WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 64: Lunar Eclipse (2)
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Lunar Eclipse.
In the original, it was an event covered in considerable depth.
If I had to rank its importance, it would easily be among the top ten events in the story.
This was the point where the peace treaty between humans and vampires finally fell apart.
The conflict between the two races intensified, and signs of war slowly spread across the continent.
‘This is where the game really starts getting dark.’
Ngme.
(Ngme.)
It presented itself as a cute-girl otaku game, but at its core, it was practically dark fantasy.
There wasn't even a romance system.
There were only boys and girls fighting desperately for the world's survival.
Vampires, the Cult, Purgatory, the Evil God... disasters of every kind blocked the player's path.
As the story progressed, the continent turned into a sea of flames, and characters died one after another with alarming ease.
‘That was part of its appeal, though...’
The fourth calamity, Crimson Night.
The night when vampires would paint the continent crimson.
This [Lunar Eclipse] event marked the start of that tragedy. Stopping it would cut it off at the source.
‘If I stop this properly... I can keep the New Kingdom suppressed for at least a few months.’
Ruining the first step of their plan.
That alone would buy us plenty of time.
‘Lunar Eclipse is carried out on the one day of the year when Divine Power is at its weakest.’
The day the moon was hidden by shadow.
Yang energy weakened, yin energy surged, and vampires grew stronger.
The New Kingdom must have put enormous effort into planning everything around this date.
They had toppled the old dynasty and established a new foundation, so they would declare war on humanity without hesitation.
‘And... Jersian.’
Jersian.
One of the New Kingdom's key figures.
He planned this [Lunar Eclipse], and would later make a major contribution to Crimson Night.
He was also a close retainer who had betrayed Carmilla's father and sided with her uncle.
‘What he intends to do during this Lunar Eclipse.’
A weapon.
He intended to create a weapon.
By offering up human lives and mixing in vampire power, he wanted to create [something].
‘He'll sacrifice an entire village...’
Several hundred people would be sacrificed in that human offering alone.
The weapon created there would soon strike part of the continent, producing thousands more casualties.
The victims would all undergo ghoulification and attack others, creating even more ghouls.
A lot of people would die.
It was a massive incident that caused nearly three thousand casualties.
After that, a red alert would ring throughout the Empire, and the shadow of full-scale war would fall over the continent.
‘Of course... not this time.’
I intended to shatter the original story's entire flow.
That was why I was standing here now.
“...”
Rumble.
A street drowned in the early dawn. A remote village.
Other than grass rustling in the breeze, there was no sound at all.
It was peaceful. No, it was the kind of scene that could fool anyone into believing it was peaceful.
I quietly walked along the stone road.
“Vikto... Ah, no. Commander Garulik?”
“What is it, Lady Unnieon?”
Alice looked around.
We had just reached the village entrance and were slowly surveying the area around the village.
The girl in the black mask tilted her head in confusion.
“Um... Didn't you say something t-terrible was happening in the village...?”
“I did. I also said it was what we had to resolve tonight.”
“But, n-no matter how I look at it, it just seems like an ordinary village...?”
Alice cautiously voiced her question.
It wasn't a strange thing to wonder about.
The village before us looked completely peaceful.
There wasn't a trace of anyone around, but since it was so late at night, that was easy enough to overlook.
There was no scent of blood, no screams, nothing else that seemed suspicious.
“It does look that way from the outside.”
Still, it was strange that there wasn't a single person in sight.
A village this large should have soldiers standing watch at night.
We had walked all the way to the entrance, yet we hadn't encountered a guard, or even an ant.
“...Viktor.”
The princess, on the other hand, seemed to have sensed something.
Carmilla gripped my sleeve as if something had caught her attention.
The look in her eyes beyond the mask suggested she had noticed something off.
‘Is it because she's a pureblood vampire? Her instincts are sharp.’
I quietly stepped forward.
Then I reached toward the village entrance.
My hand should have continued straight ahead, but something stopped it.
Tap.
“Huh...?”
Alice let out a bewildered sound.
The village refused entry from the outside, as though an invisible curtain had been drawn around it.
The girl reached out several times, but her hand kept stopping against solid empty air.
“A barrier.”
“Ah...”
Alice sighed, perhaps remembering the practical training exercise.
Back then, part of the student hunting grounds had been sealed off by the barrier the Red Knight created.
This barrier was weaker than that one, but it covered a far wider area and was incomparably more discreet.
I lightly tapped the air.
Knock, knock.
“The barrier itself doesn't seem especially strong. We could force our way through if we wanted to...”
“They'd notice. The moment the barrier breaks, the ones inside will notice something is wrong.”
“That's right. Our plan to infiltrate unnoticed would fall apart.”
“B-but I don't see any openings in it...”
“You needn't worry about that.”
Who was I?
A Wall Clipping master.
A floor-humping artisan.
A man who fucked walls.
I'd impregnated hundreds, thousands of walls.
“Both of you, give me your hands.”
“...?”
“So you're planning to do that again.”
“Hehe. Don't let go. Make sure you hold on tight.”
Alice still looked bewildered, while Carmilla nodded as though she was used to this.
I took both their hands and slowly moved toward the empty air.
The wall pressed softly against us, and I desperately rubbed my whole body against it.
Rub, rrrub.
Before long, my body slipped right through the barrier.
The two beside me were pulled in along with me.
Before they could even panic at the sudden entry, we were greeted by a dark crimson ceiling.
“Eek, eek...!”
Alice staggered for a moment, then drew in a breath at the sight.
Carmilla was silent as well.
“Uh, uhh...?”
“...”
The village we had seen beyond the barrier was now covered by a bright red ceiling and thick, dark crimson mist.
It was as though the peaceful village we had seen moments ago had all been a lie.
“It seems we've arrived properly.”
A foul odor stabbed at my nose.
The stench of rotting corpses.
The smell of blood.
The scent left behind when life dies.
The air was deeply unpleasant.
Puddles lay throughout the village as if it had just rained.
Of course, what filled them wasn't rainwater, but some dark red liquid with lumps floating in it.
“Ugh...”
Alice flinched and trembled.
Carmilla, in contrast, wore an indifferent expression, as if she had already expected this.
“So it was true after all.”
Her lips moved beneath the mask.
Even that faint murmur seemed to carry a trace of sorrow.
Standing between the two girls, I calmly looked around.
“Hmm.”
The village was a complete mess.
Naturally, there wasn't a single person nearby.
They must have gathered everyone somewhere near the village center for the offering ritual.
“It seems the vampires made quite a mess of things.”
“Are all the humans in this village... dead?”
“They shouldn't be. The offering would require living sacrifices in good condition. Most of them should still be alive.”
“They must have locked them up somewhere. Judging by the smell of blood and the traces on the ground... it would be at the very center of the village.”
“Exactly.”
“L-let's go together, you two...!”
We crossed the crimson-stained streets.
The stale air made it uncomfortable to breathe.
As we carefully rounded a corner...
Grrr.
A growl came from somewhere nearby.
When I turned my head, several bright red wild dogs were glaring at us.
They weren't normal, though. Their entrails were spilling out from several places.
“Ghouls.”
“Yes.”
Had they scattered them everywhere as scouts?
The creatures bared their teeth, then charged at us.
Bark, bark!
Kieeeek!
Their eyes were completely crazed.
At least they were all ghouls based on wild animals.
If there had been human-based ones, I might have hesitated over whether I should save them.
The humans were needed for the offering ritual, so it seemed they had sent wild animals out first for this kind of work.
‘Works for me.’
I gestured to the two beside me.
Both had already finished preparing for battle, having read the situation.
“Lady Unnieon.”
“Yes! C-Commander...!”
At my signal, Alice spread a dark crimson aura.
A black crown appeared over her head.
Then playing cards leaped into view.
“A-attack...!”
The card soldiers charged straight at the ghouls.
The two sides had roughly equal basic attack power.
But Alice's nightmares were unaffected by physical attacks.
Krrrk?!
Yelp!
The ghouls were overwhelmed in a one-sided fight.
The card soldiers swung their weapons and cut the wild dogs into pieces without letting a single one escape.
<[♣♣♣!!]>
<[♠♠♠♠!]>
Having won the battle, the soldiers knelt before their queen.
Alice flinched in surprise, but patted their shoulders.
The princess frowned slightly as she watched.
“...It is an unsettling power after all.”
“It's fortunate that it's on our side.”
With that, the situation was settled for the moment.
I gave the order for what came next.
“If we encounter any more ghouls, hunt them all. If any escape and return to their master, the vampires will realize that we're here.”
“So we give every one of them peace.”
“That's right. For now, our goal is to reach the village center while avoiding detection as much as possible.”
After explaining, we started forward again.
We moved while avoiding the ghouls' surveillance network.
Just as we were crossing the entrance to the market district, using the space between two walls as a blind spot to move into the next area...
“H-help us...!”
A faint voice reached my ears.
It sounded young.
“Survivors...?”
“C-Commander Garulik? That was definitely...”
“I heard it too. It seems there are still people who haven't been captured.”
The sound came from a narrow alley.
We slowly stepped inside.
As we moved down the alley, we found a group backed into a corner at the far end.
Bark, bark!
Ghouls barked viciously.
Before them stood a boy and a girl who looked to be around ten years old.
A wall blocked their backs, leaving them nowhere else to run.
“B-big brother...”
“It's okay! Stay behind me, okay?!”
The frightened children's shoulders trembled.
Then, among the viciously barking ghouls...
“Hehe, hehehe... To think there were humans still hiding out here.”
A man laughed in a deeply unpleasant way.
His entire body was drenched in Vital Blood.
He snickered as he approached the children.
The ghouls stood around him, tightening the encirclement.
“Don't come any closer! Y-you monster...!”
“A lowly piece of livestock dares to make such a fuss.”
“What did you do to the villagers?! M-my mom and dad...!”
“You overstep yourself, brat. You should consider it an honor that livestock like you gets to become part of a great plan.”
“N-no! Is anyone there? Please save us!”
“Hm... What noisy little pests.”
The man grinned, the corners of his mouth stretching wide.
“It looks like we have enough sacrifices already... Would it be fine if I played with a couple of little brats?”
Writhing malice.
Its shadow fell over the children.
The man stepped closer, filled with cruel thoughts.
That was when I spoke.
“Lady Unnieon. Lady Manre.”
“Y-yes!”
“I was wondering when you would call for me.”
Slash!
The ghouls guarding the alley were crushed all at once.
Carmilla's Bloodcraft and the card soldiers Alice controlled.
Through the raging Bloodstorm, the vampire's eyes widened in shock.
“What? What is this all of a sudden...!”
“Activate. Baseball Bat.”
Whoosh, smack!
He hurriedly turned around, but my bat had already struck him.
The vampire's face crumpled as he fell over.
Of course, I knew that kind of attack wouldn't work against a vampire.
Their bodies were needlessly tough.
‘Stake Fragment.’
I'd picked it up for recycling and had been using it very efficiently.
I swung the fragment clutched like a dagger.
Slice, slice.
The vampire's limbs were severed one after another.
Sizzle!
The cut surfaces melted at the same time.
“K-kuh, aaaaah...!”
“Shh.”
Thud, thwack!
He tried to scream, but my clubbing shut his mouth.
When I looked back, Alice was taking care of the children, who had collapsed to the ground.
Carmilla stood beside me, glaring at the vampire.
Ding!
[You have obtained 20 Merit Points.]
[You have obtained 20 Merit Points.]
[Remaining Merit Points: 60p]
Status notifications floated before me.
I smiled as I watched the number rise.
‘Damn, these points are sweet.’
I could probably save three hundred people here.
This was a gold mine of Merit Points.
Satisfied, I dismissed the blue screen.
“Hehe.”
“W-what...?”
Crushed by pain, the vampire mumbled through mangled words.
He couldn't understand what was happening. Fear filled his red eyes.
I cheerfully tapped my mask.
“Y-you, who are you...? Wh-what are you...?”
“Who am I?”
The vampire was sobbing pathetically, tears and snot streaming down his face.
I gave him a refreshing answer.
“Let's see... Batman?”
Or maybe not.
Footnotes:
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