WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 567: A Story Left Behind. A Dog Doesn't Abandon Its Person

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Once the battle between the two absolute beings ended, nothing but silence remained in the forest. There were no insects chirping or birds singing. The hastily created forest had not had time for life to take root.

Amid the thick brush and trees, where Rashy could not see even three meters ahead, he, restored by the power of immortality, woke the companion sleeping in his arms.

"Callis. Callis. Are you feeling any better?"

Callis did not answer, only groaned. Rashy watched her burn with fever, worry filling his face.

After eating the Offering God's remains, Callis had gained the power of immortality. Her bleeding had already stopped, and every wound on her body had vanished without a trace. Rashy instinctively understood that she had gained the Offering God's power.

Her body was not the problem, though. Her mind was.

What effect would the Offering God's power have on Callis? Rashy had no way of knowing. Before long, he shook his head and pushed aside his concern.

Worrying would not solve anything.

"Teacher? Kid? Are you there?"

There was no answer. Nevida and the other two seemed to have vanished as well. Rashy was a little concerned for the two, but that was not something he could solve by worrying either.

Instead, Rashy looked for his own kind.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Rashy tore through vines with both arms and pulled up roots to rescue the immortals. Their condition was not bad. Unlike the Piu, they were immortals. Even wrapped in thorny vines and buried beneath tree roots, they were alive and well.

'...The aftermath is worse than I thought. This must have reached Mortal Village.'

The battle between the two absolute beings had gone beyond common sense. Light burned the trees and created storms, while the forest drew in air and swelled its own body. It was as though two forces of nature had clashed, leaving scars upon the world.

Nevida had disappeared, but the green explosion still writhed as it devoured the world.

Only then did Rashy remember what he had forgotten until now.

'Wait. The Piu? What happened to the Piu?'

Even immortals could have died if things had gone wrong. What about the Piu, who could die for the smallest reasons?

'It couldn't be helped. I was too busy saving my own life! But I have a little breathing room now, so I should go check on them!'

Rashy could not leave Callis in this strange forest anyway. He merely made sure his fellow immortals had regained some awareness, then quickly set out to leave the forest.

After walking for quite some time, Rashy began to sense something was wrong. The dense brush and trees slowed him down, but even accounting for that, there was no end in sight. The terrain had already been swallowed by the forest, making it impossible to tell which way he was going.

Rashy roughly shoved aside the brush blocking his view and kept walking blindly in search of an end.

Then Rashy spotted something and stopped.

An artificial decoration that did not belong in a primordial forest was visible behind the vines. Once Rashy saw what it was, he muttered.

"This is where Mortal Village... used to be?"

Rashy's ominous feeling had come true. The explosion of trees had reached Mortal Village in the end. The trees were less dense here than at the center, but if the village had been swept up in it, the Piu would have died before they could resist.

"Hello! Is anyone there?"

Perhaps someone had survived. Rashy shouted at the top of his lungs, but only his voice echoed back from the trees.

Rashy headed toward the nearest building. Vines had wrapped around its support beams and snapped them, leaving the structure leaning crookedly. He tore off the rattling door, then immediately regretted it.

Grass and trees packed the building so tightly that they seemed ready to burst out.

Even recovering the bodies looked difficult. Frowning, Rashy threw the door away.

If every Piu had died in that explosion...

"Woof!"

Rashy quickly turned his head. He had briefly forgotten it, but the bark was familiar. A faint hope rose within him. It was unlike the cry of any other beast, full of goodwill toward humans.

Rashy ran toward the sound.

It was easier to move now than before. It was not just Rashy's imagination. Claw marks, tree trunks bitten apart, earth torn up by digging. The massive forest had been carved through by the traces of a stronger, more violent beast.

Adjusting Callis in Rashy's arms, he followed the path at a run. Before long, he found the Piu sitting around a campfire.

The Piu, armed and equipped as a makeshift militia, spotted Rashy and shouted.

"Mr. Rashy!"

"You're all alive!"

"No, we nearly died! If it weren't for this one, we would have been caught in it and killed for sure!"

As if on cue, the militia pointed at Azzy. Azzy, filling her stomach with a piece of meat, barked in response when everyone looked at her.

Her once-hard claws had worn down and become short. She must not have stopped kicking even then, because dried blood clung to the dirt around her feet. Twigs and leaves had made a mess of her hair and skin. One of her eyes had been scratched, and she kept squinting in discomfort.

If she had only run away, she would not have been hurt.

Those were the traces of her fighting the forest to save people.

"She woke us all in the middle of the night and dragged us away!"

"Then light fell from the sky, the forest caught fire, and soon the enraged forest came down on us."

"By the way, Mr. Rashy. What happened? Could the rumors be true?"

"What rumors? I need to know what you're talking about before I can tell you if they're true."

"...People are saying the Offering God became angry because the forest burned. They're causing an uproar, saying we should offer as sacrifices those who argued for setting the fire. We've stopped them for now, but..."

That was completely wrong. Rashy was not good at explaining things, and what had just happened was such a massive incident that explaining it was difficult in the first place.

Rashy scratched his chin awkwardly. Taking the gesture as confirmation, the people shouted furiously.

"I knew it! The Earth Mother got angry because they dared burn the forest!"

"The World Tree took revenge because they burned its body!"

"Offer sacrifices! That woman who started the fire too!"

When the crowd's anger turned toward Callis, Rashy's expression hardened.

"Don't spout bullshit. That's not what happened."

"Then why did the world split apart and the forest become enraged?"

"How would I know?"

"It must be the Offering God's will! You're trying to let it slide because your wife committed a sin!"

No. The Offering God had been a pathetic god, killed by Evil Omen and turned into a tree. Callis, who had eaten its fruit, was now the Offering God.

But how was Rashy supposed to explain that? Even he, who had witnessed it all himself, did not fully understand it yet.

While Rashy chose his words, several Piu who had found someone to blame jeered.

"Everyone from beyond the grasslands is like this! I knew it the moment she set the fire for her own greed. A lowly woman who was sold here, no less!"

"...What did you say?"

Immortals were generous and kind because they could not be hurt. But if someone attacked their honor instead of their bodies, nobody could guarantee the attacker's safety.

Callis was Rashy's companion, as well as a holy woman carrying the god he was meant to serve. As they slandered Callis, he lost his temper for a moment. Usually, he might have endured it a few more times, but after narrowly escaping death over and over, he was on edge too.

"Wooof."

At that moment, Azzy gave a long bark. She walked before those who were about to fight and barked in displeasure.

"Offering God not angry!"

The farther a savage land was from law and morality, the more it valued loyalty. Saving others was not taken for granted there, which made it all the more precious. The Piu respected Azzy as their benefactor and listened to her words.

"Angry, you are! You want be angry! But you can't be angry!"

It was not a god that had become angry. It was the humans who had nearly died. Agitated by fear and confusion, they were only trying to find somewhere to pour out those feelings.

Seeing through their emotions, Azzy barked as though scolding them.

"I saved you! Nobody lost! Nothing to be angry about!"

Azzy had saved all of them, so she had the right to say it. Suddenly ashamed, the Piu lowered their heads.

So did Rashy.

For one brief moment, Rashy had thought they were ungrateful. He had thought they had the nerve to insult him after settling in the village through his goodwill. Yet he had done nothing for them while taking their respect for granted.

Immortal or not, Rashy was still human. He only wanted to release his own confusion and fear.

Just like the Piu.

'We're no different. Me, the Piu, and even the Offering God.'

Rashy gave a hollow laugh and took a deep breath. Was there any reason to hold back just because it was hard to explain? Even with his poor way with words, he should tell them.

That was when a ring appeared above Azzy's head, and a figure made of light appeared with it.

She was a delicate yet dignified young girl. Her beauty seemed painted, and yet there was something unreal about her appearance. Her eyes were closed as if she were sleepy, but she looked directly at Azzy and smiled softly.

[This dream... Whenever I dream it, it is so happy and warm...]

The Holy Maiden of Heaven had appeared suddenly, but she was too beautiful and sacred to inspire fear. The Piu only stared at her in surprise.

Rashy, who had already encountered that being once, could not help but feel afraid.

"You!"

[Hmm? Have you seen me before?]

Tilting her head, the Holy Maiden of Heaven covered her mouth for a moment and murmured.

[It seems our possibilities have crossed. For me to be observed twice in one branch of the future... Even if I do not wish it, will the flow of the future converge here after all? I wonder what happened here.]

Rashy tried to speak, but no sound came out. Startled, he touched his throat. His throat trembled without issue, but his voice would not escape it.

The Holy Maiden of Heaven's voice rang in Rashy's confused ears.

[I'm sorry, but I sealed your voice. Since I have appeared at two points in time, I must not observe too much information at this point. The more precisely I hear about the time and events, the greater the deviation in my existence becomes. Please let me infer everything myself.]

'What does that mean? Didn't that mass of light fight Nevida just a moment ago? Why is she acting as though she has never experienced it?'

Then Rashy realized that the Holy Maiden of Heaven looked younger than she had back then. Since she was made of light, he could not tell by how much, but she seemed purer and livelier now.

[Even so... I was defeated on this land in the end.]

With a faint smile, the Holy Maiden of Heaven approached Azzy. Azzy only stared quietly at the mysterious being before her.

[Still, it makes me so happy to have a good friend who always cares for humans. This child is kind, powerful, and diligent. Ah. If only humans could be even half as much like this child...]

The Holy Maiden of Heaven's voice grew softer toward the end, until it was difficult to understand. Whatever worries she was sinking into, Azzy neither knew nor needed to know.

Even looking at that figure, Azzy barked happily.

"Woof! Me, friend!"

Footnotes:

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