WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 278: The Blessed Nation, the Cursed Human - 1

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『Daughter of the military state. Born and raised in the military state, the future of the military state... In the end, even you.』

Even before an angel radiating overwhelming majesty, Historia's resolve did not waver.

"I will set things right. My apologies for failing to live up to your expectations."

『You had strength, authority, and honor. Yet why did you abandon everything? What did you lack that you betrayed the military state?』

Historia gripped her gun with her ruined hand. She too had reached the pinnacle of Water Qi Art. Within minutes, she had forced her dislocated bones back into place, but they were still in far worse condition than before.

That was why Historia gripped her gun with her ruined hand.

To fight.

"...A friend."

Eimeder tilted her head.

『Just for that?』

"...And a place where friends can exist. There was nothing in the military state."

『You possessed strength, authority, and countless subordinates, yet you ran away without any thought of fulfilling your duty... You truly are nothing more than a child.』

The angel's lament brought the conversation to an end. Eimeder might have spared Historia depending on her actions, but Historia did not seem to have any intention of asking for forgiveness either. Their views had diverged. All that remained was a fight.

Everyone held their breath, expecting the battle to begin.

In a silence so complete that not even static could be heard, amid tension stretched taut as a thread about to snap.

Beastly eyes gleamed behind the angel.

"Meow!"

Nabi's ambush began the battle.

Azzy and Nabi, being beasts, had no interest in things they could not eat. The military state's identity and ideals clearly were not edible. As soon as Nabi entered the quiet, dim communications module, she trotted into a room and stretched out for a nap.

Then the angel appeared with enough fanfare to wake her.

Groaning in pain, I muttered, "Tch, this was why I brought the beasts along..."

Eimeder was made of light. Nabi's hunting instinct was triggered by anything that sparkled and moved quickly. Especially Eimeder, who had not taken on a human body, would have difficulty noticing a beast's ambush. Just like when we fought Eimeder before...

Or so I thought.

『A mere beast.』

The real Eimeder, clad in human flesh, noticed Nabi and spread her wings wide.

The wings glittered before Nabi. Following her instincts, Nabi's eyes instantly tracked their pointed tips. Her forepaw shot out like lightning and shredded the wing.

But it was an illusion.

『If that is all your faith amounts to.』

"Nyaaaaaaak!"

Brilliant light flashed, and Nabi screamed as she was sent flying. Eimeder had struck her with the other two wings. Blood-soaked white fur scattered through the light.

『I will show you myself just how arrogant that is.』

Eimeder folded her wings in midair. A small storm rose inside the building, and she moved abruptly as though pulling an invisible handle. Eimeder charged toward Historia.

Historia had intended to coordinate with Nabi's attack, but Nabi's retreat left her facing the angel alone.

Still, Historia was one of the military state's Six Generals. She was an energy artist who had reached the peak of combat against people.

And an angel barely fell within that category.

'The wings move before the arms and legs. The wings are the source of the angel's movement. I'm not sure, but I need to confirm it. Then... avoid the wings.'

Reviewing the angel's traits, Historia planted her front foot hard and twisted her body. A massive wing swept past the tip of her nose.

Even as the violent wind pressure lashed her face, Historia watched her opponent.

'The range is too wide. Every attack is sharp and fast. I can't get close. Then!'

The moment she reached her conclusion, Historia raised her gun.

The gap created by the three wings on one side. She shoved the muzzle into that threadlike opening and fired with all her strength.

Click.

The bullet did not fire. A snow-white feather had wedged itself diagonally into the handgun.

'Not just the wings, but the feathers too...?! Damn it!'

『I am the military state itself. Within the military state, Eimeder is omniscient.』

Eimeder's wings engulfed Historia.

What hardships would a fly perched on the tip of a hawk's wing endure? I could ask Historia later and hear the answer. The enormously expanded wings flung her away.

She slid across wings, was scratched by feathers, and got swept into a storm. In that fleeting moment, Historia endured every kind of ordeal.

"...Tch. At this rate, she's done for."

Eimeder, the Heavenly Link, was one of the military state's Six Generals. The angel's power in its true form was terrifying.

What frightened me most was that Eimeder had enough knowledge, and the intelligence to use it.

"Meow! That thing is weird! It's hard and pointy, meow!"

Nabi rolled around on the ground and cried out in pain. Despite the massive impact, she did not appear to be in any real danger. Even in battle, Eimeder had not inflicted a fatal injury on Nabi. She had merely raised her feathers like hooks and torn at Nabi's fur.

Enough pain to hurt, but not enough to threaten her life. That meant Nabi would not show her feral side. She would feel pain and danger, then watch from a safe distance.

"Woof..."

And because Eimeder had descended into IA's body, Azzy, the next fighter I had prepared, was beside me licking my fingers.

Useless beasts.

"...Woof. Someone's hurting."

"Me? Right. It hurts like hell."

Grumbling, I took out two heart cards.

There were no visibly injured areas, but the impact itself had been tremendous. I was bleeding, my internal organs were slightly damaged, and my bones ached.

When one part hurts, you use medicine that works on it. What about when your whole body hurts?

"An anesthetic, of course."

I stacked the four and five of hearts. Holding the two cards flat with a tiny gap between them, I tapped them. Bright red liquid seeped out from between them.

The four of hearts, Death. The five of hearts, Sensory Poison. A medicine that kills sensation, made by combining the two.

Right. An anesthetic. Or a narcotic.

Medicine made by combining cards. Every medicine contained in the hearts was simple and dangerous, but correspondingly potent. I tilted the cards and let it flow into my mouth. The tingling first taste instantly became tasteless and odorless. My senses had gone numb.

The backlash would be severe, but overcoming the immediate crisis came first. I could prepare for the future only after surviving.

"...Woof. Not you. That one."

"Who? That sparkly thing?"

"Woof."

Was now really the time to worry about that? She had willingly stopped thinking and offered up her body.

"It must hurt. She offered her body as a sacrifice to summon an angel of the shared mental image. I don't think it will last long. About an hour..."

But an hour was more than enough time for her to steam me alive. I had to come up with a solution before the horrible dish called Angel Chef's Homemade Steamed Hughes appeared in this world.

The medicine was starting to take effect. The pain faded, and strength filled the emptiness it left behind. With this power boiling up from deep inside me, I felt as though I could do anything.

No, I truly could do anything. The card in my hand was actually a broken legendary sword, and if I brought out my true feelings, I could split an angel apart in one stroke. Eimeder, you've been acting up for far too long. I'll slaughter you all at once...

'Your condition is abnormal! You are trembling as you stand, then clutching the wall and sobbing! I infer that something has gone wrong!'

...Of course not. That fantasy from a moment ago was a side effect of the anesthetic. The world was full of nothing but pain, so forgetting pain made you forget reality along with it.

Still, I was a mind reader. As long as people were watching me, I would not lose my objectivity. Grateful that my pain itself was not visible in other people's thoughts, I steadied my swaying body.

Captain AB came running over just then.

"Sir! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine for now, Captain Bbi."

Having regained my senses, I looked around. Historia was still fighting. Nabi was cautiously edging over there while keeping an eye on the angel. Siati had evacuated the princess. Siati still had a thumb left, so she might be useful in an emergency, but... I had no idea whether an angel could be affected by black magic.

Hmm. We were in a hopeless bind.

"It has been a long time. I missed you. How are your injuries? Are they severe?"

"They don't hurt anymore."

"That is fortunate. Now that I have confirmed your condition, I will report the current situation."

Even after nearly dying, Captain AB was still a communications officer. Captain AB looked me over with concern while clearly listing information aloud.

"Currently, Eimeder, summoned by communications officer Yuel, is displaying intense hostility toward me, the other communications officers, and you. Probability of victory: 0%. Therefore, I strongly advise that you leave this place."

"Escape? I never thought those words would come from Captain AB first."

"There is no time for idle remarks. The situation is urgent. If Major General Historia is defeated, Yuel's Eimeder will immediately attack you and me."

Her tone was as stiff as a golem's. Yet the meaning behind it differed from before.

Captain AB was alive.

And she was doing everything she could to survive.

With me, if possible.

Right. The resolve to do anything to survive. The resolve to reject even an angel's command and run away. That was what I needed.

Without it, communications officers would be innocent and incorruptible.

I pounded on the seamless wall.

"There isn't even a window here, let alone a door. How are we supposed to escape?"

"We need to buy time. In my judgment, Yuel appears to be highly wary of you. Have you ever attacked Yuel, or do you possess a means of threatening her?"

"Not at all. I don't even know who Yuel is... Huh? Wait."

The communications officer had definitely said earlier that Captain AB was the closest officer to A, the first communications officer.

I had also roughly guessed that Captain AB held a very important position. Her designation came early in the sequence, and her ability was surprisingly extraordinary. She could send her will from the surface to Tantalus in the Abyss.

Tantalus was on the frontier, but no one would call it an insignificant facility. It was a historic Abyss that imprisoned threats capable of endangering the military state, from ancient monsters to vicious criminals.

The being that monitored that place alone could not be ordinary. That was why I had been trying to build a connection with her.

"Do you know Yuel? Who she is, where she lives?"

Perhaps Captain AB was a far more important figure than I had thought.

Captain AB listed the information she knew without showing a trace of emotion.

"Negative. After receiving their designations, communications officers are assigned without disclosing their workplace to anyone. This applies even among communications officers. I have only exchanged communications with officer Yuel and have had no other interaction with her."

"You exchanged communications with her. And that officer summoned an angel here."

From this point on, I was entering territory I did not know. Still, I could make a rough guess.

The being called Yuel possessed a communications officer's ability. She had communicated with Captain AB, then summoned an angel here.

The unknown being called Yuel was wielding her ability across the military state. In other words, no matter what means of measurement one used, no one could be certain where she was...

But I could make a guess.

"The military state did not fall from the sky. Someone created this country with a purpose."

When the kingdom fell and the military state took its place, they built their headquarters here instead of choosing the large existing city of Amitenggrad.

At first, it was a facility built to oversee the installation of the Meta-Conveyor Belt. Soldiers built laborers' quarters on the plains where horses once ran free, then managed the workforce and resources needed to create the Meta-Conveyor Belt.

"If that angel is a historical being involved in the birth of the military state, she must be somewhere the military state has occupied for a long time."

After the Meta-Conveyor Belt was completed, just before the military state entered its period of revival, this place became the headquarters.

It was a rational decision. The plains had originally been used only for grazing, but the Meta-Conveyor Belt revolution had turned this place into a transportation hub. If it had been bare ground, that would be one thing, but there was no reason to abandon a place where they had already built every facility.

"For example, this headquarters."

"However, headquarters is vast, and countless armed soldiers are standing by. How do you intend to search for her from here?"

It would be impossible through ordinary means. But there might be a way.

Nothing was new under the sun. Every creation, except those born from chance, came from imitation. Communications officers had likely been modeled after something as well.

The military state was a god.

Communications officers were its priests.

And Captain AB was the closest to A.

"Captain AB. Do you trust me?"

Though it was a fairly sudden question, Captain AB nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Affirmative."

Hmm. This was impossible without trust, so I had been going to explain if necessary. There was no need.

"If that side can find communications officers, if she can see this place through a communications officer's eyes... I can't do it, but Captain AB can find her. Find her, Captain AB."

She did not doubt me. She did not ask how she was supposed to do it.

Captain AB was a well-trained soldier. She would carry out the mission given to her with all her strength.

As long as her faith remained firm.

"Understood. Communications officer AB. As of this moment, I will undertake the mission of locating communications officer Yuel."

Footnotes:

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