WeTried Translations
Translator: Goku
Editor: Sty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The War Hero in the NTR Game Wants to Die ◈
Chapter 014
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Fading Flowers (2)
There's not much to say about the Monbern family's villa.
Just that, they brought the carriage in appropriately, and the servants showed me to my room, that's all.
I have no hobby of dragging out stories that no one would be curious about.
Much more important than that is the fact that I can lean back comfortably in a chair and fully enjoy the bottle of liquor and tobacco I bought from the general store on the way.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much money, so I couldn't even buy a cigar.
Anyway, when I spend time alone in a place where no one is… it suddenly makes me wonder if this really isn't reality.
Because when steeped in alcohol and smoke, the world feels much more livable than expected.
Nevertheless, I want to escape from here.
Because I want to live in reality.
At the very least, a world where I revive after dying cannot be reality.
The fact that I died so many times on the battlefield, sometimes getting captured and having my skin flayed alive… it couldn't have been real.
The fact that I stained my hands with so much blood, and killed living things… it couldn't have been real.
Because it wasn't something that happened in reality.
Because my being here is also something that shouldn't happen.
It's just something that happens in a game.
There's no way to turn off the game, no way to escape, but I denied it for now.
I am not 'Riehen'.
I am not indecisive, incompetent, or lacking in determination.
If I don't remind myself, I'll eventually forget.
For example, Riehen came to see his childhood friend, whom he didn't even think of chasing after.
If it were me, at the words, "I'm following another man, not you," I would have grabbed her by the hair, dragged her all the way back, and locked her in the mansion.
[Endlog] is a game where you pursue heroines, follow their routes to see the story, and reach an ending.
Of course, events occur randomly, so you can't pursue them as you wish.
Because you're often tossed around by luck.
So, no matter what happens, even if it leads to a bad ending… if it's a game, isn't it enough just to see an ending?
No matter who it is, isn't it enough to just get together with the woman playing the heroine?
Or, if I kill her and get a bad ending, wouldn't I be able to escape this fucked-up place?
I approached Roseline with that thought, but… how should I put it.
When I was in the same space as Roseline, I momentarily felt like I wasn't myself, so I stopped.
In front of that woman, I become 'Riehen', not me.
To Roseline, I am a bastard.
A pathetic bastard who barks when told to bark, bites when told to bite, and always listens.
Even though that's 'Riehen', not me.
That's why I don't want to be in the same place as that woman for even a moment.
Perhaps if it were 'Riehen', but I don't have a hobby of wearing a leash and barking woof-woof.
Rione… she's just a goddamn bitch.
Perhaps because she wasn't loved by her mother, she's more pitiful than an orphan who doesn't know what a human life is… ha.
Anyway, where would you use a crazy woman who makes her own brother's head into a bloody mess?
If it were 'Riehen', who only lacked skill, perhaps, but it's people like Rione whom the knight order should filter out.
Moreover, there will soon be no one left who can stop that child, whether through discipline or anything else.
Because Rione will soon be stronger than the head of the family.
Seriously, there's no decent person around here.
Or, well, as the captain said, it wouldn't matter if I went to the academy and acted as an instructor.
There would be heroines there too.
But I don't know if I'd get along well.
Meeting new people and getting into relationships can be done later.
After discarding all other options, the only one remaining was Arin, the childhood friend who followed another man for her own advancement.
Every time I think of that child, it's probably 'Riehen', not me, whose heart beats wildly on its own.
What am I hoping for?
It would be best not to expect to meet her in a normal state at all.
To call oneself an adventurer sounds romantic, but it's just like a labor office.
Occasionally, some might take on big jobs or subjugate monsters or bandits somewhere, but most are bottom-feeding trash who handle petty monsters or chimney cleaning.
Unless it's someone like me, who can at least fight, becoming an adventurer… oh.
I can do it.
If I become an adventurer… I wouldn't need to teach brats, and I could probably find Arin quickly.
It's obvious she'd be scraping by at the bottom, anyway.
When there's something that needs to be done, I always drink in moderation.
I put down the drink I was holding, wiped my mouth, and stood up.
It's not entirely unheard of for noble children who inherited nothing but learned swordsmanship to become adventurers.
However, I didn't want to start from the very bottom.
And I know one person who could connect me with the right people.
I rummaged through my clothes and pulled out a piece of paper.
In the past, before my discharge, the captain had given me a paper with an address written on it.
It seemed oddly far from the upper district.
Anyway, I walked straight through the capital.
The smell of oil from the street vendors, voices calling to customers, children laughing merrily.
I move forward, pushing through things that I cannot tell if they were vitality or noise.
After a long way out of the bustling district, the road gradually narrowed.
Soon, the path became so narrow that only one person could barely pass, leading to buildings crammed together.
I remember hearing he was a count, and a man famous among commoners for his wide network, but for such a gentleman's residence… it was an unsuitably dilapidated building.
I knocked on the door, and a familiar voice flowed out from inside.
"I don't know who it could be at this hour, but… you've come."
The one who opened the door was the captain, with his unchanging face.
However, in loose casual clothes instead of his military uniform, he looked somewhat unfamiliar.
Perhaps because there was an appearance I was always used to seeing.
He scanned me up and down once, then chuckled and opened his mouth.
"Care to come in? I was just having a drink."
"As long as it's not watered-down wine."
At my words, the man smiled and threw the door wide open.
"Well, come in. It's humble, but."
I stepped inside.
It was a small house, too embarrassing to call a mansion, with books, liquor bottles, and all sorts of junk strewn about.
It was certainly humble.
The captain fetched another glass from a corner and stared at me for a long time.
"Seeing you all neat and tidy… honestly, it's quite strange."
Pouring liquor into the glass he had put down, the captain continued.
"The battlefield might have been hell, but isn't the outside world honestly not so great to live in either?"
I took the glass and lightly wet my lips.
"So, what do you want to do that you've come looking for me? Are you returning to the front lines?"
"I'm going to become an adventurer."
"Why that?"
No particular answer came to mind.
The captain, as if not expecting an answer, emptied his glass and stared idly at the ceiling.
"Come to think of it, you were… quite remarkable."
"Now, you say?"
"No, it's just… you always fought as if you saw everything coming. Within just two days of being dragged in, you were more seasoned than most knights. And… you had an oddly strong animosity towards the enemies."
The captain, tilting his glass, glanced at me.
"Seeing you, I realized that reputation isn't everything. I was quite narrow-minded myself."
I wondered why he was talking at such length.
I just… hoped he could somehow connect me to the adventurer side.
"By the way… aren't you sleepy?"
At those words, my eyelids instantly began to feel heavy.
I tried to pull a dagger from my pocket… but the captain grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
Thanks to that, I couldn't even die.
"If you carry a sword with you always… then the war hasn't disappeared from your mind either, has it?"
"......Why?"
The man merely looked at me with pitiful eyes, without answering.
* * *
I opened my eyes to find myself inside a cage.
It was like a narrow animal pen, so small I couldn't even stretch my legs properly when lying diagonally.
My wrists were cuffed, and my ankles were shackled.
The space reeked of dampness and something rotten.
And it was strangely humid.
The air felt like I'd get sick just by breathing, and my head was pounding from a hangover.
The place I was confined in seemed to be underground.
It was dark, but I could vaguely see beyond the bars.
Looking across, someone was sitting in a chair, nodding off.
"...Hey."
As soon as I called, the guard, who had been stirring, looked at me, then got up without even giving me an answer.
And soon after, the sound of a door opening was heard, followed by the clicking of shoes from somewhere.
Clack. Clack.
The footsteps stopped in front of the cage.
All I could see were black shoes.
"Riehen Gryan. When facing someone, you should look them in the eye."
I raised my head to see a woman looking down at me.
A woman with blonde hair and red eyes.
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