WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 148

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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 loads of cargo.

Still, being convenient for logistics and being good for travel were two different things. If you asked whether it was actually pleasant transportation, anyone would hesitate.

The flowing ground split slightly whenever it passed over bends, then fused back together, and every jolt went straight into your body. You were exposed to rain and wind with no protection, you could not get off whenever you wanted, and you could only follow fixed routes.

Add the military state's notoriously strict inspections around major facilities, and the only people who really used the Meta-Conveyor Belt were newly assigned soldiers or residents of cities near the belt.

So when we went behind the windbreak, there were barely any people. There were more containers in sight than travelers.

"Hello! Nice to meet you!"

Behind the windbreak, around five travelers were huddled together. An old engineer with a deeply lined face, and a mother holding her son's hand tightly. A newly commissioned medical officer on assignment. And then...

"More travelers now, huh. I won't be bored anymore. Hey, Gand. Make some room."

"...I am a colonel. Is that kind of behavior really acceptable?"

One of the military state's Six Generals, General Patraxion, the Peerless Spear.

And his adjutant and disciple, Colonel Gand.

These bastards were insane. Why was someone at a general's rank here? He should have been out leading an entire unit.

While I skimmed their memories, the general gestured at the colonel.

Colonel Gand narrowed his eyes and glanced at the captain. Looking the captain up and down as she stood rigid, Gand lowered his voice and whispered to General Patraxion.

"Master. Wasn't the setup that we're on leave with our identities hidden for now? You can't act like that in front of a mere captain."

"Ah, damn. Don't cling to me and whisper like that. Creeps me out."

Colonel Gand got snapped at to his face and briefly frowned. Stepping back a couple of paces, he used some trick to send the general words I could not hear from this side.

[...Hoo. I mean, maybe that man doesn't know, but that captain clearly recognized us and doesn't know what to do.]

"Tch. Is being too famous a problem too? I wanted to hide who I was, then reveal it dramatically later."

[Who on earth wouldn't recognize the most famous man among the Six Generals... If he knows, then pick one concept and commit. Either reveal yourselves, or get your stories straight.]

"Reveal? Get stories straight? You bastard, just because you're an old bachelor doesn't mean you get to show your personal desires so openly. Hahaha!"

[...Are you an old geezer? Cut it out and tell the captain to keep her mouth shut.]

Patraxion grumbled at the flaring Gand.

"I can't even joke around. Your reactions are no fun."

[The one who's no fun is you... ngh. Even rotten jokes are still Master's jokes!]

"Fine, fine."

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

At the same time, the captain's body jolted hard.

The wind stopped. Then the general's voice reached the captain directly.

It leaped across space. A feat only possible through Geon energy mastery brought to the extreme, control over even the raging wind and the very air.

[Hey, Captain. Keep our identities secret, will you? We're actually on leave.]

It was an order that was not an order, a demand that was not a demand. A captain, and a comms officer at that, could never defy it.

Faced with a request from one of the Six Generals, the captain barely moved her stiff neck.

"Aff...irmative. Understood."

[That said, we're not in a position where we need to use honorifics with you, so act a little relaxed. Talk to people more casually. Don't strut around like some captain and kill the mood.]

Wow. That technique was genuinely fascinating. He was clearly saying something, but I could not hear a voice at all. Only the captain heard and reacted.

He looked like a pure fighter type, but at the level of the Six Generals, I guess they used all kinds of strange techniques. Ah, I was jealous. Couldn't I get some cheat skill too?

"Come on, over here. We're going to be on this long trip together anyway, so have a seat."

Anyway.

The other side was one of the military state's Six Generals. He was a bit wild, but if he found out I came from the Abyss, it would get very ugly for me. I would get interrogated for sure, and if things went wrong I might get summary execution.

He was hiding his identity for now, but considering why he had asked for "leave" at this timing, he had to be very interested in Abyss information.

I had to pull attention away from this airheaded captain somehow. I grabbed the captain's hand. A startled tremor ran through her whole body.

"Bbi. Why are you standing there blankly? We're all going to spend the next few days together. You should greet them."

Still holding the captain's hand firmly, I walked up.

The engineer and medical officer saw the captain's uniform and stood to give short salutes. The mother, who looked like a civilian, hugged her son and shrank back in fear. I gave them a gentle smile.

"Come on, don't be nervous. Our Bbi here may wear fancy rank insignia, but she's just stiff in attitude. She's a good kid who can't even hurt a chirping little chick. Right, Bbi?"

I smiled brightly, and the captain awkwardly smiled back, unable to deny it.

"Aff... affirmative. Th, that's right."

"Look how tense you are. It's fine. You should talk with people at times like this."

"...Please do not concern yourself with this officer."

'General Patraxion is present. It would be better to stay quiet... But I cannot inform him of this fact!'

No, staying quiet would not work. Like it or not, we had to spend about a day together. Better to make noise and blur the focus.

Secrets were buried not in silence, but in commotion. Right now, a hesitant attitude would look more suspicious.

Good. If this was how it was going to be.

"Bbi, you've gotten too stiff since your commission. You used to call me oppa, oppa, and trail after me everywhere..."

"?!"

I said it with moist, sentimental eyes, and the captain turned her head with a creaky, golem-like motion.

'This damned man is joking around at the worst possible moment... Are you incapable of feeling satisfied unless the joke is catastrophically inappropriate in every situation?!'

"Well, I get it. You're doing better than your oppa now. You probably don't even want to acknowledge a shabby, embarrassing oppa like me anymore... sob, sob."

'I will never acknowledge you! Not in this life! If possible, I want to forget I ever knew you at all! Every last bit!'

"It's okay, everyone. She suffered under a useless person like me since she was young, that's all. She's stiff because she's nervous, so please be gentle with her. She's kind at heart."

'Don't be ridiculous! How long do you think this officer will be dragged around by your nonsense?!'

How long? Probably until we parted ways. There was no reason not to use a fake identity.

And besides.

"Hey, that won't do. Even if your oppa is hopeless, that still won't do. Since you've got the chance, call this your reconciliation and say oppa."

The nosy general happily joined in. His adjutant beside him pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, but he did not look like he would step in to help the captain.

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

"I said, why not use this chance to reconcile with your oppa? You two looked close earlier."

"U, uh..."

The trembling corners of her mouth looked pitiful. But she could not refuse a request from one of the Six Generals. The captain clamped her mouth shut, clenched her shaking hands tight, and spoke.

"P, please stop... oppa..."

"Wooow. I never thought I'd hear the word oppa again in my life."

I started clapping with teary eyes, and applause poured in. Even the adjutant who had been sitting there acting cool wore a warm smile now.

The general slapped my shoulder hard and shouted excitedly.

"You also need to become an oppa your little sister can respect. That's duty, and that's family."

"Thank you, hyung-nim. It's all thanks to you, hyung-nim."

Even with that form of address jumping over all normal distance, the general did not get offended.

"Hyung-nim? Hahaha. You're polite, kid. Sit here. With someone as smooth as little brother here, this trip won't be boring."

"It's an honor."

I trotted over after the general. The captain watched my back with an incredulous look, but kept thinking.

'This is not the time for this. Even if he is on leave, General Patraxion is this country's first star, a self-made legendary figure who personally toppled the kingdom.'

It sounded like excessive worry, but considering who that general really was, even that was not enough. The Six Generals of the military state were far above even the officers called monsters. Not war machines, but walking wars themselves.

Global powerhouses whose mere movement toward a border put neighboring nations on high alert.

'With even a trivial conversation, he may infer our identities... If that happens, this officer cannot protect you!'

But that worry turned out to be pointless.

"Let me ask little brother one serious question. Answer honestly. Depending on your answer... we may become enemies."

The general laced both hands beneath his chin and looked at me with eyes carrying all the grief in the world. His gaze was heavy.

General Patraxion sat me down, and the very first topic he brought up was,

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

A weapon debate.

At his words, everyone nearby put a hand somewhere on their face and started thinking deeply. The general who raised the topic spoke first.

"I'll state my position first. I'm on the spear side. I'm not forcing anyone, so speak freely."

As if that were possible. When everyone stayed quiet, the general scratched his head and shouted at the easiest subordinate target.

"Hey, Gand. What do you think?"

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

"That's why I'm asking. Spear, how is it? Better than a gun?"

Colonel Gand glanced at the general and kept tending his spear as he replied flatly.

"I can't spit in my own face. I'm spear too."

The general clicked his tongue and grumbled.

"Tch. You're no fun."

Crack. The hand gripping the spear shaft tightened. Gand ground his teeth and answered.

"...I retract that. I don't know about anything else, but every human who uses a spear has rotten character."

"That includes you."

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

After Gand's remark, no one spoke recklessly. Everyone just watched the mood, and then the child in his mother's arms raised his hand and shouted.

"I vote gun!"

Like all mothers with bold kids, she panicked and moved to cover his mouth at once. But the general waved first and asked,

"Little buddy, why?"

"Because it's cool. Bang, and then drop!"

"Correct. Guns are definitely good weapons in terms of threatening and suppressing enemies."

The general laughed loudly, clearly pleased by the spirited answer. The child's innocent opinion got people talking again. The old engineer raised his hand and gave his view.

"I'll cast a vote for guns. The kingdom, the land of spearmen, fell to gunmen. Doesn't that mean guns are better?"

The medical officer, who had been sitting silently, joined in too.

"I think spears are better."

"Oh. Why?"

"Spear wounds are far rougher and harder to treat than gunshot wounds. A bullet usually tears flesh, then lodges in muscle or catches on bone even if it penetrates. A spear can smash flesh and muscle and even break bone."

The medical officer fiddled with the emergency bag beside him. It carried the weight of someone who had seen truly horrible wounds in real life.

"Hmm. A medical officer's view, realistic. All right then, little brother?"

Finally my turn. While I cleared my throat and prepared my grand speech, the captain stared at me with expectant eyes.

'General Patraxion is a spear master known as the Peerless Spear. Since this is in front of him, saying spear would be better... You probably don't know that, but you aren't that tactless. You will agree with the general's opinion. I trust you.'

Good. Message received loud and clear. I lit up and said firmly,

"Without question, guns."

'Wh...y! Why do you always choose the most horrifying option possible!'

I liked the look in the captain's eyes. At the same time, the general's eyes lit with challenge as he asked for my reasoning.

"Ho. And why is that?"

His epithet at peak attainment was Peerless Spear. In front of the legendary spearman who cut the kingdom's fate in half, I proudly stuck to my weapon theory.

"First, range. A spear's range is limited no matter what, basically to the length of the spear. A gun's range is dozens, hundreds of times longer. That's already an overwhelming gap. You could say the spear's only advantage, range, gets completely washed out in front of a gun."

"Ho."

The Peerless Spear had his weapon denied to his face and muttered, slightly displeased.

"But guns lose lethality unless they're close-range too, don't they? At a little distance they can't even pierce the muscles of someone with basic training, and if they wrap themselves in bullet-deflecting energy, shots fired right in front of them still bounce off."

"You can't set energy users as the baseline. If we go by that logic, an energy practitioner can catch a spear barehanded too."

"But unlike bullets, spears can be infused with energy. They can tear apart the bare hand trying to catch them and skewer the body."

That statement also came from someone who had done it in real combat.

General Patraxion, the one called Peerless Spear, personally led troops at the front and turned enemies into chunks of meat pulled off skewers. Countless people had tried to block, deflect, or catch his spear, but none could boast about that achievement.

The only ones who ever so much as mimed catching his spear were future corpses who received it with their bodies.

But still. I tilted my head and replied innocently.

"That's because the energy is strong, not because the spear is strong."

"Pfft."

The general turned his head with a terrifying expression. Colonel Gand, adjutant to the Peerless Spear and a spearman himself, wiped his mouth with one hand and forced an expressionless face.

"That traitor bastard... maybe I should expel him from the school..."

To calm the sour general down, I listed a few downsides of guns too.

"Well, I do admit they aren't all-purpose. Guns don't work that well on people in armor. Using high-level alchemical steel for disposable bullets doesn't make economic sense, but when people protect their own bodies, they wrap up in flashy high-end armor. The difference is huge."

"Even taking all that into account, guns are better?"

"Of course. Range is everything for weapons in the first place. Even if a thousand warriors charge, only about eight can fight at once. But with a thousand archers, you have to block a thousand arrows. Numerical superiority turns directly into combat power."

"Looks like some grand war critic has appeared. Anyone would think you've fought wars yourself."

General Patraxion grumbled with a sulky face. I scratched my head and gave him an awkward grin.

"Hahaha. I just like imagining this stuff. It's exciting when you picture yourself as a general giving commands."

"Hmph. You wouldn't think that if you actually did it."

"I want to do it for real exactly because I want to know if I'd think that way or not. In reality I'd probably be a sloppy grunt, but even considering that, I still like guns. You can use them while staying far from the enemy, right?"

It was not a lie. If you wanted to dress up a story, mixing in truth always made it feel more real.

I did think guns were good weapons.

Because I feared guns more than spears.

As a mind reader, I almost never got hit by a blind spear, but the possibility of getting hit by a blind bullet was always there. Whenever I saw people firing without even knowing where their own shots were going, I really wanted to quit being a mind reader.

I read the thought and still could not dodge. Didn't that feel unfair? I once read killing intent aimed at the left side of my chest, twisted right, and the bullet still grazed my right ear. Was that even fighting? Was it really a fight if a fool who didn't even know where his own gun was pointing could threaten my life?

Well, anyway.

"Very good. I have heard little brother's weapon theory."

The general glared at me, not quite broad-minded, like he was marking me for later. I shrugged and shifted the blame.

"It's not all my opinion. Most of the details came from my little sister."

"Ho. The siblings as a pair..."

'?! Denial! Denial! Denial!'

The suddenly singled-out captain blared alarm sirens in her head alone.

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