WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈

Chapter 51: Humanity

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Charlotte's abilities included not only Necromancy, but portal magic as well.

Then couldn't we just use portal magic to get to the Land of Extinction?

We couldn't, because portal magic required a medium at the destination that could establish its coordinates.

The Merchant Association's summoning ticket served as that medium.

When its owner tore it, it sent out a summoning signal. Even without tearing it, simply carrying it allowed its coordinates to be recognized, making it possible to come there on one's own.

When Kalandas first visited, he used the Demon Merchant's belongings as a medium.

The same went for when I first met Rose Sha through her clone.

Even Charlotte could quickly open a portal back to a dungeon where she had left a medium.

The moment the crystal ball sounded an intruder alert, we could simply return through a portal.

Getting to the Land of Extinction, on the other hand, meant finding a suitable means of transportation.

In a medieval era, what means of transportation was there besides a carriage?

Originally, I had planned to go to a city and hire one.

"Where are you headed, Sir Knight?"

"Northwest."

"Oh. Just as I thought!"

Luckily, before the sun even set on the first day, I was able to hitch a ride on a merchant carriage.

Its destination was the Astoria March.

It was the territory of a prestigious count's family that defended the Empire's northwestern region, which led to the Land of Extinction.

'...What did he mean, just as I thought?'

A bad feeling came over me, so I asked.

The answer confirmed my ominous suspicion.

"A Monster Wave will soon break out in the Land of Extinction, won't it? Didn't you come on an expedition to earn merit, Sir Knight?"

"...."

Unlike the Demon Realm, mindless monsters from the frigid Land of Extinction invaded the Empire.

For generations, the Margrave of Astoria had served as a wall against the monsters of the Land of Extinction.

Once a year, a massive Monster Wave occurred in the Land of Extinction.

'And it's happening now?'

No wonder things had gone too smoothly.

My timing couldn't have been worse.

There was a Land of Extinction Monster Wave in the sub-scenarios of <72 Dungeon Strategy Record>.

It had been a real headache in the game, and now I might actually experience it.

'It's too late to turn back now.'

I had no intention of helping the Margrave of Astoria defend the territory.

All I had to do was find the dungeon buried beneath the frozen earth of the Land of Extinction.

Naturally, we would run into the Monster Wave during that process, but who were my subordinates?

First, there was Charlotte, a level 83 Witch capable of large-scale magic.

Necromancy was her main specialty, so the more monsters she killed, the stronger our forces would become. We had also brought plenty of mana potions.

Level 88 Isabella was just as reliable.

If she unleashed Blood Arts, she could launch wide-range attacks, and the monsters' blood would become Isabella's strength.

They were a mage and a Vampire, each specialized in large-scale battles.

And that wasn't all. We also had a level 88 Dullahan.

As a bonus, there was even a boss who could safely control the Holy Sword from a distance.

The four of us could easily push through a Monster Wave.

'This might even work in our favor.'

We could farm experience and level up.

Still, if we stopped the Monster Wave ourselves, it would be like the Margrave of Astoria getting something for nothing.

Why would I do someone else a favor?

I decided to avoid the Monster Wave whenever possible and fight only if we encountered it.

"You're right. I'm here for the Extermination Expedition."

"As expected of you, Sir Knight. Hurry aboard. We'll feel much safer with you traveling with us!"

Before getting on the carriage, I glanced behind me.

A bat sat perched on a tree branch, watching us.

When our eyes met, it cheerfully waved.

'You're following along well.'

I boarded the carriage first, followed by Charlotte.

Inside, rough-looking mercenaries welcomed us.

Since it was a cargo carriage, everyone was crammed in and pressed against one another.

Then again, with war approaching, merchants, mercenaries, and drifters would all be gathering.

Every one of them was a mercenary gambling their life on a big score.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Knight. I'm Hans, captain of the Frost Claw Mercenary Company."

The man introduced himself and offered me a handshake.

The carriage started moving as we shook hands, jolting hard.

Both of us instinctively leaned back against the wooden boards.

Hans's armor straps were loosely undone, as though he had been resting.

"Is the young lady your squire, Sir Knight?"

This time, he was speaking to Charlotte.

Looking at her clothes, she did resemble a squire.

But to Hans, she must have looked like a young lady from a noble family first.

Some noble ladies did take up the role of a knight's squire, so he wasn't looking at her suspiciously.

Charlotte gave a small nod.

Just as expected, Charlotte had drawn all the men's attention.

Of course, they only looked. None of the mercenaries dared make a subtle pass at her.

There was always an invisible wall between social classes.

Hans, who had been absentmindedly staring at Charlotte, quickly looked away.

"May I ask which family you belong to, Sir Knight?"

"I'm a knight of House Berion. I'm wandering in search of a master."

"So you're a wandering knight after all."

I had no idea whether House Berion even existed.

Mercenaries didn't memorize every noble family in the first place.

The Empire had so many small, insignificant houses that even trying to remember them all would be difficult.

"Berion, huh? If I don't know it, it must be an unimportant family."

The voice came from the far end.

My eyes met those of a knight clad in gleaming full plate armor.

"I'm from the House of Count Brittany. Like you, I'm a wandering knight."

The fact that he didn't even call me sir made his contempt obvious.

He looked like the kind of knight completely consumed by a sense of superiority.

[Lv. 61]

His first impression was awful, but he was fairly skilled.

The knight started boasting on his own.

"Perhaps you've heard of Gohan, the Troll Slayer."

...Why was this bastard named Gohan?

It wasn't Buraltak Version 2 or anything. His name was Gohan.

I didn't even want to humor him, so I ignored him indifferently.

I heard him snort, but I completely stopped paying attention.

Unlike me, Charlotte was glaring at Gohan with murder in her eyes.

It felt like she might fire off a spell at any moment if I didn't stop her.

"Hold back."

When I carefully touched her shoulder, Charlotte lowered her head apologetically.

If you step in here, everyone dies. Please hold back.

'But that girl...'

Beside Gohan stood a girl in ragged clothes.

Signs of abuse covered her body.

There was no way he would treat a squire like that. She was clearly a slave.

It was my first time seeing a knight travel with a slave instead of a squire.

His level and equipment proved he was a knight, though.

'She's not a sex slave, is she?'

The medieval era was full of perverts with every kind of sexual fetish.

Nobles were no better, if not worse. I wasn't exaggerating. Lolicons and brocons were considered normal by comparison.

They really were crazy animals. At least he wasn't a necrophiliac...

'Ah.'

A deep-pink level.

I looked away from Charlotte.

Anyway, that girl looked like Gohan's sex slave to me.

Interfering for no reason would make things troublesome, but I couldn't help feeling concerned.

After that, Charlotte and I stayed silent.

It would take roughly a week to reach the margrave's domain.

I was worried about whether we could get there without being discovered.

Charlotte had disguise magic, but it wasn't just a small area. It covered her entire face.

Rather than waste mana unnecessarily, we had no choice but to keep our helmets on as much as possible and reveal our faces only once in a while.

While Charlotte and I remained quiet, the mercenaries talked far too much.

I passed the time by pretending not to care while listening in on their conversations.

One topic completely caught my attention.

"The state of things lately is terrible. Faith's Tomb, the monsters of the Land of Extinction, everything."

"One bad thing after another. Everyone's talking about it. More than anything, two Heroes died, didn't they?"

"Exactly. Compared to that, a Monster Wave is nothing. Haha... Comparing it to Faith's Tomb somehow makes me feel relieved."

The person responsible was right here.

I couldn't help paying attention when they were talking about me.

"I'm planning to volunteer for Faith's Tomb's Extermination Party."

Gohan suddenly spoke up.

Everyone's attention turned to him.

"I hear the Extermination Command will soon organize the party, led by the Empire's Morning Star."

Gohan casually looked around as though gauging their reactions.

"Knights who earn great merit during the Extermination Expedition can apply for the Extermination Party. I seek no reward for my achievements. I've come on the Extermination Expedition for one goal alone: the Faith's Tomb Extermination Party."

"Ooh, as expected of Sir Gohan."

"A knight from a count's family really is different...."

"Gohan the Troll Slayer. Remember my name. Before long, I'll be the knight honored for defeating Faith's Tomb."

The murderous intent beside me wasn't my imagination.

I quietly touched Charlotte's shoulder.

As if it were deja vu, Charlotte lowered her head in embarrassment.

"They say there's a Witch in Faith's Tomb too. Did you know that?"

Gohan grabbed the slave girl by the hair.

"This little brat is a Witch too. It seemed a waste to kill her, so I'm using her as a slave."

Oh, please.

Praying inwardly, I checked Charlotte's expression from the corner of my eye.

Unexpectedly, I couldn't sense the murderous intent I had feared.

Maybe I had worried too much.

Charlotte was expressionless from start to finish, and she wasn't the type to get swept up in heated emotions.

She would stop at giving off murderous intent, not abruptly cause trouble.

'...Actually, I'm the one we should be worried about.'

The more I looked at the girl, the more pity I felt for her.

Her clouded eyes looked even less emotional than Charlotte's.

Even under Gohan's rough grip, she showed no sign of resisting.

She looked more like a doll than a person.

Part of me felt relieved that I could still feel this way.

Lately, I had felt nothing even when humans died. I had started wondering whether my heart was becoming undead too.

The fact that I could feel sympathy meant my heart was still human.

'I want to bite the bullet and save her.'

There was a place in the Land of Extinction called the Ash Witch's Hut, an NPC location from the game.

The Ash Witch protected other Witches and even took in young Witches who had lost their parents.

If we brought the girl to her, she would surely raise her happily.

Still, all I would gain from saving the girl was a sense of emotional fulfillment. Everything that followed would naturally be a loss.

Of course, being discovered wouldn't get us killed. But it would make the situation troublesome.

'What should I do....'

Even afterward, I kept agonizing over it whenever I looked at the girl.

* * *

The chirping of insects and the sound of wind blended into a lonely song in the stillness.

Late at night, Charlotte and I volunteered to take the first watch.

The others tried to stop us, insisting I should rest, but I wanted to take every watch from first to last.

I couldn't sleep anyway, so what was the point of lying down?

I might as well stand watch and talk with Charlotte.

We sat side by side on tree stumps, warming ourselves by the campfire.

Using a dry twig as a poker, Charlotte revived the fading embers.

Perhaps the night air was cold, because she soon stretched both hands toward the fire.

For a while, we simply spent time together without exchanging a word.

Then Charlotte spoke first.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very good with words."

So she was aware of it too.

It wasn't as though I had been showing my displeasure.

I had been silent because I was debating whether to tell her what was on my mind.

Part of me wanted to ask Charlotte what she wanted to do about that young Witch.

Even though the girl was also a Witch, Charlotte didn't seem especially concerned.

Slave trading was common in this era, and Charlotte faced reality instead of letting personal feelings rule her.

Even if she wanted to help a Witch, she seemed to be holding herself back because I would have to bear the consequences.

I felt the same way.

There was nothing to gain from saving that young Witch.

I knew that, but my modern sensibilities kept bothering me.

It wasn't as if we lacked the ability to save her, nor would it be difficult.

To put it bluntly, if we wanted to, we could save her and keep her safe afterward too.

"What do you think about that young Witch?"

Unable to bear it any longer, I spoke.

Charlotte's eyes widened as she looked at me.

"Do you mean you wish to help her?"

Without hesitation, I nodded.

"If she were an ordinary slave, I would've looked away. But she's still a young girl. And she's a Witch like you, Charlotte."

"...."

Even though Charlotte was a Witch who hated humans, she was human herself.

She hadn't been born a psychopath or sociopath. Her environment had made her this way.

That was why Charlotte felt pity and couldn't remain indifferent toward the young Witch.

"I feel the same way, but...."

"Be honest. Don't you want to save her?"

Charlotte moved her lips wordlessly for a while.

At last, she barely managed to speak.

"Yes."

"Then it's decided."

This would make me feel better.

Come to think of it, the reason I had saved Hellbok had been the same.

I knew that puppies and children stirred my sympathy.

"Sometimes, Boss, you're truly kind."

It had only been a meaningless glance, but the moment our eyes met, Charlotte lowered her head.

"...That was inappropriate. I'm sorry."

I wondered why she was apologizing, then realized a bit later.

Well, kindness didn't suit the boss of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.

Footnotes:

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