SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 192

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 192: Prima Donna (4)

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Words of resolve, of a heart knit together.

I was just waiting for those words.

"Hmm."

I circulated Aura through my body.

The drunkenness gradually peeled away.

'My mind is clearing up.'

In our Tower, there is an unspoken rule that is not quite common sense: [When everyone has gone to the trouble of drinking, it is rude to use Aura and sober up by yourself].

Although I love this drinking etiquette, it would be even ruder to hear Ssonia's serious confession while drunk.

'What about my clothes... What? Why is my top all messed up?'

How drunk was I last night?

Maybe it's because it's been a while since I've had a drink.

"Sorry, Ssonia. Can I wash up quickly and then start the conversation? I want to hear this story with a clean body."

-Ah. Um, you don't have to...

"I do."

Anyone who confides a significant resolution to me deserves respectful treatment.

"There must be a stream nearby. I'll wash up quickly, so can you wait a bit?"

-...Yes.

Ssonia replied in an oddly small voice.

I went to wash in the stream, at a place I had noticed the previous night while riding the flying bathtub. When I immersed myself in the cool pool, the dregs clouding my mind cleared away. After mentally reviewing the first through seventh forms of the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven, I stood up.

"Let's sit and talk."

-Yes.

I sat facing Ssonia.

"Do you want to try acting in the next performance?"

Ssonia nodded.

"So you want to continue being a Fire Drama actor without retiring."

-Yes.

"If it's okay, can you tell me why?"

Ssonia pondered. She was seriously choosing her own words.

Watching Ssonia's earnest expression, I suddenly thought of something completely unrelated to the present situation.

'I'm just like the director. Me.'

Whenever a child tried to confide something, the director always prepared carefully. First, by calming the body and mind. In my actions, fresh from waking up, dispelling drunkenness, and bathing, the director’s influence was deeply ingrained.

"......."

That’s right.

I patiently waited for Ssonia.

-It's not that I hate being treated this way.

By the time my hair, already dried with Aura, had dried once more in the sunlight, Ssonia began to speak.

-Rather, I'm really happy to enjoy such a windfall for free. Yes. My family and kin can no longer ignore me. And the gold in my warehouse is tremendous. Thanks to Lord Kekerkker, I could live a pleasant life forever...

Ssonia turned her head slightly.

In the flower garden, the Black Dragon Master and Paladin were sleep talking. The Black Dragon Master muttered incomprehensible words like "Uh" "Ah" "I’m starting up slowly…" The Paladin groaned things like "No" "It's a misunderstanding" "Not that".

What the start-up or misunderstanding is about remains a mystery.

My colleagues, such amusing friends…

-Yesterday, I was certain.

Ssonia alternately looked at us.

-While you all were drinking, chatting, telling stories... dancing, playing music, singing, I felt life. I thought, 'That's life'. No, I wished that could be life.

Ssonia's hands on her lap clenched tightly.

-Why does life seem to exist only in your laughter and breath? I don't know. But I want to be part of it too. I'll go on stage. Like you all... I want to become beautiful.

I nodded my head.

I had once been in exactly the same position as Ssonia.

Therefore, I knew what the most crucial words for Ssonia were at this moment.

"I'll help you."

I opened the Civilization Store.

[You have purchased 'Appearing in Dreams.']

[100 race points consumed!]

[Your current race points are 6602.]

"You have been watching me closer than anyone else until now. You've learned all about my choreography, stage, and Aura utilization methods in real-time, like a lesson. There’s nothing more to teach theoretically, so what’s left is experience."

-Yes!

"But before I help, just one question."

I smiled kindly.

As the Vice-lord of the Demonic Cult and the inheritor of the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven, I had to observe the proper form.

"How many days have you gone without eating, Ssonia?"

Silence fell.

The elf born into a wealthy merchant family tilted her head.

-...Huh?

Good response.

It didn't take even 30 minutes for Ssonia's cute expression to turn into a scream.

After going through hellish training, the day of the performance finally arrived.

For me, it's the last performance I'm directing in this world.

But for Ssonia, it's going to be her thrilling debut stage.

[Quest 'Theatrical Warring States: Crisis of the Classics' is progressing.]

[Current Heretical Erosion Rate is 11%.]

The quest's progress on this stage is very smooth.

The blood-and-fire drama form I created, the so-called dance drama, had already spread throughout the city.

Not only [Dog Noise], but other troupes are quietly joining the trend.

Now, if I just leave it be, the quest will complete on its own.

"Aha. This is my first time watching as an audience."

I smiled contentedly.

Below, guests were filling the seats, buzzing with excitement.

"It feels new again like this. How about you, Black Dragon Master? Aren't you nervous?"

"What nervousness..."

The Black Dragon Master swept her side hair back. She looked relaxed. But her other hand was clenching her fingers.

She seems nervous despite her appearance.

I restrained my laughter and turned my head.

"How about you, Paladin? You look totally fine."

"Uh. I've been on stage many times and even ran a jazz bar. I'm somewhat used to it. Not that I don't feel nervous."

"Oh? You ran a jazz bar?"

"It's an old story from my second year in the tower."

The Paladin gave a wry smile.

"I once wanted to live playing jazz. Fortunately, people liked my music."

"Heh."

By the way, the Black Dragon Master was no longer a vampire, and the Paladin was no longer from the Gill-Fin Tribe. They were floating in the air in their original forms, looking at the stage.

All three of us had escaped from [Character Possession].

"I confidently opened the jazz bar that had remained only a dream for me in the outside world. It was a wonderful experience in many ways."

The Black Dragon Master tilted her head.

"You said not to bring up those times. Why suddenly talk about it to the King of Death?"

"I changed my mind."

"Hmm. Anyway, you're also quite back and forth... What was the name of that jazz bar? I can't remember."

"Little Venezia."

"Ah, right. Venezia. You went totally bankrupt with that."

The Black Dragon Master chuckled.

"You rashly borrowed money from thugs and ended up deep in debt. I heard it while drinking with the mafia. Some S-rank sucker walked right into their trap and hit the jackpot or something.”

“Managing money has always been difficult for me….”

“Fix that. It's why the Vigilante Corps is always strapped for funds. Well, thanks to that, you met a good connection….”

"Ah."

I pointed to the stage.

“Shh, looks like it's starting.”

The Black Dragon Master and the Paladin immediately shut their mouths and watched the stage. The Black Dragon Master wrote the script, the Paladin composed the music, and I choreographed the dance. The direction was a collective effort by all of us.

Our first collaborative work.

The actors adorned the dark stage with their dance.

"......."

The Black Dragon Master trembled anxiously.

She didn't even shake when giving a speech to soldiers on the walls of the Aegim Empire. Maybe she gets unexpectedly nervous in situations like this.

I gently grabbed the Black Dragon Master’s arm.

“……King of Death.”

“Yes."

“Why are you grabbing my elbow…?”

“Holding hands would be the norm, but I'm only allowed to hold hands with Raviel. Holding hands between friends feels somewhat embarrassing. And if I put my hand on your shoulder, it might come off as condescending, right? So I compromised with the elbow.”

"Hah......."

The Black Dragon Master gave a small laugh.

“You’re really crazy.”

“I'm aware there’s a minority opinion of that, Black Dragon Queen.”

“Really… ”

The Black Dragon Master sighed. Her face relaxed while watching the performance. Her feet no longer trembled.

The dance continued on stage.

“…Oh no. Seems like everyone is still inexperienced with Aura.”

“That's already quite skilled. We can't expect them to be at our level.”

“Seems hard to play music and dance at the same time... No, but the music is actually not bad. It's not unbearable to listen to."

We murmured among ourselves.

Whispers also came from the audience below.

-Ugor. Isn't this worse than usual?

-Is it? It's my first time, and I think it's great.

-Not sure, but the Aura feels a bit weak...

-It's rather iffy.

As expected.

'The audience can tell right away.'

It was the impact of my absence from the performance.

Until now, I had coordinated the actors from the center of the stage. I supplied Aura wherever it was lacking, fiercely stoked any part that felt weak, and conducted the music.

But in this performance, all actors were involved in Aura, dance, and music.

My absence was felt by the audience.

-Huff.

-Hnngh...!

Arika with one eye, Yumar with one arm, Sakum with one ear, all danced their best, barely managing to produce their assigned melodies.

And of course, Ssonia too.

I could see every drop of sweat shed by the children.

‘It’s okay.’

I clenched my fist.

‘It’ll work out. Our kids.’

You’re ready to succeed.

‘Hang in there.’

The murmurs in the audience grew louder. The regulars, who were fanatically devoted to Dog Noise Troupe, felt a deep disappointment.

What is this? Something's off.

Such remarks were openly made.

"......."

The three of us silently swallowed our saliva.

The climax was approaching on stage.

-.......

The actors suddenly stopped all movement.

The music, played by vibrating Aura, also ceased.

The dark theater was engulfed in silence, and just as the confusion of the audience was about to grow, Raviel Ivansia, portrayed by Ssonia, opened her lips.

-Lascia, ch'io pianga---.

A strand of song bearing crimson Aura rang out proudly.

As the song barely leaked from her lips, the audience twitched.

As though coughing up blood, Ssonia sang the song she had learned while literally coughing up blood.

-mia cruda, sorte....

It was impossible to teach them to use Aura at my level in such a short time.

So the three of us put our heads together and devised a small piece of staging.

Introducing a scene where [an actor sings alone] for the first time in our troupe.

"Good."

Surveying the audience's reaction, the Black Dragon Master whispered.

“It's working, hey! It’s catching on.”

Our troupe's blood-and-fire dramas were famous for containing no dialogue.

The actors occasionally made sounds while dancing, but they were only meaningless cries such as “Woo!” and “Huff!” or primitive vocalizations whose meaning had been deliberately blurred.

None in the audience expected an aria from an opera.

-la liberta....

Ssonia possessed the skill to turn that blind spot in the audience's expectations into pleasure rather than displeasure.

That was because all of Ssonia's instruction and training had been focused on this one moment.

A lone elf sang in the still darkness.

-la liberta....

The hobgoblins watched the aria in a daze.

From their eyes, we sensed our success.

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah. A bit of a trick, but…”

“It was a situation that called for a trick. Even if the overall level drops, if the climax is worth its weight in gold, it can somehow be mitigated. We’ve caught our breath…”

We watched the performance continue with satisfaction.

[Current Heretical Erosion Rate is 10%.]

[You have successfully reduced the Heretical Erosion Rate to 10% or below.]

[Quest Clear!]

Just then, the tower's voice announced the completion of the quest.

I looked at Ssonia and the other actors, then stood up.

“Shall we go?”

“Already?”

“I'm satisfied seeing the kids do well even without me. If I watch them getting applause, I might end up crying. Let’s leave now.”

“You're surprisingly tearful, aren’t you?”

“Not as much as the Black Dragon Queen who bawled on the 11th floor….”

“You really want to get hit?”