WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 118: Episode 23 — An Abandoned World (3)

──────

As expected, there was no room for dissent. To that bastard, choosing people for the Scenario wasn't something to be debated. It was something to be announced.

"If anyone has complaints, speak now."

With that terrifying killing intent pouring out of him without pause, who would possibly complain? The kings, who knew full well how overwhelming Yu Junghyeok's strength was, merely trembled. None of them even dared think of resisting.

Ah, except for one person.

"M-Move! Get your foot off me!"

Unfortunately, it seemed the self-proclaimed President of Yeouido had never heard the stories about the Supreme King. A politician being that dull to rumors was a problem in itself.

"Who the hell are you to suddenly show up and... Aaaaargh!"

Yu Hyeonho screamed as his hand was crushed.

"My hand! My hand! Guards! Where are my guards?!"

Yu Hyeonho writhed and cried for help, but there was no one here who could help him. Yu Junghyeok's foot pressed down on his back, and before long Yu Hyeonho let out a strange rasping breath and passed out.

When silence fell over the place, Yu Junghyeok opened his mouth.

"Seems there are none. Then I'll announce the list."

The kings' faces grew tense. Yu Junghyeok really was something else. To seize the balance of power this easily... In an instant, the kings had fallen from the position of those who selected to those who were selected.

I calmly tore off a piece of jerky from the table and waited for Yu Junghyeok to continue. Beside me, King of Beauty Min Jiwon stared at me as if she couldn't believe it.

"How can you stay so calm?"

Sorry, but I'm not in the same position as the rest of you. After all, I was none other than someone Yu Junghyeok himself had acknowledged as a "Companion." He could threaten me all he wanted, saying the oath was over and all that, but in the end, that bastard had admitted he needed me.

Yu Junghyeok spoke.

"First, of course, is me."

...Well, that was only natural. There was no way he wouldn't put himself on a list he made himself.

Behind Yu Junghyeok, his Allies had arrived before I noticed. Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa. I could also see Lee Hyeongseong and Jeong Huiwon peering inside with worried eyes. Huiwon in particular looked ready to rush over at any second, so I stopped her with a glance.

Yu Junghyeok continued.

"Second is Lee Jihye."

Naturally, I'd thought I'd be second, so that was unexpected. Then again, I wasn't originally on his Companion list. If he used me first, the other Companions might feel slighted. Cold as he looked, the guy did have a habit of taking care of his own people. I get it, bastard.

Unable to hide her delight, Jihye curled up the corners of her mouth as she looked at me.

...That was a little annoying.

"Third is Lee Seolhwa."

Lee Seolhwa nodded and stepped forward. Each time another name was called, the kings' faces grew darker. They all sensed it.

That this list would become the final list.

"Seven people left. We still have a chance."

"The Supreme King's Allies are only those three. That means the rest will all have to pick people outside their own group."

"And among the people left, we're the strongest, so..."

Their thoughts were written all over their faces.

Me? Of course I wasn't worried. I was obviously going to be on the list.

Surely next would finally be...

"Fourth is Lee Hyeongseong."

...What?

Lee Hyeongseong, who had been standing in the back, turned pale when his name was suddenly called.

"M-Me, sir...?"

Yu Junghyeok ignored him and looked at the person beside him.

"Fifth is Jeong Huiwon."

"...Me?"

Jeong Huiwon's eyes widened in shock. Even I hadn't expected him to pick Huiwon. This bastard was even picking my Allies now?

"Sixth is Lee Gilyeong."

"...Huh? Me?"

Then Yu Junghyeok looked at Shin Yuseong, who was standing beside Lee Gilyeong.

For a moment, Shin Yuseong shrank back in fear and hid behind Lee Gilyeong. Flustered, Lee Gilyeong fidgeted for a second, then seemed to make up his mind and stepped in front of her. Yu Junghyeok silently looked down at the two children with an unreadable gaze, then turned his head away.

"And..."

At last, Yu Junghyeok's gaze fixed on me.

Right, finally my turn. So he'd deliberately put me last, was that it?

As expected of the protagonist. The bastard really knew staging.

"The rest, decide for yourselves."

The jerky in my mouth went down whole, and I broke into a coughing fit.

Yu Junghyeok swept his gaze through the tent, then looked at me as if to say I was pathetic before turning his back and walking away as though there was nothing left for him to do.

What? That was it? Seriously? ...Then what about me?

By the time I hurried after him, Yu Junghyeok had already disappeared into the distance.

How long had I stood there like that? Jeong Huiwon finally asked me carefully.

"Weren't you two close?"

I thought we were.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire smiles contentedly.]

Lee Jihye added a word too, looking puzzled.

"Ajussi, didn't you meet our master at dawn? I thought you'd definitely be on the list..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Master said he was going to see you at dawn."

"What time at dawn?"

"Probably around one or two? Were you asleep?"

I carefully counted back the time. Between one and two in the morning. That would have been right before I went to the underworld.

"I was awake then, but Yu Junghyeok didn't come."

"That's weird. Master definitely went. And when he came back, he looked kind of angry."

"Angry?"

"You know that look Master gets when he's dealing with pathetic people. Like he's looking at someone with contempt..."

I carefully retraced my memory of that time. What had I been doing right before I went to the underworld?

Ah, right. I remembered.

I had been drinking with Yu Sangah. Dionysus had been pouring out alcohol like crazy and making the mood weird, and then... uh... well.

[The constellation God of Wine and Ecstasy makes a playful expression.]

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire smiles contentedly.]

[You have received 500 coins.]

Feeling a little conflicted, I explained what had happened back then to my Allies. At that, they all looked startled. Jeong Huiwon narrowed her eyes and pressed me.

"...You kissed Sangah-ssi?"

"No, that's not it... What exactly did you hear me say?"

"Was it really because of Dionysus? You weren't just pretending to be drunk?"

"It was because of Dionysus, and nothing happened."

Jeong Huiwon looked at me suspiciously.

...Shouldn't have brought that up.

"Hmm... Maybe Yu Junghyeok-ssi saw that and decided to bow out because of the atmosphere..."

"Yu Junghyeok isn't the type to do that."

"Besides, even if Yu Junghyeok-ssi did see Dokja-ssi at the scene of a kiss, it doesn't seem like he would have any reason to feel bad about it..."

"I'm telling you, I didn't kiss her."

When I muttered that, Uriel's message rang out from the air.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says that is camaraderie.]

Jeong Huiwon tilted her head and said,

"...Camaraderie?"

Lee Jihye burst into loud laughter.

"That's what your Patron constellation says, unni? That it's camaraderie?"

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"If it's camaraderie, I think I understand."

Unexpectedly, Lee Hyeongseong raised his hand and spoke.

"Now that I think about it, I feel like I'd be upset too if Dokja-ssi were doing something like that."

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire snorts at the unexpected remark.]

"...Huh? Why would Hyeongseong-ajussi feel bad?"

Lee Jihye looked utterly baffled. But Lee Hyeongseong's expression was serious. I tensed up, wondering what kind of bombshell he was about to drop, and listened to him speak.

"I stake my life on every Scenario. Yu Junghyeok-ssi, and I as well, work hard every morning to train our bodies for the next Scenario. With the single-minded determination to protect our comrades, we live each day repeating brutal training."

"...Huh?"

Lee Jihye stared blankly. Jeong Huiwon, on the other hand, listened to Lee Hyeongseong's words with an expression that said maybe that really was the case.

"In that kind of situation, if the comrade guarding my back were grinning stupidly because he was blinded by lust, of course I would feel bad. All the more so if someone who came from an all-boys middle school, all-boys high school, and an engineering college saw that sight..."

Jeong Huiwon cut in.

"Who are you talking about with the all-boys middle school, all-boys high school, and engineering college?"

"...Anyway, what I'm saying is that it would feel like a betrayal. The Yu Junghyeok-ssi I've seen is an extremely ascetic person, and though he isn't a soldier, he has a very strong soldier's spirit. If it's someone like Yu Junghyeok-ssi, I think he'd react very sensitively to anything that could throw discipline into disarray. It would surely feel like camaraderie was collapsing."

"Well, it's not like that makes no sense."

Jeong Huiwon agreed.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire nods.]

Unexpectedly, the more I listened to Lee Hyeongseong, the more it seemed like that really might be it. Because a scene from TWSA suddenly came to mind. I opened the novel file and looked through Yu Junghyeok's <3rd round>, and I really did find a part that could count as evidence.

"Pathetic. Getting distracted by a woman."

"I exclude men with strong sexual desire from the Companion roster. They are too likely to ruin things."

If he really was misunderstanding it like that, then it was infuriatingly unfair. If we'd actually kissed, that would be one thing, damn it. And now, at this point, I couldn't exactly go and tell him it had all been a misunderstanding...

"Kim Dokja-ssi? I think it's about time we chose the rest."

Min Jiwon, who had come over at some point, spoke to me. When I turned around, the other kings were looking at me too.

"The Supreme King is taking six, so there are four people left."

"Which means we need to choose four from here..."

The Yeouido faction had already been smashed to pieces, so the only kings left now, including me, were five.

After glancing around at the others, Maitreya King Cha Sanggyeon spoke first.

"Hmph, since there are only four left anyway, the remaining people should..."

"How about we decide with a king's match?"

I was the one who made the suggestion.

"Even if we keep arguing with words, we'll only waste time. Everyone wants to fill the allotted numbers with their own forces, so let's settle it with a king's match. The winning king gets all the remaining allotments."

At my words, the kings all turned to look at one another at the same time.

Then, after a moment, the answer came.

"Fine."

* * *

Again, Neutral King Jeon Ildo was the first to declare that he would forfeit.

"I'll stay behind. Someone has to remain here and keep the people under control..."

It was a wise choice. If he wasn't going to do well in the Scenario anyway, then strengthening his power base here wasn't a bad option. And though people still didn't know it, there was definitely a Scenario waiting for the Incarnations left behind as well. There was no way the dokkaebis, who loved intense stimulation, would leave the Incarnations in peace.

The King of Wanderers also simply raised her hand to show that she would forfeit. The other kings looked surprised, but they also seemed relieved that there was one less competitor.

Min Jiwon looked at me and spoke in a confident tone.

"A trick like last time won't work."

She probably knew that I had used the coins I'd stockpiled to win the throne contest.

...Right, so I'd really been looked down on that much.

We fought, switching opponents one by one. It took less than five minutes for the outcome to be decided.

"This is ridiculous... I thought only the Supreme King was a monster. How did you get this strong?"

Cha Sanggyeon was sprawled out, battered and bloody, while Min Jiwon, bruised all over, panted as she spoke to me. Seriously, it would've been easier if we'd just done it this way from the start.

I shrugged and said,

"Ten people is only the initial allotment. Just wait. The second allotment will start soon enough."

"...Ha, I guess there's no helping it. You won four spots, so who are you taking?"

"One is me, and another is that child."

At my glance, Shin Yuseong's expression brightened. She must have been worried she'd be left behind alone.

"And the other two... I have people in mind."

"It's not me, is it?"

"No, Min Jiwon-ssi, it isn't."

"...I understand."

Min Jiwon brushed the dust off herself and stood up. The dejected kings left one by one. I spoke to my Allies.

"You should all go on ahead. I have something to take care of for a moment. Let's meet in front of the station a little later."

Once even my Allies nodded and disappeared outside the tent, the interior that had been crowded with people became empty in an instant.

A little more time passed, and at last only one other person remained in the tent with me. A woman wearing a mask. And for the first time, she opened her mouth.

"Looks like you've made a lot of friends."

I hesitated until the very end. Should I talk to this person, or should I just pretend not to know and leave?

But it had been a choice with a fixed answer from the start.

Because if I wanted to secure the person I needed for the next Scenario, I had no choice but to ask this person for help. After taking a light breath, I opened my mouth toward the King of Wanderers.

"It's been a while, Mother."

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried