WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 502: Even Beasts Are Free

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The regressor watched me sullenly without a word. I hadn't done anything particularly wrong, yet I somehow felt guilty. As I sat quietly with my hands folded, the regressor uncrossed her arms and spoke.

"Why are you just watching?"

"What?"

"You can do it. You might not be able to go out and fight the King of Wolves, but you can fool and coax those piggie idiots. Tell them to stop fighting for a while and join forces against the King of Wolves."

Was she serious? She thought I could fool and coax those pig beastkin, then handle them however I pleased? That was something a hypnotist could do, not the King of Humanity. How was that supposed to work?

I was about to tell her it was impossible, until I read her thoughts.

'You can do it. You could get a better result, so why don't you want to?'

...Well, fine. She overestimated me. Since no one knew how things would turn out, I wouldn't say it was impossible.

Still, I couldn't do that. It meant betraying her expectations, but I decided to abandon the strange faith the regressor had in me.

"Whether I can do it or not is beside the point. It'd make the whole picture strange. I'm the King of Humanity, but I'm not a king. I can't step forward and order pig beastkin to act a certain way."

"Why?"

"I don't really have an answer if you ask why. Think of it like Azzy not persuading dogs to love humans. The Beast King is a representative, not a ruler."

Azzy loved humans because dogs loved humans. Dogs did not love humans because Azzy loved humans.

That was the relationship between beasts and the Beast King. I only uncovered human nature. I didn't try to move it or shape it. No, I couldn't. Like a shadow that couldn't leave its owner.

"If a Beast King tried to rule every beast according to their own will, they'd be no different from the King of Sin."

The regressor had plenty of experience, whatever her intelligence. She should understand with that much explanation. I was about to wrap things up satisfactorily.

Then the regressor tilted her head and asked again.

"It's for Azzy."

"Pardon?"

"You have to keep your promise with Azzy. You have to defeat the King of Wolves. Unlike what happened in the Abyss, this is something you have to do. Sincerely, with everything you have."

Uh, well. I did have to keep my promise. But as long as I kept it, didn't the method not matter? That was the standard approach in our Beast King community.

"You know Ende's current situation isn't the best possible outcome. Then you should make it the best possible outcome, so you can fulfill the promise you made to Azzy more properly. You may not have much combat power, but you do have the ability to do that."

'Hughes is different from the King of Sin. That's certain. But he's too different. He doesn't make things worse, yet he doesn't make any effort to improve them either. He only throws things into chaos. It's hard to judge. He's capable, but I don't know whether he's helpful or not.'

Even if she believed I was capable, I wasn't capable to that extent. Protecting the city wasn't particularly what they wanted, and I couldn't force that desire into them.

It wasn't as if there were no way, though.... Hah, wait a second.

"If I say I won't do it, will you abandon Azzy and me and run away, Shei?"

"Idiot. I wouldn't throw everything away that irresponsibly just because things went wrong. Unless they go very wrong."

"That's a little scary."

So if things went even more wrong, she might throw it all away and run. Got it, got it.

I needed to shatter that baseless faith she had in me first.... No, thinking about it made me feel wronged. What had I ever shown her for her to overestimate me like this? Didn't she see? Even after coming to Ende, I'd spent nearly a month unemployed. I was incompetent and unmotivated.

'You could do well if you tried. Why don't you want to? Even if you're the King of Humanity, you're still human. I'm not asking this for my own sake, so show me that you're willing to work a little harder. That way, I can still have hope in you in the next cycle.'

Why was she trying to find hope by looking at me? Look at humans. Humans.

Pig beastkin were human. Recognized humans were human. Other beastkin were human too.

Ende had turned into this mess simply because humans were like that to begin with. It had seemed as though something might change, but they were all the same in the end, so naturally things turned out much the same.

Yet asking me to do better here was a contradiction. When humans were like that, what could she expect from me, the King of Humanity...?

"Bark! It's okay!"

Azzy suddenly slipped between the regressor and me. With clear eyes that gave no hint of whether she understood anything at all, Azzy barked brightly.

"I keep promise! Protect humans! Protect you! Even without that one!"

You should give up on expectations a little. Why did you stubbornly keep your promise whether anyone expected it of you or not? Stupidly.

The regressor, suddenly singled out, pointed at herself and asked.

"What? Even without me?"

"Trust me! Woof! I won't run!"

"I told you I wouldn't run either!"

"Woof woof. Words are easy!"

"I'm serious!"

'I haven't avoided this fight since getting Skywarbler! No matter the situation, no matter how it ends! You don't understand anything!'

Ah, right. She was the regressor.

This cycle wasn't the end. I might not be a diligent person who thought about the future, but I couldn't stand by and watch my future self get harassed by the regressor throughout endless future regressions.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to show a little more diligence. That way, I might get some scraps after the regression too.

Honestly. It was harder than the afterlife. Everyone knew what good deeds were, but even the regressor herself didn't understand her own heart.

Well, the regressor's feelings were beside the point. I still had to keep my promise.

"Shei."

"What?"

"Then follow my instructions from now on. Don't ask too much about why."

"Why?"

"...Didn't you tell me to do my best? My combat power is weak, so there are limits to how I can act. With you around, those limits are less of a problem."

Right. She hadn't agreed not to ask why yet, so that was fair.

Convinced by my explanation, the regressor nodded.

"Fine. Give it a try. I'll help you completely."

'Last time, he said he had work, so I just let him go alone. I've never seen what he actually does. This time, I'll watch closely. I'll see what kind of human Hughes really is.'

Sure. Watch as much as you liked. Judge me to your heart's content. Still, I ought to test just how capable a cooperative regressor was too.

"First, please wait at home. Play with Azzy."

"Why?!"

"...There are times when you need to do that. Or you can follow me secretly. I need to discuss something that won't come up if you show your face."

"What?"

The King of Wolves would attack soon enough, so I could have waited until then. Still, couldn't I offer them an earlier choice? They didn't necessarily have to pay the price of their choices in blood. Though they might come to wish they had paid in blood instead.

"You said it earlier, Shei. You said the orcs would dither until the King of Wolves attacked, then get swept away."

"I did."

"I think we should move that moment forward a little."

"There's no time."

"That's why we'll get to see how low they can sink."

The more urgent things became, the more their true nature showed. Come on. Time to scrape at the bottom of human nature.

Urukpaing was a mercenary born among pig beastkin. Like most mercenaries, they had not been born a mercenary.

They had been powerfully built from childhood and led a gang of piggies. Whenever they found beastkin harassing or discriminating against piggies, they would go over and beat them senseless. The pig beastkin revered them as their leader, and Urukpaing quietly enjoyed their admiration.

It had been a day like any other. At a tavern, they saw several humans shouting noisily. A few fierce-looking humans kept throwing around "filthy beastkin" as though it were an exclamation, badmouthing Ende over drinks.

Naturally, Urukpaing couldn't let that stand. They led their gang over and surrounded the humans. The frail-looking humans found themselves encircled by burly pig beastkin. After looking around once, the humans grinned.

They were mercenaries who had come to the Enger Plain for a job. Mercenaries who had learned energy techniques.

Dozens of piggies crawled across the ground, squealing like pigs. Urukpaing begged for forgiveness with a broken tusk dangling from their mouth. Leaving the wrecked tavern behind, the mercenaries seized Urukpaing and dragged them away.

The mercenaries needed a guide across the vast Enger Plain, and Urukpaing gave them a convenient excuse to put someone to work. Especially because they were a pig beastkin. Urukpaing was used by them for nearly five years, treated worse than a dog.

Those were days of pain and humiliation, but Urukpaing gained much from them. They learned how to find their way, how to command people, and how to master energy techniques. Energy techniques were no longer such valuable secrets as they had once been. Urukpaing desperately learned the energy techniques the mercenaries handed down as though granting alms.

Fortunately, Urukpaing had talent and enthusiasm. Above all, their bitterness made them strong. Having mastered energy techniques, Urukpaing became quite powerful. Powerful enough that the mercenaries felt uncomfortable treating them carelessly.

So the mercenaries decided to let Urukpaing go.

Urukpaing was confused when the mercenaries told them to leave. They hated the mercenaries, but they had grown somewhat attached to them. They had gained power, but they weren't strong enough for revenge. More importantly, the money the mercenaries gave them as severance pay was fairly generous. Trading a little of their pride for money, they returned to Ende.

What they had learned was strength. If you had strength, people treated you well. If you had strength, people respected you. Pig beastkin were treated as insignificant because they lacked strength. Just as they had suffered humiliation in the mercenary band.

Urukpaing formed a mercenary company of pig beastkin. They would teach them energy techniques and become a source of strength for pig beastkin. So they could all be respected.

"Hoo..."

But it wasn't enough.

Ende was too large a prize. Pig beastkin lacked the strength and preparation to handle it now. Urukpaing's power couldn't control the chaos in Ende. Deliberately ignoring the reports that kept coming in, Urukpaing tipped back their drink.

"Time. We need time."

"You look troubled, Urukpaing."

I naturally sat beside them. Urukpaing looked at me through the greasy hair they hadn't washed for days.

"Heh heh. Magician. Good timing. I was almost tempted to borrow the power of magic."

"You've already gotten everything you wanted. What else do you want to borrow?"

"Everything?"

"Power in Ende. Thanks to all your efforts, the day has finally come when pig beastkin are treated with respect."

"Hmph. Power isn't important. What matters is the strength that lets you obtain it."

Urukpaing roughly emptied their cup. Tossing back the alcohol in one gulp, they let out a belch and muttered.

"We lack strength. This is power we seized thanks to Lord Gruel's strength. But he doesn't seem particularly interested in Ende. We orcs need to build up our strength, but there's too little time. And of all things, it's the King of Wolves...."

"Exactly. The King of Wolves is coming, so what are you going to do?"

"I don't know.... I don't know. We can't release the Obelisks either."

So they knew. Suppressing the laughter that threatened to escape, I spoke.

"Why can't you release them?"

"Why ask something so obvious? The moment we release them, they'll try to capture us. Absolutely not. All our heads will roll."

But the chaos would be brought under control. Maybe the Obelisks would propose cooperation to overcome the coming crisis, or Gruel would become more proactive.

Of course, no one knew what the future held. Yet one thing was certain. They would move to overcome the crisis.

...Urukpaing knew that too. They simply couldn't choose it.

"Then there's no helping it. You have no choice but to overcome the King of Wolves yourselves."

"Is there a way?"

"You don't do it because there's a way. You do it because you have to. As long as the King of Dogs is here, the King of Wolves will definitely come. The King of Wolves will try to kill every human. If you don't want to die, you have to fight. All of you."

"Easy for you to say when it isn't your problem."

"Not our problem? Azzy and I are directly involved. We came to Ende to fight the King of Wolves."

"Ah, is that so.... Why did you have to come now?"

Urukpaing's careless words suddenly made their body shudder as a chill ran down their spine. It was as though the alcohol they had drunk had evaporated in an instant. Their pleasant buzz vanished, replaced by an icy cold. Rigid with shock, Urukpaing turned over what they had just said.

'Wait. As long as the King of Dogs is here, the King of Wolves will come...? That means...'

That's right. Let's see how far you can go.

Hiding my cold intentions, I patted their shoulder and stood.

"I've already devised a strategy for dealing with the King of Wolves. Call for me once you're ready."

"Understood... Magician."

You understood well. Thank you. If you had been too drunk to understand, it would have caused me trouble.

I waved broadly as I left the tavern, so Urukpaing would have time to dwell on that thought more carefully.

Footnotes:

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