WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 53: Let’s Go to the Ancient Dragon’s Grave
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Throughout the ten-day journey, Charlotte had harbored a question in the back of her mind.
What could possibly have warranted traveling all the way out here...?
Yet she did not dare question the Boss's intentions.
The moment she voiced it, it would become doubt. Even entertaining such thoughts was disrespectful.
Charlotte corrected her mindset and simply accepted it.
Whatever the reason, all I have to do is serve the Boss.
I will do so forever. How could I harbor doubts like this at a time like this?
Then, on the tenth day, they arrived at the Land of Extinction.
Out of nowhere, the Boss gave an order to find a Witch's hut.
Setting aside its location and barrier, she wondered how the Boss even knew the hut existed.
That thought, too, lasted only a moment. Charlotte obeyed without a single question.
She reminded herself that her reason for existing was to be used however the Boss pleased, like a possession.
“There's no need to break it. Let your innate black mana flow into it.”
After finding the barrier, Charlotte poured black mana into it as ordered.
She had expected it, and the hut revealed itself just as she thought it would.
“Go ahead first.”
Without hesitation, Charlotte knocked on the door.
It opened at once, and a mature woman emerged.
“You're a Witch too?”
The woman's cheerful smile gradually faded.
From the instant their eyes met, both of them froze.
“Charlotte? Don't tell me... Is that really you, Charlotte?”
The familiar woman was Charlotte's aunt, her mother's younger sister.
Before Charlotte could say anything, Selina suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
Charlotte stood there blankly for a moment before unconsciously nestling into her arms.
The forgotten warmth of family loosened the tension within her.
Until now, Charlotte had neither missed nor needed the embrace of her own kind. She had lived only by dwelling on her desire for revenge.
Yet now that warmth wrapped around her whole body, bringing her comfort and regret at the same time.
Why had she turned away from the bonds of the past and fixated only on revenge?
As the thought came to her, Charlotte slowly turned her head.
The Boss stood there, silently watching them.
A series of events flashed through her mind.
Why had the Boss told her to release her innate black mana for what had seemed like no reason?
Because a close relative's innate black mana could be identified.
Why had the Boss deliberately hung back, then ordered Charlotte to approach the door first?
It had been consideration, so she could experience the joy of their reunion.
“...You knew everything and led me here.”
There had been a reason for it all. Every one of those actions had been for my sake.
Only after facing it did the realization finally come.
She could not know exactly how the Boss had found this place, or whether the Boss had truly known Selina was her family before bringing her here.
Still, given the circumstances, Charlotte wanted to believe it.
The Boss was the unfathomable Boss of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
Charlotte firmly believed that even this kindness was too vast and merciful to be understood.
* * *
Selina was, unbelievably, Charlotte's aunt!
Not just someone she called Aunt, either. She was actually Charlotte's mother's younger sister.
‘Why didn't I know that?’
After thinking about it for a moment, it would have been stranger if I had.
How was I supposed to know all the family relations of named bosses just because I was a veteran player?
Selina tossed firewood into the fireplace.
Holding a poker, she stirred the logs with practiced movements.
“Have some tea.”
“Yeah.”
Isabella took a sip of tea.
Elin nibbled on a cookie, while Charlotte sat demurely with her back to the fireplace.
When Selina brought over warm milk, Charlotte took a sip as well.
“You look lonely all by yourself. Would you like an empty cup, at least?”
Was that even something to say?
I shook my head and looked around.
The hut was not very large, so I could take in the entire interior at a glance.
There were young Witches, Witches who looked like teenagers, and Witches who seemed to have only recently come of age.
They watched me intently from behind the wall. They were clearly on guard.
‘I can't exactly wear a helmet indoors.’
I might look like this, but I had a warm heart. Seriously.
Selina rocked back and forth.
Creak, creak. The rocking chair made an eerie sound.
“You said you're the Lord of a newly formed Seven Palaces of the Abyss, right? A distinguished guest has come all this way, but I'm sorry our hospitality is so poor.”
“Don't worry about it.”
Selina knew absolutely nothing about Faith’s Tomb.
Well, she had built a house in the Land of Extinction and shut herself away from the world. It was only natural that she knew nothing about current events.
“Still, I was really surprised. I never imagined Charlotte would come here. And you're the adjutant of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss? Hehe, our Charlotte has really made something of herself.”
“Thank you.”
Charlotte answered briefly and took a sip of warm milk.
It felt a little out of character. I figured she enjoyed drinking human blood like Isabella, but milk?
“I won't ask how you found this place. You're Charlotte's superior, and you don't seem to mean any harm. If anything, I should be grateful. I owe you.”
“Right.”
“Your name is Vargoer, correct? What a wonderful name. You look so dignified and impressive, and our Charlotte must be so blessed to have...”
If I let her go on, this would take forever.
I was reminded again of Selina's notorious reputation as an NPC who spewed endless TMI.
I remembered mashing the skip button like crazy.
“Let's get to the point.”
I cut her off sharply because I couldn't listen anymore.
“This girl is Elin. She's a Witch who was abused by humans. Can you take care of her here?”
“Another new family member. Is your name Elin? Would you like to go play with the older girls? Hmm? ...Elin?”
“She can't speak.”
“Oh my.... Then that's all the more reason for her to become close with them. Elin, friends are what heal the wounds in your heart.”
Selina carefully took Elin's wrist, led her along, and gently pushed her forward.
Elin walked over to the young Witches, almost by force.
“Your name is Elling?”
“No, it's Elin.”
“I think I heard Elling.”
“Anyway, it's Elin. Elin! I'm Ruby!”
I'd been a little worried, but they seemed like good kids, so that was a relief.
That took care of Elin.
I was about to speak with Selina again when I felt Charlotte's unwavering gaze beside me.
“Boss. Could you perhaps bring the Witches here into the dungeon?”
I knew she would ask that.
Instead of answering, I looked back and forth between Charlotte and Selina.
Confusion spread across Selina's smiling face, but Charlotte did not back down. If anything, she urged Selina on with her eyes.
“What do you think, Aunt?”
“Ahaha.... Charlotte? Your aunt is really caught off guard right now...?”
I understood how Selina felt.
She had been living peacefully, and now she was suddenly being told to become subordinate to an Abyssal Palace.
Charlotte knew how stubborn she herself was, so why was she acting like this?
Was she that desperate for the warmth of her own kind?
‘Or does she think the dungeon would be safer?’
As long as they remained in the Land of Extinction, the hut could not stay safe forever.
The barrier could not protect them from Monster Waves indefinitely, and humans might invade one day as well.
Maybe that was what Charlotte was getting at.
“My Boss treats subordinates with the utmost care.”
“That's right, that's right.”
“Above all, my Boss is a single-entity Abyssal Palace. It is a tremendous honor to serve someone so exalted.”
“That's right, that's right.”
Isabella kept chiming in beside her.
Ugh, I was embarrassed just listening to it.
With the person they were talking about right there, I could barely bring myself to lift my head.
I interrupted the conversation with a dry cough.
“There's something I want to ask. Do you know of Twin Rocks with straight-cut surfaces?”
The Ancient Dragon’s Tomb was hidden beneath the so-called Twin Rocks.
I didn't know whether it was the effect of mana or just game logic, but only those rocks remained uncovered by snow and kept their original appearance.
“I do. I see them often whenever I go hunting.”
“Where are they?”
“You saw the birch forest on your way here, right? If you pass through it, you'll see an enormous old tree. Go past that tree and keep heading north, then... Ah!”
Selina abruptly rose to her feet in the middle of explaining.
She went into a room and returned with a rolled-up parchment in hand.
“This is the map I use whenever I go hunting. I made it myself, so it's crude, but I drew Twin Rocks on it too.”
I had never seen anything like this in the game, so I hadn't expected it to exist.
Either way, it was a good thing.
I accepted the map from Selina and looked it over. It roughly marked the hut's location and the way to Twin Rocks.
I nodded unconsciously, satisfied.
“I owe you one.”
As I rose from my chair, I signaled to the two of them.
Charlotte got up immediately, while Isabella looked around before realizing it and getting to her feet with an “Ah!”
“Oh my. You're leaving already?”
“Yeah.”
I considered staying another night to recover from the journey, but it would only be a waste of time.
I was undead, and Charlotte and Isabella were superhumans on another level. A little travel fatigue was nothing to us.
The only thing that had concerned me was a Monster Wave.
But there was no telling when one would occur, and even if it happened now, it wouldn't matter much.
‘Farming time? Even better.’
Most of all, I didn't want to waste time with a ridiculously overpowered hidden piece right in front of me.
“Take your time considering Charlotte's proposal.”
I would welcome having the Witches under my command too.
Assuming they accepted, of course.
“Once I finish my business, I'll visit again. Think it over until then.”
“Okay. I will. Take care, and I'll see you later.”
After speaking, Selina approached Charlotte.
Just as she had when they first met, Selina embraced Charlotte and stroked the back of her head.
“Don't get hurt. Make sure you eat properly, okay? You understand?”
“Aunt, please come to Faith’s Tomb too.”
“Mm-hm. I'll think about it positively.”
Leaving Selina waving gently behind us, we exited the hut.
I took my eyes off the map and stared blankly at the birch forest.
Beyond that unseen plain lay the hidden Ancient Dragon’s Tomb.
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
“Ah! I forgot to take some cookies before we left. They were delicious....”
“They were good. We should recruit her as a baker.”
“That's right, that's right.”
A baker, really?
Well, compared to the old Isabella, who had only been decoration, I guess it was an improvement.
* * *
Selina stood there blankly, watching their backs as they moved farther away.
In truth, her eyes kept drifting toward the Death Knight's sword pommel rather than their backs.
Even after they had become distant dots and vanished from sight, the sun cross on the pommel lingered in her mind.
“I feel like I've seen that somewhere....”
For some reason, the blade was wrapped tightly in bandages, concealing its form.
Perhaps because the pommel had such a distinctive design, it felt strangely familiar.
But she could not remember where or when she had seen it, nor what kind of sword it was.
Was the memory really that old?
Whoooosh. The biting wind of the Land of Extinction swept over her.
Selina shivered and went back inside the hut.
She sat in her rocking chair with her back to the fireplace, then turned the pages of the book she had been reading.
Lively laughter from the children drifted out from the back room every so often.
“Looks like they're getting along well with their new family member.”
A contented smile formed on Selina's lips.
Elin carried many wounds in her heart, but they would heal cleanly with time.
Selina silently thanked him for saving the young Witch.
“...Saving her?”
He had saved a young Witch.
That short phrase triggered a memory.
Ten years ago, there had been a Hero of the Empire who rescued Witches on the northern frontier and was later executed.
Selina owed her life to that man, Lucas.
In truth, every surviving Witch in the world could be said to owe their lives to him.
Without him, every Witch in that village would have been massacred.
What was more, there had been a young Witch he had saved at the cost of his life.
Selina had personally witnessed that tragedy with her own eyes.
Lucas, who had been executed after cursing humans.
The Death Knight who had become a Boss of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
The Holy Sword that defied all contradiction in the Death Knight's hand.
And the adjutant at the Death Knight's side was none other than Charlotte.
Selina quietly sank into a startling train of thought.
Could I really be right? If that were true, was Charlotte serving under the Death Knight to repay that debt?
Questions swirled through her mind, but no firm answer came.
“Yeah. It can't be.”
If my guess were true and Charlotte knew, she surely would have said the Death Knight was Lucas.
There was no reason to hide it, yet they had not mentioned “Lucas” even once.
Yes, I must be wrong. It wasn't even certain that it was the Holy Sword in the first place.
A matching pommel did not mean it had to be the Holy Sword.
But what if it really was true, and Charlotte simply did not know?
“...She might not know.”
Charlotte had lost consciousness because of a mana rampage, so she did not even know who had saved her.
After losing her family, she had also gone into hiding to avoid the Empire's eyes.
If so, perhaps she had never heard of Lucas's execution.
Just as Selina herself had known nothing about Faith’s Tomb until recently.
Lucas's execution had caused a tremendous uproar at the time.
But even that did not last long.
The imperial family's suppression quickly extinguished it, and Lucas became a sensitive topic that people no longer spoke of.
“...I hope that isn't true.”
Selina prayed that the Death Knight was not Lucas.
If he truly was Lucas, Charlotte's mind would surely break in one way or another.
Footnotes:
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