WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 495: Flowers Bloom in Spring

──────

After a long wait, spring came to Ende. Finally freed from human rule, the beastkin savored their newfound freedom. Led by the pig beastkin who had reclaimed the name orc, Ende began casting off its old evils and injustices.

The lowest among them were reclaiming their rights and pursuing peace. By all rights, Ende should have become a paradise.

But for some reason, Ende did not look very happy.

At the mansion where I was staying with the regressor, she picked at the food Manhan Quanxi had prepared before suddenly speaking.

"Hughes. I didn't want to think this way, but aren't pig beastkin just rotten from birth?"

"Pfft."

What was with that sudden bigotry? I quickly checked our surroundings before speaking.

"Where did that come from? What if someone hears you?"

"So what if they do?"

"If the orcs hear it, it'll make it harder for us to get their help. They're extremely sensitive about racist language right now. Even if they heard it from you, Shei, they'd make a huge fuss."

"What can they do? Pig beastkin don't have any strengths, and what they do is worse than humans. Do I need to cater to things like that?"

I knew why the regressor was in such a foul mood. It was because of the way the pig beastkin had been acting lately.

First, the pig beastkin abolished all discrimination. Dogs, cows, sheep, horses, pigs. They declared them all "equal," no different from humans.

As a result, every clan was required to hire pig beastkin.

Even the clans of cow beastkin, who farmed and did heavy labor.

Even the clans of sheep beastkin, who made clothes, did laundry, and cut hair.

Even the clans of horse beastkin, who delivered goods and carried news throughout and beyond the city.

The pig beastkin secured positions for themselves, along with the authority to order everyone around.

The dog beastkin clans? They had been dissolved entirely. Dog beastkin mainly provided services involving humans, such as guarding, escorting, and facilitating exchanges. After the recognized humans fell, the dog beastkin, who had effectively ranked just below humans, ended up on the streets as well. Pig beastkin filled the vacancies they left behind.

I had thought spring had come, but the city was still suffering growing pains. I did not know whether they were ordinary growing pains or a sign of greater suffering to come, but I did my best to defend the pig beastkin.

"Well, it's still fine for now. The city is functioning, and people aren't that dissatisfied."

"You call this fine?"

"More importantly, unlike Oberli under the recognized humans, they follow us completely. That makes them much easier to use."

"That's true, but that isn't the only problem. The pig beastkin's management skills are abysmal. If it weren't for Triber, the city would've collapsed ages ago!"

In truth, Ende had only replaced those in power. Everything else remained the same. Oberli's beastkin administrative staff, including Triber, were running the city under crushing workloads. If even a few Oberli clan leaders had gone on strike, Orcma would have fallen apart on its own.

Well, seeing how they were still working properly, perhaps Oberli's beastkin had not liked the recognized humans much either. Looking at the state of those recognized humans, that was understandable.

"Ha ha. It can't be helped. Have pig beastkin ever run a city before? They've always been at the bottom, so they probably haven't had a chance to do anything."

"Just as you said, what have pig beastkin actually done? Gruel subdued the Obelisks, Triber runs the city, and you, Hughes, turned a march into a revolution! What have the pig beastkin calling themselves Orcma really accomplished?"

"They protested peacefully, in their own way."

"Protested? You gave in to their tantrum. It was supposed to end there."

Oh dear. The regressor's words were getting harsher. Maybe it was my imagination, but her politics seemed to be drifting further and further right.

"Maybe discrimination has its reasons. They keep saying it's unfair, but looking at how they act, I can't say it seems that unfair..."

"That's enough."

Before the regressor could reveal any more of her political beliefs, I thrust out a hand.

"That way of thinking. I can't agree with it."

"You don't think so?"

"No. I am the King of Humanity. I see every human as equal. Beastkin or human, beggar or emperor, they are all equally my subjects. I respect every one of them."

I had put every bit of sincerity I could into those words, but the regressor answered skeptically.

"Even though you treat Azzy like a dog."

"That's because Azzy is a dog. You're the strange one, Shei. You seem to value Azzy more than orcs."

"Isn't that obvious? Azzy means more to me than pig beastkin, both practically and emotionally."

"Woof! I'm precious! You're precious too!"

Azzy had apparently heard herself being mentioned and came over, wagging her tail. The regressor must not have expected Azzy to hear that, because her face reddened slightly. Burdened by Azzy's attention, she deliberately looked away.

"Ahem. Anyway. I'm not saying pig beastkin aren't human."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, on average, they clearly have shortcomings."

"That's enough. I've said it twice."

I could not even call her a centrist anymore. I stopped the regressor before her scale tipped any further beyond recovery.

"Shei, if you're someone who pursues justice, you know that noble blood doesn't exist. Given similar circumstances, geniuses appear regardless of birth."

"Does that count as a reason? Pig beastkin don't have them."

"I said similar circumstances, Shei."

Don't make me say it three times. Then she'd get a label she could never shake.

"The lower the standard of living and education, the fewer energy adepts and mages emerge. That changes with the era even within the same country. Beastkin energy arts have developed greatly over the years, and Gruel has proven that pig beastkin can also reach the truth through energy arts."

"That's because Gruel is special."

"If you put it that way, there's no end to it. Everyone who reaches the truth is special. I'm strong, not humanity, so what? If you're going to argue that way, then there'd be no reason to save humanity either. 'You worthless lot are dying~.' That would be the end of it."

"I didn't go that far."

"Your words always head in that direction."

The regressor clicked her tongue, folded her arms, and spoke.

"So, does our magnificent King of Humanity think what the pig beastkin are doing is right?"

"I'd rather ask you this. Should I say they're wrong?"

"Of course. I've seen it many times. They say all sorts of things, but in the end, pig beastkin are only looking out for their own interests. That will cause division someday. In fact, it already is."

"Pig beastkin have suffered a great deal."

"Being mistreated in the past doesn't give them the right to run wild now. Besides, institutional discrimination disappeared after the Holy Maiden with fur was ordained. Pig beastkin simply buried themselves at the bottom."

That was it. I could no longer defend the regressor. I drew a line between myself and her, now that she had gone all the way to the far right.

"Those are Shei's personal thoughts. They have nothing to do with me."

"Woof. Discrimination bad! All humans good!"

Azzy joined in. The regressor, who had less love for humanity than a dog, looked between Azzy and me before speaking.

"Come to think of it, you Beast Kings really would see things that way. But ordinary humans probably think more like I do."

"You're the one making a hasty generalization. Want to go ask someone?"

"Fine. Of course, with their reputation to protect and pig beastkin in power now, they won't admit it easily."

"Hmph. That won't happen."

There was someone perfect to ask. I decided to take the regressor to see them.

"Your Majesty. It is good to see you again. What brings you here?"

In Oberli's mayoral office, Mayor Triber greeted Azzy with a gaunt face. Seeing them, the regressor tilted her head.

"Mayor Triber is the human you meant?"

"Of course."

"That's cheating. Mayor Triber manages this city. Whether it's the truth or a lie, they have to take the pig beastkin's side. Especially when piggies are occupying Oberli by force."

You were the one speaking carelessly even in Oberli, where the pig beastkin had settled in. Watch what you say. Mayor Triber was growing nervous.

"That's harsh. I'm afraid someone might hear you."

"It's fine. I cut off the wind with Skywarbler, so the sound won't leak out."

'Ah. There are beastkin from the Beast Faction here too, aren't there? They can even read vibrations with energy arts, so they could hear voices through the trembling windows. I need to lock down the whole space.'

Though she was a beat late, the regressor isolated the mayor's office together with the surrounding space. Mayor Triber looked at her through their glasses after sensing that she had artificially halted not only the flow of air, but even scents.

"...From what I've heard, it seems you did not come to discuss pleasant matters. Given the situation, I suppose it can't be helped."

"Your own circumstances don't look very pleasant either, Mayor Triber."

"It is work that must be done. It is also rewarding to devote myself to the city this way in my final years."

Even after blocking all sound from escaping, Mayor Triber's answer was conventional. The regressor replied unhappily.

"No one knows if that's sincere. We picked the wrong person to ask in the first place."

I knew, but the regressor did not have mind-reading.

But, regressor, you need to change your thinking a little. Just because you can't know what's in people's hearts doesn't mean you should give up on understanding people.

You don't need to know their hearts. You need to believe what people show.

"Shei, whether it's sincere or not isn't important."

"Then what is?"

"What's important is that Mayor Triber is actively helping Orcma. Look at the state they're in."

Only after I said that did the regressor study Mayor Triber again. For a brief moment, several Mayor Tribers overlapped beyond her gaze. A slightly older mayor, a weaker-looking mayor, and a mayor who had died bleeding and been buried. The versions of Mayor Triber she had encountered several times through regression became vivid before her.

The regressor frowned and shook her head.

"...I don't know."

"That's because you're trying to judge the person themselves. Don't do that. Look at what Mayor Triber is doing."

After taking my advice, the regressor finally looked around Mayor Triber.

Hundreds of documents. Half-written letters. A half-drunk glass of water had become a paperweight, pressing down on papers like an inkstone. One glance was enough to see that they were handling a murderous workload.

"See? If they worked like this normally, they would've died from overwork long ago. Even at a glance, they are doing far more than their usual work. To keep Ende running under Orcma's rule."

Triber, the mayor of Ende, was being worked to the bone.

They had always had many duties. Now, pig beastkin who knew nothing about the work had pushed out every recognized human and settled into their places, forcing Triber to drag their aged body around filling the gaps. It was only because they were respected among the beastkin that no one deserted or went on strike. If they had refused to cooperate, Orcma would have collapsed on its own.

"To put it another way, Mayor Triber, who is no different from a noble of the duchy, is helping Orcma. Actively helping them, at that. Why do you think that is?"

"The mayor just isn't abandoning their duty."

"No. Mayor Triber thinks the same way I do. Given enough experience, pig beastkin can gain more than enough ability to run a city. Their actions show it. Do you really think they would work themselves to death for no reason?"

Only then did the regressor understand what I meant.

It did not matter much what kind of person Mayor Triber was or what virtues they possessed. What mattered was that Mayor Triber was acting that way. If you reasoned backward from that, you could understand their thoughts.

Mayor Triber was helping pig beastkin. No, they were not particularly helping pig beastkin at all. To them, pig beastkin were fellow humans.

"...Isn't that only natural? All beastkin in Oberli are equal. Pig beastkin are the same. They may have been a little extreme, but pig beastkin are people qualified to live in Oberli as well."

"See, Shei? There may be people who think like you, but your view isn't something everyone takes for granted. Seriously, reflect on yourself."

"Woof woof woof. Reflect!"

"I, I wasn't that bad! You two are making me sound like I'm the only bad person here!"

The regressor, now alone as a speciesist, protested belatedly. It did not sound especially convincing.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried