Kays Translations

Volume Eight – End of the Mad Performance

Chapter 113

For an instant, I felt as though I was being sucked into something, and the next moment, I found myself standing in the middle of a deep forest.

A small clearing spread out around me, but beyond that lay nothing but a dense, overgrown woodland.

And then… surrounded faintly by ivy and weeds, I saw something painfully nostalgic—

“A microbus… I see, so this is the remains of the mansion…”

The very vehicle we had ridden on our school trip. The place where it all began for us. And now, I had returned here.

A flood of emotions washed over me. This was the place where I had been cast aside, where I resolved to sever ties, and where I decided to walk a new path in life.

“…Shall I go then.”

When I pulled up the map, it clearly displayed the shortest route leading out of the forest.

No doubt, they must have taken a similar path to head outside as well.

As I walked through the forest, I thought about such things.

“…So even in a dormant dungeon, monsters still appear.”

Along the way, I encountered what seemed to be a primitive form of an Owlbear.

That day, they had struggled with it, and I had cut it down effortlessly with a single swing of my arm.

This time, too, the result was the same—I felled it with ease and continued onward as if nothing had happened.

It was in this forest that Melt had been imprisoned.

For over ten years, she was trapped here, forced to watch her kin sacrificed one by one, left to witness the death of her only family.

Now, I would crush and capture the ones who did this, and bring this war to an end.

Silent, who found joy in war, and I, Shizuma, whose personal desire was to exact vengeance on Melt’s behalf—our wills overlapped perfectly.

“…My face is smiling on its own.”

I was itching to annihilate them.

The dungeon’s exit came into view—a checkpoint-like structure.

And beyond it, Golda’s soldiers, spreading out cautiously, keeping watch.

…So, they expected me to come this way and had set up an ambush. Not bad, King of Golda—you can think at least a little.

“I won’t let any of you run back with a report.”

In an instant, I drew the sword from my back, lowered it to my waist, and swung with full force.

I unleashed Gale Break. A blade of wind tore through the checkpoint, mowing down the soldiers stationed beyond it.

“Uwaaaahhhh!!!”

“Someone! Hurry! Get out of here, quick—!”

I sprinted at full speed, slaughtering every last one without letting a single soul escape.

Even the soldiers who tried to flee on horseback—I caught up with ease and, with no mercy, cleaved both man and horse apart.

Not one will live. Every soldier of Golda who took part in this war… not a single one will escape.

Like scything down the forest itself, I wiped them all out, hidden soldiers included.

In only a matter of minutes, the ground was littered with countless corpses.

“…Guess I should at least hide the evidence.”

It seemed the soldiers had set up tents, so I dragged all the bodies inside them.

As for the blood, I just scattered sand over it—barely enough to cover it.

Not that it mattered. If someone investigated properly, the corpses would be found right away.

Half-measures would do. As long as it wasn’t visible from a distance, that was enough.

“…A night raid, or should I just charge straight in… what’s the best move?”

I considered my next plan of attack.

I still had the teleportation powers from the bell, but with so few uses left, I couldn’t rely on it recklessly.

Besides, fighting inside the city was something I wanted to avoid. Which left me with only one option: a night raid.

“With Silent’s abilities, sneaking into the city would be simple enough… yeah, the cover of darkness is the best bet.”

Having settled on the night raid, I left the blood-stinking forest entrance behind and set my sights on the royal capital.

Along the same path I had once traveled by carriage, I now dashed forward at full speed.

Looking back on it now… it was true, this country was blessed with abundant nature. Even this far from the capital, the forest overflowed with lush greenery, far too vibrant for the season.

There were farmlands as well. Even with the capital still a long way off, vast fields stretched out around me.

All of this, no doubt, was thanks to the immense power of the dungeon.

And now, with its dungeon master slain and its core taken away… this country may well be headed toward inevitable decline.

…And what of it? Just because I have power doesn’t mean I’m bound by some responsibility to protect.

I’ll kill and destroy simply because I don’t like them. If the country falls into ruin because of it, that’s their problem.

“It’s the country’s fault for failing to earn my favor.” That’s all there is to it.

“…Seems I’m getting pulled in too far.”

This overwhelming aggression, arrogance, the surge of exhilaration—I knew it was Silent’s influence at work.

…There was still time before nightfall. I should move to a suitable location and rest until dark.

From here on, I couldn’t afford to lose my composure. This wasn’t just about fighting—I had to think about the aftermath as well, and act carefully.

Continuing onward, I reached the mountainside, where I could catch a distant glimpse of the castle, and paused to take a breath.

As expected, I hadn’t encountered any kingdom soldiers along the way. They must have been focused solely on guarding the dungeon.

Most likely, every last one had been dispatched to the frontlines, to the battlefield.

“…I haven’t slept properly either.”

I could feel my brain still wide awake, but even so, I wanted to calm myself, to heal some of my fatigue.

So, in the mountains, I closed my eyes alone, slowed my breathing, and tried to steady myself.

I doubted I would sleep… but at the very least, I could restore my composure through deep breaths—

…Was this the start of a dream, or just the edge of unconsciousness?

In a hazy state, I found myself standing in darkness.

It was a place I remembered. Yes, this was… very much like the place where I had once spoken with Sheele.

“Shizuma… I’m sorry.”
“Sheele?”

From beyond the darkness, I heard Sheele’s voice— weaker than usual, no, fainter, harder to hear.

『“He” insisted on speaking with you, so I dragged your consciousness here by force.』

“Him?”

『I’m already at my limit… Please, make a wise decision, Shizuma—』

Wait… isn’t this the same inner world where I once spoke with Sheele?

But there was no round table, nothing at all—only endless darkness stretching in all directions.

A bizarre, unsettling world.

“What the hell is going on…?”

At that moment, I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

“Well, well, well… overwhelming emotion! Ah yes, this must be what they call being moved beyond words! A pleasure to finally meet you, my master!”

I turned around.

Standing there was a young man with white hair, his lips curled into a “madness”-tinged smile.

Yet his expression was strangely warm, almost friendly, even gentle.

He was tall and slender, with a face that, like Hash’s, could easily charm and corrupt others.

He wore black priestly robes accented with gold and white, reminiscent of a clergyman from some religion.

“You… You’re the one who called me here! ‘Still’…!”

He was one of the three characters I had always been wary of.

The one I had judged a “fanatic,” too dangerous if ever allowed to change.
Among my creations, he was one of the Three Strongest.

His name was Still.

His classes were Cleric and Doomfist.

At first glance, it looked like a build error: the main job being a backline cleric, with the sub-job being a frontline brawler specializing in devastating unarmed combat.

But a build error? Don’t make me laugh.

Even after being nerfed, this combination was still hailed as one of the strongest builds in the game.

Clerics had two distinct skill routes:

• one focusing on support through healing and light magic,
• and one modeled after warrior monks—unarmed attacks, self-buffs, and self-healing.

Adding Doomfist as a sub-job—specialized in unarmed combat, stacking offensive bonuses, and inflicting status ailments—turned it into a monster of a build.

It was, without a doubt, the single-target damage king.

And then… came his backstory. A truly vile one.

A deranged clergyman enforces his twisted sense of justice, slaughtering all who oppose his creed—man, woman, young, old—until he deceives the world and ascends to the pinnacle of his religion. A tale of a zealot who becomes a monster.

…To him, it might be a happy ending. But from the player’s perspective, it was nothing but the worst possible bad end, where evil triumphs.

That was the weight Still carried.

“Why did you summon me? Answer.”

“Well now, your caution is understandable! After all, my conviction far surpasses your feeble will. And yet… with my creator standing before me, my faith belongs to you, Shizuma—my master!”

Wha… He’s… worshipping me?

“But since you don’t trust me, I alone could not summon you here. That’s why I asked Sheele for help! She told you as well, did she not? ‘If the time comes, rely on me.’ That one is wise—she foresaw the crisis you would inevitably face. And so did I.”

“…A crisis coming for me?”

“Exactly. Neither you, nor Same, nor Silent, nor anyone else understands what must truly be feared in this war! Perhaps because you are half-baked fools who only know a sweet world and surface-level dangers? Ah, don’t mistake me, I’m not mocking you! You are all admirable people! But—”

His voice broke into a fevered shout, still wearing that same unchanging smile.

“—You lack knowledge! You lack imagination! You lack any sense of true danger!!! This war… you do not understand its essence! It is not simply the clash of nations’ interests! No—it is faith! A resolute faith hidden beneath it all! Lendia, Golda, none of them matter! Those who scheme in the shadows are surely acting out of unwavering belief, dragging nations into their cause to fulfill their ‘true will’! And you talk of destroying one country, or letting the other win? Laughable! You do not understand the terror of men who abandon all reason and surrender to faith!!!”

“…What the hell are you saying? What do you think you’ve figured out?”

“Do you not see? Golda is nothing but a pawn. Someone manipulated an entire country, provoked a war, and forced them to summon foreign heroes—perfect experimental subjects with otherworldly power. They orchestrated betrayals of national leaders, the collapse of dungeons that supported industries… Do you really believe such feats are within the capabilities of that dull-witted kingdom?”

“I already suspected there was a mastermind. So what?”

“That mastermind is driven by faith, carrying it out with no regard for means or sacrifices. And you, of all people, should understand what that implies! You, who revealed yourself—out of personal and poetic reasons—showed your power, when the heroes of another world were meant to be weapons to be used. You showed them the ‘perfect finished product’—the strongest possible hero! And worse, you intend to settle this not as Silent, but as Shizuma! Too foolish! Too reckless! To flaunt yourself as the ultimate prey before such an enemy is the height of folly!”

He leaned closer, his smile still fixed, his voice burning with fervor.

“So then—what will fanatics, who stop at nothing, do to seize you? Think! Think! Picture the worst—the scenario you least want to imagine! Imagine it, now!!”

I was scared. Terrified.

Not of him. No, not just him—
but of the meaning behind his words.

…He was right. Among the summoned heroes, I had become strong enough to be called a masterpiece.

…And if Golda’s summoning had been suggested by someone else?

Then what they truly sought… was not a country.
It was us—overpowered beings from another world.

When they target me, what should I expect? What should I fear?

“Already, a superhuman collective—the ‘Brigade’—has been hinted at. Not only you, but Same, Sheele, Silent—all of you are valid targets. So how will they acquire you? The answer is simple: by exploiting your weakness, shattering your peace, breaking your spirit, and creating an opening. And you already have one, don’t you? A reason to live. A reason to stay in this world. You already have it, don’t you?”

“…Melt.”

“Exactly. The people around you will be placed in greater and greater danger. You don’t yet know the mastermind’s resources or scale, and yet you’re already on the verge of becoming their target. They are closing in—threats that will constantly endanger your peace, your happy life. Is that what you want? Do you really think it won’t happen? Do you really believe you can completely shield those around you from harm? Do you truly think there aren’t fanatics like me among your enemies? I can feel it! On the other side of this war, I sense the stench of zealots… just like me!”

…I couldn’t simply dismiss it all as nonsense.

“…Still, are you saying you can really resolve this?”

“Yes, yes! I can bring it to a complete conclusion! I have a way to protect our master’s peace and bring this war to an end! Now then, whether you accept my proposal, my scheme, is up to you! Come, let us share my stratagem! Come… let us deceive the many together…”

I listen to the words of this vile, dreadful, cunning, and sly man.
…and then—

“…Are you serious? Even if only for a time, for me to do something like that…”

“The weak, who cannot overcome despair, will be weeded out regardless! That is the kind of world this is—or so I perceive it! Well? Isn’t it a good idea? That swollen false image must be erased at least once! Now then… choose. Will you walk the path of carnage, straining your heart as you struggle to stave off the destruction of peace? Or… will you choose the path of sacrificing just ‘one’ in order to protect your precious life?”

At first glance, his proposal seemed flawless.
Except… for the part where it placed the burden of sacrifice entirely on a single person.

“…I’ll go along with it.”

“With my scheme?”

“Yeah, but only to the bare minimum! No excessive theatrics, no needless words!”

“Ah, well, that will depend on the moment. But… shall we make a promise? That I will deliver the best possible result.”

I decided to go along with this man’s plan.
It was like reaching out to sign a contract with the devil.

“Shake hands! Will you accept me, my master?”

“This time only. I’ll see if you truly act for my sake… But if you dare behave like you did back in the game days, I will reclaim my body no matter what it takes.”

“But of course! I only kill those who should be killed! That, I promise!”

For the sake of peace, for her safety, for the life we hope to preserve—I will trust you, just this once.

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