WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 172: A Distant Tale: The Lofty King and the Gentle King

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The soldiers who had brought down the kingdom demolished the royal castle and established a military government. The first king to visit the new nation was none other than the King of Dogs.

The King of Dogs personally visited the military state and asked it to help drive out the wolves.

At the time, the military state was sick of the very idea of kings. It was partly a condemnation of incompetence and partly the inferiority complex of those who had never been chosen by one.

Even a Beast King was no exception. From the military state's perspective, the King of Dogs, who claimed to represent every dog and constantly fought wolves, was no different from a tyrant who delighted in war.

Still, the military state was not foolish enough to try killing the King of Dogs out of simple hatred, so it made another proposal.

They would provide a place hidden from wolves' eyes and noses, where the King of Dogs could remain in hiding. If the king kept the agreement, they would help the dogs defeat the wolves.

Of course, there was political calculation behind it.

The King of Dogs drew in the King of Wolves. Having fallen out of favor with neighboring nations by executing a king, the military state needed to keep a few bombs in hand for when the need arose. Otherwise, the newly born and fragile nation would surely be crushed by foreign invasion.

The King of Dogs nodded at the military state's proposal. It was the first agreement made since the military state's founding.

Yet people were not the only ones who changed their minds once they had gotten what they wanted.

When the time came to repay an old debt, the military state felt only one thing.

Trouble.

"...King of Dogs. You broke the agreement."

General Buidun, the defense commander, strode out of the headquarters. The officers hurriedly stepped aside for them. A few tried to stand in front of them, warning that it was dangerous, but they quickly withdrew at Buidun's gesture.

Left alone with the King of Dogs, Commander Buidun spoke slowly.

"Our promise only applied if you remained quietly in the Abyss until the time came. Yet you ran out."

"Woof."

Azzy snorted and barked. Commander Buidun expected the King of Dogs to argue.

Don't be unreasonable.

How could I stay any longer when the Abyss is gone?

Twenty-five years was a long time to wait.

If the King of Dogs answered that way, they intended to seize on her words and somehow gain the upper hand.

It was an utterly political way of shifting responsibility, where the intent was obvious but there was no proper way to counter it.

Commander Buidun had calculated that they could wring a concession from the King of Dogs that way.

But.

"You don't want to keep promise."

The King of Dogs' words made Commander Buidun flinch.

She was too pure to be human, but could she truly be dismissed as merely a dog? She had seen straight through Buidun and the military state's position.

"Wolves scare you? Don't want fight?"

Commander Buidun answered slowly. Unlike before, they were not trying to gain a psychological advantage. They simply did not know what to say.

"I am not afraid. We simply are not prepared. It is not yet time..."

"I'm ready."

Azzy looked straight at the commander.

"Wolves make packs. I don't make pack. Instead, I make promises with humans. Humans who promise me are my pack."

"...We are not dogs. We cannot become your pack."

"I know. You're humans. That's why I promised. I would lead when fighting wolves. I protect humans, and humans protect me."

It was too pure to call an agreement, yet it could not be dismissed as a simple promise.

Wolves were symbols of the wild, the most ferocious of beasts. They were clever, savage animals that had clashed with humans countless times.

The King of Wolves attacked humans more actively than any other beast. Then humans would drive away the wolves alongside their friends.

...Though that too was in the past.

"Woof. I waited nicely. Kept waiting, believing promise would be kept. No sunlight, no walks. Not fun, but still, to chase wolves away. To protect humans. I endured and kept waiting."

The divided crown hummed. The King of Dogs, Speaker for every dog, commanded humans to aid the dogs.

Buidun looked at the symbol of kingship radiating overwhelming presence and felt anger boil up inside them.

This was different from the false kings humans possessed. The beastkin standing before them was a being appointed by the world. A true King of Dogs who truly cared for dogs, represented them, and had the power to do so.

Why? Why did only insignificant beasts have kings? The more Buidun dwelled on it, the more hatred and inferiority swelled within them. Yet as an experienced politician, they skillfully hid their emotions.

"...I don't care. Moving troops to fight wolves is irrational."

"You won't keep promise?"

"It is not mine to decide."

Commander Buidun was one of the few generals in the military state, but the general could not decide such a major matter alone. They had to convene the cabinet through the communications officers and pass a resolution.

Still, Buidun knew the military state would never fight the King of Wolves.

With the Abyss gone, they had no room to confront the King of Wolves. Jackals would soon swarm the Abyss wasteland, where Mother Earth's blessing would return.

War would come. Earlier than expected, but it had always been anticipated. The military state was preparing for war with the Lesser States, which had shared a border with the Abyss wasteland.

Opening a second front at the beginning of a war, when seizing the initiative mattered most, would only drag it out.

"Why should we be involved in your war in the first place? Humans have no king, so why should humans be hurt by conflicts between kings?"

"Humans got rid of King of Humanity. Said they didn't need him, so he disappeared. That's why I had no choice but to make promise with humans."

Azzy answered sadly.

"But humans don't remember promise. Nobody protects me..."

Her resigned tone was pitiful, but the matter was too great to decide by emotion alone. Commander Buidun waved their hand.

"If you're finished, would you leave now? We have work to do."

"...Mean."

Commander Buidun gave a hollow laugh.

"What can you do, King of Dogs? Will you attack us? Will you turn against humans because they broke their promise?"

Buidun taunted her because they knew the King of Dogs could never do that.

And it was true. Even with humans standing packed tightly before her, holding swords and spears, Azzy held no hostility toward them.

But humans were the only ones Azzy did not hate.

Swords and spears were different. Azzy bared her teeth at everything except humans.

"I'm going to throw tantrum."

"Meow."

White, fluffy hair fell to her waist. A tail that possessed both stillness and agility. Perked cat ears.

A cat beastkin with such noble bearing that anyone would be drawn to look at her for a moment lazily stretched, swishing her tail. As she extended her forepaws, her waist drew a smooth curve.

After stretching, Nabi licked a forepaw and muttered,

"Stupid puppy. King or not, you're still chained up, nya. Even without reward, you keep looking for humans, nya. Pitiful, nya..."

The crown floating over Nabi's head twisted before vanishing. She had briefly worn the crown due to the King of Dogs' declaration as Speaker, but once the King of Cats realized it was a declaration directed only at humans, she set aside a king's duty and returned wholly to being an individual.

Nabi watched Azzy throw her "tantrum," then shifted her body.

"Meow. Watching you dart around makes my blood boil, nya. Want help, nya?"

It was a tiny mutter that seemed as though it could seep into a crack in the earth. Yet Azzy's ears, as she rampaged below, perked up. Azzy quietly refused.

"Woof. No."

Hearing the answer, Nabi lowered her half-raised body again and lazily yawned.

"Meow. Do as you like, nya. Pitiful, stupid puppy."

Having returned to being an observer, Nabi silently watched the King of Dogs rampage.

The King of Dogs' tantrum had more to do with being a king than being a dog.

Already, fifteen sets of military gear had been destroyed. Every weapon that had once gleamed with sharp edges now bore pathetic bite marks. The officers who had sworn they would never let go of their weapons, even in death, had to abandon that vow today.

The damage was not limited to weapons. The weapons held in human hands and the armor wrapped around their bodies were relatively intact.

At least they retained their original shape compared to the things that were not human.

The entire headquarters looked as if bombs had fallen on it. No, as if a giant earth mage had overturned the ground itself.

The headquarters' walls were covered in Level 4 alchemical steel to block outside attacks. Azzy treated it like loose wallpaper.

In other words, she grabbed it with her teeth and tore it off.

The alchemical steel was not simple wallpaper, but armor nailed to the building's exterior. Since a single creature had ripped it apart with her teeth, there was no way the building could remain whole. The defense headquarters, once proud of its imposing presence, now had its walls torn away and its interior laid bare.

Not a single military automatic carriage remained standing on all four wheels. Doors scratched by claws were crumpled, allowing their interiors to be seen through the gaps.

The yard and walls were full of pawprints and claw marks. If a farmer had been there, they would have thought it was freshly plowed soil and planted seeds.

All the officers could do was chase after Azzy. Only then could they catch up before she half-demolished something.

Whenever an officer's hand came close to touching Azzy, she barked happily as if they were playing tag and bolted elsewhere.

In the end, Commander Buidun could not bear it any longer.

"That is enough of this rampage!"

They shoved aside the officer guarding them and hurled themself forward without even putting on military gear. Crossing thirty meters in a single leap, they spread their palm wide and swept through the space itself. Blue energy surged from each finger and descended upon Azzy like a net.

Azzy sprang away as though burned. She moved so urgently that half her body sank into a wall. Commander Buidun clicked their tongue and chased her again.

The officers admired their commander's martial prowess.

"As expected of the commander...!"

Yet Buidun knew.

The reason the King of Dogs reacted so sensitively was because Buidun wore no military gear.

Commander Buidun's fists were fast and powerful. If Azzy blocked or deflected them, the tremendous impact would strike Buidun. Of course, the commander had the strength and qi arts to withstand it, but Azzy could not inflict that level of harm on a human.

The most she could do was bite apart weapons or tear up military gear.

That was why she had easily disarmed the other officers, yet fled far away from Commander Buidun's attacks.

As they chased after Azzy, Buidun shouted,

"Get out! Leave the military state and find another master! Find humans who will kill wolves for you!"

"Woof, woof!"

Azzy barked threateningly at Buidun, who had broken their promise yet acted as though she were the unreasonable one. Of course, Buidun did not so much as blink.

Instead, they thought to themself.

Even a dog that only "plays" with humans has this much power.

Then how strong could the King of Wolves be, using even greater power solely to destroy humans? It would form a pack with other wolves and hunt in an organized manner...

Surely this was the price humans paid for abandoning their king.

This was why they should have secured the King of Dogs before the promise was fulfilled.

Regret itself implied that it came too late. Buidun shook off the thought and shouted,

"The humans you seek are not in the military state! Get out!"

"Awoooooo!"

The beast's howl rang out long and low. Commander Buidun was about to drive Azzy away.

Then they flinched at the killing intent they felt from above and looked up.

Tyrkanzyaka, seated on the coffin as she watched what was happening below, turned her head at the killing intent beside her.

Shei was aiming Jizan downward, her expression as serious as an inspector conducting a survey.

"...What are you doing?"

"Wait a moment. I'm calculating how many seconds it will take to fall if I drop it from here."

Jizan weighed as much as Mount Tai, but its authority was rooted in earth magic. Jizan could not shatter the ground with its own weight.

Still, it could create an impact like a giant boulder falling. Even a general would not come away unscathed if it fell from this height.

If Tyrkanzyaka had not stopped her, Commander Buidun would not have escaped unharmed.

"Did you not say we must find Hyu? Why have you suddenly decided to kill him?"

"I thought I had seen that commander somewhere before. They are with the Lords of All Creation. They run and support the Lords of All Creation. It would be better to kill them now."

Tyrkanzyaka frowned.

"If you intend to kill them, ask about Hyu's whereabouts first. Would they not become uncooperative if we killed a human of that standing?"

"That is why I was going to drop only Jizan and kill them without revealing who we are."

"If their commander is killed by a sword that falls from the sky and we appear afterward, they will certainly not suspect us."

Tyrkanzyaka scolded Shei, but Shei had not acted without thinking. She had simply forgotten to explain because she was unused to explaining herself to someone.

Shei put away Jizan and decided to clear up her companion's suspicions.

"There is no reason to keep Buidun alive. The Lords of All Creation are very different from the military state in disposition. To achieve their goal, they do not calculate the means, methods, or cost. How many Lords of All Creation bases and supply operatives have we taken out on our way here? Why would they cooperate willingly? They might really take him hostage."

"Hmm."

Tyrkanzyaka looked down with a troubled expression. Their help would make things easier, but she did not want Hyu to be endangered.

Having decisively given up on it, Tyrkanzyaka gestured to Shei.

"Then leave them alone. If we can kill them whenever we wish, is there any need to make enemies by killing them now? Let us deal with them after we find Hyu."

"Ugh. I want to kill them now..."

Still, as Tyrkanzyaka said, Commander Buidun could be killed at any time. There was no need to become outright enemies with the military state already.

Shei clicked her tongue and put Jizan away.

"Tch. It can't be helped. Commander Buidun isn't the main body, anyway."

The true core of the Lords of All Creation was not Buidun, but the Halberdier, one of the military state's six generals. A weapon master stronger than anyone else in a prepared fight.

Shei had brought the Halberdier down several times in previous cycles, but the weapons that changed each time had given even her considerable trouble.

It might be better to leave Buidun alive rather than kill them here and alert the Halberdier.

"You thought well. Since things have come to this, let us use the second and third methods. What is the second method?"

"The second method is asking Azzy and Nabi to find him. With the Beast Kings' sense of smell, they will find him quickly if they put in a little legwork."

"Oh. That is a fine plan. Then what is the third?"

Shei grinned. Having waited for the chance to prove her competence, she puffed out her chest and spoke proudly.

"The third is getting it from an information guild. I know how to contact them."

"An information guild."

Just as she had expected, Tyrkanzyaka responded with interest. Shei added with a hint of smugness.

"When it comes to information brokers in Amitenggrad, there is Black Cat. It is a magazine company specializing in gossip and exposés, but it does work no less capable than an information guild. If we go through a channel only Secret Members can access, they will sell us information, and if we pay the commission, they will investigate directly. Finding one person is not that dangerous, so they should find him quickly."

Yet no one there expected it.

What information awaited them at a magazine company created by beastkin.

Footnotes:

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