WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 122: A Hospital Visit
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To Lucia Beliar.
This is the first time your sister has written you a letter.
You may find it awkward to read. Your sister is a member of the Demon Tribe who has never written a letter like this before, so I hope you will be understanding.
Before asking after your well-being, it is only right that I speak of myself first.
I have been doing quite well. The ministers at the royal palace had much to say about my intrusion into the Empire's territorial waters, but our great father did not reprimand me.
He must have understood that the circumstances left me no choice.
Azel is dead, and Nasdel and the Golola family have been completely wiped out. Your sister was responsible for all of it, yet the matter was buried without a fuss.
There was no one to mourn them. Azel was a disgrace to the family, having tainted our great father's blood. Nasdel and his family never received an Inscription, so they held no value to the royal family.
We of the Demon Tribe retain our youth until the brink of death, but as death approaches, we rapidly age and grow ugly. That is why we must maintain our dignity throughout the long prime of our lives.
Those of royal blood must especially do so. Your sister loved Azel as her only younger brother, yet Azel lost his dignity and became ugly before his Lifespan had even run out.
In other words, your sister's authority remains unshaken.
My new younger sister, Lucia Beliar.
Are you doing well in the Empire? News of you has reached even this distant land across the sea. I heard you received the Crescent Moon Medal in the Empire.
It does not suit you. A medal from the human Empire does not suit the dark, thick blood flowing through half your body.
Still, I will offer my congratulations. I hear that medal is quite an honor in the world you now belong to.
Lucia Beliar. I heard the Alastor boy you follow also received a medal. It seems the Empire considers facing your sister a great honor.
Rumor has it that no one has ever received the Martial Star Medal at his age. It is true that the boy possesses unprecedented talent, so I believe the Empire's decision to award him the Martial Star Medal was appropriate.
The gullible and loose-lipped whisper about whether Lizet Beliar truly lost to Alastor's little boy. Your sister does not care. It is true that I withdrew with my life intact, and I know the human Empire always puts great effort into propaganda.
Thinking of that day makes my blood burn. We were both immature then. If we fought again, it would be more enjoyable than before.
Ah.
I have gone on too long about myself. Cute little sister, Lucia Beliar. I did not decide to write this letter merely to congratulate you and the boy on your medals.
Demon Tribe blood runs through half your body. The other half may be human blood, but setting aside which species is superior, the Demon Tribe blood flowing through you is exceedingly thick.
Even if the Empire gave you a medal, it does not change the fact that you are a Half-blood of the Demon Tribe. Did you not inherit Azel's Inscription? That proves just how thick your blood runs.
You must know what the blood flowing through your body and the Inscription carved into you desire. You must not forget it. To deny it is to deny yourself.
If you ever wish to answer the call of your blood and Inscription, if you wish to live as one of the Demon Tribe should, come to your sister. I will prepare a place for you.
Noisy matters are unfolding throughout Erebos. Those who inherited the Demon King's brand are causing conflicts across the mainland. And it is not only them. Those who failed to obtain an Inscription are running wild, saying they want to become the Demon King and trying to seize one.
There is no need to worry about your sister. My authority is firm, and I earned it through strength. I still remain in Erebos's arena, swinging my fists.
Troublesome proposals have been coming from all sides. Members of the Demon Tribe who possess Inscriptions are asking to form alliances.
Do you know of Crow Company? It is a corporation born in the Empire, and its Northern Branch operates in Erebos. It is also your sister's greatest sponsor in the arena.
They offered to support me not as a fighter, but as a candidate for the next Demon King. The Crows' terms were rather appealing, so I decided to accept. But I am refusing every other alliance offer from the Demon Tribe.
The only member of the Demon Tribe your sister wishes to ally with is you, Lucia Beliar.
Your sister has a wish.
When the struggle for succession to the Demon King reaches its end, I hope you and I will be the only two left in all of Erebos who possess an Inscription.
I want every other Inscription bearer to die. Then, just the two of us, I want to decide who is truly suited to become the Demon King.
At the very end, I want to kill you, my younger sister, and become the Demon King.
“Isn't this woman completely insane?”
Jade, who had been reading the letter over Lucia's shoulder, spoke with a disgusted expression.
“Why are you reading someone else's letter over my shoulder?”
“What does it matter? It already went through inspection. Vice Commander, just in case, nothing was omitted from this letter, right?”
“I do not believe so.”
Lucia checked the envelope with an indifferent expression. The sender's address was Erebos. The seal bore the crest of the Beliar family.
“If it had been caught by the censors, it would never have been delivered to me in the first place.”
“Hmm... The Fist Demon really is an impressive lunatic. And the Vice Commander has Alastor's full trust.”
Jade chuckled and asked a teasing question.
“It seems they do not think for even a moment that the Vice Commander would be swayed by this deranged letter and turn her back on Gladiheim.”
“I lived in the Sword Tower for fifteen years.”
Lucia spoke.
“Not only the Lord of the Tower, but the Elders also know my loyalty well.”
“Since it is just us, be honest. Is the Vice Commander loyal to Alastor, or is she loyal to Commander Kyle?”
“Sir Kyle is Alastor itself.”
“Oh... That is quite a forward-looking statement.”
“Do you not think so as well?”
“I am not looking that far into the future. For now, yes, I am loyal to Commander Kyle, Alastor's pureblood.”
Jade shrugged. Lucia snickered and took out the remaining contents of the envelope.
There were two tickets and a small note.
[Erebos transit passes. Your sister will take care of any diplomatic issues, so come whenever you wish.
I have also sent VVIP tickets for the arena. As you know, I have returned to the arena and live each day in desperate battle. It is both my proof and my training.
I will not tell you to settle in Erebos right away. Visiting before you settle down would be a good experience. Especially once you see your sister's splendid performances, your heart cannot help but be greatly moved.
Your older sister, Lizet Beliar.]
“An impressive lunatic overflowing with self-love.”
Jade muttered.
“What should I even call this? Can familial love get this twisted? She crushed her actual younger brother's head with her fists and killed him. Yet she gives the family name to a complete stranger who inherited his Inscription and calls her little sister?”
“I do not know why she is like this either.”
It was not as if Lizet even cherished Lucia. At the very end, she said she wanted to kill her. Did Lizet Beliar truly think this letter would move Lucia's heart?
“Still, she congratulated you for getting a medal. I did not receive even one letter from the Krase family.”
Jade had also received the Crescent Moon Medal, and the prince and princess of Ransel had attended the party at the Imperial Palace. Yet the Krase family remained silent.
“They must find the situation complicated in many ways. From the Krase family's perspective, an illegitimate child they never cared about has received a medal from the Empire.”
Lucia placed the letter she had finished reading and the two tickets back into the envelope. Jade's eyes narrowed as he watched.
“Vice Commander, surely not? You are not leaving a little room in your heart for this, are you?”
“Do not say ridiculous things. I will show this letter to Sir Kyle when he returns.”
Lizet's letter had not stirred Lucia's heart in the slightest.
Its very premise was wrong. Lizet considered Lucia a Half-blood of the Demon Tribe, but Lucia was not even one of the Demon Tribe. She was only a chimera someone had created.
‘Why does an Inscription reside within me, then?’
Did it mean she was that close to the Demon Tribe? That was wrong as well. Strictly speaking, Lucia was not close to the Demon Tribe. As a chimera, she had none of the racial weaknesses the Demon Tribe possessed. If anything, she was superior to them.
‘Is that why... the Inscription took root in me?’
Lucia glanced down at her chest. The inverted pentagram Inscription was still carved into the chest hidden beneath the Sword Wolf Knights' uniform.
It did not cause any particular discomfort. Since learning the Demon King's cultivation technique Kyle had given her, the Inscription had caused no pain. She had also completely grown accustomed to the changes that came after receiving it.
Looking only at those changes, they were positive and helpful. Her already outstanding talent had been amplified further, and as she circulated mana according to the cultivation technique, her Aura had become even more destructive.
‘It is thanks to Sir Kyle.’
Caressing the Inscription carved into her chest, Lucia smiled faintly. She received the Demon King's brand because she went to Beltua Island. She went to Beltua Island because it was the Sword Wolf Knights' first mission. And she had joined the Sword Wolf Knights because Kyle wanted her there.
She had not been forcibly taken to Erebos by Lizet Beliar because Kyle risked his life to stand in Lizet's way. Seeing that, Lucia had been able to reject Lizet of her own accord.
It was also thanks to Kyle that she did not feel discomfort from the Inscription and could use this power properly. Most of all, what made Lucia happy was that the full, blessed gratitude she felt now did not come from a chimera's master-servant instinct.
‘I defied the master-servant instinct. I was not leashed. These feelings are wholly mine.’
That was why they were special. Her gratitude toward Kyle and her desire to wield a sword for him. All of it belonged to Lucia alone, not a chimera's instinct...
“Heh...”
Seeing Lucia grinning to herself, Jade quietly backed away. Lucia had been smiling like that often lately, and it was best not to speak to her at such times.
“Is the Vice Commander doing that again?”
Narua, who had been sitting on the floor beside the sofa and circulating her cultivation technique, shot Lucia a sidelong look. Jade placed an index finger against his lips and shushed her.
“Leave her alone.”
Jade and Narua intended to leave her alone, but the situation did not allow it. The closed door suddenly swung open, and Bruno entered.
“I got permission. We are entering the Cultivation Floors right now.”
As Kyle had instructed, Bruno went to the Sword Hall and met Julius privately. It was his first private meeting with the Family Head despite having lived in the Sword Tower for twenty years, so he had been extremely nervous. But Julius had given permission surprisingly readily.
“Consider it an honor. As far as I know, there has never been a knight who was not a pureblood allowed into the Cultivation Floors.”
Kyle had said the White Night Knights' primary duty was related to the Cultivation Floors, but Bruno had not learned the details.
“You have to write an oath before entering too. An oath not to reveal what happens in the Cultivation Floors or anything you see there.”
“Anyone listening would think you have been inside the Cultivation Floors before.”
Jade grinned as he teased Bruno.
“The Commander spent four years there, but this is the first time for all of us, right?”
“I have never been inside, but I have heard a few things. My knowledge is different from yours.”
Bruno grumbled and glanced at Lucia. She was still sitting on the sofa, grinning to herself.
“She is doing it again. Anyway, get your equipment and come outside.”
“What did the Commander say earlier? Was it that we should survive without dying even once?”
Jade scratched the back of his head and tilted it.
“You said you know things because you have heard stories, right? What the hell does that mean?”
“That... I do not know either. Well... It must mean we should suffer until we are nearly dead.”
“One month.”
Lucia wiped the smile from her face and spoke.
“He told us to survive in the Cultivation Floors for one month, then come out. That means we will not see Sir Kyle until a month from now.”
“Hmm... I suppose so. I do not think the Central Branch job will take a whole month, but that bastard Kyle told us to stay for a month.”
“Do not call Sir Kyle a bastard.”
“Hey! I am Alastor pureblood too. By seniority, I rank above Kyle. I am five years older too. So I can call Kyle a bastard!”
“Calling Sir Kyle a bastard in front of him is not a problem, but calling him a bastard when he is not here is talking behind his back. As the Sword Wolf Knights' Vice Commander, I must uphold the order's discipline while Commander Kyle is absent.”
“Argh... Arghhh...”
Bruno clenched his fists and trembled because he could not find anything to say in response. He had treated Lucia carelessly when they were younger, but he could not do that now. He had grown up in many ways, Lucia had become far too strong, and within this knight order, Lucia was the Vice Commander while Bruno was an ordinary knight.
“Fine, then...! Get your weapons and come outside.”
“Everyone, get your weapons and gather outside.”
Lucia spoke to them with an expression befitting a Vice Commander.
Bruno's body trembled again at the sight.
* * *
The black barrier that had sealed off the Third Research Building was already gone, and Central Branch agents had gathered at the checkpoint leading to the building.
When Kyle asked why they had not entered, they said they had been waiting because entering could have caused the situation inside to change drastically.
‘Are they not just making excuses because they did not want to go in?’
The thought briefly crossed his mind, but even so, they were unlikely to have hesitated merely to protect themselves when the Central Branch Head had gone in personally. They would have confirmed that the crisis had ended when the barrier disappeared, so it was more reasonable to think they had waited for the survivors to emerge rather than stirring things up for no reason.
“You need not worry about your leg.”
Aia Vernes, the Head of the Armaments Bureau, glanced at Kyle's left leg with hollow eyes and shoved both hands into her white lab coat.
“The Central Branch has the latest treatment machines. At most, two days will be enough to completely heal not only your leg, but your internal injuries as well.”
“I heard you are the Central Branch's greatest developer. Did you make that treatment machine too?”
“Yes, I am the Central Branch's greatest developer. I made the treatment machine too.”
Aia answered in an indifferent voice. The only craftsman Kyle knew even somewhat was Galen of Gladiheim's First Workshop, who had made Fenris's scabbard and Jade's sword breaker.
Unlike Galen, whose confidence fell short of his skill, Aia was someone whose confidence fully matched her ability.
“After your injuries are treated, you must undergo a thorough examination.”
“A thorough examination?”
“Sir Kyle spent too long near the Black Cube without any protective equipment. The mana has all dispersed, but as you saw, the mutants remain even after it is gone.”
“Because they are dead.”
“Strictly speaking, it is somewhat different from death. Their personalities died the moment they mutated. Now... you could call this a state of suspended animation for the mutants. If they are exposed to mana, the mutant personalities will awaken again.”
Aia's gaze slowly traveled over Kyle's body.
“Even if Sir Kyle does not feel severe discomfort now, there is a chance that the dormant mutation response will recur if you are exposed to mana again. You need a thorough examination to prepare for that possibility.”
“Hmm, I think I will probably be fine.”
“If you are fine, then please cooperate with the thorough examination for the sake of progress. Perhaps your results will allow us to develop antibodies against exposure to mana.”
“Honestly, that is what you really want, right?”
“Both are true. The Branch Head will pay whatever compensation you desire, so please cooperate. It is for the sake of progress.”
Duke Oun had asked him to sell Fenris for humanity's future, and the Head of the Armaments Bureau was asking him to undergo a thorough examination for humanity's progress.
‘They are all asking for my help with grand reasons.’
He had never heard such grand reasons in his previous life, but after reincarnating, he heard all kinds of them.
“Treatment first. It is getting hard to stay conscious.”
“Please answer just one more thing. What exactly is that which Sir Kyle is riding?”
Aia's gaze turned toward Jor. Everyone must have been curious but unable to ask, because the survivors and agents all looked at Jor.
“Could it be... an eastern dragon?”
“It is just a snake. More precisely, it is a Spirit.”
“A Spirit...? How are you riding a Spirit?”
“My Spirit is a little special. But what is an eastern dragon?”
“It is a divine beast said to live in the east. It resembles the dragons of our region, but looks different. It resembles Sir Kyle's Spirit...”
Aia stared intently at the horns sprouting from Jor's head.
“I understand that it has a deer's antlers on its head, flies through the sky, and has a long snake-like body, but also arms and legs.”
“Going by that description, it sounds pretty disgusting...”
Kyle glanced at Jor. The horns he had thought were branches did look like deer antlers after hearing Aia's explanation. But Jor did not have arms or legs.
“If you permit it, I would very much like to conduct a thorough examination on that Spirit as well.”
Aia's hollow eyes, surrounded by dark circles, flickered with curiosity.
[Eek...]
Jor shuddered, and her scales quivered.
* * *
Just as Duke Oun had said, when they arrived at the Central Branch, the feathers wrapped around Orban scattered away and the Holy Shroud came undone.
“Gasp...!”
Orban let out a startled cry and bolted upright. Right before he had been wrapped in the Holy Shroud, blood had been pouring from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Though quite some time had passed, the blood had not dried at all. It continued to drip as if it had just burst out.
“W-where am I?”
“The Central Branch headquarters.”
Kyle, who had moved from Jor onto a wheelchair, spoke from in front of Orban. He was enduring long enough to give a brief explanation before beginning treatment in earnest.
“Sir Kyle...? What happened...?”
“Of those who entered the research building, only the Central Branch Head and I survived.”
Pain and fatigue were so intense that it was becoming difficult to speak, but Kyle explained what had happened in the laboratory in as much detail as he could.
“A, a demon...?”
Orban had not seen the Black Cube open. The Holy Shroud had protected him at the very moment the Black Cube released its dense mana.
“That is what it called itself. Duke Oun, who appeared after the situation ended, said that demon was a yawning Ascendant that crawled out of an outer god's stomach.”
“What...? D-Duke Oun? F-father came?”
“He only appeared briefly. He is at the distant dark frontier, so he could not intervene directly.”
Orban's eyes trembled at those words. He bit his lip and lowered his gaze.
“F-father... must have been disappointed. I stubbornly brought the Black Cube here, but could not even manage it properly... Five artificial Boundary Realm agents died, along with Layla...”
“He did not seem disappointed. He said he would have shed tears if he had lost the Central Branch Head.”
In truth, Duke Oun had also said he would not be particularly sad even if Orban died, but Kyle did not feel the need to tell Orban that. There were times when people did not need to know every part of the truth.
“Father... would have shed tears over my death...?”
Orban trembled harder. With his short hair and soldier-like face, he now wore such a moved expression that it seemed he would burst into tears if touched even slightly.
“Fortunately, that did not happen. I did my best, risked my life, and ended up like this to protect the Central Branch Head.”
He had not fought to protect Orban, but that was how it turned out.
“Th-thank you.”
Coming out of his emotional daze, Orban unsteadily stood and bowed deeply to Kyle.
“I have received a great favor.”
“I think we need to renegotiate the payment.”
Kyle snickered and rested his head against the back of the wheelchair.
“I did not know the request would be this dangerous. And I saved the Central Branch Head's life as well.”
“If I put a cheap price on my life, it would be an insult to myself and the Rubalt family.”
Orban nodded with a bitter smile.
“But Sir Kyle, please do not misunderstand. I truly did not expect this situation at all. And I was not thinking only of my own survival. I desperately called for you, Sir Kyle.”
“I know.”
“Your injuries look severe...”
“That is why I am about to pass out.”
Kyle blinked his unfocused eyes.
“Let us settle the payment after I wake up.”
With those words, Kyle closed his eyes and fainted.
Two days later, when he woke in the Central Branch's finest hospital room.
“?”
Helenas had come to visit him.
Footnotes:
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