WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 217: Normalization (2)
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I'd welcomed all sorts of animals into my home by now.
A baby Owlbear, an absurdly strong Sloth, a gorilla that used martial arts, a giraffe that served as a horse, a hatchling, a thug deer, and so on.
At least they were living creatures that ate, slept, and shit, so I could accept them.
But a statue was another matter. Something that didn't even seem alive was acting like a living thing.
Could you believe it if it even talked? People would think you were crazy.
“Sit.”
Swish!
“Stand.”
Swish, swish!
“Turn around. Face forward. Attention.”
Swish! Swish, swish! Swish!
Yet the statue in front of me was acting like a living creature, no, like a person.
It even understood and obeyed my commands. Could it really be something made of stone?
“What exactly are you?”
[Cain.]
“I mean what are you, not your name.”
[Aris#% #%^]
It seemed to be saying that it was Aris's knight. That was nowhere near the answer I wanted.
I dragged a hand down my face, completely at a loss.
Things were already complicated enough, and now even a statue was alive.
‘Would it be easier if I thought of it as a robot with its consciousness transferred into it?’
This was a fantasy world. Maybe statues filled the role of robots here.
I decided to leave that aside and eat first. It was better to untangle complicated things later.
“For now, go back over there. You don't need food or anything, right?”
The statue nodded. Thankfully, it didn't look like I had another mouth to feed.
With a sigh, I headed outside. Ludwig was diligently chopping firewood.
What would he think once he realized that a statue was moving around like a living creature?
I found out right after dinner.
[# Cain! Aris# ##$ $%##! ##$?]
“......”
He rubbed his eyes again and again, trying to tell whether this was a dream or reality.
He even cleaned out his ears while he was at it. He clearly couldn't believe what he was seeing.
I'd reacted the same way, so Ludwig must have been even more stunned.
Even for the Forest of Four Seasons, this was enough to shatter common sense.
“#%...... #%%$%?”
[#%$! #%%#! %$#%%^]
They were speaking in the language of El Dorado, so I had no idea what they were saying.
Still, judging by the tone, Ludwig seemed to be confirming whether this was really Cain.
Cain thumped his chest and seemed to answer that it was. That was only my guess, though.
“Oh, Aris...!”
[Aris!]
The conversation ended with both of them worshipping Aris.
They had both been holy knights, so their faith in Aris must have run deep.
For Ludwig, this was like meeting a distant ancestor, and a hero at that.
‘It's basically like talking to Admiral Yi Sun-sin.’
I didn't know what great deeds Cain had accomplished, but it was probably something similar.
He was called the very first holy knight, after all. His achievements must have been impressive.
Anyway, it was time to move past that and ask what I wanted to know about the statue.
Why had he been trapped inside a Mimic? Why was he in the Forest of Four Seasons? I had a mountain of questions.
‘The problem is that I don't know the language of El Dorado.’
I wanted to ask Ludwig to interpret, but his Korean was still far from good enough.
For now, it would be better to ask the Gallery.
I planned to ask the Head Mod instead of posting about it openly.
[Greetings!]
“......?”
That was until the statue greeted me with great pomp.
I could only blink at the Korean ringing clearly in my ears.
His way of speaking was completely different from the Korean Kkobong used. What was going on here?
“Uh...? You can talk...?”
[Hm! Now we can finally communicate!]
Cain spoke in a strong voice while I stood there flustered.
His voice did not resonate from vocal cords, and it carried a faint mechanical quality.
[I have a translation function! It simply wasn't working for a while because I had only just awakened!]
“......”
[Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Cain, Lady Aris's first holy knight! May I ask your name?]
“Park Jong-hyeok.”
[I'll call you Bark, then!]
“......Just call me Grylls.”
What kind of person just did whatever he pleased like that?
“But even if you have a translation function, how are you speaking?”
[I don't know! I simply know how!]
“......”
[Don't look at me like that. I listened closely while you were talking, and I'm speaking based on that.]
I nodded. I didn't really understand, but it was enough that we could communicate easily from now on.
He could even interpret between Ludwig and me in the future. That was definitely useful.
“I have a lot to ask, but are you really Cain? Aris's first holy knight?”
[There is not a shred of doubt that I am.]
“Not just a hunk of stone pretending to be him?”
It might have been a very rude question. Still, it was something I needed to clarify.
If I were alone, it would be one thing, but Ludwig saw Cain as a hero.
It could cause needless confusion, so I needed to draw a clear line.
[I can understand why you would think that. But Grylls, have you heard of the Ship of Theseus?]
“......How do you know that? Who told you?”
[The goddess Aris taught me the concept. Of course, I do not know who Theseus was.]
The Da Vinci Bridge, cement, and now this. Things like this occasionally popped up.
Theseus was even a hero from Greek and Roman mythology.
Was this world really completely unrelated to Earth?
Just as that suspicion began to deepen, Cain spoke in a strong voice.
[Even if you replace a ship's components little by little, its identity does not change. But if the repaired components eventually outnumber the original ones, what is that ship's identity? That is the concept.]
“You're pretty smart.”
[Thank you for the compliment. In any case, I too am made according to that concept. So give up on digging too deeply into it.]
“......Isn't that exactly the kind of thing we should dig deeply into?”
[It gives me a headache. And it's bothersome.]
“......”
What kind of simple-minded person was this? He was far from noble.
[But the fact that I am Lady Aris's holy knight remains unchanged. Is that not enough?]
Or perhaps he was truly noble enough not to concern himself with such things. I found that hard to understand.
Most people, including me, would worry about their identity in that situation. Yet Cain didn't seem to have a single doubt.
Though seeing him plant his hands on his hips and say it so proudly took some of the weight out of it.
The solemnity I'd felt from the Gallery video was nowhere to be found.
“You're completely different from how you were in El Dorado. Not just in size, but even the way you talk.”
So I asked him directly. Where had all that dignity gone?
Cain's answer was incredible in several ways.
[Well, of course I had to show my descendants a cool side of myself. You would understand if you were me.]
“......”
That was the kind of answer that left me with nothing to say.
I could relate to it a little, too.
Either way, I couldn't deny that this statue's identity was Cain, more specifically, the first holy knight.
That left the question of why Cain's body had shrunk. I still had plenty to ask.
“Why do you grow larger outside but shrink here?”
[It is because mana is pressing in from every direction. It is difficult to use my strength at all.]
“How long have you been in the Forest of Four Seasons?”
[I do not know.]
“What do you know, then?”
[That the inside of a Mimic is surprisingly warm and cozy?]
He was completely useless. I gave Cain a dry look.
How a lump of stone could even feel things was beyond me.
[Do not look at me like that. My memories are mixed up, so I am confused as well.]
“Your memories are mixed up? Is it because the Mimic ate you?”
[That is likely. I was eaten for so long that I gave up trying to think.]
“......”
[My memories will return little by little, so wait a bit. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will be useful to you.]
“Excuse me, but you don't need food, right?”
Everything else was fine as long as he didn't eat me out of house and home. Thankfully, he didn't need food.
Apparently, ambient mana was enough for him.
The pressure kept him from using his strength, but he could still absorb mana without a problem.
[Though this body is paltry at present, if you ask for help, I will always answer your call. The fact that I owe you a debt will not change.]
“Well... hearing you say that does make me feel good. You'll fly off again someday, right?”
[If the owner of the holy sword calls me, I suppose I will. I heard that the owner of the holy sword is that fellow's disciple.]
Cain pointed at Ludwig. Ludwig was quietly listening to our conversation.
I wasn't sure whether he understood it.
[It was not a pleasant sight. How could glorious El Dorado have become... Hoo.]
Cain shook his head and sighed. I understood how he felt.
Cain had appeared just before the Hero was struck by an arrow, after all.
Still, things had ended well. All that remained was for El Dorado to regain its former glory.
“It's good that it was resolved. There probably won't be much reason to call you from now on, either.”
[Hm. That is somewhat disappointing.]
“Why?”
Wouldn't it be better if there was no reason to call him?
Someone once said that a society without heroes wasn't unhappy. A society that needed heroes was unhappy.
El Dorado had already proved that. Wouldn't it be better if there were no need to call him?
[The Hero was very beautiful.]
“......”
[Not as beautiful as Lady Aris, but she was still a rare beauty.]
I couldn't tell whether he was simply honest or just frivolous. I let out a deep sigh.
Either way, the statue had joined our group. We'd have to see what kind of help he could provide.
‘Will spring come in two or three days?’
Spring had come to El Dorado. I hoped it would come here too.
Maybe because I'd prepared in advance, this winter seemed like it would end early.
Though the statue had unintentionally given me more work to do.
I was just getting ready for bed when it happened.
[You evil dragon! Come at me!]
“Screee!”
Cain and Tyrano, who had somehow become friends, started play-fighting.
Of course, the difference in size was so huge that Tyrano was basically humoring him.
Cain didn't seem to mind. He looked like he was having fun.
[Uryaaaaaah!]
Cain charged at Tyrano with movements that were stiff yet strangely nimble.
Going by proportions alone, it looked like a knight charging at a massive dragon.
‘Should I give him a sword later?’
Cain said he had only used a shield his entire life. He was still wearing one now.
He ran forward with the shield held high, probably intending to slam it down on Tyrano. From now on, I'd call him Captain El Dorado.
“Screee!”
Tap!
Even his physical specs were Super Soldier-level.
Meaning that in front of actual monsters instead of humans, he was helpless.
[Uaaaaaah.]
Tyrano lightly swatted him with a forepaw, sending Cain flying into the distance. Even hitting the wall didn't seem to bother him much.
He really was pitiful. It was hard to believe that was truly El Dorado's legendary hero.
“Mister.”
“......”
“Mister, what are you thinking when you see that?”
I subtly asked Ludwig, who was watching with me.
Ludwig didn't answer at all.
Maybe he was shocked. Or maybe he'd realized what kind of person Cain was.
[As expected of a dragon! You are comparable to the ones I fought!]
“Screee!”
[But I, Cain, the first holy knight, will never yield!]
They were having a great time.
Tyrano was enjoying it, so I didn't stop them.
‘But why does he keep speaking Korean?’
He said he had a translation function, so perhaps everyone heard something different.
I told Tyrano and Cain that it was time to sleep, so they should stop.
They both looked disappointed. Cain's social skills really were incredible.
[What a shame. We shall settle this next time.]
“Screee.”
I could only laugh.
The next morning came.
[What is this?]
“What do you think?”
I handed him a hand trowel I'd bought from the Gallery.
“Go shovel some snow.”
[......]
There was a pile of snow that had built up overnight, and I needed to clear it.
Cain looked dumbfounded for a moment, then obediently did as I said.
Outside, he was Sir Cain. Here, he was just a talking toy.
[I am sick and tired of this garbage every time I see it!]
“......”
[If only I were bigger, this would be no work at all!]
“Hey, Mr. C. Quit whining and get to work.”
Footnotes:
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