WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 227

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Hello? I'm the Sleep Fairy

Tyr had been getting teased nonstop by me, so the second she found an excuse, she jumped on the suggestion.

[Fine. I have stayed long enough anyway. Let us switch places!]

Darkness flashed over my eyes. When my vision returned, Azzy was blinking.

So now the order was Ria, Tyr, Azzy, me, then the regressor. Stuck in the middle, Azzy flailed around and shouted, clearly uncomfortable.

"Bark! Me, outside! I wanna go out!"

"Azzy. Don't be ridiculous. Even with Tyr's darkness up, military-state searchlights can still spot human shapes like bloodhounds."

The biggest reason they developed ultra-high-performance lights was to catch escapees. You couldn't write a better farce.

The Inner Circle was the most advanced part of the military state, and at the same time its darkest side, crawling with exploited people. A secret land that gathered only the pure essence of the military state.

So we had to move quietly. Outside, day and night, there were people crushed under brutal labor and searchlights watching in case they tried to run.

Then this happened.

"Bark bark! Too cramped! Awoooo! Guarantee my space rights!"

"Tsk. I do like how outgoing she is, and how she doesn't get travel stress, but times like this make me appreciate cats liking tight spaces."

What am I supposed to do with this.

The Beast King was a conceptual being, so she never lost her general traits. Dogs acted like dogs, cats acted like cats.

Nabi still loved catnip mana herb after all that chaos, still burrowed into cramped spots, still talked to humans, and still never forgave once things went wrong. Azzy had her own temperament too.

Around then, Nabi must have woken up as well, because a satisfied purring voice came from the box at my feet.

"Nyaah. A stupid mutt who can't keep her head straight unless she's moving.... Pitiful nya. So pathetic nya. Keep your dignity like me nya."

"Bark! She's the only comfy one!"

At least that was a relief. If Nabi had started going wild too, we never would have moved this smoothly. Better Azzy feeling cramped than you making a scene. At least there wouldn't be bloodshed.

Nabi's attitude was too sharp to call friendly, but honestly, Azzy was the odd one for not harming humans. For a beast to come right up without hesitation and try to bond first, that was practically best-friend level.

Normal beasts either ran so far you could barely see them... or, if they showed themselves, death was already decided.

Why do those self-proclaimed lords of creation try to gather dogs and cats? Either they do that, or they have no answer.

"Bark! Violent cat, comfy! Nice me, uncomfortable! Not fair! Awooooo!"

"I told you, just bear it a little. It's only one night."

"Awoo! Violence gets care! Nonviolence gets neglect! Bark bark!"

"Sigh. All you do is throw tantrums. So what do you want me to do?"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Answer: show of force!"

"Wait. That conclusion is weird."

This dog does nothing but work out and turns into an activist. Not good. Time for a convenient tool.

"Fine! Keep your stake or whatever and calm down already!"

"Bark! 10%!"

"Yeah, take it!"

"Bark, okay!"

Then Azzy folded her ears and shut her mouth like nothing had happened. I tilted my head.

"I feel like I just got played by a coordinated operation."

"Bark! No! Fair compensation!"

"What did you even do for fair compensation... though, now that I think about it, you did do a lot. Hmm."

Come to think of it, when I subdued Historia using Nabi, I used Azzy's instincts too. Just getting her to side with me over Historia was huge.

Right, I should just give that useless stake to the dogs. Azzy made a pact with the military state and, even when they declared default, she only threw a brief fit and stopped. If I said, "Go ahead and gut me," she wouldn't actually do it. I'd die.

Cheering Azzy up was never hard to begin with, but getting a free carrot out of it felt great.

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

Azzy bounced around energetically, unaware of what I was thinking. Ah, wait. It hurts when she moves like that in such a tight space....

[King of Dogs. Stop wagging your tail. That fluttering is irritating.]

"Bark bark?"

[No, enough. I will handle this myself.]

Whoosh.

Darkness covered my eyes again. For a moment, it felt like my body got swept somewhere. When my vision came back, what I saw in front of me was... the wall of the coffin.

Now the order was Azzy, Tyr, Ria, regressor, me. Azzy's tail pointed toward the edge of the coffin.

[I should have sent the King of Dogs to the edge from the beginning. Too noisy....]

It was a reasonable choice, but it left the regressor and Historia lying face to face. Of all combinations. Shuffle enough and every possible case appears.

Historia chewed her cigarette and said,

"Progenitor. Thanks for moving me. But this setup is a bit much. Isn't this too stimulating for the kid?"

"What stimulating!"

As she said, Historia still had both arms bound. She was restrained inside a coffin with no room to move, wearing only a shirt. We had taken off just her outer layer because we needed it for the bait doll.

And while a clothing packet could be removed even while bound, it couldn't be put back on. So she'd been left there unable to wear anything over it.

She didn't look comfortable. She had learned ki arts, so it wouldn't damage her body, but even for Historia, being tied this tightly had to hurt.

The regressor crushed that complaint at once.

"Hmph. Then you should've gone when we first told you to. You're the one who asked us to take you along when we said we'd send you back safely."

"Better to be a prisoner than bait. At least I won't drag my allies down."

"'The red horse is bait.' Your code. The one you used. You don't call that dragging people down?"

Historia shut her mouth.

The red horse is bait. A military braille code she had tapped herself with her fingers.

It was a clue, yes, but also devilish information that boxed in the other side's thinking. It was obvious how the military state would react if they took that as decisive. Yet Historia tapped it without a moment's hesitation.

Thinking she'd cornered her, the regressor smugly pushed on.

"Right. You didn't lie. It really was bait. But... as you know, if they read that, wouldn't the military state naturally assume we were still on the belt?"

"...Yeah. Didn't realize."

"Oh, you didn't realize. That's what you're going with?"

Historia couldn't even answer and looked away. Oh ho. Regressor. First verbal-fight win of the season?

"So what is it? Why would someone who's one of the military state's Six Generals follow us here, then act this passive?"

"...What do you think."

"Want me to guess?"

'Yeah, I'm sure now. She's not loyal to the military state. Most of the other Six Generals are, except Peerless Spear, but this one acts more diligent than anyone while still being ready to abandon the state at any time....'

Glance. The regressor tilted her head slightly and glanced toward me.

'Probably the Hameln incident and this guy both affected her, right? Hameln was huge, but it can't be only that. What kind of effect? For now, I know they were close, but maybe...?'

Uh, hold on. This feels like your thoughts are sprinting off on their own again. Regressor, stop thinking for a sec....

Before my thoughts could turn into action, the regressor lowered her voice at the idea that popped into her head and asked casually,

"Could it be... you and this guy were dating?"

If that was talent, it was still talent. One sentence, and she flipped the whole mood.

Silence fell inside the coffin. A coffin was where the dead were placed, and the dead didn't speak, so maybe this was simply the natural order.

Hit with such a random question, Historia only blinked, trying to gauge what the hell she meant.

But the regressor's eyes held pure curiosity. Well, closer to her usual next-run information-gathering curiosity.

'Really? Even when the Resistance rose up and built the republic, this one stayed oddly passive. Same when the military state fell to another country and a new kingdom was enthroned.... Nah, no way it's because of a man.'

Honestly, it wasn't entirely because of me. I did provide the trigger, though.

But Historia didn't exactly have a great personality either. She smiled slyly, lowered her gaze slightly, and said,

"...Who knows. I had so much lingering attachment dripping off me that I even sold myself and came here."

"Oh, really? For real?"

"Do I have any reason to lie?"

That way of speaking, not a lie. I know it well because I use it all the time.

Yes, she had lingering attachment, but not because we dated. Historia's attachment wasn't that kind.

'Whaaat? Really? It was true? Wow, wow! Come to think of it, I never heard the Gunslinger got involved with anyone! So it was this?!'

Even after asking, and even after half expecting no, the regressor's curiosity flared.

"You dated? Since Hameln? What grade?"

"Hard to say exactly. We were so close, for so long, that I can't tell when it became that kind of relationship."

"Wow, ahh."

That slander stops there, Historia. I cut in before this got out of hand.

"Hey! Stop making normal people sound weird! You can't tell because we never became that kind of relationship in the first place!"

I shouted, and the regressor whipped her head around and yelled back.

"The whole coffin is echoing! You're loud, so anyone irrelevant should stay quiet!"

"Excuse me? This is about me, and I'm irrelevant?"

Anyway, the regressor ignored me and focused entirely on Historia. What is this. Feels like she doesn't trust my words anymore... did I tease her too much for too long?

And of all people, she decided to listen to Historia. Wrong choice.

"S-so? How did you get close?"

"We enrolled at the same time, same class year. We knew each other from the start. And me, Rancart, and Hui were all famous geniuses from the day we entered... so privately we saw each other as rivals."

Rivals, my ass. I was overwhelming first place. Who got second changed depending on national conditions and judging criteria, but first was never in dispute.

"Who was first?"

"It was always close, but first was always Hui. I was always second."

"Tch, so that was real?"

'I hoped it was bluff!'

Your thoughts are filthy, grade-schooler. I fool your judgment, not information. I don't need false information to fool you.

"Trying to beat Hui, focusing on him, studying him... I guess I was gradually colored by him."

"W-wow."

See? No need for lies. She just falls right into the story.

This is bad. Not sure it'll work, but I tried stopping it anyway.

"Um, Mr. Shei."

"I said you're loud!"

"I said it quietly...."

Tsk. Fine. Chew and tear all you want. I won't care how you get fooled....

'Hm hm. Hui's old stories.... Well, someone like Hui must have had several people after him.... My feelings are complicated, but I'll hear this out.'

Am I really fine not caring? The coffin is cramped already, and if weird rumors spread, I'm screwed.

No one cared about my anxiety, and the regressor kept digging.

"...B-but it's a middle military school. You all lived in the same place, and instructors watched everything, so how could you date?"

"If you wanted to, there were plenty of ways. Like choosing each other as sparring partners during free training. Fighting until we were drenched in sweat and learning each other that way."

"Wooow...."

'Kind of... pretty romantic.'

Romantic? Your brain is muscle too, huh? Did "romantic" start meaning one-sided beatdowns these days?

"We also shared the mana herb one person was smoking...."

"Huh? You hold mana herb in your mouth when you smoke it."

"Hoo. Right, so how do you think we did it?"

"T-that means. Indirec...."

'Woooah. That's kind of heart-racing....'

This was bad. The regressor got caught in her own trap and switched modes. Where did your cold next-run info-mining mode go? You got absorbed in a fabricated story?

'Was that true...! Sharing mana herb one was smoking!'

At the same time, dark energy drifted in from the other side. Tyr.

Ah, there's one more person caught up in this made-up story. But why does sharing mana herb make you upset anyway....

'In front of me, you acted like even one drop of blood was too precious. You made a fuss over the tiniest scratch! Your mouth is far too loose!'

Pretending not to care while listening with only her ears, Tyr fired her sulking resentment at me.

No, what does that have to do with this? Not every bodily fluid is blood, you know? I don't use blood like saliva the way vampires do. And why are you calling that a loose mouth?

Also, she snatched it and smoked it one-sidedly, so I couldn't resist. This is unfair.

Meanwhile, the regressor had forgotten all about gathering information and was now fully immersed, asking questions in earnest.

"They said military school runs on a fixed schedule from the moment you wake up until you sleep. Wasn't there no time to meet?"

"Both Hui and I were on a special curriculum. We were exempt from a few subjects and had plenty of free time. We shared that time."

"Wow...."

Shared?

I tried to put free time in the morning so I could sleep in, and she barged right in and changed it however she wanted, saying we had to exercise after meals. I ended up exercising after every meal and suffering stomach pain every day.

Regressor, stop taking that crap at face value!

'If I had gone to middle school too... heh. Once, in a very distant time I barely remember, I admired middle school, and I used to marvel that the Gunslinger, barely older than me, had become one of the Six Generals.... And now she's my prisoner, tied up right in front of me. Talking about ordinary school days, no less.'

This is really bad. She's started projecting her own memories onto it. At this point, I can't escape this black-hole pajama talk on my own...!

Smiling self-mockingly as she recalled memories that would never return, the regressor suddenly had a question.

"Huh? Wait. Then why were you trying to capture this guy?"

"Why? I told you. Attachment."

"No, I mean, you didn't need to bring an army."

At that question, even Historia paused to think. It had reached her true feelings.

But in the end, remembering I was listening in this coffin too, Historia spoke to me through the regressor.

"...Back in Hameln, Hui slipped away alone then too. If it were just me, I might lose him again, and also... he had to be questioned."

"About falling into the river with the students? It's serious, sure, but we already heard everything earlier, right? In the end, it was basically the military state that killed them, so why try to question this guy about it?"

"That's...."

Historia stopped mid-answer and chewed her mana herb hard. Unlit herb gave only a burnt bitterness.

But taste was memory. Sometimes you searched memory for a taste; sometimes taste made you relive memory. For Historia, mana herb meant that time.

"One hundred sixty-two disappeared at once. Except for a few who dropped out midway or chose another path, my whole class year vanished. Graduation became an exercise in remembering empty seats. Kids I shared memories with, kids I planned futures with, sank under that river. Sometimes I turn my head and see a river flowing far away, and I feel like I'm the one sinking deep."

She hadn't even smoked, but for a moment Historia's focus blurred, as if she were looking somewhere far away, not here.

"If they die like that, no. Not one or two. That many kids... dying without even trying to come back alive, that's wrong. If the military state killed them, maybe... I might have felt disgust toward that. But that kind of method should not exist."

Historia had not wanted her classmates dead. She was different from Nicholas and Rancart.

Nicholas saw students as parts of the military state, things that could be "processed" like trimming hair or nails. He thought it was natural to use students as materials at his own discretion.

Rancart placed no value on them at all. If a pebble by a lakeside washed down a river, why would he care? Whether they lived, died, or struggled was outside his interest.

Only, because I had been with them, and because he couldn't bring himself to call someone smarter than him (or so it seemed) a fool, he simply tried to test me in his own peculiar way.

"But... I don't know. Maybe even me thinking this now is because I felt something from that scene."

Unlike them, Historia looked for someone with whom she could share her heart.

In other words, she was lonely. She wanted people inferior to her to reach her side. Even if they lacked talent and stamina, she wanted them to claw their way up and catch her.

...It's just that her expectations were too high, and she was disappointed again and again.

"Still, that wasn't right. A plan that should never even have been conceived. If only, before that, he had told me...."

She couldn't even firmly say something would have changed. Right before it happened, I had asked her for help, and she had come right up to me.

Her classmates, or this graduation practicum, she turned away because she didn't want to ruin something.

A terrible regret too awful to even frame as a what-if.

'If I had known all the circumstances. If I had known that... would I still have helped them? Would I, born and raised in the military state, have made the same choice I did now?'

While raw, aching words were being exchanged, the regressor noticed something and made an odd face.

"Hm? You sound like someone who saw that scene in person."

"Ah."

At that, Historia snapped out of her thoughts. With mana herb in her mouth, she somehow twisted her body despite the awkward position and muttered,

"...Enough. I'm only a prisoner. Think whatever you want about the rest."

"Huh? Wait! I still...!"

The questions were dragging on again. Not good. Emergency measures. This conversation had to end.

I leaned toward the regressor's ear and whispered in the sleaziest tone I could manage.

"Sleep well, Mr. Shei."

"Hhwiit?!"

Wow. I only sent my voice, and she arched her back and trembled all over. So this was the regressor's sensitivity when stimulated?

"Y-you, what are you doing!"

"What else? I'm the Sleep Fairy. Another hard day is waiting tomorrow, so thank your present self for enduring today. All right, everyone, sleep now. Dismissed."

[There is no need for me to sleep.]

"Tyr, you're the elder. What were you doing while the kids stayed up this late? Reflect on yourself. You should be taking care of their sleep too. Just because you don't sleep at night doesn't mean you keep the kids awake!"

I barked at her and forcibly ended the conversation. Complaints popped up here and there, from the regressor on this side and Tyr on that side, but I ignored them and forced lights out. I covered the small light by my head with a finger, and darkness fell.

'You keep reusing lines from when you were class leader.... You really haven't changed much, Hui.'

Now even I'm starting to feel strange. Historia, were you really my ex-girlfriend?

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