WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 198: Gambling Apocalypse: Puppy

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"Oh, the man of the house is back."

"Who are you calling the man of the house?"

The regressor had gone out scouting, and even she could not escape the fierce winds. No, since she had scouted from even higher up, she returned looking as though she had been through a dusting. I welcomed her as she fixed her messy hair.

"Ah, Shei. Welcome back. What would you like first? A meal? A bath? Or sleep?"

"That act of yours, pretending to be so diligent, is a little irritating."

The regressor glanced inside the container. The cargo had been cleared out, and the interior converted into a resting place. A lamp sheltered from the wind carried the savory scent of roasting meat, while a makeshift bed of sleeping bags and cloth lay waiting with open arms.

The regressor muttered quietly.

"It's irritating that you actually are diligent, too."

"Please keep your anger down. Too much heat in your head will make your hair fall out."

"That's a pointless thing to worry about!"

The regressor shouted fiercely, giving me an annoyed glare. It was exactly the look someone gave a parasite loafing around at home.

"What did you say just now? I thought I heard something about school."

"It was nothing. I was telling Azzy about my glorious school days."

When I brazenly denied it, the regressor let it go without much suspicion.

"Glorious, my ass. You were involved in one of the military state's taboos."

'He was connected to Hamelin, wasn't he? I wasn't planning to become enemies with the military state already. If I keep traveling with him, I won't even be able to set foot there.'

Last night, the regressor had given me a rough explanation. She was traveling to stop the King of Sin, and if I wanted, she would at least take me somewhere safe.

Since the military state had already marked me, my ordinary life was as good as gone. I told her I wanted to come along, and the regressor accepted.

'Azzy and Tyrkanzyaka seemed to want him along too, so I agreed for now.'

Yet from that moment on, the regressor had treated me like an inconvenient extra mouth to feed. Thanks to that, my life felt like I was sitting on a bed of needles.

'The military state is a fairly well-organized country. Unless I plan to destroy it, I should at least negotiate with them. But can that happen with this guy around?'

I couldn't let a human be abandoned while the dog and cat came along. To prove my worth, I took on every odd job I could. Cooking, cleaning, and looking after Azzy were all part of it.

Thanks to my tireless efforts, I had managed to make the regressor see me a little more positively.

'Right. It's better to travel together, if only for Tyrkanzyaka and Azzy's sake. They both seem attached to him.'

Phew. Somehow, I made it through another day. Every day was a thorny path, like being a temporary worker who could be fired at any moment. Who could understand the feelings of a parasite who swung between heaven and hell with a single word?

Relieved, I welcomed the regressor and asked,

"How did the scouting go?"

The regressor tossed off her coat and flopped into a makeshift chair. She wasn't particularly heavy, yet the chair creaked.

"I checked the next stop ahead of time, and it was completely empty. Looks like we'll get through today quietly."

"The sun will set soon."

"Right. They'd have to be crazy to attack us at night."

The regressor pointed toward the darkness deep inside. There was a pitch-black wooden coffin giving off a dark aura, with Tyr sleeping quietly within.

At night, Tyr was powerful enough to seem nearly omnipotent. Under the blazing sun, though, her bloodcraft and darkness faced various restrictions. The reason the vampire armies that had once been so powerful were repeatedly stopped by the Sanctum was because of the daylight that took up more than half the day.

That was why Tyr conserved her strength during the day. If she carelessly used darkness beneath the sun, her power could run out at a dangerous moment.

"The problem is daytime. They'll definitely come for us during the day."

"It's fine. Tyr isn't all that different during the day now. She's only resting because she has to gather as much strength as possible to wield darkness during daylight."

"Right. Tyrkanzyaka recovered her heart."

'Recovering her heart means she has clearly separated the boundary between what is outside and what is within. Sunlight probably won't damage her body anymore. Still.'

The regressor looked back and forth between Tyr and me, resting her chin on her hand as she thought.

'Giving the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka back her heart is a huge accomplishment regardless. It could affect the duchy in the future. Right, if Hughes did that, it's enough on its own. Fine, let's travel together. Aside from being pursued by the military state, he's a decent companion...'

Who was I? A man acknowledged as the regressor's companion.

Historia, Lankart, are you watching? Your old schoolmate had risen this far. I got myself a job as the errand boy for a party saving the world...

It was a gathering of criminals in the end, but if I was going to play around, I might as well play in deep waters.

"Woof!"

As we were talking, Azzy came over and tapped my sleeve. When I turned around, she pointed at my injured left arm and said,

"Woof! Show hurt place!"

"Is it already time for that?"

Muttering, I rolled up my sleeve and showed her the torn wound. The large injury I had suffered fighting Ulfen had already faded into little more than a faint mark thanks to the Beast King's power. Azzy held my arm with her front paws and carefully licked the wound.

The sting became an itch, and the itch soon turned into a soothing sensation. Knowing the wound was healing made having a dog lick my arm far less unpleasant.

After thoroughly licking the wound, Azzy patted my arm and cried out,

"Woof! Healthy! Healthy!"

"Thanks, Azzy. Want some meat?"

"You eat! Woof! Eat lots when hurt!"

Azzy patted my shoulder encouragingly, then lay down on her stomach. Her warm gaze as she looked at me was almost a little burdensome.

Good heavens.

Azzy had once seen humans as little more than walking toy holders, aside from not attacking them. How had she become this admirable? Was it really true that there were bad people but no bad dogs?

No, don't be fooled. She only looked good because she did one nice thing after usually acting awful.

Even if she died and came back to life, a dog was still a dog. I would test her true nature.

I took out a disc and waved it around.

"Azzy. Want to play fetch?"

Her tail started wagging first. Delighted by the offer, Azzy sprang to her feet and shouted,

"Woof! Yes, yes!"

"Ouch. But maybe because I was just treated, my arm hurts."

"Woof? Then let's do it next time!"

Without even the slightest regret, she lowered her half-raised body again. It was real. Azzy had developed consideration for others.

Azzy had always been friendly toward humans. Now she had even reached this level of thoughtfulness... Was this what a true dog was? Had becoming the King of Dogs awakened some angel-dog trait in her?

Were humans really creatures moved by such tiny changes? I could barely contain my swelling emotions as I wiped away a tear.

"Azzy seems a little different from usual. Did you do something?"

The regressor nodded toward us. I shrugged at her curious expression and answered,

"I didn't do anything in particular. I think Azzy expects something from me."

"What does she expect?"

"What was it? Nabi said she wanted me to fulfill a promise."

Just as humans could not distinguish the meaning behind beasts' cries, I could not read Nabi or Azzy's thoughts. I had no choice but to repeat what I had heard.

Honestly, passing along what a dog and cat said. It wasn't as if I was an interpreter.

"She asked whether I was some important person. Me, a petty criminal who ran away because I had nowhere to go. Isn't that ridiculous?"

I said it with a laugh, as though I had heard a joke. It wasn't a serious matter.

I shrugged and gave an awkward smile, but the regressor's expression suddenly changed. She shot up from her chair as if a welcome guest had arrived, rushed toward me, and shouted,

"Are you perhaps the prince of a fallen kingdom?! The descendant of a king the Resistance is secretly searching for!"

"Why would you say something so dangerous? Of course not. If I were a prince, would I be living like this?"

'Hm, that's a bit of a leap. They aren't twins, so that can't be it.'

After looking away for a moment, the regressor pressed me again.

"Then what? Are you the leader of some secret organization I don't know about?"

"If I had my own secret organization, I would've used it already. Would I have struggled to survive in the back alleys and fled as though I were being chased out?"

"What exactly are you?"

"If this isn't some philosophical question about my existence, all I can say is that I'm just me. Could Azzy have misunderstood something?"

I answered half-jokingly, but the regressor was utterly serious. After pressing me several times to make sure, she sank into thought and muttered,

"No. The Beast King is a Speaker. An existence that conveys words not to one human, but to all humanity."

"I know that much."

"That means that, to convey words to so many people, the Beast King can see a human's influence. It's like testing whether someone is qualified."

"Qualifications or not, what could she possibly want from a petty back-alley criminal like me? It's absurd."

"You really are a petty criminal, right?"

"I said I was!"

Normally, I would have tried to brush it off somehow, but my current position was that of a parasite. I was the first one who would be cut loose if things went wrong. To clear up the regressor's doubts, I gave her a rough explanation.

I briefly told her what Nabi had said and what sort of person I had been.

"So, I was a kind neighbor who knew everyone in the back alleys. I solved all kinds of odd problems and sincerely helped anyone who needed it. I'm telling you, that was really all."

"You've never been anywhere besides Hamelin and Amitenggrad?"

"Right. Middle school was entirely boarding, so aside from then, I practically lived in Amitenggrad. At the very best, I was something like the village chief of Amitenggrad's back alleys."

'Right. If he were truly a big shot, she wouldn't have called him barely close. It means he hasn't met the qualifications after all. But perhaps...!'

Ah, this was starting to feel ominous. This strange situation where the parasite had to prepare to become a chrysalis for some reason, then emerge and fly.

A life spent reading the room was always uneasy, but at least my body was comfortable. If I could, I would've wanted to live like that forever. Yet the fear of overcoming pain and trials on my own to become something else was another matter. Even though an opportunity to stand tall had come, I couldn't welcome it.

The regressor examined me like a tool whose use she had finally discovered.

"You said you were close. Maybe you would qualify if we just make up whatever you lack?"

"No! Look at me. What qualifications could a burned-out failure like me have? Azzy, do I have any qualifications?"

Azzy had been quietly wagging her tail, but when she heard herself mentioned, she pricked up her ears and stood. She studied me carefully, then promptly shook her head.

"No!"

"See? What qualifications could someone fleeing the military police have? At most, I have the qualifications of a wanted criminal."

"Not yet!"

"Don't leave room for possibility! What more are you trying to expect from me?"

"Woof! Become a greater person!"

"You stupid dog!"

That hopeful gaze was not pure faith or trust. She looked at me like a delicious crop, with the exact same eyes as a farmer watering and fertilizing it so it would grow well.

Damn it! If she had been human, I would have noticed her ulterior motives immediately. Because she was a dog, I failed to read them and took her words at face value!

'Now that I think about it, the King of Dogs appeared intact this time! Maybe this could be the key to stopping the next fragment of the apocalypse! The conflict with the beastkin is one thing, but if the King of Dogs doesn't join the fight...!'

The regressor's eyes shone much like Azzy's. Her face said she wanted to place some enormous expectations on me.

Ah, this was a disaster. Did I truly have to break out of my egg and step into the terrifying world beyond?

No. I would resist. The shell of my egg was exceedingly hard, and I would resist so they couldn't crack it carelessly!

"Azzy, are you planning to use me?"

"Woof? Not use! This is investment!"

"Investment?"

It sounded like something I shouldn't have heard from a dog.

"Low probability, high payoff! High risk, high return! I, woof! Will take care of you!"

"What do you take people for? I'm not a card on a gambling table! And what? Investing in a criminal on the run? Who bets that heavily on a card that doesn't even make a pair? Not even an idiot would invest like that!"

"I not idiot! That is why invest!"

"The fact that you didn't understand the context proves you are an idiot!"

As punishment, I grabbed Azzy's ears and pulled, but she held her ground with just a little strength. The force she used to perk up her ears was stronger than all the strength I could put into my arm. What was this? Was this the difference in our status? Was human life about to be trampled?

Then the regressor spoke.

Footnotes:

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