WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 508: Hour of the Dog and the Wolf - 1

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"...The most humiliating days of my life."

If anything, Sapien's words were an understatement. Gruel snorted and asked,

"Because you lost to beastkin?"

"Because the beastkin who defeated me ruined this city."

Ende was the city where Saint Enger planted a flag and built a settlement. Over the long years, it had borne many names, from Dawn Fortress and Pioneer Village to the Margravate and Free City, and changed as much as its names had.

Sapien, an Obelisk, descendant of the Margrave of Enger, and official of Ende, spoke through their humiliation.

"This is the land Saint Enger named himself. It wasn't enough for beastkin and savages to seize this city. I had to watch them abandon its pride and duty as well. It was shameful enough to make me want to bite my tongue off."

"For someone so ashamed, you sure have a glib tongue. Must be tougher than it looks."

"I won't be able to close my eyes even in death unless I restore this ruined city."

"You talk big for someone who's never died. Of all the dead people I've seen, only one couldn't close his eyes. His eyelids got eaten first."

Their conversation was little different from a duel, except neither had weapons. Of the two glaring at each other, Sapien was the first to back down. Not because they lacked courage, but because they had already lost once.

"Don't act like you're a king just because you beat me, Gruel. I'm merely one of the countless mediocrities found throughout the principalities. As a ki practitioner, you wouldn't even rank among the top five there. Add mages to the list, and there would be even more. Work harder if you don't want people to brand you by your nationality."

Gruel answered calmly despite Sapien's warning.

"Did you know? In my tribe, once you turn ten, you have to call your parents by their names. You can't use the words mother or father."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It means even ten-year-olds don't whine about telling Mommy and Daddy. Get it now?"

Sapien's face reddened at the blatant insult, but they soon struck back beautifully.

"My apologies. I thought it was a custom born because parents die young there. I apologize."

"...Hah."

Caught by an unexpected blow, Gruel let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan. Sapien had not known it, but that tradition truly had arisen because they lost their parents early.

No, the fact that Sapien hadn't known made it hurt worse. Death must have been far rarer in the principalities.

Once they had both wounded each other and their exchange had briefly calmed, the sound of hooves ended their standoff.

A horse beastkin rushed in on the breeze and cheerfully waved at Sapien.

"Sapien! You had it rough! Still, I'm glad you're in one piece!"

"Teia."

Teia, a member of Oberli and the honorary postmaster of the Express Clan Courier Service, casually approached Sapien. Gruel was bewildered by the sight of someone treating an official like a friend, but Sapien answered as though they were used to it.

"Did you catch the horse beastkin who caused the looting in Ende?"

"Yep! I might not be great at guarding stables, but I'm good at bringing back horses that ran off!"

"My apologies. You should still be recovering."

"If you know that, praise me!"

"Thank you. You did well."

"What, just words?"

"...How about we have a race sometime? Though it's obvious I'd lose."

"Hehehe! Great! No taking it back!"

Teia winked and skipped outside. She seemed to be walking lightly, but by the time anyone noticed, she was already far away.

Gruel was privately surprised by her speed.

'Fast.'

It was common sense that horse beastkin were quick, but she was faster than any horse beastkin Gruel had ever seen.

"What was that?"

Sapien frowned.

"Watch your words. She's an imperial racing horsekin."

"A racehorse?"

"A horse-person. A horse beastkin."

Feeling that further explanation was needed, Sapien continued before Gruel could ask.

"Horsekin racing, a sport where horse beastkin who have mastered ki compete, is still popular in the Empire. She was the greatest racing horsekin of her era. She retired because of an injury, though."

"An imperial racing horsekin is equal to an official?"

"Of course not."

Sapien answered almost urgently, as if determined to prevent any misunderstanding.

"I'm the one who ought to speak respectfully to her. She's easygoing, so we speak casually with each other."

Gruel asked in disbelief.

"What? To a horse beastkin? I know the Empire's discrimination is severe, not less so."

"That's how it is, Gruel. No one in the Empire believes racing horsekin and humans are equal. Yet if they had to choose which of the two should die, countless people would choose the human without hesitation. Some have made that choice more than a hundred times."

Sapien had seen enough of the wilds. The barbaric land where beasts armed with horns, teeth, and claws enforced the logic of survival of the fittest through strength was brutal enough.

But when they turned their eyes to the Empire, the height of civilization, was it truly the opposite of savagery?

Sapien knew it was not. That was why, even while ruling as an official, they did not look down on or mistreat beastkin.

Humans were not equal among themselves to begin with. That was why they felt no aversion to discriminating against beastkin.

"Discrimination" was natural.

"If it wasn't an imperial citizen but some lowborn person from the principalities, they wouldn't even consider it. Gruel, you should be grateful that you only imprisoned me. If you had attacked her, the Empire might have created a new sport called Beast Faction hunting. Not that she's someone who would let herself be caught."

"...There really is all sorts of nonsense out there."

"You need to know all sorts of things to govern a city. The pig beastkin's downfall was inevitable. They had never governed a city before."

Since the Obelisks returned, the city still creaked, but it was slowly taking shape. That was not because the Obelisks were exceptional. They were simply more accustomed to it.

Still, the gap was enormous. Gruel was an outsider, of course, but even the pig beastkin who had lived in the city did not know what resources existed where, much less how to access them.

Without Mayor Triber's help in every possible way, the city would have collapsed in a day. After observing the city for several days and hearing what had happened, Gruel understood that much.

They also understood something else.

"Still, it doesn't look impossible."

"What?"

"You Obelisks puff out your chests, but all you do is borrow and gather the strength of other clans. Sheep beastkin make military supplies, cattle beastkin plow the land and set traps, and horse beastkin gather and move people. What do you do? Growl? Oh dear, that's what dog beastkin do."

"As Ende's officials, we coordinate everyone and demonstrate strength..."

"Mayor Triber coordinates everyone. And strength?"

Sapien's Obelisks had been able to rule not only because of their authority as officials, but because they had strength. If wild beastkin could be persuaded with words alone, there would never have been a saying about preaching to a cow.

With a far greater force now plainly present, the Obelisks' importance could only diminish. All the more so after they had suffered defeat once.

"Isn't your strength insufficient? That's why you're borrowing our help."

Gruel pointed that out and shrugged.

No matter how strong the Obelisks were, they lacked hands and were slow to act. With their authority diminished and their fighting strength reduced, the Obelisks alone could not resolve the chaos breaking out across the city while preparing for war. Gruel, who had taken full control of the pig beastkin and the city, was a force Ende desperately needed.

'Pig beastkin could run the city well enough if they just had the Obelisks' know-how? Hmph. As if that were possible...'

Yet the largest part of the city's administration was being handled by Mayor Triber, a dog beastkin. If Gruel had managed Ende from the beginning instead of Orcma, the outcome might truly have been different. Sapien fell into thought.

'It's fortunate enough if the pig beastkin don't cause trouble, but they all follow orders so perfectly that it's frighteningly... convenient. I have to admit it. Their community is far more close-knit and organized than I expected. They're helpful now, but they may threaten Ende in the future...'

Still, faced with the King of Wolves, a small threat that might come someday was far too trivial. Sapien chose their words before replying.

"...We wouldn't need to borrow your help if we weren't fighting wolves."

"You said you're destined to fight the wolves whether you like it or not, didn't you? Then you had no choice but to borrow it."

"You aren't any different."

Naturally, the Beast Faction, which directly competed with the wolves, was in a more urgent situation than Ende. Gruel nodded readily.

"For now, we should help the King of Dogs get rid of the wolves first. Keep your complaints down until then."

"...Fine. Let's defeat the King of Wolves first."

In the end, there was only one conclusion.

The King of Wolves. They would deal with everything else after defeating the enemy threatening humanity.

Gruel suddenly looked around.

"By the way, where's the Magician?"

"Why?"

"He said he had a plan."

Looking for an outsider in front of Ende's highest military authority was an overreach. Sapien replied, clearly displeased.

"If it's a plan you want, we have one too."

"My kin suggested the same old-fashioned plan of laying a lot of traps. I've tried it, and it won't be nearly enough. The wolves will avoid the traps or dismantle them outright."

Sapien, who had heard no news while confined, asked in shock.

"Dismantle them? Wolves?"

Sapien tended to accept the circumstances before them because they were rational, but that was all. They were still an official with deeply rooted prejudices.

The moment Gruel realized that, they wanted to throw everything aside.

"Hah. You and I both have far too much we don't know. You don't even know that wolves use ki, do you?"

"What? There's no way animals could imitate such a refined technique created by humans."

With enough experience, even pig beastkin could govern a city. It had only been something Gruel said casually before, but now they seriously believed it was possible.

Humans and pig beastkin were not that different.

Just as the Magician had said.

"So where's the Magician?"

* * *

"Hm? What did you say?"

By chance, I ran into Teia and explained the plan to her, as she would be a key player in this war.

"Just as it sounds, Teia. You'll have to become the bait that lures in the King of Wolves."

Footnotes:

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