WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 231: Resistance Fighter

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I had wondered why the regressor was so quiet. It seemed she had been reading the faint currents flowing through the ground. Perhaps thanks to Jizan's power, she instinctively realized we had reached a waystation.

"This is the northeastern waystation. Everyone, keep quiet."

The regressor, concentrating with every sense in her body, held a finger to her lips. I relayed her order.

"Mr. Shei says everyone needs to be quiet. Keep mopping, though. It doesn't make any noise."

"...You be quiet."

The northeastern waystation was noisy. The aftermath of the chase on the other side did not seem to have reached this far, and I could sense the busy movements of laborers absorbed in their work. Clank, clank. The harsh metallic roar of massive cranes grabbing containers was loud enough to reach inside.

Amid all that noise, an extremely faint presence approached us. The regressor sensed it first.

"Wait. Someone's coming this way."

Tyr, who had only fragmentary knowledge of laborers and waystations, asked with a puzzled expression.

"I heard this was a place that delivered large parcels. Could it not be a worker coming to collect cargo?"

"No. This container is bound for the south, so nobody in the northeast would even look at it."

"Then who are they? Are they not coming this way?"

"One of two things. They're either military state soldiers here to inspect us, or... Resistance members looking for us for another reason."

The regressor rested her fingers on Skywarbler's hilt with a grim expression, ready to subdue them at once if they proved hostile.

Now then, while the regressor waited to see whether they were Resistance or military state, I got one step ahead by reading their thoughts.

'Damn it, why do we have to be doing labor here?'

'Exactly. We should be doing something more productive with this opportunity.'

People only say the world is fun because you never know what will happen as a pitiful attempt to claim at least a moral victory.

Because I, who could read minds, wasn't bored at all.

'Why would the Tantalus escapees stirring up the military state be here? Ridiculous.'

'I heard the Progenitor is with them. An ancient vampire would never help us. If she wanted to fight the military state, she'd call the Fog Duchy's bloodkin. Or turn all of us into her servants and use us.'

'If it weren't for the princess's orders...'

I guarantee it as a mind reader. It was plenty fun to know the answer beforehand and work my way toward it. If you wanted to argue, come back after learning to read minds.

Their grumbling thoughts reached me. Well, there was no room for error. No matter how I thought about it, they were Resistance.

The regressor had been right. Though perhaps not all of them, someone fairly high-ranking in the Resistance seemed to be reaching everywhere to seize opportunities. How long had it even been since we clashed with the military state, and we were already meeting them like this?

The Resistance was always like this. Their ambition far exceeded their sense of purpose, and they were just about within arm's reach when...

"Hey, you! We're conducting surprise inspections right now! Check it already!"

A loud voice urged them on from the other side of the waystation. It was a supervisor.

At the word inspection, the regressor's face stiffened. Her grip on Skywarbler tightened at the same time.

'An inspection? Things will get complicated if we're exposed here. If the Far East troops run straight to headquarters, we'll meet them along the way. Should we escape now?'

Ah, this was dangerous.

This wasn't an inspection specifically targeting us. It was a routine inspection that always happened in a near-wartime situation. If they knew we were riding the Meta Conveyor Belt, the station manager would have come in person to search the container instead of sending laborers.

But the regressor didn't know whether the people outside were soldiers acting on the station manager's orders or Resistance members disguised as laborers. The moment she saw them, she might swing Skywarbler.

"Y-yes! We'll check right away!"

"Coming!"

Answers came from outside the container. They were close. Grumbling inwardly where only I could hear, they approached the container.

'We're Resistance members, so what kind of inspection is this!'

'There's nobody in there anyway! Who rides inside a container?'

'Tch! Just wait until the uprising. You military-state pigs are getting cut down! Slash, slash!'

You were about to be finished first. By the regressor, who was wound tight enough to snap.

This wouldn't do. I had to step in first.

Click. The container lock came loose. As the interlocked pieces of metal separated, taut tension filled the container.

The regressor took a step forward with Skywarbler in hand. I approached the door ahead of her, then raised a finger and carefully tapped on the container wall.

Tap. Tap tap tap tap tap tap. Tap tap.

Once, six times, twice. The numbers seemed meaningless, but they were a secret code to the Resistance.

When they sensed someone inside, I felt them flinch.

'Huh? Someone's signaling?'

'Wait, really...?'

Normally, if they sensed someone inside, they should either flee or report it to the supervisor. Instead of retreating, they looked around tensely and approached. Trembling hands unlocked the container. Then the doors swung open to either side, revealing two grimy-looking laborers.

They were unmistakably Resistance members, but other than that, they were no different from ordinary laborers.

We came into view. Their eyes trembled as they took in each of us, then they jumped in shock when an impatient voice called from outside.

"Are you done inspecting it?"

My decision to greet them first had been excellent. If I hadn't softened the shock beforehand, they might have screamed.

One of the laborers stammered out an answer.

"Ah, y-yes. There is... nothing unusual!"

"Then close it already! Isn't the next container coming in?"

"Yes!"

While they shouted in a slightly trembling voice, the other hurriedly pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from inside their clothes. I accepted it, and after giving a small nod, they closed the container door with extreme politeness.

Their bewildered thoughts came through the closed door.

'Why is this real?'

'As expected of the princess! She even foresaw this...! Is noble blood really something else?'

Thunk. Click. The sound of the lock closing marked the moment their presence receded again. Darkness returned to the container, and we began passing through the loud clamor of the waystation.

As I let out a sigh of relief, the regressor strode over and smacked my shoulder. It was an affectionate gesture because she was in a good mood, but it still hurt a little.

I learned another reason Shei had no friends.

"You startled me by suddenly stepping in! Tell us before you do something like that!"

"It was urgent. More importantly, I was startled too. Could you tell me before hitting me?"

"Huh? So it's okay if I tell you first?"

"Listening to you say that, I see there's no hope for me. Just hit me gently, please."

"By the way, how did you know they were Resistance?"

I had read their thoughts, but what I said aloud was different from the truth.

"What choice did we have? Suppose they were public security agents looking for us. Then we'd already been exposed, so we'd have to rush out right away. If they were Resistance, we had to try making contact first. Either way, our only option was to warmly welcome guests from outside."

"That was some quick judgment!"

Apparently pleased, the regressor grinned and took the paper packet from me. She pulled out what was enclosed and read the words written on the paper.

"To my knight... Hmm. My knight, huh? Did the princess act personally? It's been a while since she contacted me this way..."

'She always contacted me whenever I did something against the military state. I don't exactly like it, but if she's set the board up this much, maybe it would be better to try overturning it.'

Muttering to herself, the regressor pulled a handkerchief from the folded paper. It was a luxurious handkerchief, the sort only Seamless Perfection would carry.

Back when this was the country of knights, handkerchiefs symbolized ladies and high-ranking nobles. Since they were necessities and it wouldn't be strange for anyone in the military state to carry one, they were also perfect as identifying markers.

"Once we pass the waystation, I'll hang it right on top of the container. If we have this, they'll find us first!"

While the regressor checked whether the handkerchief held another message, Historia silently examined it and fell into thought.

'...Is this right? Just watching them storm headquarters...?'

Historia held little loyalty toward the military state. She only regretted the tragedy she had failed to stop back then.

If what we intended to do led to another tragedy, she would stop it somehow. Historia had that resolve.

'The Resistance is a gathering of people who hate the military state. I know how deep their desire for revenge runs. If they wield this much power... Could it lead to an even greater tragedy, even if it is less bizarre than Hamelin?'

Historia looked us over from the corner of her eye. The boy swordsman whose identity was impossible to grasp, Tyrkanzyaka the Progenitor of vampires, the two Beast Kings, and me.

The moment her vigilance turned toward me, it rose like mad. Her suspicions toward me were so excessive that I almost forgot I was reading her mind and argued back.

'With Hui involved too, I can't predict at all where this will go. Should I just run out now and reveal their existence?'

What? Wait. Run out?

Historia's thoughts naturally led to action. Having made up her mind, she immediately rose to run outside.

Just before she could, I threw myself forward and grabbed Historia by the shoulder. Afraid she might make a sound, I covered her mouth with both hands as if pulling it shut.

"Mmph!"

No, wait. Why was she acting so hastily? If I hadn't read her thoughts, this could have been a disaster!

Historia was tied up, but if she wanted to, she could easily shake me off. At least she couldn't scream right now. Sound was a vibration in the air, after all. If I covered her mouth and nose, she couldn't make enough sound.

Well, she could throw me with a shoulder toss or something, then shout, but it was already too late. She had caught the regressor's attention.

The regressor looked over at the sudden commotion and asked,

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"Ah, nothing. It seemed about time she wanted some mana herb, so I was putting one in her mouth!"

When I smiled awkwardly and removed my hand from Historia's mouth, a rolled-up mana herb was between her lips. The regressor nodded as if she understood, then tilted her head.

"But do you have to put it in her mouth like that?"

"It's a secret world of adults that innocent children who don't smoke mana herb wouldn't understand."

"You feel superior over something so trivial!"

Teasing her a little was the best way to change the mood. The regressor frowned deeply.

"It's an enclosed space, so hold off on smoking! How much do you smoke, anyway?"

"Ha ha. I'll tell her to control herself... Ria! You need to consider the time and place! Huh? Mr. Shei and Tyr have been accommodating you so much, and you're going to act out like this?"

They hadn't done anything yet, so don't jump to conclusions and act recklessly. I scolded her with that meaning.

The trembling in Historia's body subsided.

'...You're still quick to notice. You stopped me the moment you sensed I was about to run out. Have you been watching me...? Or do you just have a broad field of vision?'

As if giving up, Historia closed her eyes and shifted the mana herb between her lips.

"Hui, fire."

"Am I a lighter? Tch. I'm only doing this because you're tied up."

Grumbling, I formed a flame at my fingertip. The fire soaked into the end of the cigarette and lit its final ember.

Mana herb had long been famous as a sedative. The reason was simple. When you inhaled ash that had already burned, no new flame could ignite from it. What had burned down could only settle. It couldn't flare up again.

Historia drew deeply on the mana herb and calmly settled herself.

'I was too... emotional. Running out now wouldn't have meant anything. Maybe I was afraid because that child is with the Resistance... Afraid I might meet her. But rather than turning away, I should face her.'

I knew who that child was, but there was no need to dwell on it.

Before long, she came with the Resistance.

Footnotes:

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