WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 318: A Story Told, Prelude to War

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Absolute Spear Partlaxion advanced toward the Abyss Plains alongside the War Mage.

Until recently, Absolute Spear had been gathering troops to drive out Tyrkanzyaka, the Progenitor of vampires. He had thought the operation only natural.

The Progenitor of vampires was far too great a presence to be allowed to roam freely across the country, both politically and militarily. On top of that, the military state had plenty to feel guilty about.

The military state was a nation created by dismantling and reassembling every system and technology in the world. That included the Sanctum's methods.

What would the Progenitor's reaction be when she encountered that? It was an intriguing thought, but not one he ever wanted to put to the test.

Quietly driving her out was the sensible course. That was how Absolute Spear had approached the operation.

Of course, that was merely a pretext that made fighting permissible. The real reason he had joined the operation was that he was a duel fanatic.

That was why he had nearly refused the order to head for the Abyss.

"Honestly. So this is why they suddenly ordered us to the Abyss."

Absolute Spear swept back his hair while riding atop a cataphract.

He had received reports that Jiseon had headed for the Abyss without a word. A communications officer had also given him a painstakingly detailed explanation: Jiseon had performed a ritual to free the Abyss, despite the Progenitor and several others residing within Tantalus.

Still, seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times. No matter what he had been told, it could not compare to seeing it with his own eyes. Absolute Spear was left speechless when he witnessed the result firsthand.

An unrealistically enormous hole, and Tantalus lying overturned beside it in a bleak heap. Concrete ground that had buckled beneath its own weight formed a slanted slope. It looked as though a giant had flipped open the lid sealing the hole before walking away.

The sight alone inspired awe. Absolute Spear spoke to the War Mage.

"It looks like the Earth Mother really does exist. Right, old lady?"

"Every faith has a proper reason behind it. Even if it is not a god, a power comparable to one is no different from a god. Magic, too, was once called the power of the gods."

"...I wasn't asking because I wanted a magic lecture from an old woman."

"I participated in the operation that moved Tantalus into the Abyss. There is nothing new about this."

"Then it really isn't new."

Absolute Spear shook his head as if bored and stared at Tantalus. Then he spotted something wandering around it and narrowed his eyes.

"What's that?"

Suspicious groups were wandering around Tantalus, an asset of the military state. Nothing about them resembled any ordinary force. That was why Partlaxion knew who they were. As the former northern commander, these were the enemies he had encountered most often.

"Jackals have already come sniffing around in packs? Those bastards have an incredible sense of smell... Wait."

It was natural for jackals to come for prey as large as Tantalus. The jackals scattered in every direction would have been the first to sense that something was wrong. Yet among them was a massive object that could not simply be dismissed as a jackal.

"A Juggernaut?"

Like the sun slowly emerging from behind the moon, a huge structure hidden in Tantalus's shadow gradually revealed itself as Absolute Spear approached.

It was a ship that roamed across the land. A vessel as large as a hill crept along on dozens of auxiliary wheels.

The only thing in the ever-moving Lesser States that could be called a city. It was smaller than Tantalus, yet it was astonishing that a structure as large as a stretch of land could move.

The War Mage's expression turned grim at the sight.

"If that is a Juggernaut, it is one of the Lesser States' major powers. Why are those who never leave their homeland here?"

"Looks like they intend to make this their homeland."

Absolute Spear muttered as he looked into the distance.

"They suddenly ordered us to the Abyss. This doesn't seem like a simple sightseeing trip."

"Certainly. The legion we gathered was far too large to deal with only a few people. Did General Headquarters foresee this from the beginning...?"

"If we're dealing with a Juggernaut, an ordinary unit would never be enough."

As the enemy grew larger before his eyes, Absolute Spear's shoulders began to tremble. The War Mage silently watched his back before speaking.

"Partlaxion."

"Why, old lady?"

"Are you smiling right now?"

Absolute Spear nodded without answering.

Once they came close enough, a small shadow shot out from the Juggernaut. The four-legged beast landed on the ground, pounded across it, and approached at extraordinary speed.

The horse-mounted rider stopped before the cataphract carrying Absolute Spear and the War Mage. Keeping a short distance away, they called out to the War Mage.

"The military state sure is convenient. It's obvious at a glance who the leader is. You there, are you the commander?"

"I am General Prelvior of the military state."

The War Mage answered with a nod. The rider seemed to know the name of one of the Six Generals and feigned surprise.

"Oh! One of the famous Six Generals! We've got an important guest here!"

"Are you the Juggernaut's envoy?"

"You could say that. More importantly, what is the military state's legion doing near the border?"

The War Mage answered with her arms folded.

"...That is the question we should be asking. Why has the Juggernaut approached military state territory?"

"Hahaha! Why else would jackals like us come? We heard there was chaos, so we came to see if there was anything worth picking up!"

"With a Juggernaut?"

"It looks like there's more than we can carry! If you have more than you can hold in both hands, you need a cart, and if a cart can't hold it all, you need an even bigger cart! A jackal's little mouth can't bite down on all of it, so we came with a Juggernaut! But... Wait."

The rider's expression abruptly changed.

"Doesn't this seem strange? We're the sort of people who do that, but why has the military state brought that slow legion all the way here when a war hasn't even begun?"

The War Mage replied calmly.

"This is military state territory. Military state forces may come to military state territory."

"No, this is the border. Since when has the Abyss Plains, where no one can live, been territory?"

"This place has been under the Kingdom's administration since the Kingdom era."

"Puhaha! What a joke. You are the military state, not the Kingdom. Why bring up the Kingdom? Has the military state finally decided to serve a new king? After killing one with your own hands?"

For those who had lived through the Kingdom era, the king was always an uncomfortable subject. Those who had been loyal to the king felt an instinctive aversion to having failed to protect him, while those who had rebelled against him felt the same because they had killed him with their own hands. No matter how tyrannical he had been, the king had still been the king.

If she had to choose, the War Mage had been one of those who rebelled against the king. Yet even she, one of the Six Generals, had not wished for his death.

Like most who had participated in the coup, the War Mage had intended to take the king hostage and change the country. Fixing what already existed was easier than tearing everything down and starting over.

Yet the king had died in an accident. He had been swept up in an enraged crowd and trampled to death. Because no one had intended his death, the king no one could kill had died. The end of a king toward whom no one could direct their hatred had been empty.

The War Mage's brow furrowed further in displeasure. The rider grinned and pressed on.

"It wasn't your territory then, either. And rebels who killed their great king with their own hands want to inherit the Kingdom's borders as they are? Puhahahaha! What a sight!"

"Stop your sophistry! Tantalus is an asset of the military state. The military state conquered the Abyss. Whatever your reason, you have no right to plunder Tantalus alongside the Juggernaut! Are you planning to start a war by invading without notice?"

"Invading? What nonsense! If this land were truly your territory, you wouldn't have brought a legion here! Who brings a legion to invade their own land? You brought your legion because you know you have something to feel guilty about!"

The rider glanced around before continuing.

"I find it more suspicious. The Juggernaut is always moving, so we could reach this place quickly. But how did the military state gather a legion and arrive here at almost the same time? You must have intended to start a war from the beginning!"

"Now you're simply delusional."

"Delusional? We only arrived an hour ago! Even then, only one Juggernaut, one that is always moving, has made it here! Yet you've gathered that many legions, which normally don't move, and brought them here! Your forces are at least twice as numerous as ours. So who is the invader?"

Even as one of the Six Generals, the War Mage found it difficult to answer. Until just before arriving here, she had not known the situation. She had merely acted under orders from General Headquarters.

At this point, General Headquarters was almost admirable for having predicted everything and gathered its forces. It was probably not merely a prediction, but a judgment made after collecting information from communications officers' reports.

"Why aren't you answering? Did you see the future or something? Are you a Holy Maiden? Did you decide to prepare for war now so you could respond when one broke out later?"

Still, the War Mage could not reveal military state secrets concerning General Headquarters to the enemy. As she struggled to answer,

"All right, all right. Both of you, stop it."

Absolute Spear, sitting on the edge of the cataphract, joined the conversation.

"No matter how you dress up your words, isn't that the conclusion? The Earth Mother's curse has been lifted from this land. The Abyss that swallowed everything has disappeared, so this place will become fertile again. Naturally, neither side intends to yield it."

The military state had directly negotiated with Jiseon, constructed Tantalus, and dropped it into the Abyss. Jiseon had demanded it in exchange for creating the Meta-Conveyor Belt, but the military state undeniably had a substantial claim to it.

And the Lesser States wanted land where people could settle.

The Abyss had been a hole that swallowed everything. In the Lesser States, where weight was value, dropping something into the Abyss meant a permanent loss. That was why they had been gripped by fear and never even approached it. But now that it was gone, they could no longer expand unless they used this place as a bridgehead.

Land neither side could yield. Two countries seeking it.

"Then there's only one way left."

Absolute Spear rested his spear on his shoulder and spoke the words that had been difficult to say aloud.

"War."

Words had a strange power. Everyone had thought of it, but no one had formed a clear image of it. Yet the instant Absolute Spear spoke that word, it was decided, as though something had burst forth.

The rider reacted first.

"...You've finally shown your true colors! You started this!"

A cloud of sand rose behind the War Mage.

The cataphract carrying the War Mage had protruded slightly ahead while she spoke with the rider, so those following behind neither noticed nor stopped their approach. In that time, three ambushers sprang from the ground and flew straight at the War Mage.

The rider cried out with delight.

"I like how easy the military state is to understand! It's obvious who the leader is!"

The Lesser States was a nation of alchemy. Altering any material they touched to suit their will was a basic skill. Combat alchemists who had burrowed into the ground had used simple alchemy to tunnel their way close.

A completely unexpected ambush from beneath the ground. But then,

"Foolish."

Before they could even climb onto the cataphract, round holes appeared in the ambushers' chests.

A red mist spread behind them. Blood-soaked sand clumped together and fell. They had been warriors chosen for this task and wore sturdy gear befitting the Lesser States. Still, they could not withstand even a single strike before returning to the dirt.

It was obvious who had done it. The culprit remained seated, spear extended.

"Yes. This is it. I'd forgotten it for so long... This was it."

"A spear... Could it be...?"

Absolute Spear wore neither a cloak nor insignia. Yet it was difficult to mistake the spear master beside the War Mage for anyone else.

The rider spoke the name in a trembling voice.

"Partlaxion? The Knight of Rebellion?"

Absolute Spear did not bother confirming the obvious. Instead, he lifted his spear and pointed it forward. Aiming at the flustered rider and the Juggernaut beyond them at once, he smiled the smile he had held back for so long.

"A duel needs an opponent. Someone who desires something enough to stake their body and soul on it. The Progenitor... She was satisfying to fight, but her soul didn't resonate enough. This is much more enjoyable than forcing a fight on an opponent who has no desire to fight."

The word war contained countless tragedies. People trembled in fear at even hearing it because it was terrifying and sorrowful.

But Absolute Spear was smiling. His trembling held nothing but delight.

Absolute Spear Partlaxion, who had challenged an entire nation to a duel and actually succeeded.

Recalling the tale, the rider spat out a curse.

"...You crazy bastard."

"A duel. Take up your weapons. Victory is justice, so the victor will claim this land. The Celestial God... No, this time the Earth Mother will grant her blessing."

Still, they could not retreat. Even if the other side was willing to risk war, retreating would only bring greater losses.

That was why war did not disappear simply because everyone sought to avoid it. The rider shouted,

"We will not withdraw willingly!"

"Hahahahahaha! Just what I wanted!"

The war between the military state and the Lesser States began with one person's cry.

Footnotes:

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