The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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“…That foxy bastard.”

I chuckled wryly at Adele’s muttered words.

Did my recent actions appear that way?

Honestly, I couldn’t deny it. Because of these conflicting feelings of wanting to maintain distance while also finding comfort in her closeness…

Perhaps embarrassed by my compliment about her tied-up hair, Adele quickly untied it, her eyes narrowing.

It wasn’t bad with her hair down. I simply hadn’t mentioned it because I had seen it often before.

I considered complimenting her again, but then shook my head.

I could do that later. For now, all that remained was to wait for Arwen.

A place to stay wasn’t particularly important to Arwen anyway. Once she returned with the analyzed information about the ruins, I could start again.

“It seems I can rest for a while now.”

“You were just talking about future plans, and now you’re suddenly resting?”

“Hmm, may I be honest?”

I asked, then spoke before Adele could answer.

“I was teasing you. It seemed like you wanted a compliment.”

“Do you remember what I called you earlier?”

“Well…”

I remembered, but I deliberately played dumb, and Adele frowned, replying quietly.

“A foxy bastard.”

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“The fact that you’re asking me about the infiltration makes it seem like you’re giving me more work.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m just asking for your opinion.”

Lothos, his complexion so pale that the shadows under his eyes blended with his skin, rubbed his pallid cheeks and stared intently at me as I approached.

Anyone would think he was facing a nightmare.

I felt sorry for him, knowing why he was acting this way.

Lothos, uneasy even after I explained that I was simply asking for his opinion, finally sighed and began to contemplate.

The infiltration wouldn’t involve me directly, but rather an illusion controlled by Arwen. I would be controlling the illusion.

Since I was the most familiar with Arwen’s magic, I was the only one who could manipulate her power naturally.

I would create a clone and imbue it with my magic to control it.

That way, my consciousness would be linked to the clone, allowing me to conduct the infiltration efficiently while keeping my body safe.

Lothos seemed unfamiliar with the concept of illusions but said there was no problem with the plan itself.

“It’s practically cheating. An infiltration with no risk, even if captured. Isn’t there a chance we could be tracked?”

“I’d have to ask her, but probably not.”

She had reached the pinnacle of magical studies.

Though she might appear small and frail, no one in this world could underestimate her abilities. I had reached my level through regressions, but she was a true genius to possess such skill naturally.

“I want this to be over quickly, so I’m satisfied as long as it ends soon, regardless of who does it. I… I need to go home, you know.”

Over three, almost four months. I felt guilty seeing Lothos’s exhausted face.

A simple apology wouldn’t suffice, but I hoped the infiltration would be successful for his sake.

It had been two days since I contacted Arwen. It had also been a while since I sent her the information about the ruins, so I expected to hear back soon.

I wasn’t as impatient as before. It was fine if she took her time. As Adriana had said, there was no need to rush everything.

I was glad I had taken care of many things before coming to the North.

If I hadn’t, Reynold would be working like Lothos right now.

After briefly apologizing to Lothos for interrupting him, he said it was fine and walked away with weary steps.

I assumed he was heading to his office to finish the work Adele hadn’t completed or had left unfinished.

“Don’t you feel sorry for Lothos?”

I asked Adele, who appeared after Lothos left, and she sighed, looking away.

Though she seemed to feel some guilt, she didn’t express it through her actions. She should feel sorry for Lothos if she had any conscience. But Adele’s priority was me.

This meant that Lothos’s situation wouldn’t improve until this matter was resolved.

“Why should I feel sorry for him? He’s always been like that. Always busy, and he’s well compensated for it.”

“I saw him today, and he looked terrible. It wouldn’t hurt if I helped him sometimes, would it?”

Adele casually sliced her meat, but she was clearly thinking about Lothos.

Her inability to be honest was the problem. But when I offered to help, her eyes narrowed, and she let out a small, dissatisfied chuckle, looking at me.

“You seem to have a lot of free time. Why don’t you use that time to train? Besides training in the mornings, it’s important to train consistently if you want to avoid getting hurt.”

“I am thinking about it. Jay will be here soon, so I’m not sure if I’ll have the time.”

“I don’t think the infiltration will happen overnight. There are things to do before that.”

“You had somewhere to go with me today, remember?”

I nodded at Adriana, who had been sitting quietly beside us.

I needed to know where to infiltrate, so I had planned to scout the area beforehand. I had requested Adriana’s help since she could see things others couldn’t with her divine power.

I needed a more concentrated power than magic to detect anything near the uncharted territory.

If it was the power granted by the Moon Goddess, I might find something, even near the uncharted territory. With Verod accompanying us, there wasn’t much risk of danger.

Even if something happened, Verod and I could fight our way out.

Everyone approved of this plan, but Adele seemed slightly dissatisfied that she couldn’t come with us.

“It can’t be helped. Unlike the ruins, the uncharted territory is quite far from here.”

“We went all the way to the capital. I don’t see why we can’t go there.”

“It’s not good for you to be away from the main castle too often. And we can’t leave everything to Lothos.”

Leaving everything to Lothos aside, it wouldn’t look good to others. Since there were already rumors in the capital about the workload being concentrated on one person, Adele needed to show that wasn’t the case.

The capital’s attention was focused on the North simply because I was here.

Since the infiltration plan was meant to be covert, Adele needed to clearly demonstrate that she had no ulterior motives, especially towards those associated with Kaitel.

After all, the situation could completely change after autumn, just like in the futures I knew.

“It probably won’t be dangerous. And with the Saint here, there’s no chance of us getting hurt.”

“It’s a given that you won’t get hurt. So I don’t need to lend you my sword this time?”

A sword.

Adele’s sword would be nice, but the sword I had recently made was quite sturdy.

I had been using one of the two swords I used to kill Theresa, and since I had spent a lot of money on it, its durability was quite good.

“It’s fine. It probably won’t even take a day.”

“I don’t think it will take long. It’s just reconnaissance today.”

If we found something, great. If not, we could narrow down the possible hiding places of the masked figures.

Everything would begin after Arwen arrived anyway.

Thinking calmly like this had its advantages. I became more tolerant of failure. Realizing I still had plenty of time, I had been able to sleep quite soundly lately.

“So you’re planning to leave right away?”

Adele asked, seeing Adriana already changed into her usual attire after finishing her meal.

While it was good to move quickly, Adriana’s movements were even faster than I had anticipated. As if she had been expecting this situation, Adele seemed to sense it as well and frowned, letting out a sigh.

“You seem to be in a hurry. Robert isn’t even ready yet.”

“I prepared beforehand. It’s better to go as soon as possible. Don’t you think so?”

“I suppose so.”

If she said that after having prepared alone, anyone would think she was here just to take me away.

With Verod waiting outside and Adele staring coldly at Adriana, I had no choice but to rise from my seat.

This kind of atmosphere always arose when they were together. Knowing the underlying emotions made it even more uncomfortable.

I hadn’t expected Adriana to act this way. These constant unexpected situations made my head throb.

It would be better to focus on today’s task.

Adele looked surprised as I stood up, but I intended to leave for the uncharted territory immediately.

I took out the mask I had obtained earlier, the one the masked figures possessed, from my pocket.

I put it on and checked my vision.

Adriana was also wearing a mask, and Verod, who had been waiting outside, was wearing one as well.

There were no other preparations left. We just had to leave.

I glanced at Adele and bowed my head slightly.

“Then, let’s go.”

She seemed displeased that I was leaving with Adriana, but Adele sighed and replied with a small smile.

“…Alright, go ahead.”

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[Translator Notes]

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