WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈

Chapter 39: Try to Shut That Bastard Up

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Click, click. The neat sound of heels drew closer.

Rose Sha’s smiling face was far too sly for the mood.

Watching her, the urgency in my heart melted away like snow.

If I had to choose the most dependable ally in this situation, it was Rose Sha without question.

When the footsteps stopped, Rose Sha stood before me.

Before she could speak, Dravule and Carleon bowed.

"We greet the exalted one."

Along with relief, I felt a little bewildered.

I’d definitely heard that the other Seven Palaces of the Abyss would only attend the Roundtable Meeting.

Rose Sha smiled with her eyes and licked her lips. It was just like her to be seductive no matter the occasion.

"You could’ve told me in advance. Then I would’ve come with you."

Humming to herself, Rose Sha looked around.

"But what’s this situation? It doesn’t look like they were welcoming you."

Unease spread among the Lords in an instant.

It wasn’t my imagination. The air had grown heavy because of a single being.

Without anyone taking the lead, everyone around us respectfully bowed.

Rose Sha kept smiling as she looked at Babayaga.

"Hello, old hag."

"...."

"Is your back stiff, old hag? You’re usually hunched over like one."

Only then did Babayaga bow.

Her shoulders trembled with humiliation.

"I greet the exalted Abyssal Palace Lord."

"You’ve gotten so old since I last saw you. Take better care of yourself. Look at me. I’m at least a thousand years older than you, yet I don’t have a single wrinkle."

Countless footsteps approached Rose Sha from the darkness.

They seemed to be Lords from her faction.

Judging by how they immediately bowed, I’d guessed right.

"We greet the eternal Queen of the Night."

At Rose Sha’s small gesture, they straightened up.

The Vampire Lord at the front spoke.

"I didn’t know you were coming. You didn’t send word beforehand..."

"Yeah. I wasn’t planning to come either. I heard Vargoer was here, so I dropped by to see Vargoer. Now then, how are you going to explain this situation?"

Rose Sha still wore that sly smile.

Yet something sharp seemed to lurk beneath it.

"From what I can see, it looks like you all tried to bury Vargoer. Did I see that right?"

No one dared to speak. Silence filled the hall.

And silence was confirmation.

Rose Sha’s smiling expression turned icy.

"So you couldn’t even take Vargoer’s side and just stood around watching? Even though you know what kind of relationship Vargoer and I have?"

"...We have no excuse."

"No, it’s understandable. You only met Vargoer today. But you shouldn’t do that anymore, right? Now that I’m here, you should at least watch your step around me. Don’t you think?"

Before she had even finished speaking, the Lords of her faction lined up behind her. That also put them behind me.

...I suddenly felt much more secure.

Click.

Rose Sha took a step back and poked Babayaga’s shoulder.

"I heard the news, old hag. You joined Kalandas’s side?"

"...."

"So now we’ll only be at odds whenever we meet? Well, that’s your choice."

Suddenly, my hand rose on its own.

Rose Sha interlocked her fingers with mine, raised our hands, and gently swung them back and forth.

I was flustered, but thankfully, it didn’t show on an undead face.

"Explain yourselves. Who do you think you are, ganging up on Vargoer?"

"...."

"Do you know who I am? No, before that, do you know who Vargoer is?"

Rose Sha’s voice was the only sound in the silent banquet hall.

"Vargoer isn’t an Abyssal Palace Lord whom trash like you can lay hands on. Vargoer is an Abyssal Palace Lord, like me. Even if anyone touches Vargoer, it’ll be me. Like this."

Poke, poke.

Rose Sha poked my cheek with her fingertip.

It was such an unfitting action that I blanked out for a moment.

"Hehe."

"...Stop."

"Okay, darling."

I didn’t show it, but I was honestly fucking grateful.

If Rose Sha hadn’t shown up, I would’ve been in Babayaga’s place right now.

"Old hag. Are you going to keep standing there like a mute?"

"...."

"I wouldn’t care if I killed every last one of you here. Don’t you all know? I’ve always done whatever I want."

"I-If you do that, Lord Kalandas will..."

"So what?"

Rose Sha grabbed Babayaga’s seaweed-like hair.

"Why should I care how that skeleton reacts? I said I want to kill everyone."

"...."

"Ah, how pitiful. Did you think threats would work on me? I hate looks like that. What should I do? Should I pluck out your eye?"

"How could you do this at such a sacred gathering..."

"I’m more sacred. Did you forget? The Seven Palaces of the Abyss are the origin of the sacred and inviolable. No law can bind me."

An invisible aura slowly rose around Rose Sha.

Under its influence, every movement in Babayaga’s body came to a complete stop.

The tiny movements that accompanied each breath, and even the fingertips that had been trembling in fear, stopped completely.

I couldn’t see it, but an invisible force had seized Babayaga’s body.

At first, I thought Rose Sha had only said she would pluck out Babayaga’s eye in anger.

Then Rose Sha’s fingertip truly moved toward Babayaga’s eye.

"M-My Lord?"

"I think I’ll only calm down if I do this. I won’t kill you. I’ll leave you one eye."

"A-Ah... Aaaaargh!"

Her slender fingertip pierced the retina and viciously dug into the pupil.

Dark red blood splattered everywhere. Splat, squelch. Screams mixed with the sickening sound of torn flesh.

The Lords, including me, could only watch. No one could say a word.

Rip!

At last, the bundle of optic nerves and tiny blood vessels was torn out, roots and all.

Rose Sha casually tossed the eyeball away.

"Ugh, disgusting."

When she held out her hand to the side, Dravule handed her a handkerchief.

The eyeball bounced across the floor like a rubber ball.

The moment I remembered what it was, that thought vanished.

Rose Sha waved her hand.

As if the invisible restraint had been released, Babayaga collapsed and caught herself on the floor.

Even while covering the wound with one hand, dark red blood kept pouring out.

I couldn’t believe it, even as I watched it happen.

How was she planning to deal with the aftermath?

Was this how Charlotte had felt when I killed Gergoer? Worrying about the consequences while still feeling refreshed inside.

"A-Aaargh...!"

"You’re one-eyed now, old hag. Want me to pull out your other eye too? You couldn’t see what was right in front of you anyway. Is that why you touched my Vargoer?"

"Urgh... S-Sorry..."

Rumble...

When the stone doors opened, an ominous feeling washed over me.

And my ominous feelings were never wrong.

"The owner of Rotting Hollow, the Rank 5 Abyssal Palace where death breeds! Lich King Kalandas Bon Elderich has arrived!"

Chilling death energy spread through the hall.

The lower-ranked Lords trembled, their faces pale.

Charlotte and Balutak’s expressions changed, but they firmly resisted the death energy. Those two were strong enough to endure it.

A faint glow shone from the darkness in the distance.

A pale red number floated above it.

[Lv. 93]

* * *

Estigel felt as though the reality unfolding before her was a lie.

She had heard that the other Seven Palaces of the Abyss would only attend the Roundtable Meeting.

After Rose Sha, now Kalandas too? Why were three Abyssal Palace bosses here?

The timing had spiraled completely out of control, making her fear twice as great.

But when she thought about it...

‘Isn’t this because of me!?’

The root of this whole conflict was Estigel herself, ranked seventy-second.

It began when Babayaga used her as an excuse to pick a fight with Vargoer.

Then Rose Sha appeared and tore out Babayaga’s eye, and now Kalandas had shown up.

Babayaga, ranked eighth.

Vargoer, ranked seventh.

Valentia Rose Sha, ranked sixth.

Kalandas Bon Elderich, ranked fifth.

Normally, Estigel should’ve been watching the situation from far away.

She was ranked seventy-second, the very bottom of the 72 Dungeons. How could someone like her stand among the Seven Palaces of the Abyss?

Yet she now stood right in front of the Abyssal Palace Lords.

The sense of danger, as though she stood at the center of a typhoon, made her mind spin.

Rose Sha’s pressure and Kalandas’s death energy swirled around her.

Their effects made it hard for Estigel to move even a finger. An overwhelming fear squeezed both body and mind.

‘I want to go home...!’

She felt like she would collapse and faint if this continued.

It might’ve been better if she just fainted now...

Estigel wanted to escape this situation as soon as possible.

* * *

Haaaa...

The breath of the dead leaking from Kalandas’s mouth settled over the ground like mist.

Once Kalandas reached us, he withdrew his death energy.

As though he had allowed them to breathe again, the lower-ranked Lords all drew breath at once.

Kalandas first looked at Rose Sha.

"It’s been a while, Queen of Whores."

"Yeah. It has been a while, King of Corpses."

After he arrived, Rose Sha’s usual smiling eyes vanished without a trace.

Anyone could tell they were bitter enemies just from the force they exchanged.

Kalandas’s gaze naturally shifted to me.

More precisely, to my Holy Sword. He was clearly wary of it.

"I never thought we would meet like this. What a regrettable turn of events. I thought you and I would become quite close."

"That’s unfortunate."

"Ah, the human adjutant came with you too."

Charlotte only gave a silent nod.

Putting aside any lingering resentment, there was no reason for an Abyssal Palace’s adjutant to bow to a hostile Abyssal Palace.

"Vargoer. I’ve heard much about you. After Balm Monk, you killed Wilhelm as well."

"So?"

"Thanks to you, humanity’s great ambition has been cut in half. I offer you my congratulations without reservation."

I answered only with my eyes.

Kalandas let out a low laugh.

"Do not be so wary. I am on my way to the underground Round Table. I have no desire to spend my time here, but."

Babayaga stood with her head lowered, clutching her eye.

"I cannot overlook that."

"I did it."

Rose Sha snorted.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Then I must repay it in kind."

Whoosh!

The sound of something tearing through the air rang out.

"Aaargh!"

A Vampire’s scream burst out as their waist bent sharply.

They were a Lord from Rose Sha’s faction.

Just as Babayaga had done, the Vampire clutched their eye and groaned.

Just as Rose Sha had, Kalandas snorted.

"Now that looks better."

"...You."

"What is it? I only repaid you in kind."

"Want me to dig out your eye too?"

"We can settle right and wrong at the Round Table. That would be respect for the other Abyssal Palaces."

As if there was nothing more to see, Kalandas passed through the crowd.

I wished he would just leave, but nothing ever ended easily.

"However, I do have a question. Wouldn’t you have too much to lose by bringing Vargoer into the Red Moon Faction?"

The Red Moon Faction was Rose Sha’s faction in the story.

Why was Kalandas suddenly linking me to a faction?

At this point, I was practically in it, but nothing had been decided.

Whether she would accept me into her faction was entirely up to her.

Maybe Kalandas wanted to hear a definite answer.

"Just yesterday, Vargoer personally killed the Lord ranked twenty-first. Vargoer’s adjutant is human, and Vargoer is even protecting that half-human, half-demon person behind them."

At those words, Rose Sha glanced at Estigel, who was hiding behind my back.

Her expression wasn’t good.

"Do you still not understand? Vargoer, ranked seventh, defends humans. If you bring such an impure element into your faction, what will the Abyssal Palace Lords think?"

So he wasn’t seeking a clear answer. He was trying to create division.

Just moments ago, he had praised me for killing two Heroes. Now he was trying to drive a wedge between Rose Sha and me with a completely different attitude.

No matter how hostile the 72 Lords were toward humans, Rose Sha wouldn’t abandon me.

I had publicly killed two Heroes, and Rose Sha owed me a great debt.

Even her level color was deep pink. There was no way she would be swayed by such a pathetic tongue.

"You seem to be mistaken, but Vargoer isn’t in my faction."

Rose Sha slowly released my hand.

Even with the emptiness in my hand, I couldn’t believe it.

I never expected her to draw such a line in front of nearly every Lord here.

Just as I was about to ask if that was true, Rose Sha suddenly pulled me into an embrace, shutting my mouth.

"I’m helping him because he’s my husband. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

...What did she just say?

Silence fell, and everyone froze in shock.

Rose Sha was the only one who laughed out loud.

"He’s my husband. If I don’t take his side, who will?"

"...That is sophistry."

Even Kalandas, though his expression remained unchanged, looked stunned.

To be honest, I was the most surprised.

She had made such a shocking declaration in front of all these Lords.

"Believe it or not. You said you were on the way to the underground Round Table, right? If you’re done here, get lost."

"I shall. We will continue this discussion at the Round Table. Vargoer, my dear friend. It is not too late."

With those words, Kalandas walked away.

That bastard beat the shit out of me and was still trying to recruit me.

At that point, it was clear something was wrong with his head.

Only after Kalandas disappeared underground did the sounds of breathing return.

Once the situation settled down, Dravule supported the groaning Vampire Lord.

"They’re both skeletons, so how can they be so different?"

The people around us kept looking back and forth between Rose Sha and me.

I couldn’t help noticing the strange atmosphere.

"Rose Sha. When did I become your husband?"

"Huh? We promised to get married. Didn’t we?"

"I don’t remember that."

"Hehe. Right. We’re not quite at that stage yet."

Rose Sha’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

"Not yet, anyway."

"...."

A chill ran down my spine.

I felt like a mouse placed before a cat, gripped by a vague psychological pressure.

I glanced around, and fortunately, it seemed everyone’s misunderstanding had been cleared up.

"But darling, what’s this one?"

Rose Sha poked Estigel’s head with her fingertip.

Estigel trembled from head to toe like a mouse before a lion.

"It looks like you took this one’s side. Is that right?"

"She’s the Lord ranked seventy-second that I have my eye on."

"Hmm, I think that needs an explanation."

"She is a Lord with great potential. Her rank may be low now, but I believe there will soon be a major change."

There wasn’t a single lie in that.

Of course, whether Rose Sha believed me was up to her.

Then Rose Sha whispered in my ear.

"Tell me, darling. Do you like humans by any chance?"

"...."

Of course I did, deep down.

My body might not be human, but my heart was.

Fortunately, Rose Sha was Kalandas’s complete opposite in many ways.

One of them was that she didn’t dislike humans. She defended them.

The Succubus race lives by feeding on human lust. If humanity disappeared from the world, the Succubus race would soon go extinct as well.

In short, Rose Sha didn’t defend humans because of personal feelings. It was only for her species’ survival.

"I don’t dislike them."

It was vague, but it was the right answer.

Rose Sha’s provocative laughter lingered by my ear.

"Then I have a chance too. I look human as well, don’t I?"

"...?"

That was what she meant?

"I’m always open. Any time is fine, you know?"

Rose Sha sensually traced the back of my neck.

She didn’t hesitate even with hundreds of eyes watching.

Pushing away the woman who had helped me would only create an awkward situation, so I stayed still.

Rose Sha soon stopped and looked at Charlotte.

"So you’re the human adjutant?"

"I greet the Queen of the Night."

"Hmm, you’re cute, but you’re so shy. A woman needs to be bold. With such a stiff expression, you’ll stay single for the rest of your life."

"...."

"And beside you, an Insect?"

"Kirik. Nice to meet you. Balutak, Great Chieftain’s right hand, is here. Is the Queen the Great Chieftain’s female?"

What the fuck did they just say?

They had called an Abyssal Palace Lord a female.

It was an impious remark, one for which Balutak could have been beheaded on the spot.

At the edge of my vision, I saw Carleon place a hand on his sword hilt.

If Rose Sha only nodded, Balutak would die without making a sound.

"Hahaha! Insect, I like you."

Unexpectedly, she burst out laughing.

Rose Sha wiped the tears gathered at the corners of her laughing eyes. Then she wrapped one arm around my waist.

"That’s right. I’m this man’s female."

"Kirik. A very well-matched pair. Balutak supports you."

"You have a good eye for an Insect. Thank you. I’ll knock your Great Chieftain down soon, so keep that in mind."

"Kirik? What does knock down mean?"

"It means devour. In another sense."

The conversation was strange, but I was relieved anyway.

It was only because the target was Rose Sha. If it had been another Abyssal Palace boss, Balutak would’ve died on the spot.

Rose Sha didn’t care about people watching or appearances, and her attitude changed according to her mood and interests.

In a way, Balutak was alive only because Rose Sha found those words amusing.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been strange for Balutak’s head to be rolling across the floor right now.

"Kirik. Balutak learned a word. Balutak will use it on Buraltak."

"...Huh? Bu, what?"

"Buraltak. My female."

Ah, fuck. Someone please shut that bastard up.

For a moment, Rose Sha’s face went blank.

It was the first time I had seen that expression from her, someone whose smile never changed.

"Haha... You’re a bit more... intense than I am."

"Kirik?"

I was genuinely embarrassed for them.

Who brought that bug bastard here?

Footnotes:

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