WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 264: Imaginary Bullets

──────

Why would Zikhrund, who came from another country, be loyal to the military state?

Because he liked this country? Anyone saying something that transparent was either a con artist or had Public Safety officers watching over their shoulder. Only someone who had lived in the Kingdom could find this place relatively heavenly. What was there to like about a country with no mystery and nowhere to have fun?

Because it paid well? This insane country had such an extreme structure that even the Six Generals, its strongest people, could not live in luxury. It was an unusually honest country where the top 1% possessed 1% of the wealth, closer to an obelisk than a pyramid. The military state managed most of its funds directly. It would pour money into making weapons, but it gave individuals only a grain of millet's worth of personal wealth. It also helped that there was nowhere to spend it, even if you saved it up.

There was only one reason Zikhrund remained loyal to that damned country.

Because “she” had found him.

I had not read her directly from his memories, so I did not know much, but she had found Zikhrund despite him hiding his identity.

After a long life on the run, Zikhrund had lost track of who he originally was and what he looked like. He made her his anchor of selfhood and built himself around it.

She was special. But she was not unique.

Because I could recognize him too.

“Before and now. Both are fabricated faces, aren’t they? This one is even worse. At least the last one looked like a person. This one looks like a statue you gave up on halfway through making because you got bored. Are you really okay with making that your identity?”

“...What do you mean, okay? I am myself. What do you know?”

“I don’t know, so I’m asking you to tell me. Your real face... No, who the real you is.”

Real.

At that word, Zikhrund showed an inorganic expression. It did not look like something he had deliberately made to feign calm. It looked more like someone tensing before creating something.

“Is who I am really that important? I am Zikhrund, one of the Six Generals, and changing my appearance is a powerful specialty I possess. That itself defines me. I do not need any other trait to distinguish me.”

"What are you talking about? Who here doesn’t know that you’re you? I’m not asking about distinguishing traits. I’m asking whether you qualify."

Afraid of losing himself, Zikhrund had made “her,” the one who recognized him, his anchor and worked for her.

How could I shake him, then? Naturally, by removing that anchor.

“I listen to people’s wishes and act on them. It’s different from a prophet. They see a future with a predetermined answer and change the situation, while I help people gain what they want within the situation they’ve been given.”

“I don’t see what the difference is. They look the same to me.”

“They’re different. Their wishes are real. Real lives. Desires belonging to people who were given only one life from birth and lived it fiercely, without the need or leisure to question whether it was real or fake. I only granted those wishes.”

Real. Fake. Real.

Zikhrund was a born actor and showed nothing, but as a mind reader, I could feel him flinch each time I mentioned what was real and what was fake.

That anchor was pretty light. It swayed every time I touched it. How was it supposed to hold him in place like that?

“But you have a fabricated face and a fabricated identity, and you only obey the military state’s orders. Is this the real you that you found?”

“You...”

I grabbed the anchor in his heart and pulled it out with a smile.

“You’re just a tool, aren’t you? Do people use the word life even for tools these days?”

“...A pathetic provocation. Did you suddenly run out of things to say?”

‘It’s a provocation. I can’t get caught up in it. He says he reads wishes? That must be a type of prophecy as well. I need to use Siati and Historia’s hatred and suspicion to corner him.’

He believed in my ability without a shred of doubt. He could not easily dismiss it all as coincidence or luck, given that I had reached the very heart of the military state. He doubted and guarded against everything, digging into even the smallest details. That was probably a personality he developed after spending so long being hunted.

His suspicion was so excessive that he believed in my ability completely.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I read wishes.”

“...What?”

“You want to recover the self you lost. So why are you doing this?”

An anchor of existence was not a harbor. He was only a ship adrift on an endless sea.

Which meant even the self called Zikhrund was nothing more than another fabrication.

“The more you play the role of Zikhrund, the farther you’ll get from your original self. A fake mission. A fake life. A fake face. Even your goal as one of the Six Generals is only being faithful to the role of Zikhrund, not your own wish. Just what... Ria! Protect me!”

There was no need to explain any further. At that moment, with his existence threatened, Zikhrund kicked off the ground and charged at me.

There was no reason for it. Resisting when someone tried to stab you with a sword was just and natural. Zikhrund tried to protect himself by rejecting me, the one attacking his sense of self.

Historia stood before me.

“Don’t dump this on me...!”

Historia, who had not let down her guard, reacted in time. Worried that I would be hurt by the aftermath of the fight, she took two steps forward and faced Zikhrund. Planting one foot firmly, Historia unleashed a kick as though reeling in the charging Zikhrund.

Kwoooong!

It was a collision closer to a disaster. An explosion rang out, and shattered flooring flew in every direction. Historia’s Explosive Shot qi art had a repulsive nature.

It was difficult to control, but easy to use roughly. Historia scattered it without restraint. The collision between two Six Generals with immense qigong was like two rubber balls rolling toward each other. They slid away from one another across the ground as though reflected in a mirror.

“Hui! Watch out!”

Historia understood his target after that single clash and shouted.

“He’s after you!”

Zikhrund charged again immediately. Not at Historia, but directly at me.

He came straight for me without even trying to conceal his intentions. Historia rushed forward and blocked his path, drawing both arms back.

Explosive Shot: Explosive Shatter.

Bluish qigong blasted everything away. It was an explosion unleashed by Historia, whose reserves of qigong ranked among the upper tier even within the Six Generals. Even Zikhrund could not block it head-on. Instead, he swayed his body back and forth.

The foundation of jujutsu was redirecting force. Rather than resist the flow, he slipped through its openings. Like a ship that did not break against a headwind, he calmly advanced one step at a time.

‘He’s a master of combat too. I don’t know whether I can win or lose against him, but I can’t protect Hui.’

Having judged her opponent’s level, Historia looked at me and shouted urgently.

“Run somewhere safe!”

“Got it!”

I nodded and immediately clung to Historia’s back. Historia jolted at the sudden contact.

“What are you doing?!”

“The only safe place here is behind you. I’m counting on you.”

“It’s dangerous! You can’t ignore the backlash from qigong either!”

“Getting caught in the aftermath is better than dying. Whoa! Ria, in front!”

A hand shot out between Historia’s arms. Just as long fingers tried to snatch my clothes, Historia noticed and wrapped Zikhrund’s arm with her right arm.

At that moment, Zikhrund slid into Historia’s inner guard. Driving his knee in deep and twisting her arm, he threw Historia’s center of gravity off in an instant.

‘Jujutsu?! This is bad. He’s taken the lower position...!’

Among the weak, people said that taking the upper position was more advantageous. It let them add their weight to the force of a strike.

For those who had learned qigong, it was the opposite. Mere weight was not much help. The force that pushed with qigong was stronger than the force that pulled, so losing the lower position meant your feet left the ground. Once that happened, you were left wide open.

‘This is... bad...!’

Historia’s qi art was Explosive Shot. It was strong at repelling, but lacking in adhesion. Unable to withstand the force pushing up from below, Historia’s body began to lift.

Of course, taking the lower position did not decide the match at once. The problem was that Historia was not alone right now.

‘Hui!’

Zikhrund intended to move Historia aside and target me. Historia gritted her teeth and held on, but the limit came sooner than expected.

“Don’t...!”

Whoooong. Historia’s body bounced up, and after clearing away the obstacle, Zikhrund threw a savage punch straight at me behind her. The sound of air splitting filled the control room...

But his fist missed. I was clinging tightly to Historia’s back, flying through the air alongside her.

Whew. It would have been bad if I hadn’t held on tight. It was worth jumping onto her back when we flew up.

Still stuck firmly to Historia’s back, I shouted with relief.

“Ahahahaha! You look pathetic! Did I hit the mark? Of course I did! Every wish I read from you was fake!”

“Hui! It might be better not to provoke him...!”

“It’s already too late! We have to see it through now!”

Even in midair, Historia somehow regained her balance. She planted a foot against the wire mesh covering the wall and stood upright, with me hanging from her back.

Being like this left me sprawled against her back, which was actually pretty comfortable. I sneered at Zikhrund, who was looking up at us from below.

“I’m sorry, but you have no right to criticize me! Even if I grant human wishes from a detached position, they’re real! The real me, as my real self. I listened to the wishes of people who live fierce lives with real lives! I’m different from you, who discarded and replaced your face, name, and identity whenever you needed to!”

Take a mind reader’s provocation. I would keep digging into his weak spots.

Zikhrund immediately leaped toward this wall at my taunt.

Historia, who was actually fighting, was put in the awkward position of being caught between us.

“Hui! You’re provoking him too much!”

“I told you, there’s nothing we can do now! I’m riding a tiger’s back!”

“I can’t even guarantee I can beat him one-on-one, and I can’t fight while carrying you on my back... Especially without a weapon...”

“You need a weapon?”

There was something I could use right away.

I took a diamond card from my sleeve. After using alchemical transmutation through my bio-terminal, I lightly set it on Historia’s shoulder where Zikhrund could not see it. Without looking, Historia recognized the heavy object by touch.

“A gun?”

“It’s the alchemical weapon I used. It’s loaded.”

Historia took the gun, naturally placed a finger on the trigger, and twirled it once. True to the name gunslinger, she understood the revolver’s structure and remaining rounds from that alone.

Then Historia got angry.

“There are only three bullets!”

“I didn’t have time to load more!”

“Even so, how are we supposed to do anything with three bullets...! Why did it have to be three bullets?!”

‘Zeroing Shot is a technique for zeroing in on a target with three shots. I need at least four bullets to use it!’

“Shh! Zikhrund doesn’t know there are only three! If he doesn’t know, three and six are the same! Imaginary bullets will keep him in check!”

“As if...!”

Still, there was no better option, so Historia accepted the gun and hid it beneath her sleeve. I had never taught her tricks like that. Maybe the cheating we did while playing cards long ago had stuck with her.

Then Historia ran long fingers along the revolver’s grip and fell into thought.

‘This gun. It’s the same kind as the one Hui gave me when he recommended I try using a gun... I wonder if he even remembers.’

“I’ll give it a try. You should move somewhere safe... No. Hold on tight until we get down!”

After finishing, Historia raced down the wire mesh as though it were a staircase. Just before she hit the ground, Historia slowed slightly. In that moment, I grabbed the wire mesh hanging precariously from the wall and jumped to the floor.

I was used to rolling across the ground, but I did not want to get used to my back muscles aching. By the time I staggered to my feet, Historia was once again standing in front of Zikhrund.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried