SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 89

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 89: Melodrama Is the Formula (2)

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As soon as I regressed to a few days earlier, I declared to the hunters.

"I will lead this stage."

"......."

The hunters were speechless.

Among them were the Countess and the Paladin, who originally died attempting to conquer the 25th floor, but I had returned to a time before they embarked on that mission.

Of course, they had no idea about that.

"Uhm..."

The Paladin showed a troubled expression.

"I'm sorry, King of Death. I didn't know you were also versed in romance."

"No need to apologize. I am indeed ignorant about romance."

"...Yet you still want to take charge of this stage? Are you serious?"

"Yes. I really want to lead it."

The hunters murmured among themselves.

To keep from losing momentum, I spoke calmly.

"While it would be ideal to have a hunter skilled in romance, that's not the only criterion. I've never read a martial arts novel, yet I successfully cleared The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon."

"That might be true, but…"

"I have a bad feeling about this stage. I sense something terrible will happen. Please let me take charge."

Flinch.

A reaction to the words "bad feeling" was noticeable among the hunters. The Witch and the Sword Saint believed in my prophetic abilities.

"...It should be fine, shouldn't it? King of Death's abilities have been proven several times."

"Personally, I think we should heed King of Death's opinion."

With the support of the Rank 2 and Rank 1 hunters, things became easier. The other hunters didn't resist us either. I successfully gained command as I wished.

"Now, I will select the team to enter the revelation with me."

Determined, I spoke.

"We're only taking the absolute best for this stage. Please don't hold it against me if you're not chosen."

"Hmm, the absolute best, huh."

The Witch glanced at me emotionlessly.

"Well then, I should go. I don't know much about romance, but if someone absolutely has to go, it should be me."

"......."

"This was my first time trying romance, but how should I put it? Its romantic sensibility seemed to suit me. I'm not claiming to be an expert in romance stories. No. I merely think that if only the very best can go, perhaps I ought to be included."

The woman who introduced herself as a drama-watching lady was in a pretty bad state.

"Romance and romantic fantasy are somewhat different. If romance is a macaron, then rom-fantasy is a chocolate mousse cake. King of Death, an expert should step in for this, I believe..."

The Paladin was the reclusive master who seemed to radiate deep inner cultivation. However, she had failed the conquest in the previous cycle. Taking her along would be risky.

"Isn't love ultimately convertible to money? People who spend money well are also good at love. Love is power, and power is money. An unchanging truth. In this context, I should be chosen."

The Countess waved a fan. Who on earth put that person in a romance story?

"Hmm."

I looked around calmly. At that moment, one person caught my eye. He was sipping orange juice served by the Bookmark Maid.

"Heretic Inquisitor."

I called out to him.

"Yes?"

"Let's tackle a romance novel together."

"Oho!"

The surrounding hunters looked at us in shock.

Heretic Inquisitor. The ruthless executioner. No matter the twists and turns, he'd torture and execute in any religious conflict. Even among our tower's crazies, he's considered a pure, natural-born psycho.

If you asked who was the least compatible with romance in the world, he'd top the list. Yet, this person smiled innocently like a young boy.

"Yes! Of course! Delighted to oblige King of Death's request!"

To the uninformed, his smile was angelic.

"King of Death, are you crazy...?"

In other words, to those who knew his true nature, it was a devil's smile. The Witch hurriedly whispered in my ear.

"The Inquisitor can't empathize with other people! Objectively, he's a psychopath, and even if I give him every possible benefit of the doubt, he's still a sociopath. What are you going to accomplish by taking a man like that into a romance revelation?"

"Black Dragon Master."

I whispered back.

"I might not know the 'R' in romance, but I know what's most important."

"What's that?"

"Looks."

"......Huh?"

"Looks."

"......"

I was serious.

"Uh..."

"First, you need to be good-looking."

"Aren't there many plain-looking characters in romance too?"

"But they cheat with the cover."

"Ah, you shouldn't have said that out loud… You..."

"Look. Who's the most angelic-looking person in our tower, purely based on appearance? It's the Inquisitor. Even I thought he was a real angel before I knew his true nature."

We sneakily glanced at the Inquisitor.

From afar, he was grinning blissfully.

"You agree, right?"

"......Yeah. That kid's looks are devastating. The problem is that his personality is just as devastating in the opposite direction."

"Plus, the Inquisitor is competent. He uses holy magic. He can handle most accidents, right? And he listens to what I say."

Above all, the Inquisitor has no discrepancy between his outward and inward selves. What he says aloud is exactly what he thinks inside.

Unity of inner and outer selves.

This could be a plus in romance.

Having no difference between one's outward appearance and inner feelings is attractive to many people.

"---This might actually be a clever strategy."

Someone commented on our conversation.

It was the Paladin. She was slowly nodding, admiration in her eyes.

"In romantic fantasy, the more lunatics there are, the more likely it is to be a masterpiece. By romantic-fantasy standards, the Inquisitor is not a bad choice. It is unfortunate that he has no obsession with love, but he has ample potential to develop into a crazed male lead. I can already see the makings of something entertaining. As expected of the King of Death... Even in romance, your instincts are uncanny...."

The library fell silent.

"Hm? Did I say something odd?"

Again, the library was quiet. Only the Witch was thinking, “She has a point, but unlike the King of Death, who at least looks somewhat young, the Inquisitor really looks far too young.... Looking young is fine if one appears appropriately boyish, but a completely childlike appearance is not popular in this field....”

Thankfully, no vocal opinions on this professional viewpoint were expressed.

Thanks to that, the romance duo of me and the Inquisitor was formed without issue.

Seeing our team, the Holed-Up Head Librarian's eyes sparkled.

"Oh, a unique combination for conquest. I'm quite looking forward to what story will unfold."

They picked up [Tales of the Sormewin Academy].

"The season of love! A time when praising love has become natural! Overcoming status, lineage, nationality, and seizing love is now called beautiful!"

The sleeves of the Constellation fluttered.

"Perhaps that's why love has become harder. Love is not just an emotion, but also an attitude and posture. Many are obsessed with romance."

The Holed-Up Head Librarian chuckled.

"Romantic reality or realistic romance? Gong-Ja, you too will find it quite difficult to strike a balance. That is why this librarian has specially prepared a clear reward for you!"

Clear reward?

"In truth, clearing [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] was equivalent to clearing both its normal stage and its hidden stage. The 22nd floor was granted as the normal-stage reward, but you have yet to receive the hidden-stage reward. I shall give it to you now."

"What is it?"

"Come closer, protagonist."

I approached.

"I will give you three cards."

Voila, the Holed-Up Head Librarian handed over the cards.

They were written as follows.

[Prosopagnosia Card]

[What a coincidence! Well-timed secret eavesdropping! Card]

[Oops! I Shouldn't Have Said That! I Accidentally Let It Slip! Card]

"......."

Great.

Just by their names, these cards sounded ominous.

I had no idea what effects these cards held, but they seemed incredibly suspicious.

"Excuse me, these are..."

"All these cards will prove to be extremely useful in a romance novel. They will surely become your army of a thousand. So, don't worry!"

But all I could do was worry.

"Not only this gift. I've prepared one more for you. Once you enter the revelation, you will naturally come across the gift."

"What is it?"

"King of Death. Heretic Inquisitor."

The Holed-Up Head Librarian didn't respond to my question. Instead, they opened the book. Whoosh! Light burst from the pages of the revelation.

"The above two are designated as characters in [Tales of Sormewin Academy]. When you open your eyes there, you will find yourselves 7 days before the unfortunate cancellation of the story."

Light enveloped us.

"I look forward to seeing a splendid ending from you! Lady! And Butler!"

Lady?

Butler?

Before I could ask what they meant, my vision was completely engulfed in white.

I had never been engrossed in romance.

Lacking the habit of reading and not having friends who were into romance contributed to that. To be more honest, I simply didn't have friends. Even now, I prefer to remain silent on how many people I could call friends.

But if asked about the [most frequently used onomatopoeia in romance genres], even I, a novice, could easily answer.

Slap!!

It's the sound of a slap across the face.

"You lowborn, insolent thing!"

A clear voice reached the chandeliers in the ceiling. Before the chandeliers stopped swaying, Slap!! The all-time number one sound in romance echoed again.

As you can probably tell from how leisurely I was listening to the sound, I was not the one being slapped.

"……Ah?"

It was the Heretic Inquisitor.

He tilted his head. Both his cheeks were red, yet he beamed a smile. Smiling towards the one who had slapped him.

"Have I done something wrong? Your hand is quite strong!"

The other person's expression hardened. Perhaps she was a lady of high rank. She wore a gown embroidered with a lily pattern in silver thread.

For convenience, I mentally labeled her the 'Lady Silver Lily.'

"How dare you remain so calm…! You lowlife! Shameless!"

"Ah-ha."

And this was where my head started to hurt.

Not only the Lady Silver Lily was in a dress.

"Please point out my mistake! If your criticism is reasonable, I'll correct it right away! It's better not to resort to violence!"

The Heretic Inquisitor too was in a dress.

Compared with Lady Silver Lily's dress, his was much plainer. It was the color of a lime's flesh, a dress that divided itself equally between the innocence of yellow and the freshness of green. Innocence easily spilled over into childishness, while freshness was often mistaken for ignorance. But none of that mattered. His face overpowered everything. True to the hunter I had chosen almost entirely for his looks, the natural-born visual powerhouse smiled radiantly.

"Ah! You, whose name I do not know. Let's have a conversation!"

Slap!

"You truly… truly mock me to the last…"

Lady Silver Lily seemed to squeeze the words out with her entire body. The curve of her bent spine carried directly into her voice.

The slapper was the lady, and the slapped was the Heretic Inquisitor, but strangely, as time passed, it was the Lady Silver Lily who grew increasingly breathless.

'Hmm.'

After a moment of disorientation upon entering the revelation, I began to grasp the situation.

'A social gathering? A ball? Anyway, it's during an event.'

A ballroom under the chandeliers.

Not just us, but dozens were dressed in gowns and formal suits. They looked at us from a distance, faces full of apprehension and tension.

It made sense. The peaceful ball had turned into chaos.

'Lady Silver Lily is the [villainess]...'

I observed the lady.

'Excluding the royal family, she's the highest-ranking person here.'

She's also the one responsible for bringing this world to ruin.

"Attend me!"

The Lady Silver Lily staggered as she spoke, chewing each syllable. Her voice was a strain to listen to.

"Yes, Lady."

The servants in black tailcoats responded.

"Those two... I cannot stand the sight of them. Remove them. Hurry... get them out of my sight!"

"Yes."

Their voices were far from loud. It was a quiet submission. A servant's voice must match the temperament of their master. The Lady Silver Lily was clearly frail, and loud voices were poison to her ears.

"Ah."

Thus, the Heretic Inquisitor was the complete opposite of the Lady Silver Lily.

"Are you perhaps unwell? That's serious! Let me assist you!"

"Hurry... Why have you not removed them yet? Lock up that lady and her servant at once...."

The Heretic Inquisitor was a natural whose very voice defaulted to bright and beaming.

Servants in tailcoats surrounded us like a military unit.

"Excuse me."

"I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."

Their manner was archaic, but their actions were anything but. The servants forcefully dragged us away.

Passing through the ballroom, down corridors, we were transported to a moonlit, pale warehouse.

"Excuse me?"

During the transfer, I spoke up.