WeTried Translations x Flame Comics
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 166: The Species Discriminators (2)
──────
* * *
Ivan's time was always regimented. Whenever he had free time, unless he was on an operation or preparing for one, he spent it checking his own condition.
Appropriate caloric intake for essential activity. (He crunched through a Nutrient Bar.)
Observing the required sleep time to optimize his sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. (Three hours, extended by up to thirty-five minutes depending on his condition.)
Basic physical training to maintain muscle mass. (Completing the full routine took five hours and twenty-five minutes.)
Repeated sensory-deprivation training to assess the state of his nervous system. (He was generally doing this at all times.)
With a carefully planned timetable, he could finish all of it within half a day.
The remaining time went toward repeating the above or revising and supplementing his future guidelines.
“I'm bored just watching you.”
Edelplat Coenwulf's assessment was merciless.
“John, come now. Isn't it a lovely day?”
“Mm.”
It was true. The weather had turned sharply warmer the moment they left Tilles's skies and began flying over the Northeastern Elven Sea.
“The sky is clear, and the sea is blue! The sea is beautiful at this time of year. Look at the horizon. What do you see?”
“The horizon.”
Ivan turned back to his weapon maintenance. He carefully oiled everything, scrubbed away any trace of rust, then disassembled, reassembled, tested the mechanisms, and managed his ammunition.
Amid scenery thick with the smell of gun oil, Adel let out a deep sigh.
“Look at those children over there. So fresh and lively. Isn't that how one enjoys life?”
Following Adel's gesture, Ivan saw Oswald and Evelyn bickering. More precisely, Evelyn was bickering alone while Oswald responded reluctantly.
Evelyn had once been Oswald's fiancée. The important part was the word once. Evelyn Rustpitz, daughter of the Chairman of the Privy Council, had unilaterally broken off their engagement.
The title of the work Oswald had transmigrated into was [The Genius Mage the Villainess Is Obsessed With].
Judging by his grades in the Magic Department, he did not seem to be much of a genius. Still, what Oswald had gained as a [Transmigration Perk] was obvious.
He was an elf from a high-ranking Privy Council family.
And he had connections to the Chairman of the Privy Council.
It was an abstract privilege that could not be expressed in numbers, but it undeniably existed. As a high-ranking noble of the Allied Kingdoms' strongest nation, he could reach the center of political power.
That was why Ivan shook his head at Adel's words.
“I needed to meet the Chairman of the Privy Council on this trip to Kallion.”
“Don't tell me.”
“That's exactly it. I told Oswald to arrange a way for us to meet House Lustpitz.”
“Have you lost your humanity...?”
Adel stared blankly at Ivan, then clutched her forehead.
After taking several deep breaths, she dusted herself off and rose.
Right. He had slain one of the Seven Dragon Generals.
Fine. It seemed there really was a part of him missing.
“Draw your sword, John.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Why not? Is honing one's attainment through a contest of martial skill not the foundation of a warrior? I've rested too long myself. I fear I'm beginning to rust, so you'll have to help me.”
Warriors were those who conveyed their inner selves through martial arts. Adel had faced Ivan's blade herself and read his state of mind through it.
So it did not matter if there were things he had lost because his heart was wounded.
She only needed to hammer them back into place.
“What, are you afraid?”
“Hah.”
Ivan quietly nodded. It was not a bad idea. He needed to loosen up and clear his head.
There were too many variables in this operation. It was not enough to call it worry, but he could not say there was nothing concerning about it either.
There was no solution available now beyond shutting himself in the bow and checking his equipment. His lack of information about Kallion's internal situation was not something he could resolve at the moment.
It would be better to warm up a little instead.
Besides, fighting Adel helped. There was always something to learn from her. She was the strongest swordswoman among the elves and the Hero's swordsmanship instructor.
He also needed to organize the insights he had gained recently.
“This should make for good rehabilitation training.”
“That's the spirit.”
Facing Adel's fierce grin, Ivan took up his sword and stepped onto the deck.
* * *
When Elphihara came to the deck, she found Ivan looking like a half-dried sheet of seaweed while Adel looked utterly refreshed.
“Eek.”
Ivan was sprawled in a corner of the deck, soaked through with sweat and dried stiff by the wind. Elphihara hurried over, but Adel smiled and shook her head.
“He is gathering himself. Wait.”
“Lady Coenwulf...? What happened...?”
“Warriors converse with swords. We had a deep conversation.”
Adel chuckled. A moment later, Ivan slowly regained his posture and stood.
“You recover quickly. Just like your growth.”
“Thank you for the lesson.”
“Hm.”
Adel examined Ivan for a long while with hawk-like eyes. She brought a finger to the corner of her lips and lightly licked it.
Her golden, predatory eyes swept over the back of Ivan's sweat-soaked neck.
“???”
A chill ran down his spine. Ivan took two steps back.
Why was he detecting killing intent...?
“Just as I thought. You grow so quickly, yet you're still so young...”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. I was speaking to myself. Yes, your condition is not very good. Is it an injury from the last expedition?”
“It is healing. I should recover in two or three months.”
“How about visiting the Alchemy School?”
Adel spoke while looking at Elphihara. Elphihara's ears twitched happily at once.
“I was planning to! Is there something you need to buy too, Lady Coenwulf?”
“Mostly medicines that help with physical recovery. What about you?”
“Monkey... Um. A primate lifespan-extending elixir. I heard it helps humans too.”
“Ah.”
Adel nodded quietly. After all, they were of the same kind.
Some nobles kept small monkeys as pets. Monkeys were extremely short-lived animals, so elixirs of that sort were fairly popular.
They were somewhat effective for humans as well. Still, the effects were hardly dramatic for the price. At most, they added a few years, and even that varied by individual.
“This works out perfectly. There is an Alchemy School logistics dock at our stopover point! Why don't we dock for a while, both to restock supplies and visit?”
“The Alchemy School?”
“It is one of the Five Great Schools. Its value has soared recently! I heard it raked in money hand over fist after the war ended...”
“Of course it did. Demonfolk territory has high-quality herbs and minerals.”
Elphihara nodded at Adelplat's reply.
It was rare for Elphihara to explain something Ivan did not know. She puffed out her chest and said,
“It is called the Eshhold Magical Alchemy Consortium. It is a company that owns an entire island... Baron Ashcliff and Baron Chesterhold founded it five hundred years ago!”
“I see.”
“They are both members of the Privy Council! Didn't you say you had business with the Privy Council?”
“I did.”
Still, were they people he could simply meet because he wished to? In modern terms, they sounded like heads of corporate conglomerates, and they were elves on top of that.
At Ivan's question, Elphihara gave an obnoxiously smug little laugh. Her ears flicked excitedly.
“Who do you think I am? The legitimate daughter of House Grikenkos! Even without an appointment, there isn't anyone in this country I cannot meet except Her Majesty the Queen!”
“Mm.”
Considering Beolgreen's reputation, that made sense.
Ivan nodded without much thought. If he could get the ingredients for healing potions more cheaply while he was at it, all the better.
* * *
“I'm sorry, but the chairman is away at the moment.”
“Eek.”
“To begin with, you cannot simply dock at the pier without docking authorization, Miss Grikenkos.”
“No, wait a second.”
They were stopped at the entrance.
Ivan quietly accepted it. Of course, they were elves.
An old elf was a creature that had lived as long as a nation's history. Each one carried themselves with the authority of kings, queens, and high ministers.
The company that owned this enormous island was said to have a five-hundred-year history. To humans, that would make it an old and established enterprise. Yet the founding chairman of this company was still personally running it.
What would be the Earth equivalent? It was like the original founder who started a company in 1592 still running that same company today.
A people like that, successful elves no less, could not help but be this way. Their interactions were not matters of friendship. Even dealing with a single individual amounted to diplomacy.
“And pet... No, foreign ‘people’ may only enter after completing quarantine inspections, Miss Grikenkos. Please sign the entry permit, and...”
“Ah, enough! Enough! Forget it! I will personally lodge a complaint with the Privy Council over this!”
“Do as you please.”
Elphihara waved her hands, her face red with anger. Near the immigration office, elves whispered among themselves while hiding their noses and mouths behind fans.
Unaffected by the disgusted looks aimed at him, Ivan slowly looked around.
‘It is impressive.’
Goods moved continuously through the broad, spotless roads and piers. There were enormous cargo ships, along with all manner of merchandise.
A huge factory belching steam stood in the distance, and a castle twice as large as the factory occupied the island like part of the landscape.
All of this belonged to a single company.
Ivan nodded in admiration.
“It is no less developed than Earth.”
“Seriously.”
Oswald sighed with a sickened expression. Their party included three elves, including members of high-ranking houses, yet they had been stopped right at the pier.
Ivan, on the other hand, was lost in thought as he surveyed the crowd.
Their party included the Chairman of the Privy Council's daughter, the daughter of a Hero Party member, and the Privy Council's great warrior. No matter how arrogant elves were, they could not treat fellow elves, especially nobles of such dizzying rank, this way.
The troops near the pier were also unusual. Armed elves moved about in every direction. Ivan could sense spells trained on Elphihara as she caused a disturbance.
His senses had grown sharp enough to detect even killing intent. It was as if someone had recently stirred things up.
“I see why Krasilov could not plant spies here. Why not seek out the diplomatic envoy first...?”
“They would send us back to the homeland immediately afterward.”
“...Then what do we do?”
“We do what needs to be done.”
Ivan turned without expression and headed back toward the warship.
What needed to be done? Oswald followed him with a flustered look.
“What is that?”
“The Annihilation Unit's work.”
Really, no matter how tightly a mere company guarded itself, could it be worse than the royal residence of one of the Seven Dragon Generals?
They needed to find out what had happened here, then meet the high-ranking elf businessmen who were current members of the Privy Council.
From the moment he heard Alexander was involved, it had been obvious that Kallion was part of the next episode. If something had erupted within, they had to investigate it first.
Besides, the Annihilation Unit was a curious bunch by nature.
* * *
-Crunch.
“Your Highness. You will damage your hand.”
“No! My heart is what hurts!!”
If Ivan truly decided to disappear, Enrika was the only person in this country who could track him. And Enrika had refused the royal command.
Elizaveta could not force a royal command upon her. Enrika had never been someone subject to the nation's orders in the first place.
So after the Counterintelligence Command's broad search efforts had failed for more than ten days, Elizaveta's thumbnails had become very short.
“Dmitry!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Every one of Pavel's supposed clandestine entry routes had led nowhere. It was hard to imagine what secret entry route even Krasilov's rebels did not know about, but their opponent was Ivan.
He was the Commander of the Counterintelligence Command and the man who had personally rebuilt Pritchenkaya's counterintelligence network. There was no way he would not know its weak points.
Therefore, it was safe to assume he had already gone to Kallion.
“Go to Kallion! Take my personal seal. Enter as my envoy and find Vanka!”
“I will have him escorted back immediately.”
“No.”
Elizaveta squeezed her eyes shut, groaned for a long time, then spoke in a small, pained voice.
“Help him.”
“...Pardon?”
“The moment he entered, trouble had already begun...! What would change if you dragged him back now? Help him.... You may capture my brother, and if there is anything else he wishes to do, help him with it. And at the very least, without fail...”
Bring him back alive.
Safely.
Elizaveta said it as though praying, then bowed her head deeply.
Only after groaning for a long while did she finally raise her head.
“Please, bring Ivan back unharmed this time. Please.”
* * *
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
