Spectre of the Sinner - Zetro Translation

POV: An Nguyễn, 2239 UTC + 09:30, Vest Schëld, Mellanphalia Kingdom

“Huh, so the next commander of this fort will be decided in an election next week, and the front runner is gonna be a [Joost von Breitenbach], huh” I ruminated through the contents of the conversation that unfolded at the [von Wagner’s] residence as I entered my room.

Aside from the appointment of the new commander, the strawberry-blonde knight also extended her invitation to attend the funeral for her fellow deceased knights, which her half-sister was very insistent on me joining the service. Of course, as much as I tried to refuse the request, in the end, I folded like a damn piece of wet paper. Maybe I was a damn Japanese protagonist after all, who couldn’t resist a lady’s favor. Anyway, I digress. The good news was that I got permission to peruse the library, and while I could only access a portion of it, nonetheless, being able to access some information about [Evrylandia] in the intervening years was my biggest harvest so far.

After taking off the dark olive-green service dress uniform, I unintentionally glanced at the single bed. A desire to jump straight into it to enjoy one of the many wonders of civilization after over 3 months of using the earth for a night’s sleep and forget the task at hand, yet I forcibly hauled my arse into the bathroom and rinsed myself briefly.

“And to think that my guys are now finally woken from their slumber,” a tired grumble got flushed down the drain as I grabbed the towel to dry myself, “I’m sorry guys, I also get swamped with work in the isekai world as well. You guys are on your own, so good luck to you.”

While I put on the exoskeleton combat suit, I pondered between the choices of two primary firearms: the venerable [Skorpion], or the powerful [Veresk].

“Nah, better safe than sorry,” I picked the PDW over the 380 ACP submachine gun, “I’d be fucking dead man walking in no time if I keep on clinging to that stereotype.”

After being satisfied with my choice, I proceeded to consult my inventory checklist. The interactive holographic display faintly glowed in the darkened room, showing the list was slowly filled with ticks.

“Good thing that I took time to go around and loot the abandoned hideouts of the [Shadow Guild],” I let out a mutter as I caressed a couple of rusty cross-shaped pendants, “I hope that my efforts won’t be wasted. Then again, let’s hope that the descendants of that son of a bitch are still alive and kicking around here.”

“And yeah, almost fucking forgot about this guy,” I looked at a mail envelope sitting on the table and reached out to have it tucked in one of my many pouches.

With the final item on the list checked, a realization dawned on my mind as I prepared to open the window.

“Ah, shit, to think that I fucking forgot to buy an encompassing mantle. And I’m not in any fucking mood to use the camouflage mode either… Ugh, fucking fine, this me will have to take a mental note.”

Letting my grievances disappear into the air, I activated the camouflage mode before opening the window and leaped down the street, not forgetting to close it beforehand. It would be an embarrassing story if I got my belongings stolen due to my recklessness, after all.

Because the inn was located in a relatively posh area of the city, the streets looked quite deserted, save for the occasional clink of a lone horse-drawn carriage. Lampposts lined either side of the roads dimly flickered their lonely-looking yellowish light as if reminding the pedestrians to hurry to their nests. The façades of the residential buildings and mansions of the new rich were illuminated by such lightning, highlighting their jumbled and disorganized sense of aesthetics, which would earn eternal scorn and harsh criticisms from urban planning enthusiasts.

And yet, I wasn’t merely strolling around to relive the reviled feelings that I had been desperately suppressing since I arrived in this town this afternoon. I may want my partner to be occasionally a bit rough with me to spice up things, yet I’m not that kind of hardcore masochist who’s on the quest to discover the utmost limit of what he can suffer.

Quicken my steps toward the settlement’s shanty town, which was situated in the southwest corner for the most part, soon what greeted me was the all too familiar sight that characterized the downtrodden.