WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 251

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Backdoor of the Mind

At that moment, nothing was physically binding these laborers. What bound them was the Military State's rules, or fear. In other words, it wasn't something that truly existed.

"So here's the situation. We were storming Military State Headquarters. We had to destroy Military State assets while also tying down the Military State's movements, right?"

Walking slowly, I lightly tapped the nearest motor carriage in the hangar.

"If you all don't take these motor carriages and run, then we have no choice but to smash these precious carriages you built with your blood and sweat, one by one, right?"

A wave of confusion spread. Their reaction was basically, what did it have to do with them if we smashed motor carriages? That was a positive response.

The mind doesn't have just one lock. It's more like an iron fortress with dozens of gates. Even if one gate is shut tight, crack open a back gate and everything can pour out. If they thought it had nothing to do with them, that meant this was a door with no bolt.

"Let me put it another way. If you want to preserve the motor carriages, hurry and move them somewhere safe. Otherwise, like this."

Snap. The moment I flicked my fingers, the carriage body crumpled horribly.

"Kyaaaah!"

Someone screamed. It was that awful to look at. Darkness wrapped around the motor carriage like a snake, then slowly tightened and sank in sharp fangs.

Broken gears scattered like entrails. It looked like alchemic steel was reverting to the days when it was still raw ingots.

"That means I have to break every single one myself. I'm a worker just like you, so if possible, I'd like to cut down the workload."

Of course, I hadn't done it myself. I'd only borrowed Tyr's power for a moment. But to their eyes, it probably looked like I was controlling this darkness.

"Y-you're horrible! We worked so hard on that motor carriage!"

"So, is there anyone kind enough here to lighten the burden of me having to smash all this piece by piece?"

I clenched and shook my fist, and Tyr, seeing that, copied the same motion with darkness. The motor carriage rocked back and forth and spat out even more parts.

"Or should we do irrational labor, where I break things on one side and you gather salvage and rebuild on the other?"

These people couldn't escape. The Military State had bound their minds. It had planted fear in them, saying that if they abandoned their posts, they'd face even worse punishment.

So the backdoor I made wasn't job abandonment.

It was workload reduction.

"All right! Let's start a labor union! We're all laborers who don't want to work anyway! I'll stop breaking things, you stop building them, and we compromise! Move the motor carriages somewhere safe! We came north and turned most of the bases to scorched ground, so those spots should be empty! Just park them there for now!"

Someone with a cloth wrapped around her head sprang up first and ran for a motor carriage. Clunk. She climbed in first and turned the thunderwheel, and with a series of clacking metal sounds, the carriage started moving.

"...Can't let it get smashed."

"Yeah. If we have to build them again, then better to..."

The first time was hard. Once the floodgate opened, the rest flowed naturally. The laborers who had been looking at each other nodded quickly and scrambled to their feet. Through the backdoor I had prepared, they let their minds slip out.

Their bodies followed their minds out. The chains around them had only ever bound their minds.

"Huh? What?"

Clatter, clatter.

The sight of countless motor carriages fleeing into the darkness was spectacular.

It wasn't enough to shake a whole nation, but even for the Military State, this would be a loss too big to ignore. Pride swelled in me at the thought that I'd just stolen Military State tax money.

The regressor came back just then, after finishing off the factory. She saw the hangar emptying out and widened her eyes.

"What happened to the motor carriages that were here?"

I thumped the last one left and said,

"It's fine. We left this last one. The best one."

"What about the laborers? They acted like they'd burn with the factory if it went up in flames. You got them out?"

"Got them out? Perish the thought. They simply took part in an active evacuation to protect motor carriages, which are Military State assets."

"That's the same thing."

"It's different."

I'd opened a back door, but the chains were still there. Some laborers, thrilled by freedom they hadn't tasted in ages, would run immediately. Others might linger nearby because they couldn't bring themselves to leave Headquarters territory.

That was more dangerous. For them, and for the Military State.

"From the Military State's point of view, they'd hate people loitering nearby more than people who just ran away. Because their will to flee was weak, they'll create even bigger confusion for the Military State!"

The image of us riding in on motor carriages would still be stuck in their heads. They'd have no choice but to react to every single carriage. They'd stop and inspect all of them.

An allergy operation against the Military State.

'So you used all these people as bait? You knew what would happen later to laborers who ran off on their own...'

And I was supposed to care about that too? That was their side's business.

They were the ones who chose, and the Military State was the one tormenting them. I truly didn't see why I had to step into that relationship and feel responsible for it.

Watching the departing motor carriages, the regressor muttered,

"You're... pretty ruthless."

"No. You said you wanted to cut down the Military State's strength. I did the job successfully, so why are you criticizing me?"

"I'm not really criticizing you."

"If you're not criticizing me, then you should praise me! If someone did the job right, it's normal to say, 'Good job,' or 'Thanks'!"

People with poor social skills acted like they'd break out in hives if they said polite words. The regressor was exactly that type. The type that would dodge social interaction, including praise, at all costs.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this..."

"Wow, the way you use people is no different from the Military State."

When I grumbled that out, the regressor flared up.

"That's not true! No matter what, I'm not as bad as the Military State! You want praise, right? Then I'll give it!"

"All right, let's hear it. Since I had to beg for it, you'd better be careful with it."

"Tch..."

Still fuming, the regressor shot me a glare and spat it out.

"Not bad. Well done."

"Not enough."

"...I just honestly said you did well. What more do you want?"

"Oh, that one just now had some sincerity. Nice."

"No, I wasn't even trying to praise you with that... Ah, forget it. Fine, you're amazing."

Right when the regressor started sniping at me, someone peeked her head out from the first motor carriage. It was the Princess, with her hair wrapped in a cloth.

"Um, Hui-nim? Is the acting all over now?"

Ah, right. I hadn't told her we were done yet. I figured she'd catch on, but she'd been waiting inside the whole time.

I gave the Princess an OK sign.

"Yes! Princess, great acting! You worked hard!"

"Whew. I'm glad it helped. You suddenly told me to act, so I was really tense."

The Princess opened and closed her sweaty hands a few times and rubbed her chest in relief.

To keep hair from getting caught in gears, laborers usually cut it short or wrap it in cloth.

Thanks to that, the Princess hid her unique light pink hair and blended in with the crowd. Then we used her ability, which created peace within a group, to make her take the lead and run to a motor carriage first.

Of course. A business never starts without a plant. Even when the marks are already there, opening the table is part of the job.

"Tyr, you worked hard too! As expected, your staging was overwhelming! You might be this year's top Grand Magician Girl!"

"[This much is nothing. Watching a play is always enjoyable.]"

Tyr, her body cloaked in darkness, smiled calmly. The regressor realized what had happened and muttered,

"What, that was all agitation. How are you any different from the Military State?"

"Different! At least I don't summarily execute people for disobeying, or send them into the inner 'research lab'! What I gave was freedom!"

How could she say something that abusive? Comparing me to the Military State of all things.

Ignoring me as I bounced in outrage, the regressor opened the carriage door. The Princess greeted her from inside.

"Ah, Gong! You worked hard!"

"Princess too. You must have had a rough time, but you did well."

Why did praise come out naturally only for the Princess? Was that discrimination?

"Ah, n-no, it's fine...! I could only help this much...!"

"No. You'll be even more helpful from now on."

'After the Military State collapsed, the new kingdom that rose again only survived that chaos because of the Princess's ability. Hmph, even I... felt revulsion, but I couldn't turn it into hostility. With that power, she can definitely be used even better.'

At those words, full of firm resolve, the Princess looked like her heart had dropped. She clutched her headcloth with both hands and looked away.

When that's what she's thinking inside, praise lands at exactly the right timing. Princess, don't fall for it. That road is full of thorns.

We had already loaded all our baggage into the motor carriage we'd picked in advance. Once Historia and the regressor boarded, preparations were complete.

Up until now, every movement we'd made had been tracked by the Military State. But night had fallen, and darkness was spread everywhere, so for this half day we were faster than the Military State.

That was exactly what Historia had aimed for. Mobile warfare.

No surprise from a Military State general. Even the operation felt Military State.

"Ria. Where are we headed next?"

Historia, who boarded last, gave the order.

"Alchemic steel refinery. The obvious next step. If we cripple alchemic steel supply, it'll disrupt their mid- and long-term supply plans."

"Oh, that's a solid operation. A general is still a general, huh. What about distance and direction?"

"Not far. Twenty minutes to the northwest. They built them close in the first place, to supply materials to the motor carriage line quickly."

Alchemic steel refinery, nice. If that place was full of alchemic materials, I might be able to replenish some of the cards I'd used.

Then the regressor frowned as a bad memory surfaced.

"Alchemic steel..."

The alchemic steel refinery, the place that refined ore and pseudo-alchemic substances into steel, was where the Military State's flesh was forged. Plenty of factories produced other goods from alchemic steel, but this was the only place that produced alchemic steel itself.

Alchemic steel was the Military State's flesh. So if this place went down, the Military State would have to live in fear, never knowing when its alchemic steel stockpile would run out. From weapons to construction materials to packets, every resource in the Military State would effectively be put on a timer.

But.

The regressor couldn't nod so easily. She knew what that place was.

"That place is... where they burn people to melt iron..."

Historia affirmed her answer.

"The place packed full of violent criminals you can kill on the spot."

To make alchemic steel, you needed alchemy. To use alchemy, you needed structural knowledge and magical energy.

And the easiest magical energy source to make was a living human.

Which meant:

The alchemic steel refinery was a factory that squeezed masses of people to produce alchemic steel.

It was part of that "inside" area the laborers at the motor carriage assembly plant had dreaded more than death.

"Alchemic steel refinery?"

The Princess reacted. She didn't know what it was, but she clearly understood it was important.

"There! We have an ally hiding there! They'll be waiting for us there!"

'This is our chance! We might finally be useful too...!'

The Princess spoke innocently, but those of us who knew what that place really was, me included, couldn't easily say that was good news. She was so bright about it that we couldn't bring ourselves to point it out.

"Hiding? In the innermost labor camp, where only people arrested for irreversible Level 5 crimes are sent?"

Historia, who didn't care much about the Princess, fired back even more cynically. The unexpected words made the Princess blink like a startled rabbit and ask back,

"What?"

"That's not a mouse sneaking into a cat house. If they're there, they got caught, not hidden."

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