WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 290: The Blessed Nation, the Cursed Human - Finale

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‘Impossible. Send him as a diplomat after he tore through the military state as he pleased and caused such tremendous losses? He isn't qualified. He can't be trusted. Judging by the way he speaks and acts, he probably knows nothing about diplomacy or foreign affairs either. The kind of person who acts on a whim and spreads chaos everywhere. Exactly the kind of person he likes.’

No, not exactly. I found her somewhat appealing, but I had never thought she was good. The regressor was something beyond mere chaos.

‘It goes against the military state's ideology. It is irrational. But... that is a king. Someone who moves a nation on a whim. Whether it is right or wrong does not matter. A king's judgment brings unrest. If we accept AB, this country will eventually be shaken...’

I didn't know when or how it would happen. Only that it certainly would. It was inevitable.

‘But already...’

Those who could not overcome the present had to accept even a future that promised ruin. Yuel, overcome with disillusionment, lacked the will to overcome this situation.

Like every other prophet, Yuel quickly resigned herself before the fate that had arrived.

"...I curse you, AB. I hope you're consumed by as much regret as possible, that you feel the deepest self-loathing you can possibly feel."

People did not curse things they could do something about. Instead of wasting time cursing, they fixed or changed them. They only cursed when expressing resentment was the only thing left for them to do.

In other words, Yuel's curse was practically an acceptance of the proposal. A rather pathetic one, but still.

"...Yes. You finally succeeded. You've made the military state into something other than the military state. Siati, when you could no longer bear your anger, you found someone to take revenge on. Princess Grandiomor found someone from whom to demand kindness. It's a perfect ending! You will be ruined before long, but those of you who can only see an inch ahead will surely be satisfied!"

Just because things didn't go her way, she said we could only see an inch ahead. Still, I was kind enough to listen properly to a loser's screams. Under my indifferent watch, Yuel continued.

"AB, one day Siati will be unable to bear that rage and try to tear you limb from limb. The princess will gouge out your heart, then use its blood to quench other people's thirst! Those two know what you are and where you are. They will come for you whenever they wish!"

Compared with Yuel, who was violently pouring out her emotions, Captain AB remained relatively calm. She asked what Yuel intended.

"May I take those words to mean you will cooperate with me?"

"It means I will not interfere. I have no reason or desire to cooperate with you."

"There is a need for your cooperation. Your power..."

"Ah, I forgot one thing. I shouldn't exist either. I am the only one who can replace you. Can a king have a replacement?"

Still sneering, Yuel raised a hand and pointed beyond the door. The nonverbal gesture clearly meant she wanted us gone at once. With a look that said she didn't even want AB in her sight, Yuel said,

"I will watch, AB. I won't even need to lift a finger. The military state is full of people who want to kill you. I will watch and laugh when you die, so go find yourself a grave."

Having received an order to leave, Captain AB looked around. The dark burial chamber built underground had the solemn air one would expect of a tomb.

There were many decorations meant to establish this place as a burial chamber, but only two stone coffins to hold bodies. Both were empty, yet their owners were obvious. One was for the War Hero, and the other was for Yuel.

Yuel had no intention of leaving this place. She must have intended to remain here until she died, then be buried alongside him. With that, the military state's secrets would be buried beneath the earth forever.

Yuel seemed to have made that decision out of pure despair, but... it gave Captain AB an idea.

"I will not leave."

Captain AB spoke as though possessed.

"I must become a 'special' communications officer. I must be their liberator. I must not be liberated as they are. Just as headquarters did... I too must exist without revealing myself."

"You won't reveal yourself? Then what makes you any different from before?"

If Captain AB hid in a secret place, impersonated headquarters, and gave orders, nothing would be different from before she existed.

Yuel sarcastically pointed that out, but Captain AB had an answer.

"The other communications officers, excluding myself, will no longer be confined."

"...What?"

The military state's secrets were protected by confining communications officers in windowless rooms. Communications officers were also isolated from the world to preserve their purity. In exchange for freedom, they gained objectivity and security.

Captain AB's declaration meant she would abandon all of that.

Captain AB raised her head and looked toward the ceiling. Small buds opened from every strand of her hair. Purple morning-glory buds lifted their heads together and began conveying Captain AB's will upward.

Captain AB filled the buds with the message she would send.

『This is Communications Officer AB addressing Module I. A severe armed conflict has occurred within Module I. There is a high probability of substantial further complications. If evacuation does not take place, Module I is expected to lose function, resulting in a major communications gap.』

"AB..."

『Under Emergency Evacuation Manual Stage Two, Disaster Avoidance Manual, all personnel are to evacuate to a safe location. No objections will be accepted. End of message.』

The unilateral, autocratic order ended. Captain AB caught her breath. After a brief silence, her morning glories fluttered as though swallowed by a whirlwind. Requests to communicate with Captain AB came again and again, but she firmly repeated the order she had already given.

A soft thread could wrap around a rigid rod, but not the other way around. The network the communications officers had built until now was founded on the extreme objectivity of communications officers with little sense of self. Captain AB's will, backed by her firm subjectivity, swallowed every objective report from the communications officers.

The communications, seemingly thrown into confusion, soon quieted. It seemed they had accepted Captain AB's proposal. From the communications officers' perspective, there was no particular reason to object. After all, two of the Six Generals had fought fiercely. With the secret already exposed, evacuating a dangerous building was only natural.

Once the communications ended, the morning glories that had been violently fluttering to express their views all settled at once. Captain AB took a deep breath as she controlled her magic.

"...From this moment on, I will free every communications officer in the military state. I order them to walk outside on their own feet. Not a single one excluded."

It was both an explanation of her plan and an expression of great resolve. Having finished the communication, Captain AB said,

"The communications officers' identities have been exposed. Now that Module I's communications officers have been freed, communications officers are no longer a military state secret. The only secret now is... me."

The duty that the military state's communications officers had borne. Never revealing themselves, watching everywhere, and relaying information and orders only through communication.

The communications officers would no longer be forced to shoulder responsibility in dark rooms. They would have lives and time to spare. They would not need to become lonely to serve as objective components, nor suffer to conceal their identities.

In exchange, Captain AB would have to bear far more.

Duty was authority. Captain AB let the other communications officers cast off their duties, then took all that authority upon herself. An invisible yet heavy crown settled upon her head.

The morning-glory vines wrapped around Captain AB's head would never wither again, not even for an instant.

In the lowest and darkest place, a king was crowned.

There was no applause or celebration. Only Yuel's dry prayer welcomed the birth of the new king.

"O First Holy Maiden who blessed me... Is this too a fate you ordained?"

It was closer to a lament than a blessing, but it was still a prayer filled with a Holy Maiden's sincerity. What a blessed succession. I warmly approached the newly born king.

"Congratulations, Captain AB! Or perhaps you're no longer a captain?"

I was prepared to call her Your Majesty if necessary, but AB firmly refused.

"My rank or title is unimportant. What matters is what role I have taken on and what duty I perform."

"Hm. That's certainly true. AB, then what about us?"

I shrugged and pointed in turn at myself, Siati, and the princess. The three of us had no particular attachment to the military state and no obligation to keep its secrets.

"You intend to protect yourself with secrecy instead of guards. But secrets isolate even the person keeping them, don't they? Maintaining secrecy is especially important for someone like you, AB, who lacks personal combat power. You will need to silence us to preserve that secret."

Naturally, one way to silence people was to kill them all. The dead could not speak. It was an entirely rational method.

Of course, I had no intention of dying, but contrary to everyone's expectations, whether I lived or died was not something I could decide alone. I tested Captain AB's intentions a little.

"I..."

Then AB smiled brightly and said,

"I trust you."

"Me?"

AB did not answer aloud. She simply nodded.

It felt suffocating, like I was wearing clothes that didn't fit. Trust. Wasn't that the least fitting word for a life like mine, one riddled with fraud and lies? After all I had done, what could make her say that?

"You never know what might happen later. How do you know how I'll change in the future?"

"Including that, I trust you. No matter how you change, you will not abandon me."

It was a truly irresponsible statement. With the other communications officers' identities exposed, AB's life no longer belonged to her alone. If she disappeared, even Yuel would find it difficult to return this country to what it had been.

It was truly a sandcastle. A crude work made by clumsily piling loose grains of sand together. But...

"Forget me. What about the princess and Siati? AB, you only met them today. They both hate the military state. Can you trust them?"

"I will trust them."

"Is that really all right?"

"Their actions came about because the military state did not repay the trust they placed in it. No, because the military state could not trust them. I will trust them first, and I hope they will trust me as well."

Even if it wasn't beautiful, intricate, or carefully designed.

A painstakingly built sandcastle, a precariously stacked stone tower, a bud that had just bloomed. It was better to watch over such things than destroy them. I was not the sort of person who took pleasure in trampling them.

Still, it would be cruel to let her devote herself to something impossible. Should I kindly offer some advice?

"It will be difficult. I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to give up, give up whenever you wish. No one will blame you."

AB looked steadily at me and answered.

"Objection. I have you."

"Me? I'm allowed to disappoint you. I'll be leaving this country soon anyway."

I was someone who didn't particularly care what became of this country. I could simply go somewhere else. To me, a homeland was easier to replace than a pair of shoes.

"That is a reasonable decision. The current military state has many problems that make it unsuitable for you to live in. Your choice is rational."

Even at my declaration that I would flee abroad, AB did not show disappointment or rebuke me. She accepted my words as they were, then steeled herself and said,

"I will make a place where you can stay. Not now, but someday, for when you return here, I will build a place where you can remain without worry. So someday, when you return, please judge me."

Footnotes:

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