WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 48: Absolute Balloon Sword (For Real)

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Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.

There were two major hostile factions in the original story.

One was the vampires of the New Kingdom, and the other was the servants of the Evil God.

‘There are oddities like Calamities too...’

But they were best left out of the discussion.

They weren't clearly defined as belonging to any particular faction.

Sometimes they were extensions of the two factions mentioned above. Other times, they were completely independent.

‘The New Kingdom. The Cult.’

Both were hostile factions, but their goals differed.

The New Kingdom wanted to start a war.

They wanted to turn inferior humans into livestock and rule over them.

Ultimately, they sought to reign over the entire continent.

‘They don't want the world to end. They just want to rule it.’

The Cult, on the other hand, was different.

They wanted the world to end.

To borrow a verse from their scripture, <We shall bring forth the Supreme Night>.

The “Supreme Night” referred to the Evil God they worshipped.

‘The Cult’s goal is to manifest their god.’

They sought to bring the Evil God down upon the continent.

In other words, they wanted to destroy the world.

They were lunatics who believed they would be saved in the process.

The kind of bastards no normal person could understand, or should even try to.

‘Wiping them out completely is the answer.’

These were the bastards I'd be facing this time.

Come to think of it, this was my first direct clash with the Cult.

I'd run into Apostles fairly often, but never the Cult itself.

‘Apostles of the Evil God, and the Cult.’

They might sound like the same thing, but they were actually entirely different concepts.

I'd made a neat post about it in my previous life.

I occasionally uploaded miscellaneous information posts too.

[Title: The Difference Between Apostles and Cultists]

[Author: IPlayGamesToFindBugs]

Hello, BugFinder here.

I found something interesting while reading Ngme's setting book today, so I thought I'd share it.

Here's a little fun fact.

Cultists and Apostles of the Evil God.

They seem similar, but there are differences between them.

According to setting information released two days ago, they don't belong to the same category.

1. Cultists

-> As you know, they're people who worship the Evil God.

-> Basically, they're human.

2. Apostles of the Evil God

-> They are lifeforms from another world that have received the Evil God's blessing.

-> They definitely aren't human. Apparently, they're closer to gods.

-> They have a sort of symbiotic relationship with cultists.

3. How They Interact

-> First, the cultist bastards offer sacrifices.

-> The Apostle hears the call and appears.

-> The Apostle grants a wish equivalent to the sacrifice.

Interesting.

I figured worshipping the same god made them one big family, but apparently, their relationship is closer to a contract.

Maybe like demons and demon worshippers in other games.

One difference is that Apostles are usually not very rational.

Rather than thinking and acting for themselves, they simply act according to the sacrifices they receive.

That's all.

If this helped, please leave a like.

[An information post today?]

-> So where's the awesome bug?

-> BugFinder) There isn't one today.

-> Hey!!!!!! I've been waiting all day for that!!!!!

[So where's the bug?]

-> When the hell are you going to find another bug?

-> Don't abandon your actual job with setting lore as an excuse.

-> BugFinder) I posted one just four hours ago...

-> Not enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[You seriously have no sense. What's with this information post?]

-> BugFinder) I knew you'd all be like this, so I did find one.

-> BugFinder) It's a bug that makes the system mistake the player for being a member of the Cult, allowing the player to use Cult-exclusive items.

-> BugFinder) I confirmed that using this bug lets the player side make use of the [Interaction with Apostles] mentioned above. I dropped the Red Knight onto a vampire farm, and they practically died of happiness.

-> ?????????

-> ????????

-> ?????

-> BugFinder) Furube Yurayura.[1]

-> Hey!!!!! You should've posted that first!!!

-> Why find it and not upload it!!!!!

-> Post it right now!!!!!!!

[What the hell is that up there?]

-> The player can make a contract with an Apostle?

-> BugFinder) Getting the right items is a bit of a pain, but it is possible. Of course, they won't obey orders to attack Cult members. They seem able to tell who's in the same faction.

-> ??? Then that means it works against vampires, right? Attacking the New Kingdom with Apostles of the Evil God?

-> You can drop Apostle tactical nukes on the New Kingdom?

-> We can really do Furube Yurayura?

-> BugFinder) I'll post about it soon.

-> Fuck, I believed in you! He's a god!

-> BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder! BugFinder!

“Ahem.”

Today's prey was the Cult.

More precisely, the members of the branch that had been in contact with Professor Glinbert.

Glinbert had acted as a mole, but in the end, he'd only followed their orders.

‘Lacquer Night... that must have been their plan too.’

They'd given Glinbert that unknown substance, arranged for him to be confined in the student hunting grounds, and manifested the Red Knight there.

It meant the Cult had orchestrated all of it.

And it wasn't limited to this incident.

The Cult was behind most of the incidents that would happen later too.

‘The closest one is next month. They'll send the White Knight crashing into the midterms.’

The White Knight.

An Apostle of the Evil God.

One of the Four Knights of the Apocalypse, among the most representative Apostles.

It was on a similar level to the Red Knight I'd dealt with last time.

Together with the Black Knight and the Blue Knight, they formed a group of four.

‘Things will get troublesome if the White Knight interferes with the exams.’

It was an Apostle that brought pestilence.

I had to prevent the White Knight's manifestation.

That meant striking first, before they could make their move.

‘I need to overturn this entire branch. Make sure they can't interfere with the academy for a while.’

I thought to myself.

‘While I'm at it, I should take care of the White Knight too.’

The best outcome would be securing the White Knight's [End] outright.

If I did, I could unleash the ultimate Furube Yurayura.

The Cult wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Lost in thought, I kept checking the blue window before me.

Ding!

[Chain Quest]

-Title: Tie Up Every Loose End?

-Details: Destroy the Cult branch that collaborated with Professor Glinbert. Rescue the civilians held captive as research materials.

-Penalty upon Failure: None

-Reward: A clue about ■■■

[Time Limit: 6 hours 03 minutes 39 seconds]

This quest was simple.

Raise hell.

Secure the captured civilians.

Obtain the White Knight’s End.

(If possible.)

“Shall we head in?”

“Mm, let's.”

Carmilla and I had already arrived at our destination.

I'd snuck out of the academy three or four times already.

I was starting to get the hang of it.

This time, the distance had been especially long, so I'd needed to use Wall Clipping repeatedly.

Our destination was a temple hidden deep in the mountains.

A barrier surrounded it, but that couldn't stop me when I could use Wall Clipping.

“Your Highness... no, Sir Manre.”

“What is it, Captain Garulik?”

“There's a saying. The only good cultist is a dead cultist.”

“Should we bury all of them, leaving only those who were brought here against their will?”

“Exactly.”

We stood at the temple entrance.

A bloody smile spread across our lips.

“Let's go.”

Two troublemakers, yet the strongest.

Inquisitors Garulik and Manre were on the move.

* * *

One hour after entering the temple, its interior had already become a complete mess.

The place had disguised itself as a remote temple, but it was actually a laboratory.

A Cult stronghold that researched demonic energy.

They kidnapped people and carried out every kind of human experiment and massacre.

“Phew...”

This was a place once steeped in the screams and sobs of countless people.

A place where lives ended unjustly, never even given a proper memorial.

The sickening stench of blood and chemicals rose through the air.

Demonic energy surged through the laboratory.

Yet there was one difference from its usual scenery...

“Aaaagh!”

“S-save me... Urk!”

“Fuck, call headquarters! Get reinforcements, now...!”

“I-I can't connect the communication line! Aaargh!”

Today, the screams came from the other side.

Not from the cages holding the test subjects, but from the laboratories beyond them.

Screams.

Fear.

Panic.

They filled the laboratory.

Corpses that had tried to flee from something, only to be slaughtered.

The dark crimson robes bearing the Cult's symbol had been dyed an even deeper red.

“An attack!! An unidentified intruder has entered the facility...!”

“Fuck!! How did they get inside?!”

“Everyone, grab the research materials!!”

“Gaaah!!”

So noisy.

“They broke through the barrier outside the temple? How...?!”

“They're all dead!! They've already wiped out everyone up to Laboratory Two!!”

“Someone's coming from the other side too! Damn it, they're both wearing masks!”

They were panicking.

So I made another pile of corpses.

“Activate. Thorns.”

Shhk-!

At my lightly muttered spell, the Cult members were split into dozens of pieces.

“Ghk, ghk, ghk, guhk...”

Thud.

When I pulled out the scythe, their insides spilled out.

I calmly walked down the blood-soaked hallway.

The Balloon Knife in one hand, a scythe in the other.

“Whew, this is tiring.”

I paused to steady my breathing.

The hallway I'd passed through was flooded with the Cult members' blood.

It was a gruesome sight, but I didn't feel sorry for them.

‘Well... they're no different from the New Kingdom vampires I met last time.’

The New Kingdom vampires treated humans like livestock. The Cult members treated them like lab rats.

Evidence of that was everywhere.

Human eyeballs floating in test tubes.

Documents detailing every sort of unethical experiment.

Test subjects inside cages who could no longer be called human.

The more carefully I looked around as I walked, the less hesitation I felt.

‘Come to think of it, Alice came from one of the Cult’s laboratories too...’

Project Alice-02.

The name the girl had originally been given.

They were bastards beyond forgiveness in more ways than one.

“Fuck! Die, you monster bastard...!”

“Oh, you're trying to fight instead of running?”

“Who are you?! Identify yourself, intruder!”

“Ngme.”

(In other words, I was a player of Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.)

Cult members charged at me from my blind spot.

I took a light step and blinked away.

Then I appeared behind them and cut off their heads.

Shk!

“Activate. Hammer.”

Booom!

Only after their bodies had been completely crushed did they stop moving.

Maybe because they'd been corrupted by demonic energy, cutting off their heads wasn't enough to kill them.

‘At least they're mostly researchers who only know how to wield pens...’

They weren't particularly strong.

Unlike Professor Glinbert, they were at a level I could handle alone.

A few tough ones were mixed in, but I dealt with them through surprise attacks using bugs.

There was no reason to fight trash head-on.

-Grrk, gurgle...

Its lips kept muttering even though only its head remained.

It must have managed to chant a spell, because a pitch-black spear flew at me.

Whoooosh!

“Absolute Balloon Sword.”

Click.

Of course, it had no chance.

The button on the pocket watch was pressed, and the world slowed.

Then, moving like lightning, the Balloon Knife performed a parry.

Ping.

The spear veered off along a completely different trajectory.

I drove my scythe into the surviving cultist's head.

“Your mom.”

(“American animation.” That's what I said. Obviously.)

Crack!

That was the end of the Cult members.

I was the only one left in the empty hallway.

“...Is this side done?”

It was about time to meet up with Carmilla.

We had to free the civilians and capture the head researcher who managed this place.

I adjusted my grip on the Balloon Knife.

“Phew... no time to rest.”

Just as I sighed and started to leave the hallway, a sudden light turned my vision white.

Fwoooosh!

“...?!”

I thought it was an ambush, but I couldn't sense anyone.

Besides, the light was coming from my own hand.

More precisely, from the Balloon Knife.

From my soft, squishy Balloon Sword.

As question marks filled my head, the status window that appeared before me explained the situation.

Ding!

[You have cleared a Hidden Quest!]

-Title: I'll Bet Everything on This Sword!

-Details: Successfully parry 300 times with a single weapon.

[You have fulfilled the condition through astonishing persistence!]

-As a reward, a special option will be granted to that weapon.

“Huh?”

What?

What was this?

What the hell was happening all of a sudden?

Fwoooosh!

Even as I questioned it, light continued to leak out from my Absolute Balloon Sword.

Footnotes:

[1] “Furube Yurayura” is the Mahoraga summoning chant from Jujutsu Kaisen, invoked here as a joke about bringing out an extreme last resort.

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