WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 15: I Obtained an SSS-Rank Skeletal Horse
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Valentia Rose Sha, the Queen of the Night. She was both a Succubus Queen and an authority on Dollcraft.
Dolls modeled after living creatures became Rose Sha’s minions.
They were called dolls, but they spoke and acted as distinctly as though they had their own egos, and their combat prowess was considerable as well.
Rose Sha used the dolls as minions, but whenever she wished, she could possess their bodies too. Just like now.
The succubus standing before me had the shell of a doll, but there was no doubt that Rose Sha was inside.
“Hmm. Sweetie, you must have a good eye?”
Her voice was so alluring it tickled my ears. She’d also been brushing the back of my neck with her fingers this whole time.
If I’d still had one, it probably would’ve reacted on its own.
“Tell me. How did you know?”
“...”
“Even the elder can’t tell, you know? Hmm? You’re not going to tell me?”
The elder Rose Sha mentioned was the boss of the second-ranked Tenfold Abyss.
In other words, I’d seen through a deception that even the second-ranked boss couldn’t detect.
The seventh-ranked boss had insight that even the second-ranked one lacked? That was bound to pique Rose Sha’s curiosity, and judging by her reaction, my prediction had been right on the mark.
...Should I have just pretended not to notice?
I’d unnecessarily acted like I knew something and made things troublesome for myself.
“What do you want?”
I changed the subject flatly.
Rose Sha stared at me for a moment, then smiled with her eyes.
“If you tell me first?”
I was going to get drawn in at this rate.
I simply stared at Rose Sha without speaking. She met my gaze with that same unchanging smile.
Left with no choice, I decided to speak first.
“It couldn’t have been anything grand. You heard that the Seven Palaces of the Abyss had gained a new seventh-ranked boss during your dull days. That alone must have caught your interest.”
“...Hmm.”
“Then that seventh-ranked boss requested dungeon support. Since you were interested and wanted to maintain a good relationship, offering support would be natural. You may be personally curious about me, but if you used that support as an excuse to meet me in person, you’d worry about how the sixth-ranked boss would appear to a junior.”
I watched Rose Sha’s level color turn pale green.
“You want to preserve the dignity of the sixth-ranked boss while satisfying your curiosity. That’s why you chose this, isn’t it? If you can see without being seen, it solves everything.”
“You got that exactly right.”
Rose Sha clasped her hands behind her back and bent forward at the waist.
She leaned in with a sly smile, and I nearly looked away without realizing it. I really was going to get charmed at this rate.
“I don’t have any underhanded intentions like some skeleton. I just came because I wanted to see you. Curiosity? Interest, I suppose. I wanted to see what kind of man you are.”
“So that was it.”
“Oh, I had expectations too. I was worried I’d go see the seventh-ranked boss only to find you disappointing.”
For an instant, her level returned to normal without a question mark.
I looked around for the question mark, then headed toward the Vampire standing some distance away.
“So, what did you think after seeing me in person?”
“...Sweetie. You have a talent for making women horny, don’t you?”
I already knew that, but having such a blunt sexual remark thrown right at my face left me feeling oddly conflicted.
“You exceeded my expectations. When you return later, you’ll have to make some time for me. Just the two of us.”
“A meeting between Abyssal Palace bosses. I take it you wish to conduct some secret negotiations.”
“Negotiations? Mmm, that’s almost right. What I really want is to have sex, though.”
...What did this woman just say?
“If I had my way, I’d be rolling around with you intensely right now, but this isn’t my original body, you know? Wouldn’t it be better to do it for real the first time?”
“I’m undead, though.”
“My, that isn’t very gentlemanly for a first meeting. I’m the queen of succubi. Don’t you think I’d have ways around that?”
I didn’t have anything down there, and I couldn’t sleep either. What method was she talking about?
I hadn’t seen any such ability even in the detailed setting guide.
I stopped myself from thinking any further. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was falling into her trap.
“I’m busy right now. I’ll formally request an audience later. We’ll meet again then.”
“Fine. I’ll be looking forward to it. See you then?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the question mark vanished from the level.
I looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. It seemed she had returned to her original body.
I’d met plenty of people who drained my energy just by talking, but this was the first person who felt like she could drain my vital essence.
Letting out something like a sigh of cold air, I turned around.
“Charlotte. Are the preparations complete?”
“...”
For some reason, Charlotte was glaring at the Vampire. At the Vampire doll Rose Sha had occupied until just now.
“Charlotte.”
“...Yes.”
“The preparations?”
“Ah, I’ll do it right away.”
It was unsettling to see her fumbling so unlike herself.
Once those two leave, you’d have to handle everything. What would happen if you didn’t get your head straight?
‘Though I’m no different.’
Ever since that slightly contradictory first meeting, I hadn’t been able to get my head straight either.
It had been an intense first meeting in a completely different sense from Kalandas.
* * *
“There have been quite a few real cases where a knight removed their helmet and turned out to be a Death Knight. It means they look human unless you see what’s inside. If it’s a Death Knight as fluent as you, Boss, they won’t even suspect anything.”
“And if we’re discovered?”
“We kill them all.”
“...”
“Please don’t worry. I can’t allow you to dirty your hands, Boss, so I’ll kill them myself.”
This was starting to feel like an ominous journey.
I touched the now-bare top of my skull.
Where my deer antlers should have been, I could only feel lifeless white hair.
I needed to wear a helmet, but the antlers got in the way, so I trusted in my Natural Healing and snapped them off completely.
I simply hadn’t used any skills other than Evolution and Enhancement, but I also possessed the passive traits Advanced Swordsmanship and Natural Healing.
They’d grow back before long, and being undead meant I felt no pain, but... it somehow felt as though I’d lost something precious.
“Did you properly cast the protection spell?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte’s magic allowed me to move around without issue even during the day.
For a necromancer, undead were weapons, so naturally they had to operate them during the day as well. Of course there was magic for that.
As for food and bedding for camping, we only needed to pack some for Charlotte.
Other than that, I had nothing else to prepare. It wasn’t like I slept or ate.
I checked my condition one last time.
I’d concealed my body completely beneath armor so I would look like a knight.
The protection spell had also been cast perfectly, judging from how sunlight did nothing to me.
“Forgive my concern, but did you bring the Dungeon Core?”
“I hid it safely in my eleventh rib.”
For the record, I told her I had the Dungeon Core.
There was no such thing in the first place, so I couldn’t show it to her. She might have doubted whether it existed.
Still, many bosses hid their Dungeon Cores inside their bodies. Since I claimed to be one of them, Charlotte accepted it without question.
If a Dungeon Core was destroyed, the boss disappeared and the dungeon collapsed.
I remembered reading in the setting guide that showing even one’s subordinates the Dungeon Core’s location and physical form was a difficult decision, since it was the boss’s lifeline.
Charlotte appeared to know that too, because she didn’t ask any further.
Our destination was a tropical rainforest inhabited by the Insects.
Charlotte said it would take around three days by carriage.
“If we use the portals merchants use, we should arrive quickly.”
“Only merchants affiliated with the Merchant Association may use them in principle. It is a rule that has never been broken, so even an Abyssal Palace would not be able to negotiate an exception.”
“Didn’t the sixth- and fifth-ranked bosses use them without trouble?”
“Those were portals owned by their dungeons.”
As it turned out, they all belonged to them.
No wonder each portal had looked slightly different in color and shape.
I also asked how one made portals, and she answered that one needed profound mastery of spatial magic.
Charlotte was highly skilled in magic herself. I gave her a hopeful sidelong glance.
“I’m sorry.”
Apparently she couldn’t do it. Then again, that was why we had to take a carriage.
There was nothing to be disappointed about. Even Witch Charlotte naturally couldn’t compare to the Abyssal Palace bosses.
“As I said, your identity will be that of a wandering knight searching for your lord, Boss. I will pose as the knight’s attendant.”
Charlotte had changed out of her mage’s robe and dressed like an attendant.
A linen tunic, a wool coat, and a travel cloak.
As long as we didn’t make mistakes and deceived them properly, we should look like a knight and attendant.
“As you know, Boss, you cannot ride a horse because you are undead, so we must secure a carriage. The easiest way would be to stop by a nearby village and find a merchant caravan. Otherwise, we can travel down the highway and ask to ride with a carriage heading in the same direction.”
I didn’t want to go to a village. I had bad memories of them.
“One concern is that it is early winter now, so there may be few trade caravans. Even if there are any, they will likely be caravans carrying cotton or animal hides, so most will be heading north.”
That was the exact opposite direction from us, since we were heading south.
I only realized it after setting out. I hadn’t expected such trivial issues to pile up and make even our departure difficult.
“There is one method.”
“What is it?”
“A Skeletal Horse. I can summon one right away, and they are easy to command. But the attention it would draw would be a major problem. If we openly ride a Skeletal Horse, an Extermination Party may pursue us.”
“Can’t we travel along unpopulated paths?”
“Forgive me for saying so, but the highway is the only road. The forests stretching to either side lack humans, but they are filled with wild monsters. Of course, neither Extermination Parties nor monsters would be more than entertainment for you, Boss. Still, it would take unnecessary time.”
It was true that there were too many concerns to take on that kind of risk.
“Let’s travel down the highway for now.”
“A wise choice.”
I felt uneasy about villages because of my memories of being chased by Balm Monk.
If we couldn’t find a carriage to ride in while heading down the road, we could ride a Skeletal Horse through the forest. Charlotte would handle the wild monsters.
* * *
“Are you two heading south? Then why not travel with us?”
Less than an hour after we set out, we fortunately encountered a merchant caravan headed in the same direction.
It was quite large, too.
The mule-drawn cargo wagons at the front were loaded with expensive furs, iron farm tools, and glass crafts.
Behind them were carriages pulled by fine-bred horses, and they were even accompanied by what looked to be dozens of mercenaries.
“Just think of it as traveling comfortably and climb aboard. We would feel much safer with a knight such as yourself accompanying us.”
The mustachioed, heavyset person who appeared to be the caravan’s leader was practically begging me to ride with them.
The caravan leader added that with a knight present, they would have nothing to fear even if bandits or monsters emerged from the forest. So that was why.
Before getting into the carriage, I checked Charlotte’s expression.
Naturally, I expected her to nod, but she was shaking her head with an oddly anxious look in her eyes.
‘Is there something I don’t know?’
Perhaps she had seen through some ulterior motive of theirs that I hadn’t.
I tilted my head toward Charlotte, signaling for her to speak instead.
“Thank you for the offer, but we must decline. As part of the knight’s training, the knight intends to walk for one month without using any form of transportation.”
“Oh, but if you would only travel with us─”
“We must decline.”
Charlotte refused firmly, as though there really was something wrong.
The merchant smacked their lips in disappointment, then set the halted procession moving again.
“What was that about?”
I asked casually after the carriage procession had become distant specks.
Charlotte lowered her head, then hesitated for some time before answering.
“The crest engraved on the carriages belonged to the Berks Caravan.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“...”
For some reason, she kept hesitating to answer.
Only after I pressed her with a glare did she finally open her mouth.
“About three years ago, the daughter of the Berks Caravan’s leader went missing. The caravan leader was frantic with worry and commissioned mercenaries and fixers. They promised to pay an enormous sum to anyone who found their daughter. I was there as well.”
My head tilted before I could stop it at this sudden story from her past.
“The caravan leader said they would pay twenty gold for their daughter’s body. They would pay two hundred gold if I brought her back alive. And fortunately, I was the first to find her.”
“You mean the daughter?”
“I mean what was once the daughter. More precisely, the body.”
Oh, dear.
“If I took the body back as it was, I would receive twenty gold. But once I considered the two hundred gold, I grew greedy. In the end, I revived the daughter as undead and covered her entire body in white makeup. I made her look as much like a living human as possible.”
You didn’t.
“I showed the daughter to the caravan leader and received two hundred gold. Then I quickly fled. A bounty was placed on me afterward, and I became a fugitive.”
“...”
“Even if I had been human, I wouldn’t have felt guilty. I was left only with the satisfaction of having deceived humans. If the opportunity arises later, I intend to do it again.”
I was speechless.
Even Satan would be appalled by this.
“The pursuit has eased this year, but if we ride in their carriage, we could be in serious trouble. Because of me, you have suffered a loss, Boss. I am ashamed.”
“...It’s fine.”
We had missed the merchant caravan because of Charlotte’s personal history.
Since no other caravan traveling in our direction appeared, we turned toward the forest.
Even after entering the edge of the woods, we went deeper inside. To avoid human eyes, we needed to go farther in.
In the middle of the dense forest, Charlotte summoned a Skeletal Horse.
More precisely, she tried to.
“...This...”
“...”
A faint scent of blood spread through the air. We pushed through the brush toward its source, only to find a pile of bodies there.
Twenty-three goblin corpses. One human knight and a warhorse.
From the circumstances, it appeared the knight had fought a goblin horde alone before dying alongside them.
For someone to accomplish this much alone, they must have been a fairly strong knight.
Their level had probably been at least forty.
Charlotte seemed to have the same thought, because she looked interested in the knight.
Naturally, reviving a knight of that caliber as undead would make them useful.
“...Something is strange.”
Charlotte studied the knight closely.
“There is not a trace of blood on the blade.”
As Charlotte said, not a single drop of blood was visible on the knight’s sword.
“The back of the knight’s head is soaked in blood. There are no other wounds, and neither the armor nor equipment is damaged. It appears the goblins killed the knight instantly by throwing stones from the brush.”
Charlotte then moved around the goblins and the warhorse, examining them.
“The goblins all died from injuries consistent with being struck by something powerful or bitten apart. And looking at the warhorse...”
Its entire body was battered, and there was plenty of evidence that it had fought for its life.
“It must have tried to protect its dead master.”
“That appears to be the case. Perhaps there is no doubt.”
It was strange even if that was all there was to it.
Normally, a horse would abandon its master as soon as the master died and flee without a second thought.
It was hard to believe that a warhorse had faced dozens of goblins to protect its master.
Its determination alone was admirable, but I was shocked once more by the fact that it had killed them all.
“Calling it an excellent steed would not be enough. This Skeletal Horse should be useful to you, Boss.”
As she spoke, Charlotte released ominous magical power.
The warhorse’s body began to twitch repeatedly, then its skin and flesh gradually vanished.
The moment the final scrap of flesh disappeared, the Skeletal Horse rose to its feet on all four legs.
-Neigh!
[Lv. 51]
I flinched at the level.
It wasn’t even a combat unit. A mere mount was level fifty-one.
There really was a reason it had killed dozens of goblins.
“I’m sorry. My abilities are lacking, so this is all I can do...”
Charlotte bowed at the waist, unable to raise her head.
If this was lacking, what level would it have been if she’d done well?
‘Come to think of it, this one sacrificed itself for its master, didn’t it?’
What were the conditions for my Evolution?
Potential, the threat of death. Finally, if that threat of death came through sacrifice, all the conditions would be fulfilled.
I approached the Skeletal Horse and held out my hand.
[Evolving the Skeletal Horse.]
[All conditions have been fulfilled, so it will succeed with a 100% chance.]
[Evolution complete!! The Skeletal Horse has successfully evolved!]
As a result, the Skeletal Horse grew a little larger and sprouted deer antlers like mine.
Deer antlers that looked exactly like mine. Was this not practically a limited edition?
[Lv. 63]
Seeing its level, I nodded in satisfaction without even meaning to.
I looked sidelong at Charlotte, who wore a slightly stunned expression, and shrugged.
“Boss... You always make me perfect.”
Why did she have to say something so romantic? It made me feel good for no reason.
“I’ll give you a special chance to name it.”
“The Skeletal Horse?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte touched her chin with a fingertip and sank into thought.
It took her a full three minutes.
What kind of incredible naming sense did she have?
“How about Golgoli? It’s a skeleton, and it’s been wheezing ever since it died.”
“I’ll name it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I would think of a name later.
I sprang onto the Skeletal Horse’s back and patted the spot behind me.
“Get on.”
“...Yes.”
I had learned to ride horses in real life, but that didn’t stop me from feeling nervous.
Still, it was an excellent steed, so it should be easy to ride, right?
I heard Charlotte murmuring, “Golgoli...” while patting its rear behind me, but I ignored her.
Did she really think I would give my limited-edition Skeletal Horse such a sickly name?
“By the way, are we leaving that knight behind?”
“We have no need for undead that could not kill even a single goblin.”
Fair enough.
Footnotes:
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