Chapter 36 – Libra Used Cut!

Chapter 36 – Libra Used Cut![1]

Raw link: http://ncode.syosetu.com/n2211cx/37/ (2015/12/14)

Translator: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2018/12/24)

Editor 1: Hands of Vecna / Vecna (2018/12/29)

Editor 2: Keii (2020/09/24)

Translation link: https://twomorefreethoughts.wordpress.com/awlba-c036/

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Happy New Year everyone!

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(Author Note)

 

Summary of events up until this point:

Impression A: “What!? Someone noticed Dina, whose singular characteristic is her thin presence!?”

Impression B: “There’s someone who remembers her!? That can’t be!”

Impression C: “It’s a lie!! There must be some mistake!!”

“Impression D: “It’s a lie, don don ko doooon!”[2]

Dina: “I’m going to cry if you say any more!”

 

(Author Note end)

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Although Aries and I had some trouble comprehending Aigokeros’s unexpected statement of “I remember Dina”, after joining up with Aigokeros, we safely returned to the city.

For now, I had made Aigokeros take on a human form.

His appearance was that of a human man in his prime wearing a black butler uniform and a monocle on one of his eyes.

His hair was white and seemed dried-up, just like that of a goat and was combed all the way back. His height was most likely around 175 cm.[3]

It seemed that he was capable of hiding within someone’s shadow, because at that moment, he was hiding in my shadow.

 

Hey, you didn’t have a skill like that inside the game.

 

—was what I was thinking. However, now that I thought about it, I seemed to recall a setting in the game where devil-type monsters “lived in the shadows of people”.

 

Ah, yeah, whatever. While I’m at it, I’m going to check out Aigokeros’s status.

 

[Twelve Heavenly Stars Aigokeros]

Level 800

Species: Lord Demon

Attribute: Moon

HP: 72 000

SP: 10 100

STR (Strength/Attack Power): 3150

DEX (Dexterity): 4148

VIT (Vitality): 3453

INT (Intelligence): 6183

AGI (Ability/Speed): 4140

MND (Mindpower): 5280

LUK (Luck): 3000                              

 

I see. Well, a subtle magic-type… is what I should call him, huh.

 

There was no mistake that he was primarily a magic user, but even so, his stats weren’t too lopsided despite his specialisation.

Well, that was fine, as his main role was to use magic to interfere with the enemy. Therefore, it was quite important that he was not defeated by the enemy.

Afterwards, I fixed up Aries’s clothes.

Even though I was aware that Aries was a male, a risqué appearance was still no good for him.

I was really worried that he might be targeted by some strange person.

 

Anyways, it’s nice and all that we’ve returned, but… What should I do?

 

The situation was such that the citizens were all enraged, to the point where both sides had surrounded the castle in the middle and were staring down at each other.

The debuff should have long been removed, however, there was no sign of the bloodlust disappearing from their eyes.

 

Aahhhh, this is no good at all. They‘ve debuffed themselves.

 

Nevertheless, the reason this had yet to turn into a full-on confrontation was because there was a man remonstrating and mediating between them.

Green… No, maybe it was more accurate to call it emerald green hair.

It might have normally been more well-organised, however, he looked like he was a mere shadow of his former self, with the appearance of someone who had lost all of his weight.

He had clouded blue-coloured eyes, and was wearing an unnecessarily expensive-looking white vestment.

Over it, he wore a blue overcoat. On one side, a large white wing could be seen sticking out.

His appearance was quite different from what I remembered. However, there was no mistake.

He was one of the Seven Heroes, Merak.

Just in case, I checked his status.

 

[Merak]

Level 500

Species: Flugel

Attribute: Wood

Class Level:

Acolyte: 100

Priest: 100

Esper: 100

Archer: 100

Monster Tamer: 100

HP: 55 200

SP: 5301

STR (Strength/Attack Power): 3750

DEX (Dexterity): 2920

VIT (Vitality): 3009

INT (Intelligence): 2003

AGI (Ability/Speed): 2444

MND (Mindpower): 4980

LUK (Luck): 2711

[Bad Status] One-Winged

[Bad Status] Loser’s Stigma

 

“….. You got your wing stolen, huh.”

 

I looked at Merak’s status using [Observing Eyes] and reflexively cast my eyes down.

For Flugels, their wings were their pride and signified their social standing.

If the inside of Merak was in the same situation as I was, he probably would not care too much about it.

Even if someone were to lose half of an organ, if they had not originally had it before, they would probably merely say, “So what?”

At the very least, they would consider it better than losing one of their arms or legs.[4]

However, if the inside was the Merak who was the original inhabitant of this world… If he was the same as Megrez…

… In all likelihood, there was no other circumstance that was harsher and more severe than this.

Even though he was a hero of the Flugels, he was no longer able to fly.

He might be able to substitute flight using divine magic, but substitution, in the end, was just substitution.

 

“Yes. After defeating the heroes 200 years ago, the Demon King took a part from each of their bodies. Megrez and Phecda lost their legs. Merak, his wing. Alioth lost his eyes, and for Mizar, it was his arms. Lastly, Dubhe had all his fangs and claws…..”

“… he did quite a brutal thing, huh. By the way, what about Benetnash?”

“She did not participate in the battle itself. After you were sealed away, she seemed as if she had lost her soul and stayed in her coffin for a while.”

“What was she doing?”

 

I was in a state where I could comment neither on the tragedy that had befallen them nor on the mystery of why the Vampire Princess had acted the way she did.

In the game, we had joked around and called him “the Demon King-san (LOL)”. However, in reality, he was actually this horrifying of an enemy.

Perhaps I should say, “As expected of an enemy who is called the official last boss.”

 

Even if there was no one shot-calling, since he had defeated the heroes who had defeated me, his fighting ability must be higher than mine.[5]

 

Well, if he could be defeated in a one-on-one battle, he wouldn’t be called the official last boss.

 

“My people, please stop! Conflict and hatred are what the demon race wishes for. Why do you not try and hold each other’s hands!?”

 

Merak was desperately trying to mediate, but there was no effect on the rioters.

No, there probably was some effect. If there hadn’t been, the civil war would have already started.

The mere fact that a hero was standing between the two factions already had an effect.

However, it was not enough to stop the conflict.

With all that was happening, I could see even the smallest occurrence being the last straw that would trigger the start of the civil war.

Now then, what should I do…

 

“That’s as far as you go!”

 

While I was thinking that, something broke into the middle of the crowd.

Yes, “broke into” – exactly as it was written.

Plunging in, in a straight line from high up in the sky, cutting through the air whilst making a thunderous sound, something dropped onto the ground. Someone descended onto that place, shattering the ground upon impact.

Of course, there was no need to inquire who it was.

Literally, not even metaphorically, they had the appearance of a doll with light brown hair.

With the Sky Jet deployed on her shoulders, she was holding onto a very pitiful-looking demon-like man who seemed to have been viciously beaten up.

It was the entrance of one of the Twelve Heavenly Stars, Libra.

 

“So you made it in time, Libra.”

 

I unconsciously pumped my fist.

 

She’s here, the main golem is here! With this, we can end this!

 

As she had previously promised, she had brought along the demon, so there was nothing more I had to say.

 

Well, now, she will fully expose that demon as the mastermind behind everything and end this whole incident.

 

“Y, You are….. That appearance, could it be…..”

 

Merak, who of course knew Libra’s appearance, showed a surprised expression on his face. However, Libra stopped Merak with her hand.

Furthermore, she followed it up by spouting a white lie.

 

“No, I’m just a golem passing by. My name is Brudzewski XVII.”[6]

“Umm, I thought it was Copernicus IV……?”

“You could also say that.”

 

Oi, Libra, don’t change your alias.

You’re even getting tsukommi’d by some random citizen.

 

She threw the demon that she had been holding down in front of the two camps with a ‘poi’, looked around at her surroundings and spoke loudly enough so that everyone could hear her.

 

“Now, do as you please with this man. Please enjoy!”

……

…………

 

“………”

“………”

“………”

 

………………

Wait what, oi. No one will understand what’s going on with that.

Look, Merak is frozen in place, and even the faces of the general populace are saying, “What the hell is she saying?”.

You know… he’s the mastermind, or was the instigator, or something like that.

Isn’t there something else you have to say?

 

However, Libra did not say anything else.

The surrounding populace also seemed to be curious about the demon, and a few white-winged men who recognised his face had started turning pale.

Nevertheless, nothing would develop if we left things like this.

 

—she’s no good at all… She’s not suited for persuasion at all…!

 

“Dina, please do something about this. No one will understand what’s going on with just that.”

“Y, Yes. Please leave it to me!”

 

I kept my face hidden and sent Dina forward.

It seemed there was no other option but to leave the mediation to her.

If only it was possible for me to show myself in front of others, or else I would have done it myself.

Dina jogged into the populace, raised her arm and shouted out, “Attention!”

 

“Everyone, for now, please calm down and listen to what I have to say. Let me cut straight to the chase. The name of the man that is lying here is Jupiter. He is one of the Seven Luminaries who serve the Demon King. Amongst the white-winged populace, I believe there are a few people who recognise him.”

 

He was a demon, the archenemies of the humanoids.

And on top of that, he was one of the Seven Luminaries, who stood at the top as a representative of the demon race. It was a topic which was more than enough to grab the attention of the people there.

Her tactic most likely involved starting with a statement that would grab the listener’s attention, even if they were not interested in what she had to say.

The populace’s line of sight shifted towards Jupiter, staring at him as if they were nailing him down, followed by a commotion that was of a different type compared to before.

Distrust, bewilderment, fear, confusion…

It was a situation where there was someone from the Seven Luminaries here. Furthermore, he was familiar with some of the constituents of the city.

This fact cooled the heated heads of the people present.

 

“Currently, you hate and want to exterminate each other. But pause and think about it for a moment. If something like that happens, who is going to benefit the most?”

 

“She’s good”, I thought.

By stating the main point first, she was able to follow up with the impactful statement of “You are all just dancing on the palm of his hand”.

In this way, she was able to hammer in a wedge on their actions.

It was true that this was a more effective way to get through and calm down people who were agitated.

This method left people unable to ignore what she had to say.

 

“Yes, the ones who will benefit the most are the demons. By having you all kill each other, they will be able to bring this country down, and that is their aim. So please, clear your head and think about it. Who is it that you should really be hating?”

 

While I was hiding in the shadows, I became keenly aware that my face was grimacing.

 

An enemy you should be hating, huh. Is that how you would word it?

 

“Hatred gives birth to nothing” was an idiom that I had often heard before.[7] Nevertheless, if people were easily able to bend their emotions and take a loss, no one would ever experience any hardship.

However, if you diverged or dispersed the vector, the degree of difficulty in tackling the issue was far easier compared to its counterpart.

 

One of the defence mechanisms from psychoanalytic theory, “displacement,” was in play here.[8]

When a person felt a desire or craving and was unable to fulfil it, their mind would become unstable.

As such, in order to protect their own minds, they would try all sorts of methods to try and fulfil that craving.

Currently, the populace wanted to crush the opposing town and destroy it.

But unfortunately, there was a problem with that. If it was carried out, then the demons would become greatly overjoyed.

In response to that dilemma, the demon mastermind was thrown into the midst of the crowd with a “Please enjoy”.

Their craving which could not be fulfilled and he just so happened to be the perfect subject to direct their hatred towards.

 

Aahh, I know already.

 

It could not be helped.

 

Not to mention, he actually is the mastermind behind everything, so Dina is not wrong. And above all, it was me who’d ordered Dina to conduct things the way she did.

That was why. This was just an emotion… The civilian inside of me was screaming emotionally and not logically. It was just a boring emotion that was blurring my judgement.

… That was how it should have been.

 

“You… You bastard!”

 

Just as I was thinking that I was having an unwarranted sentimental interference, Jupiter, who had been staying quiet this whole time, started shouting in a loud voice.

His face was warped with a hatred even worse than those of the citizens from a while ago. He was staring daggers at Dina as if she was the person who had killed his parents.

He had likely only just realised the situation that he was in. It was a little late though.

He had probably finally understood that Dina was making him out to be the scapegoat. With an enraged look, he angrily screamed.

 

“So that’s how it is! No wonder Libra returned so quickly! From the very beginning… From the very beginning, you had planned to trick meeeeeeeeee!!!”

 

After shouting, Jupiter became one with the wind and charged.

 

This is not looking good….?

 

I immediately prepared myself to be able to get in between them at any time.

He was definitely pretty fast. Fast… but, compared to me, he was still too slow.[9]

Even from this distance, I could easily get in between the two whenever I wanted to. 

However, it seemed that there was no need for me to do that.

Libra stuck her arm out from behind Jupiter, piercing through his body.

 

“A, g…. a!”

“I had already warned you that ‘you will be disposed of on the spot if you attack anyone without permission’.”

“Wa, it… Listen, you guys ar… e”

“I will not listen. You have already fulfilled the condition for termination. Therefore, I have made my judgement… The promise you petitioned for in order to be allowed an audience with my master has now been voided.”

 

It looked like Libra had made a promise to allow him to plead for mercy from me in exchange for calming down.

Nevertheless, I had the feeling that he would have been killed by the people of this country before he had gotten to meet me.

… Ahhhh, actually. Probably not.

He was level 300, so he probably would not have died.

Or perhaps they had made a promise that he would be rescued before he was killed too.

But by trying to attack Dina, he had broken the promise he had made with her, and he was now being disposed of.

That was the conjecture reached from listening to the exchange.

 

“That’s not, it…! You guys are… All, dec… by…h…”

 

Jupiter was trying to say something, but Libra quickly cut his head off.

Oi, she’s so merciless. I did not know whether to say “She’s so reliable” or “I’m glad she’s on our side”.

She proceeded to squash the head that was on the ground with the weight of her foot, then expressionlessly started dusting away the dirt on her skirt.

There was not a strand of emotion nor disturbance on her face. It was not even possible to see a reaction at the level one might have seen when a nearby bug was killed.

Jupiter, who had been squashed to death, pitifully disintegrated in that place, not even leaving a corpse behind.

 

… I’m so glad that Libra’s on our side.

 

In any event, I was quite curious about what he had shouted during his last few seconds.

We had planned to trick him from the very beginning… There was no question about that.

Libra would capture him and stick him in front of the people, bringing his sins into broad daylight and turning the situation around. It had all happened just as planned.

But that roar, and the deep resentment he had directed towards Dina.

I could not help but feel that there was more to this than I thought.

 

… I really felt as if I had made an oversight.

And it definitely was not just my imagination.

 

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(Author note)

 

Jupiter: “Ondorururagitandyisuka-!! Andadorehaagamajyanakattande … uue!”

Ruphas (I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying….)

 

(Author Note end)

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[1] Iai “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaido”. Imagine Zoro’s Shishi Sonson or Rurouni Kenshin. But pretty much a fast sword slash.

[2] Japanese sound for… something like dun dun duuun “https://youtu.be/cphNpqKpKc4”.

[3] 175 cm = 5.74 ft.

[4] Originally I had wanted to write it as “one of the limbs” but in the raw it’s written as “losing one of the arms or one of the legs”. In addition, in biology, wings are considered a limb, so it would be a bit contradictory.

[5] Shot-calling is pretty self-explanatory, but for those who are not familiar with the term, it would be someone taking command of the group, and giving out orders or dictating what to do during the fight. In MMOs, the shot-caller is not necessarily the leader of the group.

[6] Vecna: Probably referring to “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Brudzewski” who was one of Copernicus’s lecturers.

[7] Literal translation of a Japanese idiom (憎しみは何も生まない). The closest English equivalent would probably be “hate begets hate” by Martin Luther King.

[8] Displacement: “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displacement_(psychology)”.

[9] “Slow” was written in katakana with Suloou, compared to the normal Japanese word for it.

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