WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 123: You've Changed
──────
When people were faced with something so absurd and shocking that it defied belief, they could not tell whether they were dreaming or awake.
He had nearly died without exaggeration, held on and held on until he fainted, and when he opened his eyes, his mind was still hazy.
And the first thing he saw was such an absurd sight.
“?”
Kyle blinked and stared ahead.
He had been talking to Orban when he could no longer endure it, so he had closed his eyes and passed out. He did not know exactly how many days had passed since then.
Aia Vernes had said that, allowing for plenty of time, all his injuries would heal within two days. His mind was still foggy, but nothing hurt, so perhaps two days had indeed passed.
“Where am I?”
After blinking a few more times, Kyle asked in a dazed voice.
“The Crow's Nest.”
Helenas answered. Kyle continued blinking as he looked at Helenas's face, then lowered his gaze to his own body. He was inside a capsule-shaped device, with only his head sticking out.
He wiggled his fingers and toes. They moved as he intended, and even his left foot, which had nearly been cut in half and left hanging by a thread, did not hurt at all. Next, he circulated the Primordial Chaos Sword Canon. His dantian and Circuits had fully recovered, and there was no pain in his organs.
“How many days has it been?”
“Two days since you fainted.”
Helenas answered again. Beep, beep, beep. Kyle turned toward the source of the mechanical sound. A machine connected to the capsule displayed his vital signs. He watched it for a moment, then slowly turned back to Helenas.
“...”
“...”
For a while, neither said a word as they looked at each other. Helenas looked no different from when Kyle had seen her in the Sword Tower a few months ago.
“Why are you angry?”
Now that he was beginning to realize this was reality rather than a dream, Kyle asked politely. The hospital room was spacious, and they were the only two inside, but it still felt inappropriate to speak casually to Helenas inside a Crow building.
“You can speak casually. There are only the two of us here, and no one is listening to our conversation.”
“You're speaking casually to me.”
“I am much older than you now. Even if you include the age Raikal reached in his previous life.”
“You spoke politely last time. Like you used to.”
“Back then, I was dwelling on old memories. It felt as though I had returned to five hundred years ago.”
“Is it different now?”
“I have had enough time to compose my feelings. You drew a line as well. You said you were Kyle Alastor, not Raikal.”
“Then why are you angry?”
Kyle asked with a bitter smile. Helenas fell silent for a moment.
So it had not been his imagination. Even in his previous life, Helenas had never shown much change in expression, and she had especially never revealed anger in front of Raikal.
But now was different. Her face and expression were the same as they had been in Kyle's previous life and when they met last time, yet Kyle could sense a faint anger in those faded blue eyes.
“I am not angry.”
After the silence, Helenas spoke. She crossed her arms and stared straight at Kyle's face as she continued.
“Rather than angry, I'm displeased. Annoyed. Irritated. Only a little.”
“This is surprising.”
Since no one could hear them, Kyle changed the way he spoke too. He shifted around inside the capsule and smacked his lips.
“Didn't we have a beautiful farewell last time?”
“Take care.”
“See you next time.”
Kyle had waved toward Helenas's retreating back as he said those words. Having been seen off like that, Helenas had shed a single tear.
“Yes.”
“Take care, and next time... let us meet again.”
Not as the Sword Church Master, but like the little elf Kyle had taken in five hundred years ago. Helenas had smiled through tears and waved goodbye, just as Kyle had.
Then she left. Later, someday. She left looking forward to the day Kyle would come to Sword Grove and teach her the “fun” of the sword. For five hundred years, the elf had lived trapped by fate. For the first time, she departed with anticipation for waiting.
“You left crying and waving. You left me behind in that secluded forest of Gladiheim.”
“...”
“You promised that you would wait in Sword Grove until I came to find you someday, didn't you?”
“Why are you questioning me as if I am the one at fault?”
Tap, tap, tap.
Helenas tapped her arm with the fingers of her crossed hand and murmured. The anger in her eyes, no, the annoyance, displeasure, and irritation, however slight, seeped into her voice.
“I came to visit because I was worried about you.”
Helenas continued.
“You remember what we said then. The warning I gave you?”
“Yeah.”
“I told you clearly. The Crows are dangerous. I told you not to get involved with them.”
“You said it yourself back then. You said I probably wouldn't listen even if you warned me. Looks like you were right.”
So that was why she was angry. Kyle smiled bitterly.
“I remember your warning, but I said I would make my own judgment after hearing everything. Didn't you understand that? I was always like this, even in my previous life.”
“My feelings.”
Helenas said it sharply.
“I said I had composed them. My state of mind now is different from who I was then.”
“Huh. You remained unchanged for five hundred years, and now you've changed?”
“Because I met you.”
Helenas rose from her chair. She strode over and leaned toward Kyle, who was trapped in the capsule. Her long green hair spilled down and tickled Kyle's cheek.
“You promised me.”
Helenas whispered. Kyle's face was reflected in her eyes as she leaned closer.
“You said you would teach me the fun of the sword. The fun of a sword that I had never felt even after living five hundred years. I swung one only because it was my fate. I had never felt anything from it, yet you said you would teach me the fun of the sword.”
“...”
“After I returned to Sword Grove, I thought about it constantly. I believe that promise will be fulfilled. I am looking forward to it. If you cannot keep that promise, I will be... troubled.”
Helenas moved a little closer.
“I do not know what I will become if I am troubled. I certainly will not be happy. I will suffer, hurt, and grieve more than when you died five hundred years ago. Perhaps I may even lose my mind.”
Helenas's voice was flat, and her eyes were still faded. Yet from this close, Kyle thought he could see an intense longing in their depths, something he had never felt before.
“You've changed.”
Kyle whispered to Helenas, whose face was right before his, and grinned. Helenas was emotional enough now that she did not seem like an elf. She had even overturned a decision she had made herself.
“I don't know if it's a positive change. But it looks less boring than living shut away in Sword Grove, swinging a sword you don't even enjoy. It's unlike an elf.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Making fun of you? I'm sincerely glad you've changed.”
“I'm not glad. I told you. I feel unpleasant, annoyed, and irritated.”
Helenas spoke quietly and returned to her chair. She crossed her arms again and stared at Kyle.
“Saying it is unlike an elf is wrong. I am still trapped by fate. My fate has not changed. The sword I felt was my fate was your sword... I simply do not wish for you to die.”
“So you came all this way because you were worried about me? How did you find out?”
“The believers who worship me bring me news for my sake, even when I do not ask.”
The Sword Church was a religion that worshipped swords, as well as Helenas, the Sword Church Master who had lived for five hundred years. The Apostles in particular resided in Sword Grove and personally attended to Helenas.
“The First Apostle told me that you had visited the city of the Crows.”
Many people lived in Avens, this industrial autonomous district. It likely had not been much of a secret that Kyle, who had recently become well known across the continent, had visited Avens.
“I did not hear that you had been injured. I arrived today because I was displeased, and found you lying here.”
“You didn't cause a scene like when you came to Gladiheim, did you?”
“I do not enjoy violence.”
Helenas shook her head.
“At Gladiheim, the Thunder Emperor challenged me first, so I accepted. Besides, this was entirely your fault. You ignored my warning.”
“I'll ignore plenty of your warnings in the future too.”
Pssh! After shifting around a little longer, the capsule opened. Strangely, Kyle did not feel stiff at all, but he stretched deeply as he got up.
“The world won't leave me alone, and I don't want to sit still either.”
“You are irresponsible.”
“What a thing to say now. Your change is nice, but you're making too much of a fuss. Are you going to come find me like this every time I act as I please?”
“...”
“My promise to you matters to me too. I have no intention of dying before I keep it. If I ever seem likely to die, I'll do everything I can to survive or run away.”
“What do you gain by taking such risks?”
“A lot. Even this time, I got stronger to survive.”
He had worried that he might be naked inside the capsule, but fortunately, he was wearing something like a hospital gown. Kyle stepped out and dusted himself off.
“They said it was a cutting-edge treatment machine. It works well. I'd like to have one installed in the Sword Tower.”
“If I had arrived sooner, you would not have needed help from such a machine.”
Helenas narrowed her eyes and slowly looked Kyle over. Soon, with less anger in her eyes than before, she nodded.
“As expected, you have grown stronger than when I saw you before.”
“Right? You get stronger fast when you suffer enough to nearly die.”
“Elves live long lives. I have already waited five hundred years, so I can wait another few decades.”
Helenas seemed to hesitate for a moment before opening her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“Come live with me in Sword Grove.”
“What?”
“Stay by my side and swing your sword with me for a few decades. You like fighting, don't you? I can fight you as much as you want. If you need hardship severe enough to nearly die, I will push you to the edge of death.”
“Does that even make sense?”
“Why does it not make sense?”
“In the end, you won't truly try to kill me.”
His swordsmanship would improve if they sparred like that repeatedly, but it would not be much fun for the effort involved.
The first few times might be enjoyable, of course. Helenas was a swordsman who surpassed not only Kyle as he was now, but even Raikal in his previous life.
But no matter how often he faced an opponent who was not serious, it would not be as thrilling as fighting someone who truly meant to kill him.
“Promise me.”
Kyle strode over to Helenas and held up his pinky.
“Don't come looking for me like this again. I understand that you worry about me, but this is binding me.”
“You bound me for five hundred years, yet you do not want to be bound yourself.”
“I did not bind you because I wanted to. You were bound of your own accord because you're an elf.”
Helenas looked at Kyle with an unhappy expression, then let out a short sigh and hooked their pinkies together.
“Promise me you will not die either.”
“Yeah, I promise.”
“What will you do now? Return to Gladiheim?”
“I'll take you home first.”
Crunch.
The entwined pinkies tightened fiercely. Helenas took a large step forward and stared at Kyle.
“You mean you will go to Sword Grove?”
“Are elves' ears large but their hearing not as good as they look? Why did you mishear what I just said right in front of you? I said I'd take you home.”
Kyle looked down at their linked pinkies with an incredulous expression. The finger Helenas had gripped was turning red and swollen.
“If my finger gets cut off, I won't be able to wield a sword properly.”
At that, Helenas immediately released Kyle's finger.
“Anyway, you came because you were worried about me. You could return just fine on your own, but I'll still take you home.”
He had told the order members to remain on the Cultivation Floors for a month, so there was no reason to rush back to the Sword Tower. Since he was already out in the world, he thought it would not be bad to wander around a little while seeing Helenas home.
Helenas blinked quickly. Kyle would take her to Sword Grove. She considered those words for a moment, then nodded with a calm expression.
“I understand. Let us leave.”
“No... no, we're not leaving right away. I still have things to do here.”
“The Crow's request is already finished.”
“Now that I finished the request, I need to collect the payment.”
Looking at her, Kyle thought Helenas hadn't changed much since she was a little girl, despite being five hundred years old. Kyle passed by the motionless Helenas and headed for the hospital room door.
Helenas followed Kyle with soundless steps. Kyle was not used to that barely noticeable presence, but he stepped outside first.
“Sir Kyle...!”
Orban, Aia, and Central Branch agents stood outside the hospital room. None of them looked at ease.
“Are you... all right?”
Orban asked cautiously. He was speaking to Kyle, but his eyes kept darting toward Helenas. It was not only Orban. Every agent was doing the same. Only Aia was staring intently at Kyle, wishing to conduct a thorough examination.
“I am all right, but you all look quite startled.”
“Ah, no, not at all. We are not startled.”
Orban forced a smile as he composed his expression. Helenas herself had said she did not enjoy violence, but considering her temperament and past actions, she had surely barged into Central Branch headquarters just as recklessly as when she came to Gladiheim.
“Did the Sword Church Master perhaps behave violently?”
“Th-that did not happen. The Sword Church Master's visit was very... very peaceful.”
“The Branch Head fainted and only woke up just now.”
Aia spoke.
“When she heard that Sir Kyle was undergoing treatment, the Sword Church Master's aura became extremely violent.”
“Head of the Armaments Bureau, do not say unnecessary things.”
Orban shot Aia a stern glare.
“Anyway... it is fortunate that your treatment ended safely.”
“The machine was good. Could you send one to Gladiheim?”
“If you wish it, I will send one.”
Orban kept his eyes from drifting toward the Sword Church Master and lowered his voice slightly.
“Would you like to discuss the payment... now?”
“Yes. It is not something that should be delayed.”
“Then let us go together.”
At Orban's signal, the agents who had remained tense withdrew.
“Head of the Armaments Bureau. You should withdraw as well.”
“You must convey my request.”
“I will convey it, but it is entirely up to Sir Kyle.”
In the end, Aia had no choice but to withdraw, regret practically dripping from her eyes. Soon, only Orban, Kyle, and Helenas remained in the hallway.
“There is no need to go far. Shall we simply talk inside?”
Kyle pointed to the hospital room he had just exited.
“Understood.”
Helenas naturally tried to follow them into the room, but Kyle blocked the door and shook his head.
“It will not take long, so please wait outside.”
“...”
Helenas stared at Kyle with narrowed eyes, then stepped several paces away from the hospital room door.
“Haa...”
The door closed. Looking drained, Orban braced his trembling legs with both hands and caught his breath.
“Sir Kyle... what exactly is your relationship with the Sword Church Master?”
What should he even call it? A connection from his previous life? He obviously could not say that.
“The Branch Head knows that the Sword Church Master wants Fenris, does he not? If something happens to me, something may happen to Fenris as well, so perhaps she came because she was worried about that.”
“I do not think that is the only reason...”
“When she came last time, I treated her well. I suppose she has taken a liking to me.”
“Huh...”
Orban looked back and forth between Kyle and the hospital room door with disbelieving eyes.
‘He even has the Sword Church Master's favor?’
A boy certain to become the Alastor Family Head within the next few decades was also favored by the leader of the continent's strangest religion. How was he supposed to take that?
‘Alastor and the Sword Church are not hostile, but they are not especially close either... If the Sword Church Master's favor continues after Sir Kyle becomes the Family Head, Alastor may be able to contend for hegemony over the continent.’
The Sword Church had many swordsmen across the continent as believers, and each of the seven Apostles was strong enough to be counted among the Ten Peaks.
And the Sword Church Master was a monster considered the strongest on the continent. Had even the Thunder Emperor not been defeated by her?
“Sir Kyle asked for a relationship between individuals, but compared to you, I am far too insignificant.”
Orban sat in a chair with a bitter smile.
“Two days ago, your first request was to borrow the Crow's Eyes. At that time, all I could promise to lend you were the eyes of the Central Branch.”
“Does that mean things are different now?”
“Yes, they are.”
Orban's expression changed. His eyes shone with eagerness as he clenched his fist.
“My father, the head of Crow Company, sent word. He told me to cooperate with Sir Kyle with all our strength.”
“Hmm.”
Kyle grinned.
‘He must really want to get out of the dark frontier.’
It seemed he intended to do everything he could to shorten the ten-year deadline.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
