WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 584: This Is a Sad Self-Introduction

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The countdown has begun. Let every human who desires the King of Humanity gather. I’ll grant all your wishes at once. Nevida will have to hurry a little too. People who never contributed a thing will come and pressure her as though they had left something in her care.

I hope you don’t think I’m being too harsh. If I’m going to grant your wishes anyway, it’s more efficient to handle them all at once, isn’t it?

"Hughes. I need to recover my strength. Help me."

It seemed the regressor had sensed the tension too.

"It’ll still take a while for you to heal completely."

"I don’t need to heal completely. I just need to be able to move."

"You’ll have aftereffects."

"I don’t care."

"You should. Aftereffects will weaken you."

There was a reason they were called aftereffects. If it only ended with your joints aching occasionally, that would not even count. Joints ache whenever it rains.

"But I need to use my strength right now. I can’t remain a bystander. I need to stop Nevida..."

"Shh!"

The great witch’s familiar was still nearby. Nevida would not be watching us personally, but that did not mean she would refuse to hear what the great witch told her.

"All right. You hate being stuck with useless arms right now, Shei. That’s only natural. It must be frustrating not being able to move them."

"...Yeah. It is."

‘So it’s because of the surveillance. You want me to establish a pretext to deceive whoever’s watching?’

"And I hate that your arm is tied up too, Shei. You keep clinging to me and making me wait on you. It’s annoying enough that I might lose what little affection I have left."

"W-What?! It can’t be helped! Besides, you were the one who started taking care of me! It’s not like I demanded it that often!"

You understood it was because of the surveillance a moment ago. Why was your reaction so disconnected? More than anything else, I needed to make this girl read something longer than three paragraphs.

"I’m saying it’ll be good for both of us if your arm gets back to normal. How much feeling do you have in it?"

"My senses are fine. I can feel cold and heat, and my sense of pain is normal too."

"That’s fortunate."

"That’s the problem. It’s too normal. It still hurts. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Or did you do something?"

"Who knows? I’ve never had my arm torn off, and I don’t plan to experience it either."

The regressor’s recovery was fast. Her mastery of qi arts probably played a part, but the Demon God had been even more effective.

I had connected her nerves with Thunder Coil and her blood vessels with bloodcraft. I had filled in the broken bone fragments with a little alchemy. From a purely mechanical perspective, the regressor’s body had almost fully recovered.

"I think what you need is rehabilitation training, Shei. If you move your body and stimulate your senses and muscles, you should recover quickly."

"Yeah. So untie these bandages and take the medicine out of my pocket."

"And make you food while I’m at it?"

"...Yeah."

"What? I really am waiting on you."

"I’m injured! Do you have to make such a big deal out of helping me for a moment?"

"I don't expect repayment, but I don't want to get scolded."

"Ugh. Fine. I’ll repay you! What do you want?"

"Nothing in particular?"

"Hey!"

What could you possibly repay me with? You did not know much, you were strong in an awkward way, and I did not even know whether I would receive what you had promised me.

Anyway, I removed the regressor’s bandages and gave her the elixir. Her shoulder blade was covered in dark bruises, but once she concentrated her energy arts, the swelling slowly subsided and her skin regained its color.

The regressor poured all her strength into her fingertips. Her pinky twitched. It was an incredibly feeble movement compared to her will, but the fact that it had moved was what mattered.

"Ugh..."

"Don’t move it wildly. First, let’s check your range of motion. I’ll lift your arm, so tell me when it hurts."

"Okay..."

Standing behind the regressor, I supported her arm below the elbow and slowly lifted it. Her body flinched in pain each time her arm rose. Still, this was only the level of muscle pain. The regressor gritted her teeth.

Then my mind-reading picked up someone’s thoughts.

‘What should I try today? Should I go look for a new parrot with Pero? Since I got that mask, should I try the elephant graveyard?’

This was... the great witch’s thoughts, wasn’t it? If I could read them, she must be nearby today.

‘No. The human fruit is nearly ripe, isn’t it? If I’m picking one, I should choose the limited menu. Let’s conduct an ecological survey of the King of Humanity!’

What ecological survey? You were peeping. Why were you so excited about it when you were a voyeur?

Still, the great witch could not know that I was using mind-reading. Go ahead and watch. There would not be a single thing to make you suspicious.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"It hurts even though I only lifted it this much?"

"Ugh. You used too much strength..."

"I did exactly the same thing. You just couldn’t endure it."

"Anyway, slow down a little!"

"All right. I’m lowering it now, so try to tense up and hold it."

"...Okay."

Rehabilitation training began with checking the range of motion. Limbs becoming stiff did not mean they literally turned to stone. It meant the muscles had tensed and contracted after receiving a major shock.

In the regressor’s case, parts had been completely severed as well as stiffened, so I needed to move her arm to its limits like this, stimulating it and releasing the tension.

To assess her condition as well, I carefully helped her exercise by lifting and lowering her arm.

‘Oh my. Has it finally started? The King of Humanity held back for a long time!’

What? What kind of absurd thought was that?

‘Of course something was bound to happen when a female and a male were left together in one room.’

"Mm? Hughes, I think you stopped."

"Ah, yes. Just a moment."

We were doing rehabilitation training. What did that great witch think I was? No, what did she think this perfectly wholesome situation was?

As I read the great witch’s thoughts, I soon understood why she had imagined that. The great witch was using an insect familiar to spy on the room. A witch accustomed to a familiar’s senses could see the world through an insect’s eyes, but that view differed greatly from human vision, especially in its sense of distance.

Through the insect’s eyes, the regressor and I looked like we were embracing.

Did possessing an insect turn your brain into an insect’s too, great witch? Even if it looked that way, you should have had the decency to look away.

‘...Ugh. It’s fine to watch animals mating, but watching humans do it is disgusting.’

Cut it out! If you don’t want to see it, stop peeping! It was not even that kind of scene to begin with!

"Ah! That was too hard this time...!"

"Be quiet. Choose your words more carefully."

"Huh? Did I say something wrong...?"

Do not draw the attention of the great witch listening in. You were making her interested.

‘Still... the Beast King’s ecology is an opportunity you could not buy with money. I’ll close my eyes and watch. I’ll move somewhere with a better view.’

The insect’s field of vision slowly shifted. It had been covering the entire room from the corner, but now it crept closer to observe me better.

"Um, Hughes. Actually, I am a little grateful too..."

"Just a moment."

"Uh..."

Leaving the regressor behind, I walked over to the moving cricket. The insect, intent on moving, sensed my presence and lifted its head. Just before it spread its wings to flee, I slammed my palm down on it.

The cricket died instantly without even a squeak.

‘Ow! My secret-eavesdropping “ear” cricket! That was one of my favorites!’

Your naming sense was terrible too. Still, since the great witch had been possessing it, the shock would be considerable. The caster and familiar were linked, so any impact the familiar received was transmitted directly to the caster.

Having had a near-death experience, she would be more careful now.

"What’s wrong?"

"A big bug was crawling around. It annoyed me, so I killed it."

"...Hughes, is something making you angry?"

"You could say that."

‘It’s fine. I still have five ears and six pairs of eyes. If I count the compound eyes, I have countless more!’

Ah. The great witch had received Tyrkanzyaka’s blood and gained an immortal body, had she not?

Witches used all sorts of spells and tricks to avoid the risks of a familiar being injured or killed. In the process, a familiar’s power often weakened, or the link became incomplete. The great witch, on the other hand, was enduring those risks head-on with her overflowing vitality.

She might have been using little tricks to escape Tyrkanzyaka’s control, but either way, a familiar’s death was only a minor disappointment to the great witch.

‘Next, I’ll send my deafness mantis...’

"...Right. You’re a person too, so there must be things that hurt you or annoy you. I’m sorry I haven’t been considerate enough..."

"Hup. One more."

"Hughes?"

"There are a lot of bugs today. What were you saying just now?"

"...Forget it! If you’re not going to listen, then don’t!"

"Why are you suddenly upset? More importantly, curl and straighten your fingers. If you can’t do it, move them with energy arts for now, and focus hard on which part of the muscle has not regained sensation."

"Tch. Just focus on watching!"

"Your fingers are moving pretty well, though. You might be able to move them soon."

‘Ow, ow. I forgot that humans are more aggressive toward insects than other animals. If I approach carelessly, all my precious bug listening devices will be killed. How could the King of Humanity be so cruel?’

You thought of them as listening devices yourself. How could you call me cruel after that?

"You're not helping me against your will... are you?"

"Pardon?"

"Right now, I have no strength, and I can’t force you to do anything. If there’s nothing you want from me... why are you helping me?"

"Patients sure ask a lot. Enough, rotate your wrist now."

"When someone asks you something seriously, answer them!"

‘Insects are good for secretly listening in, but their resolution is too poor for observation. What should I do? Ah, right! I left the window open before! I’ll possess Pero and fly in. Pero, sortie!’

You never got tired of this, did you? Fine, watch. See for yourself how wholesome this rehabilitation training was, then do not tell anyone.

"Hughes. I’m a regressor."

"Ah, yes."

"Don’t treat me well. I might just... leave you behind."

"Leave? Where are you going?"

"To the next one. To the next cycle."

"Where is the next one?"

"...Before this happened."

Ah, I see... Wait, what?

"Pardon? What did you just say?"

"This isn’t my first time in this era. It has already repeated more than ten times. During those repeated times, the King of Sin was always born, and the world ends. Literally."

"Is it a prophecy?"

"It’s different from a prophecy. I experienced it myself. I gained these energy arts and treasures then. And I have to keep acquiring more in the future."

No, you were telling me this...

"Thank you for helping me. But you don’t have to. I can... die. Then I return to the past, with everything I obtained at this time intact."

"The past...? When?"

"Shortly before I met you."

So suddenly...

"That’s why I don’t want to be grateful. I don’t want to accept your feelings. I don’t want to repay you. In this cycle, I can’t repay you with anything. The you in the next cycle will be different from you now. Even if I go back to the past carrying this burden in my heart, it’ll only hurt."

"Uh..."

"You don’t understand, do you? I know. I’m just a regressor, so I want you to understand my circumstances... That’s all."

Shei bluntly delivered that announcement, then silently focused on moving her fingers. I let go of her hand and quietly turned over Shei’s words in my mind.

This...

You were only telling me now.

Sigh, I had known through mind-reading for well over several months. Pretending not to know despite knowing had been difficult. I had to constantly keep in mind that she was a regressor and be careful not to mention something I had read with mind-reading by mistake.

Still, I had finally succeeded in gaining Shei’s proper trust. Perhaps you really should treat people well when they were weak. The sun was better than the north wind, and it was even more effective when it shone during the cold.

I smiled to myself, then quickly composed my expression. It was not over yet. I had to think carefully about this revelation and give an appropriate response. It would be strange if I accepted her claim too easily just because she had told me about her regression.

Shei herself was a clue to regression. If I did not analyze regression itself, I would only get caught up in it. For now, I should pretend to know nothing and ask Shei what regression even was and how it worked. Shei probably did not know much either, but even having her recall the past and explain it piece by piece would provide clues.

"...All right. First, shh. Something’s coming."

Flap, flap.

Bird wings flapped beyond the window. It seemed the parrot possessed by the great witch had arrived. Since the great witch had been on the way here, she could not have heard Shei’s confession.

A blessing in disguise.

I approached the window, intending to greet the parrot. Yet the creature perched on the windowsill was not a parrot.

An owl stood on the frame with a dead parrot in its beak.

The owl sat nobly and only turned its head to look at me. Then it thrust out one leg as if telling me to look at it, blinking its large eyes. A note was tied around its leg. As though bewitched, I removed the note, unfolded it, and read what was written inside.

-To the King of Humanity.

I have come to save you, and humanity.

Please hold on to the owl’s leg and jump down.

...Apparently, the great witch was not the only one watching this room.

Footnotes:

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