Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 66: The Silent One ⑥
It was a black, rectangular plate.
A single red line ran horizontally across it. That was all.
“A dud, even though it was in a hidden room.”
“I’ve never seen a plate like that before.”
“…”
A dud? No.
This black plate was glowing with the same blue light as Fortune’s Wheel—the same light as the infinite elixir egg.
A Super Ultra Rare item.
It felt cold and soft to the touch.
“!?”
That was when it happened. Words appeared in my mind.
A strong sensation—just like when I encountered a Relic.
[Relic Plate: When used, the user gains a relic without exception. The Relic Plate is consumed upon use.]
Th-This… Is this real?
No, I know it’s real. Somehow, I just know.
I can feel it with absolute certainty.
What an unbelievable thing… Why now, of all times?
Why does something like this have to appear—
I suddenly collapsed to my knees.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Wof. What’s wrong?”
“…Axe-san. I have something important to tell you.”
“What’s with the sudden seriousness?”
I stood up and looked at him with unwavering determination.
This isn’t my moment to decide.
This is his moment—Axe-san’s fate.
“I’m giving this to you.”
I held out the Relic Plate.
“Huh? No, that’s yours.”
“That’s exactly why. This—this Relic Plate is a turning point for you.”
“Turning…?”
“Relic Plate?”
“A turning point. A crossroads in life. A choice.”
“Wof. What are you talking about?”
“Hey, what is that? A legacy?”
“…It’s legendary. But it can only be used once.”
“What? Legendary!? Do you even understand what you’re saying!?”
Mineha’s voice grew sharp.
I answered her clearly.
“Yes. This is called a Relic Plate. Whoever uses it will obtain a relic. After that, the plate disappears.”
“……Ha… Haaah!?”
“Wof. That joke isn’t funny.”
“It’s not a joke.”
I didn’t let my expression falter.
“There’s no way something that legendary could exist!”
Mineha practically shouted, caught between disbelief and anger.
For her, relics were precious things, so her reaction was understandable.
Calmly, I extended the Relic Plate toward Axe-san.
“You’ll understand if you touch it.”
“…Wof.”
“Go on. Try it.”
“……”
Axe-san hesitantly reached out and touched it.
And then, he understood. His face said it all.
Mineha, still skeptical, reached out as well. Her expression froze.
“Th-This… something like this actually exists…?”
“Alright, I get it now. But why are you giving it to me?”
“Before I answer that… Mineha-san.”
This is it—the crucial moment.
“…What?”
Mineha’s expression twisted with disgust.
Still, I pressed on.
“What happened ten years ago?”
“Wh—!? You—”
“Ten years ago? What do you mean?”
“How do you—? Why do you know about that?”
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Mineha was visibly shaken.
But I had already started. I couldn’t stop now.
“Ten years ago, Axe-san was kidnapped. That’s correct, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yeah… But what does that have to do with anything?”
“He wasn’t saved by his mother. It was another explorer who rescued him. His mother was away on a mission. And she didn’t return until a month later. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But so what?”
Axe-san was starting to get annoyed. Understandable.
But this was important.
“I don’t think that incident and what happened to Mineha-san ten years ago are unrelated.”
“Mineha’s past? But… she wasn’t even born yet ten years ago, right?”
Axe-san turned to look at Mineha.
Mineha nodded, as if resigning herself to the truth.
“Axe. Do you know what mission your mother took ten years ago?”
“Of course not. She never told me anything. Just kept saying it was my fault.”
“That mission… was related to me.”
“Huh? You?”
“Yes. Ten years ago, my mother was pregnant with me… and she was dying.”
“Wha—!?”
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“…”
Axe-san was stunned.
I stayed silent.
“My mother was cursed. She tried everything. Relics, elixirs, legacies, even legendary artifacts. But nothing worked. Nothing… except for one thing.”
“…”
“…”
“There was only one way to save her. A certain legendary relic. You both know about Elixirs, right?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Yes.”
I felt my heart stop.
This… here of all places…
“At the peak of a freezing mountain, there’s an abandoned temple. In the temple’s deepest chamber, a sacred egg containing an Elixir is enshrined. That was the legend. But no one in our village could obtain it. At the time, only one person stood a chance—your mother, Axe. She was partnered with a First-Class Explorer and was the closest person to reaching that rank herself.”
“…”
“The mountain was a frozen wasteland, filled with powerful, ferocious monsters. The temple itself had become a dungeon. And time was running out. My mother and I could have died at any moment. Your mother was the only one who could take on that mission. She succeeded… but it cost her nearly a month of recovery.”
Mineha smiled faintly.
Axe-san was shaking.
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I was in awe.
A Sacred Egg…
“……S-So that’s the truth… That’s why my mom couldn’t come save me, why it took her nearly a month to return… That’s why…”
Axe groaned in a low voice.
Mineha spoke quietly.
“Yes. My mother’s and my life were at stake. That’s why she couldn’t save you. If you want to blame someone, don’t blame your mentor—blame me.”
“Blame you…? I…”
Axe’s expression was conflicted.
“So please… forgive your mother.”
Mineha’s voice was strained, as if squeezing the words out.
“………………………………..”
Axe fell silent. Mineha waited.
Finally, Axe spoke.
“…Mom never told me anything. She just kept saying it was her fault. I knew she had been badly injured. But I thought she prioritized the mission over me because I didn’t have a relic. I convinced myself that if I truly mattered to her, she would have abandoned the mission and come straight for me. I wanted to believe that. I needed to believe that I was important to her, that I was her precious son.”
It wasn’t just about whether his mother had loved him despite not having a relic.
The real issue was that Axe himself couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
“You couldn’t even believe in yourself?”
“Not in anything. I never even considered that a mission could mean life or death.”
Axe’s voice was low, rough.
Mineha shook her head slightly.
“She never told you, so of course you didn’t know. And besides… this mission couldn’t be talked about. The Elixir was a classified matter.”
“Classified?”
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term.
Mineha sighed.
“Seriously? You should at least know that much. Relics that could shake nations. OOPArts. Legendaries. Anything involving them is classified information.”
“O-Oh… I see…”
A chill ran down my spine.
I didn’t own any OOPArts, but I did possess relics and legendaries that could be considered their equivalents.
I had always assumed they could spark wars, but hearing someone confirm their importance made the danger feel far more real.
Axe hesitated before asking,
“Are you sure you’re allowed to tell us this?”
“The investigation team already confirmed that the temple no longer holds any more Elixirs.”
So… the Sacred Egg at the temple had been completely depleted.
“I see…”
Axe turned to Mineha, facing her directly.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong, Mineha.”
He bowed deeply in apology.
Mineha was flustered.
“W-What are you saying? Why are you apologizing?”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I distanced myself from my mother based on my own assumptions. But now that I’m an explorer myself, I understand. Even if it hadn’t been classified, she wouldn’t have used a friend’s life-or-death mission as an excuse. If I were in her position, I would’ve done the same. My mother did nothing wrong. My mother—Mom—was a great explorer.”
“Axe…”
“I heard you planned to sever ties with my mentor.”
“I don’t feel that way anymore. Once this mission is over, I want to sit down and really talk with her. And… I want to apologize. I want to tell her that she is my pride.”
When Axe lifted his head, his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Yes. Talk to her. Tell her. She’ll be so happy.”
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Mineha let her tears fall. Axe cried too.
“……”
It’s okay now.
I let out a breath of relief.