WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 73: Homunculus Dilemma - Continued

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In the training room on the fourth floor of Tantalus, the regressor was preparing to revive the immortal.

Even an immortal who could not die could not withstand the curse eating away at their body here, where their connection to Mother Earth had been severed. Perhaps the immortal corpse golem that had swallowed dozens of villages in the past might appear again.

It was still a mystery where that many corpses had come from, but leaving the immortal alone just to solve that mystery was not an option.

So the regressor decided to use up the recovery items she had, lift the curse consuming the immortal's arm, and restore his body.

'If I intervene and the immortal wakes up now, history will diverge from its original course.... But things are already tangled enough. Knowing how the immortal was cursed is enough.'

Discovering that the immortal and the vampire were connected in this way was already a huge gain.

She could dig further if she wanted to....

Yet under the current circumstances, the regressor's mind was occupied with another question.

'What exactly is he?'

Even as she used the recipe the Healer Sage had taught her in the previous loop to make a precious recovery potion containing leaves from the World Tree, the question would not leave her mind.

'He's definitely hiding something. He knocked away Skywarbler, saw through my disguise, and dodged Finlay's attacks like it was a trick. None of that is ordinary skill. But....'

Her instincts told her there was something about him. Something even she, who had seen all kinds of things through thirteen regressions, did not know.

But.

'How should I put it.... Why don't I feel any pressure from him at all? At first glance, he just looks like a weakling!'

Hold on. Time out.

A weakling? Even if it was true, did she have to put it like that?

'He's slow when he runs. Sometimes his reactions are so fast they give even me chills, but his movements are still slow enough to make me yawn! He doesn't seem particularly strong either. I've never seen him use a sword. Even with the immortal's right arm, he only made little jabs with it as if it were a rapier. He never even swung it properly!'

Huh? When I smacked Finlay at the end, I really did put my whole strength into it. I even knocked out one of his teeth.

She saw the best swing of my life and still said I had not swung properly?

'Ughhh. I'm going crazy with curiosity. If I could spar with him just once, I think I'd know! Or if I just got a chance to inspect his naked body!'

What exactly was she thinking about all day?

Before her thoughts could head somewhere even stranger, I could not hold back any longer. I ran down the hallway and threw open the door.

"Trainee Shei. Are you ready?"

"Huh? Yeah, more or less."

The regressor answered carelessly and looked me over from head to toe. Her eyes narrowed as though staring hard enough might let her see through my clothes.

'A standard-issue shirt.... Hmm. As expected, I can't see his body at all through the upper part of the shirt.... Damn military state. Their clothing packets are pointlessly well made.'

Seriously, she should be grateful the rest of the world could not read minds. Otherwise, she would have been the first person locked up somewhere. I was only letting it slide because I was merciful enough to read her thoughts and move on....

'The eye that sees through only shows me bones when I use it on people.... The eye that looks down can't see covered areas.... Then I guess I'll have to use the eye that sees far to peep on him while he's changing or bathing....'

Never mind. I could not let that slide either.

This would not do. I needed to administer some shock therapy before this voyeuristic regressor's thoughts drifted off into space.

I shouted at the regressor, who was still staring at me.

"Trainee Shei!"

"Huh? Why? All of a sudden?"

After calling her, I immediately crossed my arms in an X over my chest, shyly averted my gaze, and said,

"Um, well. Could you refrain from looking at me like that? It's embarrassing. I feel dirty just from being looked at."

The regressor's head jerked to a halt. The overload of information had momentarily paralyzed her reason.

'...What kind of bullshit is that? Why is his face red? What is that creepy pose? What? Embarrassed? He feels dirtied by my gaze? I was only trying to peek at his body. Huh? Wait. Was my gaze too obvious....'

After piecing together the fragmented information and connecting my words to her situation, the regressor finally understood what I meant and snapped.

"What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?!"

"You were just looking at my body! From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, with those lecherous eyes that said you wanted to strip me bare if you could!"

"I wasn't looking at you with lecherous eyes!"

"So you really did want to strip me? Everyone! Look over here! Trainee Shei is trying to take my clothes off!"

"Hey!"

As I suddenly took off running while shouting, the regressor chased after me on instinct like a cat hunting a mouse, despite not fully grasping the situation.

"Wait! Stop!"

"No! Don't come near me! Help!"

"Stop saying things that will cause misunderstandings!"

"Aaaah!"

When I would not stop screaming, the regressor gritted her teeth, closed in on me, and gripped Skywarbler.

'This won't do! First, I'll cut the air so the sound can't get out, then I'll deal with him!'

How underhanded. Trying to use force during my fair and honest campaign of public opinion.

If she drew her sword, I would lose. While running, I abruptly stopped and spun halfway around. The regressor, who had been about to cut the air and nearly crashed into my chest, hurriedly stopped as well.

"Come on. Don't react so strongly to a joke, Trainee Shei. I might think you meant it."

"...What? All of a sudden?"

"You weren't really trying to peep at a shabby body like mine, were you? You're at least a person with the bare minimum of morals."

"R-right."

"No matter how much you like men."

"That's not it!!"

The regressor shouted. I tilted my head and asked,

"Huh? Didn't you say you liked men last time? You even washed Azzy while saying that."

The regressor had unwittingly trapped herself in a strange persona and could not bring herself to deny it, so she made an excuse instead.

"No, that's not what I mean! I don't like you! To me, you're...! Right! You're no different from a toilet bowl!"

"...No, that's suggestive in several ways."

"That's not what I meant! I mean you're filthy! Damn it, how should I say this?!"

'A passerby? That makes it sound like I care about him! A stone on the road? There aren't any stones in the Abyss!'

"Um, I don't think what you compare me to is important at all."

"Anyway, you're something insignificant!"

"Sure, sure. Shall we go back to the training room? We need to revive Rashy, to whom we're indebted for borrowing that arm."

"Us? You were the one who used it!"

I soothed the fuming regressor and returned to the training room.

Only then did she notice the recovery potion bubbling in the huge cauldron and remember what she had been trying to do.

"Oh, right! Where is the immortal's right arm?"

"Here."

I handed her the box filled with gathered chunks of flesh. The regressor checked its contents and grimaced.

"Ugh. Horrible. This may be the first immortal in the world to end up like this."

"He can regenerate, right?"

"He can. Once the curse is lifted, the rest will reattach on its own as long as we supply earth essence.... I don't know how long that will take, though."

The regressor set the box beside the cauldron, then suddenly looked around.

"Where's Tyrkanzyaka? Didn't she say she was going to pick this up?"

"Trainee Tyrkanzyaka has returned to the underground armory."

"Really? Is she tired? I suppose she could be."

"And, Trainee Shei, I have a favor to ask."

The regressor looked puzzled at the word favor.

"You? What is it?"

"This."

I handed her the note I had prepared.

"I'm going somewhere for a little while, so please read this while I'm gone."

By the time I finished saying that, the regressor had already unfolded the note and was reading the first line. Looking back and forth between me and the note with a slightly apologetic expression, she complained,

"You talk too slowly. You should have warned me before I read it."

"Isn't it more that you're too impatient? Well, there's nothing important in it, so since you've opened it, go ahead and read it."

'What? I thought it would be something incredibly important since he handed me a note.'

The regressor glared at me sullenly and read the remaining half.

'Give Azzy three meals a day. Regenerate the immortal. And importantly, until someone comes out from inside, never open the door to the underground armory...?'

That was the end of the note. The regressor fluttered it in her hand and asked me,

"What does the last line mean?"

"Ah, exactly what it says. An extremely important ritual will be performed in there, so you must never open the door or interfere with it."

"...You said Tyrkanzyaka is in there right now."

"Yes."

"What ritual?"

"A heart revival ritual."

"Who's performing it?"

"Me."

Hmm. The regressor nodded faintly, then immediately sharpened her expression and pressed me.

"What are you trying to do?"

As expected, she was not going to let it go. I had anticipated that.

I expected the regressor to interfere anyway. She would not quietly watch me and the vampire remain alone in an isolated place.

Besides, since I could not be interrupted during the ritual, I needed someone to keep other people from approaching.

Convincing the regressor was essential.

I had no choice, so I lowered my voice and began.

"Trainee Shei. What would you do if I said I was going to make Trainee Tyrkanzyaka's heart beat again?"

"I would call you a con artist, you con artist."

Just as expected, the regressor immediately pointed it out.

"Because of the dilemma?"

"...Why ask when you know? You know it too. Every vampire is a homunculus. The most famous kind of homunculus in the world, using the Progenitor's blood in place of a stopped heart to force their bodies to keep moving despite being dead."

"And because of that, they are bound by various restrictions. They cannot defy the Blood Lord, and they cannot use magic other than blood magic."

The answer came smoothly from my lips. The regressor looked at me with confusion and questioned me further.

"You knew that, and you still made Tyrkanzyaka that offer? Are you serious, or are you joking? I really don't know what you're after anymore."

"I sincerely want Trainee Tyrkanzyaka to be revived."

"That's exactly the attitude I don't understand. How am I supposed to believe you?"

'...But he's touched Tyrkanzyaka's heart regularly until now and never done anything to her. He even warned us about the danger and protected her from Finlay.... He probably doesn't have bad intentions. If he did, he would have acted before Finlay.'

She was still on guard, perhaps by nature, but even so, her wariness toward me had faded. It seemed fighting Finlay together had worked in my favor.

The regressor dropped her hostility and told me what she knew.

In an ambiguous manner, as though she did not know whether she was persuading me or simply informing me.

"The moment you overcome death with magic... it's over. It can never be reversed. The moment the mystery that stitches a life back together ends, that body will meet its delayed death.... It will crumble into dust before there is even time to heal or revive it. Because with another person's magic, you can never save yourself...."

"Yes. That's exactly it."

She had said it to emphasize the impossibility, but Trainee Shei had made a good point.

That was where the clue lay.

"The homunculus dilemma contains the truth that you can never save yourself with another person's magic."

"...? Why are you saying something everyone knows?"

"As with every old saying, advice is hidden within the warning."

"Isn't it warning you to be careful with magic?"

"Ha ha. No. If everyone thought as simply as Trainee Shei, what use would dilemmas and proverbs even have?"

"...Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Of course not. I would lose.

I raised one finger and emphasized my point.

"You cannot save yourself with another person's magic. Put differently, the only person who can save you is yourself."

"That's obvious."

"I'll tell you one more thing."

I raised another finger and smiled leisurely.

"Among all vampires, there is one person who is not a homunculus. Someone who revived a dying body through their own power, not someone else's authority. Who could that be?"

She did not know everything, but the regressor knew how to process even unfamiliar knowledge.

Through thirteen regressions, she had encountered unimaginable amounts of information. That had given her the habit of accepting even difficult-to-believe information if it made sense.

"The first vampire, the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka?"

Correct. Here's your reward. I clapped for the regressor, who had answered wonderfully.

"Very good. That's right."

"If she moved her own body when death came for her, then it may be possible for her to revive herself again...? Certainly, it isn't impossible. Even if her power is returned, it is still her own...."

The regressor's muttering did not last long. After calculating with a dark expression for some time, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"But while it isn't impossible, it is so difficult that it borders on impossible. Even if her power is returned, the place it needs to return to disappeared twelve hundred years ago. And Tyrkanzyaka's power is bloodcraft. She has used it to obtain, control, and rule countless things. Tyrkanzyaka has blurred the boundary between herself and the world so much that she can take out her heart without any problem...."

Death was the thinning of the boundary between oneself and the world.

The Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was the living being closest to death without yet being dead.

The Queen of Blood had scattered her blood across the entire world, increasing her kin and ruling everything it touched. No life had drawn closer to conceptual death than she had.

That was why the distance the Progenitor needed to travel back in order to regain life was farther than it would be for any other being in the world.

"It won't work."

Even someone who had not returned after seeing the end of the world would naturally become pessimistic in this situation. Practically impossible, that was how everyone saw this plan.

But what about me?

"I'm going to try. So please guard the door while I do. Don't let anyone inside."

"...Go ahead and try."

The regressor was about to agree when a question occurred to her.

"By the way, how do you know something like this?"

'I never even considered it, yet a mere military-state instructor who isn't even a mage knows this...?'

Why did she think she was the center of the world? Just because she did not know did not mean no one knew.

What a soul trapped in the valley of ignorance. I would correct her.

Recalling the past, I copied the most obnoxious expression I could remember. Then I snorted and scratched my temple.

"Well, it's something only the top student in the whole middle military academy can know. An elementary-school graduate could die, come back to life, and get beaten to death again, and still never know."

"Hey!"

Just as expected, the regressor immediately got angry, so I hurriedly ran away. The regressor, holding onto the cauldron, only growled and did not follow.

That should have gotten the point across. I waved as I left the training room through the rear door.

"It will take about a day or two. Please take care of things until then. Oh, and don't stare too hard at the note!"

"Tch. Finish quickly!"

After closing the training-room door, I headed for the underground armory where the vampire was waiting.

* * *

'If Finlay had come in the previous loop, would he have succeeded or failed? From here on, this is completely unknown territory.... But Finlay and the instructor opposed each other. Since a war eventually broke out afterward, it seems the instructor failed. Hmph. I thought he seemed unreliable.'

'Then was his attempt to revive Tyrkanzyaka a solution he came up with after feeling threatened by Finlay's appearance? It's probably impossible.... Still, it isn't zero percent. There is a possibility.'

'If, though it is unlikely, it really is possible.... Then I will be able to persuade Tyrkanzyaka a little sooner in the next loop. I'll trust him and watch.'

'...By the way, what did he mean by not staring too hard at the note? He says incomprehensible things again. Huh? Indentations?'

'...Don't tell me, this bastard!'

'The eye that sees depth. When I use it to see the indentations, hidden writing appears. Why does he put so much effort into something so pointless...? Damn it. I'll read it first.'

'Don't go to the dining hall, don't touch me carelessly even if something seems wrong with me afterward, and if supplies happen to arrive, use them on yourself...?'

'What? What exactly is he planning?'

Footnotes:

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