WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 461: Episode 87: The Heart of Steel (3)

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"If you really need fuel, exchange Hyeongseong for our fables. We'll supply you with fables fit to be used as fuel."

[I told you to leave.]

Something was definitely strange. If he simply wanted to use Hyeongseong as fuel, there was no reason to reject my offer.

"I'm sorry, but I must take the soul with me. The Final Scenario will begin soon. This isn't the time for you to look out only for your own safety."

[The fable Demon King of Salvation begins its story!]

When I opened my Status, the Master of Steel seemed flustered.

[Do you dare oppose me here in Oz?]

Sparks crackled through the air in the audience chamber.

The Master of Steel was a fabled-grade Constellation. According to the original, however, within Oz, his Status...

[I showed you favor by allowing you inside...!]

...was comparable to that of a Mythical Constellation.

Rumble.

The planet writhed violently, like a heart repeatedly contracting and expanding.

Suyeong looked at me, her face pale.

―Kim Dokja, have you lost your mind? What are you planning to do if we fight here...?

Suyeong asked.

I unleashed my fables.

[The Great Fable Spring of the Demon Realm begins its story!]

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth begins its story!]

As my primary Great Fables began their stories, the audience chamber shook as though it might collapse at any moment. I stepped forward through the violent tremors. The Master of Steel shouted.

[Stand back! If you do not stand back...]

Just as I thought.

He'd had more than enough time to subdue me, yet the Master of Steel only repeated his warnings without taking any action.

He was acting like a cowardly lion.

I passed straight through the mask and moved forward. Then I reached the wall at the back of the audience chamber. The Master of Steel shouted something, but I ignored it and punched the wall.

The silver mask floating in the air like a hologram vanished the next moment.

"Hey, monkey."

Beyond the hole I had punched through the wall, a monkey was trembling in terror.

"Where is the real Master of Steel?"

* * *

A little later, we got some information from the monkey.

Suyeong said, "So the Master of Steel isn't here."

[I-if you do this, the Master of Steel will never forgive you...]

"Turn off the constellation's declaration switch. It doesn't even sound like a proper declaration."

"...He'll probably forgive you."

The dejected monkey finished.

The monkey was probably one of the Master of Steel's henchmen. I didn't know why, but the monkey had been passing themself off as a Constellation here.

"Then were all those Indirect Messages sent by you, too?"

"Y-yes. Still, I actively reflected the Master of Steel's wishes."

"Reflected his wishes?"

At my question, the monkey looked toward the edge of the audience chamber. A massive steel sword was embedded in an altar there like a cross.

I examined the sword closely.

"Originally, we could hear our master's wishes through that altar. But recently, communication suddenly stopped..."

I reached out and touched the steel sword in the altar. A jolt ran through me. It was a sensation I had felt before.

It was faint, but this was definitely the feeling of connecting to another worldline.

Then the Master of Steel was a being from another worldline.

That couldn't be right. As far as I knew, the Master of Steel was the Tin Woodman from "The Wizard of Oz"... Could someone else have stolen the Master of Steel's Constellation name?

While I was lost in thought, Suyeong asked, "Does that have something to do with your planet ending up like this, too?"

"That's part of it, but there's also the issue of neglect. Every fable declines eventually. It's already been a long time since magic disappeared from Oz. Do you know how old the fables here are?"

"No."

"Tourists no longer come to Oz. It was already three years ago that our average monthly visitors last reached double digits."

The monkey's eyes grew distant, as though reminiscing about Oz's former glory.

"Once, Oz was one of the greatest theme parks in the Star Stream..."

Huiwon frowned.

"We don't want to hear that. So are you giving Hyeongseong's soul back or not?"

"That is a little..."

"Why not?"

"Because Hyeongseong is the reason we can still maintain double-digit visitor numbers."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

After hesitating for a long time, the monkey spoke.

"Do you know that the influence of old Great Fables has been weakening recently?"

"The influence of Great Fables is weakening...?"

"It isn't just Oz. The fables that once made up existing Great Fables are following the same path of decline as Oz."

"Why?"

"Because a recently risen fable has begun devouring the shares of other fables."

The monkey raised its head and looked at me with resentful eyes.

"Your fable."

* * *

To get straight to the point, our trip to Emerald Castle hadn't been fruitless. The monkey had said this.

―You may take Hyeongseong with you. In return, please help promote Oz.

When I asked how we were supposed to help, the monkey answered like this.

―You will understand once you visit where Hyeongseong is.

That was why we were here now.

We looked up at the entrance to a ruined theme park. A Ferris wheel that no longer turned and an old, worn-out carousel. It was the typical image of a completely bankrupt theme park.

《There Is No Wizard in Oz》

That must have been the theme park's original name. It was a rather stylish name.

The problem was the subtitle beneath it.

《But Lee Hyeongseong Is Here》

―Lee Hyeongseong Memory Experience Center grand opening!

―Find Lee Hyeongseong's soul hidden somewhere in the experience center and receive a small prize.

What the hell was this?

When we headed to the ticket booth, a price list awaited us.

+

* Entry Ticket: 4,000 coins

* All-access pass (50% discount): 3,000 coins

+

This was basically telling us to buy the all-access pass.

The ticket booth employee asked.

―How many people are entering?

"Three."

―Incarnations are 3,000 coins each. Constellations are 60,000 coins.

Had I heard that right? I was dumbfounded by this ruthless extortion when Huiwon held out her hand to me.

"We can charge this to the company, right? It's for a mission."

"Of course."

"One Incarnation ticket, please."

Huiwon casually swiped the company card and entered the Memory Experience Center. While I stood there blankly, Suyeong stepped forward, too.

"One Incarnation ticket here..."

"Wait."

"What? Why?"

"There's a discount plan."

I pointed to the small notice beside the price list.

+

* Constellation X Incarnation couple discount ticket now available!

* This couple discount ticket is for Patron Constellations who visit with their Incarnations! Make beautiful memories with your Incarnation and enjoy a sweet, cozy time together!

+

After reading it all, Suyeong looked at me. I nodded.

"Are you insane?" Suyeong asked.

"No matter how many coins we have, I'm not spending them here."

Suyeong glared at me furiously, then counted on her fingers as though calculating something. She looked between the price list and me before sighing.

"What are you giving me?"

.

.

.

"What exactly are you two doing?"

Huiwon said when she spotted Suyeong and me. It was a reasonable question, since we were both wearing matching wolf-ear headbands.

[This item cannot be removed while you are in the Memory Experience Center.]

[Show other Constellations the strong bond between you and your Incarnation!]

Suyeong answered shamelessly, "We're working a date job."

"Let's find Hyeongseong first."

If what the monkey said was true, Hyeongseong's soul would be wandering somewhere in this Memory Experience Center.

I had no idea why it was wandering around a place like this...

We still had time, so we calmly looked around the Memory Experience Center. I had wondered what a memory experience center even was, but I found out soon enough.

[Lee Hyeongseong is born as a gigantic, healthy 5.4 kg baby!]

[Five-year-old Lee Hyeongseong saves a friend being bullied!]

This was a place where people could experience Hyeongseong's life.

[Only holders of an all-access pass may enter.]

[The Possession experience will begin upon entry. Would you like to enter?]

"If we go in there, can we find out what it feels like to be a huge, healthy baby? Who would pay money to experience something like that?"

The theme park resembled an amusement park.

We could enter each experience center and experience life as Hyeongseong or someone around him. Huiwon said, "I guess we have become famous. They even made something like this."

"I'm curious about that one."

Before we knew it, we were looking through Hyeongseong's life as though possessed. It really did feel like being a Constellation.

...Come to think of it, I was actually a Constellation.

[Seventeen-year-old Lee Hyeongseong fails at his heart-pounding first love!]

Huiwon stared at that exhibit for a long time. I asked, "Are you going in?"

"No."

We continued searching for Hyeongseong.

Hyeongseong's soul had a distinctive fable response. I could definitely feel it nearby, but...

[Lee Hyeongseong encounters the Judge of Evil!]

As we kept walking, we found exhibits related to Kim Dokja Company as well.

[Pure-Hearted Steel Lee Hyeongseong! The Judge of Evil...]

Huiwon's steps gradually quickened. We hurried after her, but we couldn't sense Hyeongseong's presence. After checking an entire row of exhibits and turning back, someone was standing there.

It wasn't Hyeongseong.

"Uh? Mister?"

It was Jihye, wearing a fox-ear headband.

"Why are you here?"

At my question, Jihye gave a brief explanation.

She had gone to the blacksmith's workshop with Junghyeok, Sangah, and the children, only to find that they were out of fable metal.

While wandering around in disappointment, they had stumbled across this place.

The children had begged so much that they had no choice but to enter with the family discount...

Family discount?

"What are you doing here?"

When I turned around, Junghyeok was standing there, wearing a fox-ear headband as expected. He looked between Suyeong and me before asking, "Have you recovered Hyeongseong's soul?"

"We came here to find it. More importantly, why are you here instead of looking for fable metal?"

"The blacksmith's workshop was closed. They said they had run out of fable metal."

I had a feeling I knew why that had happened. Perhaps it was related to Oz's Great Fable weakening, too.

In the distance, Sangah was waving at us. Shin Yuseong and Gilyeong were beside her, wearing headbands that resembled dragonfly wings.

"Unni, let's go in there next time! Over there!"

"Oh my, that one is only for people eighteen and older."

Our entire group had gathered here before we knew it.

It was probably for the best. Since things had turned out this way, looking for Hyeongseong together would save us some trouble.

That was when Huiwon called out.

"Everyone, come over here!"

We immediately headed toward her.

There was an experience center there with far more warnings than any of the others.

+

* This experience center is only available to those eighteen years old and above.

* Possession experience participants may suffer psychological distress due to harsh treatment.

* Earth-born male Incarnations are advised to use caution.

+

I looked up at the Memory Experience Center's name.

"I think we found him."

There was no doubt. I could clearly feel Hyeongseong's distinctively slow and dull fable emanating from this experience center.

Hyeongseong was in here.

I raised my head and checked the experience center's name.

[We Lost a Cartridge]

Footnotes:

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