Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer?

Chapter 118: To a Distant Land (12)

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

While watching the friendly sparring match, Ekuah engaged Atarte, chief of the Vigabol, in conversation.

Atarte, who neither looked down on him for his youth nor the Serhan Tribe for its lacking strength, was a pleasant conversation partner.

【Haha, another splendid match.】

Of course, there was still something… peculiar about him. Although Atarte’s tone and words were nothing but impeccably polite, he strangely felt a chilling sensation now and then.

Especially when he made direct eye contact with Atarte’s pitch-black eyes.

【We have lost once again. It seems like we have a lot to learn from your warriors’ training, Chief Atarte.】

Ekuah clapped his hands at the warriors’ display of strength while trying to determine whether his unease stemmed from the possibility of a raid by the remaining Jatav or from something else.

The warriors concluded their sparring match, bowed to each other, and left the arena.

【Who’s next? Ah, it’s Saffar. So, this is already the last match. What a shame.】

Atarte hadn’t brought many warriors with him, so the sparring match was already nearing its end.

【On our side, it’s…】

However, Ekuah was honestly quite relieved about that. With the possibility of another attack by the Jatav looming over them, conserving their strength was the only right thing to do.

【…?】

However, during their conversation, one of the Vigabol warriors climbing onto the stage displayed some strange behavior. He threw something tightly wrapped into a ball.

【Chief!】

Bang!

Ekuah couldn’t properly see what happened after because the warrior standing next to him had pulled him into his arms.

However, what he could hear was already overwhelming enough. A deafening explosion, the clashing of swords, someone’s scream, shouts, and the sound of flesh being torn apart.

【Wh-What is happening…?】

Still young and not fully grown, Ekuah wasn’t confident in his martial skills. He also remembered the previous chief falling to an assassin, presumably sent by the Jatav.

He understood why the warriors were so intent on protecting him. He really did.

【Let go of me so that I can see what’s going on!】

But he was the chief.

Without struggling much, Ekuah craned his neck to see what was happening. His eight eyes scanned the area and quickly assessed what was occurring around him.

【H-How could you…!】

【My apologies, Atarte, but you must die.】

It was a rebellion. However, not of the Serhan, but the Vigabol.

Clang!

While Ekuah took in the situation, Atarte was already confronting the traitor.

Evidently, the title Atarte bore before becoming chief, Vigabol’s Strongest Warrior, wasn’t an exaggeration. Not only had Atarte survived the ambush, but he was also holding his own against three warriors simultaneously.

Though Atarte seemed slightly overwhelmed, it appeared he could get through this if he received some external help.

【Ekuah, assist me!】

【Chief of Serhan, we are in the midst of a rightful battle for succession. It wouldn’t be wise to antagonize us!】

But just as Ekuah was about to command his men to assist, the rebels warned him. With his lips parted, Ekuah froze for a moment.

【Ekuah!】

He knew the Vigabol were somewhat divided between those supporting Atarte’s new reforms and those wishing to adhere to tradition. However, he hadn’t realized the rift was severe enough to lead to open assassination attempts…

Moreover, those who started this rebellion were those whom Atarte had declared his most trusted people.

About half of those Atarte had brought with him had agreed to rebel like this.

This meant the rebels’ forces were by no means small.

So, what about the Vigabol’s main base, which Atarte had temporarily vacated? Could it be that the rebels had already taken control of it?

【Chief, your orders!】

【What should we do?】

Ekuah swiftly weighed his options: should he ally with the rebels for the good of the Serhan, or should he trust Atarte for a more favorable future?

If only the Priestess were here… But even if she were, the decision would still rest on his shoulders. Ultimately, this was his call to make.

【…Aid Atarte and eliminate the rebels!】

And like that, he had come to a decision.

Atarte harbored goodwill toward the Serhan, whereas the traditionalists attempting to oust him—those clinging to outdated ideologies—held the Serhan in contempt. Supporting Atarte would be far more advantageous if they were victorious. That was what had influenced Ekuah’s judgment.

【Ekuah!】

【You’ve chosen the poisoned chalice!】

Yet, immediately after issuing the command, the Serhan chief was plagued with intense doubts. Was this really the right decision? Could it have been the wrong choice?

“What is this?”

At that moment, an unfamiliar language echoed through the area.

The next thing he noticed was a man with gloomy, rather exhausted gray eyes.

“A rebellion?”

A rebel’s blade came flying toward him.

* * *

“What is this?”

Seriously, what was this mess?

Seeing the chaotic situation spread before me, I couldn’t help but let out a weak sigh.

Haah. Watching them fight amongst themselves when I was already dead tired brought up quite a mix of emotions within me.

“A rebellion?”

If this was an actual rebellion, that would be a pain.

I couldn’t just blindly support one side without knowing why this rebellion was happening. Who knew what consequences might come back to haunt me later?

Besides, we Koreans had experienced so many tyrants and dictators throughout history…

Honestly, when I heard the word ‘rebellion, my first instinct was to look at the ruling class and think, ‘Could it be?’ However, if this wasn’t a legitimate revolution but a coup, things would get pretty awkward.

【Die!】

However, I had no real choice in this matter. Someone had decided to attack me.

【Protect our guest!】

After swiftly dealing with the attacker, I noticed others approaching me.

I glanced around to see if they were enemies, but they were actually showing me their backs, trying to form a protective formation around me.

The question now was whether they were on the rebels’ or victims’ side.

Since I wasn’t getting attacked anymore, I had a second to think. I quickly scanned the faces of those I’d heard were chiefs.

During my observation, I noticed that the rebels, given their attire, seemed to be from the Vigabol Tribe, while the Vigabol chief was ironically under the most intense attack.

As for the Serhan, they seemed to be aiding the Vigabol chief and focused on subduing the rebels.

The people protecting me were also from the Serhan Tribe. The person who’d tried attacking me earlier seemed to be from the Vigabol Tribe.

Like that, I immediately determined who my enemies were.

Regardless of whether this was a revolution or a coup, someone attacking an innocent civilian could never be called part of the good guys, right? Right?

“Sigh.”

I formed an [Arcane Spear] in my hand and launched it. I chose this skill to avoid hitting my allies.

It also allowed me to attack multiple enemies at once, so it was a pretty good choice in this situation.

【Argh!】

The Vigabol chief’s enemies were dealt with in one fell swoop.

After that, I left the protective formation and kicked around another enemy attacking a Serhan warrior. While I couldn’t really distinguish who the enemy was in a Vigabol vs. Vigabol situation, I most definitely could if it was Serhan vs. Vigabol.

【Outsider!】

At that moment, someone raised their sword against me. My hand instinctively drew its own blade to deflect their attack.

My Arcane Power, half-recovered from resting, had subtly coated my blade to make it even sharper.

Slice!

Like that, my opponent’s sword was cut in twain.

Thud!

“…”

However, I’d underestimated my opponent, who had more than just two arms. He had six, a detail I’d missed.

Dodging the next wave of attacks, I parried the fourth and fifth strikes while taking a step back, channeling Arcane Power into my right hand.

Slash!

Four deep claw marks tore across the enemy’s torso. While it didn’t wholly dismember him, the wounds were deep enough to limit his movements severely.

【What?!】

Was that person panicking about four steps away from an enemy? What about those behind him?

At this point, I realized that my inability to communicate was causing me much more trouble than I’d anticipated.

【Atarte!】

However, it didn’t matter much that I couldn’t identify the enemy. Others would do that for me.

The crucial part was protecting those I could confidently call allies.

In one swift motion, I moved to the side of the Vigabol chief. Despite having taken care of three people, he still couldn’t shake off the enemy’s persistent assault.

【You…】

Maybe I should refrain from killing those guys since it might cause some problems.

I grabbed the one attacking the chief by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground, my hand charged with Arcane Power. He was flung away like a rag doll, causing the ground beneath him to shake.

He might have hurt his back a little.

Next, I deflected another attacker’s sword and struck his solar plexus. Through some extensive experiments, I’d learned the precise strength needed to break a person's ribs without killing them. Although that hit sent him a decent distance through the air, he shouldn't be dead. Probably.

“Who are the enemies?”

This was seriously frustrating. This would have been a lot easier if at least their clothes had been different. Who exactly was I supposed to subdue here?

“【I don’t… Ah.】 This one and that one are enemies.”

It was fortunate that this person could actually speak my language. Following his directions, I began bringing down the presumed rebels one by one.

Some of them yelled something at me, but I just ignored them. If they were upset by that, they should also learn a second language.

Thwack!

Of course, I still wasn’t all too sure I was doing the right things.

* * *

* * *

After kicking away an enemy, I finally saw the Archmage and the Priestess rushing over, panting.

Funnily enough, my sword wasn’t stained with any blood. Well, it was only natural since I hadn’t cut anyone with it.

“What happened?!”

“Don’t ask me.”

Couldn’t he understand?

As I watched the tribe members handle the situation, I leaned against a suitable pillar. Honestly, I just wanted to sit down—I was oddly exhausted—but that would be a break of character, so I compromised by leaning against this pillar.

The wounds I’d sustained from fighting these six-armed enemies, which differed from facing three enemies simultaneously, finally started to ache.

Though my pain sensitivity was set pretty low, the dull throbbing was still rather noticeable.

“Are you alright?”

The Archmage approached me, concern in his voice. Most of my injuries were just minor cuts, but the first wound I’d received was quite deep, which seemed to worry him.

“I’ll treat you.”

There was no reason for me to refuse. Acting indifferent to whether he treated me, I closed my eyes and zoned out, trying to empty my mind to prevent my thoughts from spiraling in a strange direction.

【Erm, th-thank you.】

While I was lost in thought, a child approached me. If I remember right, he was… the chief of the Serhan Tribe.

He looked to be around the age of a fifth or sixth grader. Given how quickly kids grow these days, it was hard to be certain, but I suspected my guess was correct. He reached just slightly above my chest.

【If it weren’t for you…】

The child—ah, calling him a child would be fairly disrespectful, considering he was the chief. The Serhan chief was looking at me with a flushed face.

Wondering where the Priestess had gone, I noticed she was trying to get a handle on the situation, giving orders to the warriors.

“I also want to thank you.”

Before I could even respond, someone awkwardly expressed their gratitude to me. The chief of the Vigabol Tribe approached me, limping slightly as if one of his legs had gotten injured.

“If you hadn’t helped us…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but some things didn’t need to be said to be understood, especially since I had seen him struggle so much before I intervened.

“…”

He stopped talking and fell into thoughts.

His face displayed a mix of emotions. Betrayal, anger, spite… Given that a rebellion had just occurred, it wasn’t surprising for him to have these kinds of emotions. Though, I had to wonder where sadness had gone in this mix.

“How should I repay this debt?”

Despite his emotional turmoil, he didn’t remain lost in thought for too long.

His bold, well-defined face looked directly at me. It had been a while since I had met someone at eye level with me, despite not being a Shaggi.

“No need.”

However, there was only one answer I could give. I hadn’t moved due to a request or a promised reward, so how could I accept any compensation?

As usual, I firmly expressed my refusal. Like most of whom I did this to, the other party showed regret on his face.

“But…”

【He truly doesn’t wish to receive any sort of compensation.】

The Archmage, who had been treating my shoulder, withdrew his hand. His interjection was rather welcome. I didn’t want to deal with this any further, so please, do handle this for me.

【So, I would ask you chiefs to see it as just a small favor.】

But still, I didn’t particularly like him speaking in a language I couldn’t understand. It made me feel isolated.

【I see.】

【…A small favor.】

【Yes. It was just a small favor.】

I felt kind of ostracized, like being caught between two foreigners and someone capable of speaking the language.

I looked at the three people, feeling a strong urge to smoke a cigarette. Of course, I didn’t dare glare at the chief of the Serhan Tribe.

Respecting him as the chief of a tribe was one thing, but protecting him as the child he was was another. I mean, these two feelings could coexist… Probably, yeah.

【Then, how about accepting an initiation to the Vigabol in return for your help?】

【I’m asking for your understanding.】

So, when were they going to let me go? This was pretty awkward…

【That’s… quite unfortunate.】

I watched as the previously one-sided atmosphere of pure gratitude turned into subtle tension. I wondered what they were discussing.

Why were the Archmage and the Vigabol chief locked in this staring contest?

“Are you alright?”

Then, the Archmage’s gaze turned toward me.

“If you’re okay, it would be best if we left now. The Magic Tower did request that we return as soon as possible, right?”

…Before, he’d said that we should rest.

I mean, it would be fine if we didn’t, but it was a bit strange for him to change his tune like that.

What conversation did they have that he would retract his words? Was the Archmage not on good terms with them?

“…”

However, the Archmage was my ally. I had no reason to prioritize a chief I had just met.

Still, shouldn’t we help them? But then again, the damage to them wasn't that significant. There were some casualties, but they were few and far between, and it wasn’t like I could heal them. Besides, there weren’t any more targets for me to take down.

The structural damage was also minimal; only the arena had suffered a little damage. At this point, I figured I could just pretend I didn’t see anything and leave.

So, I stepped away from the pillar, following the Archmage’s words. The hunters were now rushing over, flustered and awkwardly holding our luggage, so it seemed we didn’t need to go back to where we’d rushed over from.

【Chief of the Vigabol, how will you deal with the rebels… Wait, are you leaving?】

At that moment, the Priestess, who seemed to have regained her composure somewhat, ran toward us, her face pale.

At first glance, she seemed like someone who’d always remain calm and steady like an old tree.

However, considering the Jatav Tribe’s invasion and some of the delegation suddenly committed treason, it wasn’t too surprising that she lost her calm demeanor. Seeing her struggle through all these sudden troubles made me think she sure had it rough.

【If we only had more time to express our gratitude for your help…】

【It’s alright. How could we take up any more of your time in such a situation? Ah, you should take back the hunters you assigned us, as well. Every hand must be precious to you right now, isn’t that so?】

Well, it didn’t matter to me, anyway.

Based on what the Archmage had suggested not too long ago—it seemed we’d have to take care of the snakes ourselves—I walked to the hunters.

The hunters, who’d felt that leaving these precious snakes behind would just be wrong and thus both had their hands full, leaving them unable to help, looked at me as if I were their savior.

【…What is the foreign warrior taking with him?】

【Ah… They are Jahukaya. It seems our guests are interested in their ability to consume Arcane Power.】

Fortunately, the snakes had straps on them, allowing me to carry them over my shoulder like a bag. I slung two of them over one shoulder and carried the other two in my hands.

Since there didn’t seem to be anything more to discuss with the others, the Archmage promptly followed after me.

【…Because they consume Arcane Power?】

【That’s usually the reason why people capture a Jahukaya, right?】

“I’ll also carry one.”

“Get lost.”

I didn’t need him to do this. He should just lead the way because my map was completely useless and compasses didn’t work here. I wouldn’t be able to find my way out of here alone.

【Wait, wait!】

At that moment, the Vigabol chief stopped us. I thought their conversation had ended, but he sure was persistent. I frowned.

【If you’re interested in beings that consume Arcane Power, how about this?】

【Chief, we…】

【This is supposed to be a secret, but… the Mountain Lord also consumes Arcane Power.】

But, well, I couldn’t really participate in this. I only watched on as the Vigabol Chief, looking slightly hesitant, spoke to the Archmage.

【…! What?】

【If you accept my invitation, I can arrange for you to meet the Mountain Lord. I’ll also provide a priest to translate for you. Ah, but remember, this is a secret. Recruiting the swamp priest who serves the Mountain Lord is informally allowed but not officially permitted. So, what do you think?】

It seemed like the Archmage had been caught off guard by what was said. He looked shocked, his mouth constantly opening and closing again without any words coming out, before he turned to me.

“…Demon Knight.”

“What?”

“It seems… we need to visit the territory of the Vigabol Tribe.”

…What kind of conversation did they have to reach that conclusion? I was so frustrated that I might actually learn this language, seriously.

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