WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 8: Is It a Bug?

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Carmilla’s cheeks had been burning for quite some time.

Only after a long while did she finally speak in a trembling voice.

“This princess can no longer g-get married...”

“...”

I said I was sorry.

Maybe because she understood that I’d only done it as part of treating her, Carmilla didn’t complain.

‘She’s just embarrassed, probably.’

Vampires.

Especially purebloods, who believed themselves to be a noble race.

I’d heard they were extremely conservative when it came to sex.

She had never shown so much as her forearms or calves in her entire life.

Then a man she had only just met had washed her. Of course she was flustered.

“Ugh, nghhh...”

The girl buried her face in her palms and mumbled to herself.

It took Carmilla quite some time to regain her composure.

“Ahem, um... I-I’m sorry. I showed you an unsightly side of myself for a moment.”

“It’s all right. It was an emergency, so I wasn’t considerate enough about the finer details.”

“No! You were trying to save this princess, weren’t you? You are my savior, yet I caused you embarrassment. It was this princess who lacked virtue, allowing herself to be swayed by such personal feelings...”

She spoke as though she had regained her dignity, but her face was still red.

I didn’t point that out.

She was probably doing her best.

I bowed, then continued the introduction I hadn’t finished earlier.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Viktor. By order of the late king, I am the knight assigned to protect Your Highness.”

“Someone Father had arranged...”

“It seems he had already informed you.”

“Yes... He told me on the day he passed away. He said that some of his retainers were hidden within human society, and that I should find them.”

Her eyes blinked as though she were recalling the past.

Her breathing had settled by then.

Maybe she was remembering that dreadful day.

“So you were the retainer Father spoke of.”

“Yes.”

I answered without hesitation.

It was a lie, of course...

‘The late king’s words were true. Several retainers loyal to him had been living in hiding among humans.’

The only thing the late king didn’t know was that they, too, had already died.

‘They were all murdered.’

The New Kingdom had eliminated the retainers before they could even carry out their mission.

In the end, Carmilla had nowhere to go.

That was why I had decided to take their place.

“What did Father say?”

“He said that if the dynasty fell, you should hide among humans and gather strength.”

“And what else?”

“He asked me to take good care of Your Highness...”

“...I see. Father...”

She let out a heavy breath.

Her eyes had grown damp, but the girl desperately held back her tears.

It felt as though the grief knotted inside her was spilling out through her bitten lips.

“Are you all right?”

“Whew... Yes, this princess is all right. Why would I not be? I survived. I survived, and I found the retainer Father said would serve me. I was not killed helplessly, so now I can plan for the future.”

“...”

“So this princess is all right.”

Carmilla tried to hide it as much as possible, but her attempt to sound strong made it all the more obvious.

She was trying.

Not letting the tears gathered in her eyes fall was the best she could do.

“...”

I kept silent, pretending not to notice.

It was a wound that couldn’t be comforted easily, and shouldn’t be comforted lightly.

The greatest consideration I could offer was silence.

After we remained quiet for a while, Carmilla spoke again.

She seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

“Th-then... you.”

“Please, call me Viktor.”

“Very well! Viktor... Then will Viktor become this princess’s guard knight from now on?”

“That’s right. I intend to remain at your side and assist you until you have gained strength.”

“You are dependable! A human who stopped the Godslaying Crossbow and the Stake with his bare body! Without even getting a speck of dust on his clothes. Father must have shared a friendship with an extraordinary person in life.”

“Thank you.”

I naturally went along with the lie.

Her innocent gaze made me feel a little guilty, but I pushed it aside.

It was fine.

I might have lied, but I would keep my promise to protect her.

For a moment, I shook off the guilt tangled around my heart.

“Your Highness.”

“Why do you call me, Viktor?”

“As I understand it, pureblood vampires can transform into bats.”

“That is correct. This princess can do so as well.”

“Good. Starting tomorrow, you’ll attend the academy with me.”

“The academy? The educational institution where young humans are taught?”

“Yes. It is considered the finest academy on the continent. It’s full of talented people, so building connections there may help you someday. To restore the dynasty, you’ll need to gather strength by any means possible.”

“I see... We are building up our forces.”

Carmilla nodded as if she understood.

“But... would it not cause trouble if this princess enrolled? There may be humans who know my face. Since the execution failed, my uncle’s side will not stop pursuing me...”

“That’s why I asked.”

“Hm?”

“I think Your Highness should accompany me in bat form. As you said, if your existence were exposed, it would draw attention. You would quickly become a target of the New Kingdom again.”

“I see... Even vampires who have lived a long time would struggle to notice my bat form. At a glance, they cannot tell whether I am a spirit beast or a pureblood in disguise. If we use that method, there is little danger of being discovered.”

“I plan to report to the academy that you are a spirit beast under my care.”

“Understood. This princess only needs to play along.”

I considered it carefully.

When Carmilla transformed into her bat form, she was about the size of an adult woman’s fist.

“Buying a separate cage would be a nuisance. You would feel cramped as well. My uniform pockets are quite large, so I think you can stay there.”

“Certainly, being confined in a cage would be quite unpleasant.”

“But... can you still speak while you’re a bat?”

Was that even possible?

Her mouth structure would be completely different from when she was human.

As I tilted my head to myself, Carmilla answered confidently.

“Do not worry about that!”

The silver-haired girl sprang to her feet.

Without explaining anything, she immediately leaped into the air.

Fwoooosh!

A red aura shimmered around her.

The next moment, the girl’s form changed.

Color spread through her flowing hair.

“Oh.”

In an instant, Carmilla had become a silver bat.

Her red eyes still held that mysterious gleam despite her smaller size.

She fluttered over and landed on my shoulder.

As I watched that oddly cute movement, a voice echoed inside my head.

[Viktor!]

“...?”

Oh.

What was this?

[I can do this too!]

“Your Highness?”

[Yes, it is this princess!]

“This... isn’t your real voice. It feels as though the sound is being delivered directly into my mind...”

[Hehe, you recognized it! In the Human Realm, they call it Voice Transmission, do they not?]

“How fascinating. I never knew you could do something like this.”

[You may be even more amazed! This princess is pleased that you recognize her abilities!]

So she had a function like this.

Curious, I exchanged a few more words with her.

‘Come to think of it... it was like this in the original too.’

There had been plenty of scenes where she spoke with Ranne while in bat form.

Apparently, it wasn’t just a game-like presentation. Voice Transmission was an actual setting.

Anyway, nice.

That solved the communication problem.

It meant I could easily bring her to the academy with me.

‘Someone might wonder why I need to bring Carmilla around all the time, but...’

She was insurance.

Insurance for me, with every stat at E-rank and a body weak as hell.

‘Carmilla is strong.’

She had looked pathetic after being sniped with silver arrows and ganged up on by assassins, but her raw combat ability alone was comparable to the top student of this year’s class.

Purebloods weren’t special for nothing.

Even before awakening, she could easily crush academy freshmen.

‘She needs to protect me.’

I did have the Mask of the Evil God, but it had a usage limit.

Its ability was absurdly overpowered, which meant I couldn’t waste it either.

It was a card I needed to save.

If I didn’t want to die somewhere alone, increasing my means of survival was essential.

‘If I keep Carmilla with me, I should be able to get through a fair amount of danger safely.’

I had called myself her guard knight, but in reality, I was the one being protected.

It felt a little bad, like I was deceiving her...

‘So what?’

Didn’t they say that it didn’t matter how you got there as long as you reached Seoul?

As long as I kept my promise to Carmilla, that was enough.

Save her life, help her build her forces, gather talented people for her, help her get revenge, and help her reclaim the throne...

‘Isn’t that within forgivable limits?’

There might be lies mixed in now, but all I had to do was make those lies real.

I needed to help Carmilla anyway.

I had to avoid the end of the world.

I refused to accept a future where vampires started a war and reduced the continent to ashes.

So a little deception was unavoidable for the greater good.

‘Carmilla gets to fulfill her long-held wish, and I get to avoid the end of the world.’

A win-win.

Getting both the pheasant and the egg.

A happy sister and a happy brother-in-law.

A happy Tyrannosaurus and a happy Micropachycephalosaurus.

Satisfied with that rationalization, I slowly ran a hand over the mask on my face.

“Hehe...”

[...]

“Hm? What is it, Your Highness? Your Voice Transmission trembled a little.”

[Ah, it is nothing.]

“Please tell me. Am I not the person Your Highness must trust most from now on?”

It had definitely trembled, like a signal vibrating through my brain.

Carmilla hesitated, unable to answer easily.

[W-well, that is...]

“That is?”

[Would it not be better if you did not laugh like that? It is not anything else, but your murderous aura is... a little frightening... Ah, no! Of course, that does not mean Viktor himself is frightening...]

“...”

I was hurt.

She thought I was scary just because I smiled.

I pouted to myself.

She probably couldn’t see it because I was wearing a mask.

‘Anyway.’

My academy life was about to begin.

* * *

Another day passed, and it was the day of the academy entrance ceremony.

As instructed beforehand, I headed to the auditorium.

The crowd was packed tight.

Tens of thousands had been filtered out, but nearly a thousand students still remained at the academy.

Their ultimate goal was to push through the fierce competition, advance to Class A, and graduate from the academy.

[What a harsh place.]

“That’s how it is. These are students receiving an elite education.”

The princess was in the front pocket of my uniform coat.

She had poked her head out, looking adorable.

She seemed to like the roomy pocket quite a bit.

She said it was warm, making it perfect for resting.

“Thankfully, we’re not late.”

[People keep glancing at us.]

“Well, it isn’t common to see someone walking around in a mask. They’re probably curious.”

[Hm, that is true. Though it seems there may be another reason as well...]

“Pardon? What did you say?”

[Ah, it is nothing!]

The princess’s pointless muttering.

Before long, we reached the auditorium.

The entrance ceremony began with great fanfare.

[It is quite grand. They even display welcome messages with magic.]

“It is the best academy on the continent, after all.”

[Humans have fairly advanced magic too.]

“Not compared with vampires.”

[Of course not!]

We continued our quiet chatter.

After the enthusiastic welcome, a few congratulatory speeches followed.

A white-haired old man stood at the podium.

He wore a kind smile, and his voice sounded as though he sincerely congratulated the new students.

‘So that’s the famous headmaster.’

I thought to myself.

A former cultist slayer.

They said the number of dark mages he had killed exceeded four digits.

He was revered as a living legend among the inquisitors.

‘You really shouldn’t judge people by their faces.’

That warm-looking man had deboned people.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘And beside him... is that Chief Professor Javert?’

A woman with cold eyes.

She was the headmaster’s adopted daughter, and her accomplishments were no less impressive.

She also specialized in exterminating cultists, the only investigator who could match the headmaster.

I casually shifted my gaze and looked her over.

‘She looks exactly like the illustration.’

Her explosive curves, crimson hair, and green eyes.

She was striking enough that no one could deny she was beautiful.

Carmilla had a seductive air, while Javert felt violent.

Maybe because she was one of the original’s main characters, but her appearance was top-tier.

As I admired her for a moment, my eyes suddenly met those deep green eyes.

“...?”

[Viktor? What is it?]

“No. I felt like our eyes met for a moment...”

[Is it not your imagination? There are so many people here.]

“That’s probably it, right?”

Right?

No, right?

Getting involved with those two would be troublesome even among the faculty.

Please, let there be no reason for them to notice me.

A blonde girl walked confidently onto the podium.

Sparkling violet eyes.

Our protagonist had arrived.

“It would be good to become friends with her.”

[Hm? That child has a strange aura. It is as though light is spreading in every direction...]

“You can tell too. She is one of the most talented students in this year’s class.”

[Hmm... Do you know her?]

“We crossed paths briefly before.”

As we chatted, Ranne’s eyes met mine.

She blinked as though she had been looking for me too.

Her delight immediately showed on her face.

I gave her a small wave.

Her eyes brightened so clearly from that alone.

‘What a cute kid.’

I watched her with a pleased smile.

I needed to help Ranne grow whenever I had the chance, but our classes had been separated, so it wasn’t easy right now.

‘Should I make an opportunity later...?’

As I made plans in my head, time passed peacefully.

The entrance ceremony soon came to an end.

For a school event, it wasn’t particularly boring.

Maybe it was because seeing scenes I had only watched through a monitor with my own eyes felt strange.

Was it finally starting?

The prologue was over, and things were about to properly get moving.

Naturally, I was headed to Class E, the lowest-ranked class.

Carmilla, hidden in the front of my uniform, asked me a question.

[Class E... How strange!]

[You possess such strength, yet you are in the lowest-ranked class?]

[Are all humans at this level...?]

[What a terrifying race!]

[There was a reason Father always said we should remain friendly with humans...]

The bat trembled, having misunderstood everything on her own.

I gave a small laugh and answered.

“No. I only came to Class E on purpose because of certain circumstances.”

It wasn’t as if ordinary students could block the Godslaying Crossbow.

If they could, every race other than humans would have gone extinct long ago.

‘Besides, I really am weak, you know?’

Not just within Grandia Academy. Even across the entire continent, I was near the bottom.

I had a body that could lose to Carmilla’s bat form.

I shook my head as I walked.

[Certain circumstances? It seems there is something in Class E.]

“Yes, there is someone I need to meet.”

The seed of calamity.

The girl who was supposed to enroll tied with me for last place.

I had to find her and cut off that seed of danger.

“We’re here.”

A massive building located quite far from the main building.

It looked large enough to be at least twice the size of a university campus.

The entire building had been prepared for Class E.

A grade sheet stood in front of its gates, displaying the students’ rankings.

‘It should be last place.’

I had taken the entrance exam to fit that exact standard.

Even in the lowest-ranked class, drawing too much attention was no good.

That was why I had deliberately chosen to be last.

The best approach was keeping my head down while swiftly taking only what I needed.

‘Still, should I check?’

I approached the sheet.

The rankings within Class E were listed on it.

But...

“...Huh?”

What?

The question slipped out on its own.

[Class E Rankings]

1. Viktor

2. Luyan Jestar

3. Austin Vectorhan

4. Gerke Tu Ravan

.

.

.

27. Yeshua Holden

28. Alice

“Wait.”

Class E’s top student.

My name was sitting there proudly.

It was a situation completely outside my expectations.

All I could do was mutter blankly.

“What?”

Is it a bug?

Footnotes:

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