Kays Translations

Chapter 182: The Fate of the Swindler

“And that’s the situation. Roa, Kyoko, sorry, but I’ll leave the preparations to you. I’m going to head out for a bit.”

Informing the two about Ryuunosuke’s capture, I hurried to the scene.

“Are you going alone, Keisuke-san?”

“No, I’m taking Hayato and Haruka with me. Just in case he tries to brainwash us, it wouldn’t be good.”

“Are we not coming?”

“First, let’s confirm. Depending on the situation, I’ll call for you, so don’t worry. We won’t push ourselves too hard, and we won’t let our guard down.”

Though the two seemed hesitant, talking to the hero was the priority. I wanted her appraisal first and foremost because it would be most troublesome if she left. After all, she’s the Empire’s strongest force, and I wanted to confirm whether she’s under mind control as soon as possible.

—About 10 minutes later

Arriving at the forest entrance via teleportation, I met with the Imperial hero while getting information from the guards. Of course, Hayato and Haruka were with me as well.

“Hope-san, sorry for keeping you waiting. It’s been a while since we last met like this. Have you been well since then?”

“Oh, it’s been a while indeed. Since coming here, it’s been relatively peaceful. There’s hardly been any conflicts.”

During our conversation, a telepathic message from Haruka confirmed that there were no abnormalities in the hero’s status.

Hope’s expression was quite bright, and her tone was much smoother. Moreover, she was looking directly into our eyes and wasn’t as reserved as before. Perhaps, with no conflicts with others, her feelings had calmed down.

“So, you caught Ryuunosuke?”

“Yes, I came to inform you about that today. I haven’t seen it directly though. My sister told me not to get close to him under any circumstances…”

“I see, that’s the right call. You’ve heard about his abilities, right?”

“To some extent… It seems to be a mind control-type ability. I can’t believe it’s not a unique skill.”

“…Oh, it’s not unique? I didn’t know that.”

Is this getting dangerous? If it’s a normal skill, then theft is also possible. She might have already stolen it.

“Mental interference is one of the strongest types. …Though, saying that, I’m also completely cheating.”

“Oh? Does Hope-chan have a penchant for that type of thing? Oh, I’m Haruka, by the way. I’m the senior appraiser of Nanashi Village. Nice to meet you!”

Interrupting suddenly, Haruka and Hope engaged in a conversation about otherworldly matters. I briefly considered stopping them, but it was a good opportunity to grasp her personality, so I kept quiet.

I can’t believe that notorious Ryuunosuke could deceive Seira. And even in the worst-case scenario, as long as we have the hero here, we can manage somehow.

After a while, the two finally finished their conversation. Hope seemed very satisfied, and she and Haruka seemed to get along well. It was a completely different atmosphere from when they first met.

(If this is the effect of brainwashing, it’s scary… but Haruka is appraising her, so that’s unlikely.)

“So, what are you going to do now, Hope-san? You’re not supposed to go to the Lord’s Mansion, right?”

“I’ll be waiting at the inn in town. My sister will come to pick me up later.”

“I see. Then I’ll go to your sister’s place. Thank you for coming to tell us.”

“No, I’m glad I could talk to you.”

“Hope-chan, let’s talk again sometime!”

After parting ways with Hope on the spot, I immediately teleported to the Lord’s Mansion. The reinforcements were ready, and we could rush over at any moment.

“Ryuunosuke, I’ll prioritize the appraisal of you and Seira. If you’re under mind control or have stolen skills, call for reinforcements immediately.”

“Okay, I’ll try several times just to be sure. It might take a while though.”

“Please do. Hayato, be vigilant, and don’t leave the barrier.”

“Leave it to me.”

Upon arriving at the tent, I made final checks and cautiously went outside—where I saw the Saint and Sword Saint accompanied by about ten guards.

Beside them, a man was lying on the ground, showing no signs of being restrained.

◇◇◇

After talking to Seira for about ten minutes, I roughly understood the circumstances leading up to this situation.

“I had a feeling it would be like this, but it ended quite anticlimactically.”

“Well, that’s reality for you. He probably thought he was deceiving us. But… I’ve seen through him from the beginning.”

“But he probably didn’t know the activation conditions of the skill, right? It’s quite a risk he took.”

“I had a pretty good idea about that too. It was told to me by someone with the ‘Truth Eye’.”

“I see… I see.”

You probably already guessed, but the person lying in front of us is Ryuunosuke. He’s already gone. Even Haruka’s higher-level appraisal showed ‘Status: Deceased’. He appeared here earlier this morning and was easily killed after the meeting. 

According to Seira, this is what happened since Ryuunosuke arrived:

Several weeks ago, a secret letter arrived from Ryuunosuke addressed to the Empire. Of course, it was a request for asylum to the Empire. Seira gladly accepted it, and he arrived here early this morning.

With Ryuunosuke were dozens of Japanese people and several S-rank adventurers from the Beastman tribe. After being invited into the Lord’s Mansion, the meeting began with a few guards from each side. 

In fact, Ryuunosuke had hidden several Japanese people in the Empire just one month after its founding. Naturally, among them were those with the appraisal skill.

Over the course of more than six months, all of them were appraised, confirming that there were no appraisers in the Empire. Of course, names like the Saint, Hero, Sage, and Sword Saint were also confirmed.

However, Seira possesses a camouflage skill. Her true abilities and name are not revealed by appraisal. Ryuunosuke was kept in the dark about her true name and abilities.

Above all, Seira was aware from the beginning that there were spies lurking. Knowing this, she deliberately let things unfold without removing the brainwashing. She even refrained from removing the curse during the initial stages, handling it as an accident during dungeon exploration.

And finally, the meeting began in earnest.

As they shook hands, Ryuunosuke activated his skill. However, as expected, it failed, and he was fatally stabbed by Seira right then and there. In the next moment, everyone, including the guards and adventurers, was released from the curse.

It’s speculative from here, but it’s likely that the members of parliament in the capital have also been released from their brainwashing.

“At that time, if he had publicly disclosed my identity… things might have gotten a bit troublesome.”

“Hm? Ah, when I was the Sage. Well, even if that happened, I’m sure I handled it well, don’t you think?”

Considering her behavior up to this point, including her courage, she’ll manage somehow. After all, she succeeded this time as well. Whether she’s exposed as a thief doesn’t matter.

“Now then. Has this guy been appraised already?”

“Yeah, so what do—”

Before I could finish my sentence, Seira casually unleashed a fire spell. In an instant, the target vanished completely. She hadn’t stolen any skills yet, and there was no change in Seira’s appraisal results.

“I see… you called me here just to show me this, huh?”

“If I hadn’t done this, you would’ve doubted me next, right?”

“True enough. There’s no room for doubt after such thoroughness. But was it worth it? Wasting your skill like that?”

“I’m not stupid enough to sacrifice my life for it.”

If I were to hear later that Ryuunosuke had been in the Empire and secretly disposed of, I would have been suspicious, including how his body was handled.

“If I steal a skill, then I become the target next.”

Considering that, it can be said that this was the best choice of action.

“Understood. I’ll accept it as Seira’s and the Empire’s sincerity.”

And so, the person who caused a stir in the Beastman country departed from this world.

In the end, without ever confronting him, without even being able to talk to him… this kind of end could happen to anyone. No matter how powerful your skill, the end comes in an instant. Of course, I’m not exempt from that either.

With such thoughts in mind, I tightened my resolve as an old man.

===

Ryuunosuke (Deceased) Level 37, 31 years old

Occupation: Swindler

Skill: Mental Interference Level 4 (0/100)

Interferes with the minds of others and makes them subservient.

* Unable to interfere with entities higher than oneself.

* Impossible to compel self-harm.

* Impossible to hinder self-defense capabilities.

<Activation Conditions>

1. Visual contact with the target.

2. Physical contact with the target.

3. Uttering the target’s name.

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