WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 35: The Tiger’s Den, the Crocodile’s Jaws
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When I killed Balm Monk and Wilhelm, the guilt I felt had been no more than a thread.
The undeniable truth was that they had tried to kill me first.
Now, I didn't even feel that thread of guilt.
Was it because my opponent wasn't human? Because I cared more about Charlotte than I thought? Or because I'd judged them weaker than me?
Whatever the reason, I didn't regret the choice I'd made. Nor did I want to take it back.
“This human is the adjutant of Faith’s Tomb, one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. Even if you harmed her without knowing, it is a crime deserving death. I'll ask you this. Did you truly not know?”
“I-I didn't know.”
“So you're saying my adjutant didn't tell you. Charlotte.”
“Your Highness! Th-that’s...”
Gergoer hurriedly cut in.
Gergoer’s barely managed answer left me speechless.
“I-I did.”
“Then why?”
So Gergoer knew and still pulled this shit?
“I apologize. I just thought it was a lie...”
“I don't want to hear your apology, Gergoer. How will you take responsibility for this disrespect?”
“I-I have committed a crime worthy of death! Please, kill me!”
“I'll do as you say.”
“...!?”
I crushed Gergoer’s head under my foot and raised the Holy Sword.
Gergoer shook violently and grabbed my ankle with the one arm still remaining.
Like a wriggling worm, it was utterly pathetic.
“Y-Your Highness! Please spare me!”
I didn't spare Gergoer’s pleas for life a glance.
The faces of the crowd that had gathered around us were flushed with intense excitement.
They were children of the Demon Realm. They enjoyed the sight of blood spraying and flesh being torn apart.
And when one of the 72 Lords was the victim, the spectacle became twice as entertaining.
With this many witnesses, the news would spread within a day.
The situation couldn't have been more fitting for displaying my authority.
Gergoer would serve well as a sacrifice.
“Listen. Gergoer, ranked twenty-first, harmed my adjutant, an adjutant of the Abyssal Palace. That crime is grave enough to deserve death.”
“Ahh...! Please! Aaaah! Please! Your Highness! Please just spare my life! Please! I-I'll never! I'll never do it again! So pleeease!”
“I will personally behead the criminal.”
The floor was soaked with Gergoer’s tears, spit, and blood. It was impossible to tell whether the sounds coming from Gergoer’s mouth were pleas for life or the howls of a beast.
I didn't find it particularly pitiful.
Gergoer. Your death will be worthwhile, so don't feel wronged.
The tip of my sword fell.
Slice.
The head came off without resistance, as though cutting tofu.
The beastly howl ended in a brief death rattle.
A silence drunk on excitement filled the air.
Hundreds of unblinking eyes were fixed solely on me.
In the open plaza, a boss of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss had executed the boss ranked twenty-first.
In a way, I was responsible for their dopamine rush.
Holding the head, I slowly turned in every direction.
Blood dripped from it, making me uncomfortable, but none of it showed on my face.
“The show is over. Get lost, all of you.”
I lowered the head and raised the Holy Sword in my other hand.
“L-Let's go. Quickly.”
“It's already this late...”
The crowd, who had stood rooted to the ground, hurriedly went on their way.
That left only the three of us, and Balutak broke the silence.
“Kirik. Great Chieftain's so cool. Balutak feels so refreshed inside.”
Balutak could enjoy it without a care because they didn't think too deeply.
When I glanced at Charlotte, I could see the complicated feelings in her expression.
Charlotte came before me, hesitantly moving her lips.
“...This shouldn't have happened.”
I'd expected her to say that.
“I respect and uphold all of the Boss's decisions. But this decision... I can't understand it.”
“Then I'll ask instead. Why did you only take the beating?”
The fact that an Abyssal Palace adjutant had been beaten by someone ranked twenty-first was a massive blow, both politically and in terms of standing.
If it had ended with Charlotte simply taking the beating, my position at the Assembly would have fallen sharply.
There was no way Charlotte didn't know that.
As I rebuked her with my eyes as well as my words, Charlotte lowered her head apologetically.
“I'm sorry. I was thinking too much because I wanted to find the best solution. Because of that, I mishandled the situation.”
“Charlotte, you are the adjutant of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. Even if you had killed that bastard, it wouldn't have caused as much trouble as you think.”
“It would have been a fitting punishment even if the Boss had executed Gergoer personally, but...”
Charlotte dragged out the end of her sentence, as though watching my reaction.
“Gergoer was a boss belonging to a faction led by the one ranked eighth. The Boss has practically made that entire faction an enemy.”
Only then did I understand why Charlotte had tried to stop me.
Like she said, if it was a faction, neither rank nor the authority of the Abyssal Palace mattered.
No matter how powerful the Seven Palaces of the Abyss were, making an enemy of a group carried great risk.
Political schemes by groups quietly weeded out individuals.
I had only formed a temporary alliance with Rose Sha so far.
It would be self-important to think we were close enough for me to expect help here.
If Rose Sha helped me while taking on the burden of a faction fight, Rose Sha would be put in a difficult position.
If I were Rose Sha, I'd pretend not to know a troublesome nuisance like this.
“The timing was bad as well. This could become a weakness for the Boss at tomorrow's Assembly.”
“Then what if I had spared this bastard? What would have happened to my dignity?”
“There was no need to kill Gergoer. Severing all four limbs would have been enough.”
Not only had the boss I killed with my own hands belonged to a faction, but the Assembly was being held tomorrow.
At first glance, it seemed like one misfortune had piled onto another.
‘Is this really the worst possible situation?’
Attention was already focused on me, and now I had killed a boss ranked twenty-first.
Whether in a good or bad sense, the repercussions would be enormous.
Still, I had no regrets. At least in my opinion, this choice hadn't been wrong.
‘No, it turned out well.’
This incident wasn't a weakness. It was a double-edged sword.
I'd already decided to seize the initiative.
By executing the twenty-first-ranked boss, I had cemented the other bosses' perception of me.
Whether this incident would become infamy or a weakness at the Assembly depended on what I did next.
“You should have given a harsh punishment without killing Gergoer. That way, no one would have looked down on the Boss, and they would have thought highly of your mercy.”
“Mercy. It doesn't suit the Seven Palaces of the Abyss at all.”
Compassion, pity, and mercy would only erode the fearsome reputation of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
To the Empire, the Demon Realm, and the 72 Lords, the Seven Palaces of the Abyss were an overwhelming, unknown terror.
“Mercy is just weakness of heart. And if your heart is weak, you're no different from the weak.”
As one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, I had no need for mercy.
That was why Kalandas carried more weight than his rank suggested.
Charlotte stayed silent for a while, only fidgeting with her fingers.
I let out a breath of cold air, like a sigh.
“I understand everything you're saying. But I was dissatisfied with your actions. You failed to conduct yourself properly as an adjutant.”
“I'm sorry.”
A dejected undercurrent showed beneath her expressionless face.
Right. Charlotte had probably been more startled than anyone. I should at least offer her some encouragement.
“If this happens again, you may kill the other party. I'll take responsibility for everything.”
“...Thank you.”
“And Charlotte. Be honest.”
I jerked my chin toward what used to be Gergoer.
“Didn't you hate the sight of Gergoer?”
Charlotte stared blankly for a moment before looking at Gergoer.
Then she lowered her head. I caught the faint upturn of her lips.
“...Honestly, it felt good.”
I knew it.
“Then that's enough.”
* * *
We spent the night at a top-class inn managed by the Merchant Association, and the next day arrived.
As night fell, we boarded the carriage the Merchant Association had arranged for us.
Our destination was the palace banquet hall in central Sañjīva.
It was a banquet hall, ballroom, and auction house, but most importantly, it was the venue for the Assembly.
“W-We will depart now.”
The coachman’s level display was deep black, the color that symbolized fear.
The coachman must have heard yesterday's rumor as well, not merely learned that I belonged to the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
Clop, clop.
The carriage rolled smoothly down the road.
Even after sitting for a long time, my butt didn't hurt and my back remained comfortable.
I'd heard the Merchant Association had given the Seven Palaces of the Abyss special treatment. The seats were certainly comfortable, and the ride itself was smooth.
Perhaps because I was a Death Knight, all three or four horses were Skeletal Horses.
They were all fine-bred steeds comparable to Golgoli.
Thinking of Golgoli naturally made me think of Hellbok.
‘Hellbok is doing well, right?’
I had left Hellbok at the inn where we stayed the night.
When I said Hellbok was my pet dog, the owner vowed to protect Hellbok with their life. Hellbok would be fine.
“Kirik. The wind's refreshing. Balutak feels like Balutak has come home.”
Balutak stuck their head out the window like a child.
Charlotte had told Balutak to behave at the Assembly yesterday, but I didn't know if they would listen.
‘Actually, I'm more worried about myself.’
I'd exhausted my mind by running thoughts through it nonstop all day.
I'd imagined worst-case scenarios and simulated responses to them countless times.
Since I was undead and didn't sleep, my mind was full of improvised plans.
Naturally, it was almost impossible to overcome every hardship ahead with plans alone.
Still, I couldn't just sit around twiddling my thumbs.
How I conducted myself from now on would determine whether I lived or died.
I let out a breath of cold air and hardened my resolve.
“Whew. I'm nervous...”
Charlotte seemed to feel the same way.
She was human, yet she served as the adjutant of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. The pressure on her must have been enormous.
Still, it couldn't have been as bad as it was for me. My life was on the line.
“Boss.”
Instead of answering, I met her eyes.
Charlotte opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish before finally speaking.
“Please forgive me for saying this, but may I rely on you, Boss? I mean, I've always relied on you, but I think I'll depend on you especially heavily this time.”
The truth was, I needed to rely on her more.
“Do as you like.”
“Thank you.”
I was mostly nervous too, but part of me was looking forward to it.
At the Assembly, I would get to see the Seven Palaces of the Abyss bosses in person.
Among them was the Old One, ranked first among the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
Even I had never seen the Old One, not even in the game's graphics.
The DLC in which Insect King Balutak appeared had six new bosses from the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
That was because there had never been a case of the Old One, ranked first, being conquered.
Under the game's system, players couldn't even attempt to conquer the Old One, let alone see what it looked like.
More than a decade had passed since the release of 72 Dungeon Strategy Record, but the developers had only scattered hints about the Old One.
The Old One didn't actually exist.
No, it would be released in a DLC soon.
Players simply hadn't found it yet. It could be conquered if certain conditions were met.
The developers remained silent on the matter.
Until I transmigrated, the Old One had only ever been the subject of endless speculation. It had never appeared.
‘It does seem to exist, though.’
Judging from the other Seven Palaces bosses' dialogue, it didn't seem to be an imaginary boss.
The only bosses who had seen the Old One were the boss of Tenfold Abyss and Kalandas.
The boss of Tenfold Abyss had only one line saying they didn't want to remember it.
And I seemed to recall Kalandas saying that his entire body had trembled in fear, something he had never felt before in his life as a Lich.
...That only made me more uneasy.
If Kalandas had reacted that way, wouldn't I pass out if I saw the Old One?
I was undead, so that probably wouldn't happen, but I would definitely make a fool of myself.
I took back what I said about looking forward to it. I hoped the Old One didn't catch my eye.
‘...Come to think of it, the Old One probably won't come.’
Only two Abyssal Palace masters had seen it.
That meant the Old One had never appeared at a 72 Dungeons Assembly before.
If the Old One attended this particular Assembly, that would be completely unfair.
Rattle.
At that moment, the carriage stopped.
“Most exalted one, we have arrived.”
Before the coachman could move, Charlotte quickly opened the door and got out.
Then, like a secretary escorting someone, she carefully gestured outside.
I stepped onto the ground without showing anything, and Balutak climbed down after me.
The moment I got out, I was overwhelmed by the size of the palace before me.
Wasn't this bigger than the imperial palace?
As I was admiring it, someone approached.
“I greet the master of the rank-seven Abyssal Palace.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Brion, a Third-Seat Executive of the Dungeon Association. With your leave, I have been tasked with guiding Your Lordship.”
[Lv. 71]
A mere orc at level seventy-one. Even though Brion was an executive of the Merchant Association, not someone from a dungeon, their level was outrageously high.
The tight suit made me feel stifled just looking at it.
‘This one's black too.’
Brion didn't show it, but they were afraid of me.
Yesterday's incident seemed to have spread like a tsunami. At this rate, even the bosses in the banquet hall probably knew.
We followed Brion up the palace's central stairs.
A wide, long, dark crimson carpet stretched endlessly ahead.
Ghostly blue flames flickered from the torch holders lining both sides in neat rows.
Rather than illuminating the surroundings, they made the atmosphere darker.
Death Knights stood in formation between those blue flames.
As we passed them...
Shing!
The Death Knights raised their swords in unison and saluted.
I didn't know whether being fellow Death Knights made me feel any kinship toward them.
Right now, I didn't have even a moment to pay attention to my surroundings.
“The Boss is the coolest. There isn't even anything to compare you to.”
Charlotte's words didn't reach my ears.
It felt as though my nonexistent heart was pounding with tension.
At the end of the central stairs, enormous stone doors filled my view.
I had to crane my neck to take in their full height.
Once I passed through those doors, I would have to hold my place without showing anything while drawing the attention of seventy-two monsters.
I had built things up well enough.
How I acted from here would change what they thought of me.
“Hup!”
Brion placed both hands on the stone doors and pushed with all their strength.
Rumble.
The stone doors began to open with a grand sound.
Once they were fully open, Brion placed the edge of a hand against their chest and bowed deeply.
Having finished preparing myself, I moved first, with Charlotte and Balutak following behind me.
“The master of Faith’s Tomb, ranked seventh! Death Knight Vargoer has arrived!”
A voice from an unknown source rang out from within.
As though that was the trigger, everyone's attention turned toward me.
In the darkness, red, orange, blue, and green eyes shone in every direction.
It wasn't only the colors of their eyes that varied.
Deep black, unmistakable fear.
Dark orange, clear vigilance.
The occasional pale red, hostility.
There wasn't a single green level among them.
Contrary to my thoughts, I feigned calm and took a step forward.
Footnotes:
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