WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 55: Escape from Crisis No. 0

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Cold sweat began pouring down my body. My sweat-soaked clothes clung to my back.

What was I supposed to do? I didn't have any ability either. The truth was, I wasn't an instructor. I was a laborer who'd been dragged here.

Captain AB was also taking a great interest in the vampire right now. I had even teased and half-threatened her by using my position as her only collaborator in the Abyss. If the vampire escaped, Captain AB might try to kill me.

I had to talk my way into stopping the vampire from escaping somehow. But how? If I nodded, I had no means of getting him out. If I shook my head, she would fly out of here alone. What was I supposed to do?

Think. Think.

The one way to get through this crisis.

Ah.

Right.

That was it.

Use another piece instead of the general.

"Please wait a moment. Getting him out of here would be easier than turning over my left palm."

For the record, starting today, I'd decided never to turn over my palm, no matter who beat me to death. So it wasn't a lie.

I raised the fingers of my left hand, which I had decided not to turn over, and continued.

"But one thing is needed first. That condition hasn't been met yet."

"What is it?"

"Finlay's desire to leave this place."

The vampire looked puzzled.

"What a foolish question. Wouldn't he naturally want to return?"

"Then why don't you go back, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka?"

"I have lived far too long, and I don't particularly have anything to do outside..."

"By the same logic, Finlay could feel that way too, couldn't he? Whether he leaves this place depends on his own will. Unless you force him, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka."

If the vampire wished, she could order Finlay to die at once. Finlay might regret the life he had not fully lived, but he would obey the Progenitor's command. The blood that sustained his life, and all his power, came from the Progenitor.

Paradoxically, that was why the Progenitor kept her distance from other vampires.

Fearing that her words might cloud his judgment, the vampire firmly closed her mouth and stepped back. It meant she would not interfere with Finlay's decision.

Once I confirmed that, I spoke to Finlay.

"All right, Finlay. Listen carefully. You have two choices."

As though I were offering him some tremendous opportunity, I raised two fingers on my left hand.

"If we get you out, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka will remain here. You will never accomplish the purpose you came here for."

Then I folded one finger. One remained.

Everyone's eyes gathered on the finger standing tall. A visual display. All the weight fell on the one choice I would indicate with that finger.

Slowly folding it down, I said, "But if you decide to remain here, you'll gain the chance to stay with Trainee Tyrkanzyaka. You can serve the great Progenitor and leave open the possibility that she might one day consider hearing your story. It would be precious time you could never obtain by returning to the surface now."

After folding down the finger completely, I clenched my fist and declared, "This is an opportunity. Think carefully. Will you seize your chance in this land, or return to the surface?"

Finlay had entered the Abyss of his own accord, determined to persuade the Progenitor. Since he had not accomplished his goal, it was only natural that his desire to escape would be weak.

Until moments ago, he had intended to return because of the Progenitor's command. Now that the Progenitor had consciously withdrawn her influence, Finlay made a rational decision.

'He's right. There is nothing for me to gain if I return anyway. But there are things to gain here, and work that must be done. I must attend the Progenitor while she is alone! Perhaps one day, the Progenitor will find me worthy and grant my request!'

He dreamed of a brilliant future. Becoming the Progenitor's trusted retainer, returning to the surface with her, earning the greatest merit, and gaining glory.

The matter had already gone half to ruin, but Finlay made his decision to clutch at whatever little hope remained.

"Progenitor."

The vampire, who seemed to have guessed Finlay's decision, answered.

"Finlay. Do you truly intend to remain here?"

"If you permit it, I do."

If she did not permit it, he would go back up immediately. The command of the great Progenitor was something a mere thrall, not even an Elder, could not possibly refuse.

A thrall lost even their free will before the Progenitor. Knowing that, the Progenitor pitied them and respected their judgment as much as she could.

"Follow your own will."

"Thank you! This unworthy Finlay will remain in this Abyss and carry out the Progenitor's will!"

The vampire watched Finlay kneeling before her for a moment, then turned her gaze toward me.

"...But if his will changes, make it possible for him to return to the surface again at any time."

I should push back a little here. I couldn't make it seem too easy.

"You're quite the master, aren't you? Is this a hotel? Or am I some trainee's lackey? Why do you keep asking me to do things? Enough already."

I couldn't agree so easily. The instant I did, they would discover that I was nothing but a laborer.

I had to make him lose any desire to leave if possible, and make sure he couldn't leave either. Prepared to lower the vampire's opinion of me, I answered that way.

Then.

"You bastard!"

Finlay rose to his feet and shouted. The veins in his neck bulged as he pointed at me.

"Huh?"

"How dare a mere human refuse the Progenitor's request!"

"No, what do you mean, a mere human..."

"I cannot forgive your disrespect toward the Progenitor. It doesn't matter how powerful you are. I don't care if my body is reduced to a handful of blood. For the Progenitor's authority, I challenge you to a duel...!"

Wait.

He meant it. He saw me as overwhelmingly powerful, yet he was challenging me to uphold the Progenitor's authority even if it killed him.

The problem was that I was such a weakling that I couldn't even predict the outcome of a fight against the thrall of the thrall of the thrall of that Progenitor.

Damn it, was he really willing to throw his life away that easily? This was why vampires were like this! What was I supposed to do? If they found out I was weak here...!

"Stop, Finlay."

The vampire's solemn command. At that moment, Finlay stopped speaking, turned neatly around, and dropped to his knees.

Was he insane? While I stood there dumbfounded, the vampire spoke to me in a gentler tone.

"I have made nothing but unreasonable demands of you. You are not the king of this place either."

"Ah, no. Well."

"I will ask for your understanding again. Forget I said anything."

"All right, then."

"Yes. Thank you."

Something felt unpleasant. I looked toward the source of that strange discomfort.

That vampire Finlay didn't fear death much, did he?

To vampires, the Progenitor was something like a god and mother combined. Of course, plenty of people ignored both gods and mothers, but Finlay did not seem to be one of them. It wasn't so hard to understand him if I thought of him as a fanatic.

Hm. Nothing good would come of leaving someone like that around.

"Wait. I have something to say too."

Just as I was considering it, the regressor stepped in at the perfect time. She interrogated Finlay with sharp eyes.

"How did you get here? You could never have come by ordinary means."

As she spoke, the regressor's eyes turned orange.

The Vermilion Eye, the second of the Seven-Colored Eyes. The eye that looks down.

It was called the king's eye. It could minutely perceive everything within its range of sight, detecting suspicious signs in an opponent's body and items hidden in their pockets.

The regressor was even using her authority to pry something out of him when, before her...

"Shei."

"Hm?"

The vampire spoke up instead of Finlay.

"Let us stop the interrogation there. We have already exchanged many words. He has committed no crime, so what reason is there to question him further? Especially when you are a trainee."

"Huh? Wait, Tyrkanzyaka. This is important..."

"It is important. But it is not urgent. Tomorrow will bring the same day as today, so can't it wait one day? And Finlay is not obligated to answer your questions."

"B-but."

"Or will you ignore my will again?"

"N-no! Tyrkanzyaka! I..."

"Good. Then we will speak tomorrow. I have things to ask Finlay as well."

"Y-yes! All right!"

At the word yes, the regressor quickly nodded and backed away. The vampire rested her parasol on her shoulder again, while Finlay looked up at her with eyes full of unending admiration.

'As expected, the Progenitor holds the highest position even in a place like this! I am proud to be a noble of the night!'

Good grief, regressor. She had been completely cowed. It seemed the vampire's rebuke last time had hit her pretty hard.

Still, thanks. That had brought me an unexpected gain.

The regressor did not hear an answer, but I could read the answer that surfaced in Finlay's mind. I would take that answer for myself.

'That red-haired mage who gave me the information clearly said that the Progenitor was asleep. But when I arrived here, the Progenitor was already awake. It seems they awakened her. I do not know what method they used, but it is fortunate. I was spared the disrespect of waking the Progenitor myself.'

Oh? A red-haired mage. That was quite an impression. What was this about?

'The red-haired mage handed me a bracelet, saying that what I did with the information was my own concern. The mage told me that if I wore this parachute and fell into the Abyss, I could reach Tantalus. I lost it because of the shock when the parachute opened on the way down, though.'

Ah. So that was why he had hit the ground without a parachute. Good. The wreckage should be there, so I could retrieve it later.

'I had my doubts, but the mage's words were right. Then those words must be true as well.'

I only needed to read this last thought.

'The mage claimed to be an escapee from Tantalus.'

Huh? Wait. An escapee?

This was more important information than I thought. Escapees from Tantalus. If I could get even a clue about how they had escaped, I could finally end this miserable life!

Keeping him alive had been worth it. Delighted, I dug through his thoughts to find the key to escape hidden in Finlay's memories.

Then.

'He said there was no longer any way to escape Tantalus, and that if I descended, I would have no choice but to wait for the military state to pull me out... Still, I do not regret it. If I remain by the Progenitor's side, an opportunity will come eventually!'

Ah.

It was a dud.

Footnotes:

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