WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 260: The Land of Steel and the Faceless Humans - 9

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Like every nation shaped by countless failures, the military state respected the judgment of commanders in the field. It had communications officers, but they merely provided information and set strategic objectives. They did not interfere with command.

The field held clues that could only be found in the field. No matter how quickly a communications officer made a judgment, it could not surpass a commander's instincts.

In that sense, General Toruk was an excellent commander. The instant Eimeder vanished beneath Nabi, the regressor, and Tyr's combined assault, they made their decision.

"I'll accept your offer. But we need some assurance that we can trust you as well."

They would never admit it, but it was practically a declaration of surrender. For the sake of smooth negotiations, I did not point that out.

"You want hostages? We aren't foolish enough to send any, but we can promise our full cooperation instead."

"What do you mean?"

"Until everyone here has been saved, we'll temporarily halt our advance and focus on rescue efforts."

'Halt the advance? That would keep them occupied, so it couldn't be better. But will they really accept that?'

Probably. The regressor opposed killing all the laborers, while Historia's goal was not to destroy the smelter, but to avoid a battle.

As for Tyr, she was just going along with it.

The regressor, having successfully erased Eimeder, was approaching. She casually patted my shoulder.

"What kind of nonsense are you arranging on your own?"

"A negotiation. This is a military state facility, after all, and if we're going to save the laborers, every extra hand matters."

"What? You're the one who activated the annihilation device!"

"I wasn't trying to kill them. It was only a means of keeping ourselves safe. Think about it. If I hadn't activated the device, would they have even pretended to listen to us?"

The regressor looked at General Toruk and the troops they had brought. It was not an overwhelming force. Like the capable commander they were, the moment they sensed things had gone wrong, they had already split their troops and scattered them throughout the smelter. If the battle ended, they would need to begin repairing the damage immediately.

'...A strategist? No, something more dramatic than that... He seems more like a con artist.'

I spoke casually.

"A disaster suddenly strikes, and enemies join hands to save people. What a beautiful, humane ending. Shall we give it our all for a happy ending?"

"Tch. This still means we're helping the military state."

"No, it's a little different. Shei, if we want to save the laborers, we need to destroy the devices driving them toward death. Just as you wanted."

The regressor realized what I meant and made a foolish sound.

"Huh?"

"Yes! This is a chance to wreck the smelter's facilities to your heart's content. With the military state's careful guidance, no less!"

In short, the destruction the regressor wanted without casualties would now be permitted. If she destroyed the smelter's facilities one by one, the laborers would remain alive, but the smelter would not be able to operate anytime soon.

The situation fit together perfectly.

Unlike gears, humans were too different to ever fit together perfectly. Their ideologies, goals, and abilities all differed, so there was bound to be friction somewhere.

Yet in the situation I had orchestrated, every person meshed together neatly. The regressor felt something close to a shiver.

'Hughes. Just how far ahead has he predicted...?'

Huh. It wasn't prediction.

'He realized it was a trap and got ahead of us. He destroyed the prepared trap and made plans to completely ruin the smelter. On top of that... he avoided needless sacrifices, just as I wanted, and prevented a battle with the military state, just as Historia wanted. This is... something not even a prophet could do...'

If I could accurately grasp the military state's intentions, predict their actions, trust those predictions, and devise a strategy to counter every plan they made, that would be wonderful. It would be talent worthy of comparison to the famous strategists of history.

In reality, I had merely read the thoughts of the Shadow Casket, who had devised this entire operation, and removed each problem as though solving a puzzle.

I was not a genius. I was a con artist who had peeked at the answer sheet beforehand. Sadly.

'...Perhaps he really is.'

The regressor's thoughts stopped there. She had realized time was urgent. From now on, every moment spent hesitating would lead directly to someone's death.

Picking Jizan back up from the ground, she left me with a quiet word.

"Anyway, you helped. Thanks."

The regressor strode toward General Toruk and their troops. As she approached, the soldiers tensed and moved as though to surround her. She swung her sword irritably.

"Quit wasting time and lead the way! We don't have time!"

One officer, displeased by the regressor's confident attitude, grumbled.

"Damn it. With that thing beside us, we're basically the hostages."

"Then move before I make you actual hostages!"

While the regressor led them away, I secretly called Tyr over. Seeing my gesture, she ambled toward me.

[Thanks to you, I avoided having my skin scorched. Had it not been for your cleverness, I might have had to show you my blackened appearance. Was it not a rather tasteful gift?]

Showing off, when she had been quite startled by the military state's artificial lights flooding the room through sheer quantity.

They fell short of sunlight in many ways, but their density of light surpassed even the sun's. If Tyr had taken that light head-on, even she would have been unable to fight for a while.

A vampire in light was like a human drowning in water. Every movement came under immense pressure, and strength would not come easily.

Well, she could still have escaped somehow. She could have resisted the light with darkness, and all she had to do was move thirty meters to one side, break through a wall, and leave. By then, though, we would all have died.

Huh. I had really protected myself more than Tyr.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.

"It was nothing. Oh, and if you're done using it, could you give that cloth back?"

At my perfectly reasonable request, Tyr, who still had my Diamond Queen draped around her shoulders, flinched and pulled the garment closed around herself.

[It was not a gift?]

"I never said I was giving it to you. It's expensive. Please return it."

[You have not the slightest trace of romance. How can a man take back a handkerchief he has already given?]

"How old-fashioned is that? These days, plenty of people demand back the gifts they gave when they break up."

[The world is ending!]

"I don't think the world is going to end because I asked for my belongings back."

Tyr was too dignified to refuse when I persistently demanded it, so she reluctantly handed over the Queen of Cloth she had been wearing. It was far too valuable to give away. I turned the Queen of Cloth back into a card and put it away.

Tyr did hold a grudge, though. She must have been dissatisfied, because she kept grumbling.

[I simply cannot understand it! How can someone have so little pride!]

"Ahahaha. I have a use for it. And Tyr, I have a favor to ask."

[Your face is so thick that a needle would not leave a mark. Is this how one asks favors these days, taking back what one has given without a shred of shame?]

I didn't like taking things back either. It looked petty. But the Queen of Cloth was a precious tool to me too. I couldn't just give away something expensive enough to buy a house.

Besides, she kept acting as though I should naturally give her things.

"Tyr, you're older than me and richer too. You've even founded a country before! Isn't it a little much to try to take even the few possessions I have left after struggling to live as an ordinary citizen? You're trying to squeeze blood from a stone!"

[Would I begrudge what I give you? Should you not first show your sincerity, so that I may reward you with treasure or gold?]

"Oh, right. Before, you said you would give me gold or treasures as payment for lessons and massages, but you never actually gave me anything useful, did you? I trusted the name of the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka and waited. When can I expect to receive it?"

[...We shall discuss this matter later. The situation is urgent, so tell me your favor.]

Tch. Not bad. She used the urgency of the situation to evade an inconvenient answer. Maybe because she had founded a country, she was better with words than a certain regressor.

After looking around once, I lowered my voice and whispered to Tyr.

"If they save the laborers, the laborers will surely be freed from their restraints for a moment. Pretend to help them, then, once the laborers have been released..."

[Then?]

"Blind them with darkness and secretly lead the laborers out of the smelter. Scatter them in every direction, so the military state's troops arriving later have a whole new problem to worry about."

Tyr understood how important my request was. She lowered her voice as well.

[Is that truly acceptable? I heard every human here is a vicious criminal. If you release them into the world, many problems will arise.]

"Do I care? As long as they haven't committed their crimes against me, it doesn't matter."

[Your attitude toward law and justice, caring not even the slightest bit for either, is deeply improper.]

"Are you disappointed?"

Tyr shook her head and smiled softly. Her red lips curved upward. It was the smile of a fellow conspirator who had stepped into the same mud.

[Not at all. No, I find you even more to my liking.]

To Tyr, this smelter was not a terrible place that trampled human dignity. It was simply the most advanced method, one commonly seen throughout history, of efficiently consuming human beings.

There was probably nothing more meaningless than lecturing a vampire queen who had lived for a thousand years about modern morality.

[Wait a moment. What do you intend to do in the meantime?]

"Me? Whatever work I do won't be helpful, and if I recklessly get involved and become a hostage, I'll only get in Ria and Tyr's way. I'll stay here quietly and let the others protect me."

[Yes. That seems best.]

"Good. Tyr, please go free those laborers. Not for justice, but for me."

Tyr gave a short laugh.

[I shall grant your request.]

Tyr left the control room as well, bringing darkness with her. Dozens of black knights rose one after another from the shadows trailing behind her.

A vampire saving people... It wasn't uncommon. The species that had killed the most humans was other humans, but the species that had saved the most humans was, surprisingly, humans who had become vampires.

Well. Preparations were complete. I stretched deeply and turned around. Azzy was caught in the wire mesh on one side, struggling, while Nabi happily made sure each fallen light was dead. The lamps, whose afterglow shimmered like shards of glass, would soon become Nabi's footprints.

On the other side, Historia was briefly explaining what had happened to Siati and the princess.

Siati gritted her teeth, while the princess, unable to adapt to the sudden change in circumstances, stared with question marks written all over her face.

"What? What? Wait a moment. Carapald... betrayed us? He activated the trap, and Lord Shei cut him down...?"

"I don't know the details. Whether he was truly Carapald or someone disguised as him. Either way, something clearly happened to him."

"I can't believe it. He was never someone who would betray us..."

"People can change. You never know how."

The princess looked around while shrinking into herself. Many lamps had broken, but the room was still fairly bright, so the control room remained clearly visible.

"...But."

After inspecting the control room, the princess asked in confusion.

"Where is Carapald?"

Historia flinched and sharply turned her head. She looked toward the place where Carapald had collapsed, spilling blood only moments ago.

No one was there. Not even dried bloodstains remained. Historia stretched out an arm, every nerve tense.

"...It seems Carapald was not the real one after all."

"Oh, then that's a relief! Carapald really didn't betray us!"

Historia lashed out at the princess's childish response, contempt in her gaze.

"It is unfortunate. Someone disguised as him means his true identity was already exposed. If that is the case, Carapald was likely tortured horribly until he gave up every piece of information, then executed."

"W-What?"

"But how did they deceive both my senses and that little one's?"

Ah, that. It had been an excellent performance.

Zikhrund's acting was nothing mystical. He was a genuine actor, someone who had honed the craft of presenting one human being to another. Because it was a realm of pure skill, both the regressor and Historia had been completely fooled.

The greatest of those abilities was the Water Qi Art, which infused qi into the body. Zikhrund's qi art, having barely reached the edge of principle, could fabricate bodily responses at will and even transform into another being.

"Meow?"

Crack.

Nabi, who had been enjoying herself by breaking lights, sensed something strange and raised a forepaw. Perhaps something was wrong with the lamp. The instant Nabi lifted her paw, a loud explosion rang out.

"Meow-hahaha!"

Lights burst like firecrackers, scattering sparkling dust. Historia reacted instantly, blasting the air with qi to neutralize it, while Azzy and Nabi cried out in alarm.

Amid the confusion that erupted in an instant, Historia's voice rang out.

"Everyone, gather together! Don't split up!"

Historia stopped speaking. Someone had walked out right in front of her. A tall female general with sleepy eyes and braided hair glared at her with wide-open eyes.

She looked exactly like Historia. No, she looked like Historia herself. Even Siati and the princess, who knew Historia fairly well, were shocked to see the two figures who looked like reflections in a mirror.

"Two Historias?!"

Historia did not waste time being shocked at finding someone identical to herself. After the briefest pause, they moved at the same time. Historia stretched out a long leg. The imitation smoothly redirected it, wrapping it with knee and elbow in an attempt to break the leg. The kick sharply changed direction in midair, and arms and legs moved chaotically in response.

Boom!

Historia's qi art, Explosive Shot, erupted, sending both figures sliding backward. The imitation urgently reached a hand toward me and shouted.

"Hui! You're in danger! Hide behi...!"

"I can't hide. You're the fake."

Leaving the princess where she was, I immediately ran toward Historia. As I moved away, the hand stretched out toward me opened and closed uselessly several times.

The imitation's face filled with despair as he watched me reject him and run away once again.

"H-How...?"

Facial acting would not work on me. The easiest way to break free from acting was, paradoxically, to remind yourself that all of it was acting.

The imitation realized I had not been testing him, but had truly seen through him. His expression changed in an instant. Tilting his head with pure curiosity and confusion, Zikhrund, wearing Historia's face, asked,

"You knew I was a fake?"

Footnotes:

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