Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer? - Chapter 295

WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

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

[Translator – Aren]

◈Chapter 295 Something Convincing (11)

[…That’s all?]

“What were you hoping for, then? Did you want me to get angry at that child, scream, and pour out all my resentment?”

I smiled faintly.

“But I hate major corporations that break the law more than I hate illegal street stalls.”

9 years in which I could not sleep or even doze off once, had to endure the burning pain the Demon would inflict whenever she pleased, and would be surrounded by people hostile toward me, all while facing the pain raw, without being able to adjust my pain sensitivity any longer.

Could I really do it? Could I endure?

Humans became dazed after missing just one night of sleep, yet I had to last not 10 days, not even a month, but 9 years. A full 9 years. Could I withstand that?

“And I hate child abusers like you even more.”

But I couldn’t abandon the child’s round head. I couldn’t coldly ignore his cheeks, glistening with a sorrowful sheen as he cried silently.

Fuck. Life was completely trash, and the world felt like a bunch of maggots, but even so, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

[Ah, Gretchen. You truly are……]

And so I made my decision. You endured for 8 months, so I could manage at least that much, as well. It would be humiliating if I, an adult, couldn’t endure what a child had overcome, so surely I could manage that much.

[You possess a remarkable talent for deceiving yourself.]

Surely I could.

[If the original sin of falsehood ever gained a throne, your name would undoubtedly be engraved upon its foremost seat.]

My true feelings hid behind the child’s falling tears. Somewhere inside my heart, an adult was being crushed without even managing to breathe.

An adult who couldn’t cry because there was already a crying child before them was being crushed there, choking back sob after sob.

[But, deceiver of yourself, how much of yourself can you offer as a burnt sacrifice? How long can a soul isolated through sacrifice preserve its original shape?]

I’m miserable. I feel wronged. I'm devastated. I’m angry. I’m hurting too. I’m suffering too. I need someone to comfort me. Someone to tell me that I’ll be okay. Me too.

[The contradiction of your good deeds, performed stubbornly to preserve one remaining handful of humanity, becoming the very thing that destroys you, can you—]

I want to see my family too.

Boom!

The world shook. The vibration shattered both pitch-black darkness and pure white. The broken walls gurgled and spewed waves of blood.

[…You worthless insect!]

I raised my head blankly and watched blood pour down like a waterfall. Strangely, I felt no particular emotion about it.

Something must have gone wrong. That was all. The detached assessment drifted dryly through my mind, devoid of empathy.

「An impact from outside…….」

[An ignorant beast dares attack me without knowing its place?]

However, the other two reacted differently.

The black-and-white world suddenly became translucent, revealing the situation outside. The perspective was slightly wider than ordinary vision, resembling the shoulder-view camera of a video game.

Boom!

At the same time, sound struck my ears as though someone had turned a speaker up to full volume. The Zweihänder, Ratel, which had transformed into a cocoon to protect my body, was fighting the intruder.

White fragments wrapped around only my major joints, more like protective guards than tights, and moved my body without my consent. Both legs leaped high to avoid a massive tusk, while both arms cleaved apart the masses of insects closing in.

[Foolish beast. I will tear you apart just as I did your master.]

However, those movements were truly limited to the bare minimum and could not overwhelm the enemy. The fact that blood continued pouring into this space made that much obvious.

My body, focused more on evasion than attack, moved in unnatural, halting motions like a corpse.

「…You think I’ll let you go?」

[…You brat who can’t even grasp the situation!]

At the same time, the Demon, who had been about to do something, was caught by the chains once more. Though the cracked and broken chains looked ready to snap at any moment, surprisingly, the Demon could not shake them off.

Creak, creeak. Each time the Demon tightened her grip, the chains crumbled further, yet continued buying time.

[Everyone will die at this rate. Surely even you understand that, right?]

「…….」

[Do you think it will end if only this body dies? But listen, kid. That plague will not devour this body alone and then leave. Never! That greedy thing would never do that!]

Did she dislike that? Or was she afraid death would chew through the body in the meantime?

Even as the Demon struggled to break the chains, her tongue never stopped moving.

[Child.]

Her voice instantly softened into a gentle murmur, carrying a disgustingly, excessively, sweet scent.

[The hometown you abandoned even your benefactor to protect lies just beyond here.]

「…I.」

[Then you must protect it. Protect it, brat. You must choose before you lose everything because you cannot let go of what you already threw away.]

「…I!」

[Or would you rather watch me burn your hometown to the ground as well?]

「……!」

The fangs hidden within that sweetness were steeped in vicious poison. The boy’s face twisted. The dried tear track on his cheeks gleamed whenever the light fell across them.

[Release me, child. If you free me now, I swear upon my name that I will spare your hometown, at least.]

Clink. The chains binding the Demon loosened slightly. [Yes, good boy.] The Demon smiled.

Clatter.

「…Even so, I don’t care. Whether it’s ruined, shattered, or burned away.」

Then the chains pulled taut once more.

「You’re right. I chose Munmund’s safety over his well-being. Because I missed the memories left there too much. Because I could not bear to lose the remnants that remained. Because I wanted those people, at least, to live happily.」

The boy turned his gaze toward me.

「But, but I’m alright now.」

The child was no longer crying.

「I won’t be greedy anymore. I understand now that I have no right to be.」

Ash, ashen gray. His faded gray hair stirred in a wind that had somehow blown through this place.

「That’s right. After trampling over thousands of lives and dragging an innocent person like you into this, trying to protect something precious to me was wrong from the very beginning.」

The blood rose as though it meant to swallow us whole. It was sin layered upon sin, the tears we had shed, and the karma we had to bear, covering our knees and sweeping around our waists.

「I’m sorry. I know this isn't a sin that can be resolved with those two words, but even so, I’m sorry.」

Aah, I was praying…

「And thank you for allowing yourself to be dragged along by my selfishness and telling me I endured well.」

For a strong individual with a soul that could overcome all evil.

「Now go, to the place where you truly belong…」

Someone who would not falter before evil.

「…I’m truly sorry for summoning you as I pleased and now trying to end things as I please. But if I let this moment pass, there will never be another chance.」

Someone who could thwart these evil forces.

「…I should have sent you back long ago.」

…Can you hear my voice?

[You damned brat—!]

「Ah.」

If you can hear me.

If this voice reaches you……

「It hurts…….」

Please, help me……

[If you don’t let me out this instant—!]

Black flames pierced the boy’s heart. The tears that spilled out in a rush joined the rising tide of karma and dissolved without leaving the slightest trace.

As though the boy’s grief meant nothing before such tremendous sin, it disappeared without a trace.

[Damn it, at this rate……!]

Even so, the boy did not fall. Though the flames burned his body and reduced it to a mass of ash, his knees didn’t buckle.

It hurt. The voiceless scream was swallowed by his throat and faded away. Blood. Blood flowed.

[You damned brat, fighting me to the very end……!!]

Endless blood poured out.

The blood bearing sin in order to contain the flames became a river, then a lake, and finally formed an ocean. The boy who had once bled in order to survive sank beneath a sea of blood.

“Say I endure those nine years.”

But I was larger than the boy, and so I wasn’t swallowed. I caught hold of him in the lake that had risen to my chin.

“Let’s say I return home. What happens to you?”

I don’t want the child submerged in this sticky blood. So come out.

I slipped one hand beneath the child and lifted him by his hips. Cough. Stained red, the boy looked at me with tears hanging from his lashes.

「Why are you asking……?」

“Answer me. Either you or that bastard inside you.”

[…We agreed that the child would be freed, and I would fall.]

“Can I take that to mean you’ll leave this body and die?”

[Yes. I won’t die, but neither will I have enough power remaining to accomplish anything.]

A drop of red liquid gathered on his gray lashes and fell. [But why ask? Have you perhaps developed a desire to stay?] The one overcome with impatience sneered as though putting on a show of confidence.

“No. When I thought about it, that promise was an exchange between the truth and Munmund’s safety, wasn’t it? In that case, I figured we might have to take down that monster too.”

Would comparing her to a hedgehog with its quills raised be giving her too much credit? I quickly dismissed the image that had come to mind. After thinking about it a little more, that comparison was far too insulting to hedgehogs. Yeah, absolutely.

「…No.」

“Do you really think the value of the truth I’ve heard so far is equal to the value of the threats we’ve eliminated?"

「No, please……!」

“What do you think, Demon?”

「Please, please……!! You shouldn’t have to suffer any more!!」

[…Are you asking me?]

“Is there any other Demon here?”

「I…this land has no right to survive at the cost of your suffering!!」

[If this body dies, you can return home. And you still intend to help.]

“Don’t like it? Then forget it.”

「You-you’ve suffered enough already……!!」

[…No. I’d welcome it if you did.]

「Stop, please… Stop……」

But over the image of that disheveled hedgehog, I wondered. Would I come to regret this choice?

“Then make a new promise.”

I didn’t know. I wasn’t someone who could see the future.

But I did know that I would definitely regret it if I returned home like this. That much, I knew for certain.

“You won’t try to take over my body while I’m asleep. You won’t deliberately inflict burning pain just to torment me. You won't release Demonic Energy whenever you feel like it. In short, you'll never pull any tricks to steal my body. Ah, and cancel that truth-delivery-whatever promise too. Make it so he won’t suffer any more penalties no matter what he tells me.”

And so I decided to gamble one more time… Just once more.

With every intention of leaving if she refused these conditions.

「Stop. You already went through this in Bemurchen…! Y-you stayed behind for those people, and afterward you suffered so much because of it……!! So, so……」

“…What are you talking about? I stayed behind for those people?”

[Ah, you wouldn’t remember. We erased it.]

“You two really have done an impressive amount of messed-up stuff to me……”

…Oh. That was something I genuinely hadn't known. I considered the newly revealed fact for a moment, then spoke again.

“I can hear about that later. Anyway, are you making the promise or not?”

[Those terms are far too disadvantageous to me—]

“Then die.”

At the same time, I rose slightly onto my tiptoes to keep clear of the blood that had reached my upper lip. I had no intention of being completely taken in like a child. I had to get what I could out of this.

[Then your memories could be returned to how they were before you spoke with us……]

“Hey, do I look easy to you? Or do you just not want to live?”

[Then at least swear that you won’t intentionally kill yourself……]

“I told you, if you don’t want to live, forget it.”

[Damn it, you’re demanding I surrender everything just to survive!]

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”

The Demon’s gaze met mine.

“You’re the one who said the person getting taken advantage of was the stupid one.”

The red eyes shining vividly even beneath the blood let out a barrage of meaningless screams. It was pointless. Her current humiliation was merely the karma she had built up herself.

“So, are you doing it or not?”

[…You’ll regret this.]

“Yeah, people who say that are never actually scary.”

[You think I’m joking?]

“Isn’t it only natural to ignore some dumbass who was grinning because she thought she’d already won without even realizing Gluttony was targeting her?”

[…We will proceed with the contract.]

See? The people who spout bullshit about how the victim is the stupid one never blame themselves when they’re the ones who get screwed over.

I firmly swallowed the words threatening to burst out. If that bastard completely lost her temper and stubbornly refused to make the contract, things would become difficult for me as well.

Raaattle.

Fortunately, she produced a contract. Paper that did not soften even while submerged in blood appeared, and line after line of clauses emerged across it.

“This should be good enough.”

The terms were stringent, but I was just as pressed for time, so it was difficult to inspect them thoroughly. Still, at a glance, it seemed most of the tricks she might attempt had been blocked.

Then that was enough. It would probably be enough.

「Wh-why would you go this far……?」

“…Because if I leave like this, everything I suffered through will have been meaningless.”

「Please, please…….」

No, honestly, it would be fine even if the terms were somewhat lacking. As long as I secured a guarantee that I could sleep, kept the pain reduction, and prevented her from deliberately inflicting burning pain, it should be enough for me to endure.

Humans could survive three years even after their legs were shattered and their dreams destroyed, so with conditions like these, surely I could somehow survive nine years too.

「You’re allowed to be happy now……」

“I won’t deny that. It’s not like I haven’t committed any sins, but I don’t think I deserved to suffer this damn much. When I think of it that way, don’t I at least have the right to be happy?”

With that thought, I buried my face against the shoulder of the child sobbing in my arms. Since I was holding him, our heights lined up well enough for it.

「Then why? Why……?」

“Because, damn it, I’m the only person who can help you right now.”

Then I held the contract out toward the Demon.

“Hey, add one more clause. Beyond the actions already written in the contract, any new action I judge to be an attempt to steal my body may be added and prohibited at any time.”

[…I’d rather die than accept that!]

“Ah, sure, then die.”

[……!!!]

The Demon ground her teeth at the game of chicken in which one side had absolutely nothing to lose—aside from not being able to return home immediately. Swoosh! The blood was pushed away, creating a space for us to stand. That was rather nice. It would have been even better if she had done it sooner.

[…Don’t you think a clause allowing you to make that judgment leaves far too much room for abuse?]

“Not as much as you.”

[…Change it so that the ancient magic makes the judgment. Then I’ll agree.]

“No.”

[How am I supposed to accept that when, for all I know, you might even consider the mere fact that I’m parasitizing this body to be a trick?!]

“…Oh. A con artist really is built differently. You spotted the loophole right away.”

Was making a deal with that bastard truly the right choice? I considered it for a moment, then let out a deep sigh as I looked down at the boy in my arms.

What else could I do? I couldn’t abandon a child.

“I don’t know whether this ancient magic is actually impartial."

[I swear upon my name.]

“…That still doesn’t exactly reassure me.”

[Are you going to make the contract or not?!!]

I did intend to, but what was I supposed to do when she was so utterly untrustworthy? I glanced at the boy. “What do you think?” At my question, the boy gave a strained nod. 「…Don’t do it. Please don’t.」 Even after giving me the truth, his choking breaths continued trying to dissuade me until the very end.

“That’s not an option. Your way of asking for help was completely messed up, but in the end, there’s still a child here who called out to an adult for rescue. It would be different if there were someone else who could help, but right now, I’m the only one.”

If the ancient magic was considered trustworthy, then it should be fine. I raised my free hand. I need a pen. The moment I thought that, one appeared.

“It’s not my whole life. It’s only 9 years…I’ll just think of it as an extended volunteer job overseas.”

So I just had to write my name here? I extended the pen toward the bottom of the contract to sign it. 「You’ll regret it.」The child snatched it away.

「You’ll definitely regret helping someone like me.」

“Maybe I will.”

「You really will regret it……」

Theirs spilled from the child’s eyes as he gripped the stolen pen properly. “Why are you holding that?” At my question, the child somehow managed to continue speaking between his sobs.

「…You must never give your name to a Demon.」

“No, then how am I supposed to make the contract……?”

Scratch, scratch. Before I could stop him, letters were carved into the contract. Fortunately, it wasn’t the signature field.

「…I’ve already given my name to the Demon, so you can use mine.」

‘Mephistopheles shall harbor no ambition to seize Gretchen’s body.’

Acts constituting such ambitions include…(omitted).'

The name the Demons called me appeared where my own name would ordinarily have been written.

“You’re not going to exploit the fact that it isn’t my real name, are you?”

「…She can’t. Within our shared concept of identity, ‘Gretchen’ refers to you.」

The boy looked up at me again with reddened eyes.

「The moment I write my name in the signature field, you’ll have to endure another 9 years in this land.」

Plop. Another pearl-like tear fell.