WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

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

[Translator – Aren]

◈ Chapter 318 If Only I Could (4)

"No, you stubborn idiot. Did you use your power until you passed out again?”

It was a time when one person laid down, completely exhausted, while another was simply grateful that someone was still alive.

Deathbringer, who had gone looking for the Inquisitor to tell her about the Demon Knight, found himself faced with a sight that made him click his tongue.

"I didn’t… pass out……”

"Did the fever cook your brain too, Ironwall? If this isn’t half-passed-out, what is?”

That damn stubborn idiot had collapsed again from overusing her Divine power.

"Great job. Seriously.”

Deathbringer placed a wet towel on the Inquisitor’s burning forehead. The fever had been caused by overusing Divine Power, so it couldn’t be treated with that same Divine power. This was all he could do.

At the sudden chill against her forehead, the Inquisitor let out a strange ‘Hngak!’

"...But if I save more people now, won’t they be more willing to listen later when I defend the Demon Knight?”

"It’d probably be more effective to convince the people in charge than the residents.”

"I guess you’re right with that……”

The Inquisitor’s fever-flushed cheeks drooped. Deathbringer’s eyes rolled around a few times before he casually tossed out a remark.

"Well. Judging by the bishop and Young Lord here, saving a lot of people does seem to be a pretty good way to win them over.”

Where Bemurchen was focused on exterminating Demons, this place clearly prioritized human lives. Taking that into account, the Inquisitor pushing herself this hard might seem foolish, but it wasn’t the wrong choice.

At his words, the Inquisitor’s eyes widened slightly.

"......! That’s good to hear……”

"Your body’s practically dying as the price for it, and you’re happy about that? Good grief…seriously…”

Deathbringer grumbled that both the Demon Knight and the Inquisitor were absolute geniuses at grinding their own bodies into dust. Even then, his hands were busy finding a fresh towel and wiping down the Inquisitor’s neck and arms.

"...Troublemaker, have you happened to see Inquisitor Daniel?”

Then, just as Deathbringer washed out another towel and wrung it dry, the Inquisitor casually slipped in a question. It wasn’t something difficult to talk about, but it also wasn’t something he could carelessly chatter about.

"...That guy? Yeah, I saw him.”

"Then did he perhaps……”

"If you’re asking whether he had a go at the Mister, that happened a while ago.”

"Huh!"

"But don’t worry. It looks like things ended well.”

"I-Is that so?”

Of course, his unease hadn’t completely disappeared. They might not have fought to the death, but neither of them had exactly looked relieved after they parted ways.

"...You know.”

On that note, Deathbringer told the Inquisitor about the truth they hadn’t yet heard and the uneasy feeling he’d been left with.

The Inquisitor was even worse at reading people’s emotions than he was, so he probably wouldn’t get much of an answer. Still, Deathbringer figured it was better than wondering about it alone.

"...So that’s what happened to him. And as for why he reacted that way…well. I don’t really know either.”

"Just as we thought, right?”

"Still, I don’t find it strange that he said he was tired.”

But life had a way of giving you answers from places you’d never expect.

"The Demon Knight’s previous circumstances weren’t exactly good either…but regaining his memories doesn’t suddenly make everything better, right?”

"......?"

"He still has a Demon inside of him, and there’s still no proper way to remove it. And on top of that, I even pointed my weapon at him and nearly drove him to the brink of death.”

"That’s……”

“I remember how devastated I felt when the Demon Knight turned his sword on me. Even though it wasn’t truly him, but the Demon inside him, it still hurt. Yet I chose to turn against him of my own free will, not because of some Demon’s trick. What do you think that must have made him feel?”

Being inexperienced didn’t mean that one was stupid. Sometimes, stubborn honesty could reflect the answer as clearly as a mirror.

"...I think I finally understand why, even after realizing he had lost his memories, the Demon Knight couldn’t trust us…couldn't trust me…and left without a word. In the end, he must have known this was exactly how I would react. That rather than trying to understand his intentions or circumstances, I would put God’s word first. That I would inevitably dismiss his confusion as nothing more than the work of a Demon…He wisely saw through me. Saw just how foolish and stupid I am…that I’m simply not someone he could ever trust.”

This was one of those times. The instant Deathbringer heard the Inquisitor’s words, he realized what he’d missed.

"I don't know how I’m supposed to apologize. No, I don't even know if this is something an apology can fix. I’ve received so much from him, and instead of repaying any of it, all I’ve done is wound him terribly……”

"...I shouldn’t have said that.”

"......?"

Had that cheap trick he’d used to make him stay really been the right thing to do? No, had he even had the right to hold him back in the first place?

Having finally realized his mistake, the young man trembled, his face pale.

* * *

"No matter how I think about it, we can’t leave things like this.”

Meanwhile, in a place that was neither the Temple, the Magic Tower, nor the castle.

Several priests and members of the Magic Tower had secretly gathered there. Every one of them had complaints about how the Demon Knight was being handled.

"He’s far too dangerous! We need proper measures!”

-Bang!

"......!"

"Wh-what in the…?”

But before they could even get properly into their discussion, the door flew open violently. It might have actually been broken. Instead of opening normally, the door fell forward with a crash and became a makeshift platform.

"If you’re that nervous about letting him stay, how about we compromise by putting a permanent tracking spell on him? Something that allows constant surveillance and that he absolutely can’t remove by himself.”

"You’re……!”

Then someone boldly stepped onto the fallen door. It was Meister, with the Archmage trailing behind him like a tail.

“That sounds like a pretty reasonable compromise, doesn’t it?”

The man who had smashed through the locked door with a single kick sauntered in with his hands in his pockets. He was so brazen about it that some of them almost mistook him for an invited guest.

Though, of course, an actual invited guest probably wouldn’t have broken down the door to get in.

"A-a tracking spell?!”

In any case, the man who was always shamelessly confident about whatever he'd done tilted his head brazenly. His whole posture was basically asking, ‘You got a problem?’

"What? That’s not enough for you? You won’t be satisfied unless he's dead?”

“Wh-what are you……?”

“If that’s not what you want, then let’s end it with this. It’s enough.”

“...How are we supposed to follow your reasoning when you just barged in here all of a sudden?”

One of the wizards finally managed to answer him calmly. “Oh, is that so?” Only then did Meister look like he understood. Though he still didn’t quite get it. Why couldn't they follow something this simple?

"What you’re afraid of it the Demon Knight going berserk and the possibility of him running away, right? But the Demon Knight has insisted that he won’t go berserk anymore, and if you’re worried about him running, a tracking spell would solve that. So isn’t that the end of it?”

"...A tracking spell won’t solve the possibility of him going berserk—”

"But it’ll let you chase him to the ends of the continent and kill him if he does. If you’re going to have that kind of power on your side, shouldn’t you naturally be prepared to accept at least that much risk?”

"No, that’s—”

"What? Are you that worried about him going berserk? But are you actually worried though?”

The exchange continued pretty much like that.

As though he already knew what the other person was going to say, and, more importantly, as though he had no intention of listening to stupid questions, he kept cutting them off. He spat out his sentences so quickly that no one else could even return the favor and interrupt Meister in return.

Cutting people off was a skill in itself.

"Perfect timing, actually. I’ve been wanting to ask this the whole way here. Are you people really worried about him going berserk?”

"Of course we’re worr—”

"Really? Then if you’re so worried, why are you cornering him? Don’t you know even a rat will bite a cat when it’s driven into a corner? Or are you that confident because you’ve gotten so fat you practically slosh around when you move? Confident enough that even if the rat bites you, it won’t hurt?”

From Meister’s perspective, though, there was a reason for what he was doing. Of course there was. He was the sort of person who had always wanted to say things exactly like this.

"And just looking at the state of this city tells you everything you need to know, right? Who really has the upper hand in this negotiation and whether the thing standing in front of you is really a rat.”

The only reason he’d held himself back until now was entirely because of the Demon Knight. Because the defendant hadn't even defended himself, much less asked someone to defend him. And because the defendant’s one genuine problem (his rampages) had made it difficult to speak too carelessly.

"The upper hand..."

“Just because he’s cooperating doesn’t mean you get to make every demand you want.”

But now, the greatest obstacle (the rampages) was gone, and the defendant’s own willingness to cooperate had improved.

In other words, all Meister had to do now was enlighten a bunch of idiots. He could finally do what he liked best, what he loved the most in the whole wide world!

"Why don’t we start by looking at the Demon Knight’s record? That bastard’s killed… Two Great Demons. No, is it three now?”

"Four, if you include the Primordial Beast.”

"You hear that? Wow. The Temple hasn’t managed to take down a single one all this time, and this guy wiped them all out by himself in the past year?”

So why hesitate? Meister gleefully laid the card called the truth on the table. The priest directly beneath the bishop in rank looked troubled, but Meister couldn’t have cared less.

If that bastard was second only to the bishop, then Meister was one of the greatest master craftsmen in the world, and the person standing behind him was an Archmage herself.

"Anyway, given that record, do you really think the Demon Knight has been avoiding the Temple because he lacks the strength to fight them? Or do you think there’s some special reason he’s been bending over backward to appease you?”

Besides, the people from the Temple were never the ones he was trying to persuade in the first place.

How the hell was he supposed to persuade those stubborn bastards who treated doctrine as logic?

If those assholes pulled out scripture, plugged their ears, shut their eyes, and started going, ‘Not listening, not listening,’ the only one who’d end up frustrated would be him. Rather than deal with that, he’d sooner give up on them from the start.

Meister dismissed the priests entirely and looked at the wizards gathered there one after the other.

"Did someone sew your mouths shut or something? Or did you use up all your brain cells on your research? If it’s neither, then start talking. I asked you a question.”

Well… He’d said he would persuade them. He hadn’t said he’d be nice about it. They should be grateful that he even gave them his attention.

Behind him, the Archmage, who had been nodding whenever Meister said something sensible, turned to stare at him in surprise.

"If you’re wizards, then act like wizards and answer me logically. Explain why that man has been avoiding the Temple when he’s more than capable enough to kill them and they’re the ones trying to kill him. Why does he deliberately put up with the inconvenience just to avoid fighting them?”

Hadn’t they agreed on a good-cop, bad-cop strategy? Wait, was he acting like this on purpose because of that plan? But no matter how she looked at him, it seemed more like he was just letting his usual temper fly freely?

The Archmage, who had been waiting for the right moment to step in, fell into confusion.

"...No matter what answer we give from our own perspective, I don’t believe it would have any logical validity.”

In the meantime, the wizard who had first managed to respond calmly to Meister spoke up. His expression had relaxed considerably compared to before. Neither his displeasure at their sudden intrusion nor his hostility toward the Demon Knight seemed to have softened, though.

"So, Grandmaster, allow me to ask. Do you know what makes these contradictory circumstances reasonable?”

At that, Meister's attitude shifted slightly as well.

The look in his eyes, which had practically screamed, ‘Say one more stupid thing and I’ll get a hammer and smash your mouth in,’ changed to, ‘Oh? Fine. I’ll at least hear you out.’

"Why overcomplicate it? That bastard’s just a complete pushover.”

"...That’s…"

"You mean that’s nothing but speculation without evidence? Well, isn't the situation itself evidence enough?”

At that point, the Archmage realized it was finally her turn to step in. Eyes a hundred times gentler than Meister's came forward.

"...Someone who only needs to disappear for 9 years has no reason to voluntarily place himself under surveillance by proposing a deal like this. It doesn’t take a lengthy investigation to understand why he would do so anyway.”

A kindness as vast as the sea, a character so upright it was dazzling, a stubborn sense of morality so earnest it made those watching him ache.

At the praise one would hesitate to even give a priest, the priest furrowed his brow.

"Grand Sage, can you truly be certain?”

"Then let me ask you something else. Priest, can the Temple capture the Demon Knight if he goes into hiding? As I understand it, you haven’t managed to catch even a glimpse of his trail over the past several weeks. Do you truly believe you can?”

Meanwhile, Meister furrowed his brow even harder than the priest. The Archmage’s turn or not, watching them test every single stone until the bitter end was so frustrating he could barely stand it.

"Why don’t we just say yes while he’s still trying to play nice?”

Meister swallowed the profanity rising all the way up to his throat, folded his arms, and armed himself with a look of open contempt and disdain.

Mostly because he was worried if he didn’t, their stupidity might finally drive him to punch someone in the jaw.

"Especially when there’s already a good chance something’s gone wrong with the Great Barrier. Maybe don’t turn that enormous amount of combat power against us as well?”

But folding his arms couldn’t contain the menacing aura emanating from his gaze.

"...So long as the Demon Knight doesn’t deliberately cause harm, our branch will support him.”

After a long while, they finally raised the white flag.

Whether they’d been persuaded by his words, bowed to reality, or simply wanted to avoid getting punched, they’d overcome one major hurdle.

"Walking around with rocks instead of brains. This took far too damn long to convince them.”

Meister grumbled as he stepped back over the shattered door.

"...The people behind you can still hear you.”

The Archmage was the one getting a headache from his sheer brazenness. She glanced back to check how the others were reacting, only to find every one of them avoiding her eyes, and let out a deep sigh.

“Still, things went much more smoothly thanks to you. Thank you.”

"I only helped because it’d be a pain in my ass too if that bastard ran off. So don’t thank me.”

The Archmage had no idea how the Demon Knight running away would directly cause Meister trouble, but she let it slide. He’s probably just embarrassed to admit he helped and covering it up by talking harshly again. It was an understanding born from accumulated misdeeds of a certain young man.

"Daniel, thank you as well.”

Instead, she passed her thanks on to someone else.

"...It was nothing.”

"If not for you, we wouldn’t even have known this meeting was happening. It might have caused trouble later. Too much humility can be poison, you know?”

What she’d said was entirely true. If not for Inquisitor Daniel, they would have gone on without even knowing this meeting existed.

"...I only found out because they told me in hopes of bringing me in as well. I didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy.”

"But refusing them and telling us about it is surely something deserving of credit.”

Of course, what she was truly grateful for was that the person who had told them was none other than Daniel.

How could she dismiss it as nothing when she knew full well how complicated Daniel’s relationship with the Demon Knight was? She knew how much resolve it must have taken for him to go out of his way to tell them about something he could easily have ignored. How could she possibly dismiss this as nothing noteworthy?

"...Have you forgiven him?”

Separately, she was also a little curious. Just what had Daniel and the Demon Knight talked about?

What kind of conversation could have changed Daniel’s attitude this much?

"If that was rude, you don’t have to answer. I’m sorry for asking so carelessly.”

She had asked cautiously, but the moment she saw his stiff expression, she withdrew the question. It seems she made another mistake. The thought rose in her mind almost automatically.

"...It wasn’t rude. It’s just a little complicated.”

"I see……?”

The Archmage had heard the broad strokes herself. That the Demon Knight had lost his memories and regained them, that he had stayed behind to apologize to them, and that he and Daniel had already clashed, just about that much.

"...For now, I haven’t forgiven him. But I don’t blame him anymore either. The person who owes me an apology is someone else. I can’t take my anger out on an unrelated person.”

But hearing Daniel say it so plainly made something incredibly clear.

They truly knew nothing about the Demon Knight. The burden he had been carrying was far greater than they had imagined. And their relationship had truly become hopelessly tangled……

"Of course. What’s the point of getting angry at someone who didn’t do anything wrong?”

"...Yes. I know that too. That’s why I did what I did.”

The Archmage felt something complicated twist inside her as she watched Daniel and the Grandmaster talk. It was much like how she’d felt when she decided to come here instead of going to see the Demon Knight.

"Madam Archmage."

"...What is it?”

"It’s not really my place to say this, but……”

There was nothing she could do even if she went to see the Demon Knight now. And he’d said he wasn’t leaving immediately, so it wouldn’t matter if their meeting was delayed a bit. It would be better to remain here and strengthen her standing so she could use that influence later when defending the Demon Knight.

So, so… She’d see him later. Let the Demon Knight rest for now. After all, even if she did face him, there were only a few things she could possibly say.

"...He looks like he needs help right now.”

But all those rationalizations ultimately came down to one single truth.

She was afraid to face the Demon Knight again.

"The Hero…and that impulsive young fellow won’t be enough.”

Because she felt like she would make another mistake.

The younger ones seemed to be doing well enough. If she interfered now, she felt like she’d only make things worse again.

"Those two are too young, and they tend to see him as far too strong. They understand that he can be hurt, but they don’t really understand that he might actually break.”

But the young Inquisitor continued, as though he had seen straight through her fear.

"But you know, don’t you, Madam Archmage? There is no one in this world who can’t break.”

"...You think he might break?”

"It’s only a guess. But I don’t think the possibility is nonexistent.”

He was pushing her back.

"Even I found it this difficult to bring myself to face my enemy again. What do you think it must feel like for him, living alongside the one who drove him to ruin? At least I have blood relatives I can rely on. But he was dragged into that body against his will. He probably has no one at all.”

It was a push that encouraged her to rise above that fear.

The Archmage clenched her fist.

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