WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 287 Something Convincing (3)

“You go take the position Sir White Jade held, quickly!”

“Yes……!”

“And you! From now on, you’re the Captain! Take command!”

“Yes!”

Gunther quickly appointed replacements for the fallen officers.

It was sheer luck that he had listened to his men’s chatter when things were peaceful. Because of that, several names of those who were least likely to get fragged and still competent enough to take command came to his mind instantly. And so he immediately promoted them.

“Our goal is to hold out! All we have to do is endure until reinforcements arrive from the other cities! Understood?!”

Even while he was assigning men, he kept bellowing words of encouragement. His mouth was parched, his stomach ached with hunger, but persevered through desperation alone.

There was no one else here who could take his place.

“M-my throat……”

“I’m so hungry……”

“This thirst and hunger are just illusions! The moment that monster leaves, those illusions will leave as well! Endure it! You can overcome this!”

No one else was around who could bear this burden other than him.

“We can—!”

But his voice grew louder to make up for the falling morale, thoughts kept spinning in his head. ‘Am I saying the right things? Are these words even working on them?’

This was nothing but an act, a performance.

『It is simply unbelievable that you are supposed to be the best among the heirs.』

‘…Can I really do this?’

“…We can overcome this!!”

He tightly clenched his trembling hands. The weight of the duty that had been suddenly thrust upon him felt so overwhelming to him that he felt that he might collapse if he didn’t clench them. He gasped.

“Don’t let go of your weapons! Grip them tightly!”

“We are going to overcome this!”

‘You damn old bastard. If you were just going to keel over like that, why did you have to go on about how big of a disappointment I am first? Why did you just die and leave me with this crap? Why did you have to be the first to die when you always told me how unworthy of this position I was? When you were always so much better and capable than me.’

“We have no other choice but to! If we die, we’ll die here! For your families, for your friends, for your loved ones, raise your weapons!!”

He managed to straighten his shoulders that seemed to carry an unbearable weight, and stand tall even while he felt great fear. “Aaah!” Suddenly a cry, almost a scream, rang out from one side.

It was from where the traitor was facing off against the soldiers.

“What?!”

Had Topaz been struck down by the traitor?

That chilling thought made him stop giving out orders and immediately sprint towards the wall. If Topaz fell here, there would be no one left who could hold back that traitor, so his reaction was justified.

Should he summon Sir Sapphire here? Or even just a handful of Knights? But if he pulled them away now, who would command the troops……?

Gunther’s mind raced until the section of the wall where the traitor was fighting finally came into view.

“What is going on?”

Topaz stood there alone.

“Dame, what happened?!”

“Th-that’s…”

Dame Topaz’s lips trembled as she raised a shaking hand and pointed beyond the wall.

“They fell. Th-that unknown young man, together with the traitor.”

“…What?”

Gunther rushed to the battlements, clinging to them. Outside the wall, beyond the advancing horde of Demons that had drawn even closer while he had been organizing the troops, two figures were fighting intensely.

Despite having fallen dozens of meters, both of them seemed unscathed as they clashed their blades as if nothing had happened.

Seeing that brown hair fluttering about let a wave of painful nostalgia sweep over him.

“Young Lord, that man……”

At that moment, someone else approached him. A face he had no other choice but to recognize.

“Bishop?”

Even knowing that every single second was precious, the bishop bit at his lips a couple of times. His eyes narrowed with contempt, bewilderment, and many more emotions.

“That brown-haired man… harbors Demonic Energy equal or perhaps even greater than the Plague Beast.”

Finally, the bishop spoke up.

“What?”

“I feared this information would break morale even further, so I ordered the priests to keep silent. But… you must remain cautious.”

“What is……”

The bishop, glancing at the marching Demons, leaned towards his ear and spoke in a hushed voice.

On his way here, he had felt Demonic Energy surging from within the city, so he hurried here only to witness Emerald’s betrayal and then this man who carried Demonic Energy within him clashed against the traitor. So, rather than declaring that person as an enemy, he had first commanded the priests to keep their mouths shut.

“…I understand. You have my gratitude for your wisdom.”

“I simply did what was required. We will prepare for every eventuality."

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Barely suppressing the urge to scream, Gunther could feel a new weight pressing down on Gunther’s shoulders. Demonic Energy equal to or even greater than the Plague Beast. Then didn’t that mean that this brown haired man was a Great Demon?

“Y-young Lord.”

“…Topaz, you remain silent as well.”

Yet another variable, in the middle of this already agonizing situation. At least it was working in their favor. For now.

“…So, the one who slew the Lord, poisoned the Knights, and devastated the city was a head Knight who possesses not a shred of Demonic Energy, and the one who might actually be a Great Demon is fighting to defend us. This world truly is fascinating at times.”

Gunter slipped one hand into his cloak. His head felt dizzy, faced with this absurdity.

“Sir Amber……”

“Sir Amber has returned.”

And that dizziness got even worse when he heard the words of the soldiers around him.

“…Damn it.”

That person fighting outside was not Sir Amber. Sir Amber was dead. What they were seeing was a Demon full of Demonic Energy. One that just happened to resemble Sir Amber slightly.

“Sir Amber! Bring victory to Munmund!”

“Please, bring salvation to our city!”

And yet,

And yet.

Gunther found himself praying silently as he watched the blades clash.

Even if you’ve become a Demon, please, let it really be Sir Amber who has returned.

* * *

Clang, claaang!

With more space to move and no soldiers left to get in the way, the clash between my blade and my opponent’s became even more intense.

Kaaang!

Of course, when it came to pure skill, I still couldn’t even compare. I was lacking, and from what I heard, she was someone who had never lost a duel against a Knight.

“You aren’t foolish.”

But if that were all I cared about, I wouldn’t have forced us to change the battlefield even at the cost of taking a stab through my shoulder. I countered her refined swordplay using my one advantage. My overwhelming Arcane Power.

Boom!

The ground, charged with Arcane Power, split and shook, throwing off her footing. Arcane Spears sprang from every direction, which should have made it impossible for her to dodge.

“Just unrefined.”

And yet, after one reached a certain height of mastery, one could even turn a line into a plane. Her blade and whip drifted as if time was flowing slower around them, scattering a gemlike spray of light.

From above, it would have looked like emerald roses in full bloom. Her veil swayed like an aurora, slashing through every Arcane Spear, gliding along my sword.

The rapier, as cunning as a snake, yet as graceful as moonlight, struck my blade with vicious accuracy, even grazing my hand. Shrrk! The leather gloves tore, a shallow red line appeared on the back of my hand.

Ssk!

But I had already suffered far worse wounds to falter because of that scratch. Instead fussing over it I continued to press on.

The spears rained from above, the quaking earth burst, exploding like fireworks. Pitch-black sparks flew wildly like falling ash.

Kaaang!

Even then, our blades clashed. The dark whip, imbued with Arcane Power, twisted grotesquely, tearing the air apart. In the process it shattered my Arcane Spears while her rapier met my longsword again and again.

Clang! My hand, clad in Aracne Power, almost seeming as if I wore a gauntlet, slapped the rapier aside, aiming for that opening. Kaaang! No good. She turned the repelled sword with grace, instantly swinging it to the place it had been in before. Rapier and longsword clashed in an endless circle.

“How pitiful.”

Would I ever be able to replicate her movements? These movements that I couldn’t really see even though I witnessed them? Her sword traced a circle, carving a veil of Arcane Power into the air. Crackle! My spears shattered, and the earth itself trembled when she kicked it, mimicking the quake I had forced using my Arcane Power.

“To have such tremendous Arcane Power, and yet wield it so poorly.”

Swish. The whip suddenly approached again, tearing through the air at my left, twisting in impossible directions before coiling around my longsword. At the same time, the rapier swept to my right, my back, and above my head. It was so overwhelming that no one with a normal body could avoid those attacks.

Claaang!

When had our blades crossed again? I felt them gride against each other, and then the sting at my elbow as the edge of her blade bit in. Rip. A piece of flesh got ripped out along with part of my clothes. Somehow the absurdity of a shirt-sleeve flapping loose seemed funny to me.

“Let me ask you something.”

I tore my gaze from the black arm that was now exposed and stamped my foot. Arcane Power surged from within me, subtly loosening the whip wound around my sword, deflecting it. For a moment, my opponent seemed quite intrigued.

“Are you one of the 72 Knights, or a Great Demon?”

My next question earned me the same reaction. She simply looked at me, her face as smooth and flawless like porcelain. She carried no malice, no hostility, not even displeasure. And yet somehow her stare made me feel uncomfortable.

Kaaang!

Our swords clashed again. I hadn’t summoned any Arcane Spears this time, so it was just sword against sword, and not long after the wound around my elbow widened.

“Such words cannot define me.”

So her answer was neither. Even if she said it more gracefully. I shoved her blade aside and unleashed another barrage of Arcane Spears, trying to deduce my opponent’s true identity. She wasn’t a Great Demon, nor was she one of their retainers, then what was she?

“A Demon worshiper, then?”

Slash. With a turn of her wrist, she spun her sword to completely obliterate my summoned Spears. Her lips curved.

“Foolish mortal, is that truly the best you can guess?”

“So not that either.”

If not a Great Demon, nor their retainer, nor their retainer’s retainer, then what else could she be? A collaborator, chasing personal gain? A mere transaction partner?

But if she were only that, how could she recognize what I was almost instantly?

“Though, how fascinating. Anyone tied to Demons seems to know, but anyone else seems to find it quite difficult to define my inner self.”

Even the Church’s priests knew that I was carrying Demonic Energy within me, and just how much of it. However, they were never able to completely pinpoint what was housed inside of me.

No Knight or wizard, who simply wielded Arcane Power, had ever realized, unless I directly showed them.

“So you’re not an actual Demon, then?”

Therefore.

This person couldn’t be just a collaborator then. The only ones who had ever called me by titles containing Deceit, Trickery, and Wrath had always been Demons.

“…Do not compare me to those base things.”

After feeling my Arcane Power recovering, I gathered it into Arcane Spears again, firing them at different paces. Her rapier tangled between parrying my blade and smacking down the spears, until sharply jabbed into the guard of my longsword. If she had moved the blade just a bit lower, she would have pierced through my fingers.

“Isn’t it rather strange to call them base when you stand on their side?”

To prevent the rapier from slipping further down towards my hand, I fired a spear – or more accurately a bullet – from below, sending it upwards.

At the same time, I kept moving forward, thrusting my blade towards her. If she didn't block, either my sword or my Arcane Spears would reach her.

Or so I thought.

Her pale forearm brushed off my sword, a gentle smile on her lips.

Ssshk! The whip suddenly snapped to action on its own, as if something had triggered it, and lashed across my leg. It managed to cut through both my clothes and flesh. Even in this confined space it somehow managed to gain enough momentum to do something like that.

Six wounds were etched into my body now, deep enough to be seen from afar.

“You have quite the long tongue.”

“…The weak tend to have long ones, right?”

Thankfully, my muscles had not been torn or something.

I slid half a step back, desperately countering the incoming attacks. I could deflect the whip with another barrage of Arcane Spears, but the sword was a different matter. I barely managed to deflect and avoid it by shaking the ground and thus throwing off her balance.

I caught myself letting out a low groan as I forced an awkward smile.

“Why did you betray them?”

I was thoroughly getting pushed around, of course, but since I had already dropped the taciturn, high-handed act, I might as well try to squeeze some information out of her.

“You were a Knight, so you probably had quite some privileges. So why did you betray them, if you aren’t even a Demon?”

Ah, of course, I wasn’t asking because I actually cared about that.

What good would it do me to know her reasons or what she really was? The chances of those hidden clues revealing the connection between the original Demon Knight and Wrath were almost non existent.

Still, someone who looked like a normal person had recognized me for what I was at a single glance. That was the important part.

Assuming I would shed this disguise and wander this world using another form, completely different from the Demon Knight, I would have to make sure never to run into someone like her. A person who could instantly discover my identity.

“What did they promise you?”

I kept my tongue busy as I deflected yet another whip-lash. If my breathing became ragged, I’d shut my mouth, but until then I would just keep speaking.

I also reminded myself not to lose sight of my original purpose in the attempt to dig into her secrets.

“Or are you someone being used without even a reward?”

Then, her eyebrows finally twitched. It was only the faintest movement, but it still showed some agitation.

The emerald haze wreathing around her body intensified, appearing like a flame.

“Since ancient times, tongues have caused many disasters.”

“And just as often brought peace. Dialogue and compromise. Aren’t those a lot more beautiful than fists?”

I grinned as I retorted. Her eyes narrowed slightly. The gentle smile never left her face, but I could tell that she was thoroughly annoyed.

“You will regret this.”

“Did you know that you sound a lot more genuine when you’re angry?”

So she seriously was someone who worked for no pay whatsoever? My taunt made her sword strikes silently gaining even more force. Pretentious or not, even she had a reverse scale.

I grabbed my glasses, which were about to fall off again due to the violent movement, with my free hand.

Swish.

They vanished into my inventory. No one here really cared to look closely into my eyes. I’d be the only one at a loss when those glasses ended up breaking, so I decided it would be better to just put them away.

“They’re coming!”

The ground began to soften, turning into sludge.

“The Demons are coming!”

Ghouls feasting on rotten flesh. Olgoi-Khorkhoi burrowing through the earth, searching for prey. Slimes that sloshed across the battlefield, their acidic bodies dissolving whatever they touched. Preta with bellies that could never be sated, vomiting from their navels whatever they had swallowed. Wandering carrion eaters, who breed moths and maggots inside their flesh, searching for corpses.

From the rotten soil, demonic hands clawed upward, each imbued with famine, drought, and plague. This was the moment I had been waiting for. The moment to make best use of my Arcane Power.

“Vermin……”

Yet, ironically, the first prey they seized wasn’t me.

KyaAAAaaaAArgk

[Hungryhungryhungry.]

[Eateateateateat.]

[Foodfoodfood.]

“How dare you.”

For the first time since this battle began, the emerald Knight’s face turned as cold as ice as Demons latched onto her ankles.

“Know your place.”

Boom!

A burst of turquoise energy erupted, blasting away the mud and Demons. “Hm.” That was when my body kicked off the earth, hurtling toward her. Blood was streaming out of every wound carved into me. My silver blade gleamed as I sliced through the air.

“I refuse.”

The crescent strike I had held back until now tore through the Knight and earth alike, ripping straight down, cleaving the small Demons behind her in one swift motion.

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