SBK 075 (Part 1) – Not all Fateful Encounters are Beautiful

---

Author’s note: Let’s now start volume 5!

---

A few hours had passed since we’ve left Seiris and have our behinds jiggle by the carriage.

I took my gaze away from the window that no longer shows even the tiniest bit of the waters of the sea and looked at the others who remained deeply rooted in their seats. 

Our days in Seiris have gone by pretty fast but it was a really wild ride. 

Now that I think about it, we’ve just arrived there the other day, right… that… all that happened in just a couple of days, huh…?

We’ve just raided Seiris’ most difficult dungeon with Sybilla’s lead, then rapidly closed out hunting the demon king.

But then, what’s going to happen to those dungeons now that the demon king is defeated? I wonder.

In times like this, no better thing to do than look towards my ever smart partner/goddess sitting right in front of me.

[Hey, Sybilla. Was it really alright for us to defeat that demon king? Eve just got accepted by Gale Thunder, isn’t she? She’ll be in trouble when they find out that there aren’t any more monsters.] (Russell)

[Oh, so that’s what you’re curious about. Monsters won’t necessarily disappear just because we defeated the demon king, you know?] (Sybilla)

Sybilla answers my question while shaking her head.

…But is that really the case?

Perhaps she noticed me having doubts about it as she further explained.

[What demon king do is to expand the size of the dungeons. Meanwhile, monsters appear every time a certain amount of mana accumulates inside the dungeon.] (Sybilla)

She told me as well that the main reason dungeon hunting is necessary is because cutting down the numbers of these monsters on a regular basis is the best way to protect the city.

Otherwise, an overflow may happen and the monsters might run rampant outside the dungeon.

[If monsters will still keep appearing even then, why should we keep killing those demon kings?] (Emmy)

[Well, to keep things short, disposing of them would drastically reduce the chances for a dungeon to overflow. Let’s say that if a dungeon being nested upon by a demon king overflows if left unattended in a month, the dungeon without a demon king would not overflow even after a hundred of years. But that doesn’t mean that the monsters’ numbers will dwindle to the point that adventurers will have to quarrel for them so there’s nothing to worry.] (Sybilla)

So killing a demon king would guarantee at least a hundred years of safety? Woaahhh.

I guess that means Seiris streets will remain pretty and free from the harm of monsters for a while then.

[Why are things like this being kept confidential, though?] (Russell)

Hearing my sudden question, Sybilla took a moment before giving me an answer.

[…Then, what good will it make if we publicize this information?] (Sybilla)

[What, won’t there be a lot of more adventurers’ who’ll raise their arms against demon kings? They can get some extraordinary fame and wealth, after all.] (Russell)

[That’s true. Then there might be some people as well who’ll be brimming with some kind of sense of justice who’ll fully devote themselves to kill a demon king. But unfortunately… they’re the same kind of people who get immediately killed as they fearlessly run toward their deaths.] (Sybilla)

That’s… that makes so much sense I can’t even think of what to say.

Because it’s true. Considering the nature of demon kings, there’s no doubt that reckless people would appear and take their own sense of justice upon themselves. 

So rather than letting them run free to their futile deaths, it would be better for them to live within their own limits and range… I guess that’s what she means.

This might be the same reason why the royal family ordered the guild to shut its lips.

It’s enough for them to maintain peace and avoid the dungeon from overflowing rather than pick a fight with a demon king that would make them wish they’d rather not exist.

[That’s why, to protect these people who’re living with us on the same ground looking at the same sky, people like us need to work really really really hard.] (Sybilla)

Defeating demon kings, huh…

I’ve only been thinking of how hero-like I am as if I fought and beat a demon king all this time but now, hearing all of this makes me feel much more accomplished and fired up.

I mean, I can’t really make sense of these things before. The only thing I can think of was how powerless I was.

But now, things are different. For I am now a <Dark Magi> who wields the power of darkness.

I might have gotten pressed down by the weight of this duty if I’ve heard it without being able to do anything. But that’s not the case anymore. 

[Oh, looks like Russell is just pretty chill about it. Emmy-chan, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard either. It’s not like it’s the first time that the demon kings and humanity have fought.]

[Uh…. I’ll keep it in mind…]

Emmy can only scratch her blonde hair after hearing Sybilla’s reminder. Well, it can’t be helped. Unlike me, Emmy’s the honest and serious type after all.

Still, there’s no use being so nervous about things that aren’t yet to happen.

It’s not like we’re now about to fight a demon king right at this moment.

Let’s just do our best at our own pace in our own ways.

After all, we’ll eventually get our chances as long as we live.

Isn’t that so, Sybilla?

---

Translator’s Notes:

1. I might have taken a different approach in translating Russell’s POV. If you like the previous style before, I’m sorry. I’m just more comfortable in expressing his thoughts this way.
2. I could have transliterated it but IDK, I guess doing so will hurt my own pride? Loooool. Let’s just say it’s part of my growth as a translator! xD
3. Also, we will now be using different coffee blocks per novel. That way, I can monitor which series are more supported and I’ll make sure to focus on releasing them more often. I wonder why I didn’t think of this before… Well, growth it is. xD

---

Previous| Table of Contents | Next