Chapter 182: Additional Party Member
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
Gumihou: Well, fixed the awkward lines. Adjusted the dialogues, added dialogue tags and… let’s not dwell on those, eh?
“Just because Pitee is a… shut in, burning me is too much…” sobbed the woman who had just climbed out of the giant clam.
She was dressed in a long-sleeved green dress the same colour as her hair over a pair of trousers that looked oddly similar to jeans. She was crying pitifully on the sandy beach.
Well, I know we were in the wrong for grilling her over a fire, but just what was she doing inside a clam shell? Wait, could this be another species kind of thing? Is she part of some giant clam race?
“No, I mean, we’re sorry about that, but why were you inside a shell?” said Hyurumi.
“I’ve never heard about a race of people living inside shells,” said Ramis interestedly.
“Neither do I, does Master Hakkon know?”
“Too bad”
Naturally, I’d have no idea, not being a native and all…
While we speculated on the side, the other two who appeared to know this person were calmly questioning her.
“What are you doing there, Pitee?” said Shui.
“It would seem that your introverted tendencies have worsened, to the point of hiding yourself within your shields,” said Hevoy.
Wait, those shell-like things are… shields? Now that you mention it, the unusually circular shape does look more like a shield than the bivalve of a normal clam.
Wait, even if she could contort her skinny body to fit into that shield could she really fit herself in there? Also, how on earth did she not suffocate while stuck inside a pair of shields at the bottom of the sea?
Speaking of which, from the familiar way these two talk to her, could this be the woman we were looking for? The former member of Whimsical Fools?
“Pitee was… waiting on a small island for that person to… return when… Leader tried to make Pitee come out… They left, but… came back again and… said the fight was not going well and insisted… Pitee hid inside the shield and floated down the sea to escape and… sank…?” her quiet voice stuttered through her explanation, making it difficult to tell what she was saying.
Also, it was kind of difficult to visualise the scene she was describing.
Still, it looked like Leader Keryoil had found her but she refused them, and then those people returned to press their case again.
And finally, Pitee escaped by hiding inside her clamshell shield.
Well now, at least we know that Leader Keryoil’s party was not having a smooth time with the dungeon conquest, so that means we still have a chance to turn things around.
“No matter how many times I see it, that is still an unnecessarily high-performance shield. While certain features, such as the ability to change seize, block heat and magic attacks made sense, is it really necessary for a shield to generate water and air through mental energy?”
“With just… a bit of food… living is… fine…”
In short, you’re fine living inside your shield indefinitely so long as your food lasts.
“Are you still waiting for the guy who abandoned you? You never learn do you?”
“Shui!” Hevoy sounded oddly emotional as he reprimanded her.
The woman turned pitiful eyes up the heavens.
“A-abandoned… abandoned… no, no, that’s not right. H-he will surely come back. Yes, he will come back for Piteeeee–!!!”
Ah, she had just collapsed to the sand like a tragic heroine.
“I can’t listen to this nonsense any longer. Excuse my rudeness, I’m sure you’re all confused about this but in short, this is Pitee and she’s a member of the Whimsical Fool’s party,” said Hevoy.
Well, yes, we’d guessed as much.
“Um, she’s still crying, is it alright to just leave her like that?” asked Ramis concernedly.
“It’s fine. It’s like a fit of sorts. She’ll be back to normal in a bit,” said Shui.
Wow, that’s kind of cold…
Shui sighed and said, “She just can’t forget the man who abandoned her from long ago. She still thinks he’s coming back to her one day, even though that’s impossible. And before you ask, it’s because that guy’s a marriage swindler. He’s spending life behind bars somewhere up north for deceiving the daughter of a wealthy family. We’ve explained it to her many times but she refuses to believe it-su.”
To put it nicely, she’s devoted. To put it less nicely, she’s deluding herself and running away from reality.
Even now, her crying was so tragic that it looked more like some kind of performance. Less like true sorrow and closer to an obsessive desire to wallow in her pitiful situation.
“Hey, so, this may be insensitive, but can we even take this kind of person? It doesn’t look like she could do her job properly,” said Hyurumi.
“While she does have some mental issues, this person actually has some really outstanding skills. Well, it would be faster for us to show you-su,” said Shui.
Then, she nodded and Hevoy and the two of them narrowed their eyes at the pitiful Pitee who was now crouching on the ground and drawing curious symbols in the sand with her finger.
“It’s been… so many days since… Pitee saw him that… it felt so painful… it’s all so painful… Pitee is pained to death… there’s no meaning in living… Ah, but I must live to meet him…”
Shui and Hevoy lifted their weapons, the glint in their eyes showed that they were serious.
Wait, really? Are they really seriously going to attack the defenceless and pitiful Pitee?
“Go!!”
Hevoy swung his morning star while Shui fired her arrow.
[1] Pitee, who had been poking holes into the sand… stumbled. Or did she? [1] Both arrow and morning star struck the ground. [1] It did not look like she was reacting to anything, just falling sideways for no apparent reason… was what I thought, but“Incredible, she saw through both attacks,” Mishael said.
Well, if you say so. Rather, since Mishael is said so, it must be true. Even though I’m not sure what was so amazing about her flopping to the ground like that.
The two regrouped to attack again and Pitee picked up the shields, which I had mistaken for clam shell and attached them to her arms. Still, those shields were huge, just how does such a skinny-looking person carry one of them, let alone wield two of them with such skill?
“Why attack Pitee? Th-this must be an… assassination from… that woman who tricked him… Pitee… won’t lose…”
Wow, she has a way of adjusting her mind to make facts fit into her delusion in real-time. Her two friends are now enemies hired by her lover’s mistress or something.
Still, I must admit that her handling of the shield was quite amazing. She deflected the spiked ball cleanly and avoided all of the arrows. Considering Hevoy and Shui’s skills, it was nothing short of astonishing.
“As you can see, Pitee has outstanding defensive abilities-su,” Shui said as she drew another arrow into her bow.
“Her family specialises in shield-based defences for generations and she had been drilled with all kinds of defensive techniques from a young age. Therefore, her body moved naturally to defend herself,” Hevoy added.
Indeed, she handled those heavy-looking shields with deceptive ease, defending flawlessly against every attack. I wonder if she has some kind of Super Strength gift like Ramis and Hevoy.
In short, she’s a defence specialist? With both arms occupied by the shield, she can’t attack, so that left only defence… I see, our current party is a little unbalanced with a high attack rate but low on defence. Well, I do have my <Barrier> but it’s limited in range and I can’t move at will.
Having another person with high defensive skills would ease future operations. After all, in online games, it’s essential to have a ‘tank’ that attracts other players’ attacks. Well, it may be discourteous to compare serious fights like this with video games, but that’s how I understand the importance of having a character with strong defensive skills in the team.
But, will we be able to get her to help us? She thinks we’re assassins sent by her lover’s lover or something and, not to mention, she doesn’t look like the type that could be reasoned with.
The two had stopped their attacks, but Pitee still had her shields up, literally. We could catch the occasional sharp gaze through her long bangs.
“Pitee, it’s Shui. We won’t attack anymore. So, just put your shields down-su.”
“Lies… Shui was taller… Pitee won’t be deceived…”
“Well, ordinary persuasion is useless for you in this tragic state. Let me handle this.”
Hevoy casually approached Pitty, who refused to leave her defensive stance, arms spread out to show that he was weaponless.
“Don’t come near… You are… enemies here to… tear Pitee from that person…”
In the first place, I don’t think she’s the type who would be open to negotiation after being attacked. Even more natural to assume that these attackers were her enemies in disguise.
How did such an unstable person end up with the Whimsical Fools?
Wait, isn’t such a person [2] perfect for Whimsical Fools? Also, it looked like Leader Keryoil also tried to recruit her back.
I must have been overthinking matters because the lights on my body kept flickering. Enough for Shui to notice and say, “No need to worry, Hakkon. Hevoy has a way to control her-su.”
What’s with that confidence? I guess she should know her former teammate best?
As Hevoy advanced, Pitee continued to retreat. From this side of the screen, it doesn’t look like he’s making the situation better at all.
Just as she reached the water’s edge, she suddenly stopped and her shields dropped with a loud thud onto the sand. She stared at Hevoy. Then, she clasped her hands in front of her chest and her eyes shimmered with excess moisture like a love-struck maiden.
Wait. What’s going on?
“You’re finally… here for Pitee…”
“No, I’m sorry, but I have borrowed Hevoy’s body to speak with you.”
What nonsense are you talking about, Hevoy?
“That’s… you’re not here to take Pitee…”
“I’m truly sorry. But I will come and sweep you away for sure. I have discovered that I could transfer my consciousness into Hevoy and borrow his body… because it is difficult with other bodies, I did not manage to contact you…”
“Then, so long as Pitee… stay with Hevoy…”
“We may speak like this now and again.”
How on earth does Hevoy think this kind of shoddy play will last?
“I see, Hevoy must have used illusions to superimpose that man’s face over his,” Hyurumi observed.
“That’s right. Pitee will believe anything that scum says. Even in this kind of situation, she would turn into an idiot woman. Once she has gone past this tragic mode, she would be a little more sensible. Before this, her ‘boyfriend’ would make periodic appearances every month or so to encourage her to go adventuring with Leader.”
What a troublesome person. Still, this kind of troublesome character made it so that she avoided joining up with Leader Keryoil’s group, so let’s count it as a win.
“Still, I feel bad about tricking her and using her like this,” said Ramis.
“Well, I understand your point, but she really can’t take reality at all. When Red and White tried to persuade her that one time, she stormed off in a rage and went missing for days-su.”
I guess there’s nothing to be done unless we get her to see a psychiatrist or something.
At least she looks happy now, even though it’s all a trick. The day may come when she has to face reality no matter what, but that has yet to come. Therefore, this may be the best choice for the moment.
“Hm, I’m no expert at this, but it does look like she’s… acting? Maybe she just like pretending to be a tragic heroine?” said Hyurumi.
“I think that’s very likely,” said Mishael. “Although she acted distraught, it did not feel like her emotions waver much at all.”
I looked at Pitee after hearing their comments.
Indeed, rather than true grief, it was more like a performance of despair and grief. It was as though she was trying to deceive herself as well, how scary.
Hm, at times like this, it would be great to have Kikoyu, who could read people’s real thoughts and emotions to know the truth.
Still, that’s all just speculation. Only the person experiencing the emotions will know for sure. It’s not like we could see into people’s hearts at will.
[Gumihou: Well, did my best]
[1] Ok, I had to adjust this. Action is so choppy [2] Er, surely it’s even more likely for unstable people to be in a group called ‘Whimsical Fools’?
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