Chapter 227: Hello? I’m the Sandman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Hello? I’m the Sandman
Having been thoroughly teased by me, Tyr jumped at the chance when an excuse finally presented itself.
[Yes. We’ve been here long enough. Let’s switch places!]
For a moment, darkness veiled my sight. When my vision returned, Azzy was blinking her eyes.
So the order was now Ria, Tyr, Azzy, me, and the Regressor. Wedged in the middle, Azzy squirmed uncomfortably and shouted.
“Woof! Me, out! I wanna go out!”
“Azzy, don’t be ridiculous. Even with Tyr’s darkness, the Military State’s searchlights are devilishly good at spotting human figures.”
To think that the biggest reason for developing such high-performance lighting was to catch escapees. You couldn’t find a more tragic comedy.
The Inner Circle was the most advanced part of the Military State, yet it was also the State’s darkness, teeming with exploited humans. A secret land where the very essence of the Military State was concentrated.
That’s why we had to move stealthily. Outside, day and night, it was filled with people groaning under harsh labor and the searchlights that watched them, lest they try to escape.
However.
“Woof woof! It’s stuffy! Awoooo! I demand my right to personal space!”
“Tsk. Her liveliness is good since it means she’s not stressed by the move, but in times like these, I wish she was more like a cat, fond of small spaces.”
What was I going to do?
The Beast Kings are conceptual beings, so they don’t lose their fundamental nature. Dogs act like dogs, and cats act like cats.
Just as Nabi, despite all her rampages, still loved her catnip-laced mana herbs, squeezed into tight spaces, and showed no mercy when crossed, even while conversing with humans. Azzy, too, had her own distinct personality.
Meanwhile, Nabi seemed to have woken up as well. A satisfied purr came from the box at my feet.
“Mrow. A stupid doggy who can’t keep still… So pitiful, nya. So pathetic, nya. You should maintain your dignity like me, nya.”
“Woof! She’s the only one who’s comfortable!”
That was a relief, at least. If Nabi had also started acting up, moving would have been much harder. Azzy feeling cramped was better than you throwing a fit. At least this way, there wouldn't be a bloodbath.
Nabi’s attitude was too prickly to be called friendly… but in truth, Azzy not harming humans was the anomaly. For a beast to approach a person without hesitation and immediately try to connect is a sign of being best friends.
A normal beast would either flee so far you couldn’t even see it… or, the moment you saw it, its death was already sealed.
Why else would those who call themselves The Human Regime try so hard to gather dogs and cats? Because they had no other choice.
“Woof! The violent cat is comfy! Good me is not comfy! Unfair! Awoooooo!”
“Just bear with it a little longer. It’s only for one night.”
“Awooo! Violence gets consideration! Non-violence gets the cold shoulder! Woof woof!”
“Sigh. You’re just throwing a tantrum. What do you want me to do about it?”
“Grrr, ruff! The answer is a show of force!”
“Wait. That conclusion doesn’t add up.”
This dog exercises so much she’s become an activist! This wouldn’t do. Time to use a convenient tool!
“Alright, alright! Take your damn stake and calm down!”
“Woof! 10%!”
“Fine, take it!”
“Woof, okay!”
And just like that, Azzy obediently lowered her ears and clamped her mouth shut. I tilted my head.
“I feel like I just got hustled.”
“Woof! No! It’s fair compensation!”
“What did you even do to deserve fair compen… actually, you have done quite a lot, haven’t you? Hmm.”
Come to think of it, I used Azzy’s nature to subdue Historia with Nabi. Just getting her to side with me over Historia back then was a huge accomplishment.
Right, this useless stake wasn’t worth anything, so I might as well give it to the dog. This was the same Azzy who, even after making a covenant with the Military State, just threw a little tantrum when they declared default on their debt. Even if I called her bluff, she wouldn’t actually gut me. That would kill me, after all.
Cheering Azzy up was never that hard to begin with, but getting a free carrot out of it felt pretty good!
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Oblivious to my inner thoughts, Azzy started moving energetically. Ah, wait. It’s cramped in here, that hurts when you move like that…
[…Dog King. Stop wagging your tail. The flapping is distracting.]
“Woof woof?”
[No, never mind. I’ll handle it myself.]
Fwish.
Darkness covered my vision. For a second, I felt my body being swept away. When my sight returned, I was now facing… the wall of the coffin.
The order was now Azzy, Tyr, Ria, the Regressor, and me. Azzy’s tail was now aimed toward the edge of the coffin.
[I should have sent the Dog King to the edge from the start. So noisy….]
It was a logical choice, but as a result, the Regressor and Historia were now lying face-to-face. Of all the possible combinations. Shuffling things around really did create some strange situations.
Historia chewed on a cigarette and spoke.
“Progenitor. Thanks for moving me, but… this is a bit much. Don’t you think this is a little too stimulating for the kid?”
“Stimulating, my foot!”
She had a point. Historia’s arms were still bound. She was tied up inside a coffin with no room to move, wearing only a shirt. We had only taken her outer clothes because we needed to put them on the decoy doll.
However, while a Clothing Packet could be taken off while bound, it couldn’t be put on. So she was left without any clothes on top of it.
She didn’t look comfortable. Having trained in Qi Arts, her body wouldn’t be damaged, but even for Historia, being tied this tightly had to hurt.
But the Regressor shot down her complaint in an instant.
“Hmph, then you should have left when I said you could. You’re the one who asked to be taken along when I offered to let you go unharmed.”
“Being a prisoner is better than being bait. At least this way, I won’t hold back my allies.”
“‘Red Horse is the bait.’ Your little code. You don’t think that holds them back?”
Historia fell silent.
Red Horse is the bait. The military braille cipher she had tapped out with her own fingers.
It was a clue, but it was demonic information designed to limit the enemy’s thinking. It was obvious how the Military State would react upon taking it as a critical clue. Yet Historia had tapped it out without a moment’s hesitation.
Thinking she had her cornered, the Regressor provoked Historia triumphantly.
“Right. You didn’t lie. It really was bait. But… as you know, the Military State, having read that, will naturally assume we’re still on the belt, won’t they?”
“…You’re right. I didn’t think of that.”
“Aha, you ‘didn’t think of that.’ Is that how you’re going to play it?”
Historia couldn’t even answer, her gaze averting. Ooh. Was this the Regressor’s first verbal victory of the season?
“I wonder what it is? What’s the reason for someone of your stature, one of the Six Generals of the Military State, to follow us and act so passively?”
“…What do you think it is?”
“Want me to take a guess?”
‘Just as I thought, it’s certain. This one isn’t loyal to the Military State. The other Six Generals, aside from Sunderspear, are almost all loyal, but this one, while pretending to be the most diligent, could abandon the State at any moment…’
Glance. The Regressor tilted her head slightly and glanced my way.
‘It was probably the Hamelin incident and this guy that influenced her, right? Hamelin was a huge incident, but that can’t be all. What kind of influence? I know they were close, but… could it be?’
Uh, hold on. I had a feeling her thoughts were about to run wild again. Regressor, stop thinking for a sec—
Before my thought could translate into action, the Regressor, struck by a sudden idea, lowered her voice and asked slyly.
“By any chance, were you… dating this guy?”
If this was a talent, it was a talent indeed. The talent to change the entire mood with a single sentence.
Silence fell inside the coffin. Coffins were originally places for the dead, and the dead don’t speak, so perhaps this was just the natural order of things.
Hearing the out-of-the-blue question, Historia just blinked, trying to gauge the intent behind the words.
But the Regressor’s eyes held only pure curiosity. Well, it was closer to the Regressor’s typical information gathering for the next timeline.
‘Really? Even when the resistance rose up and formed the Republic, this one was strangely passive. It was similar when the Military State was destroyed by another country and the New Kingdom was established… No way, she wouldn’t do all that for a guy, would she?’
Actually, it wasn’t entirely because of me. I just provided the catalyst.
However, Historia wasn’t exactly a saint either. With a cryptic smile, she lowered her gaze slightly and said.
“…You’re right. I was just dripping with so much lingering attachment that I sold out my country and came running.”
“Huh, really? For real?”
“Is there any reason for me to lie?”
The ‘it’s not a lie’ way of speaking. I knew it well from using it so much myself.
She was dripping with lingering attachment, but not because we were dating! The attachment Historia felt wasn’t that kind of thing!
‘Huh? Really? It was real? Wow, wow! Come to think of it, I’ve never heard a story about the Gunmaster being with anyone! Was that why?!’
Though she’d been the one to ask, the Regressor hadn’t actually expected it. Her eyes flashed with curiosity as she pressed on.
“You were dating? Since Hamelin? What year were you?”
“Well. It’s hard to say for sure. We were so close, for so long, I can’t quite pinpoint when we became that way.”
“Wow, ahh.”
That’s enough slander, Historia. I cut in before the situation could spiral out of control.
“Hey! Stop making a perfectly normal person sound weird! We never became ‘that way,’ so of course you can’t pinpoint it!”
As I shouted, the Regressor turned her head and yelled back.
“You’re making the whole coffin echo! The person who has nothing to do with this should stay quiet!”
“Excuse me? This is about me, and you’re saying I have nothing to do with it?”
Regardless, the Regressor lost interest in me and focused solely on Historia. What was this? It felt like she didn’t trust a word I said… Had I teased her so much that I’d lost all credibility?
And of all things, she chose to listen to Historia’s story. You’ve made a terrible mistake.
“So, really? How did you two meet?”
“We were classmates who entered the academy at the same time. We knew each other from the very beginning. Besides, me, Lankart, and Huey were all famous as geniuses from the moment we enrolled… so deep down, we saw each other as rivals.”
Rivals, my ass. I was the undisputed number one. Who came in second depended on the state of the nation and the criteria for judgment, but there was never any debate about first place.
“Who was number one?”
“It was close, but Huey was always number one. I was always second.”
“Tch, so that was actually true?”
‘I was hoping he was just bluffing!’
Your thoughts are so impure, grade-schooler. I may deceive your judgment, but I don’t deceive you with information. I don’t even need false information to trick you.
“Trying to beat Huey, focusing on him, studying him… I guess you could say I was… dyed by his color.”
“Ooh, wow.”
See? I don’t need it. She’s already completely sucked into the story. This is bad. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have to try and stop this.
“Um, Shei-ssi.”
“I told you to be quiet!”
“I was speaking quietly…”
Tch. Fine. Chew it up and spit it out all you want. I don’t care how you get fooled…
‘Ahem. A story about Hu’s past… I suppose someone like Hu would have had many suitors… This feels strange, but let’s hear her out.’
Are you sure I don’t need to care? The coffin is already cramped and hard to move in; it’ll be a problem if weird rumors start spreading!
Ignoring my anxiety, the Regressor kept prying.
“…B-but, it’s a secondary military school, right? Everyone lives in the same place and the wardens are watching. How could you even date?”
“There are plenty of ways if you want to. During free sparring, we could choose each other as partners. We fought until we were drenched in sweat, getting to know each other.”
“Wow…”
‘That’s… pretty romantic, in its own way.’
Romantic? So your brain is made of muscle too? Has “romantic” come to mean a relationship where one person beats the other up?
“Sometimes we’d share the mana herb one of us was smoking…”
“Huh? But you smoke mana herbs by putting them in your mouth, don’t you?”
“Whew. Indeed. How do you suppose we did it?”
“Th-that’s an indirect…”
‘Woooow. That does make my heart flutter a little…’
This is bad. The Regressor had fallen into her own trap and switched modes. Where had the cold Regressor who was trying to extract information for her next regression gone? Had she gotten sucked into this fabricated story?
‘Is that truly so…! Sharing a mana herb that one of you was already smoking!’
Just then, a dark aura rolled in from the other side. It was Tyr.
Ah, there was another person here who had fallen for the fabricated story. But what on earth was her complaint about sharing a mana herb…?
‘And yet you begrudged me even a single drop of blood. You made such a fuss over the slightest injury! How very loose-lipped you are!’
Tyr, who had been listening intently while pretending not to care, sent her hurt feelings straight at me.
No, what does one have to do with the other? Not every bodily fluid is blood, you know! We don’t use blood like saliva the way vampires do! And why are you calling me loose-lipped?
Besides! She just snatched the mana herb away and smoked it herself. I couldn’t resist! This is so unfair!
Meanwhile, the Regressor had apparently forgotten all about gathering information on her opponent. Now she was asking questions in earnest, completely engrossed.
“I heard that military school has your whole day scheduled from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. Wouldn’t you have no time to meet?”
“Huey and I were on a special curriculum. We were exempt from a few subjects and had plenty of free time. We shared that time.”
“Wow…”
Shared?
When I tried to schedule my free time in the morning to sleep in, you jumped in and selfishly changed it, saying we had to exercise after meals! I had to exercise after every meal and suffered from stomachaches every day!
Regressor, stop taking everything she says at face value!
‘If I had gone to secondary school too… Heh. Once, a long, long time ago, in a life I don’t even remember, I used to admire the secondary school, and I was impressed by the news that the Gunmaster, who wasn’t much older than me, had become one of the Six Generals… And look at her now. A prisoner, tied up right in front of me. And she’s even talking about a normal school life.’
This is bad. She’s reached the point of comparing it to her own memories. There’s no escaping on her own now… from this black hole of a slumber party chat!
Smiling self-deprecatingly as she recalled memories that would never return, the Regressor was struck by a question.
“Huh? Wait a minute. Then why were you trying to capture this guy?”
“Why? Lingering attachment, I told you.”
“No, you didn’t have to bring an army.”
At that question, Historia paused for a moment to think. The question had reached her true feelings.
But ultimately, remembering that I was also listening inside this coffin, Historia spoke to me through the Regressor.
“…Back at Hamelin, Huey slipped away on his own then, too. I might have lost him again if I were alone, and also… he needed to be questioned.”
“About falling into the river with the students? It’s a big deal, but you heard everything just now, right? In the end, the Military State was the one who killed them, so why are you trying to question him about it?”
“That’s…”
Historia stopped mid-sentence and chewed on her mana herb. An unlit herb offers nothing but a burnt, bitter taste.
But taste is memory. One can search for a taste in memory, and one can reminisce through a taste. For Historia, the mana herb signified that time.
“162 people disappeared at once. Except for a few who dropped out or chose a different path, my entire class evaporated. Graduation became an exercise in remembering the empty seats. The kids I shared memories and dreamed of the future with sank to the bottom of the river. Sometimes, when I turn my head and look at the river flowing in the distance, I feel like I’m sinking deep into it.”
Though she hadn’t lit the mana herb, Historia’s focus momentarily blurred, as if she were looking at some distant place, not here.
“They shouldn’t have died like that. Not just one or two. For so many kids… to die without even thinking of getting out, it’s strange. If the Military State had killed them… I might have been disillusioned, but… it shouldn’t have happened that way.”
Historia hadn’t wanted her classmates to die. She was different from Nicholas or Lankart.
Nicholas saw the students as parts of the Military State, something that could be ‘processed’ like trimming hair or nails. He thought it was natural to use students as materials on his own authority.
Lankart placed no value on them at all. Did he care if a pebble from the lakeside was washed away by the river? Whether they lived, died, or struggled was of no concern to him.
It was only because I was with them, and he couldn’t bring himself to call me—who seemed smarter than him—a fool, that he tried to test me in his own unique way.
“But… I don’t know. Maybe the reason I think this way now is because I felt something at that sight.”
In contrast, Historia had been looking for someone she could share her heart with.
In other words, she was lonely. She wanted those inferior to her to follow her all the way. She wanted them to catch up, tooth and nail, even if they lacked talent or Qi.
…It was just that her expectations were too high, and she was disappointed time and time again.
“Still, that wasn’t right. It should have been an unthinkable plan. If only, if only he had told me before that…”
She couldn’t even declare with certainty that something would have changed. Because just before it happened, Historia had received a request for help from me and had come right up to the brink.
She turned back because she didn’t want to disrupt her classmates, or this graduation practical.
A terrible regret that couldn’t even entertain the what-ifs.
‘If I had known the whole story. If I had known that… would I still have helped them? Would the me who was born and raised in the Military State have made the same choice as the me of today?’
In the midst of this raw, emotional exchange, the Regressor noticed something and made a strange face.
“Huh? You talk as if you saw that scene yourself, you know?”
“Ah.”
At those words, Historia snapped out of her reverie. With the mana herb still in her mouth, she managed to turn her body despite the uncomfortable position and muttered.
“…Forget it. I’m just a prisoner. Think whatever you want about the rest.”
“Huh? Wait! Not yet…!”
Her questions were getting longer and longer. This wouldn’t do. Time for a drastic measure. I had to end this conversation.
I leaned close to the Regressor’s ear and whispered as smoothly as I could.
“Sweet dreams, Shei-ssi.”
“Hieeek?!”
Wow. I only sent my voice, yet she arched her back and her body trembled. Was this the sensitivity of a stimulated Regressor?
“Wh-what are you!”
“What am I? I’m the Sandman. A tough day awaits us tomorrow, so you should thank your today-self for its hard work. Now, everyone, off to bed. Dismissed!”
[…I don’t particularly need to sleep.]
“Tyr, you’re the eldest, what have you been doing letting the kids stay up this late? You should be ashamed! You need to make sure the kids get their sleep! Just because you don’t need much sleep doesn’t mean you can keep them awake!”
I abruptly shouted her down to force the conversation to an end. Grumbles erupted from here and there—from the Regressor here and Tyr over there—but I ignored them and forced a lights-out. I covered the small light source by my head with my finger, and darkness fell.
‘He’s still using the same lines he used as class president… You haven’t changed much, Huey.’
Now I was starting to feel weird, too. Historia, were you really my ex-girlfriend?