WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Ryuu

Editor: Abstract

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SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 367: Taboo (1)

Not everything went as smoothly as a wedding.

Time flew by swiftly.

A month had passed by in the blink of an eye. It wasn't an exaggeration, everything felt like a mere moment. Time had raced ahead, leaving me feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"It can't be helped."

Isn't it said that the older you get, the faster time seems to fly? Although my physical age is what it is, my mental age is already beyond measure.

I once tried to calculate how old I truly was, but I gave up once the count surpassed three digits.

It's fine. My physical age is still in the twenties... This sounds like I'm insisting I'm still in my twenties, doesn't it?

"May glory be upon the Moon of Ivansia! Consort, as per your command, we have surrounded the city gates!"

As I was ruminating on the cruelty of time, a knight rushed over and saluted.

I snapped back to reality with an "Ah."

"Good work, Knight Commander."

"It's nothing, my lord!"

"Have you sent the envoys for surrender? Still no response?"

"Yes! They continue to cry out for a desperate resistance!"

"How foolish."

I clicked my tongue.

Surrounded by elite soldiers of the Ivansia duchy, including the Knight Commander, the military discipline was strict. A formidable army of six thousand had encircled a small town.

If you're wondering how I, who was just interviewing on the 1st floor, ended up in the midst of a medieval battlefield, the reason is simple.

Raviel was nearly assassinated.

To be more precise, she was assassinated.

After winning the duel against [The Staff of Time Immemorial], I had been staying on the 1st floor for a while, showing my face to the public now and then, as Anastasia had strongly suggested.

But just when the interspecies wedding had concluded smoothly and the underground civilization turmoil had begun, in the middle of an interview with a journalist, a message resounded in my head.

[Skill activated.]

I was perplexed…

…Because I hadn't used any skills.

Noticing something off about my expression, the journalist in front of me asked, "Is something the matter?"

Just as I was about to respond with a smile, claiming it was nothing, I experienced the activation of 'a certain skill' for the first time in my life.

[A Certain Returner's Love (EX) has been activated.]

That was the beginning.

[You share a timeline with your partner.]

[The timeline has ended.]

W-What?

My vision spun. The scenery twisted like ink-soaked spaghetti. The journalist's voice, exclaiming "King of Death? King of Death!?" seemed to fade into the distance.

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours before.]

And so, I probably became the first human to experience 'dying without doing anything at all.'

"......."

"Die! Just die, you damned lunatic!"

When I blinked my eyes, the scene had changed. The journalist who was interviewing me had vanished without a trace. Instead, Anastasia was shaking me back and forth, holding my neck.

I had returned 24 hours before.

"What madness."

I realized the whole situation. Why I had suddenly died.

The message had clearly stated that [A Certain Returner's Love] was activated.

[A Certain Returner's Love] is a skill that allows Raviel and me to share the same timeline. If I go back a day, Raviel also goes back a day, ensuring we always breathe on the same timeline.

If Raviel dies, meaning her timeline ends... naturally, my timeline would end as well. We would die together.

But I have [Returner’s Winding Clock].

If I face death, I immediately return 24 hours before. Since my timeline is reversed, so is Raviel's.

In short, as long as [A Certain Returner's Love] and [Returner’s Winding Clock] are intact, we will never face a true death.

We'll just die for a day.

"......."

I wasn't in any immediate danger of dying just moments ago. Literally, I did nothing. Yet, the winding clock had been activated, meaning someone else had died.

And that meant Raviel's death.

"Right! Die, you insane bastard! Just die!"

Anastasia hadn't realized that I had just returned from the future. My muttered 'what madness' seemed to have been interpreted differently by her.

"There's no need to scream for death, Anastasia."

I murmured.

"I've just died, after all."

"What?"

"I returned from tomorrow to today. Right now."

"......."

Only then did Anastasia take a proper look at my face.

"…Why do you look like that?"

"What's wrong with my face?"

"It looks like you're about to kill someone. It's slightly scary, you know. Did something so shocking happen that you need to make such a face now?"

"This time, it's different."

"Oh, hmm. It was different... May I ask what made it different?"

"It wasn't me who died, but Raviel."

For some reason, Anastasia's complexion darkened drastically.

Silence ensued.

Anastasia released her grip from my neck, then clenched her eyes shut and sighed deeply, as if the ground was about to swallow her.

"This is insane..."

"I apologize for causing a stir with the underground civilization issue without consulting you first. However, I believe this incident will lead to stronger cooperation among the members of the large guilds. If you need a scapegoat, use me."

"I see… Ah… Well, that's possible."

"Anastasia."

"Speak your mind..."

"I'm truly sorry to impose on you during such a busy time, but I must visit the empire."

I spoke quietly.

My voice sounded strangely cold, even to my own ears.

"I can't say how long it will take. However, I promise to deal with the matter as quickly as possible and return."

"…Kim Gong-Ja."

"Yeah."

"Don't kill too many..."

"I can't promise that."

I gathered my holy sword.

"Squeak?"

"Yip yip."

The holy sword, playing with the snake and the fox, looked up at me, as if asking, 'What's going on?'

But upon seeing my face, both Constellations immediately closed their mouths.

"......."

"......."

The snake quietly coiled around my wrist, and the fox silently became a scarf. I didn't wait for the Constellations to wrap around me and walked out into the hallway of the quarters.

"Silvia Evanair!"

Silvia was waiting in the hallway. Once known as Lady Goldencup, Silvia had become entirely my subordinate since the defeat of [the Ruin-Harvesting Cow]. She was the Chamberlain of our family.

Silvia looked bored at a glance. She was idly yawning in the hallway when my call made her flinch.

"Ye-Yes? My lord?"

"Call all the household members together. However, there's no need to go out of your way to summon those far away. You have 5 minutes to gather everyone who can be here now in the garden."

"Eek. What a hassle. And 5 minutes is too short. Why all of a sudden..."

Silvia caught my gaze.

"…Oh, why indeed! There must be a heavenly reason from my lord! Yes! I'll gather the children right away! Yay! Work, it's work! I'm truly delighted to have work! Damn it!"

Silvia ran off in a hurry.

I went down to the garden first to wait.

Where I stayed was a kind of communal residence. Not only my family and vassals, but also the Black Dragon Witch, Heretic Inquisitor, Countess, Paladin, etc., lived together. However, it was ambiguous to say we lived in the same mansion. Each of us stayed in separate buildings, and the only shared space was, at best, the garden.

My family members quickly gathered in that one shared area.

"......."

The first to arrive was Ester. Holding the position of an advisor within the family, Ester was the heir who would lead the household in my stead during emergencies.

After exchanging glances with me, Ester quietly waited. Without asking why they were urgently summoned or what was happening, Ester didn't utter a single word.

Following Ester came Kim Yul. After Kim Yul came the Four Demon Lords. Then the cult gathered.

They alternated glances between me and Ester, then, just like Ester, they sealed their lips.

Finally, 5 minutes passed. Many vassals had yet to arrive, but I had no intention of dragging things out any longer. Frankly, it took a tremendous amount of patience to even wait for 5 minutes.

"Where's Uburka?"

"The Chief Warrior has been dispatched to the 5th floor to assist in negotiations with the underground people, my lord."

Ester replied emotionlessly.

"The Earth Spirit Tribe loves the scent of the earth and finds comfort in the dampness of the underground. Expecting that they would communicate well with the tribe that founded the underground civilization, we sent them. Should I call them back?"

"No. It's fine. There's no time."

I turned around. About a hundred vassals were looking at me. They weren't panicked by the sudden call, but they were curious about the reason for the assembly.

I answered their questions.

"Raviel is dead."

Thud.

The breath in the garden halted.

I smiled.

"To be precise, she will die tomorrow. Thanks to my skill, I was able to know of Raviel's death in advance. Truly, it's divine intervention."

I tried to make a joke in my own way. Being the representative of the Machen, it was divine intervention that I, through my skill, predicted Raviel's death.

However, no one responded to the joke. Not a single vassal forced a smile.

Ester's expression hardened. Kim Yul closed his eyes. Among the Four Demon Lords, the Sword Demon broke into a cold sweat, and the Hell Ghost Demon let out a long sigh.

"I can't imagine who would harm Raviel. How parched and twisted one's brain must be to commit such an act is beyond me."

I curled the corners of my mouth. Since no one laughed at my joke, I might as well laugh myself.

"One thing is certain, though— that bastard's imagination falls far short of mine. Why? Because that bastard can't imagine hell."

"......."

"No matter what kind of hell that son of a bitch imagined, the hell that bastard will experience from now on will be nothing but a blissful paradise in comparison. I intend to show that no one is as capable of creating hell as those who dare to speak of heaven in this world."

I turned my back.

I didn't utter pleas or commands to follow me or come with me. I simply walked ahead.

The footsteps of about a hundred people followed behind me.

[You are being transferred to the 25th floor.]

The destination was Sormewin Academy.

Originally one of the empire's top academies, Sormewin developed even further after the exchange agreement between Babylon and the empire was signed.

An office in charge of exchanges was established, and houses for the bureaucrats working there were built. As rare trade items from Babylon began to arrive, even agencies to handle them were created. Currently, Sormewin was more of a city than just an academy.

As soon as I was transported, an imperial bureaucrat greeted me warmly.

"Welcome! Welcome to the empire! If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of your visit..."

"I am the Consort of the Duke of Ivansia."

I looked at the bureaucrat.

"I am here not for Babylon's affairs but for a family matter."

"Oh......."

The bureaucrat stuttered. It seemed he recognized me. Indeed, if someone tasked with handling exchanges didn't recognize my face, they would have no excuse even if they failed.

The bureaucrat's complexion soon turned ashen. Following me, about a hundred vassals had been transported. The immigration office, or rather, the tower entrance office, was flustered by our sudden appearance.

"Let me repeat, this is a family matter."

Unfortunately, I had no time to persuade them gently.

"If you don't intend to make an enemy of the Ivansia duchy, step aside. Immediately."

The bureaucrat couldn't stop me. The knights and soldiers guarding the office made way for us. Hunters dispatched from Babylon, and guild members from the Black Dragon and the Merchants Union, also stepped back upon seeing my face.

I headed towards the Ivansia duchy's annex built next to Sormewin.

"Co-Consort! What in the world is this!"

Soldiers of the duchy, flustered, blocked my path.

"If you were coming, you should have sent us a message in advance so we could welcome you properly...!"

"Do you have any shame blocking my way when you couldn't even protect your master?"

"Ye-Yes?"

I smiled wryly.

"I'd like to tie you all up and hold you accountable right now, but I'd rather see Raviel's face first. I won't repeat myself. Move aside. Well, it doesn't really matter whether you do or not."

"What do you mean..."

"I mean, I don't have time to waste on someone like you."

I nodded slightly.

Ester made a move. Ester applied a joint lock to the soldier, immediately neutralizing him.

A fraction of a second after Ester, the clergy stepped forward. In just a moment, the duchy's annex was subdued by force. The Blue Lion Knights attempted to resist us, but like decaying leaves, they were easily trampled.

I walked down the corridor.

In front of Raviel's bedroom, six servants were standing guard.

All were servants trained to defend against assassinations, cherished confidants of Raviel. Normally, they were reliable, but at this moment, to me, they were nothing more than leeches sucking on the duchy's treasury.

"Consort."

"Step aside from the Moon of Ivansia."

"Even if it's you, Consort, you can't just barge in from here on..."

Was there any need to listen to this babble?

'No.'

I lightly tapped their pressure points with aura.

"......!"

The servants collapsed in the hallway. They were not allowed to make a sound or even groan.

I purposely did this so they could feel the bitter humiliation of not being able to block my path for even a second while remaining conscious.

Leaving the twitching servants behind, I opened the bedroom door.

Creeeak—

The door opened.

"Hmm."

Raviel was sitting in a chair, looking down at a winding clock.

Despite all the commotion and outrage I had caused, Raviel seemed hardly surprised. Instead, she nodded lightly, as if she had expected it.

"13 minutes and 27 seconds, huh."

Her red eyes shifted from the winding clock to me.

"I thought it wouldn't take you more than 5 minutes if you came alone, and not more than 15 minutes if you brought your forces. Indeed. Our distance was 13 minutes."

"Sorry for the delay, Raviel."

I smiled.

"So, which son of a bitch do I need to beat to death?"

Raviel gave a bitter smile.

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