WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 9: A Dog's Habits Don't Change

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No sunlight reached the Abyss.

In the deepest land cursed by Mother Earth, a place filled with nothing but pitch-black darkness, the only thing that announced morning was the blaring sound of an alarm clock. Instead of warm sunlight tickling my body, a piercing shriek tore at my ears and forced me awake.

A blue, endless sky, boat-like clouds drifting across it, warm sunlight, and refreshing breezes... Things anyone could enjoy on the surface.

Yet all the Abyss had were angular buildings that dreamed of being squares, hard concrete, artificial noise, and lights that imitated the sun.

Things born from the sky calmed the mind, but everything humans made only grated on the nerves. Surely that was because every creation humanity produced was waste.

The best parts were taken in, while only the unpleasant parts were filtered out and expelled as waste.

That was probably why we lived among people while avoiding artificial things.

"...Damn it. Couldn't they make the alarm quieter?"

I grabbed my aching shoulders and forced myself upright. My body screamed after being worked to the bone by the King of Dogs for two days, but if I left it alone, that alarm would gnaw away even the strength I had left. It was the kind of noise that dealt physical damage.

The military state's alarm clocks all used a wall-mounted design. It meant that once you woke up, you were supposed to get up instead of lying back down. Just like a country that wouldn't tolerate laziness. Staggering to my feet, I climbed onto a chair and turned the alarm clock's gears in the prescribed order.

One notch left, four notches right, then two notches left again.

With a sharp whirr, the alarm quieted like a dying cricket. My head was still ringing, so I had no desire to go back to sleep. I ran a hand through my hair and paced around the room.

Their performance is solid, at least, you bastards.

The room was small, but it had everything I needed. Put nicely, the furniture was arranged efficiently. Put badly, they had crammed everything into a tiny space. If I grabbed the cabinet with my left hand and reached out with my right, I could touch the sink across from it. I could wash with the water from the faucet or drink it, but the ration wasn't enough to do both.

But the room next door was empty. Its daily water ration should still be untouched. Planning to wash my hair there, I gulped down tap water.

It was a room so narrow that I could embrace the whole thing if I spread my arms. Tantalus, originally inhabited only by prisoners and laborers, was cramped and miserable. At least they hadn't used partition walls just because it was a prison, though that only made the stifling air feel heavier.

Still, I had to remember that not many people remained after the mass escape a few days ago.

"I should tear down the wall and combine it with the next room."

What kind of place was good to live in?

The answer was simple.

A place with plenty of resources and few people.

Wide homes were expensive because there were fewer people compared to the space available.

Surprisingly, Tantalus currently... met the conditions for a good place to live.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

I would tear down that wicked concrete wall, combine five rooms, and live like a king. My daily water ration would increase fivefold, too. At that point, I could even shower every day.

No, why did I need to cling to rations? I should go straight to the water tank and take a bath. A life no different from that of an emperor!

Grinning wickedly, I left the room. I slammed shut the door without a lock and began planning my blissful recuperation when...

"Woof woof!"

Then I saw a familiar shadow at the end of the corridor.

...Why is she here?

Azzy ran down the hall, sniffed at me as though checking my identity, then circled around me. She looked exactly like a slaughter dog. Trembling with fear, I shook my head.

"N-No, Azzy. Hold back. I really can't take any more. Not anymore..."

"Woof! I'm hungry!"

For some reason, Azzy's words reassured me.

"Military state, you insane bastards... This is supposed to be the food storage?"

To live, you had to eat. You put food in your mouth, digest it in your stomach, burn the calories you gained, and move your body. It was such an obvious law of nature that it hardly needed explaining.

And the military state, which abused everything in the world, had abused even that law.

Tantalus, the Re-education Facility, wasn't a place meant to keep people alive. It was a place meant to kill them.

Those the military state couldn't kill even with its power, those whose deaths might bring backlash, those whose execution would consume too many resources, or those whose deaths would be politically burdensome. Tantalus was where they swept such people away and discarded them like leftovers.

The method chosen to kill those isolated here was similar to the methods strategists had used throughout history.

"Damn it. There aren't even many cans left..."

It wasn't that there was no food at all. There were prisoners like Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka who couldn't die from starvation, and if they provided no food, only prisoners like that would happily survive together. That wasn't what the military state wanted.

"Even so, a prison this big only has a food storage room of about 3.3 square meters? Their intentions couldn't be more obvious."

They had no intention of letting anyone stockpile food. Prisoners had to depend on supplies that arrived whenever they did, so they would become desperate and anxious. Then they would hunt each other for resources.

"They probably gave out just enough food to keep us from starving. As if to say, if you want more, start killing each other."

But hadn't I just said it? A good place to live was one with resources and few people.

The food storage was far too small for a prison this large, but only four of us remained, including me. The vampire didn't even eat. I could make dog food for the dog. In practical terms, it was just me and the regressor.

There was more than enough for two people. Besides, this was the Abyss. Mother Earth's diligent workers, such as insects and mold, didn't exist here, so I didn't have to worry about anything spoiling.

"Tch. Sorry, Azzy. I'll have to cut down the amount of meat you get from now on."

"Whine?! Woof! Woof!"

Don't bark. It couldn't be helped. People came before dogs.

Three cans of meat. Twenty-three cans of beans. Starch and flour... The food would be dry, but I could somehow stay alive. Besides, the military state knew there were people here. They wouldn't refuse to send supplies, would they? Taking that into account, I could eat quite lavishly.

"I have to meet the vampire tonight, so should I have a filling meal?"

I had only eaten enough to get by on the first day, but it looked like I would be here for a while. I needed to take care of my diet. It had been a long time since I cooked for myself. I opened a compressed can of beans and poured it into a pot.

"Azzy, do you like beans?"

"Woof! I like them! I like beans!"

"Then again, is there anything you don't like?"

Water gushed out when I turned on the faucet. It was only a simple kitchen with a single stove, but at least the plumbing still worked. I added water to the dry beans from the compressed can and let them soak. The shriveled beans swelled up in an instant.

They had been cooked with vegetables before being canned. If I soaked them for a while and boiled them, I would get some passable baked beans, but it was easy to get tired of such a monotonous flavor. It would be a shame to leave it at that.

I made dough with the flour I had roughly scooped out and rolled it flat. I tore off enough for a pie, gathered the rest into a lump, and covered it upside down with a tray.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The beans had soaked up plenty of water and swelled to their full size. Azzy excitedly lingered around the pot.

The volume was so enormous that I couldn't imagine it had once fit inside that tiny can. I couldn't tell whether I had soaked the beans or planted seeds and harvested them myself.

"Woof! They got bigger! The food got bigger!"

"Yeah, yeah. Lucky you."

The military state might be bad at other things, but it was exceptional at making military rations. It had compressed enough beans to last several days into one tiny can. As expected. Countries that took war seriously were different.

Spices were luxuries. There was no way a prison would have them. All I had was salt and dried cabbage. It wasn't ideal, but I should be grateful for the cabbage. The military state was the sort that would seriously consider classifying even vegetables, which took up needless space and had few calories, as luxury goods.

I washed and set down the vegetables. Azzy immediately recoiled.

"I don't like grass!"

"Don't worry. I'm not giving you any."

Good. Time to start boiling it. I put salt and vegetables into the pot of dry beans and let it cook. While that simmered, I put the dough into the oven beside the stove. When the pot began to boil properly, I adjusted the thickness with starch water. Water with a little seasoning gradually thickened and turned into edible food.

All that remained was to wait.

It was a boring wait. As I stared at the bubbling pot, I heard a rustling sound beside me. Azzy, who had one-tenth of my patience, was spinning in circles chasing her tail.

Dust rose and fur flew every time she did it. I frowned as hard as I could and scolded her.

"Hey. Hey. Your fur's flying everywhere. Go spin outside."

"I'm hungry! I'm hungry!"

"Even if you're hungry, I can't eat your fur."

She had a human form, so she had no fur except for her tail and hair. Why did so much of it shed? Azzy paused briefly after hearing me, but it didn't last. Her body kept twitching with boredom. She couldn't stand the smell and looked ready to bury her face in the pot at any moment.

"Wait!"

"Hungryhungryhungryhungry!"

This wouldn't do. She was starting to look at me as though she might eat me. I quickly took out a ladle and stirred the stew.

Crushed bean scraps and floating vegetables swirled around. The bits that had been mixed in when the beans were canned gathered in one place. I scooped them all up with the ladle. One ladleful of stew filled with scraps, floating bits, and bean skins.

I poured that ladleful into an empty can. Then I took a chime bell from my pocket.

Jingle jingle.

"Woof! Woof!"

Now that she fully understood what the bell meant, Azzy's eyes lit up and she lowered herself. I could see drool glistening on her lips. I set the can of dog food on the floor.

"Here. Eat."

Azzy immediately lay down and happily ate the dog food with little chomping sounds. I watched her eat with warm eyes.

Dogs really were wonderful animals. They could eat what humans left behind.

In a better mood, I hummed as I continued cooking.

The reduced broth tasted faintly sweet. The starch clinging to my tongue made me feel full just by holding it in my mouth.

Good. Time to eat.

I roughly wiped down the dusty table and placed the pot on it. I also took out the baked flour dough from the oven, which still hadn't become bread. All I had were stewed canned beans and a lump of flour, but this was still something. If I enjoyed it, it was a royal feast.

Should I set the mood? I sat upright at the table and prayed to Mother Earth. Thank you for giving me my daily bread, and please watch over me even in this cursed land.

Now then. Shall I eat?

"Woof."

When I opened my eyes, some dog was sitting at the table and sharing a meal with me.

What the hell?

"Ahem. Azzy, what are you doing sitting at the table?"

"Woof! Give me food!"

Judging by the front paw she held out, she seemed to be asking for a bowl of her own. I had clearly used an empty can as her dog bowl earlier, hadn't I? When I glanced down, she had already devoured everything in it. This shameless puppy had finished her portion and was now eyeing a human's table.

Good grief. They say you can't change a dog's habits. She's trying to climb right over my head. I spoke sternly.

"Get down while I'm asking nicely. This is a table where people eat."

"Woof."

Bang!

When her front paw struck the table, the metal table leaped three centimeters into the air. I could see cooked beans flying through the air. My bowl and utensils floated in midair as well.

Clang, clang.

The falling pot and dishes created a peculiar harmony. It was like a symphony played only with percussion instruments. Beyond it, the puppy smacking her lips glared at me.

With trembling hands, I picked up the empty can from the floor. She had licked it so thoroughly that it was spotless, clean enough to make me believe it had just come from the factory. Using it as a dog bowl, I filled a ladle with bean stew broth and poured it in...

"Beans."

I added plenty of beans, too. Then I jingled the chime bell once and gently slid the dog bowl full of beans toward Azzy. Azzy immediately buried her face in the can and began chomping away.

After chewing for quite a while, Azzy lifted her head, smiled brightly, and shouted.

"Woof! Delicious! Beans are delicious!"

"Hmph. Just this once. Don't expect it again."

Dogs really were damned animals. Dirty, stupid balls of fur that literally lived by begging from humans, eating what humans ate.

Damn dog. She must think she's above humans.

Just wait. Even if you're the King of Dogs, you're still a dog at heart. One day, once all this hardship is over and I finally tame you, I'll make you work like a proper dog.

I'll prove firsthand what it means to be a lord of all creation!

The beans tasted ordinary.

Footnotes:

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