WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

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

[Translator – Aren]

◈ Chapter 335 If Only I Could (21)

"You son of a bitch who wouldn’t deserve mercy even after stewing in sewage water for days… You bastard with maggots hanging where your tongue should be… Human scum who only gives a fuck about saving your own hide and throws everyone else into a pit of evil… Though you’re not even human to begin with……"

Whatever it was, apparently it wasn’t going to work. Daniel felt mentally dizzy from both the disappointment that the root of this trouble had once again escaped without being caught and the torrent of abuse shooting out of a certain someone’s mouth. Most of the words being hurled out were the sort of things one only occasionally heard from people all the way on the bottom of the social ladder, those who frequented the filthy back alleys.

"Sir, your language is rather harsher than I expected……”

Of course he wasn’t thinking something like, ‘Even if it’s a Demon, isn’t that choice of words a bit much…?’ The target of the Demon Knight’s insults was someone who deserved even greater contempt and hatred than this. If anything, that reaction was only right.

What made him dizzy was something else entirely. The person spewing all those words was the Demon Knight, not Meister.

That alone shocked Daniel greatly. So much so that he didn’t even notice how much more casual the Demon Knight’s way of speaking had become.

"I mean, sure, it’s a bit unexpected, but isn’t that still pretty mild?”

"...You call that mild?”

"He’s not dragging the thing’s parents and siblings into it, is he? Or saying he’ll rip its eyes out and chew them up, or scrape out every last bit of its innards and throw them at it—”

"Enough, enough......."

"From what I know, inquisitors do worse than that when they deal with heretics. Why are you acting all innocent?”

That…was true, but still……! Daniel pressed a hand to his forehead, unable to either deny or affirm it. His own branch was on the moderate side and would never tolerate such things, but it was also true that there were more branches in this world that did.

“Anyway, seems like the Demon either can’t come out or doesn’t want to… Well, makes sense. Even if it came out, all it’d get is a beating. Why would that Demon even bother?”

While Daniel agonized over that fact, Meister causally held something out to the one still muttering gloomily, cursing like a sailor under his breath. It was a water bottle.

“...What?"

"If all you do is guzzle booze without drinking water, you’ll be dead tomorrow, idiot.”

Actually, it was already far too late to be worrying about hydration. Still, forcing some water into him now would be better than pouring in even more alcohol.

After coming to that decision, Meister handed over the bottle and pushed a plate of food over as well. The Demon Knight… no, according to what he'd heard from the Archmage, this guy asked to be called ‘Adventurer,’ right? In any case, the Adventurer blinked a couple of times.

Maybe it was because that Demon had possessed that body, or maybe that body was simply like that from the start. Even after all that alcohol, there wasn’t even a hint of color in his cheeks or around his eyes.

Didn’t that guy look even paler than before he started drinking? While Meister watched closely,. The increasingly impulsive Adventurer took what he offered. He emptied the water bottle and finally reached for the snacks that had been completely neglected in a corner because of the conversation they were having.

"...You should eat this instead. Your stomach probably isn't feeling too great either.”

Daniel moved the meunière away the Adventurer had been reaching for and offered a cracker topped with fish mousse instead. There was only so much a drunk person could be expected to do about fish bones, so it was a pretty sensible choice.

The Adventurer was drunk enough to just accept whatever he was offered without thinking about it deeply.

"Shitty fucking Demon. Damn Temple bastards. Those idiotic dumpling bastards……”

Along with an unending torrent of curses.

"...What exactly are these ‘dumplings’ you’ve been talking about this whole time anyway?”

"......?"

Compared to everything he had been through, complaining about his situation was practically nothing. Still, whenever some unfamiliar words popped out, Daniel couldn’t help getting a bit curious.

Daniel was the one to ask, though Meister also focused on the Adventurer’s next words. It wasn’t like they didn’t have a guess, but a guess and certainty were two very different things.

"...The dumplings are the dumplings.”

"No, I mean…is their name Dumpling?”

"...No?”

Interrogating a drunk person was difficult. After asking the same thing in various ways, they finally figured out that the Adventurer was indeed referring to Deathbringer and the Inquisitor.

"Looks like you got more attached to them than I thought. You even gave them nicknames.”

Meister had no idea what a ‘Kimchi Dumpling’ and a ‘Meat Dumpling’ were supposed to be, but they didn’t sound like insults. Even if they were, the Adventurer didn’t seem to say them in a derogatory way, so they probably were closer to actual nicknames.

That line of reasoning left Meister with a rather unexpected feeling. ‘I thought you just found them annoying.’

He couldn’t help but come to that conclusion.

"...They’re cute."

"...I could understand the Hero, but even that troublemaker?”

"You think those fully grown adults are cute? You’ve got quite the weird taste.”

"Fully grown, my ass. Look at how they act. They’re just kids with big bodies……”

But perhaps the alcohol was finally catching up with him, because the Adventurer's voice gradually became quieter and more slurred. Something like that.

He usually spoke very clearly, and apparently even while drunk he was trying to keep talking in that way, so understanding him wasn't all that difficult yet. Still, it was more than obvious that he was nearing his limit.

"Sometimes I wish they’d just stop, but they’re kids, so what can you do……”

"Stop doing what?”

"......"

"Erm, please tell us. Things like that only improve if you talk about them.”

And sure enough, the effect of downing shot after shot of hard liquor was setting in, and his words and actions began to slow down. Even his chewing speed had become absurdly sluggish, to the point that he almost looked like he fell asleep while eating the risotto.

"...Forget it."

"Forget about what?"

“We’ll soon part ways, so I’ll never see them again anyway……”

"...What?"

"Hmm."

"It’s not like I owe them enough to worry about it that much……”

If there was one advantage of him being drunk, though, it was that their psychological walls had come crashing down completely. Of course, if he passed out completely, there’d be no way to hear anything else.

"Th-that means……”

But for now, Meister was satisfied with just this much. He had come prepared for the worst-case scenario of not learning anything before leaving.

"Sleepy……”

"W-wait.”

While Meister was feeling very satisfied, Daniel urgently caught the Adventurer who had collapsed as if passing out.

He was sitting on a backless stool of all things, so he could easily have slumped to the floor.

"Ah, there he goes. Well, it would be stranger if this guy didn’t end up like that after knocking back hard liquor like that when he’s not used to it.”

"If you knew that, you could’ve caught him……”

"He looks fine to me."

"No…Haah. Forget it.”

For reference, the Adventurer had an unusually large build for a Middle, and even for someone with his profession. Daniel, who was over 180 cm and was considered especially tall among Middle, was still about half a span shorter than the Adventurer. That made it obvious enough.

Even so, Meister showed no intention of helping him. Daniel knew Meister’s personality well enough that he quickly gave up on even asking him for help. It wasn’t as though he actually needed it anyway.

"Huup."

He had only considered asking because hurriedly catching the Adventure had left him in an awkward position. The moment he got his footing right, supporting him alone was no problem at all. Someone capable of marching 12 hours straight carrying 30kg of gear was certainly capable of slinging a 100kg person over his shoulder for a little while, right?

The only problem had been his initial posture. His hips were half-perched on the stool while both arms stretched out to hold up the Adventurer.

Thud.

Daniel somehow corrected that awkward position into a proper one, then carried the unconscious Adventurer over to the bed.

The bed shook once under his weight.

"He’s not dead, right?”

"...He hasn’t passed away.”

Stories of people suddenly dying after drinking too much hard liquor too quickly were rare, but not unheard of. With that in mind, Daniel adjusted the angle in which his head was lying and the position of his body. It was to prevent the possibility of him choking on his vomit.

"By the way, what he said just now was……”

"He’s pissed about something those two did and tries to work out whether to cut ties with them. Something like that."

"...You understood that, and you’re still this calm about it?”

"......? What? You want me to jump up and down over it? Why would I?”

Meanwhile, Meister quietly took out a cigarette. No one was around to nag him about it, so he might as well smoke. It was a shameless thought, but Daniel failed to notice because of the angle.

"He’s saying he wants to sort out his own relationships according to his own wishes. What right do I have to tell him what to do? It’s not like I owe those two anything either. And most importantly, just because you notice someone’s flaws doesn’t mean you’re obligated to point them out.”

"...But they’re following Sir Adventurer this sincerely.”

"And this is what sincerely following him has led to.”

Booze and cigarettes. Now those were the things of God’s realm. Meister exhaled smoke while harboring those blasphemous thoughts. “Wait, are you smoking?” Daniel asked, disgust on his face, after catching the smell.

"Effort doesn’t always pay off.”

"...But.”

"No buts. Leave it alone. This is between the three of them. You’re just an outsider with no right to interfere.”

“......”

"And in the relationship between those three, this guy is the one who’s been on the receiving end of everyone else’s feelings. In a situation this completely messed up, do you really think handling the other two's passion is easy? If it’s too much for him, then cutting ties is probably the right thing to do here.”

Still, Daniel never managed to make Meister put out his cigarette. Nor could he argue against the smoker’s words. He couldn’t, because they were true.

"...It seems you'll be facing some difficult days for a while.”

Even so, there was still something weighing on his mind. According to the reports from outside, all communication from the area around the Grand Temple had completely stopped, which only added to the general unease.

"If the Grand Temple really did get blown away, then yeah.”

Everyone was trying to tell themselves that no news was good news, but actually, far more people were imagining that this was just the calm before the storm. Just like them. Just like the Hero.

“But that still doesn't mean this guy has to shoulder everything.”

"...Yes. You’re right.”

Then how difficult would the days ahead be for the Hero, who would have to shoulder all of it at once? Faced with this overwhelming misfortune beyond anyone’s control, Daniel could only squeeze his eyes shut.

* * *

[You’ve finally awakened, brother.]

The shepherd opened his eyes feeling a familiar thirst and emptiness. Several beings he remembered being called his brethren stood beside him.

[Faithful Abel, I will not ask what mistake you made to earn your punishment. But I beg you, do not do it again. You know your life is not yours alone.]

[...I know.]

But having his brethren beside him did nothing to dispel that emptiness. It just couldn’t. This feeling didn’t come from mere loneliness.

Abel’s faint breath split the air. Only the soul had been replaced, but the traces of memories continuing on made even that act feel both utterly strange and yet so weirdly familiar.

[Eve.]

[Hm?]

[How many lives were out in this time?]

[Five. Wrath always brought such high-quality souls. It’s a shame.]

[If not for this hunt at the Grand Temple, we wouldn't have obtained even those five. Brother, use them sparingly.]

[...I see.]

One life given to the nameless sister. Five more newly gained.

Rather than dying, Abel had received no punishment at all and had instead been given more lives. A bitter smile crossed his face.

[I was prepared to be disposed of.]

[Oh, brother……]

He didn’t regret acting on his own without command. His life belonged to the omniscient Heaven, but considering how many times he had been martyred and offered up for Heaven’s sake, surely he could use it once for a personal desire.

Surely using it once for the sake of that pitiful, nameless sister was acceptable.

[Heaven is merciful and has forgiven you. But there will be no next time. Remember that.]

Of course, his Heaven would never permit his personal desires. Even so, he did so with the resolve to die, but, unexpectedly, he had received mercy.

Abel found it strange. No matter how much of the knowledge he had indulged in he referenced, he could never understand his Heaven’s whims.

[...Adam, do you remember when you made a sword for the nameless sister?]

But perhaps, in one way, this meant the puppet, his nameless sister, had been given a chance as well.

[Nameless sister?]

[Was there such a thing?]

[...The puppet.]

[Ah, Aaah. You mean that marionette.]

A creation that neither his brethren nor even its Creator truly regarded…but perhaps this meant they were willing to give it at least a chance to live.

[Eve seems to remember.]

[You know, there was a minor unrest in one of the human cities for some time. The place where Gluttony died this time.]

[Hmm… Ah, now I remember. Some rather famous mortals died suddenly there. We never managed to determine whether Wrath did it or someone else.]

[At the time, Heaven had decreed that since the thing had failed and was useless, they would at least plant it there like a dagger. I already needed to head there in pursuit of Wrath anyway. So I remember carrying it there on my back… Though I have no idea whether it’s still alive now.]

[I see.]

[But Abel, why bring that up all of a sudden?]

[...No reason in particular. I was just wondering whether it was still alive.]

[Who knows? Wouldn’t it be dead by now?]

[...Did Heaven say so?]

[Why would our exalted Heaven concern themself with the fate of such a trivial creature? Even I had completely forgotten that it existed. I merely assume it must have died when Gluttony did. If it remained in that city as a dagger, then it too would have been caught up in that incident.]

[I see.......]

He hoped that was true. He himself would never be able to cast aside his palace as a sacrifice, but if the nameless sister could live freely, then perhaps even this position would feel fairly satisfying.

[So no one knows what happened to it.]

With that thought, Able quietly recited a prayer for that nameless sister. ‘May you live freely.’ It was a prayer that would never reach her.

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