WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 79: Read the Manual Carefully

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Tyrkanzyaka opened her mouth, then stopped. The golem had no expression to read, of course, but it seemed to await her reaction with a touch of anticipation.

After a long silence, Tyrkanzyaka slowly asked,

"...What did you say?"

『He is a criminal with no qualifications whatsoever, and he entered this place to pay for his crimes. He was arrested in Amitenggrad on charges of fraud and gambling, then sentenced to penal labor in Tantalus by the fair and swift judgment of a military judge. Contrary to what you believed, he is not an instructor of the military state!』

"Then his actions... have nothing to do with your country?"

『Affirmative. Whatever he did after blinding this officer, it was not the military state's true intent. It was the impulsive act of one deranged criminal!』

A criminal, it said. The uniform had suited him rather well.

The news was genuinely unexpected, yet Tyrkanzyaka felt no resentment. After all, she herself had once been something beyond a criminal who shook the world.

Even after learning that he had deceived her, she did not feel bad.

If anything, she was simply glad.

"Is that truly so?"

『Affirmative. It is the truth, without a single trace of falsehood.』

"Then when he called me a trainee..."

『It was a scheme to raise his chances of survival, however slightly, by impersonating the military state.』

"Then he was thrown into this place by force, with no obligations at all?"

『He did have an obligation to perform penal labor. Though whether such a criminal had any interest in labor beyond preparing his own meals is questionable.』

Even hearing it disparage him changed nothing. Tyrkanzyaka found herself growing more excited.

Simply.

Purely.

Out of goodwill.

He had risked his life to return her heart.

That was what she now knew.

"Hehe."

Guilt tightened around her chest, yet joy raced through her veins at the same time. It circled from her heart to her lungs, became a delighted gasp, then rose through her tight throat and reached her head.

For a moment, her face grew warm. Warmth was vigor, and vigor was movement. The corners of her mouth, once so stiff, softened and lifted.

"Hehe, ahaha."

『...What is so amusing?』

Tyrkanzyaka smiled happily, then wiped the expression from her face and said,

"Then even if he disappears, the country called the military state will suffer no loss or inconvenience."

『Affirmative.』

"Good. Then there will be no problem if I take him in."

『Affirmative...?』

"So it was not the military state's favor after all. And he said he was an orphan, so he is bound to nothing. There is no reason for me to pay a price for him either."

『...?』

As the golem sensed that something was amiss and voiced its confusion, Tyrkanzyaka abruptly asked,

"But there is one thing I wonder about."

With a perfectly relaxed expression, she elegantly rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the golem.

"When Finlay fell, were you two not together? You were riding on his back so affectionately, as if you were brother and sister."

『Brother and sister?! Negative, absolutely negative! This officer does not acknowledge that bastard as an older brother!』

Tyrkanzyaka blinked at the frantic rebuttal.

"It was only a manner of speaking. In any case, you did rely on his back, did you not? Then why did he suddenly tie you up? He surely had some reason."

『...That is.』

When the golem tried to avoid answering, Tyrkanzyaka pressed it relentlessly.

"It is a matter that will be settled if I ask him. Speak honestly. If you will not answer even such a question, what can I trust while we exchange questions and answers?"

He had become an idiot and could not answer anything now. That made the golem the only one who could answer this question, but it did not know that, having been tied up and trapped here.

Faced with Tyrkanzyaka's argument, it answered readily.

『He attempted to extract the method of escaping the Abyss from this officer.』

"Oh?"

It seemed his words about letting Finlay leave had been a bluff. Tyrkanzyaka tucked away another interesting fact.

『This officer sternly warned him against such conduct, but he became dissatisfied and committed an act of rebellion. He damaged this unit's speaker, then restrained it here so this officer could not monitor the inside of Tantalus.』

"Is that all? He tied up someone he had gotten along with so well just because he was dissatisfied?"

The golem hesitated under her leisurely questioning, then realized there was no point and answered honestly.

『...The military state always prepares replacements for everything.』

"Replacements. It seems you do not mean objects alone."

『Affirmative. Until now, considering the special nature of the Abyss and his cooperative attitude as a laborer, no particular measures were taken. But now that his reactionary intent has been confirmed...』

From the military state's perspective, he was litmus paper. A kind of test strip that would turn red and warn them if danger lurked inside.

The litmus paper had lived long enough. The military state would no longer hesitate to dispatch personnel into the Abyss.

If the litmus paper showed suspicious movement, there was even less reason to delay.

"I see. He noticed the signs and decided to make enemies of you."

Having roughly grasped the situation, Tyrkanzyaka nodded leisurely. The golem hurriedly continued.

『Someone unqualified has disturbed your peace of mind until now, but that will not happen again. His impulsive actions were unexpected even from the military state's perspective.』

Words meant to absolve itself of blame.

From Tyrkanzyaka's point of view, it was welcome news. She had received nothing but kindness and had felt greatly indebted to the military state, yet they were taking care of the matter themselves.

"Do as you please. I will not care if something else comes here. But."

She was only grateful that they had sent him here as a laborer.

As though she had stumbled upon treasure, Tyrkanzyaka glanced toward the dining table.

"What you discarded, I will make sure to pick up."

『...? All items in Tantalus are assets of our homeland. If you wish to receive or purchase something, you must obtain authorization from the administrative authority.』

"How troublesome."

『It appears that the story of his identity did not leave much of an impression on you.』

"Of course it did. I was quite surprised. I only listened quietly because there was much I did not understand."

The fact that someone was a criminal meant nothing at all to Tyrkanzyaka. Shei might have reacted differently.

Was that why he had told Shei not to go to the dining hall? Tyrkanzyaka quietly wondered.

As the conversation kept going astray, the golem regained the thread.

『...I will change the question. Please brief this officer on what occurred during the four days this unit was restrained. Focus especially on the vampire intruder.』

It was not difficult. Tyrkanzyaka explained simply.

She left out the unnecessary fact that she had been controlled.

"Finlay tried to persuade me, and I was half convinced. But the children desperately stopped me, did they not? After thinking about it for quite a while, I changed my mind. Finlay fiercely condemned them, then they fought each other. Finlay poured out all his strength and died on the spot."

『Is that all?』

Of course it was not all. But there was no need to tell it more.

Tyrkanzyaka deliberately looked angry.

"My mouth hurts. What more must I explain? Does not the fact that I remain here explain enough?"

『Confirmed.』

The golem accepted quickly. That was probably not because it wholly trusted Tyrkanzyaka's words, but because the fact that she remained here was itself the most important information.

It rigidly followed principles, yet perhaps its resentment had not fully cooled, because it added one final warning.

『In return for your willing cooperation, this officer will warn you once more. Do not trust that man. He is vermin of the military state who habitually commits fraud and gambles.』

The answer, It is already too late, rose to Tyrkanzyaka's throat, but she barely swallowed it and replied vaguely.

"I will handle it. Ah, this is another matter."

The past was the past. What did it matter whether he was a criminal or what Finlay had been after?

Tyrkanzyaka decided to ask a more important question. Perhaps one that would have a far greater impact from now on.

"Do you happen to know how to cook with the remaining ingredients?"

The golem nodded.

『Affirmative. This officer is a military state communications officer and knows ninety-nine military state specialty recipes that can be made with canned beans.』

"Oh. Impressive."

『Negative. It is ordinary. Communications officers often conduct long-term missions in isolated spaces, and their role makes such information easy to access. That is the only reason this officer knows it.』

It spoke that way, but there was pride in its tone that it could not hide. The golem even made an offer first.

『Please lower this unit from the cupboard. Verbal instruction may lead to mistakes, so this officer will personally demonstrate as a skilled instructor.』

"Very well."

Tyrkanzyaka waved her hand. Darkness flowed forth and grasped the golem's entire body.

As she was about to take it out, Tyrkanzyaka suddenly thought of the man sitting nearby.

She did not know how the golem, which disliked him, might react if it saw him in that state.

Tyrkanzyaka waved her hand again, and pitch-black darkness rose like mist to conceal him. It was darkness that blocked light itself, so the golem would not be able to see through it.

『Danger!』

Her control over the golem slipped while doing so, and she nearly dropped it. Her bloodcraft was not as natural as it had once been.

The golem held on by gripping the darkness, then looked up at the vampire and scolded her.

『Please handle this unit with care. Further damage to this unit will be dangerous.』

She had nearly dropped it, so it was only natural for the golem to ask her to be more careful from now on.

That would surely have worked on him, but unfortunately it drew no sympathy from Tyrkanzyaka, who had been left behind by the times.

"What do you mean, handle a golem so delicately? One of the few advantages of a golem is its sturdiness. It is only falling a little."

Tyrkanzyaka was not someone who would let a mere golem scold her and leave it at that.

To her, who knew little beyond primitive clay golems, a golem was an object made with the expectation that it would break. She could shape even humans like dolls, so how dare a golem talk back to her?

Perhaps sensing danger in those words, the golem hurriedly added,

『This unit is a synchro type. It is currently severely damaged, and if the frame becomes any more warped, synchronization will become impossible. This officer controls it by synchronizing it with this officer's own body, so if it receives an impact, the pain will affect the original body.』

"Another of a golem's few advantages is the safety of its operator, yet it does not even have that? Then why use such a golem?"

A cold gaze fell on the golem.

The military state's latest synchro type golem had to prove its value before a vampire from twelve centuries ago.

『Observe.』

The golem wiggled each finger differently. Tyrkanzyaka watched its antics with an intrigued expression.

The golem went further and made a large circle with its arm, as if stretching. Its range of motion was far narrower than that of a real human, but for a golem, the movement was remarkably precise.

『Without synchronization, it cannot be controlled naturally from such a distance. Sensitivity can be adjusted, but that function happens to be damaged.』

"How curious. Then is your original body moving exactly like the golem right now?"

『Affirmative. If the same movements as the golem are not maintained, synchronization is released, so a strong impact is dangerous.』

Tyrkanzyaka nodded at the sight of this latest toy, then suddenly asked,

"Even when you were sitting there with your legs spread in that unsightly way earlier?"

The golem's movements stopped dead.

『...Affirmative....』

The voice beyond the speaker trembled violently.

Forcing the golem to do the splits had been a particularly malicious form of teasing.

To synchronize with the golem, the person beyond it had been forced to do the splits where she was.

"It must have hurt. Why did you continue synchronizing anyway?"

『Not continuously. It was released when this officer slept, ate, or had other duties. And.』

The golem answered without the slightest hesitation.

『Observing Tantalus and reporting what occurs. That is this officer's duty.』

Tyrkanzyaka did not ask more. That alone was enough for her to understand. So she decided to let the golem's rudeness pass as well.

Having had its value acknowledged, the golem finally had the leisure to look around. It glanced about and said,

『Visibility has not been secured. The cafeteria seems strangely dark.』

"How could it be bright when I am here?"

Only Tyrkanzyaka could make someone nod at that with those words alone. The golem accepted it without much suspicion.

『Confirmed. First, to the storage room.』

Footnotes:

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