WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 496: Flowers Falling Is Also Spring

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We had suddenly shown up to test their beliefs. There was no way Mayor Triber would believe us if we said, "We just came to ask a question."

With the wisdom of age, Mayor Triber saw through our true purpose.

"I understand what you mean. You must be uneasy about Ende's rapidly changing situation. It will be difficult to stand against the King of Wolves if the city is in chaos."

"I'm not that uneasy."

"You have only just arrived in Ende, so you do not understand the situation. I understand."

Mayor Triber nodded and smiled despite their gaunt face.

"Still, I hope you will understand us as well. The pig beastkin have suffered too much. If this is how they can be compensated, I intend to devote myself to it."

"By occupying Oberli by force and abusing their power?"

"Calling it abuse would be difficult when they had no power at all before this happened. As you know, the pig beastkin have suffered too much."

One of Ende's mayor's duties was soothing dissatisfied partners. Some people frowned on it and called it lobbying, but Mayor Triber understood its importance better than anyone.

"You likely know this already. Queen Agartha, a descendant of the Five Lords who possessed the power to be loved by all, wanted slaves who could speak like people yet work like beasts, much like the Beast King. So she committed a taboo and conceived the existence known as beastkin. A taboo too terrible to even speak of."

The Class-3 Taboo: intercourse. Before the Queen, it had been a forbidden taboo people doubted was even possible.

Mayor Triber tactfully skipped over the details and continued.

"In the Queen's country, pig beastkin were born solely to be eaten. That was why there were so many of them, and why they were assigned all the menial work. Every beastkin was a lowly slave, but pig beastkin were exceptional even among them. They were worked to the bone, then slaughtered once they were no longer needed."

"Still, orcs prospered quite a bit after the Kingdom of Ten Thousand fell. For a time, they were a force that threatened the Empire."

"Beasts that are eaten often must be plentiful. The pig beastkin, numerous as they were, briefly prospered after the Kingdom of Ten Thousand fell, but that was all. Unlike other beastkin, who entered civilization easily through their innate talents, the orcs had grown too powerful and were crushed under pressure from the Empire and the principalities. They were called orcs, but they were effectively refugees. It was the natural course of events."

Crushed was a very polite way to put it. To humans, pig beastkin were proof of sin, dangerous enemies, and targets of discrimination and hatred. The victorious humans used every possible method to erase pig beastkin from before their eyes.

"Even eating pig beastkin only became taboo after the Holy Maiden with fur appeared. Before that, they were frequently hunted and eaten, and books on how to cook pig beastkin were even published. It was an age of madness. They suffered far, far too much."

"Still, things are equal now thanks to the Holy Maiden with fur, aren't they? The past doesn't justify causing trouble now."

"The balance was broken from the beginning. Humans, and even other beastkin, committed grave sins against pig beastkin and cast them into the abyss. Demanding that they restore a balance horribly ruined by irreparable sins through lawful means alone is far too cruel. I wish to repair those broken scales, even this way."

"Mm. I understand, but..."

'It doesn't seem like a very good choice. Something is going to go wrong.'

Mayor Triber saw the concern on the regressor's face and gave a hollow smile.

"It is all right. This is my burden to bear. Please focus all your strength on defeating the King of Wolves. I will somehow keep Ende going."

"You already look like you're about to die. What if you collapse from overwork?"

"Ha ha. This much will not trouble me... Hmm. It seems we have a visitor outside."

A faint vibration had been coming from outside the office for some time. Sensing the presence, the regressor withdrew Skywarbler, which had seized control of the space.

The instant the seal was lifted, the office door flew open and Urukpaing strode inside. They were visibly agitated as they confronted the mayor.

"Mayor Triber. What were you doing? I pounded on the door, but there was no answer and it would not open. You're the mayor, so what in the world..."

"The mayor was talking to me."

The regressor answered for the mayor.

Urukpaing, who had been crossing the office without hesitation, froze upon spotting the regressor. Frightened, they darted their eyes around.

"Y-you, why are you here?"

"What?"

"Uh... Right. You could have come to see the mayor too. But something urgent happened, and I need to report it..."

"What's urgent?"

"Why should I tell you... No, I suppose you should hear it."

Sometimes being closer to a beast came in handy. Instinctively subdued, Urukpaing gave their report in a somewhat uncertain voice.

"Wolves have appeared. A shepherd working on Ende's outskirts was bitten and carried away, and the guard unit was wiped out. More than twenty people are dead, and nearly half the flock has disappeared. The search parties and guards are in chaos. I think we need to deal with it."

Bad news was something you hoped would never arrive, even when you knew it eventually would. Mayor Triber spoke as though what they had expected had finally come.

"It seems the wolves' offensive has begun."

Mayor Triber immediately searched through the pile of documents and found a small paper. Mayor Triber added a token and an envelope, arranged them neatly, then handed everything to Urukpaing.

"This document states where the necessary supplies are. Show the token, and you will receive supplies for one day. Take these and report to Gruel. Since he has fought beasts outside Ende, he will offer an appropriate solution."

"Gruel. Everyone will accept his plan."

"I'll go too. I need to take a look."

"Y-you should maybe..."

Urukpaing clearly did not want to share a space with the regressor, but who could stop her when she said she would go? Mayor Triber watched Urukpaing's face turn deathly pale, then spoke.

"Urukpaing. I believe I told you something last time. Did you pass it on to Poina of Orcma?"

Urukpaing briefly looked disgusted, then turned away.

"...I'm not your subordinate. Tell her yourself."

"I emphasize it whenever we meet. You need to help as well. Without Sapien-gong, Ende's guard and security forces are little more than a disorganized mob. It may be difficult for Sapien, but it is something he must do someday. We cannot overcome this crisis unless everyone in Ende cooperates."

"Hmph. Fine!"

Urukpaing walked away irritably, as though saddled with an unwanted task. Then they saw the regressor following and jumped in alarm.

If wolves had invaded, it was about time for things to begin. I didn't know whether they could hold on until then, though. I should get going too.

"Azzy. Let's go too."

"Woof! I'll go!"

Just as I was about to leave with Azzy after she cheerfully said goodbye, Mayor Triber quietly called to me.

"Magician. I have something to say."

"What is it?"

"Thank you for persuading that person. You have lifted a weight from my mind. But..."

"But?"

Mayor Triber looked at me with a face full of questions.

"Do you truly believe they are human?"

"Didn't you hear what I told Mr. Shei earlier? Are you doubting me?"

"I am not doubting you. But, Magician, I heard what you did. While acting as a magician, you put Orcma through harsh trials."

No. I wouldn't call them harsh. I didn't kill anyone, and there wasn't even much bloodshed.

"I do not blame you. In the eyes of someone trying to defeat the King of Wolves, Orcma must have looked like a dangerous organization disrupting the city. Still, with your strength, there must have been surer and gentler ways to stop Orcma. I am certain that someone who chose 'such methods' would not see pig beastkin as equals."

Such methods? You meant threats, intimidation, theft, and disruption? That was peaceful enough.

Tsk. The mayor knew one thing but not the other. I was the one offering real kindness without a price.

"Then your certainty is wrong. No one cares for them as much as I do. Even you only supported Orcma in secret while coordinating with them. You never considered turning Ende completely upside down."

Mayor Triber sharply inhaled at the secret I let slip so casually. They stared at me in shock before asking with difficulty.

"...How did you know that?"

"The King of Dogs appeared. We decided to fight the King of Wolves. Gruel is coming. Orcma knew about the confidential conversation we had in Oberli. How could Orcma, who cannot even set foot in Oberli, know Oberli's secrets? Someone in Oberli must have told them."

I had read the mayor's thoughts. From the beginning, Mayor Triber had secretly been providing welfare for pig beastkin. The reason it had to remain secret was that official welfare itself could cause division.

"But who would secretly pass along secrets that lowly pig beastkin could not even eat? I could not figure that out. Then today, I heard you speak of restoring the tilted scales and understood. It was you, or someone acting on your orders."

I had read their thoughts. Mayor Triber's, and an Orcma elder's as well. That was how I learned they had joined hands.

Though not a recognized human, Triber was an extremely high-ranking principality noble holding Ende's mayoral office, and the pig beastkin would not leave the mayor in place merely because the mayor was useful. Not pig beastkin as foolish as them. They should have removed Mayor Triber or placed the mayor under surveillance.

"That..."

"It's all right. I am kind to every human. I wanted to grant not only the pig beastkin's wish, but yours as well. What do you think? Are you satisfied with what Ende has become?"

It probably was not as beautiful as the mayor had expected. Nor had it changed as gradually as the mayor wanted. Still, this sight was unquestionably one of the results Mayor Triber had wished for.

Yet even with their wish made real, Mayor Triber looked uneasy.

"...The timing is not good. The King of Wolves is coming."

"No. It is the best possible timing. Powerful external pressure strengthens internal unity. You wanted everyone to unite too, which is why you gave Orcma information about the King of Wolves, isn't it?"

"The pig beastkin lack experience running a city. This is too difficult for them."

"The more difficult it is, the faster the fallen weight on the scales can be restored. It may not be lawful, but what do you think? Gruel and Mr. Shei are here. The pig beastkin only need to overcome this crisis with their help to truly claim their place with pride."

"But..."

"You're anxious, aren't you?"

I knew why the mayor kept talking. Smiling, I pressed on the sore spot.

"You can't trust them, can you? You don't think they can do it. Incompetent, noisy, easily distracted, lacking perseverance, full of pointless victim complexes, and unwilling to listen. That is what pig beastkin are to you, isn't it? At least, for now."

People did not want reality. They always stood on the step beneath them and looked upward. Only the thirsty longed for water to drink. Only the hungry wanted their daily bread. Only those buried beneath the earth wished to rise above.

Mayor Triber believed everyone was equal and wished for them to be so.

Because the reality the mayor knew was not like that.

"That is all you are. You believe pig beastkin need a ladder because they may someday become equal, but they are not there yet. Well, I understand that belief. Pig beastkin are human too, so it would be nice if they became equal."

Wishes blew from there. They moved people to bridge the gap between belief and reality. Mayor Triber's wish was what made the mayor work.

I had only willingly answered it. Whether beastkin or human, every wish was precious.

"Unlike you, I mean it. Just as no one is surprised that the sun rose in the east today, humans being pig beastkin is so natural that there is no need to say it aloud."

After suddenly saying that, I tilted my head at the slightly changed nuance. What was it? It was clearly the same thing, so what had changed? Ah.

"No, should I say pig beastkin are human too? Well, it doesn't matter. Whichever order it comes in. It means they are the same."

Nod.

I deliberately lowered and raised my head in an exaggerated nod, then walked away with a smile, leaving Mayor Triber staring wide-eyed behind me.

Footnotes:

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