WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 98: Old Records, an Ossuary of Letters. (3)

──────

Just a few short sentences.

I stared at that string of text for a long time.

[Delkirn.]

[A name established by the sages of old as an abbreviation for the Evil God ‘Delkirnos’.]

[However, in the present age, all mention of it has been forbidden to erase the horror of that name.]

The Evil God, Delkirnos.

Delkirn was its ancient abbreviated name.

It was the true identity of the ■■■ that had constantly appeared in my status window.

Amid the hastily scrawled ancient script, only the name Delkirn glowed faintly.

“...The Evil God?”

A dazed murmur slipped out.

The Evil God.

In the original work, it had been an existence shrouded in mystery.

‘Even after digging through several setting books, I couldn't find out its identity, much less its name...’

The source of every calamity that had taken root in this world.

A god that formed the foundation of the Cult and was called the mother of the Black Apostles.

It delighted in the pain and screams of living things, wishing for the continent to one day become a sea of flames.

That was all the original work had said about it.

‘So its name was Delkirnos...’

This was the first time I had even learned its name.

The reason it had been so difficult to find records about it must have been that all mention of it had been forbidden since ancient times.

‘What exactly is this Evil God, if even the sages of old prohibited speaking of it...?’

My brow furrowed.

I turned a few more pages, but after the second, there was nothing but blank paper.

As I examined each empty page, I found another sentence on the final page.

It, too, had been hastily scrawled in the ancient language.

[O one being tested.]

[Now, only your choice remains.]

“...”

One being tested.

A choice.

What was that supposed to mean?

The words had been left behind as though they were a message for someone.

I flipped back and forth through the pages several times, looking for something I might have missed.

‘There aren't any names mentioned besides Delkirn...’

The one who had written this book must have been the master of this library.

Raziel, the ancient sage whose name was still remembered even now.

‘Would an ancient sage really leave behind a record like this for no reason?’

This library was a place that encompassed all of his knowledge.

Was there another reason this book had been placed here?

The thick volume was entirely blank, except for a few sentences on the first page, the second page, and the final page.

‘And even those are full of things I don't understand.’

I quietly sank into thought.

Then a notification from my status window rang beside my ear.

Ding-!

[■□ Quest cleared!]

-Title: About the Truth

-Details: Visit the Ancient Library. Among millions of books, find a book related to ■■■.

[You have found a book related to ■■■!]

-The reward has not yet been provided.

Ding-!

[Linked quest cleared!]

-Title: Old Records, an Ossuary of Letters.

-Details: Break through the field ‘Raziel’s Library’. Hunt the boss monster ‘Sentinel of the Highest Knowledge’.

[You have successfully broken through ‘Raziel’s Library’!]

[You have hunted the ‘Sentinel of the Highest Knowledge’ with an astonishing performance!]

-A special reward has been provided. Please check your inventory.

“Hmm...”

Messages announcing that I had cleared the quests.

I decided to check the rewards later.

Still, since this had appeared, it seemed the true identity of ■■■ really was Delkirn.

As I continued examining the book, Carmilla, who had been looking around the bookshelves, suddenly poked her head out.

“Viktor.”

“...Ah, Your Highness.”

“Shouldn't we return soon? If we delay any longer, I don't think we'll make it back before morning...”

Several hours had already passed since we left the hotel.

If we wanted to return before sunrise, it was time to leave.

I wanted to stay in the library a little longer, but the merciless dawn would not wait for the night.

Giving up, I put things in order.

‘This...’

I looked down at the book in my hand.

I tried slipping it into my robe just in case, but...

‘As expected, it won't work.’

Raziel’s Library.

Items from this library could not be taken outside.

It was a place I occasionally visited in the original work to gather information, but while I could look things up, taking books outside was impossible.

Ding-!

[Raziel’s Record]

-Category: Book

-Rank: ???

-Status: Old

-Description: Cannot be taken outside the library.

It would have been convenient if I could use a bug to take it with me, but unfortunately, not many bugs worked here.

In the end, the best I could do was read it and leave.

With lingering regret, I returned the book to the shelf.

Just as I turned away, a broken status window appeared before my eyes as if to block my view.

Ding-!

[Tip. Can hum̸a̸n̸s live again?]

It was a message I had already seen several times.

The few sentences that followed, though, were completely different.

[Tip. My child.]

[Tip. Whose p̸o̸w̸e̸r do you think that is?]

For a moment, I stopped breathing.

The messages were written like someone’s questions.

Unable to answer for a long while, I could only stand there.

“...”

Staring at the flickering messages.

* * *

As always, the status window quickly returned to normal.

The corrupted text was restored, and it regained its usual blue glow.

I waited afterward, but as expected, nothing else happened.

‘Its manner of speaking returned to normal, too...’

The status window had briefly changed the way it spoke.

I had been with the system for nearly half a year, yet this was the first time something like that had happened.

Then it went back to its mechanical tone as though nothing had occurred.

‘What was that?’

I had no choice but to sink into troubled concern.

Those meaningful words, that meaningful situation.

I let out a low, troubled hum over all of it.

Leaving those countless questions behind, we returned to the hotel.

Thankfully, we made it back to our room before morning.

“...”

Morning broke.

Without even time to rest, the second day of the school trip began.

Unlike the first day, when we had free time to rest, the second day was packed with activities.

-Today's activity will be a tour of Geltin's sea and its various ruins.

-We'll be riding a cruise ship all day, so please keep that in mind.

-Now then, everyone, please board the cruise ship within the hour.

All the students boarded the cruise ship.

We would tour the nearby coast and admire the various marine ruins that remained there.

It looked like we would spend the entire second day floating on the sea and taking in Geltin’s history.

“Hoo...”

I stood on the wide deck.

Leaning against the railing, I let the strong sea breeze wash over me.

Maybe because I had stayed up all night, yawns kept slipping out.

‘I'm tired.’

There were two quests assigned during this school trip.

At least I had succeeded in handling one of them on the first night.

Something still bothered me, but I had received the reward, so it was not a bad situation.

‘Come to think of it, I need to take care of the other one too...’

The school trip lasted a full week.

I had to clear that one during the remaining time.

‘Honestly... this quest is the main one.’

Unlike last night’s quest, which had been a very personal matter, the second quest involved the lives of countless people.

It was an event that had existed in the original work.

An incident that could be considered the core of the school trip episode.

If the player failed here, they would suffer an enormous loss.

Ding-!

[Main Quest]

-Title: Calamity from the Deep Sea

-Details: Infiltrate the Cult branch hidden in the deep sea.

-Penalty upon Failure: The end of the coastal city ‘Geltin’

-Reward upon Success: ???

[Time Limit: Until the school trip ends]

‘Well... looking at it another way, this is a good opportunity.’

Geltin was a large coastal city.

If I protected an entire metropolis, I should be able to secure a massive amount of Merit Points.

‘I need to do this perfectly, without mistakes.’

I murmured calmly.

I had already laid out the plan in my head.

As I was lost in thought, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder.

“Vi, Viktor...”

“Sir Viktor!”

They were the members of my group who had been standing beside me the whole time.

Among them were the black-haired and blonde girls.

“Ah... Miss Alice, Miss Ranne.”

I answered a beat late.

“Is something wrong?”

“Um, I was wondering if you were all right...”

“Pardon?”

“Well... you've seemed kind of strange since this morning. You haven't said much, so...”

Alice asked hesitantly.

It seemed she had been worried because I had been quiet the whole time.

I had not shown any expression, so had she noticed just from the atmosphere?

The girl looked concerned for me.

Ranne added her own thoughts as well.

“That is correct! Your gaze appears especially troubled today! Is something weighing on your mind?”

“My gaze? But I've been wearing a mask the whole time...”

“Mm! I saw it with my heart!”

Was she the Little Prince or something?

I snorted and smiled beneath my mask.

I added a few words to reassure them.

“It’s nothing. I'm just tired.”

“Mm! Did you have trouble sleeping?”

“You could say that. It’s nothing worth worrying about.”

“Was your bed uncomfortable? Or did you, um, do something else...?”

Ranne accepted it easily, while Alice still looked worried.

Then Lua, who had been listening closely to our conversation, cut in.

Had she noticed the two of them worrying about me?

The little girl glanced around, then tugged insistently at their sleeves.

“Big sisters! Big sisters! Lua knows why Daddy's tired!”

Maybe she wanted to help me. She drew the older girls’ attention toward herself.

Thanks to that, Ranne and Alice’s focus shifted to Lua.

The two looked down at the little girl in confusion.

“Why is Viktor tired?”

“What is it, Miss Lua?”

“Well...”

Lua lowered her voice to a whisper.

Both of them already knew about Carmilla.

If she only told them I had gone out with the princess, there was no need to stop her.

‘How will she explain it?’

Maybe because I was proud of her for stepping forward for her daddy, I did not stop Lua and quietly listened to what she would say.

“You know, Daddy was snuggled right up against the princess.”

=Father accompanied the princess all night.

“Pardon...?”

“All night long. He was panting like he was exhausted, and he sweated a whole lot too.”

=He moved busily all night. He was exhausted and sweated a lot because of the fierce battle.

“Huh? Wha...?”

“And Daddy and the princess held hands, and the princess even climbed on top of Daddy!”

=The two worked together, and the princess climbed on Father in bat form.

““...””

Had their brains shut down from that graphic wording?

Ranne and Alice froze in place.

Soon, their faces flushed red.

“Vi, Viktor... with the princess all night, panting...?”

“You're saying she sweated, and climbed on top of Sir Viktor...?”

“Viktor...?”

“Sir Viktor...?”

Their wavering gazes turned toward me.

Alice looked ready to cry.

Ranne had completely short-circuited, heat rising to her face.

“You’re misunderstanding.”

No.

If you got technical, all of that was true.

“Could the reason you couldn't sleep all night be that you did something like that with the princess...?”

“Sir Viktor! I don't think that sort of thing is good for Miss Lua’s education!”

“Since when...?”

“Besides, during the school trip...!”

That isn't what happened.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried