WeTried Translations
Translator: Goku
Editor: Sty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The War Hero in the NTR Game Wants to Die ◈
Chapter 013
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Fading Flowers (1)
The same scene again.
It doesn't matter to me since I come back to life even if I die anyway, but I didn't want to lose the innocent carriage and horses.
Pretending as if nothing was wrong, I gripped the reins anew and slowly moved forward.
As usual, pretending not to know anything, even slightly slowing down, in fact.
The light had definitely come from the right.
With my head facing forward, I merely glanced sideways as I went.
And then... the unnaturally rustling bush caught my eye.
Through the gap, two crouching figures.
I quietly pulled the carriage to the side of the road.
I drew a dagger from my pocket.
Then, without hesitation, I threw the dagger towards where they were hiding.
It was clearly aimed at the neck, but it missed and lodged itself in a shoulder.
"Ugh!"
There was no way I would make such a mistake, and seeing the necklace around his neck glow faintly and sway, it seemed to be some kind of artifact.
A pointy-eared individual, unmistakably a mage, clutched his shoulder and snapped at his masked comrade beside him.
Judging by the masked one's physique, he didn't seem to be an ordinary human either.
Well, there wouldn't be anyone else to take on such shady tasks besides demi-humans anyway.
"W-we just had to bring the target, right? No one said we had to deal with that kind of guy! If we fight recklessly on the road, we're screwed!"
"...When we get back, I'll have to demand more money."
I had no intention of killing them.
However, I needed to hear who sent them.
Though anyone could tell it was Roseline.
Drawing the sword at my waist, I kicked off the ground.
The distance closed in an instant.
The mage urgently raised his hand.
I saw light gathering at his fingertips.
This much without a staff, he seemed like a rather skilled mage... but his speed was excessively slow.
Before the light could even burst from his fingertips, I was already right in front of him.
Getting right up close, I struck his wrist with the sword hilt and then hit his neck with the flat of the blade.
The lost light scattered into the empty air, bursting.
On the battlefield, such a thing would be unthinkable.
Those who knew how to cast spells... handled swords far better than most.
Mages who couldn't defend themselves had long since died off and fallen.
Anyway, perhaps seizing an opening, the masked one drew a dagger and thrust it towards my side.
It was quite fast.
For an inferior and despicable demi-human, it was decent.
I twisted my upper body slightly, deflecting the blade.
I felt something cold brush right past my side.
At least, I wasn't cut.
While seeming to dodge, I raised my elbow and instead moved even closer.
Then, twisting my body, I aimed for the masked one's temple.
Thwack!
It landed fortuitously.
Then, I seized the reeling opponent's wrist, twisted it, and jabbed his side with my knee.
At that, the dagger gripped in his hand fell limply to the ground.
I tripped the silent opponent, slamming him to the ground, then stood up and stomped on the back of his head.
Only a couple of times, as he'd probably die if I kicked him too many times.
He'd probably be crippled if he took a hit to the back of the head like that, though.
I didn't want to come all this way and have to clean up a corpse.
The dust rose thickly.
On the battlefield, I would have split them both in two long ago, but deliberately keeping them alive felt completely unfamiliar.
Still, I only handled them enough to ensure neither died.
I approached the mage, who was still clutching his throat, coughing and lying on the ground, and placed the tip of my sword against his neck.
A fair amount of blood was flowing from the shoulder where the dagger was lodged.
"You'd better answer carefully. Who sent you?"
The masked one merely groaned, already half-unconscious.
The mage was the only one I could reasonably communicate with.
"......"
"I'll ask one more time. Who sent you?"
When I lightly pressed the tip of the sword, the mage gasped for air and opened his mouth.
"She looked like a daughter from some noble house…. It's usually the rule not to reveal names in these kinds of jobs…."
"What did she look like?"
"Dark hair and slightly purple! Purple-like blue eyes! I-I've told you everything, so can you let me go now?"
Anyone could tell it was Roseline.
I wasn't surprised, but a bit of resentment welled up.
Because it had hurt quite a bit when the splinter lodged in my neck just now.
Even with the enemy before my eyes, thoughts began to burst forth in my mind, one after another.
I should just kill these demi-humans, turn the horses around, and go find Roseline.
I had visited the Avenberg mansion several times.
It was a magnificent mansion, with a river flowing in front and a beautiful garden of flowers behind it.
It was secluded, and there weren't many guards besides a few knights protecting the perimeter.
I'd go there and deal with the gatekeepers.
The gatekeepers would recognize my face, so if I went on a single horse instead of by carriage, they'd open the gate without much suspicion.
Then I'd kill those innocent gatekeepers who opened the gate without suspicion.
Carefully, so as not to splatter too much blood.
And then, I'd ride a horse to find the knights who would be continuing their training near the outskirts of the mansion, and go watch them train.
It wouldn't be impossible for a knight to notice something amiss and approach.
If I exchanged a few words with them, a quarrel would surely arise.
Because those idiots, despite being born into the Gryan family, envied and despised me for being unable to do anything properly.
Because they were disgusting beings who thought their only shortcoming was their lineage.
Anyway, after exchanging words, if they picked a fight, I'd rage as if they had insulted me, challenge them to a duel, pretend to be pushed back a little, then pull a dagger from my pocket, plunge it into their chest, and kill them.
As for the rest... well, I could deal with them somehow.
Then, I'd go find Roseline, who would now have no one left to protect her.......
The delusion deepened.
It was only after closing my eyes tightly for a long time and sighing that my sense of reality returned.
"......Go back and tell her. No matter what kind of dirty tricks she pulls, I won't come looking for her."
The mage, not wanting to die, shook his head frantically.
Even as I turned to get back into the carriage, I kept my senses sharp, wondering if they might be preparing to cast a spell from behind, and headed towards the carriage.
Even as I rode past, making eye contact, there was no particular sign of that.
It felt incredibly awkward.
That both the opponent and I had clashed, yet neither killed the other, and we were just moving on.
It was so awkward that the fingers gripping the horse's reins tingled excessively.
As I kept scratching, my skin was already raw.
* * *
Truthfully, I like being envied by others.
I wish people would look up to me in every small detail.
Should I call it a deficiency?
Because I've never properly received praise while growing up.
Perhaps that's why... when dying comrades on the battlefield praised me, I didn't completely dislike it.
Because it was much warmer than anything I heard from my family.
It's just... I didn't attach myself to anyone because I disliked the thought of someone I'd grown close to suddenly disappearing.
That's why I hated the battlefield.
Because even if I returned alive, those beside me often did not.
Moreover, even if I did return alive, my body was being consumed by the memories and emotions of a pathetic human like 'Riehen'... and killing someone was never enjoyable.
In that sense, I thought things would get a little better if I just returned from the battlefield.
Because I thought I wouldn't be trapped in memories and emotions.
And now, I even think I should have transferred to a different front, as the captain suggested.
At least while killing and being killed, I wouldn't have had to waste time like an idiot pondering such thoughts.
Who would have thought that returning to the Gryan family would mean my head getting smashed in and dying at the hands of my younger sister?
And all because I smoked a bit, drank, and grumbled.
Furthermore, Roseline acts as if everything will be resolved if I stay by her side, but anyone can see that being with her would just grind my heart down until it eventually wore away to nothing.
Whether it's the Gryan family, or by Roseline's side, the answer is to stay as far away as possible from anywhere associated with a family name.
And the farthest place from those aristocratic-smelling places was... at least, the capital.
Upon entering the capital, I literally felt a vibrant energy.
It was like the feeling of a truly flourishing city immediately came over me, should I say.
The faces of the people showed no signs of worry or concern.
Well, of course there wouldn't be any.
The Empire is waging war with almost every surrounding nation... but it is not losing anywhere.
There are always places to make a living, and even a bumpkin from some obscure rural corner can come to the capital and find a profession like an adventurer to get by.
One cannot say there is no corruption, but it is not rampant.
So... it's a place where one can make a living.
Thanks to that, the capital was so crowded that people were overflowing.
Arin is here, after all.
Amidst this countless multitude of people.
That child.
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