WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 450: No Flower Blooms for Ten Days

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Neighhh!

Blood Steed Rallion let out a fierce cry. Rallion kicked off the floor and leaped, driving its forehooves into Rahu Khan's chest. Rahu Khan endured the shock as hoofprints branded themselves into the centaur's pectorals and thrust a spear.

The spear pierced Rallion from head to tail in a single strike, twisting as it turned Rallion into a handful of blood.

But only for a moment. Rallion regenerated in an instant, snorted, and slammed into Rahu Khan. As they wrestled the horse, Rahu Khan shouted.

"Rallion. You're still the same!"

Rallion, the Progenitor's first Elder, was an Elder, yet not an Elder.

It was the end of Tyr's life as a girl and the beginning of Tyrkanzyaka as the Progenitor. Her first creation, made in memory of the horse that had died beside her. Unlike the Elders, who possessed a sense of self in their own way, Rallion followed only the Progenitor's feelings.

The Elders had originally been human, but Rallion was an old friend shaped from the Progenitor's memories.

That had not changed even after the Progenitor escaped the blood shackle. Rallion loyally stood in the traitor's way. Overwhelming strength was authority in itself. Rallion pressed Rahu Khan back with its innate power.

The battle entered a lull. After taking a few hits, Bakuta and Meurie made no notable moves. Those two had always been extremely temperamental. After the shackle vanished, they had merely thrown impulsive tantrums, with no real goal in mind.

Erjebeut, the one who actually possessed the strength to threaten the Progenitor, had vanished after being sent flying.

It was a thoroughly unappealing fight for Rahu Khan. Rahu Khan's goal was to protect the centaur species. Rahu Khan had joined the rebellion against the Progenitor because the unstable power structure after the shackle broke caused concern.

If the rebellion against the Progenitor failed, Rahu Khan planned to flee into the jungle with the kin. With four legs, Rahu Khan was faster than anyone.

Naturally, Rahu Khan, already thinking of escape, fought halfheartedly. Even though Rahu Khan could have shaken Rallion off by giving it everything, Rahu Khan only grappled with it while watching the situation.

"Ha-ha-ha! Progenitor! You've still got a long way to go!"

Ironically, it was Lungken who filled the gap left by Erjebeut. Lungken, who had given the Progenitor opportunities to respond and grow, was now facing Tyrkanzyaka.

Tyrkanzyaka's shadow swung an arm as if annoyed. It was the casual motion of someone swatting away an insect. An enormous shadowy arm smashed through walls and floors as it flew toward Lungken.

Lungken used no special authority. All Lungken possessed was a mighty body and an endless will to fight.

Yet when overwhelming strength was joined by fighting spirit, that itself became a fine authority. The boar beastkin's fundamental desire, which even the Progenitor's true blood could not stop, drove them forward even against an enormous and powerful enemy.

"Hup!"

Lungken charged straight in and crashed into Tyrkanzyaka's shadow. Against an opponent with overwhelming size, matching mass, and speed far too great for its weight, Lungken thrust forward both arms and the head.

It looked as though Lungken had rammed an oncoming chariot.

Lungken's body was crushed from the legs to the head. Yet even as the head was driven into the neck, Lungken's fists kept moving toward the opponent.

Lungken's lower legs scraped away against the stone floor, but Lungken clenched both fists and struck wildly. Dozens, hundreds of ripples spread across the formed shadow.

If one blow was not enough, then a flurry of blows would be. Lungken poured out their strength without pause.

Tyrkanzyaka's shadow was dense, but it had only copied her body so far. It was not yet solid. When Lungken repeatedly struck the same point, the darkness scattered.

At last, Lungken shattered the shadow with a headbutt, then roared, drenched in blood.

Of course, it had only been one arm.

Two arms suddenly rose from the shadow. They seized Lungken and hurled them into the air, opening another hole in the ceiling of the Castle of the Full Moon. Lungken's cry faded into the distance.

Regardless, Tyrkanzyaka's attention was not on Lungken. She muttered gloomily.

[…Where is Hyu?]

"If you mean your favorite concubine, he already ran away. He abandoned you, Sister."

Cabilah had not joined the battle and had only watched. Even as the situation turned against them, she remained unchanged.

Tyrkanzyaka glared at Cabilah.

[He only stepped away for a moment because things became dangerous.]

"It's the same. When danger comes, he won't be by your side. Or if he is, things may become even more dangerous."

[Being beside me makes things dangerous?]

"Yes, Sister. Like this."

Cabilah spread both arms and gestured at the devastated castle. Repeated battles had destroyed everything, from the furniture and decorations to the floors and ceiling. The castle was too fragile to endure a battle between vampires.

The only things here that still retained their shape were the vampires. Just as they had remained intact through more than a thousand years of history, they remained unchanged even as the castle crumbled around them.

"Look. Only vampires remain. Vampires are the only things that do not change, the only things that last forever. Everything around them collapses like grains of sand instead, because it is softer and more fragile than vampires."

Without pain, there was no fear. Since their bodies regenerated, they did not hesitate to destroy things.

It was true not only of the Elders, but of Tyrkanzyaka as well. Even when something new approached, she would simply watch it until it broke her.

"If you rule everything in this land, then as long as you love him, this land will be safe for him. But what if you stop being the Progenitor? What if someone takes him hostage, fails to recognize him and attacks him, or simply assassinates him to torment you? Can you, blinded by love, notice it beforehand and stop it?"

[You underestimate Hyu. Do you think he would be defeated so easily?]

"Yes. He will be. It is the fate of the King of Humanity, no, the Beast King."

Cabilah stated it firmly.

"The role of beasts is to be foolishly defeated by wise humans. The King of Dogs only acts cute for humans, while the King of Wolves gets caught in traps and dies. The Sheep King survives by offering up wool every time...

"And the King of Humanity will be abandoned by humanity and die."

[Abandoned...?]

"Before Year One, humanity conquered the earth and built the mightiest empire. The ruler of that great nation was the King of Humanity. Do you know how the King of Humanity, the strongest Beast King and one who possessed both power and wisdom, disappeared?"

It was a matter from an age so distant that even Tyrkanzyaka did not know it. Tyrkanzyaka had lived through the age of the Five Lords and had only watched their number dwindle. Even what she knew was limited to the Five Lords.

The Holy Maiden had said that humanity was the lord of all creation, a race beyond beasts. Therefore, she said, the King of Humanity did not exist.

Tyrkanzyaka, who denied everything the Holy Maiden said, had not accepted that at face value. Still, it had not interested her enough to dwell on it.

She had only begun to care recently because of Hughes.

Yet Cabilah knew something. Tyrkanzyaka found herself listening to her.

"It was a rebellion."

Cabilah recounted a fragment of history that few now knew.

"The King of Humanity accepts humanity's will. Rebellion means usurping a king's power and authority. They say the King of Humanity gave up their own life and power in response to humanity's wish to rebel, then vanished."

[…Vanished?]

"Yes. I don't know why something that had never appeared until now has finally appeared before you. But he won't last long either. The living you cannot protect him.

"The nation will be shaken and collapse, as will the King of Humanity and even your heart. I truly advise this for your sake, Sister. Please make a wise choice. That halfwit Valdamir will support you without understanding anything, so before he arrives..."

Even if Cabilah did nothing, tragedy would come in the end. She whispered like a prophet.

It had been a needless concern when Tyrkanzyaka ruled everyone. But now, the Duchy no longer moved solely according to her will. The Elders' rebellion was a clear example.

As Tyrkanzyaka's darkness grew deeper, Cabilah suddenly looked outside and murmured.

"Oh, he's here."

Boom!

Before she could finish speaking, one wall collapsed with a crash. A gaunt old monk rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall.

Blood Monk Dogo, who had rebuked the Progenitor and left, had returned in a state no one could have expected. Dogo looked as though someone had beaten them soundly. They glared beyond the ruined wall and roared.

"You wretch!"

Valdamir calmly appeared through the gap. Unlike Dogo, nothing about him was disordered. He stepped in lightly, looked down at Dogo, and spoke.

"Stand properly. You are in the Progenitor's presence."

"A Progenitor who cast aside both strength and authority because she is consumed by lust is nothing! Repose is over. This monk shall leave the world of suffering behind!"

"Do as you wish. But leave the disposition of your blood to the Progenitor."

"No one can decide this monk's fate!"

The moment Dogo regained their stance, they lunged at Valdamir like lightning. The venerable martial artist gave Valdamir no opening to swing his greatsword and slipped beneath him.

Boom. Dogo stomped hard enough to shake the entire castle and fired a blast of energy.

Blood Battle Demon Art, Secret Technique: Ruin.

Whirling blood energy surged up, ready to tear Valdamir apart. In response, Valdamir bent his arm and pulled inward.

Great force connected along a slightly misaligned axis. The twisted strength created an immense rotation.

Dogo's strike, which should have torn Valdamir apart, grazed him. Their arms wrapped around one another and rose in reverse. Valdamir evaded the attack by the breadth of a sheet of paper, then grabbed Dogo's fully extended arm.

Crack.

The arm that had released all its power had no strength left. Valdamir twisted it and forced the joint outward, breaking Dogo's arm like a stalk of straw.

Even if it was an energy attack, the way Dogo unleashed it was that of a martial artist. Then Valdamir would deal with them as a martial artist.

Before Dogo could regenerate their dangling elbow, Valdamir swiftly swung his greatsword. Dogo reacted quickly and struck aside the flat of the blade, but Valdamir lodged the hilt between Dogo's ribs instead of using the edge.

It was no serious wound to a vampire, but Valdamir's goal was not to attack. It was to restrict Dogo's movements.

Even a vampire could not move naturally while gripping a greatsword with their ribs. Dogo had to pull it out, but Valdamir moved half a beat faster and pressed them hard.

Physical strength, skill, even the situation itself, Valdamir held a slight advantage in every way.

He looked like an executioner passing judgment on sin. Whenever Dogo made even a brief mistake, Valdamir coldly exacted a price. An arm was cut. A shoulder was shattered. He kept exploiting the brief gaps while Dogo tried to regenerate.

For a battle with such a clear difference in strength, it took a long time. Yet for a fight between vampires, the result came in an instant.

Dogo collapsed beneath Valdamir's feet, their whole body in tatters, and cried out in humiliation.

"Ghk...! You countered this monk's techniques! Since when?!"

"After watching them for nearly a thousand years, one learns naturally. I would rather ask you this. What have you been doing all that time?"

Valdamir knew the answer.

Nothing.

Every Elder had been a monster who made a name for themselves in their age. They had retained all the power of their prime while gaining the immortality of vampires. That alone made them beings close to disasters.

Then they stopped.

Their already perfected techniques were enhanced by strength, and each Elder gained their own authority. That alone was enough power to carry out the Progenitor's commands.

Valdamir had only happened to meet the Progenitor and receive her blood. To be of even a little help, he had to struggle.

Fortunately, as an Elder, Valdamir had been promised long years and countless opportunities. He honed himself while learning the techniques of the other Elders.

"You have fallen behind, Dogo."

"Urgh...!"

"I will not blame your laziness. That is why you became a vampire. You have become this way only because you stood in the path the Progenitor wishes to take."

Valdamir muttered coldly and put strength into his foot.

Even the ascetic's tough body crumpled beneath the Duke of Crimson Blood's strength. Crack. Their ribs and heart were crushed at once, and Valdamir's foot pierced through Dogo to reach the floor.

Treating Dogo like a shoe with a hole in it, he dusted off his hands and presented himself before Tyrkanzyaka.

[…Valdamir.]

"I apologize, Progenitor. I was delayed while subduing the traitors."

All kinds of emotions poured from the eerie shadow. Darkness rippled chaotically, as if responding to Tyrkanzyaka's heart.

Valdamir looked up at the shadow glaring at him and thought.

'It seems she has finally learned what vigilance is.'

Vampires were inherently lacking in vigilance. They did not die and did not feel pain, so they had little reason to fear anything.

Valdamir saw Tyrkanzyaka's change and felt proud of her.

[Do you intend to defy me as well? Do you condemn me for reclaiming my heart?]

"Not at all. The path you take is my path."

[The other Elders seem to think differently.]

"They chose to stop. You chose to move forward, so we have no choice but to leave them behind."

[Were you watching silently all this time to test me?]

"How could I dare? The ones I wished to test were the Elders."

Du Lahan, Erjebeut, and Dogo had simply failed the test. Valdamir calmly reported this to the Progenitor, as though killing Elders was familiar work.

Looking at the Elders who lingered neither dead nor alive, Tyrkanzyaka soon realized.

[Luscinia did not choose death himself. I have been holding a meaningless trial all this time.]

"That is correct."

Valdamir was loyal to the Progenitor, but he did not wholly obey her. For the Progenitor's sake, he calmly did things she had not ordered.

Like a parent hoping their child would grow, he always left Tyrkanzyaka's share for her. Whether it was a judgment for the nation, knowledge she needed to study, or even an Elder who had raised a rebellion.

Tyrkanzyaka looked at the strongest Elder and asked as if confirming it.

[You were the one who destroyed Luscinia utterly.]

"That is..."

He was about to admit it readily when a hypothesis suddenly occurred to him.

Valdamir acted for the Progenitor, not because he was one of her kin. Before his death, he had wished to become the Progenitor's opportunity. Even after becoming her kin, he had kept that feeling.

That was why he had killed Luscinia, another Elder. Luscinia had dared propose rebellion against the Progenitor.

At the time, he had been certain. Luscinia's madness could not be extinguished at once, and having escaped the shackle through his own power, Luscinia would truly become a threat to the Progenitor.

It had been a rational judgment, fitting for a vampire.

But after escaping the shackle, when he looked back on it, something strange caught at him.

Why had Luscinia come to Valdamir? Why had he proposed rebellion to the Duke of Crimson Blood, who sincerely followed the Progenitor? And why had he done so in a body that was not whole from escaping the shackle?

And why had he brought his daughter, who was as good as dead?

Valdamir had no choice but to kill Luscinia. He had done it for the Progenitor, but it had not been something he wanted.

If one Elder killed another, disorder would come to the nation. Valdamir, who was not an Elder, could kill them, but they were not his to command.

So Valdamir poured the true blood he had obtained into Luscinia's daughter, Lir. Valdamir possessed no special authority, but it did not matter.

Lir was Luscinia's daughter and one of his kin. Without any particular side effects, Lir accepted the true blood and became an Elder.

Once the Progenitor returned, he could tell her the truth. Before she returned, there was no better vessel to preserve the true blood than Lir.

Naturally, that vessel could not be broken before then, so Valdamir had protected her in secret...

It had seemed a rational and natural decision. But now that he had escaped the shackle, Valdamir felt an odd sensation as he looked at Tyrkanzyaka.

Perhaps he had moved exactly as Luscinia had intended.

Did escaping the shackle mean cold reason disappeared? No. Luscinia must have been as coolheaded as Valdamir.

Valdamir could not understand why someone in such a rational state would visit him to plot rebellion, so he had dismissed it as madness.

But what if it was not madness? What if Luscinia had chosen to have himself killed to save his dying daughter?

Once they had escaped the blood shackle through the ring of domination, Luscinia and Lir could not both continue to exist. No matter how great an Elder was, they could not perform surgery on themselves to kill themselves.

Luscinia needed someone to kill him and pass his true blood to his daughter. Valdamir had been a suitable means for that. Even for protecting his daughter afterward.

He might have been played from beginning to end.

Valdamir suddenly felt the urge to smile. It was unlike a vampire.

Perhaps this was also an idea he could only have because he had escaped the shackle. It was likely the closest guess to the truth.

Yet Valdamir was not a mind reader. He could not know what Luscinia had thought in the past, nor did he have any way to confirm it.

Even if he returned to that time, he would reach the same conclusion. What mattered was who had done what.

Valdamir simply reported the facts.

"Yes. Luscinia escaped the shackle and plotted rebellion, so I killed him and poured his true blood into Lir."

Valdamir was stronger than the remaining Elders anyway. Obtaining true blood offered him no further benefit.

From the moment he had decided to stand on the Progenitor's side, over a thousand years ago, the Elders' rebellion had been doomed to fail.

Rahu Khan had fled before anyone noticed, and the three traitors had been subdued. The rest had no will left to fight, while the strongest of them, Valdamir, was instead on the Progenitor's side.

The Elders' rebellion ended in an instant. As sudden as it had been, its result was equally empty.

Valdamir presented the traitors before the Progenitor.

"I wish to leave their disposition to you. What will you do?"

Yet the Progenitor was more interested in something else. Tyrkanzyaka did not even look at the Elders as she asked.

[Does Hyu know that you killed Luscinia?]

It might not have been an important question. Yet it was sharp as a finely honed blade.

How honest had the King of Humanity she loved been with Tyrkanzyaka? Tension could be felt from Tyrkanzyaka, who had always been insensitive and easygoing about everything.

Was love what changed people, or did people change because they had love?

Valdamir thought briefly of Luscinia, then cast the thought aside and answered honestly.

"Yes."

Footnotes:

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