WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: ChaoticRain

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 215: Episode 40: Hatching (4)

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The sight of Uriel chattering away in her tiny symbolic form made the furrow between Yu Junghyeok's brows deepen.

"...There isn't even a channel. How are you sending an Indirect Message?"

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says it is possible as long as her symbolic form is in contact with an Incarnation.]

Uriel's doll-like symbolic form clung tightly to Junghyeok's shoulder. He lightly pushed it away with a finger and asked,

"Is this okay?"

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says it is fine as long as the dokkaebis do not find out.]

"No, not the dokkaebis. You."

Uriel seemed not to understand what he meant for a moment. Without a word, Junghyeok pointed beside the doll.

Tztztzt.

The doll tilted its tiny head, then finally opened its eyes wide and covered its mouth with both hands.

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire is deeply moved by the kindness of the Incarnation Yu Junghyeok!]

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says she is actually in a little pain.]

Faint sparks had been running across Uriel's symbolic form for some time. The Demon Realm was the territory of demon kings, a forbidden land for an archangel like her.

Since she was taking the risk of entering enemy territory, the consumption of Plausibility was bound to burden Uriel. Junghyeok peeled her off his forearm again and asked,

"Why are you going this far to find Kim Dokja?"

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire asks if he is not doing the same.]

"You seem to be misunderstanding something. I..."

The Demon Realm was not a place he should have come to at this point.

Its difficulty could not even be compared to other Scenarios of the same round.

The one consolation was that this was not an established Demon Realm, but the newly formed 73rd Demon Realm. It was land without a demon king, so the rulers here would be dukes at most. He could handle that much. More importantly, he was far stronger now than he had been at this point in the previous round.

"I simply don't like that someone is impersonating me. Whether that person is Kim Dokja or not isn't important."

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire grins.]

"And there are plenty of useful items in the Demon Realm..."

[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire keeps grinning.]

"If you grin one more time, I'll tear your body apart."

When Uriel fell silent, Junghyeok stared out at the vast Demon Realm stretching beyond the horizon of the story. That bastard was probably somewhere in this barren world too. Junghyeok ran a hand over his sword hilt for a while, as though he might cut down the entire landscape, then finally started walking.

* * *

Seisvitz's Factory.

In the duke's office, which felt more desolate than usual, Count Sirok continued his report, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"...Therefore, due to the unrest caused by the revolution, we plan to restrict travel in and out of the industrial complex for the time being."

Watching the Gilobat envoy's face twist before him, Sirok felt his heart sink again and again. The demon was called Gilobat's envoy, but the figure before him was not someone who should be serving as the head of a delegation.

Explosive Ombros.

The marquis of the Gilobat Industrial Complex and one of the leading candidates to become the next duke of the 73rd Demon Realm. Sirok hiccupped as he sensed the demonic flames burning in Ombros's eyes. If the Duke of Seisvitz had not been standing by the office window, calmly looking outside, Sirok's head might have rolled long ago.

"Therefore, I earnestly request that Gilobat's envoys remain here for a while."

"Are you finished?"

"Y-yes! Then I shall take my leave..."

After Sirok hurriedly opened the office door and fled, Marquis Ombros breathed heavily for a while, as if swallowing his displeasure. He could not show any more than that, however. It was because of the demon standing by the window.

After looking outside for a while, the Duke of Seisvitz gave a sly smile and spoke.

"You heard him. That's how things stand."

"What would you have me do?"

"I'm afraid you can't leave. Stay in Seisvitz for a while and watch how things unfold."

Ombros's brow twitched at those words.

"That statement could become a diplomatic issue."

"You're too sensitive. It is simply a measure to protect an envoy from an allied industrial complex."

"Over a single Revolutionary?"

"Seven Executioners are dead, along with two marquises. The time for calling it a mere Revolutionary has passed."

The Revolutionary Scenario entered its final phase the moment every Executioner in the industrial complex died. Strictly speaking, the Duke of Seisvitz was now in danger. Yet there was no sense of crisis on his face. Disliking that contradiction, Ombros grumbled,

"For a Revolutionary to appear at a time like this... Your dignity has taken a small blow, Duke."

"Well, I find it entertaining. It has been thirty years since a Revolutionary appeared in Seisvitz. I can't go on living without an event like this every now and then."

"You sound like a Constellation."

"Is that not allowed? Fables do not belong to Constellations alone."

If an ordinary Incarnation had said such things, Ombros would have scoffed. Yet the Duke of Seisvitz had the right to say them. He might not compare to the fabled-grade Constellations high in the sky, but Seisvitz was a monster that had accumulated fables in the 73rd Demon Realm for four hundred years.

"It is best to accumulate as many fables as possible before the Demon King Selection begins. The stronger the Revolutionary who appears, the better it is for me."

Not once did he seem to consider that he might fall to the revolution.

"If you're so confident, why are you preventing me from leaving?"

"Why do you think?"

Ombros groaned under the duke's meaningful gaze. It was obvious. Seisvitz had lost two marquises in this incident.

"I have no intention of betraying Gilobat."

"Haha, who said anything of the sort?"

"I'm saying it just in case."

"Then let me give you some advice just in case. Do you think the Duke of Gilobat can become a demon king?"

The sudden question caught Ombros off guard. Seisvitz did not give him a moment to recover.

"Or do you think Meledon or Berkan will become the new demon king?"

"That is not a question I can answer."

"No, you can answer it. Everyone knows who is strongest among the four dukes of the 73rd Demon Realm."

Ombros swallowed. It struck him anew that such a calm declaration could sound frightening. The experience of the oldest duke in the 73rd Demon Realm could not be ignored.

"It won't be easy. There are rumors that Meledon has joined hands with Veda."

"They are not the only ones who can borrow the power of Constellations."

"Are you saying...?"

Instead of answering, the Duke of Seisvitz looked out at the sky beyond the window and asked,

"The dokkaebis will arrive soon. What else will come then?"

The night sky was still dyed black.

Soon, countless stars would gather above it. Then the demon kings of other Demon Realms, responding to the appearance of the Constellations, would begin to show themselves as well.

Even Ombros, a marquis, felt his heart tremble.

At last, the 73rd Demon Realm would become a proper battlefield for Scenarios.

"Have you finished arranging a channel?"

"I've sent word to the Administration Bureau."

At that moment, Ombros realized why Seisvitz had not bothered to seek a Patron. Once the dokkaebis appeared and the true Scenario began, the Constellations would flock to wherever the larger incident broke out.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"It won't be a bad little amusement before the full Demon King Selection begins. Constellations like slaughter."

"Could it be that you left the revolution alone for that reason?"

Seisvitz gave a strange smile and exhaled cigarette smoke. Ombros let out a quiet sigh.

"You truly are a natural-born demon."

In this world, every conflict was merchandise. Seisvitz was trying to buy the attention of the Constellations by selling the lives of the countless industrial citizens in his industrial complex.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ombros shook his head as if he were sick of it. If the Duke of Seisvitz had planned such a grand show, he must have prepared an incredible production. It was not difficult to predict what that would be in this industrial complex.

"It has been a long time since I've seen your Factory move, Duke."

The Factory, the strongest Fable Weapon possessed by dukes.

The Duke of Seisvitz nodded.

"I've already ordered the preliminary activation measures. You'll see it soon enough."

Anticipation filled Ombros's eyes. It was not often that one could see the fable of the strongest being in the 73rd Demon Realm.

Just then, a message appeared.

[A #BI-90594 channel has been created in the Seisvitz Industrial Complex region.]

Startled by the message, Ombros rose from his seat.

"Have you already summoned the dokkaebis?"

Yet the instant he saw the Duke of Seisvitz's expression, Ombros realized this was not the duke's plan. Almost at the same time, the office door flew open and someone rushed inside.

"Duke! Forgive me, but I have an urgent report..."

It was Count Sirok, who had fled in a panic earlier. Seisvitz quickly regained control of his expression and answered,

"Speak."

He had appeared at this moment, so his report was surely related to the emergence of the new channel. Yet the words that came out of Sirok's mouth were entirely unexpected.

"There is insufficient persuasiveness to operate the Factory."

The Duke of Seisvitz's face filled with confusion.

"What do you mean? I clearly told you to replenish the reserve persuasiveness."

"Well... It appears the industrial citizens sent to labor may have stolen the Fable Fragments."

Ombros, who had caught on to what was happening, said,

"It seems the Revolutionary is rather clever. Could that be why the dokkaebis moved first...?"

"That cannot be. Negotiations between the Administration Bureau and the Hunchbacks have not yet concluded."

The Duke of Seisvitz frowned slightly at the unexpected situation, then immediately gave an order.

"Send the overseers and slaves to the horizon. We only need to gather the Fable Fragments again."

"I already sent them. But..."

Fearing the duke's fury, Count Sirok continued with hunched shoulders.

"We have just lost contact with the overseer who went out to collect them."

* * *

The horizon near the Seisvitz Industrial Complex. Jang Hayoung nudged the dead overseer's corpse with a foot and said,

"It looks like the duke was making quite extensive preparations. Even I've never seen a collection operation this large."

A massive collection operation involving over a thousand collection slaves.

Things had gone well, but if we had been even a little slower to act, it could have become dangerous.

I couldn't fight the duke head-on while my Incarnation body was still incomplete. If their haul had entered the Factory intact, the situation would have turned for the worse.

"It worked out well."

I glanced at Han Myeongoh as I spoke.

I had known the duke would move this way. But without Myeongoh, the Spy, I would not have known the exact timing to put this plan into action. Pleased by my praise, Myeongoh gave a smug smile.

"Hmph, who do you think I am? I'm the brain of Mino Soft, after all."

"If you become a Constellation later, use that as your modifier."

At first, I had not liked the idea of being on the same side as this man. Now that things had turned out this way, though, it did not seem like such a bad choice.

"Bring the slaves over here! We'll start repairs with those who are still sound of mind!"

Perhaps they had resolved themselves for a real war from this point on. There was a solemn determination in the faces of Aileen and the industrial citizens that had not been there before. Looking at them, I steeled myself too. Biyoo, sitting on my shoulder like a fluffy ball of cotton candy, made a sound.

"Baaat!"

She did not seem to have recovered her memories yet, but every dokkaebi had the instinct of a Streamer. They filled places where stories should exist with Scenarios.

[A new Sub Scenario has arrived!]

[Sub Scenario - Liberate the Slaves begins.]

"Thank you."

When I gently patted her head, Biyoo raised her tiny hands and shouted,

"Daaat!"

It might be impossible to enter the Main Scenario right away, but with Biyoo's help, I could receive Sub Scenarios whenever an opportunity arose. It was only a temporary measure, but if I steadily accumulated Sub Scenarios this way, I could restore my Incarnation body enough before clashing with the duke.

「Kim Dokja thought. There was no need to hurry. Time was on his side anyway. To safely overcome the Demon Realm Scenario, he needed to prepare thoroughly from now on.」

I really had been thinking that. Until an unexpected message rang out.

[A new Constellation has entered the #BI-90594 channel.]

Footnotes:

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