WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 423: The Beauty Who Topples a Nation

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I had said the purpose was to resurrect Demon Gods, but that did not mean there was much for me to do. I only needed to keep humoring Tyr and focus on restoring her senses.

As a result, Tyr and I were attached at the hip. And by that, I did not simply mean we were in the same room...

"Sister! May I come in?"

"Enter."

"Yes! I shall take a moment to enjoy Sister's room..."

Once she received permission, Cabilah cheerfully opened the audience chamber doors... then fell silent at the sight inside.

Tyr and I were sitting there. If that had been all, it might have barely fallen within the limits of what Cabilah could tolerate.

But there was one problem.

Tyr and I were sitting in the same chair.

"What is this...?"

When something was too absurd, even a vampire could be left speechless. Reading Cabilah's increasingly frazzled thoughts, I spoke.

With Tyr sitting on my lap.

"You two talk. Don't mind me."

"How can I not mind you?! No, why are you holding Sister?! How dare an outsider lay his hands on Sister... again!"

"Didn't Tyr tell you? I'm restoring Tyr's senses right now, so I need to stay as close to her as possible."

It was not a lie. I was imprinting sensations through the hand holding Tyr's shoulder.

Not even the Lightning Demon God could freely imprint sensations onto another person's body. A Demon God understood the structure of the world, not how an individual human being was put together. If finding a formula could solve every practical problem, there would be no such term as armchair scholar.

But I was different. If the King of Humanity, who could read human beings themselves, understood a Demon God's knowledge as well, I could imprint sensations suited to that body. Of course, that was only possible as long as Tyr cooperated willingly...

"Hmm. I still have a psychological barrier to letting others see this..."

"Should we stop, then?"

"No. Continue. Cabilah would be hurt if I considered her an outsider. She has been with me for a long time and has even seen my shameful side..."

Tyr leaned further into me as she spoke. I nodded and placed my hand back on her shoulder. Her thin-strapped dress left nearly all of it bare, allowing me to press my palm against it without obstruction.

Crackle.

A faint static charge ran through my hand as I began kneading Tyr's shoulder. She closed her eyes like a cat and shuddered.

"How is it? Does it feel good?"

"Mmm. Yes. I can feel it."

"Your muscles are really tight. Why are your shoulders so stiff?"

"Can muscles become tense? I have not been exerting myself in any particular way."

"Ah. Sorry. I guess I wasn't strong enough."

It sounded like someone massaging their grandparents' shoulders. Though I probably looked older than Tyr did.

Cabilah remained standing as she stared at me kneading Tyr's body.

"Si...ster?"

"That is enough, Cabilah."

Still receiving my massage, Tyr scolded Cabilah.

"I do not wish to show such an indecent sight before others either... but Hyu is human. He must sleep and eat, rest his hands now and then, and go out occasionally. Would it not be wrong to demand that he make even more time for me?"

"You should demand it! It is only right for a consort to serve Sister with all his heart!"

"I do not want that. I refuse to let Hyu grow tired because of me. I hope you understand."

The Progenitor had asked her to understand, so Cabilah had no choice but to do so. Though displeased, she decided to accept the situation for now.

'He lays his hands on Sister so casually... That human does not understand even one hundredth of one percent of how undeserved that is...! Enough flaunting your affection...!'

Well. Was this really flaunting affection? If you set aside all her preconceptions, I was just giving Tyr a massage. At this point, it was practically an old-person attack, so she should let it go.

"Come sit down. Yes, what is it?"

"...It is because the Night Ebb is coming."

"The Night Ebb is approaching. I returned at a good time..."

Night Ebb? I paused at the unfamiliar term, and Tyr noticed my question through my touch.

'Ah. Hyu does not know what the Night Ebb is, having lived elsewhere. Even if he told Cabilah not to mind him, we cannot spend all day discussing something Hyu does not know.'

Right. Tyr did know a few things. I could find out through mind-reading, but pretending not to know something was harder. It would be easier for both of us if she told me beforehand. It had been a long time since anyone had shown me that kind of consideration.

'But telling Cabilah to explain because Hyu does not know would embarrass him. I must preserve my companion's dignity.'

I was not asking for consideration to that extent... Still, Tyr cleared her throat and asked.

"Cabilah. I seem to have become confused for a moment. Could you briefly explain what the Night Ebb is?"

"Of course, Sister."

Without a hint of suspicion, Cabilah began explaining.

"Two sea-beasts live in the Sea of Leviathans: the Island Whale and the Cloud Ray. The unruly Cloud Ray strikes the sea with its wing-like fins to stun fish, then floats along the surface and picks up the fish that rise. It is an irritating creature that causes trouble as if possessed by hunger... but it is nothing compared to the Island Whale."

I still remembered that tsunami. The one that had nearly swept away all the humans who came to gather food during low tide. What could have been a terrible disaster had only been the aftermath of a sea-beast's hunt.

Yet the Island Whale was even greater than that. Even Cabilah felt a degree of reverence when she thought of it.

"Once every four years, the Island Whale lives in the deep sea as though dead, then rises to the Sea of Leviathans around this time. It is deep sea to us... but to the Island Whale, it is shallow enough that when it lies belly-down, its back sticks out like an island. It positions itself like a dam between two islands and opens its mouth toward the current. Then..."

"The water that would fill the sea passes through the Island Whale's belly."

"Exactly. The Island Whale swallows seawater as though starving, filters out its prey, and lets the remaining seawater flow out through its enormous gills and blowhole."

Apparently words were not enough, because Cabilah shaped blood into a form to show us directly. It blocked the water's flow like a dam and opened its mouth. Blood poured into that mouth. The whale made of blood gulped down wave after wave, filtering and releasing the remaining water.

"But compared to normal, the water released by the Island Whale blocking the current is far less. The Sea of Leviathans runs short of water. That causes an enormous ebb unlike anything seen normally. This is the Night Ebb, the phenomenon where the plains beneath the sea are exposed."

Stories of the sea-beasts had been passed down like legends. They were difficult to understand through descriptions alone, and few had actually seen them.

Yet hearing about the sea-beasts from a vampire... even knowing all the details, it still sounded like a legend.

What was that? The Island Whale was called that because its back stuck out like an island, and it blocked the sea like a dam before filtering seawater for food? That caused a massive ebb and created plains?

The scale was terrifying. It reminded me why ships could not sail anywhere but rivers and lakes. Forget beasts. They were living natural disasters.

After finishing her explanation, Cabilah folded her arms in displeasure.

"I do not much care for it, but it is a precious chance for the livestock to make a fortune, so it is hard to stop them. Too many of them covet coral and shells."

"Did they not sell most of it to the Golden Kingdom in the past? The Golden Kingdom no longer exists, so who would covet them now?"

"There are still many. The wandering merchants of the Arcane Federation remain, and though that kingdom no longer exists, they used to quietly acquire them to offer as prizes in duels. Dark mages from the barbarian lands below also traded for them as materials..."

Cabilah was just like Valdamir. Tyr had returned after lying dormant for decades at a time, sometimes even centuries, so they had needed to explain the situation to her each time. No wonder Cabilah seemed accustomed to explaining things.

"That is why, before the Night Ebb arrives, humans and vampires from across the Duchy will gather here. Bringing darkness with them as though night itself were falling."

The Night Ebb was an opportunity for all the humans and vampires scattered throughout the Duchy to gather.

"And... Valdamir set that time as Lir Nightingale's day of judgment."

At last, Cabilah revealed the real reason she had brought up the Night Ebb.

This involved an Elder. Naturally, it had to be announced before every vampire gathered in one place. The Duke of Crimson Blood had discussed with Cabilah whether to make that day the trial date...

"Of course, only if Sister permits it!"

She had come to receive the final approval. Tyr readily nodded.

"Tell him to do so."

"You do not object?"

"It is reasonable, so there is no reason to change it. All awake vampires will gather that day, and we will be busy again afterward. It would be better to finish it beforehand."

She handled matters decisively. That was why Tyr trusted Valdamir enough to leave the country in his hands, and why Valdamir served Tyr with complete loyalty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Valdamir handled virtually all major affairs of state.

As though she had expected this outcome, Cabilah nodded.

"...Then I will let them know."

"You work hard. I leave it to you, Cabilah. Ah, wait. May I make one more request?"

"As many as you wish."

Tyr glanced at me and smiled.

"The food you make is truly delicious. Regaining my sense of taste and eating your food has been both a blessing and a curse. My standards have risen too high to be satisfied by anything else."

"You flatter me."

"It is no flattery at all. So next time, would you cook for Hyu and me? I want to share that pleasure and understand it together."

Was a late awakening really that frightening? She had only recently learned to taste, yet she was already taking an interest in fine food.

What would it feel like to serve food to the Progenitor she revered, the Sister she admired? It should have been an exciting, heart-swelling occasion. She might even collapse from being overwhelmed.

But Cabilah was a vampire. Her body would not stop just because she was overcome with emotion. In the first place, she had only learned to cook to silence the humans' complaints. It was not a skill she had learned to find fulfillment or share feelings.

Things had been different before. Tyr of the past had been proud yet hollow, while Cabilah, her thrall, had been bound by Tyr's power and emotions. She had struggled to bring Tyr even the slightest joy. It had been a time when Cabilah alone clung to her.

But now...

"For Sister, as many times as you wish!"

A smile she had learned to fabricate over a thousand years was all she could give.

Footnotes:

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