WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈
Chapter 81: The Devil of Chance (2)
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It was news that, for some reason, the gemstone would not remain with the family, but would be sent outside through the Adventurers’ Guild.
“...Isn’t that strange? Why send such a precious item outside after going to the trouble of winning it at auction? If they knew the ring’s value... how could they?”
The situation made no sense, and Ruben grew suspicious. He pulled some strings to learn what lay behind this strange development.
He had one low-ranking Guild member under his thumb through bribes and blackmail from his days working at the Guild, and used them to trace the gemstone’s destination.
“Well, a low-ranking Guild member can’t exactly lay hands on a noble family’s property... but finding out where it’s being sent is easy enough.”
But the answer brought back by his informant only confused Ruben further. The parcel’s destination was Stonecreek, a place with no connection whatsoever to the Ashburn family.
‘So neither the key nor the ring was secured by the Ashburn family? Or did they only secure the key...? No, even then, why send the ring to Stonecreek?’
Even after seeing the result, Ruben could not understand what was happening. Or was there some other detail he did not know about?
“So I decided to make one final gamble.”
The Order was strongly pressuring for Ruben to be punished over the Ashburn family’s sole bid. He did not have time.
So, prepared to be branded a traitor, he concealed everything he had learned and infiltrated the area around Stonecreek with only a handful of utterly trustworthy subordinates, risking his life.
“If I was going to die either way... I might as well take a gamble, wouldn’t you say?”
Unfortunately, priests and knights searching for him were scouring the area around Stonecreek with their eyes peeled. As a result, he could not act personally.
Instead, Ruben had his subordinates hire several low-ranking adventurers who knew nothing.
He stationed them at the Adventurers’ Guild and had them keep a close watch for anyone collecting a parcel bearing a noble family’s seal.
Before long, someone came to collect the parcel. When Ruben saw the composite sketch, he was stunned.
It was Gerik, a greenhorn he knew well.
“I simply couldn’t understand it. Why would it go to you?”
At the time, while Ruben was still confused, something unexpected happened.
The Order had placed another device inside the ring component to trace its whereabouts. The spell, which activated the moment it combined with the main body, went off.
‘...Gerik has the ring.’
It was a shocking conclusion, but there was no other explanation. Once the main body had reacted, he could not think of any other possibility.
“Once I had organized my thoughts and identified my objective, the rest was not difficult.”
Having identified his target, Ruben immediately had his subordinates investigate Gerik’s recent movements. It was not particularly hard. Gerik’s activities had been brief, but surprisingly conspicuous.
He had been hired by a direct member of the Ashburn family and steadily carried out missions. Then he had even rendered a great service by saving Minos’s life. It was a simple but striking record.
Based on that, Ruben came up with two possibilities.
The first was that Gerik had recognized the key’s value, handed it over to the Ashburn family, and received the ring component and a reward in exchange.
The second was that Gerik had acquired the key and ring independently, without any connection to the Ashburn family in the first place. Then, as a reward for Gerik’s great service, someone from the Ashburn family had bought the remaining component and given it to him.
Minos of the Ashburn family, whom Ruben had investigated through every informant at his disposal, was a mage and archaeologist with enough discernment to identify the history behind the ring from only a few details.
It was entirely plausible that someone like that would notice the flaw in the artifact belonging to the person who had saved his life, then acquire its component as repayment.
“To be honest, at first I thought it was the former. But... no matter how many times I turned it over in my mind, it simply made no sense.”
If they had received a holy relic like the key, they could have simply piled up gold coins and been done with it. Why go through the trouble of searching an auction for a component?
Ruben found it hard to believe, but all the circumstances eventually converged on one conclusion.
Gerik was the person who had acquired both the key and the ring.
“Once I realized that, I got goosebumps all over.”
Perhaps recalling that time, Ruben exaggeratedly shuddered, smiling with obvious pleasure. Then he looked at Gerik with sharp eyes and continued.
“Your appearance. I mean... don’t you look like someone who has received a fine education? That was why I could never connect you with some country bumpkin from a backwater like Mudholm.”
In a sense, it was a discrepancy caused by meeting Gerik in person. But once he set that aside, every piece fit perfectly.
“Once I understood everything, I saw not only a way out, but a way to pay back the bastards who had screwed me over.”
The method was to meet Gerik while concealing all the information he possessed.
The reason was simple. If he could return with the key the Order desired so desperately in his own hands, he could overturn every failure he had suffered so far.
“Not only that... I could cut off the heads of the political enemies who dared to try to purge me! Me!”
For that reason, Ruben decided not to tell even the Order about this final piece. He would keep it entirely to himself.
‘Wait... Then...’
As Gerik silently listened to Ruben’s explanation, he suddenly realized something.
The situation was not yet at its worst.
Ruben was the only person who knew exactly what Gerik’s situation was.
‘Well... the more experienced someone is, the less likely they are to share an important card with others. There’s no way he would share the secret of the key, his final lifeline, with anyone else.’
Realizing there was still a way out for him, Gerik felt his heart, which had been pounding wildly in fear, gradually settle.
Then Ruben pushed himself away from the tree and spoke to Gerik.
“Now then, to the point. Why do you think I went into such detail about myself?”
“...”
Gerik gave no answer to Ruben’s question. He merely tightened his grip on the sword hilt and glared at Ruben fiercely.
“Ha ha! Don’t be like that. Just hear me out for a moment. This is a good offer for you too.”
Even under Gerik’s murderous gaze, Ruben paid it no mind. Smiling faintly, he continued.
“Gerik. I’ll be direct. Join our side.”
“...!!”
It was an offer Gerik had never expected.
He had expected threats mixed with persuasion, but never imagined Ruben would try to recruit him. Gerik’s eyes widened.
Seeing that, Ruben seemed to think there was room to persuade him and began explaining with enthusiasm.
“As you can see, I’ve been saddled with responsibility for the failure and driven to the brink of a purge. But as I said earlier, if I can just secure the key, I can turn this entire situation around!”
He struck his chest hard as he passionately continued.
“Well, I know it won’t be easy to trust me. Even so, trust me! I swear I won’t betray you! There’s no reason for me to do so in the first place!”
“...”
“Let me be frank. If you give me the key, I can give you everything you desire. The key is worth that much!”
Spreading his arms as though extending a hand to Gerik, he said,
“Power? Authority? Wealth? Beautiful women? Name it. If I can return with the key, I can give you whatever you want! What betrayal? Compared to the key, it isn’t even a speck of dust! I have that much nerve and generosity!”
“...”
In the past, Gerik might have been swayed by those words and handed over the key willingly.
But now he knew.
The key’s secret. Its power. And the immense disaster it would bring upon this world.
“Hmm... You really aren’t interested?”
Faced with Gerik’s continued silence, Ruben shrugged and took a heavy pouch from his chest, tossing it at Gerik’s feet.
Thud.
A metallic clink rang out from the bag as it hit the ground.
“Then how about this? If you truly dislike the thought of joining the Order, let us simply make a deal. You give me the item, and I give you gold coins.”
Taking a step back as though to show he had no intention of threatening him, Ruben spoke to Gerik in an earnest voice.
“Just hand over the item. I swear I won’t lay a hand on you.”
Having presented Gerik with two choices, Ruben waited for his answer.
‘What should I do...?’
Even aside from the benefits and dangers that came with the key, Gerik could not easily choose to hand it over when he could not fully trust Ruben’s words.
So he only pretended to consider the offer while rapidly calculating a way out in his mind.
‘What should I do...? The best option would be to silence him by fighting, but... can I manage it at my level? Should I just run...?'
Seeing Gerik’s conflicted expression, Ruben seemed to interpret it as hesitation over the proposal. He continued explaining, as though pressing him further.
“Ah! There is one thing I forgot to mention.”
Ruben began in an unhurried manner, as though there were no rush, his oddly irritatingly kind tone making it seem as though Gerik were in the palm of his hand.
Even under Gerik’s murderous gaze, Ruben smiled faintly and continued in a relaxed voice.
“Do you remember what I explained earlier? The second spell activating the moment the gemstone combined with the ring. That spell does not track the item’s location. It is cast directly upon the person who combined the components, the ring’s owner. For your information, it lasts two days. Ah! And forget about trying to flee by relying on the Invisibility from Skyler’s Quintet or that flimsy Guardian Barrier. As long as we are alive, Invisibility and the Guardian Barrier will be immediately negated.”
“...!!”
“So even if you throw away the ring and turn your back to run, it will be useless. No matter what you do, your location will be plain as day to us until tomorrow.”
After saying that, Ruben clapped his hands directly in front of Gerik.
At once, four heavily armed figures emerged from the shadows.
‘...Four. And none of them look easy.’
They were clearly Silver Plate rank or comparable fighters. Thanks to his enhanced Perception, Gerik could easily gauge the abilities of the people Ruben had brought.
As he looked over the figures silently taking positions around him, Gerik felt his mouth go dry.
“Every one of these friends is a master tracker. No matter how much you struggle, you’ll never shake them.”
‘...I can’t run.’
The moment he confirmed the presence of the four heavily armed fighters, the option of escape vanished completely from Gerik’s mind.
In the end, only one path remained.
He had to settle this here, one way or another.
‘In that case... since it has come to this.’
If he could not avoid a fight, he needed to get everything he could from Ruben first.
So Gerik cautiously opened his mouth.
“...What exactly is this Order?”
Gerik’s first words after remaining silent for so long were not merely an act meant to lower Ruben’s guard.
He genuinely wanted to know.
Was this Order a third party seeking the key, or were they followers who worshipped those disgusting Tentacled Humans he had encountered in Braktul’s world?
“Hm?”
As Gerik responded for the first time, Ruben’s eyes curved with interest.
“If I join, what would I do there? I’d also like to know whether there are restrictions on my activities. And I want to hear exactly what compensation you are offering.”
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