WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 88: Military State Officer

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"Hello, Captain AB! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The golem bound by shadows raised its head at my words.

It was in a terrible state. Dozens of whips made of pitch-black shadow were tugging at its body like a toy. If the pulling forces had not been kept in such perfect balance, its entire body would have been torn apart.

Fire was the way to cut through shadows. I used standard magic to summon flames at my fingertips and cut the shadows one by one.

"Ah, sorry. I had to step out for a while, so I tied your legs down in case you fell out of the cupboard... But you're tied up much prettier than before. I wonder which kind person did this for you?"

Now then, let's hear how she responds to my Azzy-speak.

When I attached a speaker to its empty mouth, unpleasant noises began to come from far away.

『Grrrk... Krrrk...』

"Wow. The golem is grinding its teeth! It doesn't even have teeth, but it's grinding them!"

The golem ground its nonexistent teeth as if even chewing me to bits would not be enough.

Still, irreplaceable resources were precious. Permanent teeth were one of them.

After waiting a moment, the golem stopped grinding and spoke in a broken, intermittent voice.

『...This unit will never forget... your actions.』

"Come on. I was just being considerate, so you could stretch while I was gone."

『Krrrk... Because of that, this unit...』

It was amusing, but without being able to read its thoughts, it was less fun.

I decided I had teased it enough and got to the point.

"Just because I pried out a little information on escaping, how could you call an officer right away? You're being so cold that I have to act this way too."

『...You tried to pry an escape method out right in front of this unit, yet you have the nerve to speak of affection?』

"Anyone might get curious. Captain AB was curious about how to get out of the cupboard too, wasn't she? That's why you negotiated with Tyr... Though you were a step too late."

『Then we are even. Neither this unit nor you learned how to escape.』

Maybe it was because she had experience as a communications officer, but she would not give an inch in conversation.

I could not read her mind, and she was cautious enough. Would poking at her even get me anything?

I might as well try.

"Since you're so reluctant to tell me, it must be a method even a petty criminal like me could attempt, right?"

『Statement. Impossible. The Abyss is not a place from which petty criminals like you can escape. This unit recommends abandoning such futile hopes.』

It sounded partly true and partly like a threat.

Was the escape method a riddle anyone could reach if they knew the answer, or was it a cruel sieve that rejected the incapable even if they knew?

I did not know. I could not read the golem's thoughts.

"Interesting."

Talking to the golem was certainly a little fun.

I could not read its thoughts, expressions, or gestures, so there was a certain pleasure in imagining and guessing. It felt a little like looking at a crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

Captain AB probably did not feel that way. Dealing with me must have been exhausting. To the woman beyond the golem, I was probably just one of countless problems around her.

『How... did you possibly win over the Progenitor? Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was an indifferent being who did not resist even while she was being transported to the Abyss, yet she is moving for the sake of a petty criminal like you.』

"You're curious?"

The golem must not have wanted to voice such a desperate request, because it only nodded. I grinned and answered as brightly as I could.

"I'm not telling you~."

『Grr...!』

"Haha. I'm joking. I'll tell you. If she was heartless... maybe she just needed to have a heart! Hahaha!"

『...That is quite a sophisticated joke. I mean the age group that would enjoy it!』

Sometimes people did not believe the truth even when you told them. I really had made her heart beat.

Well, if they could not believe it, that was their problem. They were the ones losing out.

"Even without anything like that, wouldn't people grow close after spending a few months together in an isolated space? Like the two of us?"

『You have raised a counterexample yourself. In any case, understood.』

The golem seemed to think I would not tell it any more and obediently withdrew the question. Instead, it rose to its feet and looked up at me.

『Request. Please guide this unit to Lieutenant Colonel Callis.』

"Lieutenant Colonel Callis? You mean the real instructor who just arrived?"

『The new instructor...?』

The golem gave a puzzled reply for a moment, then nodded as if it understood.

『Lieutenant Colonel Callis is an instructor... No, you may think of her that way. There is not much difference.』

"Not much difference? Is Lieutenant Colonel Callis a fake instructor like me?"

I had only thrown the question out casually, but the golem shouted in outrage.

『Compare things that can be compared! Unlike you, a level-zero citizen, Lieutenant Colonel Callis graduated from the Higher Military Academy with excellent grades! When you do it, it is impersonation. When Lieutenant Colonel Callis does it, it is an assignment!』

"Hey, you don't have to get angry."

What? She was not an instructor? Then why had she come all the way to Tantalus?

『Lieutenant Colonel Callis visited as a supply inspector and facility auditor. She was originally scheduled to inspect the area around Tantalus and check the distribution of supplies. However, there appears to have been an oversight, and she came directly down into Tantalus with the supplies.』

I blinked at the unexpected explanation.

"Huh? Really? She fell in by mistake?"

『Correction. It was not a mistake. It was an oversight.』

"Same thing. What is this? She looks strict, but she's actually a huge airhead."

『Denied! To emphasize once again, the lieutenant colonel entered Tantalus due to an oversight! She earned exceptional merit immediately after receiving her commission and became a field-grade officer. She is not someone who would make such a trivial mistake!』

The golem defended the officer's dignity to the end before continuing.

『In any case, the military state's upper command is fully aware of the current situation and is discussing a response. Until further orders arrive, regard Lieutenant Colonel Callis as the training commander and obey her orders.』

"All right, all right."

I answered mildly and smiled. Things were turning out more interestingly than I had expected.

Because the officer had not come here due to a mistake or an oversight...

She had come here intentionally.

I needed to read the officer's thoughts properly.

『...I do not know what else you are plotting, but it will not be easy from now on. Unlike this unit, Lieutenant Colonel Callis possesses considerable combat prowess herself. Impersonating an instructor will also be impossible now.』

Seeing my smile, the golem warned me in a low voice.

Honestly, a model prisoner like me was dying of injustice. The officer was the one plotting something, yet I was the one under suspicion.

I tucked Captain AB under my arm and trudged down the corridor.

The laborers' dormitories occupied one side of the fourth floor, while all kinds of facilities needed for daily life occupied the other. The dining hall, laundry room, supply room, training room, and so on.

Far beyond the broken iron bars, the room with the largest door was the instructor's office.

Their crimes might have been minor, but laborers were still prisoners. To prevent them from escaping under cover of darkness, iron bars with a large lock had been installed along the path leading to the fourth-floor stairs. They had been smashed into a pathetic state during the chaos, but the remains were still there.

I was crossing the broken bars and heading for the instructor's office when, without warning, a Black Knight rose from my shadow and spoke to me.

'Hyu. There is a military state soldier in this direction.'

The Black Knight spoke in Tyr's voice. Her tone was full of concern.

"It's all right, Tyr. I'm only going to have a brief talk."

'Be careful. I do not know how strong she is. If her skill is even a quarter of Shei's, the Black Knight hidden in your shadow will not be able to face her. Buying time would be difficult as well.'

If an ordinary lieutenant colonel were even a quarter as strong as the regressor, the military state would have conquered the world long ago. I waved a hand to show that I was fine.

"I said it's all right. Don't follow me. I don't know what she'll do if she gets scared."

'Understood. You must have something in mind. Still, be careful.'

Leaving those words behind, the Black Knight disappeared into my shadow again. Putting Tyr's worries behind me, I headed for the instructor's office.

I leaned close to the firmly shut door and spoke.

"Knock, knock."

"Come in."

As soon as permission was granted, I quickly opened the door and entered.

Since the instructor's office was not a living space, it contained only one sofa, one chair, and one desk. Tantalus had never been designed with an instructor in mind to begin with.

The officer had scattered all sorts of luggage and documents throughout the empty room. There were also pieces of a broken golem, so she seemed to have stopped by the management office outside.

She had been organizing things for a while when she saw me and grimaced.

'Tch. I should have made a laborer do this sort of menial work. Why is the Progenitor protecting a petty criminal like that?'

Whew. What a relief. One wrong move, and I might have ended up carrying all that stuff back and forth across the fourth floor.

Praising myself once again for choosing the right side, I held out the golem I had tucked under my arm.

"Here you go."

"...What is that?"

"It's Captain AB. Say hello."

『This unit must salute first. Put this unit down.』

When I carefully set the struggling golem on the ground, it stood at attention and held out its palm toward the officer in salute.

『Long live the military state. This unit is Captain AB, a communications officer. This unit is responsible for surveillance and communications within Tantalus.』

The golem was barely a third of a person's height, but its salute was perfect. It was almost cute, trying so hard to salute with that little body.

I was the only one who thought so. I heard the officer click her tongue.

'Communications officers. Lucky people who became captains solely because of magical aptitude, without any talent or effort... Tch. There was a fake officer here too.'

Well, well.

Footnotes:

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