Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer? - Chapter 281

WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 281 Tell Me (11)

‘Seriously, and now you’re blocking me like that……’

It felt as if someone had covered my eyes and ears as I woke up.

Then I suddenly found myself in this sudden lengthy conversation with what seemed to be a person that held quite a bit of authority here. I had also gained something from it, but it had certainly been quite the bewildering experience.

“…You’ll be treated with a measure of consideration.”

“Okay.”

Even by the time the conversation ended, the situation hadn’t changed much. That big shot had left, leaving me alone with only one guard. Since we had quite different positions here, the atmosphere felt weirdly awkward.

“Phew……”

But honestly, being left alone with a stranger was the least of my problems right now.

Confinement or employment. Freedom or examinations. It was an ordeal I had never once imagined myself having to face, yet one I would somehow have to overcome with some sort of plan.

But how?

I had claimed to be a wizard, but that was nothing more than a trick, a deception built on other people’s ignorance. I had no real knowledge to back it up.

If a real wizard came to test my depth of knowledge, there would be no way I could pass.

No, failing the test wouldn’t be too bad actually. If they judged me to be incompetent, then they simply wouldn’t hire me.

But what if the test exposed the truth, that I wasn’t actually a wizard? Wouldn’t I appear on wanted posters plastered all across the city for daring to deceive them?

That would be my absolute ruin. I pulled off my glasses and scrubbed my face with both hands.

Maybe I should just give up and let them lock me in the guard prison? But then I would never be able to carry out my investigation. And with the time limit of my Disguise skill, I would probably have to break out midway anyway.

No matter what I did or chose, it would just lead to a dead end.

“……”

There was no answer in either direction.

I leaned back against the headboard of the bed as I reflected on my situation. The pillow I used as a cushion wasn’t half bad. I was pretty sure it was stuffed with fresh straw instead of cotton, but it was decent enough nonetheless.

However, when just simply thinking about the future ahead of me left me feeling suffocated, I couldn’t say it was much of a comfort.

“Uhm……”

Speaking of which, where even was I, exactly? I decided to put aside those impossible choices for a moment and glanced at the guard.

Munmund was probably pretty strict about military discipline, judging by how that soldier maintained his straight posture and wore that serious mask of an expression on his face. His eyes carried both the solemn weight of a soldier and the glazed fatigue of an overworked employee.

“Mister Soldier, would it be possible for me… to get some water?”

Even so, it was worth trying to talk to him.

I tried my best to ask as softly and politely as possible. Someone just waking up and asking for water wasn’t usual, so there was no reason for him to see it as suspicious, right?

I waited patiently for the soldier’s response.

“At present, drinking water is classified as a strategic resource and is strictly rationed. I don’t have the authority to provide you with any.”

“Ah……”

However, the reply I got was completely unexpected.

I was a little taken aback by his statement. I knew that water was precious in wartime, but to think it would get rationed so tightly they couldn’t even spare a single cup to a patient?

Or could it be that I simply wasn’t worth enough to receive any? I couldn’t really tell, since I didn’t really know the state of the city yet.

I blinked slowly.

“I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine.”

“Well then, would it be possible for me to drink from the water I originally brought with me?”

But putting my desire to strike up a conversation aside, I was actually a bit thirsty. So I cautiously asked, hoping to somehow wet my parched throat.

The soldier moved his eyes to the side.

“…If you’ll permit me to retrieve it from your bag myself, I can allow that much.”

Was it because I was passing myself off as a wizard? The soldier didn’t even want me to rummage through my own bag. That made me feel a bit uneasy.

While the wizards I knew were pretty much fanatics, they weren’t really that threatening. At least not threatening enough to warrant such suspicion and wariness.

“That’s fine.”

Though, well, I suppose from their perspective, fanatics could be seen as dangerous. I nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. The bag only held things I could easily afford to lose anyway.

After all… I had transferred most of my valuable items into my inventory connected to the small bag strapped to my leg and the special bracelet when I left the village.

The rest was stuff this guy could take if they really wanted to. I simply watched as the soldier went through my bag.

“This one?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps thanks to the bag’s meager contents, he found my waterskin quite quickly. He poured some water into a cup, perhaps as a sort of precaution, and thoroughly checked it right down to the last drop.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Here you go.”

Gulp. I could see his adam's apple bobbing conspicuously as he handed the waterskin to me after pouring the water back in.

“……”

“……?”

When I tilted it back to take a sip or two, the same thing happened. His sharp stare was seemingly fixed on me.

No, rather than on me, his gaze was completely focused on my waterskin and the water that poured out from it.

“…Would you like some?”

“Huh?”

Judging by how intently he was staring, it seemed like he was pretty thirsty as well… Well, the rationing didn’t only apply to me, so he surely hadn’t been able to drink as much as he wanted either.

And people were quite strange creatures. The more forbidden something was, the more desperately they craved it.

“There isn’t much, but it should be enough to wet your throat a little at least.”

Seeing how he couldn’t quite hide his thirst, he probably wasn’t the perfect regulation-following soldier either. That, at least, gave me a small opening to work with.

I held out the waterskin that was a little less than half-full. The soldier hesitated but in the end gave in. The temptation had been too strong for him to resist.

“Th-thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Ah, you can finish it, if you like.”

Having gotten my permission, his face visibly lit up. The soldier immediately started to gulp down the water eagerly.

“…You must have been really thirsty.”

“Yes… kind of.”

I tossed the now-empty waterskin back into my bag and leaned against the headboard again. Maybe it was because I shared my water with him, but the soldier’s eyes had softened considerably when he looked at me.

“I didn’t realize it before, but Munmund must be a very strict city. To think they would go so far as to ration drinking water.”

“Ah… That’s a misunderstanding. Normally, they wouldn’t do stuff like this.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes.”

At my words, the soldier’s eyes moved to the side.

“This is the first time water has ever been rationed.”

His voice seemed to carry a trace of discontent as he told me the truth. It didn’t seem to have been deliberate, but rather something that just slipped out subconsciously due to extreme frustration with his superiors or something.

“I see… But why would they order something like that so suddenly?”

That might be worth asking about.

I lowered my brows, looking as if I sympathized with him, and spoke as if I criticized his superiors’ decision.

“Well… I don’t really know. All the higher-ups ever say is to just bear with it, even if we’re thirsty or hungry……”

The soldier eagerly answered, seemingly glad that someone agreed with him. Seemingly having found someone who understood and supported him, his courage apparently rose, considering that his complaints had grown louder now.

“It’d be nice if they could at least give us a reason. But I guess that’s the military for you. They’re so strict.”

“Oh my, I see. It’s a soldier’s job to follow orders, after all……”

Still, it was fortunate that I had been assigned a guard who spilled so much after just a little prodding. If I had been stuck with someone completely tight-lipped, I wouldn’t have managed to pry even these little pieces of information out of them.

Feeling grateful, I comforted the soldier and carefully pondered about what I should ask next. If I asked something too sensitive or suspicious right now, I might end up shattering the little trust I had managed to build, which I couldn’t afford.

“Erm… Sir Wizard.”

Because I had been hesitating for too long, he spoke up first before I could even come up with a proper question.

“Yes?”

Of course, the soldier asking me something wasn’t necessarily a bad sign. At the very least, it meant that the barrier between us had lowered enough for him to comfortably do so.

But the real issue was what he would ask……

I put on a reassuring smile, hoping desperately that it wasn't anything concerning magic. The soldier swallowed dryly.

“The higher-ups keep saying it’s nothing, and that we should just endure, but… I can’t help feeling a bit uneasy. Is it really safe to just sit here like this?”

“…Could I ask exactly what it is that makes you so uneasy?”

“Ah, well, I mean……”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a question about magic. I softened my tone, trying to reassure him.

“Look, it’s not just me. My comrades keep saying they’re starving and extremely thirsty. And from what I’ve heard, it’s not only the soldiers…… The civilians are going through the same thing……”

“I see.”

So, it wasn't only this guy feeling hungry and thirsty? Even the citizens? Learning of the scale of this problem, I felt my hands twitching slightly.

Richa had also been like that, if I remembered right. This definitely wasn’t normal.

“Some of them have started saying that the whole city’s been cursed by a Demon. Nobody knows if it’s true or not, and if we asked our superiors, I’m sure they'd just chew us out, so we just whisper about it among ourselves……”

As I tried to keep my face from stiffening up, the soldier wore a slightly gloomy expression.

“Sir Wizard, you must be more learned than I am. So I thought maybe you might know something about this. Do you think this really is the work of Demons?”

It was the face of someone afraid because they didn’t know what was going on exactly.

I was doomed. My mouth clamped shut on instinct. And I only barely managed to force up the corners of my mouth to hide my panic.

“Well… They might call me a wizard, but I can’t say that I’m particularly well-educated. Especially when it comes to Demons, I know even less……”

Damn it, who else could be responsible if not Demons? I couldn’t name exactly which one was doing this, but no matter how I looked at it, the culprit was definitely some sort of Demon.

“So I can’t tell you anything specific.”

But if I said that outright, and it spread among the soldiers and led to morale plummeting, I’d be the one in trouble, right?

With that in mind, I quickly kept talking. Whether the soldier already half-believed that this was the doing of Demons didn’t matter. This was a conclusion anyone could come to if one wasn’t an infant.

“But I think this much I can say for certain.”

After all, the reason he asked me, despite knowing the answer all along, was because he wanted some reassurance. And the only choice I had here was to give him what he wanted.

“No matter how hard it gets, Munmund will definitely be victorious in the end. They say Demons are swarming outside, but actually, the encirclement was weak enough that even I, a mediocre wizard, could break through.”

I gave him the brightest, most vigorous smile I could muster, hoping it would give him at least some comfort.

* * *

“It’s hard to say if they mean to advance or not.”

“Hah. Why would they do that? If they just wait for about a week, we’ll collapse on our own.”

“…Young Master.”

Gunther waved a hand at his knight’s words. “That was a slip of the tongue.” Not that he meant that, though. Nothing he said was wrong after all.

“If the Lord were here, you’d be punished for your words.”

“I know, I know. No matter whether what I said was true or false, he’d probably scream stuff like: ‘Saying anything that might unsettle the soldiers is an absolute taboo!’ or something like that.”

“Young Master.”

“Come on, I don’t talk this way in front of the old man. Just indulge me a little here.”

“…You shouldn’t speak of your father that way.”

“Hah. Father? Since when did I have a father? How strange. The only man who ever acted as my father to me has already long passed away.”

“Young Master……!”

“Sir Sapphire, I know all your nagging is for my own good. But please, just stop for now. I, damn it, I just can’t stand that old man.”

“……”

At that moment, Gunter suddenly found himself missing Atya.

If Atya were here, instead of rebuking him, he’d actually join in on cursing his parents.

“That man was never once a father to me.”

And Alya as well. The prickly but warmhearted second-born would have lent him her shoulder instead of scolding him.

Fasha, who was younger by a few years, and little Rinya, too young to confide in. Just their presence alone would have been a comfort to him.

“…So from now on, don't bring up that subject again. It only ruins both of our moods.”

But they weren’t here. The people who had once kept him breathing were gone.

Gunther rubbed his aching forehead. His empty stomach and parched throat weren’t so much irritating as simply hollow. He must have gone too long without food.

“…Ah, I can see Dame Emerald over there.”

“Damn it, why her again?”

“Young Master……”

Seeing a face he hated on top of all this only made things worse. Gunther frowned as he spotted Emerald in conversation with a few Knights skilled in command and leadership up on the wall.

Having noticed her, he knew he had no other choice but to talk to her. A fact that left him feeling quite bitter.

“…We meet again. This doesn’t seem to be your usual time for patrol, Dame Emerald.”

“I have no intention of idly sitting around while the enemy is right before us.”

“…Your devotion is admirable. Still, I hope you remember that taking care of your own health is also a Knight’s duty.”

“Don’t worry, Young Master. What you fear will not come to pass.”

She sure spoke well. Gunther clenched and unclenched his fist as he watched the Jade Knight hand out even her own ration of water to the others.

She appeared so flawless, devoted to the city and all, and yet why did he despise her so much?

“…Very well then. Please don’t overdo it. And you soldiers, keep up the good work.”

“Yes!”

Still, he refrained from openly picking a fight. Gunther just walked away with thoughts that his escort Knight would deny without a doubt if he said them aloud.

“We’ve inspected everything on the wall. Let’s return to the castle.”

“…Yes.”

He still had work left to do.

“What else was there……”

Gunther tallied up the tasks he had completed and those that still remained.

Checking on the soldiers’ condition, overseeing rations, inspecting the safety of the storehouses and water sources, gauging the citizens’ morale… It seemed like he had finished all the important tasks. Though he knew that once he stepped foot in the castle again, new work would be waiting for him.

For example, settling punishments for those who caused trouble during rationing and calculating how long the supplies would last based on how much they gave out—these sorts of things.

“Ah. I was supposed to check in on the wizard.”

There was that too. With a sigh, Gunther recalled the guest staying in the lodging near the Magic Tower.

“…Let’s go see the wizard first.”

He had been working without eating anything, even for dinner, and still the end was nowhere to be seen. Not that it ever had been any different.

Snickering to himself, Gunther led his escort Knight toward the guest’s lodging.

“While I speak to him, go get yourself something to eat.”

“I will continue to escort you.”

“You’d do well to remember that you’re not only my guard but also one of the city’s head Knights. Eat.”

“…You mustn’t go anywhere else without me.”

“All right, just hurry back then.”

After dismissing his Knight, Gunther entered the wizards’ quarters. It looked the same as ever. Even with daily cleaning, crumpled scraps of paper littered the hall, and he could hear the occasional screams of some wizards.

“Crazy bastards, all of them.”

Why did they scream when all they did was research? Gunther shook his head at their madness and started walking toward the doors.

“Do you know who Atya is?”

But then a faint voice from deeper within the hallway reached his ears, making him stop in his tracks.

“The soldier who came here with me, and even that noble-seeming man earlier. They both mistook me for this Atya person.”

“E-erm……”

“If you don’t know, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’m sorry. That name is just such a common nickname, that……”

He forced some strength into his legs again. Slam. His hand threw the door wide open without even attempting to knock on it.

“Y-young Ma–”

“Atya is my friend. A friend who is dead.”

The calm green eyes that met his weren’t Atya’s, nor Alya’s, nor Fasha’s, nor Rinya’s.