WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 90: Melodrama Is the Formula (3)

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"This is such a mess..."

I muttered. This is driving me crazy.

In the old warehouse, with moonlight streaming through the large iron bars, the Heretic Inquisitor smiled brightly, unsettlingly cheerful for someone essentially imprisoned.

"Ah, people dressed me as a girl many times when I was young, but I never imagined I would actually be assigned the role of a young lady. I suppose this too is one of life's experiences!"

"I wish I could borrow some of your relentless positivity…"

"The world is a beautiful place, King of Death! Think positively!"

Does this person ever stop smiling? Even if a meteor fell right in front of him, he would probably smile and say, ‘Ah, this is terrible! The world is ending! It cannot be helped. We did our best!’

"What's there to be so positive about?"

"Just this!"

The Heretic Inquisitor wiggled his fingers, forming hand signs, and whispered softly.

"Holy Technique, God of Transformation."

A light streamed between his slender fingers. It was the Heretic Inquisitor's signature holy technique. 'Transformation' likely meant changing something, but there seemed to be no visible difference at first glance.

However, as soon as he spoke, I realized what had 'transformed.'

"How about this?"

For a moment, I got goosebumps.

"Do I sound more like a lady now?"

"Your voice..."

"Yes! I slightly altered the structure of my vocal cords."

Grinning, the Heretic Inquisitor seemed pleased.

"I've often been told my voice is androgynous. With a little adjustment, it should fit the role. Ah-ha, I can't objectively hear my own voice, though! What do you think?"

"It's remarkable..."

I couldn't help but admire.

"You look like a noble lady radiating refinement. Well, as long as you keep your mouth shut."

"Thank you!"

"Hmm."

I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

Unexpectedly finding ourselves embodying the roles of [Lady Protagonist & Butler], the Heretic Inquisitor and I were well-equipped to handle it. He had his holy techniques, and...

I had my return skill.

'Okay.'

It was definitely worth a try.

"......."

The Heretic Inquisitor peeked up, looking at my face.

"Your complexion seems a bit better."

"Really?"

"Ever since returning from [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon], your expression has remained dark, King of Death. You must have accumulated considerable stress while clearing that revelation."

I lost my words for a moment.

"Well, losing a precious master would naturally do that! So, I was worried about this conquest too. What if you couldn't perform your best due to your gloomy emotions? But it seems I worried for nothing."

"...So, you can observe a person's face and speculate on their emotions?"

"Yes! I may not understand what 'feeling down' is, but I understand it conceptually! Ah-ha. Like a machine, if not properly maintained, it creaks. Stress is like human grime. If left unattended, it turns into stubborn dirt, so be sure to take care of it!"

Fascinating. He's trying to understand humanity in his own way. A psycho, but a commendable one.

"But, King of Death."

"Yes?"

"I've noticed something strange."

"What's strange?"

"As I understand, we are currently unjustly imprisoned, our freedom of movement restricted."

"That's how I see the current situation too."

"It's a relief we understand each other! And usually, in such cases, the power holder places guards or jailers to watch over the prisoners. If not, escaping would be too easy."

The Heretic Inquisitor tilted his head.

"But I sense no one at all outside the door. Instead, I sense several presences near the window. Hmm. Does this world station its guards around windows rather than in front of doors?"

At that moment.

"Damn it! Attack!"

Shadows burst through the window as the iron bars fell off.

"Kill the man if you must, but don't hurt the woman!"

The shadows wore masks. Their choice of attire was far too elaborate for me to regard them as concerned guests who had come to check on us. Anyone could see this was an attack by uninvited intruders.

"Shiny!"

[Yes, Hero.]

I unsheathed the Holy Sword. Clang! The attacker's sword clashed with mine.

No typical exchange of words seen in movie attack scenes like ‘Who are you?’ ‘That's none of your business! But we're backed by immense power!’ happened. Both of us were too busy swinging our swords.

But I had a trump card.

"Now!"

The Holy Sword glowed brightly.

"Argh?!"

Blinded momentarily by the sudden light, the attacker, who had adjusted to the dark, instinctively closed his eyes. In a swordfight, a moment can decide the outcome.

I blinked alternatingly to adjust my sight and then severed the wrist of the attacker.

"---Aaack----!!"

A scream ran through his voice like marbling.

"King of Death! Don't kill them! We need to uncover who's behind this!"

So, I held back.

The Heretic Inquisitor was also in action, his dress billowing around him.

"This can't be! She's not just a normal girl!"

The attackers were astonished. They weren't particularly skilled. Or perhaps, our skills were excessively superior. They couldn't handle us without using aura.

Soon, all four attackers were subdued. One of them was killed by the Heretic Inquisitor during the fight.

"Ah-ha."

The Heretic Inquisitor casually wiped the blood from his face with his dress sleeve. The attackers looked up at him, their faces drained white.

"We heard she was a frail noble lady... how could..."

"You have three choices!"

The Heretic Inquisitor, holding a dagger, grinned broadly.

"First, ask to be killed right here! Second, confess all important information while being tortured! Third, simply spill the beans without death or torture! Which will it be?"

"Huh..."

The oldest-looking attacker, who had lost his wrist to me, snorted.

"Crazy woman. Just kill me!"

"Alright!"

And the Heretic Inquisitor's dress got a little more red.

Thud, a dull sound echoed in the warehouse.

A head rolled onto the floor.

"Yeeek…?!"

Only two attackers remained.

"Have you made your choice?"

"Spare us, Lady. We were just doing our job!"

"It's tough to make a living. I understand."

"But then..."

"However, just as I understand your situation, you must understand mine! Why did you attack us? Tell me, and I'll let you go. I think that's a very generous offer."

The attackers hesitated.

"Ah. You're struggling to decide. Alright! I'll help you make up your mind!"

"Wh-What do you mean by help?"

"Torture."

The Heretic Inquisitor's smile remained unbroken.

"Pain proves that we are alive. When it peaks, so does our survival instinct. Now, I'll maximize your desire to live."

"Please, spare us!"

"Then please live!"

Insane.

The genre was about to turn into 18+ romance, so I intervened.

“Wait a minute, Heretic Inquisitor.”

“Yes?”

“There’s no need to go that far. Leave it to me.”

“Hmm…?”

The Heretic Inquisitor looked puzzled.

“King of Death, are you also skilled in torture? Unless you are quite adept, I recommend leaving it to me. I am a specialist in interrogation.”

“No, there's no need for torture. And wipe your face, please.”

I handed a handkerchief to the Heretic Inquisitor and approached the attackers.

They sighed in relief, but sorry, I'm not that generous towards people who attack first.

“Gentlemen, let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“When you attacked earlier, you came in through the window. The iron bars were cut too easily. Did you know in advance that we would be locked up here and pre-cut the bars?”

"......."

The attackers remained silent, just exchanging glances. However, not speaking doesn't mean I can't find out the truth. ‘Character Window.’

Their thoughts were visible to my eyes.

「We heard a lady would be brought to the warehouse.」

「Damn it, they said she was an ordinary young lady, but that was a lie!」

As I suspected.

They knew in advance that we would be brought here.

“When attacking, you shouted, 'It's okay to kill the man, just don't harm the woman.' Were you trying to kidnap the lady here?”

“That, well... it's..."

The attackers blinked rapidly.

「The task was to kidnap a woman from here.」

「We were strictly told by our employer not to harm her, so we came in a group of four for the ambush.」

Hmm.

Got it.

“Sigh…”

I sighed. Turning around, I saw the Heretic Inquisitor diligently wiping his face. He resembled a little hamster nibbling sunflower seeds.

“I have an idea who the culprit might be.”

The Heretic Inquisitor perked up his ears.

“Really? Have you already figured it out?”

“Yes."

“I'm curious to hear your deduction.”

The Heretic Inquisitor's eyes sparkled. I nodded, leaned closer, and whispered my deduction in his ear.

“Firstly, the culprit is someone with immense power, able to hire four assassins to infiltrate the academy. It’s not something achievable without deep knowledge of the academy's security system.”

“Indeed, that makes sense!”

But, the Heretic Inquisitor countered.

“Does the culprit really need to be [someone with immense power]? It's not a palace, but an academy. It seems relatively easy to obtain knowledge about its security system. Even a moderately powerful figure could do it!”

“Your point is sharp, but.”

I shook my head.

“There’s another suspicious detail. Heretic Inquisitor, do you remember what the [Villainess] shouted when she was having us removed?”

“Hmm."

He pondered, putting the handkerchief into his sleeve.

“Yes, I remember. She definitely said, [Get them out of my sight, lock them up]. Why do you ask?”

“She never specified where to lock us up.”

"......."

“The Villainess only told her servants to remove us from the ballroom. But these attackers knew exactly where we’d be imprisoned and had prepared by cutting the bars in advance. Those who brought us here were the servants of the Villainess.”

“Oho….”

The Heretic Inquisitor's eyes narrowed.

“Indeed. The Villainess might be the mastermind behind hiring the attackers. She would have just needed to inform her servants about the place of confinement and the attackers about the location. Ah-ha. She is a lady of a duke's family, so she has the power.”

“Yes. But-”

“But, it’s too obvious.”

The Heretic Inquisitor stroked his chin.

“[I] am the protagonist in this world. I am a noble lady romantically linked with the Crown Prince. Would the Villainess really expel me and then attack in the same place? Even for a duke's daughter, that’s too scandalous and politically risky.”

He's smart.

It's nice to have conversations like this that get straight to the point.

“That means the Villainess isn’t the culprit. Someone wants it to look like she is. The real culprit is someone else.”

“I agree!”

“And this real culprit, who told the attackers not to harm the Heretic Inquisitor at any cost, values you, the female protagonist, a lot. They didn't care about the male butler, me. Lastly, they have the power to bribe the servants of a duke’s family.”

“Ah-ha.”

The Heretic Inquisitor smiled with his eyes.

“I’m beginning to see who the real culprit might be!”

“Probably the same person I'm thinking of.”

“Hmm. I don’t understand the emotion of love. But I do know the behavior of those who love! If, as you deduced, the culprit truly values [me], they wouldn’t really leave me in the hands of such attackers.”

“Yes."

I nodded.

“They must be waiting nearby, ready to intervene at any moment.”

Bang!

That was when the old door of the warehouse shattered. Dust billowed, and a group of knights poured in.

At the front was a man who looked like he had never dirtied his hands in his life.

“Silvia! Are you alright, Silvia?!”

The man rushed over and tightly embraced the Heretic Inquisitor. His golden hair, like uncooked noodles, fluttered. Not as handsome as the Heretic Inquisitor, but the man was still good-looking. Maybe 0.6 Heretic Inquisitor in terms of looks?

“My goodness, you're covered in blood! I came here worried after hearing you were expelled from the ballroom... to think they would dare do such a vile act…!”

And probably about 0.6 Heretic Inquisitor in terms of being a psychopath.

Without blinking an eye, the man commanded.

“Attend me! Arrest those suspicious men at once! I shall personally interrogate them and uncover every detail of who stands behind this! I do not know which house committed this deed, but I will show no mercy even if it is the family of a meritorious servant of the empire!”

The knights responded in unison.

“Yes! We obey the Crown Prince's command!”

That's right.

“Lady Silvia, do not worry. I will protect you. No matter what vicious means the daughter of the ducal house employs, I, the empire's sole heir, will protect you. You need rely only on me....”

The man was the male protagonist of [Tales of Sormewin Academy].

And the Crown Prince in love with the Heretic Inquisitor.

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