Kays Translations

Chapter 124

We were surprisingly led to a waiting room in the arena.

Apparently, the arena was sometimes used for punishments, so it was convenient: cages and shackles were available, and it could be secured with iron bars.

Of course, no one else was inside the arena. It was just the three of us.

“W-who… are you…?”

King Golda, who had been brought here and left earlier, looked at me with a hint of fear as I arrived.

“I am the one who crossed the Scorched Valley and delivered the Dungeon Core to Lendia. And I belong to the same group as Silent.”

“Wha…! You’re also Lendia’s dog! Why give the Core to Lendia and not my country!?”

“Silence.”

I kicked him square in the face.

“Gahh!”

“Answer only what you are asked. Every time you speak out of turn, I’ll kick you again.”

“U-understood.”

“You don’t need to respond.”

I kicked him again. Relentlessly. Planting fear deep into his heart.

Making him realize that he was at the very bottom in every way.

“From now on, this child will ask you the questions instead. Answer them properly.”

He nodded violently. Pride long gone, probably desperate, yet he still wanted to escape the pain.

“Melt, ask your questions.”

“…Understood.”

Her voice was firmer than usual, as if she feared the answers she was about to hear.

“Your Majesty. About fifteen years ago… why did you turn the Great Forest of Dream Hill into a dungeon?”

“To… enrich the harvest… and summon a Dungeon Master.”

“The forest’s fruits were shared with the kingdom, and people were free to enter. So why did you sacrifice us? Why use us, the Silver Fox Clan, as offerings?”

Her voice was calm and steady, showing no obvious emotion, yet I felt a chill wash over me as if cold water had been poured over my heart.

“Wha…! The Silver Fox Clan…!? How are you still alive!?”

“Answer the question.”

In an instant, the king’s body was covered in sharp wooden knives.

Not paper knives—real, deadly blades sprouted from the wooden bench he sat on.

…Even processed wood, Melt could control it…!?

“Heh… the Dungeon Master… summons a higher being depending on the quality of the sacrifice… we were… told your people would be the perfect offerings…”

“Who told you?”

“Hus… a man named Hus Fan. He claimed to be a traveling mage and researcher.”

“Did he teach you dungeon creation and summoning?”

“Yes! He is the root cause—”

I kicked the king again. The recoil made the wooden knives slash across his body.

“Gyaaaaa!!”

“Don’t say anything unnecessary. Melt, continue the questions.”

“…Then, why did beastmen suddenly become hated? After the dungeon summoning, I could still go outside. I could even go shopping, though just a short distance. But our treatment worsened. Why?”

“We announced to the people that your people turned the Great Forest into a dungeon, preventing them from freely taking its fruits.”

“Why would you do that?”

“The Great Forest was once land where your clan defeated us, and we had to give up controlling it. If we let you have freedom there, I decided to eliminate you even if it meant we couldn’t use the land ourselves. Then, by clearing the dungeon forest, we could finally take the land. After reclaiming it, we made you the scapegoat so domestic beastmen wouldn’t claim rights.”

“I see. We gave Golda the harvest all this time, yet it was never enough.”

“You cannot understand the humiliation of being denied the most fertile land while forced to accept charity.”

So he destroyed Melt’s clan purely for pride.

Even if Hus instigated him, he had already intended to eliminate them.

This man… is a king.

“I see. There’s a reason, at least. That’s better than no reason at all.”

“Melt, next question?”

“No, I’m done. Asking more won’t change anything. We can’t understand each other, and nothing will be restored. I just wanted the reason.”

Her tone wasn’t anger—it was resignation. She had never expected anything to change.

“King Golda, the questions are over. I’ll petition for proper execution, but before that… I’ll punish you to the very edge of death, since I’m displeased.”

“Wha—!?”

“Melt, why don’t you go ahead and leave first?”

“W-wait! Stop him, Silver Fox girl!”

“…No! I hate you. If you were weak in front of me, I’d probably finish you off right then.”

Melt smiled, wearing her usual expression, and declared that before walking away.

I might have needed to chase her, but I couldn’t leave her alone.

“King Golda. I won’t stop until your heart is completely dead. I won’t even give you a moment to prepare.”

I would return him to the queen alive.
So I would heal him over and over again, bringing him back to full strength.
I had countless recovery items.
So I could corner him again and again, dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times, right up until he was at death’s door.
There are enough “life-saving potions” to make that possible.

It’s like the so-called “grit” effect—medicines that work just once exist in abundance.
I repeated this process until one full stack of items was gone, until the sun set.

Night fell. When we returned home, Melt was behaving just as usual, taking care of her tail after a bath.

“Oh, welcome back! You’re late, huh?”
“Got delayed doing some experiments.”
“Hmm… don’t overdo it, okay? The human heart wears out no matter what you do. That’s why I asked questions while keeping my mind clear. I don’t want to wear my heart down over trivial things.”
“Yeah, you’re much more mature than me, Melt.”
“That’s right, I’m the older sister here!”

She smiled happily, even knowing the reason her people were destroyed was such a ridiculous one.

The ritual that turned the forest into a dungeon, sharing it with the rulers—
It could have caused similar tragedies elsewhere.
Perhaps some of the existing dungeons were created the same way.
If Hus, the mastermind, belongs to any organization, that group is clearly my enemy.
But openly challenging them would endanger those around me.
As Still feared, I can no longer act recklessly.

I’ve put down roots in a specific country, made a home.
For Melt, and for me, I created a second home in this world—but it’s also a constraint.
I don’t want to remove this constraint, nor do I find it burdensome.

“Melt. From now on, we’re truly free. We can go wherever we want and do whatever we like.”

Having a home makes traveling possible. That’s how I see it.

“Well, there’s somewhere I want to go. The New Year Festival is coming soon, but after that, I—”

The place she wants to go. I agree with her. It’s somewhere I wanted to go too.

“Haah… everything’s really over… I even achieved my original goal of reaching the same Ruby rank as Same, and Same bought a house. We’ve both accomplished our goals, right?”
“So your goal was Ruby?”
“Yes! I worked hard to match you! So Same can’t go Sapphire, okay?”
“Eh… well, it was Silent who did the hard work this time. No promotion for me.”
“Good! That way, we’re the same, right?”

This girl is strong. Probably far stronger than me.
At first, I acted out of duty and the instinct to protect her.
Eventually, she became my only family in this world, and I acted to live alongside her.
Through this, I learned both her fragility and her strength.
So now, I can’t act recklessly. What should I do instead?

“…I guess I’ll clear dungeons around the world and return the cores to their lands, completely erasing the concept of dungeons.”
“Eh!? Why set such a grand goal all of a sudden!?”
“Hmm… I don’t think I can do it right away, though.”

A lifelong goal. Even without directly confronting the mastermind, erasing dungeons could obstruct their plans.
We might draw attention, but officially we’re not enemies.
…This problem happened because I had too few allies.
If I had enough strength to protect those around me, if I had many companions, if I had enough power to suppress those acting in secret—

“…I’ll travel slowly and leisurely around the world, aiming for that along the way.”
“Right! It’s better to have a purpose when traveling. After I go to the place I want, let’s try the other dungeon in this country! It’s in the sea! The sea!”
“Ah, that sounds great. You’ve wanted to go to the sea, right?”
“Yes! The endless ocean sparkling in the sunlight, just like when I was a child! I want to see it again! And eat lots of different fish too!”
“There are big shrimp too, like ten times the size of the ones we usually eat.”
“Wow! That’ll make some incredibly satisfying fried shrimp!”

Let’s talk about the future. Let’s talk about ordinary, little happiness.
The mastermind comes second. As a short-term goal, I want Melt to experience “firsts” in life.
Of course, this world is full of firsts for me too.
Sharing these adventures together would be truly, truly happy days.

“Shall we go out for dinner, Melt?”
“Yes! Let’s go to the adventurer’s den! I want smoked fish for the first time in ages!”
“Oh, sounds good.”

I will live together with this precious family.
From now on, always, forever, and everywhere—

“…Honestly, I’ve come to respect you.”

In the darkness, at the round table.

A corner of the spiritual world where one could sense the thoughts and feelings of their master, Shizuma.

Those gathered there, having overcome major problems, now reflected on how they would live moving forward and what they felt toward Shizuma.

The first to speak was Silent, seated next to Shizuma in the place of honor at the round table.

“Well… this time it was really your own thoughtlessness that caused the problem, though.”
“Ha! Can’t you even accept a compliment honestly?”

Opposite him, still regarded with caution as a “fanatic,” was Still.
Having been permitted to sit at the round table, Still answered with a sly, self-satisfied smile.

“I too apologize. I had assumed you were harmful.”
“Indeed, I am harmful. Countless people have been hurt by me. I even intentionally made Melt cry.”

Sheele apologized to Stil, admitting her earlier judgment was wrong.

“That was because that girl broke inside and gave up everything, right? Making her cry was meant to remind her what she’d lost and what she had to do. That much is obvious.”
“Well… maybe.”

Seira also tried to understand Still’s perspective but was deflected.
Among them, one person alone wore a difficult expression, carefully observing Stil.

“…Still. You entrusted ‘that’ to her, didn’t you?”
“Oh? …As expected of a thief, sharp eyes you have.”
“I evaluate your actions this time, but ‘that’… has a high risk of going out of control, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, indeed. So… if the worst happens, Sir Same, perhaps you should be the one to inform her?”
“No. Tell her yourself. Handle the aftermath yourself too.”
“Hmm, very well then.”

Some kind of arrangement was made between the two of them.

“What are you talking about, Same?”
“Just… I realized again that this guy is still someone you can’t let your guard down around.”
“Oh my, harsh. Now… the master may have inherited a portion of my power, but what will come of that, I wonder.”

Still, now completely at ease at the round table, studied those gathered around him.

“…I guess it’s about time I had my turn…”
“Oh? There’s no benefit to transforming into Rent, is there?”
“AHHH!!!! You said it! You finally said it! Nobody else dared to!”
“Fufufufu… but being small and cute might have some practical use, I suppose.”
“Damn it… even this one ended up being useful…”

Like discovering a new toy, Still began teasing Rent.

“However, as Still’s strategy shows, the mastermind is probably someone you cannot underestimate. In that case, someone like Rent’s appearance is perfect for deceiving enemies, in my opinion.”
“Hash, if possible, could you not talk to me? I find it unpleasant to see an older version of myself like this.”
“What!? That such a kind soul would speak spitefully… perhaps your heart has been corroded after being called a fanatic for so long! My research suggests I need to heal you, yes?”

Hash’s teasing, which carried a similar tone, was unusually met with a displeased expression and rejection.
The gathered group smiled at this.
Just a little… the atmosphere around the round table brightened.

“…Strengthening through obtaining character skills and techniques is important, but we must not forget the existence of the knowledge and materials of the ‘creators’ who shaped us. In that sense, I think it might be good for ‘that person’ to appear publicly once.”

At that moment, Sheele, who had been pondering quietly, made a suggestion.

“Oh? So you’ve reached the same conclusion as I did? To reach the same conclusion as a scholar… perhaps I’m not so bad after all.”
“Hm, who are you talking about?”

“Silent, you are currently injured and undergoing treatment. Don’t you think… it’s about time the head of the guild paid a visit to the country at least once?”

“Well, yes, but… our master is Shizuma. Claiming ‘I was the leader all along’ probably won’t work now, will it?”

“Silent, if hypothetically there were someone you could command, what kind of person would they be?”

Still further pressed Silent with a question.

“Of course, someone stronger than me.”
“So you would follow ‘the strongest him’ or ‘the second strongest him’?”
“…Excluding those two, if I were to follow someone among us, hmm.”
“Of course, it could even be me, you know? But I am already independent as a fourth faction.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll never follow you, even if I die.”

And so, everyone, starting with Silent, racked their brains.

“Hypothetically, if someone were to serve as the head of the guild, who would be suitable?”

“Why not Same?”
“Hmm… I’m already treated as part of that country. Considering everything that’s happened, I can’t really step up now.”
“Ehh… then, maybe me? Like, ‘Actually, this tiny little girl was the real powerhouse.’”
“Rent, I think you should close your mouth, or I’ll share some candy with you as a bribe.”
“Don’t treat me like a child! Ah, guess that’s not it either.”

As the group struggled with the decision, a voice echoed from the darkness.

“Oh ho! So… it’s me, isn’t it!?”

The somewhat offbeat, cheerful voice of an old man relaxed the tension among those gathered at the round table.
But only Still and Sheele—

“…Yes, I think you’re the right person for it.”
“Indeed. Your appearance fits the role, and your strength… well, if we’re talking character battles, you’re probably as strong as me. At least stronger than Silent.”
“Hm… I don’t expect to beat you one-on-one, though.”

“Eh!? Seriously!? You’re really expecting that much from me!?”
“Yes, I am. Based on ‘your character concept and production process materials.’”
“What the… so it all comes down to that, huh. Fine, fine! Once I go public, I’ll do as I please, just like Hash!”

Everyone couldn’t help but smile at his joking, good-natured words.

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