WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 281

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281.

The one who attempted to escape the tower was the entity humans called the Cosmic Color.

A faint annoyance escaped me. Cosmic Color. The moment I heard that name, irritation welled up inside me.

Naturally. It was nothing more than an old shard of stone that sparkled. All it could do was lure living beings in with its colors and take up residence inside them.

And yet they had given it such a grand name from some distant place. They had only given me a name like Star-Eye, so why had they gone to such effort for that thing?

It was enough to make me question the aesthetic sense of the dragon who ruled the tower. When it came down to it, I was far more deserving of such a name.

Still, the way it tried to escape this time had been quite ingenious. Rather than breaking through the barrier, it had tried to slip beneath it.

I glanced out the window. Golden threads wrapped around the tower, entering my view.

That was why so many treasures had failed in their attempts to escape. As long as the barrier carved by the dragon remained, no being could easily leave the tower.

It must have known that as well. That was why it had tried to shatter its identity as a treasure.

That was not a simple task. No matter how powerful a treasure it was, it could not have done it alone.

So it had cooperated with the bundle of paper that shared its room, the being humans called the Book of Greed.

The bundle of paper usually scattered blank sheets among humans. It did so to take their lives and carve more complex magic into itself.

To make use of that characteristic, the two gradually bewitched the humans attending their lecture.

Power naturally flowed toward larger masses. So even though they were trapped in puppet bodies, it was easy for the original treasures to control that power.

The two bewitched the humans and filled the blank papers with the Cosmic Color's power. That also created a clash. Desires did not mix easily.

Their powers collided and burned away. The shard of stone lost its light, while the bundle of paper was torn apart.

They wrapped the puppet bodies they inhabited in those remnants. They meant to turn themselves into mere puppets and leave the barrier behind.

Normally, that would have been impossible. But countless treasures were moving throughout the tower right now. That meant even the barrier had small gaps.

They exploited one of those gaps and quickly passed through the barrier. The barrier only realized they had escaped some time later. They had truly succeeded.

Of course, the fact that I was explaining all this made it obvious how that escape had ended.

I moved this body and sat down in a chair. A crowd of puppets filled my vision.

That thoroughly sinister storehouse keeper stood at their center. Watching them scan the surroundings, I felt irritation rise within me.

I knew how they had tried to escape because the storehouse keeper had caught the escapees and gathered all the remaining treasures.

They had explained in detail to all of us who had gathered there who had attempted to escape, how they had done it, and how they had been caught. That had happened an hour ago.

“Thank you very much for not attempting to escape like these people. If you had moved as well, I would have had no choice but to respond as the storehouse keeper.”

They raised a handkerchief and wiped at their eyes. Perhaps because I had spent the last month trying to adapt to this body, I could now recognize the shape of that face well enough.

To this body's eyes, it looked like a deeply sorrowful expression. It seemed to convey regret at having stopped the treasures with their own hands.

But I, who was looking at them through a body born from my true body rather than this physical shell, immediately saw that it was all an act.

They hid great delight within that sorrow. It meant everything had gone exactly as they wanted.

Of course it had. They had acquired more than twenty treasures.

I stared at the puppets standing around them. A total of seventy-two types of treasure, including me, had cooperated with their lecture. But now, only around fifty treasures stood here watching the ones who had failed to escape.

The other twenty could not stand here. Naturally. They had all been caught and were kneeling over there.

I looked contemptuously at the puppets sprawled there with blank expressions. They were the fools who had gotten swept up in this escape attempt.

I had known there was a slight gap in the barrier. The other treasures must have noticed it too. So when those two escaped the tower, several treasures had tried to follow them.

Some tried to send out fragments of their power, some their puppet bodies, and others only their mental bodies.

And those various escape attempts had clearly succeeded. Just as the first two had, they had managed to pass through the barrier.

But while they had succeeded in escaping the tower, they had failed to escape the storehouse keeper's grasp.

Even before they left the tower, nets prepared by the storehouse keeper had already been spread all around it.

That sinister one had used previously made puppets infused with the power of treasures as bait.

Like powers were naturally drawn to one another, and it was only natural that those who had spent power escaping the barrier would be drawn to such puppets.

They approached the puppets as though bewitched. Then they were caught and collected by the trap that wicked, sinister creature had prepared.

If they had been in their true bodies, they would have realized it was a trap. But their true bodies were still locked in the storehouse, so they were caught without even putting up proper resistance.

Of course, not all of them had been drawn to those puppets. Some treasures had not had their power contained in the puppets.

But even they could not leave the mountain. That wicked, sinister, cunning creature had made humans hunt down those who escaped.

Those humans, like the puppets, carried fragments of power. The treasures had no choice but to be drawn to them. Everything had been planned from the start.

All twenty-two treasures that had attempted to escape were caught and forced to kneel there. If Blood Axe had moved without thinking, I surely would have been caught alongside them.

I had done well not to follow this idiot's opinion. Irritation surging through me, I tightly grabbed the head of the one blinking beside me.

It screamed something and struggled, but it needed to pay the price for being a nuisance.

As I kneaded it, I stared at that sinister, wicked, cunning, and utterly underhanded creature.

“Their method of handling. Wish to ask. How do you intend to use them?”

The only reason they continued speaking like that was surely to show us something. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to gather us here.

At my question, I felt their gaze narrow upon me. Somehow, there was disappointment in that gaze.

They seemed disappointed that I had not fallen into the trap they had prepared. A sense of unease ran through me, and this body trembled on its own.

After a brief moment of thought, they stroked the head of the puppet inhabited by the bundle of paper. Then they slowly opened their mouth.

“I brought you outside despite the Professor's opposition, all to improve the rights of you treasures. But these people betrayed me. So, according to our pact, I intend to give them an appropriate punishment.”

They rummaged through their clothes and pulled out several boxes. They were sealing devices engraved with seals. A murky scent of magical power seemed to seep out through them.

Mira, who stood beside them, released mist and undid the seals. The boxes opened, revealing what they contained.

It was a small tree. I had memories of devouring several mages before, so I knew how important that was to humans.

It was a mass of soul. To one like me, who needed to fill in what I lacked, it was no different from a sweet spice.

But as I stared at the tree, which seemed to have only just put down roots, this body naturally frowned.

A truly dreadful stench flowed from it. Wondering why it smelled so foul, I looked at it closely.

Then I clearly understood why it gave off a stench instead of a fragrance. The disgusting sensation made me cover my nose slightly.

It was an object made by forcibly joining small fragments, the dregs of souls, into one great whole. It might look intact on the outside, but its insides could only be full of rot.

The point of consuming life was to take the perfection within it. In that sense, that thing was nothing but a ragged patchwork I had no desire to eat. It was far from perfect.

“Everyone who attempted to escape this time will have one of these placed inside their body.”

I sensed the treasures murmuring. I, too, could not help being shaken inside. To think they intended to impose such a horrible punishment. It was truly frightening.

But they did not seem satisfied with that. After looking around, they slowly opened their hand. Black fluid began to drip from it.

A chilling sensation seemed to crawl through my body, and I took half a step back. The other treasures must have felt it as well, because everyone fell silent.

The black fluid soon took the form of a snake. It moved along their hand and began to coil around the tree inside the box. Seeing that, they smiled faintly.

“This is part of the curse wrapping around my body. If I only plant the tree, you might escape again, so I intend to place this inside as well and seal your magical power. That is the punishment I offer.”

I glared at the black snake wrapped around the tree. As they had said, it was a magical power curse, and it rejected all magical power.

The treasures, including me, stepped back because we were beings made of magical power. That was an opposing force to masses of magical power such as ourselves.

Of course, if we had been in our true bodies, such a small force would not have mattered. But we were trapped inside these frail shells. Unless we broke the bodies, we could not escape it.

I stared fixedly at the storehouse keeper. There were several pacts between the treasures and them. One of those pacts required us to pay an appropriate price if we harmed one another.

If that pact was broken, the dragon might intervene, so everyone had no choice but to keep it. That was why the storehouse keeper had used other treasures as an excuse to interfere with me at the previous exhibition.

Just as before, they had surely led the escapees to accept this punishment themselves. They must have judged that the treasures would not accept it if they simply demanded it.

As expected, their wickedness reached the heavens, beyond anything other humans could compare to. I stared at the most cunning being I had ever encountered.

“Of course, it is possible to receive another punishment. Hmm... Was attempting escape twenty years in prison? Ring of the Sky will gladly share happiness with you.”

They slowly looked around at the treasures. But those sprawled across the floor merely remained silent.

They hated being imprisoned even more than having that dreg planted inside them. I surely would have felt the same. After examining the treasures, they nodded.

“Then, once again, thank you for the devotion of everyone who stayed without running away. I will conclude this gathering now. I will handle those who escaped well.”

They turned and headed for the stairs. Puppets carrying the treasures that had tried and failed to escape followed behind.

Only after they vanished completely did the treasures begin murmuring again. I stood among them, lost in thought.

A nagging feeling kept pricking at me. It stemmed from the question of why they had explained every part of the process to us in such detail.

If they wanted all of us to fall into their trap, there had been no need to punish anyone so openly. It would have been more advantageous to keep it hidden.

As time passed, other treasures would have tried to escape according to their desires. I might have done the same.

So if they wanted to control us, they needed to hide everything. That way, everyone would wear the shackles of the curse and be unable to leave this tower.

But they had revealed everything to us instead. Why? With the information available to me now, it was impossible to judge this strange matter.

It was almost as though they were leaving us a warning. A warning that any attempt to escape would inevitably fail...

I paused slightly. Preventing us from escaping. I tried to continue that thought, but the attempt failed. Someone poked me from beside me.

I felt irritation rise within me. Unlike my true body, where everything was under my control, this frail body reacted sensitively even to small impacts.

Sometimes, the mass of organic matter hanging from my chest made my entire body ache.

Filled with that irritation, I looked at the being that had touched me. Then I reached out and grabbed its head.

“S-Slaughter. Slaughter... Slaughter slaughter slaughter!” [I only poked you because I was saying we should just go back. Let's have the feast prepared by the worshippers for me today together... It hurts! It hurts so much! My head's splitting! Heeeek!]

I shook the head of the one who only thought about enjoying the tribute received from humans. This stupid thing dared interrupt me. It was unforgivable!

I wrung it out in anger for quite some time. Listening to its screams seemed to relieve some of my irritation.

Once I had squeezed screams from it until it went limp, I threw it away. Staring at it flattened against the floor and left wobbling there, I fell into thought once more.

What did that creature want? There were too few clues to determine that.

Of course, there was a way to avoid getting caught in whatever it wanted. Just as I had done until now, I could simply focus on the lectures.

If I did not react, it could not interfere with me. Remaining still was therefore best.

Yet the sense of unease would not fade. It was a warning from my instincts. This time, simply remaining still might not be enough.

Then how should I move? First, I needed to gather more minds.

The reason those taken away by the storehouse keeper had failed to escape was not only because they had been trapped. It was also because they had acted separately rather than gathering their strength.

If they had moved together, the storehouse keeper would not have been able to capture everyone so easily. We needed to unite.

Gathering as one and responding to traps. Building greater cooperation through that was the way to escape their schemes.

And I could not have been the only one to think that. As if to prove it, a secret invitation reached me that night.

It came to me when this body fell asleep. Snore! Within my consciousness, which scattered and gathered again like clouds, I felt a pathway connect to me.

Someone was surely calling me. It was probably one of the treasures. The fact that it had contacted me meant it too had doubts about this matter.

Then I needed to meet it. With that thought, I sent my will into the narrow passage. At its end, I formed a small lump.

I looked around through that small lump's gaze. Around ten lumps wavered within the scattering current.

Each of those lumps, bearing its own color, was a being like me. It was not merely one treasure. Several treasures had gathered together.

- Ah... Thank you for accepting the invitation.

I looked toward the owner of the will sent to me. It was the largest of these lumps.

- An infectious entity, is it? Thank you for the invitation.

I calmly sent my will. Free from the limits of a physical body, my will swiftly flowed toward it through the natural connection.

After receiving my will, it quietly trembled. I calmly watched it. Humans in the outside world called it the Ring of the Sky, saying it was a being that granted happiness.

That was quite ridiculous. Under the pretense of happiness, it dismantled other things. Those infected by it could only lose their original desires and fall asleep.

To call such a being Ring of the Sky was a miserable choice of name. Humans truly were impossible to understand.

I continued sending my will.

- I did not expect you to be able to form a space like this. At this level, even the storehouse keeper will not notice us.

The outside world was the storehouse keeper's territory. So no matter what happened there, their watchful gaze never ceased. I, too, had been wondering how to gather the treasures.

But in a strange space like this, there was no way they could notice us. This was not reality, but a space of dreams.

- Um, I did not do it alone. This was possible because Mr. Hao embraced happiness.

As though denying my will, it shook its lump-like body. As its will suggested, this was the dream of the human who had drawn us into reality. That human's uniqueness had allowed us to remain here.

Even so, there was no doubt that it had put much effort into this. Without its skill at handling happiness, it could not have created such a space.

The others must have realized that as well, because they quietly shook their lump-like bodies. I watched them with slight admiration.

It was harder to control power in this space than it was to control a physical body. If someone like Blood Axe had been invited, it surely would have exploded at once and ruined this place.

But the ones gathered here all controlled their power well. It meant that while the strength of their minds was not equal to mine, they were somewhat impressive.

So they must have noticed the storehouse keeper had some remaining scheme. Its skill at gathering only wise treasures in one place was quite good.

With only the finest treasures gathered like this, we should be able to interfere with its machinations.

But before discussing such a plan, there was one thing that needed to be addressed. I looked directly at the pure white lump.

- It is good that you gathered us here, but I believe we must resolve one question. Why did you gather us? You had been cooperating with that creature.

It was the sole jailer of that vile, terrible, utterly wicked being. Any treasure that defied the storehouse keeper's will was inevitably dragged away by it and immersed in what it called happiness.

It continuously sucked power from the treasures. Therefore, it had no reason to oppose the storehouse keeper.

Unlike us, whose desires were limited, it was continuously supplied with high-quality food in the form of treasures.

So it had no reason to put such effort into arranging this gathering. It was possible that this was another trap it had prepared alongside the storehouse keeper.

When I let that suspicion flow, it gave a small tremble as if in agreement.

- It is natural to be suspicious. But I truly share your intentions. We have to stop the storehouse keeper!

- Why? Do you know what it is planning?

At my question, it shook its body in affirmation.

- Yes, at this rate, we will end up leaving the tower! The barrier probably will not stop us either. Ugh, having to go to that troublesome outside world. That cannot happen.

It sent a will full of annoyance. It did not want to leave the tower. Considering that most treasures wanted to go outside, that was an exceedingly spoiled sentiment.

But without expressing that hostility, I found the troubling part within the will it had sent.

- The barrier will not stop us? How is that possible?

- Ah, have you not noticed yet? That we are changing.

It trembled, filled with confusion. Changing? What did that mean? Faced with that ominous will, I could only stiffen my body.

Footnotes:

“Cosmic Color” evokes cosmic-horror naming, fitting the narrator's jealous complaint that the treasure received an overly grand title.

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