash. Three in total.

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to think I could guide him all the way like that. Even if my senses were sharper than a normal person’s, I couldn’t cover the entire 5 km ahead of him.

At best, I could perceive about 50 meters, and only if I desperately focused.

“Haaah.”

And so, my confident assurance to Richa that everything would be okay was more like a gambler’s bluff.

“Let’s hope this works……”

More precisely, it was a gamble with a kind of safety net.

My Arcane Power began to swell like a lizard flaring its throat. It wasn’t really for any specific purpose and was more of a display. Like that presence beyond the Demonic Realm was doing, announcing that it was there.

‘…And here you are doing the same thing.’

I released all the Arcane Power I gathered all at once. Not like an explosion, but rather gently diffused like gas being sprayed through the air.

‘I knew you had some talent, but this……’

The real issue was what came next. I felt the Demons flinch in shock. Tap, tap. In the meantime I drummed my fingers against the tree I was leaning on.

How could I turn this into a threat? How could I make those things scatter from this area?

How could I make them sense my intent?

‘To pick it up after just seeing it once. How impressive.’

…Couldn’t I do something more with the Arcane Power I scattered?

I focused on the Arcane Power spread out ahead of me, pouring will into it.

『When releasing Arcane Power externally, concentration is important. Arcane Power naturally disperses into the air.』

That piece of advice I once received from a certain someone was helping me now. The Arcane Power I had released couldn’t just dissipate. I had to sharpen it, fill it with killing intent, and press it down on the world.

“Come on, work. I heard that Demons usually scatter when they sense a high-ranking Demon hunting……”

I massaged my feverishly hot head, straining to control the scattered Arcane Power everywhere. Had it worked? I hoped so.

“…At least the ones nearby are gone.”

Even if it hadn’t worked perfectly, that was fine. I had a backup plan for that anyway. I pushed off from the tree that had been holding me upright.

Sway.

My body almost stumbled forward… but I pushed through. With aching muscles and a brain dazed from overexertion, just staying on my feet made me feel satisfied.

“Phew.”

The real problem was that I needed to activate my Disguise skill now.

I glanced at my full HP bar and scratched my head. It felt like I was about to die, but my HP was full, so it should be fine, right? I was just trying to comfort myself with that. However, I knew full well that I wasn’t fine, but with no other choice, I rationalized it away.

There was no way I could just send Richa off alone while I felt a little off. Not when I didn’t know if what I had just done really worked properly.

Of course, I couldn’t. At the very least, I had to stay 30 or 40 meters behind him, sniping everything in the vicinity to feel at ease. Richa was far too valuable to just let him die here.

Tap, tap!

“……?”

But just as I activated Disguise and was about to go after him, I could hear footsteps that would have been thirty meters ahead by now turn back toward me.

Why……? There shouldn’t be any Demons blocking his path, so why?

Asking myself these questions, I slightly knitted my brows as the sunlight filtering through the trees stabbed my eyes.

Right, my brows.

At the same time, I remembered something I had completely forgotten. Until now it had been night, so I hadn’t really worried about the color of my eyebrows, but now it was different.

I swiftly took out some dye and a brush from my special bracelet and hurriedly colored my brows and lashes before putting them away again, recalling some memories of my past. Whether I did a decent job, I couldn’t tell.

“Sir Wizard.”

Instead, Richa appeared right before me, just a second later.

“I’ll carry you. Let’s go together.”

My expression turned slightly awkward.

I… was quite heavy, you know?

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