WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 548: Together with the Evil God

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What, some other strange thing crawled out now? An evil god? As far as I was concerned, the Celestial God was the evil god.

What even was an evil god? There was no way something like that could exist. How could demons that grew by feeding on people's wicked hearts exist? Whether the chicken or the egg came first was a fine topic for debate, but there was no debate over whether humans or demons came first. Demons were creations.

I asked the regressor.

"Shei, what's an evil god?"

"They're demons. Embodiments of sin that the First Holy Maiden sealed away long ago. They all vanished before the First Year began, but remnants remain."

"Why would something like that suddenly appear? Weren't we supposed to stop the King of Sin?"

"Evil gods are where it began. You could say they created the concept of sin."

I had never heard anything like that. If it was such an important concept, it should have come up in someone's thoughts long ago. Ah, I really didn't know anymore. At this point, I wondered if she was making fun of me.

"I don't know much about that, but recently, priests of the evil gods have been running rampant throughout the Kingdom of Ten Thousand. We've heard that an entire village was offered as a sacrifice, and those who lost their kin have been wandering from place to place. Many of those wanderers have come to Mortal Village as well."

"That's a useful lead. Can we meet them?"

"Of course. I'll introduce you. Guard!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

At Callis's call, a boy wearing large bone earrings rushed over and stood at attention. Callis gave him orders as naturally as though she were back in the military state.

"Is the Skull Tribe still staying at the shelter?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Guide these people to the Skull Tribe. Tell them Callis sent you. I'll finish the distribution and come over right away."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The barbarian boy awkwardly copied the military state's salute before approaching us. A barbarian without even a uniform looked strange trying to imitate it, but the boy seemed oddly fond of the military state's drill.

"Over here! Please follow me!"

The boy guided us with all the energy of a fresh recruit.

It was quite an experience.

The Skull Tribe wore animal skulls over their own heads. Since their custom required them to hunt increasingly larger animals as their heads grew, they had gradually evolved toward having smaller heads. Their heads were even smaller than the regressor's. Wearing deer skulls over their heads, they spoke in resonant voices.

The earth had opened, and an evil god had crawled out. Priests of the evil gods had sacrificed several other tribes.

It was so long-winded that it was practically useless. The only meaningful information was the location where the Skull Tribe had seen the evil god. Having told us everything they knew, they appealed to us.

"What are the immortals doing? Why aren't the immortals, who should protect the people of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand with their undying strength, helping us?!"

"The Kingdom of Ten Thousand fell a long time ago."

"What? The Kingdom of Ten Thousand fell? That's as likely as a lion grazing on grass! We're still alive and well!"

"Is news around here about a thousand years late, or are they romantics who believe a country still exists as long as its people do?"

The Kingdom of Ten Thousand had begun as a loose gathering of barbarian tribes.

Its government had a fairly organized ruling structure, like a kingdom or empire, but most barbarian tribes regarded the Queen as something closer to a legend or superstition. Paradoxically, that was why the Queen had been able to rule them. Barbarian tribes living in jungles and grasslands could not be controlled through civilization.

Perhaps that was why they had not felt the void left behind, even now, long after the Kingdom of Ten Thousand had fallen.

"How long do the immortals intend to stand by and watch?! If mortals keep dying one by one, won't there be nothing left in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand but immortals?!"

"Now, now. You're being awfully high-handed for people who came asking for help. Calm down."

Rashy answered more firmly than I expected. When the Skull Tribe's deer antlers suddenly fell silent, Rashy shrugged and continued.

"We're watching the situation too. As you say, if evil gods have appeared, won't we be next? Still, we're in a position where we must seek permission from our Offering God. We can't act rashly until the next offering ritual."

"An Offering God..."

At the mention of a god, the Skull Tribe could not speak carelessly. Unlike their gods, who existed only through tradition and faith, the immortals' god was real.

"The great spirit said to have granted immortality to the earthfolk... Is it still speaking to the immortals?"

"Of course. Isn't that why we're still immortals?"

They could not press further when divine permission was needed. The Skull Tribe lowered their heads in despair.

"Still, there's no reason we have to be the ones to help you."

"...There's someone who will help us?"

"These people came from beyond that grassland. I heard they're trying to stop the world's destruction or something. I don't know the details, but I'm sure they can help you!"

The Skull Tribe looked us up and down, then nodded.

"Outsiders? I thought they looked far too small to be strong immortals."

"Hahaha! They may look unimpressive, but their skills are the real thing! Judge them carelessly, and you'll regret it!"

"...Hmm."

Unable to shake their preconceptions, the Skull Tribe looked between me and the regressor suspiciously.

"They don't look capable of breaking a single branch. What could they possibly do against priests of the evil gods...?"

Ding ding ding!

Then a large bell began to ring. People reflexively ducked their heads, then rushed outside to see what was happening.

"What's going on?!"

"An attack!"

Callis's sharp voice rang out. Right after that, barbarians clad in metal armor began rushing toward the fence all at once.

In the middle of the confusion, someone pointed toward the trees and shouted.

"It's those monkey bastards!"

Mortal Village had a tall, sturdy fence, but no fence could be taller than ancient trees that had greedily absorbed the earth's vitality for over a thousand years. Hundreds, thousands of trees stretched their branches over the fence.

Several barbarians wearing monkey masks were perched in those trees, looking down at us. Irritating laughter drifted from beneath their masks.

"Kekeke. Everyone's hiding with their heads buried like ostriches. How long do they think the immortals will keep looking after them?"

One Monkey Mask raised a hand high. About twenty "monkeys" clinging to branches began creeping up the trees with animal-like laughter.

I looked at Rashy and asked.

"Monkeys? What are those supposed to be?"

"Scoundrels who live by commanding jungle monkeys! Shameless thieves with sticky fingers!"

"Then why did they come here?"

"There's only one reason thieves come! To steal!"

"Steal what...?"

Before I could question him further, the Monkey Masks showed me.

The monkeys that had crossed the fence on vines scattered swiftly throughout Mortal Village. People screamed and fled while the Monkey Masks bounded around with their long limbs, shouting.

"Bring back the young, fresh ones! The great spirit likes pure souls!"

"They're taking people!"

At that, Rashy kicked off the ground and ran. At the edge of his vision, a Monkey Mask happened to be trying to snatch a child from a woman.

"Who do you think you are, coming here?!"

Rashy threw out a huge fist. It was a swift strike that did not suit his massive body. The Monkey Mask noticed Rashy's approach and immediately flipped backward to avoid it. Rashy threw punch after punch like cannonballs, but it leaped about on bizarrely long limbs and evaded every attack.

"Damn it, there's an immortal!"

"Kekeke. He's slow! Ignore him and grab the children!"

The same thing was happening throughout Mortal Village. Callis and the vigilantes under her command led formations that drove the Monkey Masks back, but they could only reduce the damage, not defeat the enemy. The Monkey Masks mocked the vigilantes as they ransacked the village.

The regressor watched the sudden chaos and muttered.

"Right on time."

"Is this the Holy Maiden's blessing too?"

"Looks like the blessing worked properly this time. An incident happened at just the right moment."

"At this point, it feels like someone knows where we're going and causes an incident every time. What if we've been cursed instead of blessed?"

"It's something we can solve. That's much better."

A shadow rose behind us.

A Monkey Mask that had approached more swiftly and silently than most beasts stretched out a long arm and grabbed at the regressor's waist.

"Kekeke! Here's another strange-looking little one! I'll take..."

"Who are you calling little?!"

Heaven-Reversing Boundary, Thunderbolt.

Skywarbler shot out like lightning. The arm reaching for the regressor was severed completely, spraying blood like a fountain. The masked barbarian saw their prized long arm cut in half and screamed.

"Kieeeeeek!"

At the agonized scream, the Monkey Masks stopped their rampage and looked our way. The Monkey Mask with the severed arm clutched the bleeding stump and shrieked.

"Ookit! What was that?! What happened?!"

"You picked the wrong target."

The regressor extended Skywarbler and scanned the area.

On rooftops, behind walls, in the middle of roads, near the fence. In a single instant, she found every Monkey Mask. Breathing hard, she cut them all down with one swing. Invisible sword trails marked rooftops, walls, roads, and fences as sword winds tore the Monkey Masks apart.

The Monkey Masks were thrown back, coughing blood amid the gale. Startled by their companions' deaths, the remaining Monkey Masks cried out like frightened beasts.

"Kieeeek! It's wind! He's using a wind spirit!"

"Run! Run! Kieeeek!"

"Too late."

Now that they had caused trouble, there was no reason to spare them. We only needed to leave a few alive to interrogate and kill the rest. I had already read their thoughts, after all.

Still, we did not need to kill every last one. Before the regressor slaughtered all the intruders, I stopped her.

"Wait."

Just as I reached for the regressor's shoulder, the world suddenly dropped away and flipped upside down. The moment my hand touched her shoulder, her body slipped beneath me like a ghost and threw me down in one motion.

I was beyond used to this. I was sick of it.

Heaven-Reversing Boundary again. Could this damn technique not tell friend from foe? As I fell back-first toward the ground, the regressor was about to drive Skywarbler, held in a reverse grip, into me.

'Ah, Heaven-Reversing Boundary!'

A stab through the chest would not kill me anymore, so I had relaxed. Then the regressor reacted. Just before my back hit the ground, she pulled hard and hurriedly withdrew Skywarbler behind her body.

As a result of trying to change position so suddenly, the regressor and I rolled across the ground in a tangled heap.

"Don't touch me out of nowhere! I almost cut you!"

"How am I supposed to stop someone who tries to cut people without thinking if I can't touch them?"

"Why are you stopping me?"

The regressor casually used me for support as she got up and spotted the Monkey Masks fleeing through the branches. We could chase them if we wanted, but the jungle was dense and dark. Tracking every Monkey Mask as they scattered through the trees was not worth the effort.

"If you hadn't stopped me, they would all be dead by now!"

"Because we didn't kill them, we can find their hideout."

"What?"

"Those who got badly beaten will return to their hideout, right? If we follow them back, we'll find their hideout without lifting a finger."

We could capture one and think it over, or I could read minds. There was no need to take the long way around. The regressor thought for a moment, then answered.

"Is that so...? It is. Not bad."

"It's simple. You received the Holy Maiden's blessing and never thought of that?"

"You thought of it. That's enough."

The regressor grumbled as she got to her feet and looked over Mortal Village after the disturbance. Despite the sudden attack, its people seemed accustomed to situations like this. In this harsh barbarian land, enemy attacks were part of daily life.

Rashy dragged over a Monkey Mask's corpse and spoke as though he could not believe it.

"Those monkey bastards invaded our territory? Hah. If they'd simply come to visit, I would've treated them to a meal..."

Callis answered Rashy's muttering.

"Strictly speaking, this is not immortal territory. Mortal Village is only a place where wandering mortals stay. They cannot survive without the immortals' 'consideration.' If someone attacks again and Mortal Village cannot overcome it through its own strength, it will remain dependent forever."

After her cold reply, Callis issued orders to the vigilantes lined up before her. Mortal Village's vigilantes, armed with armor and spears in their own way, dispersed to count the people.

Then a vigilante who had approached a crying woman shouted.

"One child is missing!"

To the woman, that child was everything. To Mortal Village, it was only one among many children. Losing only one child in an attack of this scale was an impressive outcome.

"...It's regrettable, but it can't be helped. We can't chase monkeys through the jungle."

The woman's feelings had no place in that judgment. Callis made the rational decision expected of a military-state mage officer. The barbarians of Mortal Village showed little sign of it, but inwardly, they agreed with her.

Of course, we had no reason to follow Callis's judgment.

"We'll bring the child back."

They had kidnapped exactly one, so it was rather convenient.

Footnotes:

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