WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 21: There Is Always Only One Truth

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My back hit the hard concrete floor. Or maybe the concrete floor hit my back. There wasn't much difference. It hurt like hell either way.

Bang! It sounded like a leather drum bursting. If anyone ever wondered, out of pure childlike curiosity, what a drum made from human skin would sound like, they only needed to hear the sound my back had just made. My back was a human-skin drum.

I didn't scream because all the air in my lungs had been forced out at once, leaving me no breath to make a sound. I endured the pain in silence and lay still.

The regressor who had thrown me looked down at her hand.

'He jumped on his own to lessen the impact.'

You called that lessening the impact? You were insane. If we had pulled that move on each other...

'Wow, that went in fucking perfectly! I might actually have talent for judo.'

We'd have given a thumbs-up.

The impact had been enough to kill me if I had landed wrong. Jump on my own, my ass. The moment I sensed something was wrong, I startled and sprang up, only to be thrown straight into the ground.

'My Heaven-Reversing Boundary is a qi art specialized for counterattacks. If the movement has been engraved into my body, it activates without even the briefest delay before I can think. Seeing that he jumped along with it, his reactions are good. But...'

A counterattack technique ingrained into her body. That was cheating.

I had approached from a perfect blind spot, but the moment I touched her, she had assumed a flawless shoulder-throw stance as though it had been drawn into place. It was such an ideal movement, like something out of a textbook, that nothing bent the wrong way. Still, the blow to my back had been so powerful that I could barely move. It felt like thousands of tiny needles had dug into my back.

'For someone with such good reactions, he doesn't have much feel to him...'

This was why I shouldn't associate with people who had lived by beating the hell out of others. How could someone's standard for judging people be the feel of hitting them? What was I, sliced raw fish? It felt awful.

I frowned.

"Get your foot off me. Throwing someone wasn't enough, now you're going to step on me too?"

"Oh."

The regressor removed her foot from my collarbone. Still lying down, I brushed the shoeprint off my shirt.

"It's your fault. How could you just put your hands on me like that?"

"Please. Your body's so precious. If you throw everyone who grabs your shoulder, how do you function in daily life?"

"If this is a world where people who know nothing keep patting my shoulder, I have no need for daily life."

"Are we strangers? That's hurtful."

"...Of course we're strangers. What else would we be?"

"A trainee and an instructor. They say you shouldn't even step on your teacher's shadow, yet you throw your instructor and then step on his body. Wow. How am I supposed to live with this injustice?"

The shock hadn't faded enough for me to get up. I stayed sprawled on the floor and lamented.

'It's hard to say he was wrong for approaching without any guard... This isn't a battlefield, after all. I was the one who struck first.'

The regressor felt at least a little sorry for me. She answered quietly.

"Whatever you are, you should have been prepared for that much when you interrupted me."

Was that something a person who felt sorry would say? Her thoughts and words were completely different. It was driving me crazy. If I weren't a mind reader, I would've burst a blood vessel.

Even as a mind reader, I felt like I was about to burst one.

"Is this what resentment feels like? Is this injustice? You were cutting down a wall and about to slice up a golem. Did it never occur to you that someone might stop you?"

The first thing needed to deal with the regressor was sound logic. The second thing was also sound logic. She tended to be weak against it. Separate from morality and such, she generally accepted something if it made sense.

'Come to think of it, this man was an instructor too. He is practically the military state's eyes. I was going to deal with the golem while leaving him alone...'

Good. At least she understood. Whew. It was a relief that she wasn't impossible to reason with.

'Should I take care of this man while I have the chance? Somehow, I feel like I could kill him right now.'

I took that back. Being human didn't mean we could understand each other after all.

This was when I needed to change the subject. I addressed the small arcane golem beside my head.

"Hey, Captain AB."

『This is Captain AB. I have assessed the current situation. Thank you for your actions.』

"No, forget it. Shut up for now if you don't want to be broken."

If the golem spoke, it might reveal my identity. I cut it off deliberately, sounding a little threatening. Fortunately, Captain AB caught on quickly. She seemed to have realized that I was the only person in this Abyss who could help her.

Still lying down, I lifted the golem. Its metal body was about the size of a small doll, but it was much heavier than it looked. Its thin metal arms and legs dangled in the air.

"Trainee Shei."

I lowered my voice. Just as the regressor sensed something unusual, I quietly closed my eyes and spoke.

"Trainee Shei, you cut down a wall, destroyed a golem, and used violence against me. All very naturally."

"So?"

"Fine. The wall is already damaged, most of the golems are broken, and my body was made to be tossed around anyway. Let's say that much is acceptable. I won't ask about any of it, so let go of your feelings toward the golem for now."

"What...?"

'With the instructor here, there isn't much difference whether the golem remains or not. They're both military state dogs. Besides... It may be better to leave it intact.'

After reaching her conclusion in a short time, the regressor sheathed her sword.

"As long as it doesn't spy on me."

"It won't, even if I tell it to. You saw it earlier, hiding in the cafeteria. If it had wanted to spy on you, it wouldn't have hidden in the cafeteria. A bourgeois pig who eats personal food alone while everyone else makes do with scarce rations doesn't show up in the cafeteria."

"Hmm."

"If you understand, go now."

"What are you going to do here?"

"Now that I know a golem remains, I need to request supplies. Someone has been stealing food in the middle of the night, and the canned goods were starting to run low."

"Right..."

'Since I decided not to fight this man, I can't avoid some information leaking out. I'll watch for now. This may even be a chance to dig up information about him instead.'

The regressor nodded, gave the golem one sharp look, then turned away.

"Ask whether they can supply blood. Tyrkanzyaka has been moving around for the first time in a while, and she seems a little short on blood."

"I'll check and get back to you."

Who would supply something like that?

"I'll return to my room now."

"Take care."

The regressor strode out as if making sure I watched her leave. In the dark cafeteria, only the golem and I remained...

Wait.

"Trainee Shei. I thought you were returning?"

I felt her startled emotions from beyond the wall. The regressor spoke as though making excuses.

"I, I was about to go back. I just had something to do for a moment."

Trying to eavesdrop, were you? I stared hard at the door. The regressor made loud footsteps as she walked away. With a long groan, I lifted the golem again.

"Captain AB. Long time no see."

『I confirm your survival. It is fortunate that you survived...』

"Wait."

I covered the golem's mouth and pushed myself up from the floor. Ow, my neck. I hit my back, so why was my neck stiff? I rolled my neck around as though stretching, then stared at a point in the empty air.

"Did you come back because there was something to eat? If you said you were going to your room, go back quickly."

There was nothing visible in the pitch-black darkness. Then a small ripple passed through it. The regressor, who had been using a stealth art, held her breath in surprise and stared at me with trembling eyes.

'He noticed me? He saw through this curtain of darkness, where not even a ripple can be seen? N-no. No way. He didn't notice last time.'

"Stop playing around. You're making it too obvious. Who walks down a hallway that loudly, as though they're trying to make it sound like they're leaving?"

'Ugh. Was I too obvious? But that man has no proof. He must just be testing me. I should pretend not to know...'

"Ah! Get out!"

I grabbed a pot from the table and hurled it. The regressor hurriedly ducked just before it hit her. The missed pot clanged across the cafeteria floor. Her stealth art broke for a moment from the sudden movement, and our eyes met.

Her face flushed red from embarrassment.

"Ugh, ugh..."

"Trainee Shei. Didn't you complain that the arcane golem was peeping on you? This is exactly the same. Using a stealth art to eavesdrop on others is a bad habit."

"I know. I just..."

"I understand. It happens. Anyone can make mistakes, and anyone can get curious. I won't say anything, so please just go back."

"Y-yeah..."

'Damn it, damn it, damn it! I shouldn't have acted so obviously from the start. I underestimated him because of the feel I got from throwing him earlier!'

The regressor lowered her head and ran out. I had expected her to get angry and try to kill me instead, but perhaps because she was a perfectionist, she had a strong tendency to blame herself for her own mistakes. She ran through the corridor, whipping herself with self-reproach.

The golem, which had been watching quietly, spoke.

『You have abilities of your own as well.』

"You have a rough idea how I made a living, don't you? It's psychological warfare."

『It is fortunate that you appear to be surviving well enough.』

"What? Fortunate?"

『I had planned to add a laborer to the next supply list, but I now judge that to be unnecessary. There will be no need to waste human resources.』

"Oh. You meant financially."

The regressor was one thing, but the military state was also full of people who were hard to grow attached to. They had sent me down here half convinced that I would die.

"You know roughly what happened while you were here, right? Then I don't need to explain."

『Negative. I kept this unit hidden to avoid Trainee Shei. Other than the events in the cafeteria, I was unable to observe anything.』

"Ah, really?"

That was useful information. It meant I had information that only I knew. I could use it to squeeze more out of the golem.

『If you report any noteworthy matters, I promise my full support.』

It was quick to understand, too. It read its own situation and my intentions, then offered terms of exchange on its own. I liked how quickly it handled things.

『Do you have any noteworthy matters or requests?』

"I have one. I..."

'But I still have another way.'

Ah, wait. Another strange thought was coming through.

No way. Being fooled twice made you an idiot, and being fooled three times made you history. Was the regressor really determined to leave a line in history?

She had remodeled a prison cell on the first floor and was living there. If she had returned to her room and stopped taking an interest in this side, I shouldn't have been able to read her thoughts.

The reason I could hear her thoughts now was...

'Was it during my seventh regression? I learned a long-distance listening technique from beastfolk with good hearing. Back then, it was buried beneath noise from every direction, so I discarded it as useless. In a situation like this, it should be useful. Everything is quiet, so no noise will get mixed in. Now, let's see...'

"Wait a moment."

I walked over to the pot I had thrown earlier. Then I searched the cupboard and took out another pot. Good. Nothing broken, and the material was sturdy. This would do.

I spun the two pots around while waiting for the right moment.

'Even though I don't have beastfolk ears, if I press my ear to the ceiling from directly below... I should be able to distinguish enough...'

The moment I heard the regressor's thought, I slammed the pots together with all my strength.

Clang!

'!!!!!!!'

The steel of their round structure was an excellent resonating chamber by itself. The pots were even made from alchemical iron, forged and coated with care so that not one drop of water could leak out. When I smashed them together with all my might, a deafening boom rang out as though it could be heard throughout Tantalus.

The sound raced down the hallway and shook the building. It was a grand resonance comparable to a bell. The echoes rang long through the Abyss. I waited until the soft reverberations died away.

'Ah, ahh. Ah.'

A silent cry came from the floor below. I crouched down and spoke toward the concrete.

"Trainee Shei."

'Ah, no way.'

"You didn't even come to ask what that noise was. You're not eavesdropping, are you? I'll trust that you aren't."

'...'

Was she crying? No, surely not. Wanting to cry and actually crying were different things. Even people without tears sometimes sobbed in their hearts. It was common to feel emotions intense enough to want to cry from sorrow and embarrassment.

Too bad. If I had seen her cry in person, I could have teased her about it until the world ended.

Anyway.

"Now that the nuisance is gone..."

『Was he eavesdropping?』

"Probably."

『How did you discover that?』

"I told you, psychological warfare. People like that tend to pursue maximum profit and have a strong need for compensation. Even when they get caught once, they're the type to follow through to the end, thinking it won't happen this time. They only feel satisfied once they get something out of it."

That was a lie. I read her thoughts. Still, even a reason added after the fact became a correct explanation if it was right.

"And they have nothing to lose if they fail. The risk approaches zero, while the gains are substantial."

『Understood. Is it possible he will eavesdrop further?』

"Honestly? From now on, eavesdropping would only hurt him. You have to know when to give up. How much more pathetic does he intend to become?"

'....................'

The regressor's thoughts cut off.

Ah. Was she okay? That was practically an unconsciousness-level interruption.

I wondered whether I had gone too far, but compared to the pain still lingering in my back, this much was nothing. Mental pain was nothing compared to physical pain in the first place.

Anyway, having successfully shaken off the regressor, I decided to state the rest of my business.

"This golem resembles a human. It's the type that shares senses, right? You synchronize with its body and control it."

『Affirmative.』

"Then."

I tapped the golem's body. When it responded, I straightened my finger and wrote on its broad body. My finger moved across its stomach and chest in flowing strokes.

-Important things will be written down, so understand. Only nod your head in reply.

The golem's body twitched briefly, then its head bobbed up and down.

Even with an ability to read thoughts, there was no harm in being careful.

It made me wonder why I had clanged the pots together in the first place, but I was satisfied after seeing the regressor suffer.

"You said you stayed in the cafeteria the whole time, right?"

Pretending to continue an ordinary conversation, I wrote on the golem's body.

-I am pretending to be an instructor here. I lied to survive.

The golem nodded slightly. At the same time, it answered through the microphone attached to its mouth.

『Affirmative.』

"Then you saw Azzy and me eating together."

-So you should treat me like I am an instructor too.

This time, the golem shook its head. When I glared, it spoke clearly.

『I did not witness everything. As previously stated, this unit was under extreme threat, so it intermittently shut down during daytime operations. Warning. Impersonation and false reporting are serious crimes.』

So it was answering by tacking things onto the end of its statements.

Impersonating an instructor was certainly a crime the military state would never permit. Even in this situation, it was rigid as ever. Military state communications officer.

"Then you were constantly operating during the night."

-Otherwise, I would have no reason to protect you. I would have no right to do so either. If you do not help me, I cannot keep you with me.

The golem stopped operating for a moment. Its mission to monitor this place seemed to be conflicting with the fact that it would have to assist in the crime of impersonating an instructor.

Its hesitation did not last long. The golem nodded and spoke in an even more mechanical voice.

『I will comply.』

Good. That settled things for now. I could act as the liaison between the military state authorities and Tantalus, then secure my own benefits.

Getting thrown had been worth it. It hurt like hell, but I had gained something.

I grinned.

『And.』

The golem hesitated for a moment before speaking, almost reluctantly.

『Because this unit shares senses, I request that you exercise caution when making contact.』

What did that mean? I couldn't read its thoughts, so I couldn't tell what it meant. Was it important? Its tone seemed to have wavered slightly.

I picked up the golem again, straightened my finger, and wrote across its stomach and chest.

-I understand. I only need to write when it is something very important, right?

『Uh. You do not understand at all...』

Huh. That was a strange reaction. The golem trembled faintly as though it had malfunctioned, then started speaking without me even prompting it.

Then the golem pushed my hand away. It was a small golem the size of a doll, but it was still a military state arcane golem. Its steel limbs could push away my hand.

『...Forget it.』

What? What kind of reaction was that? I had no idea.

I had never imagined I would regret being unable to read a golem's thoughts this much. When dealing with people, I could read every thought and gain the upper hand, but this was a remotely controlled golem, so there was no way to find out. It didn't even have facial expressions, so I had to guess from its tone alone.

Did ordinary people live like this all the time? It was more inconvenient than I thought. It felt like living with one of my limbs torn off.

...Oh, wait.

It said it had been operating constantly at night, right?

Then it knew who had been secretly stealing food, too.

Caught you.

Footnotes:

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