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Over the Infinite Chapter 19 Part 2

 

It might be best to talk about the issues we’re currently facing. If he’s looking for a team, he probably wants to win in the rookie match too.

「A troubling situation, you say? …What is it? 」

「Actually, if you team up with us, our opponent in the rookie match will be decided.」

「? Does that mean you’ve already been challenged? I haven’t heard of such a thing before. 」

「There are some circumstances. And the opponent, let me tell you, is not a joking matter. If you were thinking of teaming up just because you want to win, I wouldn’t recommend it. 」

「…Who is the opponent, may I ask? 」

「Sarges, I assume you’re familiar with Arshelia Growentina of the (Meteor Knights) clan? 」

Sarges’ previously calm eyes widened at the sound of that name.

「Well, that’s quite an intense opponent. Do you two have confidence in defeating her? 」

「To be honest, no. But we have to win. Even if we can’t, we need to push her to the limit. That’s the situation. So, teaming up half-heartedly will probably make things difficult. We have to strategize and find a way to win. 」

「Most likely, we’ll be holed up in the dungeon until the last possible moment before the Rookie Match starts. …Is that alright with you? 」

「…… 」

Sarges pondered over our words.

Is it really that difficult? Finding someone better than him at this point would be challenging.

If it won’t work here, then we should probably think about taking on the challenge with just Yuki and me.

「So, is it impossible after all? 」

「…No, to be honest, I underestimated you two. I’m even more inclined to join your team now. 」

Listening to this, would he really commit further?

「Do you have some kind of motive? To be honest, it doesn’t seem worth it. 」

「There’s nothing like that. …Due to certain circumstances, I need to progress through the Infinite Corridor. But doing it alone is out of the question. So, I need competent teammates. If you find me useful during the Rookie Match, I’d like to continue challenging the Infinite Corridor together as a fixed party. 」

His motives seem fine, and I still don’t see any issues with him.

「You could easily find teammates, couldn’t you? 」

「That’s not the case. I have attempted to form a fixed party multiple times before, but each time, I was rejected and the party disbanded. 」

So, there is a problem after all.

「Um, could you tell us why you were rejected in the past? 」

「Yes, I think it had a significant impact because it became apparent during exploration and combat. I wanted to tell you both upfront. …I am actually a masochist. 」

Did my ears just malfunction?

「I-I’m sorry, could you repeat that? My ears have been weird lately. Maybe they’re broken. 」

If you heard the same words as I did, I don’t think they’re broken.

「As embarrassing as it is to say multiple times, I am a masochist. Quite an extreme one, actually. 」

「I apologize, but we might be misunderstanding this ‘masochist’ term. …Can you explain what it means? 」

It might have a different meaning from what we know. Or at least, I want to believe that.

「’M’ stands for masochist, which refers to a particular sexual predilection for feeling physical or mental pain. The ‘extreme’ part signifies that my tendencies are even stronger than that of an average masochist… In other words, I’m a pervert who finds joy in feeling physical and mental pain. 」

[1. TL Note: Before this line of dialogue, they were referring to the term only as “M”, which is a common way to abbreviate “masochist” in Japanese.]

I’m starting to get a headache.

「Yuki, can I go home now? 」

「You can’t! Don’t leave me alone! 」

Well, it was more than I’d imagined. I never thought someone would come out and say something like that so brazenly.

「Um, well, you know, everyone has their own fetishes, and that’s fine.」

「Thank you. No one really understands my particular preferences, you see. 」

「Come on, masochists are pretty common, aren’t they?」

「Exactly. I thought you, Tsuna-san, would understand. 」

Why, though?

「Seeing you get beaten down but still stand up and keep fighting the enemy really moved me. I didn’t think I’d find a kindred spirit in a place like this. 」

「Ah, is, is that so?」

「Wait, hold on! That’s not it! Why am I getting lumped in as a masochist too?!」

I mean, sure, maybe it’d be hard to endure unless you were a masochist. But it’s not like it gets me sexually excited or anything.

「Ah, so you’re not? 」

Why is he making a face like he’s been betrayed?

「I said no, you idiot! I don’t have any weird fetishes like that! 」

「On the message board it said you were going to select the ‘SM service’ option at Milk Pudding.」

「That’s completely baseless! 」

What the hell is that? I’ve never even seen an option like that!

「You’re kidding… 」

Why is he looking so downcast? I’m the one who should be upset here.

「So, would being a masochist get you kicked out of a party? Unless the other members are extreme clean freaks or something… 」

「No, it’s not that. I just took things too far. They weren’t in the wrong. 」

What level of masochist is this guy?

「Uh, could I hear the full story? There might be some room for consideration if it’s just masochism. 」

「Thank you very much. This will take a bit of time… 」

What should I do? I just want to go home.

「Do either of you have memories of your past lives? 」

「Yes, both of us remember our previous lives in the same world. 」

「In that case, this should be quick. I also remember my past life. The world I was from was far less developed than this city… Most of it was similar to a country outside of these walls. 」

「Is that like your typical medieval setting? 」

「Medieval? I’m not sure what that means, but the country I lived in was a monarchy. The nobles were in power, and the common people were treated much like slaves. 」

That somehow feels relatable. Even though I’m definitely not a masochist.

「In that world, a few people in power would torment those without it. Those without power had no choice but to comply. They had barely enough to eat, no entertainment, and obtaining knowledge was forbidden. It was a life of ceaseless labor. I was born in such a world, in one of the countries with the strictest caste system. Even neighboring countries thought our government was excessively oppressive. 」

「If you knew all that, it means you had some education at least. 」

「Yes. In that country, I grew up, and eventually founded a resistance group to free the people from the oppression. 」

Wow, sounds like a pretty cool life. Was he some kind of hero in his past life?

From the regime’s perspective, I’d just be a terrorist, but if the regime is that bad, then to the people, he was probably a hero.

「The work was extremely difficult. This is originally a country with weak civilian power. The gap between the royalty and nobles was clear. But even if our privileges were taken away, even if we were subjugated as a vassal state, it was still far better than the current regime, so we sought help from other countries. 」

In reality, it’s not something to be praised, but what else could be done? If internal efforts are not enough, then you have no choice but to bring in power from the outside.

「It was a long and painful struggle. To overthrow the monarchy, we desperately curried favor with other countries, weakened the power of the nobles, and laid groundwork to make future generations’ lives easier. Before I knew it, I had grown old. 」

So, you’ve been fighting for that long… for decades?

「The battle ended in our victory. In the end, I neither married nor had children, and I simply ended my life in loneliness. 」

Uh, that’s it?

「Well, if it ends there, it’s just a good story. 」

「The real point comes after the revolution was established. The country fell into chaos as expected. Other countries started eyeing our land as well. 」

Well, that’s to be expected. Managing a revolution is more challenging after its success.

「While life was better than before, it was still hard. People started seeking a scapegoat. They needed someone to blame, a vent for their frustrations. …That became me, the leader of the Resistance. 」

「…… 」

It’s inevitable. Even if things get better, there will be chaos, and the one who has to take responsibility is the one who started it. I can see it coming.

「I was publicly executed in front of the masses. 」

「You don’t mean… by guillotine, do you? 」

If that’s the case, it’s like the French Revolution. I’ve heard that a guillotine is a rather merciful execution method because death is instant. In this situation, it would be more like…

「No, it wasn’t a guillotine, which is a device for beheading. My public execution was a drawn-out torture session, using every kind of torture available at the time, stretched out to last a week so that I wouldn’t die. 」

「…… 」

It’s the worst.