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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“Huh…?”
Lucy’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze unfocused, her head swaying slightly as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
The blurry images slowly came into focus, the world around her a hazy mix of the familiar and the unknown.
“W-Where… am I…?”
Her voice was faint, trembling with confusion, one hand pressed against her temple as she looked around blankly, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and disorientation.
Then, her eyes met his.
“Arnold?”
A spark of life returned to her gaze, as if she had found a beacon in the darkness.
“Did… Did you wake me?”
She looked at him in disbelief, her face a mixture of shock and relief.
He felt a strange mix of emotions but decided to answer.
“Yes, I suppose I did.”
But before he could finish, she moved, her actions quicker than his words.
“U-Ugh!”
Suddenly, his vision was obscured as she threw herself at him, her body like a spring released.
“Haa… haa…”
Lucy didn’t speak, her ragged breathing echoing in his ears, her fingers clutching his shirt tightly, like a child clinging to a rescuer after being pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building.
“Ah…”
“Huh?”
He felt her warmth through their clothes, a comforting presence. But then, a chilling sensation crept up his spine.
“Master… when did you two get so close?”
A cold, sharp voice, laced with a chilling undertone.
“Lucy, did you have a bad dream? Are you alright?”
He had to separate them. This would only get more complicated if he let it continue. He spoke, trying to bring her back to reality.
Lucy finally seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled away.
“H-Huh?”
Her unfocused gaze cleared, and then her face flushed crimson, her ears burning with embarrassment.
“Oh! I’m sorry! A-Arnold!”
She tried to get up, but stumbled, her movements clumsy and flustered, barely managing to regain her balance, her hands fidgeting nervously.
“I… I had a really vivid nightmare… and I… I just…!”
Her voice wavered, her gaze darting around nervously. She apologized profusely, her hands waving frantically, her flustered demeanor only making her seem more awkward.
She bit her lip, her hands trembling slightly, as if trying to suppress her embarrassment, but it only made her seem more desperate to escape.
He sighed softly and shrugged.
“It’s… alright. But please be more careful in the future.”
She nodded silently, her face still flushed.
He could still feel the gazes of the others on him. He had a feeling this day wouldn’t end peacefully.
“Well, that was… awkward… but that’s not important right now. Lucy, are you really alright?”
“Huh? Yes…!”
He had inadvertently stolen her first event again. He didn’t even know how to react anymore.
He was getting used to these deviations from the original storyline. But there was something else on his mind.
How had he been able to wake her?
Lucy was a spirit. She had merged with her creator and was trapped in a nightmare, and only the holy power of a hero was supposed to be able to free her.
In the game, it was Varis’s dormant heroic power that had awakened her. But him? Arnold had no such abilities.
He was destined to become a villain, corrupted by the Demon King’s whispers. And yet, why? Just like with Melina, he had done something only a hero was supposed to be capable of.
Clatter -!
Just as the question was swirling in his mind, the door suddenly burst open, and a voice called out,
“Guys, I’m back! I brought the medics!”
Varis stood in the doorway, his blond hair slightly disheveled, his breathing ragged as if he had been running, his forehead beaded with sweat, his eyes filled with concern.
A group of medics, their expressions serious, followed him into the room.
“Oh? She’s awake?”
Varis’s face fell as he saw Lucy, fully conscious.
“Are you alright, dear? Please be more careful next time and make sure before calling for help.”
One of the medics tilted their head, a puzzled expression on their face.
“Y-Yes… Yes! I’m sorry!”
Varis bowed his head repeatedly, apologizing profusely, but there was a hint of frustration in his voice.
“Ugh, what the… I came all this way for nothing.”
He sighed and slumped down on a seat, feeling deflated.
“Lucy, how are you feeling?”
He asked with concern, and Lucy blinked and waved her hand dismissively.
“Oh, I’m fine…! I just had a bad dream.”
She smiled awkwardly, looking down at her hands, which were trembling slightly. She clenched them into fists, as if trying to hide her tremor.
“Sorry for worrying you all. I had a bad dream… and I’m a really heavy sleeper!”
She tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
“…….”
But looking at her face, he knew she was lying.
“What? We were worried!”
“You’re quite the heavy sleeper, huh?”
The others seemed to accept her explanation, but he knew the real reason why she was trying so hard to lie.
He knew her true nature, her purpose, and who her creator was. It was knowledge etched into his memory from countless hours playing the game. And the more he knew about her, the more he understood the desperation behind her attempts to hide her true self.
“Anyway, I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
“What are you talking about? We were worried!”
“You’re quite the heavy sleeper, huh?”
She continued the conversation naturally, but he couldn’t miss the underlying awkwardness. Lucy had to hide her true identity. The reason wasn’t simple. It was deeply connected to the wish she longed to fulfill.
But living with such a secret, enduring the pain and suffering it caused, couldn’t be easy.
He had experienced Lucy’s struggles and her heartbreaking story so vividly in the game that seeing her in person now filled him with a deep sense of empathy.
“I’m going to get some fresh air.”
He quietly stood up and left the room, ignoring the curious glances of the others.
He needed to be alone.
He walked towards the deserted deck, the cool breeze clearing his head.
He took out a small notebook from his pocket, his fingers flipping to a specific page, the pages filled with the strategy notes he had compiled when he first arrived in this world.
“…Yes, everything’s prepared.”
He had originally compiled these notes to guide Varis towards the Harem Route. But now? The story had deviated significantly. He had been inadvertently stealing Varis’s events, one by one.
But did it even matter anymore?
It meant he was free to act as he pleased.
“Let’s do this.”
He sat down on the railing, looking out at the vast expanse of the ocean below.
Their next destination was the dungeon city.
And he knew exactly what he had to do.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
