WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 162: Night of the Military State

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As was true anywhere in the world, abandoned buildings were ideal places for outlaws to gather. Neglected buildings and people society refused to accept leaned on one another to fill what they lacked.

Today, a predator of the urban jungle was tallying their spoils in an abandoned building.

Number Two grinned at the small glass bottle filled with golden powder.

"Khuhuhu. We hit the jackpot. Good work, Number One."

The bottle was not large. It was a tiny glass vial, small enough for an index finger to reach the bottom before it could fully fit inside.

Still, valuable things often proved their worth by their small size.

If such a small amount required its own bottle, that meant what was inside was important enough to warrant it.

"This is spice. It's at least a Level Two luxury good, and depending on the type, it can go up to Level Four. Level Zero commoners aren't allowed to have it, and they can't obtain it either. It'd be better if we used it for something more meaningful."

Number One, who had stolen it, looked doubtful.

"It's just powder. Is it really that expensive?"

"You seriously didn't know? Then why'd you steal some stupid powder?"

"Well, they were holding it close like it was precious, so I beat them up and took it."

"Ugh. It's a miracle an airhead like you managed to steal it intact."

"What did you call me?"

Ignoring Number One's flare of anger, Number Two continued.

"I know because I came from the 'Market.' It's expensive. We'd have to look into its exact value, but if we're lucky, we might be able to buy an auto-carriage. A luxury good that disappears once you eat it. Things like this sell for a fortune in the military state."

"You called me an airhead? Want to see how much of an airhead someone becomes after getting beaten by an airhead?"

"Come on. You're still picking a fight over that old thing?"

"You said it just now."

Number Three, who had silently watched Numbers One and Two bicker, suddenly spoke.

"What about the risk of being tracked?"

Number One boasted confidently.

"None. I checked along the way, and there was nobody."

Number Three did not seem reassured.

"Still, be careful. Someone might have gotten on our tail."

"Come on. Who'd investigate just because a Level Zero citizen got roughed up? Even if a Level Zero citizen reports it, the report won't be accepted. We can rob them without worry. Nobody's going to catch us."

"That's why I'm saying it. If it were the police, they'd come right at us. What if they have someone backing them? They could retaliate thoroughly."

Number One waved a hand, dismissing Number Three's words as nonsense, but Number Three would not let it go. At his fussy attitude, Number One clicked his tongue.

"That paranoid bastard is at it again."

Usually, Number Three would have snapped back, but for some reason, he remained lost in thought today.

"A Level Zero couldn't possibly get spice on their own. Someone must have given it to them. They might have a backer."

"So what if they do? Could their backer possibly compare to that person?"

Number One snickered, and Number Three did not deny it.

The wind that had swept into this back alley was a storm powerful enough to shake the old order. A true darkness that would sweep away all the filth. A shadow cast over the military state.

With that person's strength, even they, who hid beneath the military state's oppression, might be able to breathe freely again.

There was no reason to fear the backer of some Level Zero citizen.

That would be disrespectful to that person.

"At most, some back-alley backer would be a jackal. Compared to that person, who's strong enough to make generals seem laughable and is rumored to have escaped from Tantalus... They're nothing but nobodies."

Number One spoke proudly, as if following that person was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to them, or the greatest honor they would ever know.

Number Three sighed and got to his feet.

"...Fine. If you're done sorting things out, I'm going to the bathroom for a moment."

Number One shouted after the departing Number Three.

"Try to piss far away! We can't report to that person that you got arrested for public urination near the hideout!"

"Do I look like an idiot who can't stop midstream?"

"True. If it won't come out, it won't. It's not like you can't cut it off."

"You bastard..."

Perhaps he really had to go, because Number Three hurried away without arguing further. Numbers One and Two snickered as they opened their lukewarm beer.

Level One luxury good, compressed beer.

It was concentrated and strong, sold lukewarm, and unfit for human consumption without ice floating in it. Still, it was the only alcohol ordinary people could get.

They had no choice. Things would be different once they had a firm grip on power in the back alleys, but for now, they had no choice but to wet their throats with this horrible beer.

Number Two poured water into a beer glass and muttered.

"You have to give that bastard credit for his bladder. His bladder is Level Zero..."

"I guarantee it. Gallen, no, Number Three, will get arrested and dragged away for public urination before any other crime."

"That'd be better, honestly. At least the military police would give him time to pull up his pants. If he gets attacked like that, he won't even be able to tell anyone about it..."

Thud.

The two, who had been eagerly tearing apart someone who was not there for their drinking entertainment, fell silent at the sound from the floor below. They held their breath and listened for a while, but after that first noise, there was no further sign of anything.

Number Two frowned.

"Number Three, is that you? Don't tell me you pissed on the floor right below us. I told you to go far away because it'll stink!"

There was no answer. Number Two got up and headed for the edge of the abandoned building.

At the edge of the unfinished building, where a small misstep could send them falling five stories, Number Two leaned out and looked down at the floor below.

"What? There's nobody down there. Was it the wind or something?"

Seeing Number Two's precarious position, with only their head sticking out over the edge, Number One spoke anxiously.

"Hey, Milsen. Isn't that dangerous? You look like you're about to fall."

"You cowardly bastard. Did Gallen's worries rub off on you too? What's dangerous about this?"

"You've been drinking beer. What if you slip?"

"I swear, I don't know how cowards like you ended up in an organization. If you're pathetic enough to get drunk from one beer, you should just fall and die. Nagging like you're my mother..."

Ignoring Mom's nagging.

Number Two did not know what they were talking about, so I gave them some heartfelt advice.

"You should listen to your mother's nagging. It's all advice that'll make you stronger."

"Huh?"

The moment Number Two stupidly asked that, I passed judgment on the unfilial child. A hooked wire spun taut and wrapped around their neck.

Holding the other end of the wire, I muttered.

"The punishment for ignoring Mom's nagging is the umbilical cord sentence."

"Ghk!"

Their body, choked by the wire, staggered toward the edge. Startled, Number One hurriedly grabbed Number Two's leg.

As a result, Number Two was pulled from both sides and choked even harder.

As Number Two wheezed, Number One shouted.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm a sad, hungry person who lost tonight's dinner. I've come to avenge the dinner that never got to be born."

While Number One had moved away from the stairs, I trudged up them.

Whew, plan successful.

I was an ordinary human and couldn't fly, so it would have been troublesome if they had guarded the stairs. I was grateful they had moved aside on their own.

Number One noticed my arrival a moment too late.

"You bastard! What did you do to Number Three?"

"The man with the tiny bladder is covering the wall he dirtied with his own body. In my opinion, though, he looks dirtier than what was inside his bladder... Ugh, thinking about it makes me feel sick again. Let me smack you around a little. Just let me catch my breath first."

Committing crimes was one thing, but setting up on the fifth floor was worse. It took forever to climb up here. If you people live with your feet on the ground, please use the first floor.

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"The world sent me. By the way, do people still beat others senseless without rhyme or reason these days? Aren't you afraid of the military state's stern criminal law?"

When I strode closer, Number One glanced desperately at Number Two, who was wheezing with the wire around their neck. If Number One let go, Number Two looked as though they would fall five stories while being strangled.

'There's no choice. If I get attacked like this, we're both finished. It's better to let go completely. At least one of us has to survive!'

Having made up their mind, Number One squeezed their eyes shut and let go of Number Two.

Number Two's eyes widened with betrayal, and they reached out uselessly, but the hand was already gone. Their body teetered on the edge, then vanished with a soft drop.

I was impressed.

"Wow. You let go right away. I thought you'd hold on a little longer."

"You bastard...! You killed Number Two!"

"No. You're the one who let go."

I didn't kill people that easily. Number Two was probably flailing around in the wire net I had made on the floor below. Would they feel betrayed by you? Well, maybe?

Not knowing that, Number One became wildly agitated and pulled a sharp knife from their pocket.

"Are you alone?"

"I've been feeling lonely lately."

I answered as I slightly lifted my magic hat. Holding the knife tightly, Number One listened for any sign of others.

'There's only one of him. He doesn't look that strong. If he were strong, he would have stormed in from the start instead of ambushing us and picking us off one by one.'

Number One's guess was right.

I was an ordinary petty criminal. A perfectly normal person who kept my guard up against two opponents, ran from three, and felt pain when stabbed.

That was why I had to do my best even against nobodies like these.

'He must have been planning to ambush us while I held Number Two. But he's wrong. We've already made up our minds. Number Two will understand too.'

They didn't. They resented you quite a lot.

After settling their feelings however they pleased, Number One glared at me with burning eyes.

"I'll avenge Numbers Two and Three, you bastard!"

Number One raised their knife and charged straight at me.

I didn't want a head-on fight. It would be a problem if they were strong, and a problem if they were weak. I wanted to avoid them tripping over their own feet and stabbing me during the fight.

So.

"Ta-da."

I took out the card I had hidden away.

The Six of Diamonds, a card with six diamond shapes arranged in a circle.

'A card? What does he think he'll do with that!'

It looked like an ordinary card.

Its true identity, though, was alchemical equipment I had made with my entire fortune. The culmination of throwing money around, using one, sometimes two, alchemical coins for every card.

Using my bio-terminal, I converted the card through alchemy. In an instant, the card unraveled thread by thread and revealed its true form.

A small revolver that fit perfectly in my palm.

Number One's eyes widened.

'A gun?!'

Yep, a gun.

Bang.

The muted bullet slammed into their ankle. A large hole opened in it.

It lacked the power to pierce through, but a bullet fired at such close range was enough to stop an ordinary robber.

"Ghk!"

It was only a gun. People didn't die the instant they got shot. If Number One had endured the pain, stepped forward anyway, and rushed me in that state, they might have won.

But Number One was even more insignificant than a petty criminal like me.

Unable to bear the pain, Number One lost their balance and slid across the floor. I turned the revolver back into a card, took out a skewer, and sat on top of them.

Having easily subdued Number One, I spoke leisurely.

"Friends. If you don't want to become any better acquainted with me, let's compromise around now. If you hand over the spice, I'll let this end here."

"Ghk! Bullshit...!"

Number One, pinned beneath me, struggled without losing even a little fighting spirit.

Their vigorous thrashing nearly made me fall, so I had no choice but to stab their shoulder with the skewer.

"Arghhh!"

Once something entered their body, Number One became much more obedient. Instead of causing more trouble, they clenched their teeth and shouted.

"Do you know who we are? We're the military state's 'Shadows'! If you kill me, that person won't let you get away with it!"

That person? Who was that supposed to be? And what sort of organization were the Shadows? Why had all these strange things entered a back alley with barely enough food to eat while I was gone?

Well, that was outside my interests for now.

That wasn't what mattered.

"Enough. Where's the spice? It's valuable, so I'd like it back."

"Ha!"

Perhaps they didn't understand their situation, because Number One put on a grand show of bravado even while pinned beneath me.

"The spice? Hmph. It's in my stomach. Cut me open and take it out if you want!"

A lie. They had hidden the spice in their inner pocket.

I could have simply searched their clothes and taken it, but I was curious about the source of that baseless bravado, so I asked.

"You shouldn't say things like that carelessly, friend. What if I really cut open your stomach?"

"Ha! Go ahead! Do you even have the nerve?"

Their bold words were surprisingly sincere, so I fell silent.

While I was quiet, Number One spoke triumphantly.

"What, scared? We've already prepared ourselves to die. Do you think we'd commit robbery in the military state without that kind of resolve?"

That was true.

If you were caught committing robbery in the military state, you received at least fifteen years of forced labor. Depending on how many people you attacked and the severity of the crime, you could be summarily executed.

Even now, if they washed their hands of this and went into hiding, they might still have a chance to live...

"If our fate is to spend our whole lives in forced labor until we die anyway! Then we'll live gloriously before we go! For that person, who will fulfill our wishes, we're ready to die and ready to kill!"

I understood. As a mind-reader, I understood their hopes and desires.

'I'm a lower-class citizen in a country with no dreams and no hope. Only that person can change this fate! That person will overthrow the military state and reign over the underworld! Then I, one of that person's followers, can change my life too...!'

In this country where the state had taken everything for itself, there were no dreams, hope, romance, or luxury. People only wore away little by little in their repeating days.

The future shown by a country where everything was controlled was too fixed, too controlled, too gray. Those with romance in their hearts could only wither away.

But.

"My friend, you shouldn't say you're prepared to die so carelessly. Especially not in front of me."

No living person had ever died before, so nobody knew whether their resolve to die was truth or a lie.

Even people who meant it sincerely in the moment often struggled pathetically when death was right before them.

Still, those who claimed they were prepared to die wielded that resolve like a weapon and killed others, as though they could repay those crimes with their own deaths.

Without proving they had the ability to repay them, they only kept creating more sins.

So, if someone said they were prepared to die, and if their faith in that resolve was sincere at the very least.

There was no choice but to test it.

I spoke leisurely.

"Actually, this spice's nickname is sprinkled gold dust. It's made by plucking only the pistils from flowers occasionally found on the southeastern coast and drying them. It's the finest spice, where a handful of powder can buy a plot of land. Since it's an edible luxury good, it could sell for a great deal even in the military state."

"Ha ha! What a shame! Something so amazing will turn into my shit!"

'It did seem unusual...! Good. If I can fool him, or even if he takes it, I can tell that person! It'll help with that person's great undertaking...!'

"But ta-da. The spice is right here."

Before their eyes, I shook the bottle full of glittering golden powder. Their eyes immediately filled with confusion.

'I definitely put it in my inner pocket. How did he know?'

"I'm a magician. I can take an object out of a box without touching it. Though this time, the box was your stomach."

Of course, I had read their thoughts and picked their pocket, but I spoke as though I had really taken it from inside them.

"Did you know? The flower this spice comes from is a poisonous plant that can kill you if eaten incorrectly. Its pistil is the least toxic part and has a distinct fragrance, but even this spice, made by drying and concentrating it... can become poison that kills people if you eat too much."

'What? Poison...?'

"Though more people have probably died fighting over this spice than from eating it. That's why this spice has been compared to human lives since long ago."

So their claim that they had eaten all the spice had to be a lie...

Not anymore.

"Just as you said, I don't have the resolve to die or the resolve to kill. Someone without resolve has no right to own spice as precious as a human life."

With a sigh, I grabbed their hair and pulled their head up. I slipped a card rolled into a tube through their slightly open lips.

Their mouth couldn't close. While Number One panicked, I held the spice bottle between two fingers. The confusion in their eyes gradually turned to fear.

"Sorry for taking it without permission. I'll put it back."

It was fine. The glass bottle was sturdy.

If they were lucky, they might survive.

Footnotes:

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