WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 217

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A Story of the Past, Pied Piper of Hameln - 3

Long ago, humans were, by nature, beasts.

People praised hands that could wield tools and tongues that could shape language as gifts from God, but for all that boasting, those traits did not make humans especially exceptional compared to other beasts. They were simply useful qualities, much like those of ordinary animals.

Humans were just one more beast walking this land.

If food was in front of them, they ate. They fought to spread their seed. To live, to survive. Their desperation was literal, so they did not care who the target was or what the circumstances were.

That effort included hunting and eating other humans. Murder, rape, extermination of the bloodline, robbery. None of those acts had separate names; in savagery, they existed as common sense.

And no one blamed it.

Because it was natural.

Just like every other beast.

Then, at some point, humans found dignity.

They came to despise savagery and built laws and morality. When the first Holy Maiden fell to this land and the human king vanished, humanity truly became the ruler of the surface.

They treated every form of savagery as taboo and buried it in prehistory, then stood above the world and decided what was right and wrong, what was just and unjust. In doing so, humanity found prosperity and order.

But it was only buried in silt. The taboo still... existed.

"No, no way.... Nicholas. You're saying you'll do something like that?"

After hearing the unexpected news, Rancart's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with the open book in his hand. His gaze trembled with disgust and fear, as if he were staring at a monster wearing human skin.

"I can't understand it. I can't, no matter how I think about it. Even if we're not in a position to choose our means... this, this! This is too much!"

He was so terrified that even he, who was rarely afraid, shook violently. Clutching his own arm pitifully and sniffling, Rancart roared.

"How, how can you even think of feeding him in such an inefficient way! If you have the materials...! Then at least, so their lives aren't wasted... you should make him devour them perfectly!"

Rancart was a mage. By the nature of their post, magical officers had access to all kinds of old documents. To say he found the taboo by chance would be a stretch... he found it almost blatantly on purpose.

And when he got his hands on classified information about that taboo, he immediately rushed to Nicholas in delight. He presented it while pretending he had stumbled on it while investigating for a friend.

The plan succeeded, but only in part.

After venting his emotions, Rancart began organizing the knowledge in his head out loud.

"Class-1 Taboo. Gluttony. A forbidden ritual where you kill, slake your throat with blood and flesh, and seize their power. The easiest, and thus the most horrific taboo."

It was hard to even call it a taboo. "Gluttony" itself was something that happened every day.

Crops raised with years of effort, or the meat of beasts fed on those crops. Humans took them and grew stronger. They chewed with their teeth, swallowed, held it inside their bodies, grew their flesh, absorbed the mana and vigor within it, and became healthier.

Put simply, gluttony was the broad act of eating something.

"But fundamentally, what is outside the body is different from what is inside. You need a process to break it down and make it your own. That's why gluttony is very, very inefficient. Transforming anything always demands loss."

That was why it was taboo. Those who tried to gain power through gluttony consumed tens of thousands of lives just to grow stronger by a speck. Historically, those called tyrants, calamities, or demons often gained power this way, and most were eventually put down. Even if they devoured 100 to gain 1, the weight of their sins piled too high to bear.

...Still, gluttony did not have to be carried out on such a massive scale. Some humans who valued efficiency found a more efficient method.

"They trained in the same energy for three years, cultivated similar mana, ate the same food, and lived on the same biological rhythm. There are too, too many similarities to call them different people. It's a perfect setup... as if this had been intended from the very beginning."

It was common enough. In many secret organizations with even modest scale, they took in orphans, raised them together for years, then had one survivor devour the rest. It was so common it barely needed mentioning.

It was clear that gluttony was one reason the military state had established schools. The only difference was that this taboo had never actually been carried out until now.

Given all the preparation, that was surprising, but Rancart understood it clearly.

"Well, right. It's absolutely, absolutely pointless for me or that boar woman. Eating a mere hundred or two hundred changes nothing. That bitch Historia even beat two hundred by herself...."

The world stood on rationality.

The reason the military state had never sacrificed a hundred students to funnel power into one person was simple: one half-baked artificial superhuman was not worth more than a hundred people.

Not because of flimsy justice or morality.

Because it was irrational.

Then what if...

"Still, it's different for Hui. That guy... he's only lacking in sheer output. His ability to handle power is already sufficient."

If a case appeared where devouring power was the more rational choice, what would the military state choose?

Because they'd grown attached.

Because everyone treated it as taboo.

Because no one had ever tried it before.

Would they deny it for denial's sake and turn their backs on rationality?

"The military state passed the test. This country is worth working for...."

After brief deliberation, Nicholas decided to feed the students to Hui. But he chose a somewhat inefficient method. Rather than making them kill one another directly, he intended to push them into a life-or-death crisis.

Excluding Rancart, Historia, and 38 students headed for other divisions, the remaining 162 students were scheduled to go missing while traveling up the Hameln River for practicum. They would have to survive for two days in a forest inhabited by wolves, boars, and crocodiles.

...The camp probably had a taboo formation array installed as well, so someone's blood could become nourishment.

"That method is low beyond words, but I can fix that part myself. But Nicholas, why did he choose such an ambiguous method... no way?"

While chasing rationality, Rancart thought of one possibility and went pale. It was an absurd hypothesis. Dumbfounded by his own thought, he clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.

"Could it be, could it be Nicholas thinks Hui will throw that chance away? Ha! Hahahaha! No way, no way! As if! He's a genius. Painfully so, even more than me! You think a monster like that would be bound by something so petty?!"

He laughed for a long while, then stopped at an exact moment.

The sudden silence, set against the manic laughter from moments ago, felt even more chilling.

Rancart smiled as if to deny the hypothesis, or force it to become false.

"This is a test, Hui. I, I believe in you. More than anyone, even more than myself... if it's you, with that talent. You won't miss this chance."

Rancart muttered, darker than ever....

"Thanks for believing in me, Rancart. But I don't know if I can live up to your expectations."

"Huh? Why is that bastard's name coming up here?"

After the written exam ended and everyone trudged out exhausted, Historia and I sat comfortably in the shade outside the test hall. The two of us looked completely detached from exams.

And we were.

Historia was an irregular people debated every day, wondering whether she should be pinned with stars before she even entered officer academy, and I was a walking grade ceiling, with first place as a constant.

At Historia's question, I shrugged and answered.

"Ah. Because this time too, I'll probably place first, just like expected."

Historia gave the biggest smile she'd worn all day.

"What a shame! That bastard carried books around every day saying he'd beat you this time."

"Yeah. He worked hard."

Thanks to that, I benefited too. I could just read exactly what he studied and use it. If something was missing, I could reference other people's answers.

To me, exams were like assembling a puzzle. I picked up pieces, checked if they fit, tossed them if they didn't, and snapped them in if they seemed right. The mental thrill of that perfect fit in an empty space stimulated me.

It was pretty fun.

I read minds; I don't know the answer key. If someone was convinced choice 3 was correct and I copied it immediately, both of us could get it wrong together.

An exam wasn't an event for getting answers right, but for learning the gap between belief and reality. That probably wasn't what the military state intended, but it contributed greatly to mind reading training.

"So from what I can tell, I think I'm first again this time. Tell Rancart first place only exists where I'm not around."

"Can I pass that along exactly as is?"

"If you want, you can add a little more meat."

"That's my specialty! I never get tired of watching that bastard fall apart every year!"

"...Ria. But if we remove the practical bonus points, your score is lower than Rancart's."

Still smiling, Historia grabbed my shoulder. That grip, strong enough to crush a tin canteen, was about to test itself on my bones.

"Mhm? Hui. Say one more word, and I'll spill every move from one through seven in the sparring test."

"I'm sorry. I was wrong."

"If you hadn't synced your moves with mine, you could've ended up second too. Be careful from now on. Don't get cocky."

As always, Historia joked and laughed aimlessly, then lowered her head and rested it against my chest. The crown of her head, thick with jet-black hair, filled my view.

With her face buried, Historia whispered softly.

"...Be careful in the graduation practicum."

Whoosh. As if she had never shown weakness, she immediately threw her head back and smiled brightly. Her long braid swung with the force of the movement, lively like her.

"Hey! Once this is over, you have to decide where you're going! Your future changes depending on which officer academy you enter!"

"Yeah. I should think about that too."

"You'd better think hard! If you really don't have anywhere to go, come be my adjutant! I'm going to be a general, so I can make at least one seat for you!"

Historia excitedly talked about a bright future while suppressing her anxiety. Why was she anxious? From reading her thoughts, she knew nothing about gluttony. Had she sensed something instinctively?

Or was she simply afraid of graduation and separation itself, like the other kids?

I didn't know. Human emotions were too complex.

I also forced myself to answer brightly, matching her mood.

"Come on. I have my pride. How can first place become adjutant to third place?"

"I'm second place!"

Still, this bright side of hers was only possible because she didn't know about gluttony.

If...

If Historia learned about gluttony, how would she change?

Would she accept it, or reject it?

I didn't know. I was a mind reader, not someone who knew the future. I could only guess.

"Historia. If something goes wrong... could you help me?"

"...What are you suddenly saying? Are you going off to die somewhere?"

But I couldn't tell her. This was top-level classified information that even Nicholas and Rancart had kept tightly hidden. If a mere student like me noticed the conspiracy around me, they would absolutely demand to know my source.

I couldn't let anyone find out I had mind reading, and I couldn't even let them suspect I might. I couldn't render my only weapon useless.

I shared everything, and because of that, I was alone.

Even when I wondered why it had to be me, no one answered.

I shrugged and spoke lightly.

"I'm just scared. It's the notorious graduation practicum, right? I heard people die there pretty often."

"Don't act like a coward."

She said that, but she looked happy. With a fresh smile, Historia waved broadly.

"I'll save you. But if I save you, you become my adjutant, deal?"

"Now that I think about it, first place asking third place for help is ironic. Never mind. I'll handle it on my own."

"Hey!"

Waving broadly at Historia, I headed for the assembly point.

To the place where the one-way practicum would begin, where many would go and few would return from.

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