WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 153: Javert’s Iron and Justice (17)
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The rewards were plentiful.
Layer upon layer of status-window notifications filled my vision.
Crouched in one corner of the corridor, I counted the chiming notifications one by one.
Ding-!
[You have cleared a sub-quest!]
-Title: On Things Regretted.
-Details: Conquer floors 81 to 90 of Purgatory.
[You have cleared the stage perfectly!]
-Rewards will be issued. Please check your inventory.
First, I had completed the conquest of Purgatory up to the ninetieth floor.
That left ten floors.
‘Things are going smoothly.’
When I enrolled, Purgatory had only been cleared up to the sixty-ninth floor.
In just half a year, I had pushed that tower's progress all the way to the ninetieth floor.
At the same time, I had resolved several secondary quests.
And the one I had put the most effort into was undoubtedly this one.
Ding-!
[You have cleared a main quest!]
-Title: Javert’s Iron and Justice
-Details: Prevent the tragedy of Blue Night.
[You have prevented the tragedy through your remarkable efforts!]
-Rewards will be issued. Please check your inventory.
A carefully constructed script, acting, and buildup.
Everything had meshed together to produce this result.
Seeing that notification put me somewhat at ease.
‘The students won't be massacred, and Javert won't kill herself now...’
There were plenty of long-term benefits too.
Javert was one of Grandia's key forces.
If she stood with me, she would be a great help through the hardships ahead.
I had been run ragged these past few days, but my final verdict was that it had been well worth it.
‘Trying to take shortcuts is how you get fucked over.’
Some problems had to be overcome head-on, stubbornly and directly.
What? You don't think a shady one-trick gamer who specializes in bug exploits should be saying that?
You want to tell me not to pretend I didn't use a whole bunch of bugs this time too?
Your mom.
(“American animation.” That's what I said. Obviously.)
‘Let's check them out.’
I wanted to wrap this up quickly and get some rest.
Shaking off my exhaustion, I collected all the rewards at once.
Ding-!
[You have cleared the sub-quest ‘On Things Regretted.’!]
[You have acquired the consumable item ‘The Clock That Broke, Breaks, and Will Break (S-)’!]
Ding-!
[You have cleared the main quest ‘Javert’s Iron and Justice’!]
[You have acquired the special skill ‘Broken Iron Armor (B+)’!]
Two windows appeared.
The rewards being issued.
One materialized directly inside my robe, while the other was displayed in my status window.
Ding-!
[The Clock That Broke, Breaks, and Will Break]
-Category: Time
-Rank: S-
-Status: Broke, Breaks, Will Break
-Description: A clock left behind by an ancient architect of unknown identity. The architect is said to have cherished this clock dearly. Yet after Time began watching him, the architect, no longer bound by the passage of years, wept as he destroyed the clock. Since it was broken then, it can no longer function as an ordinary clock. Once activated, it allows the one-time use of the Phenomenon ‘Recollection · Memory · Imagination.’
[Phenomenon: Recollection · Memory · Imagination]
-You may enter the depths of the designated target's consciousness.
-This Phenomenon can be activated regardless of time or place.
-This Phenomenon cannot be defended against. It will activate unconditionally upon the designated target.
-However, this Phenomenon can only be activated on targets that take the form of living creatures.
I calmly read through the item's description.
A clock said to have been cherished by an ancient architect whose identity was unknown.
‘If it's an architect, it must be that person.’
The one said to have built Purgatory.
Obtaining an item that had belonged to a human I had only thought of as a myth left me strangely moved.
More importantly, the item's effect itself was absurdly powerful.
It allowed me to force my way into someone's deepest inner world.
The key point was that it could activate unconditionally regardless of time or place.
‘It can't be defended against, and it activates on any living creature...?’
I'd never heard of an effect like that.
It could ignore all mental magic and barriers to enter its target.
It was a phenomenon that undermined the basic rules, yet its activation conditions were simple rather than restrictive.
My hand curled into a fist before I realized it.
This alone made the entire reward haul a success.
‘Where should I use it?’
The item's value was immense.
I would need to think it over carefully and use it at the most appropriate moment.
After putting the clock into my inventory, I brought up the description of the next reward.
Ding-!
[Broken Iron Armor]
-Category: Special Skill
-Rank: B+
-Attributes: Mental, Dream
-Description: A mental barrier skill. Upon activation, the caster gains the effect ‘Complete Immunity’ for thirty minutes. While the effect lasts, the caster will not be affected in any way by mental attacks, including mental contamination, corruption, madness, and confusion.
‘This one's good too.’
A skill that made my mind completely immune for thirty minutes.
The short duration and long cooldown were a little disappointing, but it all depended on how I used it.
I grinned.
‘The possibilities are endless.’
With that assessment, I moved on.
Then came the final reward.
Ding-!
[You have completed the hidden quest ‘Devotion and Love’!]
[You have obtained 10,000 Merit Points.]
[Remaining Merit Points: 15,783p]
‘Damn.’
Saint Points were pouring in.
Even though I was exhausted, I couldn't hide the corners of my mouth twitching upward.
It was a quest I had completed by dying a whopping 349 times.
Rubbing my throbbing neck, I muttered, “At least all those deaths were worth it.”
My fingers moved.
The Saint System had already appeared before my eyes.
[Basic Stats]
Vitality: D-
Strength: E+
Agility: B
Mana Sensitivity: A-
[Remaining Merit Points: 15,783p]
It was time to make up for the stats I had been lacking.
I had made a contract with Javert this time, so raising my basic stats would help in many ways.
I manipulated the window.
Ding-!
[Merit Points will be used.]
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Vitality’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
-The rank of the basic stat ‘Strength’ will increase by +1.
[12,300 Merit Points have been consumed.]
[Remaining Merit Points: 3,483p]
Whoooosh-.
A white gust swirled around my body.
Vivid light seeped in, and strange energy spread through my entire body.
My breathing settled into a calm rhythm.
[Basic Stats]
Vitality: B-
Strength: B
Agility: B
Mana Sensitivity: A-
My stats had been inflated in an instant.
Vitality had risen six ranks, while Strength had risen seven.
Now, my average stats had settled at B-rank.
Considering they had been E-rank just half a year ago, the improvement was astounding.
‘I needed to level up anyway.’
The disasters ahead would be far more dangerous.
Even accounting for the butterfly effect whose consequences would soon come back to bite me, I needed to accumulate as much strength as possible, as quickly as possible.
Satisfied, I dusted off my hands.
The generous rewards left me feeling secure.
Letting out a tired breath, I rose from where I had been crouching in the corridor.
‘Time to head back.’
It had been a truly eventful week.
I doubted I would even come near Purgatory for a while.
Through the white clouds of my breath, I stared at the door to the ninety-first floor in the distance.
‘Still... I have to visit the hundredth floor of Purgatory.’
There was someone I had to meet there.
Of course, that was for later.
For now, I wanted to return to the dormitory and sleep soundly.
Staggering forward, I crossed the winter-covered ninetieth floor.
‘It was long.’
An unbearably long time.
* * *
I returned to the dormitory after two days.
As expected, the princess was waiting in the darkened room.
‘Hm.’
I had told her beforehand that I would likely be gone for several days.
So why did I feel like a criminal?
Carmilla's expression was especially downcast.
I hesitated, then eventually knelt properly in front of her.
“Why are you sitting like that?”
“Um... I feel like I've done something wrong...”
“Enough. You don't need to walk on eggshells around me, so sit properly.”
“But...”
“Tch, I said sit comfortably.”
I cautiously straightened my posture.
Then the princess approached and sat on my lap.
We faced each other.
As a result, it looked as though the princess had melted right into my arms.
She wore only thin sleepwear, so I could feel every curve with startling clarity.
Her familiar coolness and soft skin pressed against me.
Her silver hair flowed down as though it had captured moonlight, while her red eyes were clear enough to hold the boy before them completely.
Tap-.
The princess pressed her face close and bumped her forehead against mine.
There was barely any space between us, our breaths mixing together.
Our lips were close enough to touch.
Her sweet scent and slight dampness brushed against the tip of my nose.
The princess wore a complicated expression and murmured the one thing she seemed to have been turning over in her mind.
“Viktor.”
“Yes.”
“I missed you.”
“I thought about you the whole time too, Princess.”
“Liar.”
“......”
“You are a very cruel retainer.”
“...I meant it sincerely.”
“Enough. It wasn't sweet talk I wanted to hear.”
Tap, tap-.
She pulled her forehead back slightly, then bumped it against mine a few more times.
It didn't really hurt. It just felt like an adorable complaint.
I gently stroked the princess for a moment.
She pouted, then casually asked a few questions.
“So... where were you, and what were you doing for the last two days? You said you'd tell me when you returned.”
“I did promise that.”
“You're always doing dangerous things, Viktor.”
“Well, um... I can't exactly deny that...”
“Just tell me. You said you were sure it would be safe this time, didn't you?”
“Of course. How could I ever lie to you, Princess?”
“That's a lie too.”
Tap-.
This time, her forehead struck mine a little harder.
Ignoring the dull ache in my head, I reported everything that had happened over the past two days.
‘It's not actually that much.’
All I had done was visit Purgatory.
Besides, if I left out Javert's sensitive personal matters, there wasn't much I could tell her.
I did my best to make the remaining parts sound interesting, describing the situation in detail.
I didn't think there would be any problem with telling her this much.
I had received a generous reward haul too, so I happily told her the story.
“And after conquering Purgatory, I returned straight to the dormitory...”
“......”
Carmilla's reaction, though, was strange.
Her gaze had frozen, as if she had just heard something horrifying.
Shock and sorrow followed.
“...Have you lost your mind?”
“Pardon?”
The girl clutched my clothes tightly.
Tears slowly welled up in the red eyes looking up at me.
Only then did I understand what that expression meant.
“How many times... did you die there?”
“Ah.”
“Not three times, but three hundred times...?”
I shouldn't have told her that.
Footnotes:
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