Chapter 1228: with translation of chapter title

「「…「Speaking of which, how come this broken place is everywhere water? Damp, icy cold, hateful, unpleasant, I don't like it」」」

「「Ke ke ke, the mighty Demigod of Schemes, who would have thought you'd actually be allergic to water, huh? 」」

「Sai Feier glared at Bartolus: "You don't know anything! Dolos folks are all multi-talented, except they're not good at swimming. If you've got the skills, race me in running—long distance, sprint, running circles, take your pick! 」」

「「Ke ke ke, why are you getting so worked up? Calm down, calm down… Who would have thought the fearless Sai Feier, the big sister, would actually be afraid of water, eh! 」」

「「The kitten hates getting water—what's not to understand? Hurry up and think of a way to get us across, otherwise I'll have to reconsider the split! 」」

「Bartolus spotted the Miracle Pearl in the distance and took off in a puff of smoke. Watching Bartolus's retreating back, Sai Feier curled the corner of her mouth into a faint smile: 」

Dolos people

「（Using your own scheme against you… I'll just play with you for a while, Bartolus）」

「On the treasure hunt, Bartolus displayed extraordinary familiarity with items like the Miracle Pearl, causing Sai Feier to look at him in a new light. But when asked about the reason, Bartolus merely let out a "Ke ke ke" laugh while trying to change the subject, saying only that he was "self-taught". 」

Ah Ren? Actually we decided on 'Aren', but we need to check: the nickname 'Aren' is used for Jiuqi Ren. Should we output 'Aren'? Let's output 'Aren'.

Huanglong Yidou

Jiuqi Ren

「「…Cough, that's not the control device of Zhages's Hand, right? 」」

Zhagesi's Hand

「「Once this thing is activated, the noise it makes can be heard clearly from several li away—truly stupid beyond belief! I don't know what…」」

Sai Feier cleared her throat: "Cough... I don't know what the Titan was thinking when it invented this, right? To keep 'trickery' from being exposed, you at least have to watch your mouth... what do you say?"

"Uh... hehehe, big sis, you're absolutely right! I'll watch my words!"

——

Original God.

"Arin, have you noticed that this thief spirit named Bartrus seems to be quite familiar with Zagreus?"

Arataki Itto seriously observed this entirely purple spirit that constantly lets out a 'hehehe' evil laugh, then he slapped his thigh and suddenly realized: 'I, the great lord, get it now! This Bartrus is definitely a follower or underling of Zagreus or something! Anyway, they're definitely on the same side!'

"……"

Kuki Shinobu sighed helplessly and habitually pressed her hand to her forehead. Seeing her boss so confident yet completely missing the point, she didn't know where to start complaining.

"Boss, is it possible… that this Bartrus is actually the Trickster Titan Zagreus himself?"

"Huh?!"

Arataki Itto widened his eyes, his gaze darting between Bartrus and Sai Feier: 'Hahaha, Arin, your joke is way too big! Zagreus died a thousand years ago, the kindled spark has already returned—how could he still be alive? And letting a Titan be a lackey to a demigod, calling her big sis… just thinking about it is impossible!'

"Boss, it's not a matter of impossibility; Bartrus himself has already let the cat out of the bag! Whether from Zagreus's hand or from those golden boots at the start… he's slipped up many times. Without a doubt, he is Zagreus himself."

"Golden boots?"

"Boss, think about it. If Bartrus had nothing to do with Zagreus, how could he know those boots weren't blessed by Zagreus? Only Zagreus himself could know that."

Kuki Shinobu looked at Bartrus's round figure, a hint of confusion in her eyes: 'Although I don't know why it's hiding its identity, Sai Feier must have already seen through its true identity, just not exposed it. However, if Zagreus isn't dead, what's the deal with the Trickster's kindled spark?'

——

"Quick quick quick, charge charge charge~"

"Two-legged thief spirits on the move~"

"Sai Feier couldn't help but laugh: '…What are you singing, all over the place? You're totally off-key, right?'"

The two of them went forward and discovered that a Heichi monster was guarding the treasure ahead.

"Look at its face—oh dear, how could something be this ugly? Tsk tsk…"

"Bartrus chimed in: 'Yeah yeah, it's really ugly… ugly enough to make even me, a little ghost without a digestive system, feel nauseous!'"

"If such an ugly guy were to scar my face, even the impartial Talandon would probably burst into tears, right?"

"Exactly, that'd be too heartbreaking! Indeed, running away is the wisest move, hehehe…"

"Sai Feier pointed a finger: 'So, how about you take the lead and bear the brunt? I'll just handle the finishing blows from the side~'"

"Exactly, exactly, running away on our feet is what befits us thieves…"

"The monster suddenly turned its head."

"... What?"

"Bartrus's whole body was jelly-like and springy, so the monster's attacks couldn't hurt it at all. And Sai Feier, who was supposed to be delivering the finishing blow, couldn't even see her movements clearly—she only felt the air beside the monster vibrate… a split second later, the monster's hulking, mountain‑sized body toppled headfirst into the Underworld River."

"Ha! Such a useless guy, knocked out in just two or three hits—what a bore.' Sai Feier glanced down at the thief spirit lying on the ground and said, 'Hey, Bartrus—are you still alive? If you are, make a sound.'"

"... Arr—no, wait, squeak!"

"Hah, look at your cowardly self—such a small scene and you can't handle it?' Sai Feier looked around and said, 'This place should be safe now, hurry up and get to work.'"

"Bartrus activated excavation mode and unearthed the treasure buried underground…"

"This time the treasure was quite ordinary—aside from some worthless daily items, all that remained was a journal about the Stikokisia refugees."