WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 195: A Distant Tale: Those Left in the Military State

──────

They say making a mess is easy while cleaning one up is hard...

Surprisingly, that was nothing more than a misconception.

Making a mess took time and steady effort, but cleaning it up took only a moment. It only felt harder because it was bothersome. No matter how long a room had been left in disarray, half a day of cleaning would make it spotless. It was obvious which was superior.

The military state was an efficient lazybones. It put off cleaning its room as long as possible, then cleared out all the garbage at once.

It had taken long preparations and the resolve to risk everything to cause such chaos, but half a day was enough for the military state to clean it up.

The military police corps Historia had led swiftly and simply cleared out the back alleys, as though tidying up scattered objects. The trash that had kept the disturbance going without knowing when to stop was disposed of or arrested. Anyone connected to them was dragged to the military police for a thorough investigation.

Those involved were terrified as they underwent questioning.

The military state treated trash as fuel. It burned the human refuse it had locked up, using it as a resource to keep the nation running.

And when cleaning a room, things that could still be used were often thrown away with the rest.

Even people with no guilt could not rest easy. They entered the military police headquarters prepared to suffer all kinds of horrors.

Then they walked out on their own two feet, unharmed, and wondered why.

Unexpected good fortune gradually changed their confusion into joy.

Who cared about the truth? They were safe.

Those who had not been discarded took comfort in the fact that they remained and returned to enjoying their ordinary lives.

"...Did he calculate even this? Thorough bastard."

Historia muttered as she pulled a magic herb cigarette from its case.

The Piper. The most mysterious figure even in the Hamelin incident, one of the military state's taboos. Now that he had revealed himself, uncovering the truth behind a disturbance in some military state's back alley was secondary.

Investigating the case could instead expose information about the Piper. Asking ordinary citizens about Hui, Hughes, or the Magician would itself reveal clues.

So the military state stopped its investigation after punishing the criminals whose guilt was apparent. Instead, it focused all its efforts on tracking the Piper.

"No. That bastard must've been involved from the start. Catch him, and we'll hear the full story."

Historia sat with her long legs propped on the desk as she muttered, then put the cigarette between her lips. She chewed absently on its end and brought the hammer of her pistol to the cigarette tip. Then she drew the hammer all the way back.

Click.

The hammer snapped forward, throwing off a large spark. Historia lit her cigarette with it, drew in a deep breath, and briefly closed her eyes before speaking.

"Communications officer."

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

The golem beside Historia responded. Without looking at it, Historia let out the breath she had drawn in.

Fwooo.

Her long exhale curled upward in colored smoke.

Having taken a brief moment from her busy schedule to enjoy her cigarette, Historia asked blankly,

"Why did you stop guiding me?"

『Question. What matter are you referring to?』

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

Realizing she was being questioned, AB folded the golem's arms behind its back and answered.

『I will correct my failure to obey orders. However, this officer and the communications corps judged that any further pursuit was unreasonable.』

Bang.

Historia suddenly slammed her fist onto the desk. Her knuckle marks appeared on the steel surface.

Historia remained expressionless, but perhaps because she had a cigarette in her mouth, her teeth ground together.

"Why do you get to decide that?"

The golem remained calm despite Historia's sharp tone.

『Even excluding the two Beast Kings, the enemy includes two individuals with strength on the level of the Six Generals. Major General, you were without your General's Armament. Confronting them as you were would cause severe losses.』

"I said I was fine."

『Major General, you are one of the military state's greatest forces. We cannot send such an asset in without any support.』

"So the communications officer thinks she's in charge now."

『I will correct myself.』

The golem bowed deeply. Having lost the desire to blame it any further, Historia clicked her tongue and leaned back in her chair.

She did not reprimand the communications officer further because even Historia thought pursuing him alone had been impossible.

"Tch. How did that bastard end up in Tantalus? He couldn't have gone in because of the Piper incident."

『He was arrested on charges of illegal gambling.』

"He was locked in Tantalus over illegal gambling?"

『Negative. He was sentenced to penal labor.』

"That's the same thing."

『At the time, Tantalus had just suffered a large-scale escape incident caused by Colonel Lankart. His circumstances were not as dangerous as expected.』

"Hmph. Does danger matter? What matters is that he was in a position where he could never climb back out."

The embers flickered whenever Historia grumbled. The bright red flame glowed and blackened over and over, as if gasping for breath.

After finishing an entire cigarette while thinking, Historia muttered,

"It seems there was some suspicion. I'll have to look at the case logs later."

『Should I prepare them?』

"No. Later. Catch that bastard Hui, and it'll all be solved anyway."

For a heavy smoker who found pleasure in tobacco, was a cigarette an object of hatred or affection? One thing was certain. Cigarettes did not love heavy smokers. Once they had served their length, they left without a word, leaving behind only white smoke.

The cigarette had cruelly burned down at last. Their brief meeting was over, and now it was time for a long farewell.

Historia ground it into the ashtray and said,

"So, what did headquarters say?"

The room was thick with smoke, but the golem did not breathe and was unaffected. Without coughing or holding its breath, it said,

『Relaying orders. Headquarters has accepted Major General's operational plan and decided to pursue the Piper and four others.』

"They approved it? Unexpected."

『Supplementary explanation. The Piper is a key figure holding the secrets of Hamelin. There are indications that he was deeply involved in the various incidents within Tantalus, and his danger level has sharply risen due to his association with the Progenitor and others. Furthermore, his methods resemble those of Level 5 dangerous individual Lankart, so the military authorities will accelerate efforts to apprehend him. That is headquarters' judgment.』

The cigarette was gone, but she had received pleasant news. Historia grinned.

"Not bad. No matter what, finding him alone across this huge land would've been exhausting. It'll be easier with the communications officers' surveillance."

Her words implied that if approval had not come through, she would have left her post and searched for him herself. AB pretended not to understand. As always, she conveyed only clear facts.

『From today onward, this officer will be absent for verification. Communications Officer Yuel will assist Major General from this point forward.』

"Absent? Why?"

『Warning. This information is classified. Will you access it with your general officer authority?』

Orders concerning communications officers had restricted access, even for general officers. If Historia had been an ordinary officer, she would never have received an answer from the golem.

But Historia was one of the Six Generals. She was also not the kind of person to hesitate over using her authority.

"Let's hear it."

『Request approved. I will explain.』

The golem straightened its posture.

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

"Mm."

『However, the possibility has been raised that I came into contact with the Piper during my return. This officer denies that possibility, but the Piper is an unknown entity whose identity and abilities remain unclear. Therefore, I will proceed to headquarters, undergo an examination for mental contamination, and have my disposition determined afterward.』

The golem relayed the facts as if they had nothing to do with it, but Historia closed her mouth tightly after hearing that. It was called an examination followed by a decision on her disposition, but if this communications officer was being taken to headquarters, her future clearly would not be smooth.

At best, she would be assigned as a relay station, passing headquarters' orders on elsewhere. At worst, she would simply be disposed of.

"That bastard's ability isn't something like mental contamination. Do they not listen to a word I say?"

Historia knew a little of the truth about the communications officer, and she felt a little sympathy for AB.

Officers despised communications officers. They had not even attended officer academy, yet gained the rank of captain through their innate arcane. Captains in name only. At the same time, they acted stiffly toward everyone regardless of rank, so officers felt all kinds of unpleasant emotions when dealing with them.

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

But communications officers were ultimately only messengers. If they were not seen as individuals but as headquarters' voice or letters, that contempt became absurd.

In the end, officers were no different from people venting their complaints about unwanted orders on communications officers.

Historia spoke with a very, very slight amount of consideration.

"You said you encountered that bastard, right? Then you'd be useful in this pursuit operation. Wouldn't it be better for me to bring you along?"

『Impossible. Examining a communications officer for mental contamination takes priority over everything else. If communications are compromised, it affects the entire operation. There are many who can replace this officer, so please make use of them.』

"...Is that so? Well, good luck."

It could not be helped. Historia had no obligation to do anything more for her, and there were more important matters at hand. Historia lost interest in AB.

Perhaps because of that,

『Thank you. This officer will do everything within my power to ensure I survive.』

Historia failed to notice the faint warmth in the golem's words.

AB stopped synchronizing.

Inside an isolated communications room within communications headquarters, AB rose from her seat and gave a bitter smile as she recalled her conversation with Historia.

Mental contamination.

Unfortunately, it was true. There was a serious problem with the mind of AB, who as a communications officer should have always remained calm.

She was overflowing with the desire to live.

Whenever she recalled happy memories, a smile naturally formed on her lips.

She wanted to tell everyone about this excitement, this joy that felt too precious to experience alone, and share it with them.

Happy times left marks that could never be erased. That was why AB feared death and clung so desperately to life.

What else could this be called, if not mental contamination?

She was completely different from before.

Yet once she knew, she could not return. Back when she had stood among people spending their own happy days, living with joy and fulfillment. Back when she had picked happiness out of the laughter of people chatting noisily around her.

Those memories had changed her.

Not only her state of mind, but even her innate arcane...

Remembering those happy times, AB brought both hands to her chest.

Then she activated her innate arcane.

Innate Arcane, Morning Glory.

The morning glory rooted in her chest stretched in every direction. Leaves sprouted alternately from vines that wound leftward around her arms, legs, chest, and neck. It looked as though thorny vines bound her. Flowers grew from the morning glory vines wrapped around her entire body.

Synchronization occurred through the purple flowers blooming as they fed on AB's mana.

The duty binding her was the vine, and the role she had to fulfill was the flower.

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

But now, it was a little different.

At the end of the stem that climbed over her neck and face, a small, straight stalk rose delicately. That stalk, which poked out as though pretending to be a morning glory vine, formed a large bud.

And blooming at its tip...

A small sunflower.

A single sunflower, its clear face turned to one side as it adored warm light, gazed endlessly into the distance from atop the morning glory vines.

The man it gazed toward would be there. AB instinctively knew that.

That was why AB was always happy.

Because she knew the sun still existed.

Holding the sunflower in her heart, AB spoke to the morning glory leading toward headquarters.

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

Footnotes:

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