WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 286 Something Convinving (2)

[Gluttony has begun to move. Are we going as well?]

[No. We’ll go in three hours. Let the mortals spread out a little more first.]

[…That seems rather foolish, though.]

It already seemed enough, but even now they considered safety more than effectiveness to the very end. Belphegor could only click their tongue at that thought.

They understood well enough that a plan that staked their very soul had to run smoothly, and yet, after investing this much, could there really be any chance of failure?

[Oh my, Belphegore… Pride is supposed to be my title, but you seem to belittle mortals far more than I do.]

The moment that cool smile touched them, Belphegore quickly reined in these thoughts.

It was already frustrating enough to oppose the God of this world and the divinity that flowed through this land, so the last thing they wanted was to deal with another form of divinity.

The back of their hand burned hot as their name had been called.

[…I never did that. I was only expressing my faith in you.]

[Faith……]

The other answered with that same faint smile, as if amused by Belphegor’s hastily spoken words.

The silken cloth and jewels of the Morning Star, draped over crown-like horns, swayed gently in the wind.

[Indeed. There is none better than myself. And I have faith in you as well. That your sloth and indolence will always know their proper time and place.]

They could not bring themselves to look straight at the other. A shiver ran down their spine as Belphegore lowered their head.

Then, one hem of Pride’s mantle brushed against their chin. The cloak, which almost seemed like it was made out of four white wings laid atop each other, lifted their head with the foremost wing’s feather.

Eyes filled with both darkness and starlight gazed down at them.

[What are you so afraid of? Did I not tell you? Your existence is worth more as a tormentor of mortals than a mere sacrifice.]

[You did… say that……]

But honestly, who in this world would be foolish enough to take those words at face value? How could they not know that the moment it became more appropriate to slaughter them as a practice than to let them torment the mortals, they would be culled without hesitation?

Belphegore’s fingers twitched as their gaze fell on the white veil half-covering the black dress Pride was wearing.

A being who did not conceal their corruption, yet still clung to purity. A complete contradiction. And yet they had the power to turn it into righteousness itself.

There was little they could do before that.

[So, I think you’ll have enough strength to spare. Should I go over there to lend a hand?]

Sloth crouched down on the floor. They didn’t even dream of complaining, saying that they didn’t want to do anything. The essence of Sloth lay in idling and eating without toil, not in waiting passively for death.

[No.]

[Uh… Really? Erm, but you even left a doll infused with your blood over there.]

[So?]

[…It doesn’t matter to you if it dies?]

[What does its death have to do with me?]

However, it seemed that volunteering to take on work as a way of showing submission had been a mistake. The one wearing a smiling mask over their face quietly looked down at the one before them.

[Well, I mean… It still has your blood in it, right? If something like that were to be struck down by some mortals, wouldn’t that feel unpleasant… I mean, that’s what I think at least.]

Damn, keeping this person was exhausting. Belphegor barely realized the words that were spilling out of their own mouth, as they focused intently on observing the other’s expression and rippling aura instead. It wasn’t all that effective. The person before them was a being that thought authority was established by never showing any emotions.

[…Isn’t that so?]

[Oh, Belphegor. I never realized you cared for me this much.]

Why couldn’t they give a straight answer instead of arguing like that?

Belphegor put on an awkward smile, struggling to keep their head from dropping.

[But remember this.]

The other’s gaze lowered a little further. Lashes as long as a bird’s feathers, spread wide like a peacock’s tail, blocked out the heavens so only the world below remained in view.

[Nothing in this world can represent me or embody me. Even if something has been touched by my hand, if it falls, that simply means it has already reached its limits, don’t you think?]

As if it were a god looking down upon the world.

[So, don’t speak like that again.]

And yet they weren’t a god.

[Otherwise, it makes me feel as though you’re mocking me.]

And because they weren’t a god, their demeanor was nothing short of arrogance and pride.

[If you don’t want your tongue ripped out… understood?]

Belphegor frantically nodded at that poorly veiled threat. For the first time in a long while, they missed Wrath, who was the only one bold enough to act shamelessly even faced with such authority.

Though, if Wrath were to actually appear here in person, they’d probably just run away screaming.

* * *

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

The soldier ringing the bell let it scream in place of his own mouth. Yet even that wasn’t enough to fully express the weight of the threat drawing near.

The monster looming larger than the walls advancing, its massive tusks and horns pointing down. It had a massive maw capable of swallowing rivers whole, gigantic legs that would remain unmoved even by surging floods, and a lashing tail as long as a pine tree.

And behind it, Demons clawed their way out of the mire.

“Demons……!”

“Th-they’re coming.”

“Hold the line! Anyone who abandons their post will be executed!”

At the sight of what looked to be the prelude to ruin, the soldiers were the first to stir. Had they not been drilled into discipline through years of harsh training, they would have deserted long ago.

“This is no different from any other battle! Don’t let fear shake you! There’s no reason to lose the fight we’ve been going through for centuries!”

“Raise your spears for your families, your friends, your loved ones! There is nowhere to retreat!”

But discipline and training alone weren’t enough. Veteran officers scrambled to steady their trembling men.

They knew that the moment one of them ran, the dam would burst, and a flood of deserters would follow them.

“B-but captain… the Knights……”

“The Lord is dead… We’re all going to die……”

How long could they hold up this order as fragile as a thin sheet of ice? No matter the rallying cries, the soldiers’ morale only sank further.

Persistent thirst and hunger, commanders dropping dead all at once, the betrayal of a head Knight, the sudden death of the Lord. Any one of these occurrences would be enough to shatter their discipline, and yet they had come in waves.

If not for the city’s brutal training, rigid order, and military law, even this fragile order could not have existed.

The surviving commanding officers and Knights ground their teeth.

“Sir Sapphire, go to the Young Lord!”

“But……!”

“I’ll handle that lunatic! We can’t both be tied down by that bastard!”

At Topaz’s shout, Klaus faltered before retreating slightly. “Whoever he is, we've at least gained an ally. Don’t worry and just go!” It was those last words that fully freed his feet.

The young man, whose face resembles someone they all held dear, glanced at Topaz. That fleeting soft curve of his eyes could never have belonged to an enemy.

“…Please!”

And so Klaus left. His broken ribs pressed against his lungs, making his breathing ragged.

“Young Lord, give the order!”

Still, he couldn't stop. With another piece on the board to pin down that traitor, he had to focus on the ruin that loomed behind.

“Please give the order!”

At his shout, the vacant look in the Young Lord’s eyes regained its usual brightness. A silent scream seemed to form in those eyes stained with agony.

“S-sir Sapphire.”

“Young Lord!”

It seemed like his mind wasn’t completely shattered, but could someone in his state truly command? Klaus pushed those doubts far away the moment they dared to surface.

This wasn’t about whether he could or couldn’t anymore; the Young Lord had to do it. Even if he couldn’t, the Young Lord had to at least act as though he could.

“I-I…”

“You’re the only one left who can lead us!”

The young man, who had lived his whole life crushed by his own sense of inferiority, scowled in anguish.

“…Listen up! That monster will never reach the walls! The northern soldiers who have fought those things time and again told us this themselves! We do not need to fight it directly!!”

His parched throat let out a hoarse cry. Though his voice, slightly muffled by the air, seemed small, the silence of the soldiers made it spread across the wall.

“So, don’t be distracted by that thing! What you have to face are the Demons it brought! As always, just kill the small, stinking pieces of trash!”

At that moment, the Young Lord lifted his sword, his face mirroring that of his father’s for an instant.

“We can win! If you believe in and follow me, we will overcome every trial and hardship!”

The blade caught the sun’s light, shining brightly like a torch.

“Soldiers, prepare to seize victory!!”

The atmosphere that had been about to sink into utter despair began to rise once more.

.

.

.

“Keeping him alive won’t change much.”

I swatted away the whip that had been aimed at the Young Lord and tightened my grip on my sword. The lash had left my clothes torn and my skin split.

“You know as well as I do, right? No matter how brilliant a commander, they won’t be able to see every corner and give every order.”

Of course, the whip couldn’t be cut. Unlike a stiff sword, the whip could slip right past my own sword and crack across my forearm before retreating.

There was a part of me that wanted to drag out whoever once claimed a whip was useless in real combat.

“In the end, it’s useless. There is nothing you can do, one who does not rage.”

But that wasn’t an option.

No matter how hard it was, I had to overcome this.

Flexing my throbbing arm, I pushed my slipping glasses back up. “The weaker one is, the longer their tongue tends to be.” Maybe I had been playing my role as the Demon Knight for too long, seeing that those words just slipped out of my mouth as if on reflex.

“Don’t you think so?”

I quickly added a polite tone and smiled slightly. My opponent’s eyes widened slightly. It wasn’t like she was offended by my provocation, but more like the surprise a parent might feel at the unexpected antics of their child.

“That is true.”

And like that, she agreed with me.

“My tongue has been far too long. You weren’t even worth my words.”

The blond Knight beside me trembled. Somehow it felt like that provocation had missed its intended target and struck an innocent bystander instead.

“You……!”

“Don’t lose your temper. The one who loses their cool loses the fight.”

Going by her strength and skill, our opponent was clearly overwhelming. And if one loses one’s cool on top of that? That would basically be begging for death here.

With that in mind, I offered the Knight a bit of advice. Her shoulders trembled slightly again. However, fortunately, considering that she took a deep breath in the next moment, she hadn’t taken it lightly.

“…You’re really not Atya, right?”

“…I feel like I’ve been asked that a dozen times since I got here. No, I’m not.”

“I see.”

So this person also knew Atya. Well, if she’d been a Knight before Atya disappeared, or maybe one of his peers, then it made sense.

“That traitor’s specialty is Body Strengthening using overwhelming Arcane Power and swordsmanship. Don’t let those thin arms of hers fool you. If you try to engage her in a fight of strength, you’ll definitely lose.”

“Understood.”

“I can’t really say anything about how she uses that whip or rapier, since this is the first time I’ve seen her wield those. But she never lost a single duel against a Knight. Just keep that in mind.”

“That’s fine.”

So she was strengthening her body using Arcane Power. I had thought that her strength was disproportionate for her build, but I hadn’t realized that she boosted herself that way.

I kept that hint in the back of my mind and put some strength into my toes.

“I’ll figure it out as we fight.”

Crack. I felt the stone beneath my feet crack slightly. I couldn’t really do anything about it anymore, though, since I had already launched myself forward.

Shrrk!

I leapt diagonally, slipping past the oncoming whiplashes.

The many soldiers crowding the place made her unable to swing her whip horizontally—even if she did, her strikes would only be blocked by those guys—and once she swung her whip, it would be hard for her to make it change its direction.

Of course, she would know her own weapon better than me. As she retrieved it, she immediately redirected it with great skill. It felt as if a bolt of lightning just flew past me, blocking my path forward.

“Hmpf.”

But hesitating out of fear of getting hit by that whip would only make things worse.

Ignoring the scratch on my cheek where the whip had hit me, I swung my longsword. At the same time, the blond Knight closed in from another angle, raising her blade sharply.

The woman balancing atop the battlements curved her lips into a serene smile. Her pupils, already smaller than a normal person’s, shrank until they became just a single dot.

Craaaash!

“Kugh!”

I didn’t even see how the whip moved. All I knew was the vibration of the Arcane Power running through it, and by the time I realized that, it had already wrapped itself around a nearby soldier’s throat.

“What is─”

Like a fish on a hook, the soldier was yanked into the air and flung straight into the blond Knight.

Clang!

At the same time, my longsword crashed against the enemy’s rapier. Maybe she really was reinforcing herself with Arcane Power, because even with both my hands gripping my longsword, I could only lock her in a stalemate.

The next minute went the same. Despite both of us standing on the battlements, despite her still swinging around her whip to keep the blond Knight in check, neither of us gained any ground. The duel stayed perfectly balanced.

“Such a light, shallow sword.”

Naturally, in sheer strength I held the advantage. My body’s base ability and my raw Arcane Power reserves were both greater, so that was only natural.

“The crudeness of the untrained is truly amusing.”

However, in technique and skill, I was utterly outclassed. If not for the few tricks I had learned in Mannafeld, I wouldn’t have been able to have this somewhat even fight.

『If not for your absurd reflexes and strength, even Huve would’ve overpowered you.』

I remembered Sir Walter’s warning with great clarity as I took a deep breath. I couldn’t match her in skill. Even teaming up with that blond Knight wouldn’t change that. This grim reality loomed over me.

“So, what will you do now?”

But who said the fight had to be all about swordsmanship? My strengths lay elsewhere, you know?

“You can’t even defeat me, so what good can you possibly do by staying here?”

I could see her emerald eyes gleaming with mockery. She had the composure of someone whose victory was already assured. She didn't need to kill me here. As long as the Demons broke through and took this place, victory would be hers after all.

“We’ll see.”

But in a way, I had the same advantage.

“At the very least, I can still be quite annoying.”

I also didn’t need to kill her here. If I just survived, if I just kept those damn Demons at bay, then I would be able to take her neck eventually. 

“You know, my specialty lies elsewhere actually.”

So, wouldn’t that be the right path to take here?

I immediately gave up on this battle of swordsmanship. It was nothing but foolish for a fake Knight to even try and compete with a real Knight in swordsmanship after all, so I felt no shame in giving up.

“Let’s fight with Arcane Power.”

Instead, I’d capitalize on my other strengths.

A body far stronger than an ordinary person’s and an overwhelming amount of Arcane Power. Yes, Arcane Power. Tremendous, never-ending Arcane Power.

An incredibly vast amount of it poured out of me as countless Arcane Spears formed and all aimed at a single target.

“If you think that’ll work—”

“It won’t.”

The same went for my sword. I stabbed towards my opponent no matter what damage it would cause me.

The rapier, shining brilliantly, smashed through all the Arcane spears and even parried my thrust, piercing through my shoulder instead. The wound was quite severe.

“But I can still change the battlefield.”

And so I achieved what I wanted to achieve. Both my opponent and I toppled from the battlements.

“Did you think the soldiers were only a hindrance to you?”

“……!”

Ah, let’s see how well she could handle barrages of Arcane Spears and Sword Slashes.

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