WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 148: The Road Flows with the Traveler - 4

──────

The meta-conveyor belt was land that flowed like a river, the military state's main artery carrying countless cargo containers.

Still, while the belt was an extremely convenient means of transporting goods, I had to wonder whether it was actually a good mode of transportation.

Whenever the flowing land passed over uneven terrain, it split slightly and fused back together. The shocks traveled directly through your body, you were completely exposed to rain, wind, and other weather, and you could not get off whenever you pleased. You could only follow the designated route.

Add the military state's strict inspections around major facilities, and practically the only people who traveled by meta-conveyor belt were newly assigned soldiers and people from cities near the belt.

That was why there were only a few people behind the windbreak. There were more containers in sight than travelers.

"Hello! Nice to meet you!"

Once we went behind the windbreak, I saw about five travelers huddled together. An elderly military engineer with a deeply wrinkled face, a mother and son holding hands tightly, and a medical officer who had just received a commission and assignment.

And...

"There are more travelers now! This won't be boring anymore! Hey, Gand! Make some room!"

"...She's a captain. Is it really appropriate to act so casually with her?"

General Partlaxion, one of the military state's Six Generals, known as Absolute Spear.

And Colonel Gand, his adjutant and disciple.

What the hell was wrong with these people? Why was a general hanging around here? Shouldn't he at least be leading a whole unit somewhere?

While I read a little of their memories, the general gestured toward the colonel.

Colonel Gand narrowed their eyes and glanced at the captain. After looking the stiffened captain up and down, they lowered their voice and whispered to General Partlaxion.

"Master. Weren't we supposed to be on leave while concealing our identities? You shouldn't act like that toward a captain."

"Ugh. Don't stick so close and whisper at me. It gives me the creeps."

Colonel Gand frowned for the briefest moment after being rebuked to their face. They stepped a couple of paces away, then somehow conveyed words to the general that I could not hear.

[…Sigh. That man might not recognize us, but the captain clearly does and has no idea what to do.]

"Tch. Is being too famous a problem too? I wanted to hide my identity, then reveal it with a flourish later."

[As if anyone would fail to recognize the most famous of the Six Generals.... Now that you know, decide on a proper story. Either reveal yourselves or get your lips in sync.]

"Reveal ourselves? Get our lips in sync? You little bastard, aren't you letting your personal desires show because you're an old bachelor? Hahaha!"

[…Are you a dirty old man? Cut it out and make the captain keep quiet.]

The general grumbled at the furious Colonel Gand.

"I can't even make a joke. Your reactions aren't any fun."

[The unfunny one is you... Cough. Even if it's rotten, it's still Master's joke!]

"Fine, fine."

The general snapped his fingers and looked at the captain. His lips moved slightly.

At the same time, the captain's body jerked.

The wind stopped. Then the general's voice reached the captain directly, crossing space itself!

It was a technique only someone who had reached the pinnacle of Heaven Qi Art could use, one that controlled even the atmosphere and raging wind.

[Hey, Captain. How about you keep our identities secret? We're actually on leave!]

It was a demand that was not quite a demand, an order that was not quite an order. Still, it was an order a mere communications officer like the captain could never defy.

Faced with the request of one of the Six Generals, she barely managed to nod.

"A... affirmative. Understood."

[Still, we're too senior to speak formally to you. Pretend to loosen up a little. Be more casual around people. Don't ruin the mood by throwing your weight around just because you're a captain.]

Wow. That was a truly fascinating skill. He was obviously saying something, but I could not hear his voice at all. Only the captain heard it and reacted.

He was definitely the fighting type, but I supposed someone at the level of a Six Great General could use all kinds of strange techniques. Ah, I was jealous. Couldn't I get some overpowered skill too?

"Come on! Get over here! We're going to be traveling together for a while anyway, so sit comfortably!"

In any case.

He was one of the military state's Six Generals. He might have been a little self-indulgent, but if he found out I had come from the Abyss, I would be in serious trouble. He would interrogate me, and if things went badly, I might even be executed on the spot.

They were hiding their identities now, but considering why he had taken leave at this particular time... He was probably very interested in information about the Abyss.

I had to draw attention away from this vacant captain somehow. I grabbed her hand. A startled shudder ran through her whole body.

"Bbi! Why are you standing around in a daze? We'll be spending several days with these people. You should say hello!"

Still holding the captain's hand tightly, I approached them.

The military engineer and medical officer saw the captain's uniform, rose to their feet, and gave brief salutes. The mother, who looked like a civilian, curled up fearfully while holding her son close. I gave them a gentle smile.

"Come on, don't be nervous! Our Bbi may wear some impressive insignia, but she's only stiff in manner. She's a sweet girl who couldn't even kill a single chirping chick! Right, Bbi?"

With my bright smile directed at her, the captain could not bring herself to deny it and gave an awkward smile.

"Th... that's right."

"Look how tense you are! I told you, it's fine! You should talk to people at times like this!"

"...Please do not mind this officer."

'General Partlaxion is here. It would be better to remain quiet... But I cannot tell him this!'

No, staying quiet would not do. We would have to spend at least a day together whether we liked it or not. In that case, making noise to divert attention was better.

Secrets were meant to be buried in commotion, not silence. Acting hesitant now would only look more suspicious.

Fine, since things had come to this.

"Bbi. You've become so stiff since you received your commission. You used to trail behind me everywhere, calling me big brother, big brother..."

"?!"

When I spoke with wistful eyes, the captain turned her head with a creak, like a golem.

'This damned human has to joke around even in a difficult situation...! Are you incapable of being satisfied unless it's the most unsuitable joke possible?!'

"Well, you've turned out better than your big brother. You probably don't even want to acknowledge a pathetic, embarrassing big brother like me anymore.... Sniff."

'I never want to acknowledge you! Not for the rest of my life! If possible, I want to forget everything I have known about you until now! All of it!'

"It's all right, everyone. She's suffered under a pathetic big brother like me since she was little. She's only rigid because she's nervous, so please be gentle with her. She's kind at heart."

'Don't make me laugh! How long do you think this officer will keep getting dragged into your jokes?!'

How long? Until we parted ways, probably. There was no reason not to use our fake identities.

Besides.

"Hey! You can't do that! No matter how hopeless your big brother might be, that isn't right. Take this chance to make up with him and call him big brother!"

The meddlesome general happily played along. His adjutant beside him pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, but he did not seem inclined to step in for the captain.

"...! I didn't hear you properly?"

"I said, why not use this chance to make up with your big brother? You two looked so close earlier!"

"Ugh, ngh..."

The corners of her trembling mouth looked pitiful. Still, she could not refuse the request of a Six Great General. The captain pressed her lips together, clenched her shaking hands, and spoke.

"S-stop... Big brother...."

"Wow! I never thought I'd hear someone call me big brother again in my life!"

As I began clapping with tears in my eyes, applause burst out around us. Even the adjutant, who had been sitting there pretending to be cool, wore a warm smile.

The general thumped my shoulder and shouted excitedly.

"You should become a big brother who isn't ashamed before his younger sister! That's your duty, that's family!"

"Thank you, big brother. It's all thanks to you!"

The general did not seem offended even by the familiar form of address that skipped over all sense of distance.

"Big brother? Hahaha! You're quite the friendly fellow! Sit here! With someone as friendly as my little brother, this trip won't be boring!"

"It is an honor!"

I eagerly followed the general. The captain watched my back with a dumbfounded expression, but her thoughts kept racing.

'This is not the time for this. Even if he is on leave, General Partlaxion is this nation's foremost star, a legendary figure who personally brought down a kingdom.'

Her concern seemed excessive, but considering the identity of the general before me, even that was not enough. The military state's Six Generals stood far above even the generals called monsters. They were not war machines. They were wars walking on two feet.

World-class powerhouses whose mere journey toward the border put neighboring countries on high alert.

'Perhaps he could infer our identities from the smallest conversation...! If that happens, this officer cannot protect you!'

That concern proved unfounded.

"Let me ask you seriously, little brother. Answer honestly. Depending on your answer... we might become enemies."

The general clasped his hands beneath his chin and glanced at me with eyes that carried every worry in the world. His gaze was impossibly heavy.

The first topic General Partlaxion brought up after seating me was...

"Which is better as a weapon, a gun or a spear?"

A debate over weapons.

At his words, everyone nearby touched some part of their face and began pondering deeply. The general who had raised the subject spoke first.

"I will state that I stand on the side of spears. I am not forcing anyone, so speak freely and share your opinions."

As if anyone could. When everyone stayed silent, the general scratched his head and shouted at the subordinate he could push around most easily.

"Hey! Gand! What do you think?"

"...I am currently maintaining a spear."

"That's why I'm asking! What do you think of spears? Are they better than guns?"

Colonel Gand glanced at the general, then casually answered as they worked on the spear in their hands.

"I cannot spit in my own face. I choose spears too."

The general clicked his tongue and grumbled.

"Tch. What a boring guy."

Crack. The hand holding the spear shaft tightened. Colonel Gand gritted their teeth and replied.

"...I take it back. Whatever else may be true, every person who uses a spear has a rotten personality."

"That includes you, doesn't it?"

"If I can spit in Master's face, I'll gladly soak my own face with it too."

After Colonel Gand spoke, nobody dared to open their mouths lightly. As everyone secretly watched one another, the child in his mother's arms raised a hand and shouted.

"I like guns!"

Like any mother with a bold child, she panicked and hurriedly tried to cover his mouth. The general waved his hand before she could and asked,

"Little friend! Why is that?"

"Because they're cool! Bang, then bam!"

"That's right! Guns are certainly good weapons when it comes to intimidating and keeping enemies in check!"

The general laughed heartily, apparently pleased by the child's spirited answer. The child's innocent opinion got people talking again. The elderly military engineer raised his hand and offered his own view.

"I'll cast my vote for guns. The kingdom, a nation of spearmen, was destroyed by gunners. Doesn't that mean guns are better?"

The medical officer, who had been sitting silently, slipped into the conversation.

"I think spears are better."

"Oh. Why?"

"Spear wounds are far more gruesome and difficult to treat than gunshot wounds. Bullets may tear flesh, lodge in muscle, or catch on bone, but spears crush flesh and muscle and can even break bones."

The medical officer fidgeted with the first-aid bag at their side. It was an opinion that could only come from someone who had actually seen horrific wounds, so it carried a different weight.

"Hmm. It has a certain realism coming from a medical officer! Then what about you, little brother?"

Was it finally my turn? While I cleared my throat and prepared a grand speech, the captain stared at me with eyes full of expectation.

'General Partlaxion bears the epithet Absolute Spear and is a master of the spear. Since we are before him, it would be better to say spears are superior.... You probably do not know that, but you are not completely tactless. You will agree with the general's opinion. I believe in you.'

Good. The message came through loud and clear. I let my eyes shine and spoke firmly.

"Without question, guns."

'Why... do you always choose the most terrible option possible?!'

I liked the way the captain looked at me. At the same time, the general's eyes lit up challengingly as he asked for my reasoning.

"Oh? Why is that?"

Before the legendary spearman whose epithet came from reaching the pinnacle of his art, the man who had severed the fate of a kingdom, I proudly insisted on my philosophy of weapons.

"First, range. No matter what, a spear's reach is only as long as the spear itself. Guns can reach dozens, even hundreds of times farther. That alone is an overwhelming difference. You could say a spear's sole advantage, range, becomes completely meaningless against a gun."

"Oh."

Absolute Spear, whose weapon had just been dismissed to his face, muttered with slight displeasure.

"Yet guns have no killing power outside close range, do they? At a little distance, they cannot pierce the muscles of someone with even a bit of training, and if someone wraps themselves in Projectile-Deflecting Energy Art, they can deflect shots fired right in front of them."

"You cannot use people who wield energy arts as the standard. By that logic, an energy arts practitioner could catch a spear with bare hands too, couldn't they?"

"But unlike a bullet, a spear can be infused with energy. It can tear through the bare hand trying to catch it and pierce the body."

That too was a statement from someone who had actually done it.

General Partlaxion, called Absolute Spear, led soldiers while advancing at the front himself, turning enemies into chunks of meat pulled from skewers. Countless people had tried to block, deflect, or catch his spear, but none could boast of succeeding.

The only ones who had even pretended to catch his spear were corpses-to-be who took it with their bodies.

But still. I tilted my head and innocently countered,

"That means energy arts are strong, not spears."

"Pfft."

The general turned his head with a terrifying expression. Colonel Gand, Absolute Spear's adjutant and a fellow spearman, wiped at their mouth while pretending to remain expressionless.

"That traitorous bastard... Maybe I should expel them from the school...."

To ease the general's displeasure, I listed a few disadvantages of guns too.

"Well, I admit they are not universal weapons. Guns are not very effective against people in armor. It is not cost-effective to use high-grade alchemical steel for disposable bullets, while people can wrap themselves in expensive, gleaming armor to protect their own bodies. There is a huge difference."

"Even considering all that, you think guns are better?"

"Of course. Range is everything for a weapon in the first place. A thousand warriors may charge, but only eight people can fight at once. If there are a thousand archers, though, you have to block a thousand arrows. Numerical superiority turns directly into combat power!"

"What an impressive war critic. Anyone listening would think you had fought in a war yourself."

General Partlaxion grumbled with a sour face. I scratched my head and gave an ambiguous smile.

"Hahaha. I like imagining things like that. It makes your heart race when you imagine yourself as a general giving orders, doesn't it?"

"Hmph. You wouldn't think that way if you tried it yourself."

"I want to try it because I'm curious whether I'd still feel that way. In reality, I would probably be nothing but a clumsy foot soldier. Even so, I still like guns. You can use them while staying far away from the enemy."

It was not a lie. To make a fabricated story sound more convincing, you had to mix in a little truth.

I thought guns were good weapons.

Because guns frightened me more than spears.

As a mind reader, I was unlikely to get hit by a stray spear, but there was always a chance I would get hit by a stray bullet. Whenever I saw someone firing away without even knowing where their bullets were headed, it made me hate being a mind reader.

Reading their thoughts and still being unable to avoid the shot. Didn't that seem unfair? I once read killing intent aimed at my heart on the left side of my chest, twisted my body right, and had the bullet brush past my right ear. Was that even a fight? Could someone who did not know where they were aiming their own gun threaten my life and call it a fight?

Anyway.

"Very good. I have heard your philosophy of weapons well, little brother."

The general glared at me without much magnanimity, clearly plotting something. I shrugged and passed the responsibility along.

"Not all of it is my opinion. I heard most of the specific details from my little sister."

"Oh? So the siblings are both...."

'?! Negative! Negative! Negative!'

The suddenly singled-out captain only screamed alarms in her head.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried