The SSR Spearman (Doesn’t) Hide His One-Shot Damage - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 6

* * *

In case something went wrong, I’d been assigned a room close to the exit so I could get out fast.

‘Even the crumbling goshiwon beds back home are better than this…’

They’d apparently given me the best bedding they had, in their own way.
Of course, it reeked of damp and mustiness. I decided not to let it show on my face.

‘So now I have to hunt down the Special Mutant that’s slipped into the Underground City, huh…’

I stole a glance at the Hero’s face.
Could that guy actually be useful as a fighting force?

“……”

But the Hero’s complexion had been poor since earlier.
Looking closer, his hands were trembling, just slightly.
Well, having watched an old comrade get cut in half right in front of him…
The fact that his nerves haven’t snapped and he isn’t sobbing like a child is worth applauding.

‘But that expression… it’s not made of grief alone…’

Displeasure. Or a faint, lingering disgust.
Those subtle emotions were settled across one corner of his face.

‘Now then, I should probably be meeting the Underground City’s administrator soon.’

No sooner had I thought it than—
Knock, knock.
A knocking sound reached my ears.

.
.
.

“I’ve heard everything. Setanta, you protected the city while we were out searching for our kin.”

A man in a robe, with a pale complexion, sat down across from me and spoke in a calm voice.
Even this place felt like a magic tower, yet his air was utterly out of place here.

‘Is this man the administrator of the Underground City?’

To advance the Hidden Route, it’d be wise to win his favor.
I resolved to watch every word and gesture I made.

“It’s nothing, really. There just happened to be some bigoted Imperial on my way, so I roughed him up a bit.”
“There’s an Ailander lilt to your speech. Are you Ailander?”
“Something like that, yeah.”

According to the setting, Setanta is from Ailand, a colony of the Empire.
So right before the Final Chapter, he deserted the Hero’s party, shouting for Ailand’s independence.
What an infuriating bastard.

“Then what about this gentleman here?”
“Ah. Charles is an Imperial citizen, but…”

But the Hero’s face had been blazing red this whole time, and he was trembling all over.
What’s wrong with this guy?

“…Those rebel bastards…”
“Hm?”
“Against the Empire, where the sun never sets! Those filthy rebel scum who dared to raise their banners—!”

Thud!
The Hero leapt to his feet, roaring.

‘Is this guy insane?’

My heart dropped right along with him.
What the hell is this lunatic doing?

“You… you insolent lackeys of the rebels! Traitors who brutally slaughtered my comrades!”
“…Huh?”

First, I had to explain myself.
If I botched this, I might get lumped in with him and be kicked out on the spot…!

“Wait, please don’t misunderstand. This friend was tortured by the Empire, and it drove him out of his mind.”
“…Your friend? Because of the aftereffects of torture…?”
“That’s right. So he’s pasted the image of a loyal Imperial subject over himself. It’s a kind of self-defense, a way to hold on to his sense of self.”

Good, if I wrap it up like this, it should settle nicely…

“No! Not at all! Setanta… are you trying to drag my honor through the mud?!”
“….”

But the Hero, frothing with rage, picked apart my flawless argument.

“…For someone suffering from torture aftereffects, you seem awfully lucid.”

Sure enough.
The look the robed man was giving us turned frosty.
Looks like he’d grown suspicious.

‘No, this isn’t good.’

I had to smooth this over somehow.
If they kicked us out here, I might not be able to progress the Hidden Route at all.

“Hey, Hero. It’s dangerous outside, so just bite your tongue and stay here for today.”
“Grr…!”

Whether he understood what I was going through or not, I couldn’t tell.
The Hero only puffed up with rage and glared at me.

“Setanta! So you’re just an Ailander after all, is that it?!”
“What…?”
“I trusted you, never caring where you came from…! How many times do you plan to betray me?!”

The moment the Hero’s words ended.
The man in the robe began scribbling something down, quickly.

“Thank you for your words.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It seems your companion will need to be isolated separately.”
“……Huh?”
“Your friend will be taken to a special solitary confinement facility for the rest of the day.”

Calling it a facility was generous.
It was a prison, plain and simple.

“Who do you think you are, daring to lock up a citizen of the Empire…!”
“If you’d rather not stay, you’re free to leave with your companion. Though I suspect the demonic monsters will be hunting you down tonight.”

Clang!
The Hero lunged at the robed man, blood rushing to his face, and I caught him before he could reach him.
Any more of a commotion would be a problem.

“Hero, just bear with it for one day.”
“…….”
“It’s a prison, sure, but at least it’s a single cell, right?”

I was just about to calm the Hero down with something reasonable when it happened.

“Setanta……”
“Hm?”
“……Setanta, you know this too! That man…! That man…!”

The Hero’s fist trembled with rage.

“He slaughtered countless citizens of the Empire, and cruelly made you and my companions into sacrifices—that Dark Mage, I’m talking about!”

He let out a roar all at once.

It was so loud and booming that the whole room seemed to ring with it.
Thank heavens we were underground, where the sound couldn’t reach the surface.

Wait, what?
A Dark Mage?

I turned my head toward the direction the Hero was jabbing his finger.

A pale-faced man in a robe.
He, too, looked thoroughly bewildered.

‘Huh?’

Hold on.
Something about him looked familiar, though.

‘……Don’t tell me, is he the Dark Mage from the Ailand Faction who kept showing up as an enemy?’

I’d only ever seen him in the game as an illustration with his hood pulled over his head, so I hadn’t recognized him.
Looking at him now, though, the lower half of his face did seem quite similar.

‘So the true identity of the Dark Mage who always sided with the Ailand Independence Army and tormented me was……’

Could it really be this guy?

Just then.
Bang!
The door flew open.

“What in the world is all this commotion? I could hear it from outside while I was checking for mutations.”
“……Ah.”

A woman with a silver gauntlet on her right arm burst in.

I remember.
I know this one.

“The Empire? An Imperial dog came in? Where?”

Right behind her, another hulking brute shoved his head through the gap, looking like a barbarian straight out of a painting.
I know this one too.

“Setanta, look at them…! Didn’t I tell you I was right?”
“….”
“Yes, in the end they lured you in as well….”

The Hero shuddered violently from head to toe.
His eyes burned with rage.

“Look, Setanta! Look at the villains who brutally slaughtered our comrades!”
“….”
“The demons who dared to raise their hands against the Empire and trample the lives of this land!”
“….”
“Every last one of these bastards is the same wretched lot who tried to kill us in my previous life!”

The Hero’s shout rang out, echoing off the walls.

Elite boss-class characters from the enemy faction, the very ones who had mocked the party I’d built, time and time again, right before my eyes.

As one, like a pack of meerkats, they darted their gazes between the Hero and me.
Their eyes brimmed with bewilderment.

[…Part of the Hero’s Trust Level is being inherited.]

It seems that I.
Have wandered right into the stronghold of my former enemies.

* * *

The Hero jabbed a finger at the barbarian brute who had barged in and shouted.

“Setanta, do you truly not remember that massive demon? The one who always charges at the front lines and wrecks the formations we spent so long building!”
“What? Who’s this little runt? Shut up!”

The giant the Hero had pointed at raised his fist, as if to bash him one.

“Ah, this one was dragged off to the Empire, tortured, and his mind has finally snapped! Ignore whatever the feeble-minded man says!”

I quickly pulled the Hero back.
If that fist connected, the frail Hero’s face would be caved in!

“Damn it! Damn it all!”

The Hero raged for a moment.
Then, pointing at the woman with the silver gauntlet, he wailed.

“Setanta! Look at that wicked face of the witch! How many of our comrades were brutally slaughtered by the sword she swung!”
“…?”

The woman glanced our way with a bewildered expression.
Far from wicked, she gave off an impression of being almost painfully upright.

“When did you ever see me, that you dare say such a thing?”
“Don’t put on that innocent face! Don’t tell me you truly don’t remember, you witch!”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never harmed your comrades. I’ve never killed anyone, let alone them.”

The Hero trembled violently, shaking all over.

“Lying through your teeth!”
“If my sword cut someone down, there was a reason for it. That much I can vouch for.”
“…What?”
“Was your dead comrade some beastly heinous criminal running around committing atrocities? If so, then maybe I did cut them down.”
“W-what? Are you insulting my precious comrades…!”
“Hero, that’s enough already!”

I hurriedly grabbed the scruff of the Hero’s neck as he lunged forward recklessly.

“Let go! Setanta, let me go!”
“Everyone, please don’t misunderstand. This one’s not right in the head. After the Imperial Intelligence Bureau dragged him in and tortured him, he ended up like this.”
“Torture? Don’t you dare sully the honor of the great Empire and His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Ha, Hero…”

『Be quiet. For about an hour.』

At that moment.
A strange sound came out of my mouth.
It was as if the voice resonated not from my vocal cords, but from my very soul.

[The Hero’s Geas, 【Loyalty to the Enemy】, activates!]

No sooner had the message appeared than the Hero’s voice faded away.
He tried to scream, but only his mouth opened and closed like a gasping goldfish.

Oh, it works this well.
I should have used it when he was screaming earlier.

“Mmph… mm…!”

[The Hero’s mental state is deteriorating.]

The Hero kept thrashing for a long while, until he finally wore himself out.
A single tear slipped from his reddened eyes, trickling down his cheek.
It was a sight too pitiful to watch.

Before long, the commotion settled down.

“Ailin, Perdi. Would you mind stepping out for a moment? I’ll handle things from here.”

The man in the robe sent his two companions out.
For reference, the woman who had made the Hero cry was Ailin.
The man who had tried to beat the Hero was Perdi.

‘They look subtly different from the boss faces I’ve seen in the illustrations so far.’

If I remember correctly… they were supposed to be more vicious, with fanatical, villainous looks.
Was it just my mistake?

“Finally, some quiet. Unfortunately, your companion will be taken to the isolation room today. Everyone’s extremely sensitive when it comes to anything involving the Empire.”
“Well, there’s no helping it. Just make sure you store him safely.”
“Huh? Store… him?”
“Ah. I mean, please keep him in safe custody.”

Oh, no.
My mind wandered and the words slipped out on their own.
I think I picked the wrong words there.

[Rian feels a faint fondness for you.]

But his Trust Level went up anyway.
Why on earth?

…Wait, could it be?

‘Could it be that the Trust Level from the previous Run carried over?’

Setanta betrayed the Empire at the very end and fought on the side of the enemy, the Ailand Independence Army, earning his glory in battle…
Maybe most of the heroes here are well-disposed toward me.
Small mercies, I suppose.

.
.
.

A gloomy corner of a room in the Underground City.
The Hero had been locked away.

“Th-the… Setaaaanta…!”
“Can’t be helped. Charles, you’ll have to hang on in here for today.”

[The Hero’s mental state is deteriorating.]

A solid iron door and a solitary cell.
Well, it does look safe enough. That’s a relief.

Bang!
With a heavy clang, the thick iron door shut.

Just in case, I stayed put and leaned against the iron door, and every now and then I could hear sobbing from within.

‘He used to be the protagonist of this game, after all. Look how hopelessly he’s being treated…’

Kind of pitiful, too, I suppose?
I was feeling a faint pang of sympathy when it happened.

Ding!
At that moment, a System Window with a dazzling border materialized before my eyes.

[First-Run Only! Hero Bond Draw – Critical Success!]

[Bonds have formed with three SSR Heroes!]
-[Rian (SSR)]
-[Ailin (SSR)]
-[Perdi (SSR)]

‘Huh?’

For a moment, my thoughts simply stopped.

‘A Gacha Critical Success with a triple SSR…?’

Wait a moment…
Wait, don’t tell me that’s…

[TIP – Heroes bound to you by fate will regard you favorably, and they will be far easier to recruit into your party.]

Not the three R-grade heroes who were swinging their axes at me and making such a fuss…

-[Rian (SSR)]
-[Ailin (SSR)]
-[Perdi (SSR)]

So the real gacha pull was this one?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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