Chapter 198: Gambling Apocalypse Puppy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198: Gambling Apocalypse Puppy
“Well, well. Look who’s home, the man of the house.”
“Who are you calling the man of the house?”
The Regressor, returning from her scouting mission, hadn’t escaped the effects of the strong winds either. In fact, having scouted from a higher altitude, she looked as if she’d been thoroughly beaten with a feather duster. I greeted her cheerfully as she tried to tame her disheveled hair.
“Ah, Shei. Welcome back. What would you like to do first? Eat? Bathe? Or sleep?”
“Acting all diligent is starting to piss me off.”
The Regressor glanced inside the container. We had cleared out the cargo and converted the space into a shelter. The savory smell of grilled meat wafted from above a lamp shielded by a windscreen, while sleeping bags and a simple cot made of cloth lay open, invitingly.
The Regressor muttered under her breath.
“The fact that you’re actually diligent is also pissing me off.”
“You should control your anger. Too much heat in your head will make your hair fall out.”
“That’s a useless thing to worry about!” the Regressor snapped, glaring at me with displeasure. It was the exact same look one gives a freeloader lazing around the house.
“What were you just saying? I thought I heard something about a school.”
“It was nothing. I was just telling Azzy about my glorious school days.”
When I played dumb, the Regressor let it go without any particular suspicion.
“Glorious? Even though you’re tied to a Military State Taboo.”
‘She said she was involved with Hamelin. I didn’t plan on making an enemy of the Military State just yet. If I keep traveling with her, I won’t even be able to set foot in their territory.’
Last night, the Regressor had given me the gist of her story. She was traveling to stop the King of Sins and offered to take me somewhere safe if I wanted.
Now that I was a person of interest to the Military State, my ordinary life was a thing of the past. I told her I wanted to go with her, and she accepted.
‘Both Azzy and Tyrkanzyaka seemed to want to travel together, so I agreed for now.’
From that moment on, however, the Regressor started treating me like a troublesome freeloader. Thanks to her, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.
‘The Military State is a well-organized nation. If we’re not going to destroy it, we should at least try to negotiate. I wonder if that’s even possible with this one in the picture.’
A dog and a cat were traveling with us; it wouldn’t do for the human to be abandoned. To prove my worth, I took on all sorts of chores. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Azzy were all part of it.
Thanks to my tireless efforts, I had succeeded in shifting the Regressor’s perception of me, however slightly, in a more positive direction.
‘Right. It’s better to stick together, if only for Tyrkanzyaka and Azzy. They’re both fond of her.’
Phew. I’d somehow made it through another day. Every day was a thorny path, like a contract worker who could be fired at any moment. Who could possibly understand the heart of a freeloader whose fate swung between heaven and hell with a single word?
Breathing an inward sigh of relief, I welcomed the Regressor and asked, “How was the scouting?”
Tossing off her coat, the Regressor plopped down onto a simple chair. Despite her light weight, the chair creaked.
“I checked out the next terminal. It was completely empty. Looks like tonight will be quiet.”
“The sun will be setting soon.”
“Yeah. They wouldn’t be crazy enough to attack at night.”
The Regressor pointed toward the darkness deep inside the container. Within it was a jet-black wooden coffin emanating a dark aura, and inside, Tyr slept peacefully.
While Tyr was nearly omnipotent at night, the bright daytime sun placed various restrictions on her Bloodcraft and darkness. The reason the once-mighty vampire armies had been thwarted time and again by the Sanctum was because of the day, which took up more than half of the twenty-four hours.
That was why Tyr was conserving her strength during the day. If she used her darkness carelessly under the sun, she might run out of power in a critical moment.
“The problem is the daytime. They’ll definitely come for us when the sun is out.”
“It’s fine. The Tyr of today is just as strong during the day. She’s just resting now because she needs to gather as much power as possible to wield her darkness in the daylight.”
“Right. Tyrkanzyaka has her heart back.”
‘Regaining her heart means she has firmly established the boundary between her inner and outer self. The sunlight probably won’t harm her body anymore. However…’
The Regressor looked back and forth between me and Tyr, resting her chin on her hand as she thought to herself.
‘In any case, helping the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka retrieve her heart was a major achievement. It could even influence the Duchy in the future. Yes, what Hughes did is more than enough. Fine, let’s travel together. Aside from being pursued by the Military State, he’s a decent companion…’
Who am I? The man acknowledged as the Regressor’s companion.
Historia, Lankart. Are you watching? Your old classmate has made it this far. I’ve landed a job as a handyman for the party that’s saving the world…
Ultimately, it’s still a gathering of criminals. But if you’re going to play, you might as well play in the big leagues.
“Woof!”
Just as we were talking, Azzy came over and gently nudged my sleeve. When I turned, she pointed to my injured left arm and said.
“Woof! Show me where it hurts!”
“Is it that time already?”
Muttering, I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the torn flesh. The large wound I’d received fighting Wolfen had already faded to a faint scar, thanks to the power of the Beast King. Azzy took my arm with her front paws and began to lick the wound with great care.
The stinging turned to a tickle, and the tickle soon became a comfortable sensation. With the feeling of the wound healing, the act of a dog licking my arm wasn’t all that unpleasant.
After meticulously licking the wound clean, Azzy patted my arm and declared.
“Woof! Healthy! Healthy!”
“Thanks, Azzy. Want some meat?”
“You eat! Woof! Eat a lot when you’re hurt!”
Azzy patted my shoulder encouragingly before lying down on her belly. Her warm gaze was almost burdensome.
My goodness. How could this be?
The same Azzy I’d seen as little more than a walking toy rack—albeit one that didn’t attack humans—had become so admirable. Was it true that there are no bad dogs in the world, only bad people?
No, don’t be fooled. This is just one of those times when she looks good because she did one nice thing after all her usual mischief.
A dog is a dog, even if it dies and comes back to life. I’ll test your true nature.
I took out a disc and shook it.
“Azzy. Wanna play fetch?”
Her tail wagged first. At the welcome suggestion, Azzy shot to her feet and yipped.
“Woof! Yes, yes!”
“Ouch. But my arm hurts from the treatment just now.”
“Woof? Then, let’s play next time!”
Without a hint of disappointment, she lowered her half-risen body back to the ground. It was real. Azzy had developed a sense of consideration.
Azzy had always been friendly to humans. But for her to show such a high level of consideration… Was this what a true dog was? Had becoming the Dog King caused her to blossom with the traits of an angel dog?
Was humanity a species so easily moved by such small changes? I was wiping away tears, unable to contain the welling emotions, when the Regressor spoke.
“Azzy seems a little different than usual. Did you do something?”
The Regressor nodded in our direction. I shrugged at her curious gaze and replied.
“I didn’t do anything in particular. I think Azzy is expecting something from me.”
“Expecting what?”
“What was it? Nabi said she wants me to fulfill a promise.”
Just as a human can’t distinguish the meaning of an animal’s cry, I couldn’t read the thoughts of Nabi or Azzy. So, I had no choice but to relay what I’d heard.
My goodness, relaying a conversation between a cat and a dog. It’s not like I’m an interpreter.
“She asked if I was someone important. To a petty criminal who fled because he had nowhere else to go. Isn’t that absurd?”
I said it with a laugh, as if I’d heard a joke. It wasn’t a serious matter, after all.
I shrugged with an awkward smile, but suddenly, the Regressor’s expression changed. She shot up from her chair as if a welcome guest had arrived, strode right up to me, and exclaimed.
“Are you, by any chance, the prince of a fallen kingdom?! Or the descendant of a king that the resistance is secretly searching for!”
“What a dangerous thing to say! Of course not! If I were a prince, would I be living like this?”
‘Hmm, that’s a bit of a stretch. They’re not twins, so that’s impossible.’
The Regressor averted her gaze for a moment before pressing me again.
“Then what? The leader of some secret organization I don’t know about?”
“If I had my own secret organization, I would have used it by now. Do you think I would have scraped by in the back alleys only to be chased out?”
“Then what on earth are you?”
“If that’s not a philosophical question about the nature of my existence, then I can only say that I am me. Don’t you think Azzy might be mistaken about something?”
I answered half-jokingly, but the Regressor’s attitude was quite serious. After pressing me for confirmation several times, she fell into deep thought and muttered.
“No. The Beast King is a Herald. A being who speaks not to one human, but to all of humanity.”
“I know the basics.”
“So, to deliver its message to so many, the Beast King can see a human’s influence. You could say it’s testing their qualifications.”
“Qualifications or not, I don’t know what she wants from a back-alley criminal like me. It’s just so absurd.”
“You are a criminal, right?”
“I told you I am!”
Normally, I would have tried to bluff my way through, but my current position was that of a freeloader—the first to be cast aside if things went south. To clear up the Regressor’s doubts, I gave her a rough explanation.
What Nabi had said, and a very brief summary of the kind of person I was.
“So, I was a friendly neighbor who knew everyone in the back alleys. I took care of all sorts of odd jobs and sincerely helped those in need. That’s really all there was to it.”
“And you’ve never been anywhere other than Hamelin and Amitengrad?”
“No. The secondary military school was all boarding, so aside from that time, I’ve pretty much lived my whole life in Amitengrad. At the very, very best, you could call me the village chief of the Amitengrad back alleys.”
‘True. If he were a real big shot, he wouldn’t use a word like ‘barely.’ It means he doesn’t qualify. But! Perhaps…!’
Ah, this was starting to feel ominous. That strange situation where a freeloader, through some turn of events, has to emerge from his chrysalis and prepare to fly.
Living a life of just watching my back was always nerve-wracking, but at least my body was comfortable. So much so that I would have lived that way forever if I could. But the fear of having to overcome pain and trials to become something else was a different kind of terror. Even though an opportunity to stand tall had presented itself, I didn’t welcome it.
The Regressor studied me like a tool whose use she had finally discovered.
“You said ‘barely,’ right? Maybe if you just fill in what’s lacking, you’ll qualify?”
“No way! Look, what qualifications could a burnt-out failure like me possibly have! Azzy, do I have any qualifications?”
Azzy, who had been quietly wagging her tail, perked up her ears and stood at the mention of her name. She studied me carefully, then promptly shook her head.
“Nope!”
“See? What kind of qualification can a man on the run from the Military Police have? The qualification to be a wanted man, maybe.”
“Not yet!”
“Don’t give me hope! What more do you expect from me?!”
“Woof! Become a greater person!”
“You little mutt!”
That hopeful look in her eyes wasn’t one of pure faith or trust. It was the exact same look a farmer gives a promising crop, providing it with water and fertilizer so it will grow well.
Damn it! I would have recognized such impure intentions in a human right away, but because she was a dog, I failed to read them and took her words at face value!
‘Come to think of it, the Dog King came out unscathed this time! Maybe, just maybe, this could be the key to stopping the next Fragment of the Apocalypse! The conflict with the beastkin is one thing, but if the Dog King doesn’t join the fight…!’
The Regressor’s eyes sparkled, just like Azzy’s. It was the face of someone about to place a heavy burden of expectation on me.
Oh, this is bad. Must I really break out of my shell and venture into the frightening world outside?
No. I will resist. The shell of this egg is incredibly hard, and I will resist so that you cannot carelessly break it!
“Azzy, are you planning to use me?”
“Woof? Not use! This is an investment!”
“An investment?”
I think I just heard something a dog shouldn’t say.
“Low probability, high reward! High risk, high return! I, woof! Will take care of you!”
“What do you take people for! I’m not some card on a gambling table! And what? Investing in a fugitive? What kind of idiot bets it all on a card that isn’t even a pair! Even an idiot wouldn’t make an investment like that!”
“I’m not an idiot! That’s why I’m investing!”
“The fact that you didn’t understand the context of that sentence proves you are an idiot!”
To punish her, I grabbed Azzy’s ear and pulled, but she held her ground with a slight tensing of her muscles. The strength in her perked-up ears was greater than the full force of my arm—what in the world was going on? Was this the difference in our class? Was this a situation where a human’s life was about to be trampled?
Just then, the Regressor spoke.