WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 313

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Good Morning Quiz

Same face, same build, same voice. Even the clothes made from a clothing packet were the exact same model, to the point I almost wondered if there was a mirror between them.

They looked so perfectly alike that even after the regressor’s eyes cycled through all seven colors, she still couldn’t tell which one was the real Historia.

‘They’re not completely identical. The problem is, I still can’t tell which one is real. No matter how I look at it, this isn’t an ability or a mystery, it’s pure technique built entirely through energy control. She might even have touched the principle itself... tch, no wonder I couldn’t figure it out in the previous round!’

In the previous round, the regressor had reached the core of the military state, but she still hadn’t uncovered that secret. Partly because the military state’s classified truths were far beyond expectation, and partly because, from her perspective, the military state was just something she had to pass through.

Anyway, excited by this new discovery, the regressor looked at me with barely hidden anticipation.

‘At least I’m not the only one who doesn’t know. Come on, you try too!’

Her sparkling eyes were pressure in themselves.

"...Mr. Shei. Why are you suddenly staring at me?"

"Ah, no reason. What about you? Could you tell them apart?"

"What do you take me for? I’m the one who could tell apart tiny scratches on the back of a card. Of course I can. What about you, Mr. Shei?"

"Me? If I get serious, I can tell."

"Then do it."

At my prompt, the regressor scratched her chin awkwardly.

"...But to tell them apart, I’d have to open the Eye of Fate. It’s not like I’m stingy with my lifespan, but using it for this is a bit..."

"I wasn’t going to say this, but if you need a cheat-level skill that reads someone’s fate just to know, doesn’t that mean you just don’t know?"

"S-shut up! If you’re so confident, then guess!"

Tsk tsk. If I used mind reading, I’d know instantly. I shook my head and read Historia’s thoughts.

‘I hate to admit it, but that one is exactly like me. Appearance, voice, even the distinctive gait of someone trained in Explosive Killing Art and my energy... even Hui would...’

No, if she thought I couldn’t guess, why ask me? She could’ve at least sent a secret signal. She was pretty nasty too, wasn’t she?

I pushed myself up and asked,

"By the way, why are you giving me a quiz in broad daylight?"

"...Nothing much. The Public Safety Chief just transformed on her own and came along."

That "Historia" had exactly the same way of speaking as the real Historia, but that was useless against me from the start, since I recognized people by their hearts. What did matching tone and appearance matter if their thoughts were different?

I looked at the "Historia" who had just spoken and said flatly,

"Then since Hilde made this quiz on her own, Hilde’s giving the prize, right?"

"Who knows. Not sure she even prepared one."

"If you don’t know, then what? You’re not trying to weasel out of it because you didn’t prepare a prize, are you?"

The moment I pointed it out, "Historia" froze. She stared at me with a stiff face, then suddenly beamed and threw both arms wide.

"Correct! Amazing, Father! How did you know? I put my whole soul into that performance! Even the clothing packet was perfectly identical!"

"It’s a secret. A magician should never reveal his trick until right before he dies."

"Ehh! That’s unfair! You didn’t secretly agree on signals when I wasn’t looking, did you?"

"I may be a third-rate magician who rigs things with the audience, but Ria would never do that, if only for her pride."

"Seriously, if you say that, what happens to my pride?!"

With behavior that didn’t fit the face at all, "Historia" stomped like a child and huffed.

No need to say it. That one was Hilde. Since she wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore, I asked blandly,

"Fine, so what’s the prize?"

"The prize? It’s me!"

"That’s not a prize, that’s just an object. Give me an actual reward."

"That’s so mean! If you take me, I can give you a massage!"

Massage, huh. Come to think of it, Hilde said she could use holy power and acupoint strike therapy.

Not strange. Anyone with sincere faith who had mastered sacred rites could use holy power. Of course, that “sincere faith” condition was pretty strict, strict enough that if you held another faith it was impossible... no wonder people say magicians can’t use holy power.

But maybe this case was different, with a shapeshifter who could fool even herself.

"Ugh. Then I’d appreciate it... but that’s not why you came, right?"

"Yep! Our Gunslinger says she has something urgent to tell you, Father!"

"Urgent?"

Perfect timing. If Tyr was in the same space, I couldn’t receive treatment with holy power. I had no desire to watch a healer become a patient in real time, so I braced myself against the wall and forced my way out.

"I’ll wash up and get some treatment first. I’ll hear that urgent matter while I’m at it. You don’t need to follow me."

"Hmm. Understood. Go and come back."

‘So the one on the left was real.... Next time, I’ll definitely get it right.’

See? I wasn’t the only one treating it like a quiz.

My muscle pain still hadn’t faded, so I hunched over and stepped outside. Then Historia and "Historia" followed at my sides. No matter how much I told myself I identified people by thought, seeing two Historias side by side still made left and right blur in my head. Without mind reading, I really would’ve mixed them up.

Still, why did I feel like I’d just taken a test for no reward and no reason? I was too annoyed to let it slide, so I said to Historia,

"By the way, Ria, why did you join Hilde’s Good Morning Quiz?"

Historia answered without even looking at me.

"...I didn’t join."

"She walked up in your face and said guess who. Obviously that was a quiz to make me pick the real you."

"The Public Safety Chief did as she pleased. I just didn’t stop her."

"That only works if Hilde came alone. You were standing right beside her. Isn’t that cooperation at that point?"

Again, Historia kept her head turned and said nothing. Instead, Hilde, wearing the same face, answered with inexplicable excitement.

"That’s because! By nature, women are creatures who want someone to notice the tiny but special traits that are uniquely theirs! Which means our major here is a woman too!"

"...Public Safety Chief."

"See! Even her tone got gentler! Father, have you ever seen this side of Historia?"

Why was she this fired up? I’d usually play along, but my muscles hurt too much to match that energy.

As I groaned, "Historia" rudely looked me up and down and said,

"Then, Father, what would you like first? Massage? Shower? Or both at once?"

Both at once? What did that even mean? Even a real daughter wouldn’t do that. Then Historia reacted.

"What do you mean both at once?!"

"Don’t worry, Historia! I’ll do it in this body!"

"Absolutely not! Do not do that sort of thing with my body!"

"Hmm. No choice, then? All right. Following Historia’s wishes, I’ll transform into a man and do it properly."

"I never said that! That’s not even the point!"

Right. Historia pointed out the key part.

"Ria’s right. The most important thing is my consent."

"Your consent or not, no!"

What? No?

Hey, Historia. I’m the Human King, the dominant species on land. There’s nothing you can’t do to a beast...

‘Just try saying that...! I’ll beat you if I have to!’

Still, there were things you couldn’t do if your ability fell short. Looks like one more got added today.

"Ugh. Fine. I’ll hear Ria out first."

"Then what about the massage?"

"The massage isn’t the important part, is it? If both of you came together after talking, then you came for Ria’s matter. About taking the military state hostage... no, about saying you’ll use the military state as a hostage. Right?"

"Seriously, Father, nothing can be hidden from you. Right."

That was because I was reading minds. Hilde slowly released her transformation and shrugged.

"Can’t be helped~. I’ll leave the glorious honor of touching Father’s body to Historia!"

"I will do no such thing."

"You have to touch him all over, and if someone’s nearby, that’s awkward, right? So I’ll step out!"

Hilde waved her hands over her head and backed away. Her steps were remarkably light.

She was on my side, but no matter how I looked at it, Hilde was deeply attached to the military state. She clung casually in words, but always cleverly avoided anything that would truly harm it.

Her attitude was the complete opposite of Yuel’s. Yuel actively tried to reject me and Tyr, while Hilde leaned toward flexible compromise. If Yuel was a hawk, Hilde was a dove... no, a cuckoo? She dove into the middle of people who had been enemies just moments earlier and made a place for herself.

Well, I knew that and chose to go along anyway. I preferred ending things smoothly too.

"Come in."

Historia’s room was especially large and luxurious even within the annex. Though “luxurious,” military-state style, only meant a slightly softer sofa, a slightly wider bed, and a slightly warmer blanket. This was a VIP room?

By my standards, a sofa harder than a wool cushion wasn’t a sofa. I had no intention of putting my aching body on that thing, so I dragged my feet and flopped face-down onto the bed.

Historia asked with concern,

"...Does it hurt a lot?"

"Probably not as much as you, but I’m not as good at enduring pain as you are."

"Lie down. I’ll do acupoint strikes."

Acupoint strike therapy, the technique where you strike with qi to heal the body? You knew if you messed that up, qi could invade the inside and wreck the body, right? I was uneasy.

"You learned acupoint strike therapy too?"

"I watched the Public Safety Chief do it."

No, if you could learn it by watching once, why study anything? Why learn techniques at all? No matter how much of a genius you were, acupoint strike therapy still had its own history and tradition-

"Uaaaaah. That feels good."

She actually did it.

Historia’s hands moved delicately over my muscles. She spread faint qi, felt the resonance, moved by instinct, and focused on the knotted spots. It felt like she was stroking directly inside my body.

It was a shame there was no holy power, but if there had been, I probably wouldn’t have felt this refreshed. Pleasure came when something lacking was filled. “Restoring” holy power lacked that kind of pleasure.

"Hui. Number 6."

"Uh-huh."

Number 6 was the knee-strike posture... my body moved before my thoughts did. I lifted one knee while lying face-down, and a spot that had never been reached before was stimulated. A long groan slipped out of me.

Other than occasional instructions on movement, the massage continued in silence. When I felt my body had loosened up somewhat, Historia pressed firmly on my back and spoke.

"...I."

So this was the main point. I stopped groaning and focused on her words.

"I tried to make a place for you in the military state, so you could come back any time."

People said those who mastered precision qi control could command their body completely at will... but was that really true? Will itself wavered with emotion in the first place, so could you really call it “completely?”

Historia’s hands and voice were trembling beyond control.

"Not just you. The kids who survived Hameln, including Siati. The officer academy applicants who didn’t take the graduation exam, but were still viewed with suspicion because of the Hameln Incident. All of them suffered, in ways big and small, because of that incident. I... wanted to give them a place to belong. So... I carried out orders faithfully and became one of the Six Generals."

Because Historia became one of the Six Generals, no one could discriminate against those Hameln officer academy applicants.

Because Historia actively took on all kinds of missions, Siati and the other Resistance members survived.

Because Historia left the adjutant position vacant, someone, one lucky person who caught her eye, could gain an enviable status after only minimal testing...

But that position stayed empty.

"...You said you’re the Human King. You said you grant wishes. But..."

With resentment, she thumped my back. The hit landed more on my heart than my body.

Historia fought alone and made that place. It all became useless after she betrayed the military state once, but that didn’t justify denying her effort.

Still.

What you wanted wasn’t to fill a seat, but the act of creating that seat itself.

"Ria. You wanted an equal friend, right? Someone you could share your heart with."

Someone beyond power or authority, someone who could give and receive as an equal.

That was Historia’s wish.

"To share your heart, you first had to cut off and set aside part of your own. You could’ve done that. You had the strength and the ability. Other people’s voices just never reached you. Just like the children’s voices never reached the military state."

I laid other people’s hearts over mine, but I didn’t truly share mine in return. That was why I only granted wishes. I couldn’t become the object of those wishes myself.

The affection Historia felt for me came from the shortcut of mind reading. For her to truly share her heart, she first had to open it herself.

"Even after Hameln, the military state didn’t change much. But the cry those kids made while risking their lives changed you, and because of that, the military state is changing now. Their wish came true... because you took in that heart and shared it."

"It was hard."

"But you still did it. You’re different from Hameln, when you were a one-woman army. Now people rely on you, respect you, and you can answer that."

That was why Historia had to make a place. You needed an empty space before anything could be filled.

Historia realized that only after losing so much.

The hand gripping my shoulder tightened, then loosened a moment later. Looking down at me, Historia said,

"...The Public Safety Chief said the military state needs at least one Six General who knows the secret."

"If there isn’t one, no one will be left to protect it."

"Hui, what should I do?"

"Do what you want."

"But... what about you? No matter how many places I make, if no one comes, it means nothing. Even if I stay here and guard the military state, you won’t come back...."

"Ah, about that."

I checked my surroundings, confirmed through mind reading that no one was spying on us, then lowered my voice.

"I’m the Human King, right?"

"...I still can’t believe it, and even if I do, I don’t know what changes. So?"

"Then why did the Human King appear in the military state?"

"Why are you asking me that, Mr. Self-Proclaimed Human King?"

"Because I don’t know either, that’s why I’m asking. Same as you, I’m human too, so I couldn’t choose where I was born. By the time I was old enough to know better, I was already rolling around the military state’s back alleys."

The Beast King generally followed universality. Not absolutely, but broadly speaking it held true. The fact that I existed in the military state could be taken to mean the military state represented, to some extent, humanity’s universality.

...The problem was, I didn’t know why.

"There’s nothing special about being a beast king. Especially for a Human King whose power was stolen. Since I was born here, I had to live in the military state. So I went to elementary civic school and middle military academy. If not for that incident, maybe I would’ve gone to officer academy too and learned the military state’s secrets step by step in the usual way."

But in the end, I never made it to officer academy. So you could say getting into officer academy wasn’t ordinary for me. It was a retrospective conclusion, sure, but human wishes followed that kind of universality.

So I tried approaching it a little differently.

"And while meeting Mr. Shei, I ended up learning something."

"The King of Sin...?"

"Yeah. I have to confirm that. I don’t know how it’ll end either. Maybe it’ll be enough if only I come out okay, or maybe even that won’t be enough."

I really didn’t know. From here on out, it was completely unknown territory, so acting rashly was hard. But I wasn’t the type to list every possibility like a prophet and move cautiously.

"Still, one thing is certain. When everything is over, I’m coming back to the military state."

That was true. If I was allowed an ordinary life, I’d stay in the military state and search out its secrets slowly, like before I entered the Abyss.

Historia turned my words over several times. Then she said,

"It sounds like a lie."

Seriously. I told her the truth, for once, out of long friendship, and she said it sounded like a lie?

"I can’t trust you. Not the military state, not me. You threw both away so easily. Nothing can become your hostage...."

Of course. I was the Human King. Unless every human was taken hostage, that part wouldn’t change.

Still, I kept promises.

"Here, Ria. Thanks for the massage. Ah, right. Last time we went down beneath the Communications Bureau, you said you’d repay me once we came back up. Not that this is exactly because of that, but still."

I held out my hand. Historia grabbed it and pulled me up. A perfectly ordinary motion friends might do any day.

I mixed one thing into it.

"Number 8."

The move that switched our positions. Historia reacted on reflex. In an instant, our places were reversed. Historia, who wouldn’t fall no matter how hard I strained or pushed, toppled onto the bed from that one whispered line.

I looked down at Historia and rolled up my sleeves.

"Your muscle pain’s bad too, right? If anything, it’s worse than mine."

"Uh...."

"This is repayment. I’ll massage you."

"Hui, you... acupoint strike therapy...."

"I learned it. Just now."

I couldn’t do it. But Historia could. Then if I read Historia’s thoughts, I could do it too.

Acupoint strike therapy was highly sensory, but that didn’t matter. I just had to read Historia’s senses.

"Number 0."

What was engraved before it hardened lasted the longest. Following the command they had agreed on in advance back when she was still clumsy, Historia exhaled deeply and relaxed.

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