WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 240: In the Swaying Flowers

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While Historia was busy smashing cannons, the Princess, with nothing to do, rode Selphi in a slow circle around the area as if out for a stroll. Born without the ability to draw hostility, she watched Historia's martial prowess with relaxed admiration.

Someone approached the Princess.

While everyone was focused on Historia, one officer had not forgotten the Princess and the white horse.

'They say to aim for the horse rather than the general. If I capture that girl and take the horse, the enemy will be stranded too.'

They muffled their footsteps and crept toward the Princess and the white horse. The only people who could see them were the regressor watching from afar and me, reading her thoughts.

The regressor did not seem particularly worried.

Neither was I.

Because...

"Haah! Got...!"

"Woof! Got you!"

Neigh!

Azzy suddenly sprang out and barked loudly. Startled, the horse spotted the enemy and backed away.

The Princess spotted the enemy too and clutched her chest in relief.

"Wow! Wow...! Thank you, Miss Azzy!"

"I herd sheep good! I herd horses good too! Hmph!"

Azzy grinned proudly and shrugged her shoulders.

Dogs really were best as guard dogs. Since Azzy was a dog, I could not lock her in the cargo hold like Tyr or Nabi. She needed to move around anyway, so it was better to have her protect people. It helped Azzy relieve stress too.

Now that they had been discovered, there was no reason to hide. The officer sprang from the bushes and shouted,

"Surrender! Otherwise, I'll kill the horse!"

The fact that they specifically said they would kill the horse proved that their hostility had avoided the Princess again.

The officer leveled a long spear and charged at Selphi. Their hostility had naturally veered away from the Princess and targeted the horse, but it was still a sharp, threatening attack.

They thrust the spear at the hesitantly retreating Selphi. Its aura-wreathed blade looked ready to pierce the horse's neck at any moment.

Then...

"Ah! Selphi! Watch out!"

The Princess swung the reins. They spun through the air and deftly wrapped around the spear shaft.

Huh. That was not a feat possible through luck or bloodline. What? Was the Princess actually kind of strong too?

The officer, who had reached the same conclusion as I had, froze for a moment. Their spear shaft would not budge, as if it had been nailed in place. It was not because the Princess herself was strong. She was merely using the strength of the reins and the horse.

That made her skill even more astonishing.

The reins were fastened tightly to the horse. With the rope tangled around them and the horse's strength added to the mix, there was no way for the spear to slip free.

By the time the officer gripping the shaft had turned red, then blue in the face...

Neigh.

The white horse Selphi swayed from side to side. The spear could not keep up with the sudden, violent motion, and Selphi bit down on the shaft with its protruding muzzle.

For a moment, the officer tried to wrestle with the horse.

That was a mistake.

A human could not overcome a horse's strength.

Especially not a noble white horse passed down only through the royal family.

Selphi violently twisted its neck. At that moment, the officer holding the spear shaft lost even the chance to let go. Still clinging to it, they were flung far away.

"Good job, Selphi! You're so smart!"

Snort.

Selphi flared its nostrils and scoffed at the flying human.

Historia returned, trudging along after finishing her work. Selphi lowered itself slightly to let Historia mount.

The Princess welcomed Historia too.

"You fought so well even with both arms tied! That was amazing!"

"...I'm embarrassed. Could you not talk to me?"

"Huh? Why? You looked incredibly cool! You didn't use your arms at all, only your legs! Ahh! Your body and legs are so slim and long. It looked even more amazing!"

Stop. Historia's shame was already at rock bottom. Her face practically screamed that she wanted a cigarette.

The battle ended simply enough. One of the Six Generals was still one of the Six Generals. Unless the opponent was another general, it seemed Historia could handle officers even with both arms tied behind her back.

The regressor looked at Historia and muttered,

"No matter how I look at it, she doesn't seem likely to betray us. Should I untie the celestial silkworm thread soon...?"

What nonsense was that? Untie an enemy's restraints? Since when had you been so soft?

Historia's purpose differed from ours in the first place. We intended to raid headquarters to stop the war, while Historia was only here because of me and Siati's...

Ugh, how was I supposed to explain this? Too lazy to explain, I said,

"Keeping her tied up is fun, isn't it? It makes for a better picture too. Let's keep her tied up."

"You really have awful taste...! Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Only after the regressor suddenly shouted did I realize something had appeared in front of us. Something fell from above, aimed directly at me.

No, if I was not watching the road, then you should have been! Why else was there a passenger seat?!

"Tch!"

The regressor hurriedly raised Skywarbler. I appreciated that she was trying to protect me...! As expected, she was most reliable when she was on my side...!

Huh? Wait! That was...!

Recognizing the falling object, I firmly grabbed the regressor with my right arm. A shrill sound burst from her lips as she was about to swing her sword.

"W-where are you touching?!"

"Wait, Shei! That's...!"

Because I stopped the regressor, my arms opened up. What dropped into them with a thud was a synchro-type magic golem with arms and legs. It was a model I had seen enough times to grow sick of in the Abyss.

It had picked its landing spot well. Had it not fallen into my arms, it would have bounced away painfully. The golem hurriedly spoke the moment it landed in my embrace.

『This is Captain IB of the military state's communications corps. Cease your attack on this unit. This officer demands dialogue with you and the other subversive elements.』

The regressor frowned.

"Dialogue?"

'This is the first loop where they're openly demanding a conversation. Did these things even have a concept of dialogue?'

Even in a golem body, it seemed capable of sensing the regressor's hostility. As if asking us not to attack, the golem jumped up and down vigorously while nodding its head.

『Affirmative. This officer is an intermediary, and your opinions will be conveyed directly to headquarters through this officer. If you understand the above, please agree to negotiate.』

Our rebellious regressor hated listening to anyone more than anything. Perhaps she had been deceived too often through repeated regressions. She would not even listen to someone she did not trust.

The golem, the military state's spokesperson, was just as suspicious to her. Without much thought, the regressor rejected the offer outright.

"I have nothing to say to you..."

"Impatient as always. Wait a moment, Shei."

"Don't grab my collar so casually! And will you drive properly already?! You've been looking at everything except what's ahead of us!"

"We haven't crashed, have we? More importantly, stop hating golems for no reason. Listening to one doesn't take some enormous effort, does it? Did a golem burn your hand once or something?"

'Of course! Every loop, these communications officers talk only through golems without revealing who they are! Even if I somehow find someone suspicious, they keep their mouths shut so tight I can't learn anything! How am I supposed to like people who keep their secrets so irritatingly well every time?'

She was still displeased, but there was no harm in talking. In the end, the regressor accepted what I said and grumbled,

"...Finish quickly. We can't let them keep observing us."

"Then pick up the golem and hold it to my ear. I need to watch the road while driving."

"Am I your servant now?!"

『Time is short, so I will get to the point.』

The golem interrupted our conversation. Grumbling even more, the regressor picked it up and held it out.

Settling into position in her hand, the golem spoke clearly.

『You were meant to head north and escape into the Lesser States. That was your only remaining route and, at the same time, the safe route. Headquarters predicted as much, and you likely reached the same conclusion until midway through your journey.』

"Tch. See? It was a lure after all."

She said she would not talk, yet the regressor completely confirmed the golem's assumption to herself. Well, it was something both sides had expected anyway... Though honestly, was she not the one who needed a conversation most?

『Yet you abruptly changed direction and are carrying out hostile acts against the military state. This is an irrational, unexpected action. Why are you advancing toward headquarters?』

"Why do you think?"

『This officer is asking precisely that. If we discover why you are heading here, there may be room for negotiation.』

"By negotiation, do you mean sending us toward the Lesser States? Are you saying you can offer some form of compensation if we agree to that?"

『Affirmative.』

It was surprising. The military state had consistently responded to all threats with silence. Yet it was willing to meet the demands of people who were no better than terrorists? Were our actions threatening enough for it to accept such a precedent?

Still, our regressor did not negotiate with subversive groups either. She snapped at the golem with a firm expression.

"If we escaped into the Lesser States, you planned to use that as a pretext to invade them, didn't you? You were going to fight the Lesser States over the Abyss wasteland anyway!"

『Affirmative. However, what does that have to do with you?』

The golem replied as if puzzled.

『The war has nothing to do with you. The military state needs to remove you as a risk factor before the war. The military state no longer requires deterrence. You also have no reason to remain within the military state.』

"But we have no reason to leave either."

『Understood. Therefore, headquarters intends to provide that reason. What do you desire? Money? Wealth? We are willing to provide it within reasonable limits.』

The golem's tone was dry, but for the military state, this was practically a plea. How troubled must it have been to ask us like this while offering money?

Of course, the regressor did not care.

"Disarm."

『...What do you mean?』

"The army you gathered to capture us. Disband it. That's all."

Telling the military state to disarm was effectively ordering it to commit ideological and national suicide. Naturally, headquarters could not accept that.

The golem replied stiffly.

『...Then may we take this as you declaring hostility toward the military state?』

"You only figured that out now? You're slow."

Having finally realized the regressor's true intention, the golem spoke in a more subdued tone.

『I advise against it.』

'It would have been better if you hadn't come. This place is dangerous.'

Huh?

Wait. Was that... mind-reading?

What was this? I tilted my head. It was strange. Normally, I could only read the thoughts of beings close to me.

Until now, I had never heard a golem's thoughts. Even Captain AB had been a complete unknown until I met her in person.

But that just now...

"Is that a threat? Anyway, we're done talking now, right?"

『...Negotiations have broken down. If you wish to make an enemy of the military state, prepare yourself accordingly.』

"All right, then. Goodbye."

The regressor sliced the golem apart in one stroke. With a creak, it split cleanly in two. A crackling mechanical noise followed, then the golem fell completely silent.

Before that, I felt as though a faint floral scent had tickled my nose.

It was not yet the season for flowers to bloom.

Ah, that was why the golem had fallen toward me from the beginning. She had said she might die if discovered.

"Looks like they're scared too?"

"I guess so."

From somewhere unimaginably far away, a clear scent drifted toward us. The smell of dried grass left in sunlight for a long time was faint, but impossible to mistake for anything else.

And considering the thought I had just heard...

"Shei. Get ready."

"For what?"

"She told us to prepare ourselves. So we should."

I pressed the pedal harder and gripped the wheel tighter. The automatic carriage, pushed to its limit, let out a harsh scream. Even the regressor flinched and grabbed the handle.

That was when an enormous roar erupted.

The white horse panicked and reared. Everyone screamed and ducked. Through the scattering cloud of dust, I looked at the devastation the enemy had wrought.

The road in front of us had been split in half.

Footnotes:

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