The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 175

Chapter 175: The Last Vacation
ㅤAfter escaping Elvansrow, we had no choice but to return to the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤAfter all, G*d is there.
ㅤIt’s said that the seal isn’t completely broken yet, but it’s strong enough that Flone-san barely managed to stall it by sacrificing Elvansrow. I have no chance of winning against it now.
ㅤOtherwise, I would have wanted to stop the rotation and rescue the elves from Elvansrow as it fell into the atmosphere while collapsing from petrification. Even if they were already turned to stone, there might have been a slight chance of restoring them.
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ㅤBut, Flone-san, who saw the future using the Spirit Tree’s power, decided that this was the only way.
ㅤIf I were to take any reckless action, the chances of opening up the future would decrease.
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ㅤWhile just holding Arne-san, who was exhausted from crying and her head hung low, I gritted my teeth at my own powerlessness.
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ㅤThe shuttle safely returned to the Demon King’s Castle.
ㅤAround the time we entered the atmosphere, I explained the situation to Elminarsh, whose communication had been restored. Elminarsh probably already explained it to Almi and the others.
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ㅤ”Minato!”
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ㅤAs I got off the shuttle, Almi clung to me.
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ㅤ”That’s… a bit of an overreaction.”
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ㅤ”But! When I heard that G*d appeared and the Elf Village fell…”
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ㅤ”Yeah. A lot of things were entrusted to me. But thanks to that, I can see a chance to win.”
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ㅤFollowing me, Arne-san descended the ramp.
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ㅤHer eyes were still red, but there was a look of determination in them.
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ㅤ”Minato. Let’s definitely defeat G*d.”
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ㅤ”Yeah, of course.”
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ㅤI nodded, but I felt uneasy.
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ㅤ（I’m happy that Arne-san has recovered, but）
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ㅤI think she’s pushing herself too hard.
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ㅤ『It seems like you’ve had a tough time. Boroneal, Shizu, and I will be formulating the strategy to defeat Cretias. You guys should rest well first.』
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ㅤ”…You’re right.”
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ㅤI nodded at Elminarsh’s words.
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ㅤ”No way… We don’t have time to rest! This is the time my mother bought us!”
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ㅤArne-san objected.
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ㅤ”That’s exactly why. If we attack with a reckless plan and lose, or even if we don’t lose but struggle and it takes time, it will become irreversible.”
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ㅤ”But… I can’t…”
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ㅤIt’s natural that Arne-san wouldn’t want to rest.
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ㅤ”I understand how you feel… I’m not going to say that. But this is necessary. Arne-san is especially tired. You need to rest. And if possible, you need to refresh yourself.”
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ㅤ『If that’s the case, how about games? We’ve made it possible to play refreshing games for the welfare of the Demon King’s Castle. We’ve also managed to prepare a substitute for the joystick, which was a concern.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”I feel a little guilty about playing games here.”
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ㅤ『You’re the one who said we need to refresh ourselves.』
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’re right… Let’s try it.”
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ㅤAnd so, we decided to have a game party with our close associates before the final battle.
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ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
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ㅤ
ㅤ”Wah! Onee-chan, that’s mean!”
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ㅤSharion screamed as she was hit by the red shell I threw.
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ㅤ”That’s how the game is played.”
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ㅤ”Minato changes when she plays games, doesn’t she?”
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ㅤAlmi said as she hit the crashed Sharion with a green shell.
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ㅤ”I was in first place!”
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ㅤSharion, who had instantly fallen to last place, shouted.
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ㅤMeanwhile, Arne-san, who was in the lead, crossed the finish line.
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ㅤ”Yeah, this is fun.”
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ㅤArne-san said with a faint smile.
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ㅤ（It’s probably difficult to just forget everything and have fun.）
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ㅤI know I’m being harsh, even to myself.
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ㅤBut, to be honest, Arne-san is on the weaker side among the current fighting force of the Demon Kingdom.
ㅤThe pendant, a secret treasure received from Flone-san, can only be used by elves. Without the pendant, we can’t get close to the royal capital Zalbuck, which is covered in the Ash of Imprisonment.
ㅤIt’s impossible for her to suddenly become stronger, so I at least want her to get rid of her fatigue and get her mind and body in good condition.
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ㅤ（In cases like this, is it better to let them vent it out, or to make them forget it?）
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ㅤI think it’s something that only time can solve.
ㅤBut we don’t have that time.
ㅤThe curse on the world from the Ash of Imprisonment is only increasing.
ㅤThat curse makes G*d even stronger.
ㅤThe Demon King’s Staff has the potential to become a new receptacle for the curse, but for that to happen, it seems that people first need to recognize that “the Demon King is the savior.”
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ㅤ（It’s the same relationship as the Grandmaster System and the Guardian System. It’s about which one can gain the support of the people.）
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ㅤTo do that, the best thing to do is to defeat Cretias and save the Zamzaria Kingdom.
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ㅤIf we can do that, the Demon King’s Staff will gain the power to become a “Spear Against G*d,” and the possibility of defeating G*d will increase.
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ㅤHowever, that possibility is not very high.
ㅤWe won’t know if we can really defeat G*d with our makeshift power until we try.
ㅤThe future that Flone-san prophesied as the most likely possible future was one where we would be destroyed.
ㅤThat future was altered by Flone-san’s sacrifice.
ㅤBut it’s not a situation where we can be optimistic yet.
ㅤWith a slight mistake, we might return to the path of destruction that was prophesied.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Excuse me, I’m going to get some fresh air.”
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ㅤArne-san said so and left the room.
ㅤShe’s calm, but
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ㅤ（She’s being considerate of us being considerate of her.）
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ㅤThis will only make her more tired.
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ㅤ”What should I do?”
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ㅤI muttered.
ㅤThe number of sacrifices we’ve made so far weighs heavily on my heart.
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ㅤ”Where did I go wrong? If I had killed Cretias the first time and not let him escape, this wouldn’t have happened. Even during the Tree Country incident, I could have killed him if I wanted to. In the first place, was it a mistake to be targeted by that G*d…?”
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ㅤI couldn’t help but sigh.
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ㅤ”Ah, as I thought, am I going to make everyone unhappy? Maybe if I hadn’t started this Demon King thing and had preserved the Grandmaster System, fewer people would have been unhappy.”
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ㅤ”…Minato. Are you saying that seriously?”
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ㅤAlmi said in a hard voice.
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ㅤWhen I turned around in surprise, I saw Almi with a noh mask-like expressionless face.
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ㅤ”Are you saying that seriously?”
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ㅤ”Eh, no… No, that’s not…”
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ㅤ”Right? If you were saying it seriously, I would have had to cut you down.”
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ㅤ”Uh… You’re right.”
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ㅤWe started this to make the world a better place together with Almi, but if I start whining when we hit an obstacle, there’s no way we can change the world.
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ㅤAlmi softened her expression, but I could still tell she was a little angry.
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ㅤ”Hey, don’t fight.”
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ㅤSharion said in a hurry.
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ㅤ”No, it was my fault. I thought I was prepared, but…”
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ㅤI put down the controller and stood up.
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ㅤ”I’m going to talk to Arne-san for a bit.”
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ㅤI left the room and looked for Arne-san.
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ㅤ（Elves used to identify each other by their ether wavelengths, right?）
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ㅤI tried it and I could do it too.
ㅤArne-san’s ether is very distinctive.
ㅤI found her immediately after a light search.
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ㅤ”Arne-san.”
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ㅤI called out to Arne-san, who was standing on the balcony of the Demon King’s Castle, looking at the sky.
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ㅤ”Minato?”
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ㅤ”Yeah. I’m sorry for everything.”
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ㅤ”Why are you apologizing?”
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ㅤ”I feel like I forced you.”
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ㅤ”It’s okay. I think I need to change my mindset too.”
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ㅤ”Yeah, but you don’t have to force yourself to change it if it’s painful.”
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ㅤ”…Which is it?”
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ㅤ”Well, I think that once you’re resolved, your feelings will naturally change.”
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ㅤ”Are you saying that my resolve is insufficient?”
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ㅤ”No, that’s not it.
ㅤUm, we’re going to invade Zamzaria and defeat Cretias. This is the first thing. I think it’s okay to just focus on this. Don’t be distracted by things like whether what you’re doing is right, or whether there was a better way to do it.”
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ㅤ”…Ah, I see. Anxiety and conflict get in the way of achieving your goals. So, you should put those aside.”
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ㅤ”For now, just focus on what’s in front of you. That’s all you need to do. If you keep doing that, you’ll have done everything you can. What happens after that, there’s no point in worrying about it now.”
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ㅤ”You’re right. Thank you. I don’t think it’s exactly encouragement… but I know what I have to do now.”
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ㅤ”I’m the type to dwell on things too. Even if I know I can’t help it, I still dwell on it. When that happens, the more I try not to dwell on it, the deeper I sink into the mire.”
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ㅤ”I thought I wasn’t the type to dwell on things too much. But this time, it really hit me hard. I felt guilty about leaving my village, but I couldn’t even apologize before it ended up like that. I wonder if someone like me is qualified to be entrusted with everyone’s feelings.”
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ㅤ”Me too. I’m not such a great person, but everyone overestimates me and entrusts me with all sorts of feelings. But, even if I feel burdened by that, the people who entrusted me with those feelings wouldn’t be happy about it. I think once you’ve done what you need to do, you should be as relaxed as possible.”
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ㅤ”You’re right. My mother wouldn’t want me to be so troubled either.”
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ㅤ”That’s right.”
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ㅤArne-san smiled.
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ㅤIt wasn’t the faint smile from before, but a cheerful smile closer to her usual self.
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ㅤ”If that’s the case, let’s continue the game from earlier. It’s really fun.”
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ㅤ”Arne-san, you’re good at it even though it’s your first time.”
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ㅤ”Maybe I have a talent for it. Minato, you’re not that good even though you’ve been playing for a while.”
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ㅤ”Uh… I’m not good at action games.”
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ㅤFor the time being, we had a lot of fun playing games with Arne-san, who seemed to have regained her spirits on the surface.
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ㅤAll that awaits us ahead is a deadly battle.
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ㅤWe have to have enough fun before that.