WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 484: I Neither Rule nor Reign

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Ever since we decided to share the regressor's Manhan Quanxi, there had been countless benefits. It cost nothing, the food was guaranteed to taste good, and the menu was varied.

The slight inconvenience of getting only one chopstickful at a time even felt like an advantage, considering it was the price of sampling so many dishes.

There was one downside, though.

One downside bad enough to outweigh all those advantages.

"Hughes."

"Yes?"

"Do you know the saying, 'Those who do not work shall not eat'?"

The regressor's nagging. That was the problem.

I swallowed my food, feeling a refreshing salad dressed with citron vinegar settle in my stomach with the weight of steel. Watching Shei's expression carefully, I made an excuse.

"Everything turned out fine."

"How did it turn out fine? This was how things were supposed to go from the start."

'That makes it sound like I know too much about the future. Should I rephrase it a little?'

"We have to fight the King of Wolves whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter if one official muddies the waters."

"If it doesn't matter, then that's that, isn't it?"

"An official muddying the waters should never have happened in the first place! I brought you along to stop things like that!"

So this was why grown children did not want to share a table with their parents. What was the point of serving a good meal if it would not go down?

"He was openly targeting Azzy, and you did nothing! You should have at least looked after her!"

"I did look after her. I didn't expect that man to go berserk, either."

"So if something unexpected happens, you can't deal with it at all? How am I supposed to trust you with anything?"

"Ugh. You really know how to nag."

"Nag?"

Unable to endure it any longer, I slammed my utensils down and stood up. I had pride too. No matter how easygoing a beast might be, no, precisely because I was a beast, I was more sensitive to criticism.

"You do nothing but scold and criticize me! Every day, I have to watch your mood so much that I can't even get food down my throat!"

"Head of the household or not, I'm the one doing all the work."

"How well have you done, exactly? After all the useless things you've done, you're getting arrogant just because something went right for once!"

"When have I ever done anything useless?"

"First of all, you pretended not to know the future even though you did, just like the Holy Maiden! Then you tried to profit while acting innocent! Tell me honestly. You saw the future this time too, didn't you?!"

Having been struck right on the mark, the regressor made an excuse with reflexes worthy of the Heaven-Reversing Boundary.

"I, I'm not the Holy Maiden. I'm a man, remember."

"What?"

'Did I say something unnecessary? Still, if I stay a woman, people will suspect me of being the Holy Maiden, and that's troublesome. Tyrkanzyaka turned hostile the moment she learned I was a woman, too.'

You were still keeping up that lie? Did Tyr not find out? I had been unconscious when we parted ways in the Lesser States, but when I read Tyr's memories, she seemed to think of you as the Holy Maiden.

'...Hughes wasn't there, so he wouldn't know, right? That must be it! He hasn't seemed particularly conscious of my gender so far!'

Why would I be conscious of it...? Sigh. Forget it. If she wanted, I would treat her like a man. It was funny that she thought the King of Humanity could not tell a human's gender apart, but still.

"Now I don't know how the future will turn out either. The only thing I'm certain of is that the King of Sin will appear and the world will end. Stopping the King of Wolves isn't because I saw the future. It's merely preparation. The wolves are too powerful, so I'm trying to draw strength from all over. You were part of that too, but..."

Having settled on her story, the regressor looked at me and let out a deep sigh.

"I didn't know you'd be this weak and useless... Well, it's fine. I'll think of you as a set with Azzy."

"What? A set with Azzy?"

Fine. I admitted it. I was weak. Even if I had gradually regained some of my strength over the course of our journey, I was pitiful compared to truly formidable people.

A regressor? What regressor? Even Welshi, the guard dog of an Ende noble, was my equal or stronger.

Still, this was too much! Being grouped together with a dog?

"Azzy is nothing more or less than a pet dog! She's even worse than me when it comes to eating and sleeping!"

"Woof? Me?"

"Azzy is still the King of Dogs, so she can win the dog beastkin's favor. She'll fight the King of Wolves too. She's a dog anyway, so it's fine if she's lazy."

"Woof woof? All of a sudden?"

"If it weren't for the Sanctum, I would have led humanity too! If something hadn't stolen my power, I would have taken out a mere wolf in one blow! If you think about it the other way around, isn't it even nobler for the weakened King of Humanity to struggle to keep his promise? You should be more grateful!"

"Woof woof woof! Thank you!"

"Struggle? You don't make any effort at all! What have you even done since coming here?"

"Woof...?"

Azzy. Why were you tilting your head? You need me more than anyone, yet you looked as if you were thinking, 'Now that you mention it, he's right'?

These two, honestly. Was I starting to look like nothing but a freeloader to them?

Fine. If they wanted it, I would work. It wasn't that I couldn't do anything. I simply hadn't done anything!

"Whew. Shei, do you want me to do something? Really?"

"Of course. Do something, anything. Aren't you the King of Humanity?"

"Fine. Wait here. I'll bring back results too."

It would be difficult and exhausting, but it had to be better than living every day while begging for scraps and watching someone's mood. I put on my coat and prepared to leave.

When I headed out, the regressor followed and asked,

"It's getting dark."

"There's work to do even when it's dark."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll tell you after I've done it."

"Want help?"

"I don't need it. I'll do it on my own."

"Really? Then go ahead. If it goes well, I'll praise you."

"Praise? By then, you might regret it and beg for forgiveness, and I still might not forgive you."

I pulled up my hood, gathered my remaining cards, and ran out on impulse. When I stepped into the yard, the cold wind brushed against my cheeks.

I suddenly didn't want to leave anymore and wondered whether she might stop me even now, but...

'I wonder what he's going to do. Should I follow him?'

Were you thinking of tailing me before you even considered stopping me? Seriously.

'No. He noticed me tailing him even in the Abyss. I shouldn't give someone who's trying to work an excuse. I'll let him do whatever he wants.'

Unfortunately, the regressor had no intention of holding me back or stopping me.

I had burst out so confidently that I couldn't turn back now. Leaving the warmly lit manor behind, I opened the yard gate and plunged into Ender's cold darkness.

Looking back, it was strange.

The Beast Kings were powerful, but they were not invincible. They were conceptual beings with enough power and influence to represent a species. They were far removed from a law of nature or a god.

Azzy was strong, but she would still fall short compared to the Six Generals. Nabi had whimpered after Tyr hit her once. Regardless of how much combat experience they had, beings so different from humans could only fight as well as a single beast tearing through a yard.

Yet the regressor had described the King of Wolves as something close to a disaster. No matter how large a pack might be, it could not compare to human society. For that to happen, every species would need to unite as one, but could wolves accomplish what even humans could not?

I couldn't grasp why at all.

Today, after reading thoughts in Oberli, I learned a little of the reason.

"Sniff! I taught two bastards who ate pork a lesson today. From now on, their loose front teeth will make it hard for them every time they tear into meat!"

So it wasn't a wolf problem.

At the lowest point of Ende, a city where all manner of things mixed together, was a place like the intestines of the city, where the sewage flowing out of town was filtered again and again for anything useful.

Humans would have fallen ill and died quickly in such a place, but pig beastkin had gathered around a bonfire, cackling as they boasted about the day's achievements.

"Hey, is that all? I smeared shit all over a butcher shop. That butcher bastard's shitty face turned red as they started screaming! Said they'd pull out my guts and smear them with shit too! Puhahaha! Eat shit! I told them to spread it in the aging room if they were going to do it anyway!"

"Those people only know how to move their mouths! They think saying things will solve everything! I trashed a restaurant once, and what did they say? That they would never share even one bite of food with pig beastkin again!"

"When have they ever shared anything? All they ever gave us was a mouthful of filthy insults!"

"Let's see who wins if we keep fighting in the mud. We were born living in the mud, so we have nothing to fear!"

"But isn't that behavior too petty to call a fight in the mud? This isn't even terrorism. It's just cute mischief."

The pig beastkin sharing their vulgar, slimy pleasure in the darkness did not notice me right away.

"Even fooling around becomes art when you're serious about it! We're showing those idiots in this city how far we're willing to go!"

"If you want to make yourselves known, you should spread the word further. If you shout and squabble in a similar pit, all you'll hear is an echo."

"Who is it? Who's been ruining the mood this whole time?!"

The loudmouths looked around for the source of the voice.

They didn't have to search for long. I was sitting right beside them, waving my hand.

"Hello."

"You...!"

The one who stabbed me.

Of course they recognized me. Even pig beastkin were not stupid enough to forget someone they had stabbed only two days ago, unless they went around stabbing a great many people.

"You bastard...!"

As they reached inside their clothes for a knife, I struck their pocket hard. They grabbed the knife wrong and cut their hand. The pig beastkin screamed and rolled around.

"Get him!"

Several pig beastkin rushed at me from every direction, likely intending to overwhelm me with numbers. At least five intentions tangled together in a complex mess.

A clumsy attack from weaklings who did not even know where their own bodies were heading.

The old me would have had a hard time dealing with it, but not anymore. I flicked my sleeve and drew out the Demon God's card.

Ten of Spades, Gaia Ego.

I could not twist the earth or cause earthquakes with earth magic, but I could dig furrows. The ground beneath the pig beastkin suddenly warped into uneven ridges.

The pig beastkin who charged in without watching their feet stumbled or caught their feet in the furrows and fell.

Faces crashed into each other, and one thrashed while another piled on top. I pushed and pulled the attackers into a neat stack. After striking the one on top, I saw the last one rushing toward me from behind.

"Die!"

They swung a sharp dagger without hesitation. It wasn't so much that they had no qualms about killing someone as that they didn't think that far.

They were too busy spewing hostility at me right in front of them.

Even if the mind wielding it was stupid, a blade was dangerous. I temporarily stuck a card to my palm and blocked the dagger.

The pig beastkin must have thought the card was laughable, because they put more strength into it, as if they meant to tear through my hand along with the card.

But then...

"Ta-da!"

As though the card had swallowed it, the sharp blade scattered into cards, leaving only the hilt behind. The pig beastkin stared in bewilderment at the cards fluttering through the air.

"W-what? Cards?"

"Now it looks a little more like magic."

Fighting was much easier now that I had more cards I could use. Should I call it practical combat magic?

I flattened the defenseless bastard's nose with my fist. Standing on them as they fell bleeding, I looked around.

They were a little tougher because they were pig beastkin, but they were still just back-alley thugs. There was nothing impressive about subduing them.

I looked down at the pig beastkin whose spirit had been broken and spoke.

"All right, you trash of society. If you're trash, stay buried in a sewage treatment plant like trash. You're going around attacking people because they ate some pork? Do you feel some sense of kinship with pigs or something?"

"What?! You bastard, what did you just...!"

Someone flared up and tried to shout, but another pig beastkin covered their mouth. One who seemed to have at least some sense shamelessly replied.

"W-what did we do?! Do you have any proof?!"

"Proof? Didn't you proudly brag about it just now?"

"It was a joke among pig beastkin. Who are you to frame us? Are you some kind of official?"

Oh? Was that how they planned to respond? I scratched my chin and answered.

"I'm not, but."

"You're going to beat us up and frame us without proof? A human? Sniff! So now you really want to go all the way?"

"You swung a knife first."

"It was self-defense!"

I see. That was how they handled things.

Paradoxically, the reason people who lived as though there were no laws could survive was because laws existed. Ende was still a land with order and structure. As a city of beastkin, its beastkin enjoyed a fair number of rights.

Pig beastkin were no exception.

In a true lawless land, this would be settled through survival of the fittest. This was a beastkin city, though. That meant you could not go digging through things just because you were suspicious.

That was also why the terrorist organization called Orcma had survived.

"Even the Celestial God and the Earth Mother know that pig beastkin have been causing trouble lately."

"There are more than thirty thousand pig beastkin living in Ende. There are even more outside! How can you decide it was us?"

"You're going to punish us without any proof? Even an official would face backlash for that!"

"Do you want to see thirty thousand pig beastkin rise up all at once?"

They said that if three people claimed it, they could make up a tiger. With six or seven pig beastkin squealing at once, I could not possibly win by momentum alone.

I furrowed my brow as if troubled and said,

"You're awfully confident. That doesn't change the fact that you're criminals."

"Bring proof or witnesses! If you can't, we won't stay quiet either!"

"We'll make this public, whether at the temple, Oberli, or anywhere else!"

Proof, proof. Proof was hard to find, really. Evidence that someone had done something was not likely to remain so neatly behind. Even if it did, who would judge it?

They called themselves Orcma, but they were ordinary pig beastkin. Pig beastkin were generally thugs. Unless you cut out all pig beastkin as a whole, there was no way to drive them out.

There was no way to tell who belonged to Orcma and who was an innocent pig beastkin.

Even setting aside the fact that there were no innocent pig beastkin.

"Ugh. Fine. Since there doesn't seem to be any suitable proof, I'll go ask your mother."

"Mother?"

"Oh, right. Do you call her Godmother? It doesn't matter. I heard you call anyone who feeds you Mother."

I did not need proof, though.

I had mind-reading.

"Godmother is just someone who gives us food sometimes!"

"Mm-hm. Sure, sure. An old pig beastkin who takes especially good care of terrorists, whose food supply comes from who knows where. I should look into exactly who she is. That's what evidence is, after all."

There was a joke in this world.

More than twenty pig beastkin could not gather in one place. They did not have enough fingers and toes to count that high.

Pig beastkin who lived day to day had organized Orcma and were carrying out terror attacks? If they had that much free time, they would not be steeped in resentment. If they had organizational ability, they would have built a nation back when they were orcs.

"W-who... gave you that information...?"

"Who else? If I did not hear information about pig beastkin from pig beastkin, who would I have heard it from?"

More precisely, I had read your thoughts.

A secret organization? A cell structure? None of it meant anything. Those cells still connected people to people.

I would trace them one by one until I reached the deepest place.

The being trying to fracture the city.

"Pig beastkin...? No way. The opposition faction?"

"Oops. Did I say too much?"

They seemed to be misunderstanding on their own, but that was fine. They could sort it out themselves.

After waving broadly, I walked back into the darkness, turning the pig beastkin's thoughts over in my mind.

It seemed I had many places to visit tonight.

Footnotes:

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