WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

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

[Translator – Aren]

◈ Chapter 331 If Only I Could (17)

"Wait, kid. Are you alright?”

"Ah......."

What do I do? The boy instinctively backed away as he watched the hunter approach. What else? Run. His mind, realizing there was no other choice, wisely came to a quick conclusion.

"You look like you’ve been wandering around these mountains for quite some time……”

He hadn’t covered his tracks, so if a pursuit party came after him, they would easily make it to this place. And if they met that hunter, then a portrait of the boy… Well, in one way or another every detail of his appearance would be passed along.

Even if the boy managed to shake off the pursuers who came after him, wanted notices describing his appearance would be issued.

That would make his life and moving around even harder.

It would also cause the number of people who would die because of the Demon to gradually increase.

But even knowing what the future held, the boy only watched for a chance to run.

Kill the old hunter and stop the information from spreading. That option never even crossed his mind. 『A Knight protects the weak and keeps the people safe.』 He couldn’t help it. The boy had once dreamed of becoming that kind of person. Even knowing that choosing a different option would be more efficient, he just couldn’t bring himself to do that.

"Kid, if you need help then—”

-Splash!

With tears about to spill from his eyes, the boy took off in that moment. Water sprayed into the air as his body shot forward in the opposite direction from the hunter.

"Wait!”

I have to get as far away as possible. The boy reaffirmed the conclusion he’d reached earlier, with even greater resolve this time. Now that there was a witness, he had to go even farther and faster.

The sorrow that had been trickling up within him gave his feet even more strength.

"Kid, wait……!”

But the old hunter wasn’t so easily shaken off either. She was a little slower than the boy, but she still chased after him at a speed far beyond what an ordinary person her age should have been capable of.

'She can use Arcane Power……?!!'

Because of the Demon’s influence, the boy’s body could exert greater force than its muscle mass should have allowed. On top of that, the boy himself knew how to reinforce his body with Arcane Power.

For that person to still be able to keep up could only mean she also knew how to use Arcane Power. Startled by that realization, the boy drew out even more Arcane Power.

[You could just kill her, but here you go taking a pointless risk.]

Of course, the price wasn’t a light one. The Demon had no intention of letting things go the boy’s way and deliberately interfered.

The Demonic Energy it moved on its own collided with the boy’s Arcane Power and violently shook his insides. Ugh. The boy spat the blood rising in his throat to the ground and forced his legs to keep moving.

The distance between them slowly began to widen.

"I’ll help you! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll help you!”

And once the gap had grown to the point where she wouldn’t be able to catch him unless he fell hard to the ground, the old hunter shouted as loudly as she could. “I’ll help you.” An invisible snare caught around the boy’s ankle.

"...I may be a washed-up, old hag now, but I used to be a pretty decent hunter. I might be able to help you.”

I have to run. Even as the boy trembled, he couldn’t stop himself from turning his head. The old woman’s gentle voice and kind words were simply too sweet for him to resist.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, the boy slowly looked back over his shoulder.

"If you’re that worried, how about stopping by my house for just a bit? It’s nearby. I don’t really talk to a lot of people, so hardly anyone even knows it’s there.”

Still, I can’t fall for that. Who knows what the Demon might do? How many people have already died because they got involved with me? How could I possibly accept that offer?

"...Someone’s chasing me, so I can’t.”

The boy clenched his fists, strengthening his wavering resolve. I killed those people. When he remembered the kind, gentle Inquisitors, his resolve hardened further.

"Someone's chasing you? Then let me help you out. This old woman may not be good for much else, but I do know a thing or two about tracking people’s traces and how to erase them.”

"...Why should I trust you?”

But the other person was experienced. Erasing his tracks so there would be nothing for his pursuers to follow at all. Before that very skill he desperately wanted right now, the boy’s resolve wavered once again.

“Why would you help me when you don’t even know me? Do you even know what situation I’m in? Do you know what I did to make people chase me before saying something like that……?!”

Still, he still couldn't let this happen. The boy’s face twisted at the simple offer of help. Ever since the Demon had entered his body, his unwashed, untrimmed hair had grown wild, and now it spilled down as he bowed his head.

"...The biggest help you can give me right now is letting me go.”

In his desperation, he’d snapped at someone who was only trying to help him. The boy berated himself for it, but he didn’t give an apology to her.

After all, once that old woman learned what he really was, she would either despise or fear him. Or perhaps she wouldn’t understand what the boy truly was until she reached the afterlife.

"Don't try to get involved with me any further."

The boy rejected the old hunter’s kindness in a gloomy tone and started walking again.

She didn’t seem likely to keep following him, so there was probably no more need to use Arcane Power anymore. The boy weakly pushed off the ground.

"Kid, when I was young, I hunted down a great many criminals. And most of them, whenever they realized someone had witnessed them while they were on the run, tried to kill every last witness to keep their mouths shut.”

But the old woman’s words were just a bit faster. Even though he knew this wasn’t the time, the boy ended up listening to the old hunter.

"But you didn’t. The moment you saw me, you knew I’d make things more difficult for you, but you still chose to simply run away. Without even hesitating, as though that were the most natural and obvious thing to do.”

"...How could you possibly kno—”

"How many people do you think this old woman has seen in her lifetime? You don't look like a criminal to me. You’re just a child running away because of some circumstances.”

For some reason, he felt like he might cry.

"So, kid, just tell me you need help. If you do, I’ll help you.”

Knowing that the old woman’s faith in him, that trust that he wasn’t a criminal, was nothing but an illusion only made the feeling stronger. The boy gritted his teeth.

"Even if helping me could put you in danger?”

"Haha, once you’ve lived this long, you don’t really cling too much to your life.”

And the saddest part was that even though he knew her faith in him was an illusion, he was in no position to clear it up.

Even knowing how dangerous his choice might make things for the old woman, the boy couldn’t immediately refuse her. The old woman’s offer to erase his tracks was simply too valuable.

Especially if he could at least catch a glimpse of some of the technique himself. Even a small hint learned now might save both him and his pursuers someday.

"Kid."

But… But what if she learned the truth about him later? What would he do with the despair and disgust she would feel then? Worse, what if other people blamed her simply for helping him? She had only shown a bit of compassion to the boy……

"It’s alright."

You shouldn’t be the one saying things like that. The boy squeezed his eyes shut.

"...Just help me erase my tracks. Don't get involved in anything else. And don’t even come within 10 meters of me.”

"Okay."

Was this really the right choice? The boy agonized over it endlessly but eventually took the hand that had been offered to him.

If I erase my tracks and learn how to do it myself, there’ll be fewer victims in the future. He clung to the only justification that allowed him to rationalize his decision.

* * *

「Just as she’d said, she was an exceptional hunter. Maybe it was because she’d spent her life tracking criminals, but she was especially good at reading traces left behind by people.」

"...So that’s why the tracks back then…”

「I was only with her for a short time, but I learned a lot. She even taught me how to move around while leaving as few traces as possible, even if I couldn’t completely cover my tracks.」

"But we should have been able to find that cabin. Why didn’t we……? We searched that entire area back then, but I never heard anything about anyone finding a cabin……”

「...Because I hid it so they wouldn’t find it.」

"......?"

"That’s possible? No, never mind. Better to just let you keep talking. It'll be more efficient to ask questions after you’re done. Continue.”

「...Okay.」

* * *

"Why don’t you at least eat something before you go?”

"I’m fine.”

"If you collapse, everything we’re doing will be for nothing."

"...I won’t collapse.”

"That’s not really convincing coming from you, kid. You’re only skin and bones. I won’t tell you to stay the night, so at least eat before you go. I’ll give you some food and water to take with you as well.”

Originally, he had planned to leave as soon as he’d watched her erase his tracks. But the hunter was just as skilled with words, and somehow, the boy ended up following the old woman all the way to her cabin.

"Old man, I’m back.”

"You’re back? Pretty late today.”

"......!"

She’d talked about having no attachment to her life and said helping him wouldn’t be a problem, so he’d assumed she lived alone. But she didn’t

The moment another person who could get dragged into all this appeared, the boy’s whole body stiffened.

"Th-there’s someone else……”

No. One person is already more than I can handle. If there are two……

The boy began backing away. “Where are you going?” The old hunter noticed and quickly caught him by the shoulder. Flinch. Already on edge because the Demon could run at any moment, the boy reflexively struck that hand away.

When did I let her get this close? The boy’s heart grew even colder.

"...Ah."

"Looks like I don’t have to worry about you being caught off guard. Very good.”

Even so, the old woman didn’t scold him for knocking her hand away. Not even when the back of her hand began to swell red. Without showing the slightest bit of hostility or displeasure, the hunter simply set down her things.

"Oh my, we have a young guest.”

Instead, a Shagi man with small triangular ears on top of his head and soft light-brown fur spotted the boy.

"Nice to meet you. Come on in.”

After giving the boy a gentle smile, he lightly scolded the old hunter.

"If you’re going to bring a guest home, you should tell me in advance.”

"I only just ran into him.”

It was closer to friendly teasing than a real complaint, so the old hunter answered with a hearty laugh. They looked so close that the boy couldn’t help but think of his parents.

They’d gotten along just as well. All of a sudden, the boy felt like crying. Maybe he’d felt that way for a long time, but it was only now that it had come to the surface.

I miss you. The boy squeezed his eyes shut as he remembered that he hadn’t even managed to bring a single keepsake with him. He missed them so much.

"I only made enough for two…Could you wait just a little longer?”

"I’m fine with that."

Meanwhile, the hunter gestured toward the boy.

"Since you’re waiting anyway, why don’t you wash up at the spring behind the house? A fugitive has to pay attention to his scent too.”

"...I really should get going.”

"If you came all this way and I had to send you off without even feeding you, I’d be angry.”

"My old man says no, so you can’t.”

But it’d be better for you to be angry for a little while than for both of you to die. Unable to cry or smile, the boy searched for another way to refuse.

"Don’t bother pretending to wash up and then running away. This old woman may not have much stamina anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to track you.”

But the hunter added those words as though she had read the boy’s mind.

He knew she was joking, but the boy still stiffened slightly. If that seasoned tracker seriously decided to come after him, and if the boy’s mental strength exhausted while she did, he knew exactly what could happen.

"Just wash up and eat. I promise I won’t keep you any longer than that."

"...Promise me. You have to keep your word.”

So he had no other choice but to give in. That was how the boy justified it to himself as he accepted the hunter’s offer. He decided to wash up at the spring behind the house.

"Ah, use this when you wash yourself. It’s really good at getting rid of odors.”

"...Okay."

He hadn’t washed in months, but scrubbing the dirt off wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected. Maybe because this was a hunter’s home, they had soap made from animal fat and ash.

The boy scrubbed himself hard with the grassy-smelling soap and frantically washed his hair. His siblings, who used to nag him that he had to scrub all the way down to his scalp, were no longer there, so he couldn’t get the smell out completely, but he was still much cleaner now.

The boy roughly rubbed his hair, which now fell to his shoulder blades, with a dry cloth.

"I thought your hair was black, but it’s actually gray.”

"What a beautiful color.”

The hunter, who had apparently been watching him for a while, laughed and tossed him some dry clothes. They looked like they might be a bit loose, but not so large that they’d slip off him.

"These are……”

"Try them on quickly. I think they’ll fit.”

Both the hunter and her husband were tall, so he had no idea where they'd gotten clothes this small. More importantly, he wasn’t even sure it was fine for him to accept these clothes. When the boy hesitated, the hunter urged him again.

"It’s okay. They don’t have an owner anymore anyway.”

"...No owner?”

"The child who was supposed to wear them died from Demonic Erosion.”

“......!"

The hunter gave him a faint smile. “It’s already been 12 years.”

"I-I’m sorry……”

"Hm? No, it’s fine. What do you have to apologize for?”

"But.......”

"I said it’s fine."

The boy’s heart ached incredibly, but in the end, he accepted the clothes and put them on. His old clothes were filthy anyway, and the hunter had already thrown them aside.

So he had no choice but to wear them. The boy put on a practical shirt and trousers, boots and protective gear made for a young teenager, and more. The hunter had given him all of it.

"It looks like dinner will take a little longer, so I’ll show you how to use everything while we wait. I’ll explain what’s in the bag too.”

Judging by the signs of use, these had probably belonged to the hunter’s child. Though deeply honored by these gifts, the boy listened closely to the old woman’s explanation.

"Now, the third pocket on the left is…not that one, the one beside it. Yes, that one. That’s for small things you use often. The one on the right has your waterskin, but there probably isn’t any water in it. Fill it at the spring before you leave. And on the other side…yes, there. That’s where you hang rope and hooks. This part below is for a dagger. Ah, do you know how to hold one?”

"...I know."

"I see. And do you know how to use it?”

"...Enough to defend myself or attack in an emergency.”

"Oh…Then do you know how to use a dagger when you’re not fighting?”

"I don’t."

"I see.”

Time was precious, but it was well worth spending on this. The boy learned how to start a fire with a dagger in emergencies, what was inside the bag, and what he absolutely needed to keep with him. It was exactly the kind of knowledge he needed the most.

"Dinner’s ready!”

"Oh dear…There’s still so much I want to teach you, but looks like it’s gotten pretty late already.”

By the time she’d even taught him how to make a shelter while leaving as few traces as possible, the meal was ready. The boy felt relieved but also slightly disappointed.

He was disappointed that it was almost time to leave this place with sturdy walls and a fireplace.

"Come on, eat."

"I hope it suits your taste.”

But considering that the Demon could run wild at any moment, perhaps it was better this way. He didn’t know why the Demon had stayed quiet all this time…but one thing was certain. This good luck would not last for long.

[Don’t leave this place for three days.]

Right. This was the kind of being that couldn’t even stand to let the boy have this tiny bit of happiness.

[If you try to leave, I’ll unleash Demonic Energy.]

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