Chapter 196: Tantalus Alumni
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Tantalus Alumni
What is the fastest way for a poison, meant to wreak havoc inside a body, to spread?
It’s to hitch a ride on the fastest means of transport. Most poisons spread through the blood vessels, and for a long time, blocking the bloodstream or drawing out the contaminated blood were renowned as the most effective treatments.
But what if the poison is already flowing through the veins?
That's what God was invented for. People worked hard to create him, so you'd better pray hard.
“Military State. You'd better pray we get excreted quietly. We're already in the system!”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
The Meta Conveyor Belt is the Military State's main artery, and we've already boarded it. In other words, we're flowing through the State's body.
Thanks to our unauthorized use of the State's largest logistics facility, we were able to enjoy a comfortable and relaxing journey.
“Wow. I came up with it myself, but isn't this a brilliant plan! Escaping by hopping onto the Military State's main highway. On this thing, we're unlikely to be caught, so all we have to do is watch our front and back!”
Just as he said, the Meta Conveyor Belt was an incredibly safe mode of transport.
For one, there was no risk of being surrounded. For enemies to appear, they'd have to either block us from the front or chase us from behind. Thanks to that, we only had to be wary of two directions: ahead and behind.
Well, once we reach a terminal, the State's forces will block our path, but until then, we're safe.
The Regressor glanced back and forth before retorting.
“Right. Good. Since it seems we don't have any immediate pursuers, I need to finish some old business. Sit here.”
“Huh? Sit here? That's something a teacher would say before scolding you, isn't it?”
“I said, sit.”
Faced with her sharp glare, I obediently sat on the floor. The surface of the Meta Conveyor Belt, which I hadn't felt in a while, was cold.
Standing before me with her arms crossed, the Regressor spoke with a rather imposing air.
“Alright. Isn't it about time we shared some information, Mr. Pied Piper of Hamelin?”
“Sharing? To be honest, that feels a bit unfair.”
However, while my body might obey her command, my spirit wouldn't be broken. I retorted, picking my ear with a deliberately rebellious posture.
“Forget sharing information, aren't you the more secretive one here, Shei? Wielding some legendary sword called Chun-aeng, getting yourself thrown into Tantalus for who knows what reason. You're young, but you're strong and you know so much. I wonder if you're some kind of legendary being, but nothing comes to mind.”
...My survival instincts were the ones subtly praising her. In any case, after offering that bit of not-quite-flattery, I shifted the blame.
“How can we start sharing if you won't disclose anything yourself?”
The 'you started it' gambit!
But the Regressor, perhaps having gained some confidence now that she was out in the world, retorted shamelessly.
“Hmph. You never asked me anything. You acted like you knew everything from the start.”
“You're right about that. Since neither of us asked, we're even.”
“Exactly. I won't say much about my past either. But I helped you when you were being chased by the Military State, so I should at least know the gist of what's going on, right? Surely you don't expect me to help you without any explanation or trust?”
Having said that, the Regressor studied me with sharp eyes.
“Especially if you're the culprit behind the Hamelin incident. How can we travel with such a heinous person whose identity and intentions are a complete mystery?”
Tch, a perfectly valid point. To think I'd live to see the day a Regressor would attack me with sound logic. Is this a class reversal, a revolution?
Left with nothing to say, I had no choice but to concede.
“Now that I hear it, you're right. I can't argue with that. To survive, one must make an effort to survive.”
“Glad you understand. Now, spill everything about your identity.”
I never thought I could hide it forever. The Military State already knows about me; hiding it any longer would only breed more suspicion.
Just as I made up my mind, Tyr, who had been listening quietly from under her parasol, suddenly spoke.
“Hu. I would have saved you no matter who you are or what you've done. The only thing that upset me was that you left without a word.”
But if I have someone on my side, that changes things. I immediately changed my tune and shouted.
“But she's saying that kindness without expecting anything in return exists! It's the warm sun, not the harsh north wind, that moves a person's heart! You should learn from Tyr and reflect on your actions, Shei!”
“However, I worry you'll get hurt where I can't see you. Why not become a vampire so I won't have to worry?”
“Shei. I'll tell you everything about my identity, so please forget what I just said.”
The Regressor snorted and gestured with her chin. Tyr, having been flatly rejected, muttered forlornly.
“Do you hate the idea that much? The life of an Elder isn't so bad...”
The words 'vampire' and 'life' appearing together is a contradiction in itself. Besides, becoming the Kindred of Tyr—who has regained her life and now has a clear boundary between herself and the world—would undoubtedly cause all sorts of problems.
Ignoring Tyr, whose voice trailed off, I was about to confess honestly.
Azzy, who had been circling me, suddenly brightened her eyes, dropped a can of meat she was carrying in her mouth in front of me, and pushed it forward with her front paw.
“Woof! Eat!”
“Oh, okay. I'll eat it later. Thanks.”
“Woof woof!”
Azzy, sharing? What's gotten into her?
Anyway, I accepted the can and began my explanation.
“I'm actually from Hamelin.”
“That's it?”
“As I've emphasized several times, I was first in my class back then. My cohort included the current Six Generals member, Historia... and Lankart, who was once the youngest Mage Officer and called the successor to the Mage Marshal.”
At the mention of Historia and Lankart, the Regressor's brow furrowed for a moment. Just as I thought. You've run into them in a previous timeline.
I haven't read all of what happened yet, but judging by the complex emotions I'm sensing, it seems their relationship was ambiguous—neither enemy nor ally.
'Historia of the Six Generals and Lankart of the Shrine of the Divine? Why are all these names such big shots... And he's saying he beat both of them to take first place?'
It seemed my classmates were big enough names to have encountered the Regressor in the past. There were three of us left, and to think that I, the one who ranked first, ended up as a petty criminal. This is why you never know what kids will grow up to be.
I've decided. I'm skipping all future class reunions.
'...I don't know the full story, but one thing's for sure: those two are already powerhouses on a national level. In that case, could you be...'
No, no, no. Don't overestimate me. We're about to fight the Military State, aren't we? If you start having expectations like that, I might get pushed to the front lines and die.
I said hurriedly.
“If Historia was about Qi Art and melee combat, and Lankart was about magic and technology, I took first place with my brains alone. While Historia was unrivaled in Qi Art and melee, and Lankart was dominant in magic, I achieved first or second place in most of the subjects that encompassed all of those.”
Of course, it was all thanks to my mind-reading. Thank you, mind-reading. It would have been impossible without you.
“You did?”
“Yes. I'm not joking, I was a truly promising talent in the Military State. I wasn't physically strong, but I could quickly master anything I learned to a proficient level. I handled magic, Qi Art, and alchemy with ease, and I was skilled in strategy and tactics. Above all, my comprehension was so outstanding that I could easily grasp powers of different natures.”
The only catch was that the skills I could penetrate with mind-reading were limited to the user's level, so my well of tricks ran dry around my second year.
In any case, a talent is a talent, and first place is first place.
“So, I was called Hamelin's Jack of All Trades.”
“...Hmph.”
'He learns everything easily... For some reason, that suddenly puts me in a bad mood.'
Wow! Unbelievable. The Regressor is giving me grief! And this is coming from someone who repeated her life over and over to finally join the ranks of the strong!!
They say the grass is always greener on the other side. Wasn't a cheat-like power like regression enough for you? Get a grip!
“Anyway, the three of us took first, second, and third place in Hamelin, respectively. The Military State provides an equal education, but that's only for the sake of unearthing potential raw gemstones. In a world where one strong person can face a thousand alone, an equal education doesn't hold much value.”
Investing in one person often yields better results than investing in a hundred.
In fact, because it was more efficient, it's no exaggeration to say that Hamelin's educational resources were almost entirely spent on the top few percent.
“Historia, who defeated a field-grade officer in a sparring match at that age, and Lankart, who was awakening his Unique Magic and building his Spiritual World, received special treatment and followed a different curriculum from the general course. Perhaps because of that, the other students at Hamelin...”
“Don't change the subject. What about you?”
The Regressor cut in sharply as I tried to subtly gloss over it.
“If you were first place, you must have had a special curriculum too.”
“Ahaha. You're sharp.”
She's gotten pretty sharp since getting out of the Abyss. I laughed awkwardly and said.
“I was in a rather ambiguous position. I was proficient in most things but not outstanding in any of them, yet my talent was too good to just leave alone. Maybe that's why I drew attention from a slightly different quarter.”
“Where? The Intelligence Division?”
“Similar, but a little different. The Department of Arcane Dissection, directly under the Military State's Special Task Force. I wasn't an Arcane Dissector yet, but I was scheduled to become one.”
As if that explained a great deal, the Regressor sighed and gave a small nod.
Meanwhile, Tyr, unable to keep up with the conversation, lifted her parasol slightly and interjected.
“Wait a moment. What is an Arcane Dissector?”
I answered her question.
“Arcane Dissectors are a different kind of archaeologist, ones who uncover the hidden mysteries of the world and try to harness their power.”
There are countless mysteries in the world.
The Rider of Lightning descending the Cliff of Clouds, the swirling islands of flotsam and wreckage. The paradisical gardens you might stumble upon while wandering aimlessly, or the jungles where all sorts of bizarre creatures live. The graveyard of elephants, the mountains of tigers, and so on.
The organization that unearths such mysteries and legends for purely practical purposes. The Military State's Department of Arcane Dissection.
After finishing my explanation, I gave Tyr a brief, tailored summary.
“They were the ones who drafted the plan to 'store' you and Azzy in the Abyss. The Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka and the Dog King are major threats, but they figured they could gain an advantage by keeping you down there and taking you out when needed.”
Hearing her name, Azzy quickly ran over and shouted.
“Woof! You called me?”
“Not yet.”
“Woof! Okay! Call me later!”
Azzy took a few steps back again and began to observe me, her eyes sparkling.
Looks like she wants something from me. Does she want to play? Then again, neither Tyr nor the Regressor has the personality to play with Azzy.
Alright. I'll relieve your pent-up frustration later.
Anyway.
“Hoh. In that case, Hu, you must have known about me even before you came down to the Abyss.”
“I did know of you. But in this case, 'knowing' was closer to knowing about you as information. It was all book learning, so I had no idea what kind of person you were, Tyr.”
“I see...”
'I wonder. How does that country, the Military State, see me?'
It's probably not a very flattering picture.
Tyrkanzyaka, as a figure of knowledge, was not a very savory character, even viewed objectively. Even setting aside the records written from the Sanctum's perspective, her history was quite colorful.
She participated in countless wars, and the number of people she personally cut down was in the tens of thousands. After a battle, she would take blood from the corpses, so on the battlefields swept by vampires, neither blood, screams, nor light remained...
Back then, I wrote nothing but bad things about Tyrkanzyaka. But meeting her in person, she gave off a different impression.
The story has strayed a bit, but what's the point? I didn't achieve as good results as I'd thought.
Dealing with people is one thing, but purely extracting information from books wasn't my specialty.
“So that's why. That's why you seemed strangely familiar with Tantalus and those inside it. Especially Azzy.”
“That's right. Especially for Arcane Dissectors, the Beast King is a being one must know about.”
“There must be quite a few members of the Human Regime among the Arcane Dissectors.”
“I sensed some signs, but neither they nor I let on. I was just a student back then. Why would they reach out to a clueless kid when they had nothing to gain?”
The story was fitting together perfectly. The Regressor accepted a significant part of my tale.
“Then what about breaking the seal on the Grand Master's weapon, Jizan? Was that the power of an Arcane Dissector too?”
This part was hard to explain without mentioning my mind-reading, so I feigned ignorance, widening my eyes as I asked back.
“Huh? It was unsealed?”
“You unsealed it and you don't know?”
“How would I know? A relic only grants its power after you pass its trial. I just picked it up and swung it around, you know?”
'Just holding it means you've already passed part of the trial, though?'
“...What answer did you give its trial?”
“I told it to stop testing me, for a corpse, and to try and calm down the Earth Sage. It seems to have listened to me well. When I tried to lift it, it lifted, you see?”
“Maybe it was just angry at you?”
In any case, my explanation was perfect and well-structured. It fit magically with the Regressor's own patchy background knowledge, so she couldn't continue her suspicion and just let it go.
“And in the process, you became the Pied Piper of Hamelin?”
“That part is truly unfair. I was framed!”
This time, I protested with genuine feeling. The Regressor narrowed her eyes and replied.
“Then why are you called the Pied Piper and being pursued by the Military State?”
“I'm being pursued because I was framed! I mean, think about it logically! What would I have to gain by killing all my classmates? Because of that incident, I, who had a bright future ahead of me, became a petty criminal! Do I look like the kind of madman who would give up everything I had just to kill people, Shei?”
As I pounded my chest as if I were dying of injustice, the Regressor sized me up for a moment before conceding.
“You do seem like a madman, but not that kind of madman.”
'In the first place, that incident at Hamelin was a suicide. I used that event to great effect later when I brought down the Military State.'
Wow. So my suffering wasn't in vain after all. There's even a timeline where the Military State falls because of Hamelin. I suddenly feel a sense of accomplishment.
In any case, for now, I had made my case that I was harmless.
“I got caught up in it and barely escaped, so I don't know the details. The one thing I'm sure of is that the Military State framed me.”
“The Military State framed a mere student? That's suspicious.”
“What would a framed person know? It was either the Military State or that bastard Lankart. I'm telling you, I barely escaped with my life. Otherwise, would I be living as a criminal after earning such a reputation at Hamelin?”
That was true. It was true that I was a petty criminal, and it was true that I had been unjustly captured. And hidden within it all was the subtle truth that I was a mind-reader.
Therefore, the Regressor couldn't find a single strange thing in my words.
'If he's the last graduate of Hamelin... yes. That could be possible. It makes it easy to explain his actions and abilities. Now my doubts are starting to clear up a bit...'
It can't be helped. People are rational, but also emotional. When an explanation fits perfectly into the part they want to believe, like a puzzle piece, they feel something close to pleasure.
And in truth, it wasn't a story that strayed too far from the truth.
Just as I was hiding such thoughts behind my expression.
'Wait. Don't just accept it at face value. I'm still not convinced.'
Why now?
Are you even human? Suspicion at this level is a serious illness!
'It makes sense. But still, something's bothering me. If he's an Arcane Dissector, he might know various methods, but... something, something tells me I can't just let this go. My intuition is screaming at me.'
This is why I hate people with good intuition, I really do.
But trust doesn't come in just one form. Separate from her suspicion of me, the Regressor also trusted me.
'Separate from that, Tyrkanzyaka is right. If I have to decide if he's an enemy or an ally... he's clearly an ally. Let's not press him any further.'
I heard the small murmur in her mind. It was the moment my fate was decided.