WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 358: The King Who Kills Others, the God Who Kills Himself - 16

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Hilde tried to stop Perru, but I held her back with a glance. The human heart was like a pot at a rolling boil. At times like this, you had to let off some steam before the other person could calm down.

It couldn't be helped. Her country was about to be destroyed. Well, if word spread that the military state had fallen, I'd welcome it with open arms.

I spoke through parched lips.

"I didn't want this outcome either. I never expected it to turn out this way. But..."

Looking at the Golden Palace disappearing in the distance, I chose my words with the most regretful expression I could manage.

"The Lord of Gold wanted this result. He wasn't the ruler of the Lesser States, but the rebuilder of the Golden Kingdom. To him, the Lesser States were another country that had to be destroyed. The real problem is that he has both the power and the will to destroy it. Well, perhaps that too is part of the Lord of Gold's majesty."

No matter what I did, I couldn't force the Lord of Gold to act a certain way. This was the Lord of Gold's own will.

Realizing that, Perru ground her teeth and released my collar with a shove. Her strength wasn't superhuman, so I easily regained my balance. Perru glared at me resentfully, then turned her back and muttered bitterly.

"...I shouldn't have helped you."

"Helped us? I think you misunderstand, Perru."

I could accept most accusations, but that one felt unfair.

"I didn't bring you along to achieve our goal. You were quite helpful, but even without you, we would have reached a similar result."

Perru's Juggernaut, the Golden Ark, had guaranteed us a comfortable journey. That was certainly true.

Put another way, that was all it had done.

Even without the Golden Ark, we would have stubbornly found the Golden Palace, met the Lord of Gold, and caused him to run rampant much as he was now. The only difference was whether it took more or less time. That much had already been decided. The regressor and I had the will to see it through, and the obstacles weren't much.

What changed instead was this.

"I came with you to help you, Perru."

"...Help me?"

Even without Perru, the journey up until now would have unfolded the same way. You didn't need to be a prophet to know that much.

But everything after this would be different.

"If you weren't here, the Lesser States would have been destroyed all the same. The Lord of Gold, after hearing me out, would have made the same choice. But you happen to be here now. A Lord with Verdigris's power, which renders all alchemy useless and worthless."

Verdigris Lord Perru's innate arcane was alchemy's natural enemy. Her power not only sealed alchemy, but denied even the power that formed its foundation. She didn't even have a homunculus.

That was why Perru stood at the Lord of Gold's opposite end.

The people of the Lesser States needed the Lord of Gold, but they couldn't remain by his side. The Lord of Gold used everything unnecessary as material to create what he needed, and others had no place in his world because he had no need for them. Unless they were on a Lord's level and capable of "communicating" with the Lord of Gold, they weren't even allowed to approach him.

The people of the Lesser States didn't need Perru, but... they had no hesitation about approaching her. Her innate arcane made her need other people, so she didn't harm them. It was safe to keep her nearby, and when the need arose, they could ask her for help.

Was it power that shaped personality? Or did that personality grant someone their power? Even I didn't know the cause and effect.

"Perru. You always wanted to use your abilities for something worthwhile, didn't you? But Verdigris's power erases alchemical value. Your wish could never have come true, as long as the value you believed in was 'alchemical value.'"

If someone who could live alone placed no value on other humans at all, then tried to erase everyone else...

That would be the moment Perru's wish came true.

"But the scales that measure the world aren't a two-pan balance. Alchemical value isn't the only measure. The Lesser States the Lord of Gold intends to destroy have no value to him, but they must have value to you. You have to stop him somehow, don't you?"

"...You."

"This is your first chance, and perhaps your last. A chance to protect the country where you were born and stop the Lord of Gold you respect from becoming a disaster."

The Verdigris Lord's innate arcane was a manifestation of the mind, but not an ability she wanted. Verdigris's power held only negative value in the Lesser States.

She wanted to help the Lesser States. That was why she farmed and drove enemies away. Those under her protection might not grow rich, but they would never be in danger of being plundered. An attack would only bring losses.

Perru had always wanted an opportunity to help someone.

And that opportunity had arrived. Feeling that truth deep in her bones, Perru answered in a small, trembling voice.

"...I didn't want this."

She meant it. Well, the chance to fulfill a wish didn't always arrive at the perfect moment. It would probably appear only when that lack had reached its limit.

It didn't matter whether she wanted it or not. She could give up an opportunity, but I couldn't allow her to miss it. I pointed toward the Lord of Gold's back, now out of sight in the distance, and urged Perru forward.

"Go. Fulfill your wish."

There was no more time. Afraid she might lose the Lord of Gold, Perru clenched her fists and ran.

The tents built in preparation for war had vanished. The soldiers had withdrawn as well. All that remained was the road marking the start of the Lord of Gold's royal path.

"Ugh, that was exhausting."

I'd just been put through hell in the mental world. My body was fine, but my mind was a little worn out.

As I slumped down where the road began, Hilde came over. Full of curiosity, Hilde asked me, "Father, did you bring Perru here for this?"

'Did he choose Perru from the beginning as the Lord of Gold's antithesis? To heighten the story of the Lesser States through their conflict?'

What was she talking about? The world wasn't a story, and I wasn't a writer. Much less a prophet.

I didn't know what the Lord of Gold was, how he would react, or what choice Perru would make. I had never thought about creating a story. Still.

"Hilde. Have you played poker before?"

"Yes. Not as well as you, Father, but I have."

"Then this will be easier to explain. When you keep a card, you don't know what hand it will make. Whether it will become a pair, a straight, a flush, a full house, or just a hand with no meaning at all."

Perru might help us, or she might get in our way. She could have become the Lord of Gold's subordinate and attacked us, or protected us from a rampaging Lord of Gold.

I didn't know what shape it would take. Still, one thing was certain.

Perru would act to fulfill her wish. That was enough for me.

Hilde looked at me intently. It was closer to observation than a gaze, the look of an actor trying to interpret the character called me.

'I don't know. I can understand other people to some extent, but I have no confidence that I can ever figure Father out. I want to know. If I understood the King of Humanity properly, perhaps I could act every other human being.'

Apparently her interpretation still wasn't satisfying, because Hilde thought for a long time before suddenly speaking.

"You try to fulfill wishes, Father. Whatever they may be."

"Who knows?"

It depended on the wish. I couldn't just grant them indiscriminately.

Hilde thought it over again and again before suddenly saying something completely unrelated.

"Father. You see, 'I' received a revelation from heaven. Become the Far-Sighted Holy Sword Corps Commander. That is the only path granted to you. While 'I' lived without any purpose, without even a self of 'my' own, the revelation showed 'me' the path 'I' should take more clearly and certainly than anything else. Though 'I' was treated like a useful blade, it was the only path granted to 'me.' From that moment, 'I' became the Sanctum's sword, protecting the Holy Maiden."

"Wow. That's impressive."

"But was it a trick of fate? Or was even that salvation too great a luxury for 'me'? The Holy Maiden who called 'me' was, of all people, a so-called fallen Holy Maiden expelled from the Sanctum. So 'I' became the sword that protected the military state in place of the Holy Maiden. A cold sword that cuts down anyone, whatever their circumstances, to protect the country."

With a hand over her heart and a pitiful expression, Hilde delivered that monologue. Her voice overflowed with emotion, just damp enough to seep into even the driest heart.

What was this? She had been trying to interpret my character, so why was she suddenly explaining her own?

"'I,' one of the Six Generals, must stop Perru. Whether by assassinating her or tying her up for a while. That way... the Lord of Gold will destroy the Lesser States, and the military state will benefit. So, Father, 'my' wish is..."

"I've heard that character. Very well done."

That was the sort of wish I couldn't grant.

Whether it was true or false didn't matter. To Hilde, falsehood was truth and truth was falsehood. The moment she sincerely believed in an act, separating the two became meaningless. She could even "act" faith now.

Of course, Hilde had always wanted someone who would find her. Once I saw through her identity and dropped the anchor of a being who could serve as her point of reference, she followed me.

But that wasn't because she wanted to stop acting. It wasn't because she wanted to take off her mask and recover her true self.

"How original. Assassinating the only rival who came to mind at the decisive moment, creating even greater chaos. The military state profits from that gap. Ooh. The conflict between hero and villain has crumbled in an instant and transformed into an epic. Fascinating. I'll applaud that much."

Because she needed an audience.

And only someone outside her stage could be that audience. Someone like me.

After clapping for a while, I changed my attitude and asked with disappointed eyes.

"But will you really do it? Is that truly your best option?"

Hilde, who had been pleading with tearful eyes, changed expressions in an instant. The moisture in her eyes turned into a playful sparkle, and her slightly raised voice seemed to come from excitement instead of tears. As if to claim that everything she had shown until now was an act, Hilde spoke more mischievously.

"It would be dramatic, but not very realistic, right? Hehe. That's right! A rampaging Lord of Gold would be several times more terrifying than a subdued Lord of Gold! If 'I' truly cared about the military state, 'I' should make sure Perru wins instead, since her abilities are limited! The odds against Perru are several times better than they are against the Lord of Gold!"

Then Hilde asked again, like a child waiting for praise.

"What do you think, Father? It's similar to what you thought, right?"

"No. I was simply curious about who would win. Two people who stand in perfect opposition, testing their wills against each other. Isn't it natural to want to watch?"

Hilde looked betrayed. My answer was so far from what she had expected. Looking back on everything I had done, Hilde muttered inwardly.

'I don't understand Father's personality. But I feel like I'm beginning to understand what kind of being he is. Why the Sanctum defines Father as barbarism.'

That was sharp insight. Hmm, had I given her too much room to dig into me? Maybe I'd underestimated Hilde.

'The King of Humanity affirms everything human. Whether it is good or evil. Whether it is a filthy desire or a noble mission. Even if two people as completely different as the Lord of Gold and Perru fight until one of them dies.'

It was fine. Just as Hilde had figured out some of me, I had figured out some of Hilde.

That was when the regressor and Tyr approached from the other side, watching their surroundings warily. The regressor looked around, spotted Hilde and me sprawled beside the road, and quickly came over.

"During the battle, the Lord of Gold's homunculi all withdrew at once. It worked, right?"

Ah, that. I had to explain it again. It was a little bothersome, but Perru wasn't here to grab my collar now. I should be honest.

"Mr. Shei. There's good news and bad news."

"...The fact that you're calling it bad news makes me uneasy. Did you cause some sort of trouble again?"

How did she know?

I soothed my startled heart, then gave them the good news and bad news more easily than before.

Footnotes:

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