Chapter 35: A Smile Brings Good Fortune
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: A Smile Brings Good Fortune
The concrete ground drank the blood of the fallen, and the endless darkness swallowed those with stories to tell. In the Abyss, a place cursed by even the benevolent Mother Earth, foolish children could not restrain themselves and committed yet another sin. The knight who had wished to leave his name in the annals of history ultimately met his end, along with the four young men who had followed him.
But time, like a great river, washes all things away, smoothing the rugged terrain of a life into the flat ground of the everyday. The deaths of yesterday went unnoticed, sinking without a ripple, without stirring a single emotion in anyone.
My routine returned, same as always.
“Woof!”
Ugh. An alarm I felt like I hadn't heard in a long time. I tossed and turned, reaching out a hand. Azzy nuzzled her nose against my hand and arm, barking incessantly. When I still showed no signs of getting up, she even gave me a gentle nip.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Alright, alright. I’m getting up.”
I stretched languidly, gave my alarm a rewarding pat, washed my face with my daily ration of water, and washed my hair with the water from the next room. It felt refreshing. All I needed now was some warm morning sunlight and a cool breeze to make it perfect.
I inserted the warden's uniform packet into my bio-receptor. The uniform, stiff but not restrictive, enveloped me. Dressed in an instant, I stuffed a few things into my pockets and headed out, Azzy sticking close by my side.
“Let’s have breakfast, then go for a walk.”
“Woof!”
“Today’s breakfast is fresh and clean, from yesterday’s new rations.”
“Woof woof!”
“Canned bean stew. Sound good?”
“Woof, woof!”
Thank goodness. Maybe it’s because dogs have bad memories, but she doesn’t seem to mind having the same thing she ate yesterday. I should probably just feed Azzy beans from now on.
With a hearty breakfast in my belly, it was time for the next task.
I went out to the yard. Azzy followed me, her eyes sparkling, probably wondering if it was time to play ball.
Not today, you mutt. You should learn to be satisfied after playing so much yesterday. Are you not satisfied, or have you already forgotten? Can’t your memory choose to be good just for this?
I pushed away Azzy, who kept running ahead of me and looking back with an expectant gaze.
“Don’t get in the way. I have an incredibly difficult job waiting for me today.”
“Woof?”
“I have to wake up an old lady who’s a heavy sleeper with terrible sleeping habits.”
With a grim resolve, I headed for the underground armory where the vampire resided. Even in the darkness, a sinister energy seemed to shimmer visibly. Swallowing hard, I approached the steel door of the armory and pounded on it, shouting.
“Trainee Tyrkanzyaka! Wake up! The sun is high in the sky!”
“Woof?”
Azzy looked up at the sky, puzzled. Not a speck of sun could be seen in the Abyss. She tilted her head.
Who cares? I’m sure it’s high in the sky outside. If you want to argue, go summon the sun yourself.
I continued to hammer on the armory door with my hands and feet.
“Get up! How long are you going to sleep! The Resistance could be invading from above, and you’d be snoring away. This land could be on the verge of collapse, and you’d still be snoring. So what if you died once? Does death end your duty to labor? Your duty to pay taxes? If you can still move your body, you should think about contributing to society, even just a little…!”
“What is all this commotion so early in the morning?”
As I was banging away, the door to the underground armory swung open leisurely.
“How rude. If you’ve come as a guest, should you not wait while your host prepares herself?”
“What’s there to prepare when you’re in a coffin anyway…”
I was about to retort but shut my mouth at the sight of the vampire who appeared in the doorway. I had expected to hear a voice echoing from inside a coffin, but the vampire before me looked different from her usual self.
“Oh, you’re already awake.”
The floating imperial juniper coffin was the same as ever, boringly so. But the vampire was sitting atop it. With her legs demurely together, her hair elegantly pinned up with an ornate, old-fashioned hairpin, and a parasol resting lightly on her shoulder, she exuded the grace of a princess from an ancient dynasty. The jet-black parasol, seemingly woven from darkness itself, appeared weightless as it dangled from her slender fingers, swaying like a willow leaf.
She wore flowing, traditional robes. The sleeves were so voluminous that a sliver of her pale white skin was visible through the gaps. It was a style that indirectly displayed wealth through its lavish use of fabric. The Military State would have a fit, but people really used to dress like that in the past.
As the vampire took a step forward, the massive steel doors swung wide open on both sides as if to welcome her. The crimson mark engraved on the doors glowed. With a grace that was either excruciatingly slow or simply took its time, the vampire emerged from the underground armory.
Thud. The steel doors slammed shut behind her. The vampire, perched on her coffin, muttered.
“It’s been rather noisy lately. I simply couldn’t get any sleep. How is it that with only three of you, it’s more chaotic than when there were over a hundred? Your wailing is louder than a pig getting its throat slit. It’s impossible to live like this.”
“Wow. Were you planning to sleep more if I hadn’t woken you? You’re still not tired after all that? After sleeping for hundreds of years, you’d think sleep itself would get sick of you and run away.”
“…Enough. It was my mistake to argue with you.”
The vampire shot me a glare and steered her coffin forward.
“Why did you come out of the coffin?”
“If one decides to wake, one must dress for the occasion. Is that not basic etiquette?”
The vampire, answering with a somewhat sharp tone, whipped her head around to glare at me fiercely.
“Or perhaps… you have a problem with my attire?”
Go on, call it tacky like you did yesterday.
What’s this? Such sudden hostility.
Ah. No way.
Is she still sulking because I called her tacky yesterday?
Hmm. Should I read her mind? It’s a pain to use mind-reading in the morning, but I suppose I have no choice. I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times and focused on reading the vampire’s thoughts.
‘To groom and present oneself is a duty for anyone who knows basic courtesy. Yet he, who wets his hair and dons a uniform every day, has the audacity to rebuke me…! Last time, I was caught off guard by his unjust remarks and couldn’t retort, but today is different. I will show this insolent whelp a thing or two!’
Wow. She’s been holding onto what I said yesterday for a full day. She may be old, but her heart is so petty. With a memory like that, she’ll never have to worry about dementia.
I wasn’t sure why she was so resentful, but the emotions that had been stewing for a day had fermented into something else entirely. Clashing with her now would be a disaster. I needed to smooth things over.
I answered as gently and sincerely as I could.
“Not at all. Why would I have a problem with you dressing up? It’s a feast for my eyes.”
“You scoundrel. To dress neatly is basic etiquette, regardless of time or place… What?”
“I’m human, too. A beautiful person, all dressed up, is a far better sight than a floating wooden coffin. The colorful hairpin and robes complement your fair complexion wonderfully. It’s like a painting, with colors and artistry on a white canvas. I suppose the legends about vampires having bewitching powers weren’t just stories after all.”
“Huh?”
“The people of the world must be jealous. A vampire, undying and immortal, whose beauty even time cannot fade. Perhaps it would be better for the world if you remained in your coffin. Then women would be free from jealousy, and men would not commit the sin of arrogance.”
“E-ehm…”
This was a vampire who had spent all of yesterday fuming and getting herself ready. Emerging from the coffin meant she was ready to be active. Dressing up and putting her hair up was a declaration of that intent.
Something prepared with so much time and emotion deserves a commensurate reward. Otherwise, all that resentment would come crashing down on me.
At my compliments, honed by years of swindling in the back alleys, the vampire tilted her parasol slightly and replied.
“H-hmph. You certainly have a silver tongue.”
“I may be flattering you, but I’m not lying. As you know from my usual conduct, I’m a person who puts sincerity into every word. In fact, I find it impossible to say things I don’t mean.”
“Yesterday you called me tacky…”
“I said that because it was an urgent situation, not because you weren’t beautiful. You may not know this, but filing a false report is considered the gravest sin in the Military State, and saying that Trainee Tyrkanzyaka is not beautiful would be a patently false report.”
Good. The vampire finally fell silent. She didn't turn her head, hiding her face with her parasol as she moved forward, but my mind-reading told me she was quite pleased. My impression of her had improved a little, too.
Phew. I’d cleared that hurdle. Now, let’s go get the Regressor.
The Regressor lived on the first floor of the prison.
If you were to ask why such a great Regressor was still living in that cramped, stuffy prison when there were no wardens or other prisoners, I would tell you to look down.
The Regressor had ‘cut’ through all the walls of her own cell and the ten neighboring cells. The thick concrete walls, reinforced with steel plates to prevent escapes, were now neatly sliced into rectangular blocks and stacked in a corner of the prison, like parts of a flat-pack furniture set. The Regressor used this newly expanded space as both a training ground and a living area.
In effect, the entire first floor was her house, and she seemed to think so too. The moment we set foot on the first floor, a sharp sense of vigilance was directed at us.
“Huh? Tyrkanzyaka? Azzy? And…”
The Regressor confirmed the identities of her visitors and relaxed her guard. It was still unfair that she scowled slightly upon seeing me. What did I ever do?
“What are you doing here?”
“I have something important to discuss today. Follow me.”
“I’m busy. I have things to do.”
“Damn it. You’re no fun at all. I bet you were a loner on the outside.”
“…What did you just mumble?”
The Regressor, who had been about to go back into her room, turned back around, radiating hostility. Having successfully brought her back with a single sentence, I put on an innocent face and said.
“I said there’s an important announcement, so you should attend my seminar to hear it, Trainee Shei.”
“Listen carefully, because this is important. I. Don’t. Have. Time.”
‘I finally got a feel for Bloodcraft yesterday and was swinging my sword all night. This is so annoying.’
Your effort is commendable, but it’s none of my business. I lifted my chin and casually dropped a piece of information I knew would pique her interest.
“I was planning to explain the structure of Tantalus, but I guess you don’t need that either?”
“The structure… of Tantalus?”
As expected, the Regressor, intrigued by new ‘knowledge’ she didn’t possess, rested her chin on her hand and pondered.
‘I know something is going to happen in Tantalus, but I don’t know much about its structure or secrets yet. If I could learn about the structure of Tantalus, could I also find out why ‘she’ comes here?’
The Regressor had uncovered countless secrets and pieces of knowledge through her thirteen regressions. Few people in this moment knew more than her about what was to come, or what dark forces were at play in the world.
Even I, who could read minds, couldn’t know everything due to the nature of regression.
However, this was the first timeline she had come to Tantalus before its collapse. I had gambled that she wouldn’t know about the structure of Tantalus, which she would have learned about after the Resistance’s attack. And my gamble paid off.
Though she feigned hesitation, I knew her mind was already made up. I turned around and said.
“Well, if you’re not interested, that’s fine. I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait.”
She took the bait.
Gamma, no, Wikrol, thank you. You may be dead, but I’ll put your knowledge to good use. Don’t they say a person leaves behind knowledge even in death?
“I’ll get ready. Wait here.”
Just as the Regressor went into an inner space sectioned off by a cloth, Azzy, who had been sniffing around curiously, suddenly trotted over to me and dropped something from her mouth. It was a round orb, crafted from a magical crystal, transparent and with a strange light swirling inside.
“Woof! Woof!”
“What’s this? You want to play fetch? But you can’t just go taking other people’s things.”
It looked expensive. I carefully picked up the orb and examined it. What kind of orb was this? It seemed to contain a lot of mana. Was it valuable? Or was it dangerous?
“Oh, that. It’s a bomb.”
It was both. I hastily threw the orb as far as I could.
“Aaaaargh!”
The orb rolled far down the prison corridor. In that instant, I scrambled to the nearest corner and hid behind the wall. Dammit, who leaves a bomb where a dog can get to it! Explosives need to be managed properly…
Wait. A dog?
A dreadful thought crossed my mind, and I peeked my head out from behind the wall. Just then, I saw Azzy, who had sprinted after it, catch the falling orb with perfect form.
Ah, if she brings that back… no.
As I stood there, mouth agape, Azzy’s eyes met mine.
“Woof! Woof!”
“N-no. Stay! Don’t bring it here! Go away!”
Terrified, I kicked off the ground to run. But by the time I had awkwardly scrambled to my feet, Azzy was already right in front of me.
Her eyes wide and innocent, Azzy dropped the orb at my feet. Before I could react, the bomb she dropped hit the floor. I threw my hands out haphazardly and collapsed, as if I could somehow block the explosion with my limbs.
The bomb landed on the corridor floor with a soft thump…
And I heard the Regressor’s snickering.
“Pfft, heheh. Idiot!”
‘Is he scared just from that? That’s a Volcanic Tear. It’s a bomb that will never go off unless you infuse it with a specific pattern of high-purity mana!’
The orb, completely unchanged, rolled to my feet and bumped against my shoe. I stared blankly, picking it up and looking back and forth between it and the Regressor. Seeing my dumbfounded expression, the Regressor couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
“Puhaha! Even for you, did you really think I’d leave a dangerous object just lying around?!”
“…You said it was a bomb.”
“It is a bomb. But it will never explode unless I want it to.”
“If it’s a bomb, it’s dangerous! What are you talking about? Did living in the Abyss make you lose your common sense? Get rid of it, now!”
“Pfft. Alright, alright.”
The Regressor chuckled as she picked up the orb. Azzy looked at her expectantly, but the Regressor simply tucked it away into her extra-dimensional pocket. Azzy glared at the Regressor, her face a mask of betrayal, like a child whose toy had been taken away.
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue and got to my feet. It was a bitter taste of the limits of my mind-reading.
I couldn’t read the knowledge from the Regressor’s past timelines unless she was actively thinking about it. That’s why it was hard to predict her reactions or respond quickly when things involved her. It was the first real challenge to the immense pride I took in my mind-reading ability.
No, it wasn’t even a challenge. Honestly, regression was just outside the rules. My mind-reading was doing a great job against such an opponent. The world was unfair, not my ability.
Anyway. Now that everyone was here, shall we go? It would be foolish to add anything else now that my image had already taken a hit. I walked silently toward the 4th-floor control center, using only my mind-reading to keep track of the situation behind me.
Along the way, the vampire cupped a hand to her mouth and smiled faintly.
“That was some decent entertainment. I got to see that fellow make a fool of himself. Though, I must say, I’m a bit disappointed to see him flee so disgracefully, no matter how frivolous he is. It was just a mere bomb.”
“You think so? From his reaction, I think he probably had a rough idea of the bomb’s power. If this thing goes off, it’ll wipe out everything within a three-kilometer radius.”
“I-is that so? I thought it was merely something used for fireworks.”
“It’s useless if it doesn’t have that much destructive power. Pfft. Anyway, thanks to him, I got to see something fun. A sight I’ll have to commit to memory.”
The vampire watched the strangely cheerful Regressor for a moment before speaking.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you smile.”
“Huh? Well, people smile sometimes.”
“It looks good on you. Why don’t you try smiling more often?”
“More often? I…”
The Regressor suddenly fell silent and touched her own lips. Her face showed the shock of someone who had just remembered something long forgotten.
‘…I smiled?’
She had always tried to become stronger. She had strived to gain even a single line more of knowledge. The world still held countless powers and secrets, and every minute, every second of the Regressor’s life was a struggle to obtain them.
Even after entering the inescapable Abyss, the Regressor had not been idle in swinging her sword and acquiring power.
For her, the emotional luxury of a smile was so foreign.
‘How long… no, how many timelines has it been since I last smiled?’
The feeling was alien, like an unfitting breeze had just brushed past. A longing for an emotion felt long ago. The Regressor stroked her lips again and again.
As we walked on in silence, the vampire, who had been sitting comfortably on her self-moving coffin, shifted restlessly as if something was bothering her. Each time she moved, her silver hair, cascading from beneath the pin, caught the light and shimmered, and her loose robes fluttered.
But the Regressor, deep in thought, showed no reaction. Finally, growing impatient, the vampire decided to be a little forward. She fiddled with a lock of her hair and spoke.
“Ahem. Shei. Do you not notice anything different?”
“Oh, right. Tyrkanzyaka. I had a breakthrough with Bloodcraft during the fight yesterday. I need your advice on it. Can you take a look after that guy is done talking?”
“…Yes. Of course. It is good news that you have made progress.”
Disappointed, the vampire’s shoulders slumped, and she looked back and forth between the Regressor and me, as if comparing us.
Sigh. Seriously. She’s so embarrassing it’s making me blush. Maybe I just shouldn’t compliment her next time.