Chapter 169: Even Judging by the Internet Posts, I Suspected It, but This Guy Is More Pathetic Than I Imagined.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Even Judging by the Internet Posts, I Suspected It, but This Guy Is More Pathetic Than I Imagined.
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Your role is [Vasilisa], the wife of the Third Prince.
This is a fixed role and is independent of your personal disposition.
[Vasilisa] is a character who turns into a frog due to a curse.
Break the curse and clear the Gate with a Happy Ending!
Greater rewards will be granted if you progress through the Main Story with the Third Prince [Ivan] and reach the ending!
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The Saintess stared at her reflection in the water, now a frog, and fell into thought.
‘A fixed role, huh?’
It was one of the few ways to force a role regardless of a person's natural disposition. It was extremely rare for a Gate to designate a fixed role like this. She had heard that the Gate only directly fixed roles when there was a specific 'ending it wanted to see.'
‘Is it looking for something in particular?’
Perhaps it wanted to see a Happy Ending between a Saintess and a Hero. If the Third Prince’s wife was the Saintess, then the Third Prince was undoubtedly meant to be the Hero.
"Well... I have no intention of showing you that kind of ending. Cure."
[Cure activated! All curses affecting the body are dispelled!]
Like an old nursery rhyme, her front legs stretched out, then her back legs followed, and her frog-like appearance began to vanish. Even a curse cast directly by an S-Class Gate was meaningless before the Saintess. This wasn't her first or second time entering such a high-grade Gate; she was a professional among professionals.
"Eek! Why am I naked?!"
As soon as the curse was lifted, the Saintess was horrified by her reflection in the water. What kind of situation was the Gate hoping for that her human form would be completely naked? She had almost shown herself like this to the Hero.
Just as the Saintess hurriedly looked around for something to cover herself with—
Gate messages flooded her vision.
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[Vasilisa], the wife of the Third Prince, has broken the curse and reached the end%@!%_*
It has been determined that the method used to lift the curse was not the solution within the Classic Masterpiece 「Frog Princess」.
The role of [Vasilisa], the wife of the Third Prince, is hereby revoked.
Due to the revocation of your role, you cannot directly intervene in this Gate.
However, a single instance of direct participation will be permitted when the ending is near or at the moment the ending can be achieved.
Searching for a replacement.
Searching for a role...
Priority is set to individuals with a high relationship level with Kim Min-su, who plays the role of the Third Prince [Ivan].
All individuals currently inside the Gate with a high relationship level with Kim Min-su have already been assigned roles.
Expanding search range.
Searching outside the Gate...
A passage forcibly connected to another Gate from the outside has been discovered.
Searching within the C-Class Gate [Troll Kingdom]...
!
A creature with the highest relationship level with Kim Min-su has been discovered in the [Troll Kingdom].
The compatibility between the Troll King [Who's Amanda] and the Third Prince's wife [Vasilisa] is over 70%.
Confirmed to be higher than the Saintess.
The role of [Vasilisa], the wife of the Third Prince, is fixed to the Troll King [Who's Amanda].
Determined that a monster from a C-Class Gate may die if it enters an S-Class Gate.
Upgrading [Who's Amanda]’s level to S-Class.
All preparations are complete.
Summoning!
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Boom!
The moment she finished reading the messages, it was as if a meteor had fallen from the sky. A massive whirlwind of dust swept through the area, announcing a singular presence.
"Wh... where is this! Oh... oh, what is this...! My body is getting smaller, I say...!"
It was the Troll King, Who's Amanda.
Despite the impressive dust storm she had just kicked up, her body was rapidly shrinking. The Saintess assessed the situation in an instant.
"This isn't our first time meeting, right? Things are urgent, so I'll talk fast."
"Huhu, you can speak slowly. The Troll King is a troll who knows how to wait, I say."
"Well, first... you're turning into a frog."
"What? A frog? No! I have so much to do, I say...!"
The troll was horrified, and the Saintess, looking like she expected that reaction, nodded and continued calmly.
"It's not permanent, just temporary, so don't worry. Once you become a frog..."
The Saintess explained everything in detail—from how to handle being a frog to the method of returning to normal. She even reassured her, saying she would stay by her side and help if there was anything she didn't know.
"And even if you become a frog, you'll probably still be able to speak... but don't say a word. Just go 'ribbit ribbit.'"
You know what a frog sounds like, right?
At the Saintess's words, Who's Amanda simply nodded while looking down at her body, which was gradually transforming into a frog. Having parts of her body turn into a frog with a pop! pop! was quite a novel experience.
‘This human knows how to do a lot of things, I say.’
From recording her own voice to set up an auto-response function for every time she croaked, to the ability to hide her presence perfectly—all of it was new to her.
‘I especially like the auto-response lines, I say.’
The lines were: "I'll do that," "Of course," and "Who else would it be but me?" To think there were two response messages that could be used in almost any situation. The Troll King looked at the Saintess with eyes that said she had learned something valuable.
"I'll help you when the curse is ready to be lifted, so don't worry about a thing. I can help you with most things through telepathy, so don't panic, okay?"
"Understood. I'll trust you, I say."
Pop!
As soon as she answered, the Troll King turned into a frog. As if on cue, an arrow immediately flew through the air and landed near the marsh.
‘Now, shall I watch?’
It was a shame she didn't have popcorn, but it couldn't be helped. From that moment on, the Saintess watched Kim Min-su strictly from the perspective of an observer. It was so hard to hold back her laughter when he didn't suspect the frog sitting on his arrow and instead tucked it preciousy into his shirt.
‘Just seeing him in those prince clothes is hilarious.’
A fairy tale protagonist who was dressed most extravagantly but looked grotesque because the clothes didn't suit him at all.
"I... I know the story, so I'll have you freed in no time, Saintess."
There were moments when she was so shocked by his words that she had to hurriedly cover her mouth. If he knew the plot, shouldn't the normal thing be to discuss it with his comrades immediately? No matter how much of a concept-type Gate it was, an S-Class was still an S-Class. His life could be at risk, yet he was trying to monopolize that information.
Even judging by the internet posts, she had suspected it, but this guy was more pathetic than she had imagined. Pathetic? No, that would at least be cute. This was more like—
‘No, let’s not judge too hastily.’
You never know with people.
"Saintess, I will definitely... free you from this curse. The others... no, I couldn't bring myself to tell my comrades... but anyway, this feels like a story I have to solve with my own strength."
Ribbit, ribbit.
—I'll do that.
Ah, he's just an idiot.
It was painfully obvious that he lacked experience in clearing Gates. In a situation like this, the priority should be sharing all information to clear it as quickly as possible.
‘Well, I can teach him those things later.’
As long as his thoughts weren't wicked, it was fine. She decided not to worry too much, as she could always fill in what he lacked.
‘Baek Tae-yang is definitely... something else.’
The Saintess put all her effort into viewing the entire situation with absolute objectivity. When Baek Tae-yang began carving out a sub-story with his own strength in a Gate he had entered for the first time, she was honestly quite surprised.
‘This is just a first-year cadet?’
Based on his actions alone, he seemed like a 1st-Grade Hunter with ten years of experience.
‘I’m learning a lot through this opportunity.’
If the joint training had proceeded normally, she probably wouldn't have noticed a single one of Baek Tae-yang's true qualities. If he showed this much composure even in an S-Class Gate, what could she have possibly grasped in a C-Class Gate? It would have been absolutely impossible.
‘How did those two get into the Gate?’
That was the question that arose the moment she saw Scrawny and the Black Gyaru. This was no ordinary Gate. If it were a normally opened S-Class Gate, they might have come through an illegal route, but wasn't this a truly unique case where they were transported from one Gate to another?
‘...There's definitely something I don't know.’
When she heard the news that Baelson was injured, she clenched her teeth and endured. All she could do was visit Baelson every day to treat him. It was frustrating, but there was no other way.
The Saintess waited and waited. She waited for the moment to bring the story to its perfect end and clear the Gate. Perhaps she was being rewarded for that patience.
Ribbit, ribbit.
‘Thank you. Just endure a little longer.’
On the day the King summoned the wives for a banquet, the Saintess had an intuition.
‘Today is the day the frog's curse is lifted.’
Thunder rolled, a carriage appeared, and the frog stepped down. And finally, the long-awaited moment arrived.
"Wh... who are you?!"
Kim Min-su gasped in horror.
"Aaaaah! A monster! It's a monster!"
"Everyone, calm down! Protect the Princess and the Queen first!"
The royal palace trembled in fear.
"....?"
While the Second Prince watched warily—
"I can explain everything."
The Saintess revealed herself.