WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 196: Since Going Missing
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Lucia kept her guard up, Blood Fang in hand.
Duke Oun's Black Wing Guard, whom they had encountered amid the emergency.
She was grateful that they had not shown hostility and had responded amicably, though that was only natural. Still, the situation itself was absurd.
The western dark frontier.
This place lay beyond the Demihuman Allied Nations, an uncharted region. It was not uncharted simply because no one had explored it.
No matter how much people explored it, the dark frontier had no end. The darkness covering the edge of this land expanded as far as one advanced within it, as though the land itself were alive.
That was all Lucia knew. This land defied common sense in a way different from the East. As she watched Dorian and his companions examine Kyle, Lucia dwelled on her confusion.
It made no sense. Just moments ago, Kyle and Lucia had been in the East, in the middle of the Sand Sea. They had been swallowed by a rift of the outer gods, and when they opened their eyes, they were at the western edge of the continent.
They had crossed the entire world and ended up on the opposite side.
Lucia could not find an answer for how this had happened. She had neither properly seen nor felt what happened inside the rift.
But even amid this incomprehensible situation, one word remained stuck in her throat like a thorn.
‘Missing.’
It was what Dorian had said. From Lucia's perspective, not much time had passed since they were swallowed by the rift. She did not know exactly how long they had spent in the tangled darkness outside the world, but it had not even felt like ten minutes.
Yet in that short span of time, they had been declared missing, and the news had reached the far end of the continent? News might have traveled elsewhere, but civilization in the East had collapsed. It was impossible for news of an incident in the East to reach the dark frontier in mere minutes.
‘Could it be...?’
A chill ran down Lucia's spine. What if time inside the rift flowed differently from time outside? Steadying her trembling, Lucia spoke.
“Excuse me.”
“Hmm?”
Dorian glanced back. He and his companions were laying out various devices beside the unconscious Kyle. Lucia could not tell exactly what they were, but they looked like medical equipment at a glance. As Dorian connected a catheter to Kyle's wound, he spoke.
“Why did you call me?”
“You said that we were missing.”
“I did.”
“When did that news spread? How much time has passed since we went missing...?”
Dorian did not answer immediately. His eyes, visible beyond the goggles of his crow mask, stared at Lucia. After a brief silence, a hearty laugh came from behind the mask.
“I thought that might be the case, and it seems I was right.”
“...?”
“I thought it was quite strange. I wondered if you simply looked young, but that seemed a little too much.”
“What do you...?”
“Ten years.”
Dorian chuckled and turned back to Kyle. A large device connected to Kyle's catheter lit up. Dorian's companions attached the various test tubes they held to the device.
“It has been ten years since you disappeared during the eastern expedition.”
Lucia's mouth fell open.
She had guessed from the word missing that time inside and outside the rift had diverged, but ten years? Lucia clutched her chest as her breath caught.
“Ten... You said ten years?”
“Hmm. Judging by your reaction, it seems you have no memories after the moment you disappeared. I heard from Alastor that you were swallowed by a rift of the outer gods...”
Dorian shrugged and shook his head.
“Honestly, it's a miracle that you returned alive. Such rifts are places where time and space become tangled. Don't think of yourselves as unfortunate. Think of yourselves as lucky. As far as we know, you're the first people to return safely after falling into that sort of rift.”
“...”
“Ten years... Well, it's understandable that you'd be shocked. Not one year, but ten. Still, what can you do? One can't turn back time that's already passed. While everyone else aged ten years, you two did not. Perhaps thinking of it that way will make you feel a little better.”
Dorian spoke as if offering comfort, but Lucia could not feel comforted at all. She could not close her slackened lips as she sank to the ground. Watching the stunned Lucia, Dorian clicked his tongue.
“It's only natural that the shock would be great. How is your body? Your injuries don't look minor either, even if they aren't as severe as Sir Kyle's.”
“...”
“Too shocked to answer? You there, examine the deputy captain of the Sword Wolf Knights. We have a long journey ahead, so her injuries need treatment.”
At Dorian's order, one of the Black Wing Guard members wearing a crow mask rose. Judging by her figure, she was a woman. Approaching with calm steps, she crouched before Lucia and asked.
“I will examine your injuries.”
“...Yes.”
Lucia barely came to her senses and nodded. The shock had not faded, but recovering her physical condition came first.
Dorian skillfully treated Kyle's wounds. He set his twisted bones back in place and tightly wrapped black bandages around his limbs. The bandages hardened and fixed in place like casts. Then he poured a potion over Kyle's exposed organs, cut open the wound, and inserted a white-gloved hand inside.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“Don't be alarmed. I'm treating him from the inside first.”
Lucia recoiled in horror, but Dorian's voice remained calm. Even though an entire hand had gone inside, no blood flowed. As Dorian moved the hand within Kyle's body, he used his left hand outside to draw symbols in the air.
The magic circle formed by his movements was as precise as if it had been drawn with a ruler. Before long, it settled over Kyle's abdomen.
“What a mess. It's a wonder he's still alive.”
Dorian muttered with a hollow laugh. Few of the organs he touched inside were intact. He wove the light entering through the magic circle into threads and stitched together Kyle's torn organs. The spreading light then connected the burst and tangled blood vessels.
Watching him, Lucia murmured in astonishment.
“Healing magic...?”
“Half of it is. The other half is technology.”
Dorian shrugged and withdrew the hand he had inserted into Kyle's side. It held several dark-red clots. Dorian placed them in a test tube and handed it to the companion standing beside him.
“As I said earlier, there has never been a case of someone entering a rift of the outer gods and returning alive. It may have had harmful effects on Sir Kyle's body. We'll take these blood clots back to base for analysis.”
Removing his blood-soaked glove, Dorian looked down at Kyle. With his limbs wrapped in black bandages and several catheters connected to him, Kyle's complexion was certainly better than before.
“We've taken every measure we can here. Any further treatment will have to wait until we return to base.”
“Does base mean outside the dark frontier?”
“Unfortunately, outside the dark frontier is far too distant from here. In Sir Kyle's current condition, he would never endure the journey. So we'll head to a nearby outpost.”
Lucia bit her lip as she looked at Kyle's face. His complexion had improved, but Kyle had still not regained consciousness.
‘I know nothing about the dark frontier.’
It would be impossible for Lucia to escape the dark frontier while carrying Kyle in that condition. To understand their exact situation, it would be better to go to the outpost with the Black Wing Guard.
“There's no need to worry too much. This land is a fucking miserable place, but I guarantee it. The outpost where we're stationed is the safest place in this entire dark frontier.”
Dorian chuckled as he gathered the equipment he had laid out.
“Because the leader of the Crows, Duke Oun, is there.”
“Duke Oun...”
“Of course, our leader will provide every possible resource for Sir Kyle's treatment. Once Sir Kyle wakes up, we can discuss what comes next.”
“Can we contact Alastor?”
“This is the very front line of the dark frontier. Communications from here cannot reach beyond the frontier. Magical communications, at least. Once we return to the outpost, I'll help you send a messenger.”
While they spoke, one of the Black Wing Guard members took out a large box and placed Kyle inside. When Lucia looked at the box, Dorian smiled and explained.
“It's a device for transporting Sir Kyle safely. It's filled with costly, state-of-the-art regenerative fluid. Don't worry too much. Let's move for now.”
“How long will it take to reach the outpost from here?”
“If nothing goes wrong, we should arrive within half a day... but something will probably go wrong. We were being pursued.”
“What?”
“We were on our way back after shaking them off, but this unexpected meeting delayed us. I expect we'll run into them soon. Sir Lucia, can you fight?”
Dorian asked calmly as he took a large staff from beneath his cloak. The other Black Wing Guard members also took out their equipment and prepared for battle. Though flustered, Lucia gripped Blood Fang tightly.
“I-I can fight.”
“Hmm. Please don't take this the wrong way. I've heard it, and I can see it for myself... You're a Demon Tribe Half-blood, aren't you?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Though you're only half Demon Tribe, do you have any reservations about fighting your own people?”
“Are the pursuers from the Demon Tribe?”
“They are.”
Too many surprising things had happened. Why would members of the Demon Tribe be on the dark frontier at the western edge of the continent? Lucia stood with her mouth agape, then composed herself and answered.
“I have devoted my sword to Alastor, to Lord Kyle. I do not consider the Demon Tribe my people.”
“That's a relief.”
Dorian gave a short laugh behind his mask.
“Please don't take my question as an insult. Since we've only just met on this frontier and may have to entrust our backs to each other, I simply needed to be certain.”
“Why are members of the Demon Tribe here?”
“A great deal has happened on the continent during the ten years you were missing.”
Dorian tapped his staff on the ground. The jewel at its tip took on a faint glow.
“Members of the Demon Tribe began appearing in the dark frontier several years ago. How should I put it? It's as if they crossed over from beyond the front line. We don't know why, but that's the truth. It's all because of the succession contest their senile king started.”
“The succession contest...?”
“To put it plainly, we're being pursued because of our leader. Duke Oun likes innovation. He dissected a candidate among those Demon Tribe members who crossed over, one who possessed an Inscription, and secured the Inscription.”
The succession contest would only end once there was a single holder of an Inscription left. If Duke Oun possessed one, the other Inscription holders would have no choice but to do anything they could to take it from him.
“Our leader has no intention of surrendering the Inscription, so conflict with the Demon Tribe became inevitable. Hmm, that's enough talking.”
The light emitted by the jewel on his staff grew stronger. When Dorian tapped the staff once more, a complex magic circle appeared on the ground, and ten spheres materialized in the air.
A tingle ran through Lucia.
Lucia felt something as well. Hostile presences were rapidly approaching. The moment she sensed them, her bearing changed, and Dorian laughed softly.
“You have good instincts.”
Ten members of the Demon Tribe, horns rising from their heads, landed atop a tall boulder. The moment they appeared, Dorian called out loudly.
“To be honest, I don't want to fight. How about we each simply go our own way?”
“Shut up...!”
The Demon Tribe member at the front twisted his face and shouted.
“You filthy Crows who feed on corpses! How dare you stick your dirty beaks into the sacred succession contest!”
“You cut open and defiled a candidate's sacred body, then stole the Inscription! These are the atrocities committed by your filthy master!”
“Get on your knees and become prisoners quietly. Then we'll drag you away with all four limbs still attached...!”
Their accusations thundered through the canyon. Leaning lightly against his staff, Dorian let out a deep sigh.
“Prisoners... Gentlemen of the Demon Tribe, there's no point in taking us prisoner. Do you still not understand that? No matter how many fingers and eyeballs from captured prisoners you send, our leader will not surrender the Inscription.”
“You inferior-race bastard...!”
The leading Demon Tribe member, gritting his teeth, turned his gaze toward Lucia.
“...?”
His bright-red eyes narrowed. He abruptly leaned forward and stared at Lucia.
“A mongrel...? Why is a mongrel here...?”
“Wait.”
Another member of the Demon Tribe hurried forward.
“One horn and red eyes. And that uniform...?”
“Lucia Beliar!”
Someone shouted the name in surprise.
“There's no mistake! It's Lucia Beliar, who was said to have gone missing ten years ago!”
“Lady Lizet's younger sister...!”
Lucia Beliar.
Lucia was dumbfounded to hear that name. There was only one member of the Demon Tribe in the world who called her by that name: Lizet Beliar, the Fist Demon. Lizet considered Lucia, who inherited the Inscription of her actual younger brother Azel Beliar, to be her younger sister as she pleased.
‘Are those Demon Tribe members subordinates of the Fist Demon...?’
Dorian, who had glanced at the murmuring Demon Tribe members, whispered.
“Beliar is the Fist Demon's family name. Are you the Fist Demon's sister?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then why do they call you that?”
“Because the Fist Demon has lost her mind and spread nonsense.”
“Hmm... I don't understand it, but a peaceful solution is no longer possible. If we let them go, those mouths will spread troublesome stories...”
Clicking his tongue, Dorian straightened.
“We have no choice but to kill them all.”
His words signaled the start of battle. The Black Wing Guard members, already prepared, leaped into the air all at once.
“Secure Lucia Beliar!”
“Lucia Beliar! Lady Lizet misses you!”
The Demon Tribe members shouted as they sprang from the cliff.
There were ten members of the Demon Tribe attacking them. The Black Wing Guard numbered five including Dorian, but one was carrying the box containing Kyle and could not participate in the battle. Even with Lucia joining them, they were outnumbered two to one.
However, the difference in skill was more than enough to make up for the numerical disadvantage.
Crash!
The ten spheres floating in the air literally ground one Demon Tribe member to pieces. Immediately afterward, a spear thrust by a Black Wing Guard member pierced another through the body in midair.
Lucia did not remain still either. She kicked off the boulder and leaped repeatedly, closing the distance between herself and the Demon Tribe members.
A strange heat came from her Inscription. It was as hot as a branding iron, yet strangely, it did not feel painful. Rather, the stronger the heat became, the more vitality surged through her body.
‘What is this...?’
Something in her body was changing. Lucia felt it, but this was not the time to focus on the abnormality happening within her.
They needed to end this fight as quickly as possible to get Kyle somewhere safe.
Thinking only of that, Lucia swung Blood Fang.
Footnotes:
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