WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 532: What Does the Tiger Leave Behind

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That was a truly unexpected answer. I had read Nevida's thoughts before, and Nevida was the person farthest removed from sin.

Nevida was an ancient druid who had lived since before Year One, when the King of Humanity still existed. Sin? Nevida did not care about something like that. It was not food, so why worry about sin? Better to go hunting or cultivate crops instead. Ideologically, Nevida was probably the person most similar to me.

When I read Nevida's thoughts, there was only one thing that interested Nevida: the King of Humanity lost long ago. It did not seem like Nevida believed that person necessarily had to be me, though.

"The Archdruid collects sin? How?"

"I don't know exactly. But..."

‘When I wasn't involved, the King of Sin was a woman inside the fruit growing on the Tree of Corruption.’

Ha. This situation was starting to feel a little more complicated.

The regressor did not seem to be lying. It was true that Nevida had tried to create the King of Humanity. Nevida's Demon God, the Tree of Origin, had spread tens of thousands of branches, but they all led toward a single human.

And the King of Humanity Nevida had "created" while committing every imaginable taboo might have become the King of Sin. The regressor's guess was reasonable.

Still, one question remained unanswered.

"Wait. Then what about Azzy? How are you going to explain that halo?"

Azzy was still trying to grab her ring. By now, she looked like she was simply playing. The regressor seemed puzzled by the sight of her, who looked as far removed from the concept of sin as the other side of the world.

‘Right? A ring of holy light is only given to Saints and Holy Maidens, so why did one appear over Azzy?’

"...Hmm. I think we'll have to ask."

"Ask who?"

"The Holy Maiden, of course."

"Excuse me?"

Even if there was no one else to ask, she wanted to go to the Sanctum?

The regressor glanced at me before continuing.

"Don't take this the wrong way. You wanted to go to Holy Mountain Yulim, where Skywarbler was sealed, right? Holy Mountain Yulim is the Sanctum's holy site. We'll need the Sanctum's permission to enter Yulim anyway. We can ask while we're at it."

"The Holy Maiden hates me. Do you think I want to get killed just trying to ask her something?"

"You don't need to go in person. There should be a Rakion Grand White Wall at a nearby monastery. You can contact the Holy Maiden through it. If I explain, she'll answer."

The Rakion Grand White Wall was a wall of revelation through which the Sanctum conveyed its will to monasteries across the continent. If there was one, we could contact the Sanctum without going there.

Still, being able to contact someone and getting an answer were not the same thing. Even if we asked, whether they answered was up to them.

"What makes you so special, Shei?"

"I'm Skywarbler's owner. Skywarbler is a treasure closely connected to the Sanctum."

‘In the seventh loop, I somehow received Skywarbler from the commander of the Heavenly Holy Sword Corps. In the eighth loop, I passed the Holy Maiden's test and became Skywarbler's owner. After that, Skywarbler came to my side even without me going to Yulim. Showing Skywarbler alone should guarantee me some standing.’

Would it, though? Well, I would be happy if it did. The Sanctum was closely connected to the Demon God, but approaching it was practically impossible for me. Without the regressor, I would not even know how to get close to the Sanctum.

I could admit that much. Hmm.

"A treasure closely connected to the Sanctum... Hmm."

"...What? What is it?"

"Nothing. It just feels like you aren't even trying to hide who you are anymore."

As a mind-reader, I knew she was a regressor, but to anyone else, she would just look like a member of the Holy Sword Corps. Like a strategic weapon the Sanctum had raised by pouring every kind of treasure into her.

How long was she going to live while being misunderstood? Revealing that she was a regressor would bring its own trouble, but if people were going to keep suspecting her, she should just come clean.

"...Even if I tell you who I am, you won't believe me."

"I can't believe you because you don't tell me. Tell me. I'll decide whether to believe you or not."

‘That I regressed, that I returned after going through more than ten apocalypses. Even if I said that, he probably wouldn't believe me. No, if I told him, he would question my true intentions too. I can leave this loop and move on to the next one, so I'm an outsider to time...’

Ha, seriously. Should I just reveal that I was a mind-reader first? If she realized her inner thoughts were exposed, she would not even think of hiding anything anymore.

But then she might avoid me entirely from the next loop onward. I had far more to lose. The regressor could flip the board and start over, but this was my last game!

"...If we reach Holy Mountain Yulim."

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you everything. What I am, and what happened."

After saying that much, the regressor turned away, as if she had nothing more to say.

It was not as much as I had hoped for, but getting this far was still a tremendous improvement. Pressing the regressor further would only make her more wary, and I needed to go to Yulim anyway. It was a decent deal.

"All right. Don't forget you said that."

Just then, the doorbell rang outside. The food had arrived. Leaving the regressor behind, I went to receive it. Once we reached Yulim, everything would become clear.

...Wait. Come to think of it, Yulim was the Sanctum's holy site. Once we got there, would there really be anything left that I did not know? If I read the Holy Maiden's thoughts, I could learn nearly every secret, could I not?

What was this? Had that regressor sold me an empty promise?

...I should eat first and think later. I turned away from a truth too difficult to believe.

* * *

"...This is difficult."

"Woof? What is?"

"Hughes. He's wary of me."

"Woof woof?"

"It's only natural that he doesn't trust me... But I'm the same. There's something about Hughes. You know that too, Azzy."

"Woof? Woof?"

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Woof, you don't know? Human!"

"Human? The King of Humanity? You mean Hughes?"

"Woof!"

"What about him? He's an unfathomable man who lost his power and only has petty tricks left."

"I know what he's like inside! Humans are beasts. Simple!"

"Hughes is simple? Are you serious?"

"Woof!"

"How can he be? Hughes is all twisted up inside."

"No! Woof! That one likes humans."

"I can't believe Hughes likes humans to begin with... He's always calling humans beasts."

"That's right! Beasts! That's why he likes humans who like humans! Like me!"

"Humans who like humans?"

"I like humans because they like dogs. Humans like me because dogs like humans too. We're friends."

"Friends..."

"And you like humans!"

"M-Me? You mean I like Hughes?"

"No, not one human. Lots of humans! Woof! You're kind!"

"Oh, that's what you mean... Huh? That's strange too. I don't really like humans..."

"You do! Woof! I know!"

"I don't think I do..."

"That's why that human likes you too!"

* * *

"...is!"

Surprisingly, Teia had come to deliver the food personally. I wondered if the head of the Messenger Clan had so little to do that she was making deliveries, but Teia had not come merely as a delivery worker.

"You heard, right? What do you think?"

It looked like Ende had plenty to worry about too. They were even asking me for advice. Not that I could help just because they asked.

"Yes. But hearing about it doesn't mean I can do anything."

"No! You know the mount... Mm! The one that cannot be named better than anyone! I just wanted your opinion!"

"Well, that much is certain. Even if you use the Mountain Lord's name, the Mountain Lord won't be offended or seek revenge. The Mountain Lord is a beast, after all."

Even after I kindly answered, Teia asked again with a terrified expression.

"Can you really say the name of the one that cannot be named so freely?"

"What is this one that cannot be named? The Mountain Lord?"

"Roar. Did you call?"

The moment I finished speaking, the Mountain Lord appeared behind us as if summoned. Whoever coined the saying about tigers appearing when you spoke of them had ruined everything. Because of them, I could not even say tiger freely.

The Mountain Lord smacked her lips as she looked at Teia and me, both frozen with fear.

"Smack, smack. What a lamentable thing. I answered your calls, yet you fear me instead."

"A tiger appearing behind us is scary..."

"Then do not call for me. I cannot match the rhythm of humans."

Come to think of it, the Mountain Lord had disappeared now and then. She seemed to have appeared every time someone called her, terrifying the people of Ende.

Apparently, Ende wanted to use that to spread a false rumor that this land was under the Mountain Lord's rule.

Even Teia, who had the fastest feet in Ende, could not avoid fearing the Mountain Lord. Teia dropped flat on the ground and held out the pot.

"Mountain Lord! Here is the mea... Huh?"

"Smack, smack. This meat is too soft for me. I cannot even tell that I am eating it."

"You can tell perfectly well! You've already devoured ten pieces!"

"Ten pieces? That is only a mouthful to me."

The Mountain Lord slurped down the meat like noodles, wiped her mouth with a front paw, and smacked her lips. She was an even bigger pig than Azzy. Well, she was a tiger, so I supposed that was unavoidable.

"Th-Then I'll be going!"

Teia set down the pot and bolted. Her retreating figure, fleeing with her tail wagging, seemed to catch the Mountain Lord's attention, and the Mountain Lord stared silently after Teia. Before long, though, she lost interest and pulled out another piece of meat to chew, bones and all.

Whew. That was a relief. I thought she might chase after Teia out of habit.

"Hey. Tiger."

"Roar?"

"How long are you planning to stay here?"

"That depends on my whim. Still, I feel something."

"What?"

"The dog is taking away my savagery."

The Mountain Lord, chewing noisily on bones, glanced toward the manor.

"There were too many things in this land calling for me. So I bore the trouble and watched over my territory. Yet the humans with ears screamed and turned their backs to run. It made me want to chase them."

"You held yourself back well."

What were people doing, provoking a predator's instincts? If the Mountain Lord suddenly charged at them and used their backs as scratching posts, they would have no right to complain. Had people forgotten everything about dealing with tigers these days?

"That is the strange part. I had no reason to endure."

For a human, chasing someone down and biting them to death was obviously something one should never do. For a tiger, it was as natural as instinct. Resisting it was impossible without being thoroughly tamed.

But there was no way the Mountain Lord, the King of Tigers, had been tamed. The reason lay elsewhere, and the tiger had instinctively realized it.

"Just as the wolf did, the dog is affecting me. No, perhaps it is because of the human affecting the dog."

So Azzy's very presence was suppressing the Mountain Lord's aggression. The Mountain Lord could kill humans if she wanted to, but if she was not hungry, there was no need to kill them. Azzy, who had become the King of Gentleness, must have been emphasizing the mercy of beasts.

It seemed Ende wanted the Mountain Lord to remain here for a long time and use her as a deterrent, but a Beast King was not so easy to use. Unless it was livestock, or at least a beast friendly toward humans, even coexistence was difficult.

I should send the Mountain Lord home before she destroyed Ende.

"We'll be leaving soon too. You have nothing to do if you stay in the city anyway, right? What if another tiger settles in your territory while you waste time here?"

"Roar."

Tigers were territorial animals. They needed at least one mountain peak as their land to sustain those huge bodies. The only enemy of a strong, terrifying tiger was another tiger. That was why tigers did not form packs.

Remembering her territory, the Mountain Lord stood without the slightest sign of hesitation.

"I shall return. That wolf... That troublesome beast has made things troublesome."

"Think of it as taking a short trip. Anyway, goodbye. I wasn't especially happy to meet you."

"Nor was I. Humans, you are too savage. If I remain near you, I too will be swept up in it."

The Mountain Lord leaped away without regret. In a single bound, she landed atop the roof, her robe fluttering as she looked down at me.

"I shall return to my mountain. Human, I will watch from atop a hill's rock, beyond the mountain ridge, to see how the savagery that changed even me changes you."

With only those words left behind, the Mountain Lord leaped away and vanished, leaving behind nothing but a large pile of bones.

...Damn tiger. She ate everything before leaving. I would have to go get more.

Footnotes:

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