WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 458: Escape from the Principality no.5

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Hilde had been right. The vampires who had passed us once failed to find us again. Never imagining we were inside their encirclement, they only gave the distant area a cursory search.

We had not gone any farther than them, but that did not matter much. Their mistaken belief that they had already searched this place was protecting Hilde and me instead.

Before long, the presence lingering nearby vanished. Baron Zenryu had admitted defeat and withdrawn for the moment.

"Did they give up already? Vampires don't have much perseverance, do they~?"

"They haven't given up. They can't find us alone, so they'll probably coordinate with the other vampires who rule this area. Of course, they'll end up giving up once they hear about Lord Du Lahan."

The bait I had planted was finally paying off. Coordinating meant sharing information, and they would naturally hear the news then. I had even given them a hint.

"It took a while, but it worked out just like I said, right? We shook them off in two days."

"It's too early to relax. They weren't a pursuit force. They were administrators guarding the checkpoint. If Tyrkanzyaka has personally sent a pursuit force, there will be at least one Elder among them. We might be able to hide, but crossing the border without trouble will be impossible."

Perhaps she disliked seeing me relax, because Hilde laid out the cold reality. As I fell silent at the bleak road ahead, she gave me a light pat and smiled.

"Oh, why are you making that face all of a sudden? 'I' won't be fooled anymore."

"Fooled by what?"

"Father, you haven't revealed all your cards yet, have you? We've come this far, so please tell me everything now. I know full well you didn't escape without a plan!"

"…."

Well, you see.

Honestly, I had no plan. No, that was not entirely true, but the part I did have was beyond my control.

"Father?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Th-th-th-that is..."

Hey, regressor. Where are you, and what are you doing? You said a Great Tide would happen during this night ebb. The time for the night ebb has already passed, so why hasn't the whole country reacted?!

You even came earlier to warn everyone about the Great Tide! If you came all the way to the duchy, find me, provoke Tyr and accidentally draw her attention, or do something! Do anything! Where did you go that there's been no word at all?!

Unaware of the frustration burning inside me, Hilde smiled.

"Don't pretend otherwise. You have a way, don't you?"

"Y-yes, of course."

"Is it perhaps what 'I' am thinking of?"

What? She had something in mind? If she did, she should have told me beforehand. Hoping for at least a little inspiration, I lightly read Hilde's thoughts.

'Father is the King of Humanity. The Sanctum and the Lords of All Creation are both organizations searching for him. The Lords of All Creation are friendlier toward the King of Humanity, but~. Since Shei is nearby, I thought he would call Shei. Yet he doesn't seem to be sending a signal to either side?'

…Exactly. Even Hilde thought so, yet apparently the regressor did not. Hmph. It wasn't like I missed the regressor or anything! I was only waiting for the regressor to barge in on Tyr without reading the room, draw every bit of aggro possible, and run away!

Either way, it was not something I could handle right now. I cleared my throat and answered.

"You could say it's similar. If it's too much for us alone, we'll need help."

"I'll look forward to it~."

Hilde's smile weighed heavily on me. Her baseless faith in the King of Humanity was deeply inconvenient. She said she had been part of an intelligence bureau, so was it really all right to trust me that much? She should doubt me a little.

…No, it would be troublesome if Hilde doubted me when she was the only one I could rely on.

"Ha. Should we just cross the mountain?"

With the road ahead looking hopeless, risky options began to tempt me. Slowly, I turned my head and looked beyond the hill.

The Fog Duchy, situated between mountains and sea, rose higher the farther west one went. The westward rise was pronounced enough that high ground offered a clear view below, and without brush or trees, there was nowhere to hide. That was why Hilde and I had deliberately gone through the checkpoint. Crossing the border without anyone noticing was impossible.

Still, what if we crossed the mountain above the outpost, beyond the ridge? We would certainly draw fewer human eyes.

"Did you say we should cross the mountain?"

…Fewer human eyes, at least.

"I was only saying it. How could we cross when there are tigers there?"

Not every mountain had tigers. Yet tigers certainly lived in mountains. That alone was enough reason not to go into one.

Besides, climbing high on a mountain would make us visible from below. It would only add another threat. Without any regret, I turned away.

'He wouldn't mention it for no reason, even if he brushed it off. Father must have a way to cross the mountain safely?'

Huh? No, I didn't. I had mentioned it because I was genuinely at a loss.

'A way to deceive beasts' ears and noses? Hmm, no. If he is the King of Humanity, it can't be that simple, can it? Maybe it has something to do with the event in Year One that made humans the dominant species on land~.'

What was that supposed to be? I didn't know either. Tell me too. Don't be the only one who knows things about my story!

No matter how deeply I searched Hilde's thoughts, though, all she had were vague stories she had heard. As a half-fledged member of the Holy Sword Corps, she knew almost none of the details. Thinking about it, that was only natural. If there was information about me that even I didn't know, that would be stranger....

…Wait.

Then a proper member of the Holy Sword Corps or a Holy Maiden might know something about me that even I didn't? Yet when I read the thoughts of Yuel, the Farsighted Holy Maiden, and Peruel, the Steel Maiden, I hadn't learned anything useful....

Something was strange. Even Hilde, who had been cast aside, knew there was something. Then someone had to know the details too. If not the Holy Maidens, then who?

Or was there a realm I could not read, like the regressor's memories from previous cycles?

The question suddenly came to me, but I had no way to answer it. Escaping the duchy came first if I wanted to find out.

Please, let something tie down an Elder, or at least Valdamir.

* * *

The Great Tide came.

If they had not pulled back the humans who would have gone diving during the night ebb beforehand, the casualties would have been considerable. The tidal wave swept over the shore with enough force left to crash into villages where people lived. Even villages built far enough away to prepare for the unpredictable Sea Calamities were submerged, becoming reefs beneath the sea.

"Is this all?"

Even after seeing the scene, Valdamir tilted his head. The scale was far smaller than the fuss had suggested.

Valdamir walked through the squelching mud. Seawater was Mother Earth's amniotic fluid, salty water filled with tiny organisms too small to see. For vampires, whose bloodcraft was disrupted even by mere flowing water, seawater saltier than blood was a tangible terror.

Twits melted like lumps of salt the moment they touched it, while even Yeiling lost control of their bloodcraft and leaked blood energy unless they concentrated. An Ain could withstand it well enough, but that only applied when facing seawater itself. If sea-beasts carried in on the current attacked them, incomplete bloodcraft would not be enough to fight back.

That was why Valdamir had not joined the operation to pursue the Progenitor's consort. Even if he had participated under the Progenitor's orders, he would not have acted too eagerly. A father had to be threatening toward a man approaching his daughter, but gentle toward one moving away from her. Especially when his daughter was trying to hold on to him.

Valdamir was personally inspecting the flood-damaged area with humans and vampires. Why was an Elder like him doing such menial work? The reason soon became clear.

"Huh? Why is there a sail here...?"

One of the workers noticed a strange object buried in the sand and approached the sail. Every time the worker stepped on the sand, something shaped like leaves twitched. Just as the worker sensed something strange, the sand was suddenly sucked inward and something burst out of it.

"Aah!"

As a grotesque mouth loomed over the startled human's head, a massive greatsword flew in and pierced the mysterious shadow.

What burst from the sand was a broad fish of a similar color. The enormous fish, with fins adapted for moving along the ground, flopped about in pain as it opened and closed its mouth. A mouth large enough to swallow a person's head made a sound like flints striking together. Whether it suffered in the open air or resented having its meal interrupted was impossible to tell.

"I-I'm alive...."

Count Drikul, Valdamir's Ain, addressed the relieved worker and stressed the point once more.

"Stay alert! It isn't the night ebb! Now that all kinds of things have been swept here from the distant sea, dangerous creatures are hiding nearby! If you find anything strange, throw the harpoon in your hand before you approach it!"

The workers raised their harpoons over their heads with grim determination. Those who had done some diving before began hurling harpoons into crevices in the rocks and holes in the mud.

A few sea-beasts had survived, but most were corpses. In particular, the conches and crabs dangerous enough on land were mostly dead with their shells broken. Valdamir watched the marks where crustacean carapaces had shattered before speaking.

"Cabilah."

"Don't call me so casually with that shameless face, traitor!"

Cabilah answered sharply.

She still held a grudge against Valdamir for not rebelling, or more precisely, for not making the Progenitor give up her heart.

That was none of Valdamir's concern, nor did he care. Ignoring Cabilah's defiance, he said,

"What kind of tidal wave was this?"

"What kinds are there? If seawater washes in, it's a tidal wave. I didn't know you were the sentimental type who watches waves and gives each one a name."

"Did the island whale open the strait it had blocked? Did a cloud ray strike the sea with its wing fins? Or was this simply a tidal wave with no cause at all?"

Feelings were feelings, and work was work. As Valdamir asked without emotion, Cabilah clicked her tongue but answered readily.

"I don't know. This one is strange."

"What is strange?"

"The cloud rays have been acting up more often. That sometimes happens before a night ebb, but they've been especially noisy lately. Waves have been crashing in almost every day. Do you know how loud it has been?"

"The reason?"

Cabilah answered irritably.

"How am I supposed to know what happens in the distant sea? I already have enough on my mind because of my sister!"

"That's your job."

"Hmph! Then you should have paid attention normally! You ignore it for so long, then suddenly come to badger me when something happens!"

"That's my job."

"Argh!"

Cabilah kicked a half-collapsed house in anger. Bang. The wall, weakened by the tidal wave, collapsed, and a huge eye appeared within the large crack.

Footnotes:

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