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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“Nothing more to show, then?”
He asked the question after neutralizing the Queen’s magic with just the force of his sword swing.
“W-Well, about that….”
The Lamia Queen, sweating profusely, darted her eyes around nervously, unsure where to look.
“Alright then.”
“…H-Huh?!”
As he exuded an air of determination, she became utterly terrified.
“My turn.”
He raised his hand, declaring his counterattack.
“Fireball -”
The first spell he cast was a basic fire elemental magic.
Whoosh -!
As he chanted the spell’s name, a blazing fireball, as hot as the sun, materialized.
“Hii –?!”
A massive flame, bright enough to illuminate the entire cave, began to coalesce into a perfect sphere.
“N-N-No…?! F-F-Fire… B-B-Ball?!!“
The Queen shrieked, clutching her staff tightly.
She looked like a frightened child hugging a teddy bear at the sight of a monster.
“It’s… It’s that basic spell, right?!”
He could sense the Lamia Queen’s fear, as if she was about to burst into tears.
“Y-You’re… You’re joking!! That kind of firepower… and You didn’t even chant?!”
Her tone seemed to have changed.
Besides that, her demeanor was so pathetic compared to her initial impression that he wondered if she was a different person.
“Here, take this.”
Well… it didn’t matter since he was going to finish her off anyway, right?
“Eek -?!”
Just as he was about to unleash the spell, thinking he could at least get a few drops of blood from her corpse,
“W-Wait a minute —-!!!”
The Queen prostrated herself on the ground, her voice a mixture of desperation and terror.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Sniff… Sob….”
In the deepest part of the Lamia’s lair,
“So.”
The Queen, contrary to her title, was bowing her head to him with a pitiful expression.
“You’re surrendering. Is that it?”
“Yes…!! Please, spare my life…!”
She had been an arrogant queen with a sharp, suspicious gaze and a wicked smile when they first met.
“Waaah… I’m sorry….”
Now, she had devolved into the image of a weak, tearful girl.
“…….”
This made him look like the villain…. While it wasn’t entirely wrong, it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Let’s get thinghs straight first. I tried to resolve this through conversation, but you Lamias attacked first.”
He tried to defend himself, at least a little, but given the current atmosphere, it sounded like nothing more than self-justification.
It felt like a bully trying to convince their victim that they weren’t being bullied.
But what could he do if that was the truth? He had genuinely tried to initiate a conversation politely.
He had even brought gold coins, thinking a trade might be possible.
However, the moment he spoke, the Lamias attacked him relentlessly, forcing him to fight his way here.
“B-But!! Didn’t you humans try to raid our lair first….!”
The Lamia Queen cried out in apparent frustration.
“What?”
One word in particular caught his attention.
Humans? He had come alone, so why was she using a plural term?
“What are you talking about? I just need a few things….”
“Huh? Didn’t the bandits say they were going to take all of our resources…?”
What was she talking about…?
“What are you talking about? I’m not a bandit.”
When he denied it, she tilted her head in confusion.
“Huh?? You sent your subordinates too.”
“Me? I’ve been alone from the start.”
“Whaaat…?”
The more they talked, the more confusing the situation became, and he scratched his head in frustration.
“What are you talking about? I’m just here to get some blood to make an antidote for a sick person.”
“But th-that… Jack… was it? You sent the human bandit Jack first -”
“I don’t even know who that is….”
“Huh? -”
Then, the name of a third party mentioned by the Queen suddenly came up.
“Oh?”
“Uh….”
““ ………. ””
A brief silence fell between them –
…
““ Oh…? ””
They instinctively realized that their stories and perspectives had been misaligned.
◇ ◇ ◇
The situation was roughly like this:
“I-I’m sorry…!! My subordinates told me that reinforcements from the bandits had come…!”
To summarize the Lamias’ side of the story, they had defeated a group of bandits before he arrived.
Because of his intimidating appearance, they mistook him for one of their reinforcements and attacked… That was the situation.
“So you, including the other Lamias, and you, the Queen -”
“M-My name is Carla…!”
“Right, so Carla, you attacked me because you thought I was with the bandits?”
Carla trembled and nodded.
She had been sniffling since earlier, like a child being scolded by a strict parent, and now he felt a little sorry for her.
“Yes… Most of the humans who seek us out are not friendly….”
He didn’t show it, but he felt a bit of sympathy for her. Because he seemed to have harmed many unnecessary individuals on his way here.
“Anyway, the reason I’m here is because I need something from you -”
“W-What is it?! I’ll give you anything! Food, resources, even the gold and jewels we’ve accumulated!!”
Carla’s eyes widened, as if she would give him anything he asked for.
“I don’t need that much… I need ingredients for medicine to treat a sick person. Could you spare some of your blood?”
However, when he refused and said he only needed a small amount of blood, Carla looked puzzled.
“My blood…?”
“I need to make an antidote, and I need the blood of a strong Lamia. It’s for one person, so a small amount will do.”
“Uh….”
She looked as if she wanted to ask if that was really all he needed.
“That’s all you need? Really…? Just a few drops of blood in a glass bottle is enough?”
“If possible, some herbs and healing mushrooms as well?”
The more they talked, the more puzzled she became. Perhaps… she was wondering if all this commotion was really just for those few things.
“I’ll leave as soon as I get those.”
“I’ll bring them right away!”
However, at his words that he would leave, she immediately got up and hurried off somewhere.
…
“Here…! The ingredients you requested!”
A short while later, she returned with everything he had asked for on a wooden shelf.
Five herbs and five healing mushrooms each, and her own blood in a cylindrical glass bottle with a rounded bottom.
She bowed her head and extended her arms respectfully, like an employee showing excessive courtesy to their boss.
“Thank you.”
Thump –
Without another word, he took the ingredients Carla offered and placed a small pouch of money on the shelf.
“Huh…? What’s this…”
“Payment… for the ingredients.”
The reason he gave her the money was simple. Even if it was a misunderstanding, he… seemed to have hurt too many of her kin.
“Huh…?”
He wanted to consider this a small apology.
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“Oh….”
Carla remained in place long after Arnold had left. It was as if she was frozen in shock and bewilderment.
“It’s all gold coins….”
The main reason was obviously the terrifying magic of the unexpected powerhouse, but the minor reason was the pouch she had just received.
“Isn’t this… too much…?”
The reward was far too generous compared to the items she had provided. Excluding the blood, it was worth dozens of times more.
“Now that I think about it… I’m so relieved… I can’t even feel my legs….”
Carla, the Queen of this place, trembled as if shivering from the cold, the adrenaline from the fight wearing off.
“Q-Queen Carla!”
One of her subordinates rushed down, injured, finally catching up.
“You…. You all!”
“Ugh, I apologize for the delay… We survived, but due to our critical injuries….”
Even while covered in bandages like a mummy, the Lamia, concerned about her Queen, finally asked about the situation.
“Are you alright? I heard a terrifying noise earlier, what happened?”
“I was worried because I saw the intruder leaving confidently….”
“Ugh… about that……”
She hesitated for a moment at her subordinate’s urgent question, and then –
“W-Waaah…!!”
She burst into tears, as if finally releasing her pent-up emotions.
“Queen Carla?!”
“I… I almost died….”
Unlike her usual strong and haughty demeanor as a queen, this time, she showed her true self without any pretense.
“That… strange human… our lair almost got destroyed today, you know?!”
She poured out her anxieties without any exaggeration.
“Wasn’t the human one of the bandits’ reinforcements?”
“Yeah… Turns out he wasn’t…. He just took some of my blood and some herbs, saying he needed them to make an antidote.”
She tilted her head and showed her left hand to the puzzled Lamia as proof.
“…….”
Seeing the bandage wrapped around her palm, stained with fresh blood, the subordinate was speechless and astonished.
“This pouch is….”
“He left it as payment for the ingredients… It’s enough for us to live on for a week.”
“Huh?”
The subordinate was also puzzled by the mysterious pouch, but upon realizing it contained gold coins, she frowned in even greater confusion.
“It would take us several weeks to travel to and from the beastkin villages or countries we can trade with… but in terms of profit, this is definitely…”
The more they understood the situation, the less they could comprehend the intruder’s motives.
He suddenly appeared, swept through their forces, subdued the Queen, and yet… all he took were a few herbs.
If he were that strong, he could have taken over the cave and claimed all their resources, but that human didn’t show any greed, took only what he needed, and left quietly.
“Are you all alright…?”
“Yes… I’m not sure about the casualties, but most of us are severely injured, hovering between life and death….”
From their perspective, that human was an enigma, but they realized he was certainly different from the greedy humans they had encountered before.
“Hey….”
Carla called out to her subordinate in a weak voice.
“Yes!”
“Well…”
As her subordinate quickly responded, Carla spoke in a small voice, as if after much deliberation.
“Until now, I thought I was quite strong, you know? I acted and spoke as if I was superior, thinking I could get away with it.”
“From today onwards, I’ll live a bit more humbly… I’ll also change my strange queenly speech pattern a bit -”
It seemed she had realized that the world was vast, filled with strange and powerful individuals, and that she was still weak, despite her pride.
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He had lost some time. It seemed unavoidable, as he had to gather the ingredients and make the antidote.
Knock, knock, knock
He knocked three times on the worn door, the antidote tucked inside his coat.
Tap, tap, tap, tap -!
He heard hurried footsteps from inside the house, approaching rapidly.
Clatter –!
The door was flung open as if it would break, revealing a girl holding a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
“Master…!”
Eilly’s voice sounded desperate.
“I’m here. Your sister’s medicine -”
“Yes?! But… Master, your clothes are so dirty! What happened?!”
Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at his disheveled state.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go inside.”
“Your sister will be waiting.”
He reassured Eilly by stroking her hair and headed towards Julie’s room.
In reality, his clothes were just dirty from the battle; he hadn’t suffered any injuries.
“Hmm? You’re… Sister’s…….”
Entering the inner room, he saw Eilly’s sister still lying in bed due to her illness. Personally, he thought her voice sounded weaker than when he first saw her.
“Drink this.”
He handed the antidote to Julie, who looked as if she could barely breathe.
“This is -”
“Master got the medicine for you, Julie…. Drink it quickly!”
Eilly, seemingly impatient, fed the potion to her sister, who was too weak to hold the bottle herself.
“Mmm…. Ugh….”
She carefully supported her sister’s head and slowly poured the antidote into her mouth.
“Haa….”
After swallowing the medicine, Julie let out a deep sigh.
“……….”
“…………….”
A silent pause followed.
Perhaps, unlike in the game, the effects wouldn’t appear immediately?
“Hmm -”
However, one thing was certain: after taking the medicine, Julie’s breathing became much easier.
“Eilly, let’s step outside for a moment.”
“Yes….”
Now, all that remained was to leave Julie to rest and hope she would overcome her illness.
“Haa, I hope she gets better.”
He and Eilly went out to the living room so Julie could rest alone.
“…….”
He sat down on the sofa in the simple but adequately furnished living room.
“Thank you….!”
Just as he was catching his breath, Eilly bowed deeply, her head almost touching the floor.
“Thank you, thank you! Thank you so much…!!”
She continued to bow, as if words couldn’t express her gratitude.
“Master! Oh, Master…!!”
Eilly was such a crybaby.
“Why are you crying?”
He wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes.
“It’s alright.”
“But… I….”
“I’m a maid…! I always cause you trouble and whine, only to receive your help…!”
“I’m so grateful to you, Master, but I also feel so useless…!”
He comforted her with a kind smile as she sobbed.
“Don’t worry about it. I got involved because I wanted to.”
“But still…! I’m so happy and… ashamed that I’m able to receive your kindness, Master!”
Even so, Eilly seemed to have no intention of stopping her tears of joy and self-reproach.
“I will repay your kindness and gratitude for everything you’ve done for me, Master! I will spend my whole life repaying you!”
Yes… Her gratitude was enough for him.
“Don’t cry. Your sister hasn’t fully recovered yet. Let’s wait patiently.”
“… Sniff, yes.”
After crying for a while, she finally seemed to have calmed down, answering in a voice that seemed to be suppressing her sadness.
…
Some time passed.
Had it been about three hours since Julie took the medicine?
Clatter –
“Ugh….”
The door to Julie’s room opened, and a faint groan could be heard from inside, as if someone had just woken up.
“Sister?”
Eilly’s sister, who hadn’t been able to leave her bed, appeared, rubbing her eyes.
“……!”
Eilly covered her mouth with both hands, speechless with awe, as if witnessing a miracle.
Whoosh –
“Uh…?”
Like an arrow shot from a bow, she jumped up and hugged her sister tightly.
“Sister? Ugh…. It’s tight.”
“……….”
Eilly just held her sister without saying a word.
“… Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah… I fell asleep for a bit, but when I woke up the pain and discomfort were completely gone.”
Julie slowly nodded in response to his question, her voice normal and calm.
“That’s good….”
Seeing her sister’s restored health, Eilly sighed in relief, quietly reassured.
“I’m sorry… I’ve caused you so much worry because of my illness.”
“No, it’s alright as long as you’re healthy now.”
The sisters exchanged affectionate words, confirming each other’s well-being.
“………….”
He stepped back and watched the touching scene between the sisters.
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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.
I’m glad for the sister, I am, but the author not gonna gaslight me into forgetting that MC is a psychopath 💀
It seems like he didn’t kill thr guards though