WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 27: A Night of Counting Stars (1)

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There was a saying that when something strange happened in world history, blaming Britain was usually a safe bet.

Kim Seonwoo had studied internet memes more diligently than world history, so he did not know the exact reason behind it, but he knew the meme itself.

From Ivan's perspective, he knew that a similar meme was widespread even in this premodern world.

When something strange happened in world history, blame the elves.

Elves were a race full of superiority complexes, arrogant, prideful, and convinced that racism was common sense.

The only reason they had joined the Allied Kingdoms was that, to them, demonfolk were even more disgusting than humans. The dwarves, unfortunately, were a race without prejudice, so they had sided with the demonfolk.

“There is an academic theory that humans may be evolved monkeys. In most respects, you are not terribly different from monkeys, but humans at least display the faintest traces of intelligence. Do not take it too negatively. It is praise.”

“Humans talk back? Oh dear. What is the world coming to...?”

“Magic...? You are giving far too grand a name to playing with dirt using mana. Human, is your race not far too young to wield magic?”

Those were words Beolgreen, who had been considered one of the most decent elves, had personally said to Ivan.

Ivan still remembered that moment clearly.

Every member of the Hero Party was insane, but Beolgreen had been an especially high-quality lunatic.

More surprisingly, Beolgreen had not meant any harm.

In other words, from Beolgreen’s perspective, those had simply been natural opinions.

Even now, when the war against the demonfolk had devastated their already small population and they had reached the point where opening their borders was necessary to preserve their nation, elves were fundamentally rotten people.

“A service club?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“Mm.”

“Why?”

The Saintess and the thief from the Hero Party, now the Theology Department head and a full professor in the Knight Department, had approved it.

Even the Magic Department head had approved it. It was not mandatory, but Ivan could at least have persuaded the elf to spare some time out of respect for them.

Instead, Ivan stroked the handle of his axe and considered the matter. After all, even the Demon King had recognized the historical truth that killing an elf was quicker than persuading one.

“Big bro, I’ll handle it!”

At that moment, a young man beside Ivan sprang to his feet and shouted.

This was the story of how Ivan suddenly gained a younger brother.

ep. 8. A Night of Counting Stars

“I’m Korean. Ah, I hope you’re Korean too, sir. People from the same hometown are nice, right? Sir? Is there any reason for us to get angry at each other? Did you know the Bible says there’s no problem in the world that can’t be solved through words?”

The transmigrator Ivan had kidnapped from the Theology Department courtyard started spouting nonsense the moment he regained consciousness.

Ivan was somewhat taken aback. The boy had revealed his identity far too easily, but he was also far more shameless than expected.

“Your name is Ivan Petrovich, right, sir? Ah, even the name sounds cool. Yevgeny, how does that sound? It’s hard to pronounce and annoying to remember from a Korean perspective. I mean, the only thing I know about Russia is Stalin, so why did I suddenly get dropped into a world like this? Ah, you’re from after Stalin’s time, right? The Soviet Union collapsed, you know.”

The boy poured out things Ivan had not even asked about in an instant.

Ivan listened to Eugene’s long-winded speech while rubbing his chin, then suddenly stopped.

“How did you know I was Korean?”

“You were guessing about a Status Window, right? The concept of a Status Window only really comes up in Northeast Asia. Having character sheets show up in a novel’s narration is mostly a Korean web novel or Japanese light novel thing! It’s still a somewhat unfamiliar concept elsewhere, even if it has started appearing little by little these days...”

“And?”

“Koreans and English speakers are about the only ones who pronounce ‘Eugene’ as ‘Yujin.’ Korea was the only overlap with the Status Window clue, so I took a shot! Hehe.”

All three Northeast Asian countries belonged to the Sinosphere, but they read Chinese characters differently. That meant the same characters could be pronounced differently.

Japanese used long vowels, and Chinese used tones. Pronouncing Yujin in short, separate syllables made it a Korean name.

That was the deduction he had made while being dragged here. Was it Survival Instinct, or had the Status Window helped him?

Even taking those things into account...

‘This guy is more capable than I expected...?’

Ivan nodded.

“So you can see a Status Window?”

“Yes, of course! Can you see one too, sir? Ah, when it first popped up right in front of my eyes, I thought I’d finally made it in life! But it doesn’t give me anything, and I don’t get anything out of it. It suddenly gives me quests, then cancels them. This isn’t a Status Window, it’s a shit Window. Is yours like that too?”

“I do not have one.”

“Oh, my God. I envy you, sir! You might not believe this, but in the four years I’ve been here, the Status Window hasn’t helped me even once! Whenever I try to do anything, it just goes, warning! Warning!”

Eugene was not only capable. He was also extremely talkative.

“Ah, right. How many years have you lived here, sir?”

“Thirty years.”

“Oh...”

At Ivan’s answer, Eugene clicked his tongue and fell silent.

Thirty years without a Status Window...? No, that would even be before the demonfolk war...

“What year was it when you came over from Korea?”

“It was 2021.”

“Oh! Mine was 2022! My God, one year apart back home became thirty years apart here? Then since I’ve been here for four years... barely a few months must’ve passed there!”

“It is difficult to think of it that way.”

Among the stories the Saintess had told him about transmigrators from the distant past were things that could only have been modern artifacts.

There was no reason to assume time on Earth and in this world moved in proportion. Someone from a later era might have transmigrated before him into this world.

Was there some sort of standard? What conditions did transmigration require?

“Ah, sir, what did you do before you came here? I was wondering if there might’ve been some common trait between us.”

“I was a university student.”

“Oh, I was an office worker. Then that makes me your big bro! Want to call me big bro?”

“...??”

Ivan shut his mouth and looked at the lunatic in front of him.

Eugene, who had been energetically chattering away, flinched when he felt Ivan’s gaze. He hurriedly continued.

“B-but age isn’t important, right? Going by the years you’ve lived, you’re over fifty by now... right? Twenty years on Earth and thirty here...”

“...?”

Ivan thought about it for a moment.

For one thing, he had never thought deeply about his own age.

Still, that sounded a little like Eugene was making fun of him.

“S-so! Um! May I call you big bro?”

Fuck.

Eugene cursed his own mouth and sighed at the awkward silence.

Why had he said something like that? Had he lost his mind?

Ivan watched Eugene and thought:

This guy was kind of interesting.

He had enough talent with the sword to use Line-of-Fire Detection, was taking the regular Theology Department curriculum, had a Status Window, and was good with words...?

He could be useful. At least more useful than Dmitry.

“Ah... If not, it can’t be helped! Instead of big bro, shall we stick with sir? If that’s more comfortable for you...”

“I do not mind.”

“...Yes, big bro!”

Ivan nodded as he watched Eugene grin fawningly.

“Let’s do a job together.”

At that point, Ivan had analyzed the profiles of every enrolled student at Saint Yansk University.

There were three people suspected of being transmigrators. Eugene, Yuri, and an elf named Oswald.

Eugene might be the only transmigrator, while the others could simply be ordinary residents of this world who had been unlucky enough to land on the suspect list.

Still, certainty was always better. Since the Saintess had approved it, there was no room for trouble.

If he gathered every possible transmigrator, sorted them out, and analyzed what they had in common...

‘What my story is. What story remains in this world.’

There might at least be some shared point from which he could draw conclusions.

The conditions for transmigration, what transmigrators had in common, and whether an ending existed.

An experiment needed a broad comparison group to produce meaningful results.

“Yes, big bro! Leave it to me!!”

* * *

Isabelle, Yuri, and Aesidis had always eaten together since the semester began.

It was the result of several overlapping interests.

First, Isabelle. She instinctively paid attention to the gazes around her. It was a skill she had acquired through years of palace life. She could recognize other people’s insincerity.

Everyone knew she was the Hero’s daughter, so anyone who approached her could not help but be aware of her background. That was one of the things Isabelle hated most, so she had become a voluntary outcast.

Aesidis was a little different. As she had once recalled, she attended university with her uncle.

Art students were far too delicate and sensitive to eagerly build friendships with Aesidis while her muscular uncle shadowed her closely, so she had become an unintended outcast.

There was even less to say about Yuri. She was an orphan, and no matter how much things had improved, most people who could afford university admission fees were naturally nobles.

A war orphan whose abilities surpassed those nobles by far.

Her very existence scratched at the nobles’ pride. So she too became an outcast.

As the three lonely girls comforted one another’s wounds and wrote their own high school drama together...

“Ah! Mister!”

Isabelle put down her sandwich and happily waved toward somewhere.

Yuri, who had been chewing her sandwich beside her, turned her head. Then she dropped it with a thud.

A gardener with a towel around his neck was walking straight toward her.

‘An NTR playboy got added...?!’

With a young nobleman beside him, grinning fawningly like a courtier.

Footnotes:

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