WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 493

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Ende's Spring - Finale

The Obelisks had been arrested and thrown in prison. Public officials were placed under house arrest in their own homes, and only beastkin were left roaming Oberli. The most numerous among them were the pig-kin, who had pulled off the revolution.

Considering that not a single pig-kin had ever set foot in Oberli before this, the world had truly been turned upside down overnight. The only ones with any new grievances about the current state of affairs were the humans, who were a small minority, while joy and satisfaction ran thick the further down you went. From a utilitarian standpoint, Ende had become paradise.

Of course, there were a few negligible exceptions among the humans. Duke Erectus, who had somehow slipped away in all the chaos, or myself and my guest the regressor, who were walking around as honored contributors to the revolution.

So what were the regressor and I up to, exactly.

"You said you were the Magician! You said you cut the troublemakers down at the root! So what is this mess!"

Hmm. The biggest obstacle had arrived: convincing a bewildered regressor. If I failed to convince her, she would go ahead and "normalize" Ende by whatever means necessary, however forced they might be.

But they say forgiveness is easier than permission. What's done is done.

"Mr. Shei, I was originally trying to help Ende. That's why I worked as the Magician and dismantled Orcma's schemes from the ground up."

"Dismantled? You ended up helping them."

"Because the pig-kin refused to give up. Look at the demonstration they mounted. If Orcma's wishes had been purely about gaining privileges, they would have despaired and fled the moment I got in their way. But the pig-kin's wishes didn't stop there. If anything, once every other means was stripped away, they took action in the most primal way possible."

"I cut off Orcma's arms and legs, strangled their funding dry, and pulled every last tooth they had, and they still marched out with nothing but their bare bodies. I didn't stoke any division either. The split was there from the beginning; it had just been hidden."

"You weren't aiming for this from the start?"

"Even if I had been, it would have been impossible without thousands of people rising up on their own. I don't have the ability to manipulate that many people."

"Mm..."

'Well, discrimination against beastkin has always been there. Ende has always been the first to get hit by that wave. Whether things went well or badly for Ende, the discrimination itself never went away...'

Almost forgiven. The old saying never lies. If I had tried to come clean and ask permission ahead of time, I would have missed my window entirely.

"And there's a more important reason."

"What is it."

"Looking at Ende's situation now, I think this actually makes it easier to catch the King of Wolves."

The Obelisks, made up mainly of energy practitioners from the vassal states, were undeniably powerful. But at the end of the day, they were just the security force of a frontier city. Against a mystery like the King of Wolves, a single Gruel with a real feel for things was worth more than all the Obelisks put together.

"That's fair."

Whatever it might look like from the outside, could I really outdo the regressor in recklessness? For her, a commotion of this scale was on the smaller end. She had only pushed back because I was the one who had set it in motion.

The regressor agreed.

"Since I'm here too, if we play it safe we can kill the King of Wolves. I wanted to avoid creating variables where I could, but... well, this much and the city's strength is basically intact."

"Either way, all we have to do is catch the King of Wolves."

"As long as you keep that in mind, it's fine."

'Whether the inexperienced pig-kin can manage the city well, whether the vassal states will just sit back and watch this unfold. The aftermath is the problem, but...'

There were a few issues, but the regressor was not the type to dwell on the aftermath for long.

'If it comes to it, I can always regress!'

The regressor fired that off with the breezy ease of an average regressor.

I am the Magician. A vigilante who had, for a time, pushed Orcma to the brink of collapse and set the city's order straight.

Not every pig-kin knew me, but the pig-kin of Orcma knew me to the bone. Their reaction, though, was nothing like the jealousy and anger they had shown the public officials.

It was mostly fear, dread, and bewilderment.

"The Magician?"

"What the hell is he doing here?"

Urukpaing, the leading contributor of the revolution. Bonkrak, who had unlocked Oberli's gates and welcomed the pig-kin inside. Gulta, who had immediately secured wagons and horses to take control of Oberli's logistics. Halfna, who had converted the plaza and city hall into spaces for the pig-kin to stay.

The Magician was the shadow mastermind of this revolution, acknowledged by every one of those contributors.

"Hello there. Mind if I come in?"

I waved and walked up to Urukpaing, who had been guarding the front of the plaza alongside Bonkrak and Gulta.

The reactions were vivid. Bonkrak went pale and fled. Gulta deliberately turned away and busied himself fixing a wagon. That was a bit much. I was no ghost.

Only Urukpaing, who had never faced me directly, greeted me with a mildly uneasy look.

"...Hrmph. Good to see you, Magician. Come on in."

"Is anyone inside?"

"Chief Gruel, the elders, and the clan leaders of Oberli are gathered. They're meeting to sort out the situation."

Urukpaing snorted heavily and said it like he was doing me a favor.

"There were some who said it wasn't appropriate for a human to be part of this. Orcma was more wary of you than expected, so it took some convincing."

"And all I did was break someone out of jail once. You're very kind."

"Hrmph. A debt of gratitude is not something you leave unpaid. That's a mercenary's creed."

'If he's that dangerous, all the more reason to keep him close and watch him. Hrmph, everyone else is just too easily spooked.'

Urukpaing's gaze slid away from me and drifted sidelong to the regressor.

'But... as long as that one's here, it's not like we could do anything to him anyway. What is that thing? The energy is one thing, but the presence itself feels wrong. Makes all my fur stand on end. Could Gruel beat that?'

The thought ran on a little too long, and the regressor skewered Urukpaing with a sharp look.

"What are you staring at?"

"...I wasn't staring."

Urukpaing flinched and whipped his gaze away, then waved at me to hurry up.

"The meeting is about to start. Go in, Magician."

"Yes. Take care."

I called out a cheerful farewell and went into the plaza with the regressor and Azzy. From behind me drifted the tail end of Urukpaing's aggrieved inner thoughts.

'Hold on. I'm a guard, so of course I look at people coming through. There's nothing weird about that. Why did he snap at me for looking?'

The regressor and I headed into Oberli's plaza.

I had been here once before, but the atmosphere was entirely different from before.

Stone seats, unadorned slabs without so much as an armrest. The plaza formed a circle with a slight elevation at the center, where a raised platform stood for the speaker, designed to focus the audience's attention.

Last time it had been a little busy but composed, the mood one of calm focus. Now the plaza was charged with excitement and a trembling energy.

The pig-kin sat in seats they had never imagined they would be allowed into in their lifetimes, and that alone had them snorting with barely contained excitement. By contrast, the other beastkin who had been in Oberli were rattled by the sudden shift in atmosphere, sitting stiff and silent with their ears and tails rigid.

"...We have many visitors today, so it seems this will be a long meeting."

Even so, Mayor Triber standing at the platform kept the meeting going in the unhurried voice particular to the elderly.

"First, I extend a welcome to the Chief of the Beast Faction, who has traveled all this way to Ende. We had hoped to prepare a grand feast, but..."

Mayor Triber's gaze came to rest on an empty seat. The cattle-kin, the only representative of the Beast Faction who had attended the meeting, crossed their arms and spoke.

"The Chief is not present."

"Will that be all right?"

"We are the Beast Faction. We have nothing to do with Ende's internal affairs. Feed us and sort out your own business among yourselves, then tell us about it. Those are the Chief's words."

It was a message from Gruel, drawing a clear line between themselves and Ende. The pig-kin grumbled a little at that, but Mayor Triber nodded.

"Understood. In that case, I will hand the floor to the next speaker."

Mayor Triber stepped aside for the young pig-kin who had been standing beside him. The pig-kin who took the platform with a proud bearing looked around with an expression full of emotion. However it had been seized, what bitter hardship had it taken before a pig-kin could ever stand in this plaza?

"I am Poina, chief of the Crimson Hammer tribe! The one who drove this march forward! I am honored to stand here on behalf of Orcma's various clan leaders."

The female pig-kin who had taken the platform for Orcma began her speech with a face full of confidence.

"First, the purpose of our march was to put an end to the discrimination and hatred against pig-kin that has pervaded Ende. We had no intention of attacking public officials, and we have no intention of turning our backs on the vassal states. As fellow people who worship the same god and live on the same land, we did not seek a relationship of eating and being eaten, our resistance was only ever meant to help us stand on equal footing!"

"...That's a bit strong a word for how things actually went, isn't it."

A dog-kin from Oberli muttered that, only to shrink back under the glares of several pig-kin nearby. Poina looked at the cowering dog-kin and smiled with satisfaction.

"Some might say that. But none of this would have happened without deeply rooted hatred to begin with. If Erectus, that cruel official, had not provoked us, this march would have ended without a single drop of blood."

Poina continued with a smirk.

"No. We should be thanking him for giving us a reason to be angry."

Scattered laughter rippled through the plaza. Now that they were the winners, the pig-kin showed their feelings freely.

"Orcma has no intention of ruling or exploiting Ende. Ende and Oberli will go on as they always have. We will take only a few measures to put a stop to the hatred and discrimination. Other than that, your lives will be no different from before."

Poina bit her lip briefly and went on.

"...Except for Duke Erectus."

"Put a bounty on him!"

"Form a pursuit squad and drag him back!"

"Give whoever catches him all his wealth and power!"

Well. He must have pushed them something fierce. That mouth of his was always going to set things alight, whether the regressor was there or not, whether the pig-kin were furious or not.

Good thing I let him run. If the regressor had properly dealt with him back then, this fire would never have caught.

"At any rate. Please pass word to all the clan leaders of Oberli to tell their clans not to panic and to go about their livelihoods. With that, I will end my speech..."

"What about the King of Wolves?"

Without being called on, the regressor cut in with a sharp voice.

"The most pressing issue right now should be the King of Wolves. That's why the Beast Faction came here too. Do you have a plan for dealing with the King of Wolves?"

The buoyant mood met unavoidable reality and cooled briefly. A few pig-kin shot irritated looks at the regressor for dampening the moment, but the regressor was not the sort to care about that.

Poina, who had apparently not noticed the humans in the room at all until then, frowned and asked.

"Who is that human?"

The Oberli elders exchanged glances in silence. Mayor Triber answered on their behalf.

"He is the one from the manor on the outskirts. The human who came recommended by the violet merchant guild and brought the King of Dogs. A person of considerable wealth, recognized as a warrior by Chief Gruel as well. He is staying in Ende to fight the King of Wolves."

"Ah, the one from the rumors..."

The violet merchant guild meant the vassal states' patron guild. Realizing this was not someone ordinary, Poina answered in a slightly more deferential tone.

"The King of Wolves is an important matter as well. But today there are simply too many problems piled up to deal with. The revolution hasn't even been underway for a full day yet. We need time to settle the chaos."

"The King of Wolves won't wait."

"We haven't even managed a single meal yet. Let's eat first, and then talk with whoever is in charge of military affairs. Where is Oberli's military commander?"

Mayor Triber answered again.

"That would be Duke Sapien. He is currently recovering in the prison."

"Oh."

Poina looked pained at the mention of the Obelisks' position.

Sapien, Oberli's most powerful official and authority, was a deeply uncomfortable figure to deal with. Given enough time, he could take down all of Orcma barehanded, and many beastkin followed him. Letting him loose even slightly could be a disaster if he escaped, yet they could not kill him either with the vassal states watching. He was a hot potato that could not be held in either hand.

All Poina could do was buy time and wait for the potato to cool.

"Hrmph. Once he recovers... we'll call for him and resume preparations."

"That sounds right."

Setting aside Poina's true feelings, demanding an immediate plan from pig-kin who had only just seized power that day was unrealistic. The regressor decided to let it go for now. Not because she was feeling generous, but because the Obelisks had not had any great strategy either.

The regressor sat down, and Poina's expression brightened again. Part of it was getting past the difficult question, but part of it was also the smell drifting in from outside the plaza.

"Our meal is arriving at just the right moment..."

With elder Halfna at the lead, strong orc laborers came in carrying large pots and hefty cuts of meat. A savory smell filled the plaza. The mouths of the pig-kin, who had not eaten a thing since morning and were desperately hungry, began to water.

The beastkin of Oberli, who were not particularly hungry, looked uncomfortable.

"Eating in the plaza?"

"You're welcome to find a spot that fits all these orcs. Would you like to lend us a table from your home?"

Poina snapped back and called the pig-kin over, heaping their plates with food. The hungry pig-kin jostled against each other trying to get their share. Some got pushed aside and spilled food on the ground.

Someone picky might decide that food which had touched the ground was no longer fit to eat. But for pig-kin, the ground was just an extra plate. They grunted and swept the ground with their hands without the slightest hesitation, scooping the food back up. Carefully, as if it were treasure.

"You don't have to pick it up off the ground! Get a fresh plate and come back for more!"

Poina called out, but old habits die hard. After the pig-kin had moved on, there was not so much as a scrap of food left on the ground behind them. Only a damp patch showed that anything had been there at all.

In any case, the pig-kin who had safely claimed their portions buried their heads in their meals and began to eat. Poina raised her plate toward the pig-kin, who were already oblivious to the meeting, as if offering a toast.

"Kurul ta luk. May there be a better tomorrow for Ende."

"Kurul, chomp. Ta luk!"

There were not many pig-kin who actually echoed Poina's toast. Everyone was too busy stuffing meat into their mouths.

Pitiful, or disgusting, I wasn't sure which word fit. Maybe the two were the same thing.

Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten either. Being a contributor to the Orcma effort gave me the right to a meal, didn't it?

"Free food. Do you want some, Mr. Shei?"

"No."

"Woof! Woof woof!"

"Right. I'll grab yours too."

Manhan Quanxi back home would give me a better meal, but there was something about passing up free food that felt like a waste. I walked straight over to elder Halfna and held out my hands. She looked at me and her face creased with a flinch, but she had been through too much to let it stop her, and she clamped her mouth shut and heaped my plate with meat.

Well. Rough around the edges, but generous with the portion. Quite the contrast to Manhan Quanxi. You have to eat like this sometimes, a person who eats nothing but the finest things ends up spoiled. Back at my seat I passed a large piece to Azzy, then tore off a big chunk of meat and put it in my mouth.

Hmm, this is a little different from what I had at Kitchen Gluta before. The cooking method seems similar, but what is it?

I tilted my head, puzzled, then happened to read the thoughts of a cattle-kin nearby and understood.

This was...

The taste of beef.

Ende's spring had arrived with the taste of beef.

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