WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 195

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A Distant Tale: Those Left in the Military State

The idea that making a mess is easy but cleaning it up is hard... was, surprisingly, just a misconception.

Making a mess takes long hours and steady effort, but cleaning is over in an instant. It only feels harder because it's annoying, nothing more. No matter how long a room has been left in chaos, half a day of cleaning makes it spotless, so which side has the advantage is obvious.

The military state was an efficient slob. It put off cleaning as long as possible, then swept out all the trash at once.

It had taken long preparation and death-ready resolve to stir up this much trouble, but half a day was enough for the military state to clean it all away.

The military police unit Major General Historia brought with her cleared out the back alleys quickly and cleanly, like tidying clutter. The trash that kept the commotion going without knowing when to stop was disposed of or arrested, and everyone connected to it was dragged to military police for severe questioning.

Those involved were interrogated in sheer terror.

The military state's way of dealing with trash was to burn it as fuel. It fed the human trash it locked up into the machine of the state as resources to keep it running.

And when you clean a room, useful things usually get thrown out with the rest.

Even people with no crimes at all couldn't relax. They entered the military police station prepared to go through hell.

Then they walked out with all their limbs intact and stared in confusion. That unexpected luck slowly turned their panic into joy.

Who cared about the full truth? They were safe.

So the ones who weren't thrown away took comfort in the fact that they remained, then went back to enjoying everyday life.

"...You planned even this? Crafty bastard."

Historia muttered as she pulled a mana herb cigarette from the pack.

The Pied Piper. Even in the Hameln Incident, a military-state taboo, he was the most veiled figure of all. Now that he had revealed himself, uncovering the truth behind some back-alley disturbance became secondary.

If they investigated the incident too deeply, information about the Pied Piper might leak instead. If they questioned ordinary citizens about Hui, Hughes, or the Magician, that alone would expose clues.

So the military state stopped at punishing the obvious criminals. Instead, it threw its full strength into tracking the Pied Piper.

"No. That bastard was tied to the heart of this from the start. Catch him and we'll hear everything."

Muttering with her long legs propped on the desk, Historia put the cigarette in her mouth. As if by habit, she chewed the tip, brought her pistol's hammer to the cigarette, then pulled it all the way back.

Crack.

The impact threw off a large spark. Lighting the cigarette with it, Historia took a deep drag, closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke.

"Communications officer."

『Communications officer, Captain AB speaking. Did you call for me?』

The golem beside Historia responded. Without even looking at it, Historia exhaled all the smoke she'd drawn in. Pwhooo. A long sigh curled upward with color.

Taking a brief smoke break amid the chaos, Historia asked blankly,

"Why did you stop guiding me?"

『Question. Which matter are you referring to?』

"You know exactly what I mean. Why did you stop giving guidance right after I was swallowed by darkness?"

Realizing she was being pressed, AB clasped her hands behind her back and replied.

『I will correct my failure to comply with your order. However, in the judgment of this officer and the communications unit, further pursuit was impossible.』

Bang. Historia suddenly slammed the desk. Her fist mark sank into the steel top.

Her face remained expressionless, but with the cigarette clenched between her teeth, a grinding sound escaped her mouth.

"Who are you to decide that?"

Even under Historia's razor-cold pressure, the golem remained calm.

『Even excluding the two Beast Kings, the opposing side includes two Six-Generals-class powerhouses. In comparison, you were unarmed, Major General. If you fought in that state, severe losses would follow.』

"I said I was fine."

『Major General, you are one of the military state's greatest strategic assets. Such an asset cannot be sent in without support.』

"So now the communications officer is my superior."

『I will correct that.』

The golem bowed its head. Historia clicked her tongue and leaned back in her chair, no longer interested in blaming it further.

She stopped there because even she knew she couldn't have chased him down alone.

"Tch. How did that bastard even end up in Tantalus? It wasn't because of the Pied Piper case."

『He was arrested for illegal gambling.』

"He got sent to Tantalus over illegal gambling?"

『Negative. Penal labor sentence.』

"Same thing."

『At the time, Tantalus had just gone through a large-scale breakout caused by Colonel Rancart. His situation was not as dangerous as expected.』

"Heh. Danger isn't the point. The point is being thrown somewhere you can never climb back out of."

Every time Historia grumbled, the ember flickered. The red glow flared bright, then dark, then bright again, like something gasping for breath.

After burning through one cigarette, Historia finished her thoughts and muttered,

"Looks like there was something suspicious. I'll check the case log later."

『Shall I prepare it?』

"No, later. If we catch that bastard Hui, this all gets solved anyway."

For smokers who burn cigarettes for pleasure, is a cigarette an object of hatred or affection? One thing is certain: cigarettes don't love smokers. Once they've served out their length, they leave without a word, trailing only white smoke.

Before long, the cigarette burned down without mercy. The short meeting was over; now only a long farewell remained.

Historia crushed it into the ashtray and spoke.

"So, what did headquarters say?"

Smoke thickened the room, but the golem, which did not breathe, remained unaffected. Without coughing or pausing for breath, it answered.

『Message from command. They have accepted your operation plan and decided to pursue the Pied Piper and four additional targets.』

"Approval came through? Unexpected."

『Supplement. The Pied Piper is a key figure holding secrets related to Hameln. There are signs of deep involvement in multiple incidents at Tantalus, and his ties with the Progenitor and related figures have sharply raised his threat level. Furthermore, his methods resemble those of Rancart, a level-5 risk individual. Military authorities will accelerate efforts to arrest him. This is command's judgment.』

The cigarette was gone, but welcome news had arrived. Historia grinned.

"Not bad. No matter what, searching this huge land alone would've been too much. With communications control support, this should go better."

If approval hadn't come, she likely would've abandoned her post and searched herself. AB pretended not to catch the implication. As always, she only delivered clear facts.

『As of today, this officer will leave her post for verification procedures. After this, Communications Officer Yuel will assist you, Major General.』

"Leave your post? Why?"

『Warning. This information is classified. Do you wish to access it with general-level authority?』

Even for generals, orders related to communications officers were restricted by default. If Historia had been an ordinary officer, she would've never gotten an answer from the golem.

But Historia was one of the Six Generals. And she wasn't the type to hold back when using her authority.

"I'll hear it."

『Request approved. Then I will explain.』

The golem straightened itself and spoke.

『This officer was the communications officer assigned to Tantalus. She lost contact immediately after the Abyss collapsed, returned by her own power, and witnessed this incident while staying in Amitenggrad.』

"Hm."

『However, the possibility has been raised that this officer made contact with the Pied Piper during the return process. This officer denies that claim, but the Pied Piper is an unknown entity with unclear identity and abilities. Therefore, this officer will head to headquarters, undergo investigation for possible mental contamination, and then have her disposition decided.』

The golem relayed it like someone else's business, but after hearing that much, Historia fell silent.

They called it investigation and disposition, but once she was dragged all the way to headquarters, this communications officer's future was clearly not going to be easy.

At best, she'd be assigned to relay duty, passing headquarters orders onward. At worst, she'd simply be disposed of.

"That bastard's ability isn't mental contamination. Do they ignore everything I say?"

Historia, who knew at least some of the truth around the communications officer, felt a little sympathy for AB.

Officers despised communications officers. A so-called water captain who hadn't even graduated from officer academy, yet received a captain's rank through innate arcane ability. At the same time, they were rigid no matter who they spoke to, regardless of status. So officers felt all kinds of irritation when dealing with them.

"You've got it rough too, taking on a role everyone hates."

But communications officers were still only messengers. If people stopped seeing them as individuals and saw them as headquarters' voice, or a letter, that contempt became almost pointless.

In the end, officers were just venting their frustration over unwanted orders at communications officers.

With a very, very slight trace of consideration, Historia said,

"You said you ran into him, right? Then you'd be useful for this pursuit operation. Wouldn't it be better if I deployed you?"

『Impossible. Investigation of whether a communications officer is mentally contaminated takes priority over all else. If static enters communications, it affects the entire operation. There are many who can replace this officer, so please deploy them.』

"...Yeah? Well, take care."

It couldn't be helped. Historia owed AB no further loyalty, and right now there were too many things more important than that. She withdrew her attention from AB.

Maybe that was why.

『Thank you. This officer will survive, to the limit of her strength.』

Historia did not notice the faint warmth in the golem's words.

AB ended synchronization.

Inside an isolated communications room in Communications Command, AB rose and gave a bitter smile as she recalled her conversation with Historia.

Mental contamination.

Sadly, that part was true. A major problem had appeared in AB's mind, which as a communications officer should always have remained calm.

She was overflowing with desire to live.

Whenever she remembered happy moments, a smile rose to her lips on its own.

She wanted to tell everyone about this buoyant mood, this joy too precious to keep to herself, and share it.

Those happy times remained as marks that could never be erased. That was why AB feared death and clung to life.

If this wasn't mental contamination, what else could it be?

She was clearly, completely different from before.

But once she'd learned it, she couldn't go back. Back then, in the middle of people living their own happy lives, she had lived while feeling joy and fulfillment. Those times when she picked out happiness from the laughter of people chatting noisily.

Those memories changed her.

Not only her mindset, but even her innate arcane...

Savoring those happy moments, AB brought both hands to her chest. Then she unfolded her innate arcane.

Innate arcane, Morning Glory.

A morning glory rooted in her chest spread in every direction. Along the vine coiling left as it climbed her arms, legs, chest, and neck, leaves sprouted in alternating patterns. It looked as if she were bound in thorny vines. Flowers bloomed from the Morning Glory Vines wrapped around her whole body.

Synchronization rose from the purple flowers that bloomed while feeding on AB's magic power.

The duty that bound her was the vine, and the role she had to perform was the flower.

That was why AB's innate arcane had been Morning Glory.

Now, it was a little different.

At the end of the stem that had climbed her neck and face, a small straight shoot rose neatly. Pretending to be a morning glory vine, it peeked out and formed a large bud.

And blooming at the end of that... one small sunflower.

With its clear face turned in one direction, that sunflower, yearning for warm light, gazed endlessly somewhere from atop the morning glory stem.

At the end of where that sunflower looked, he would be there. AB knew it instinctively.

That was why AB was always happy.

Because she knew the sun still existed.

Holding that sunflower in her chest, AB spoke to the morning glory linked to headquarters.

"Headquarters, this is Communications Officer Captain AB. As of this moment, I will depart for headquarters."

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