Chapter 85: A Real Laborer, a Fake Warden
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: A Real Laborer, a Fake Warden
“Hughes. That man is a laborer assigned to Tantalus. He was sentenced to labor here after being arrested for illegal gambling in Amitengrad District 13-3.”
Tyr, who already knew he was a laborer, started and glanced nervously at Shei. Fortunately, Shei didn’t immediately roll her eyes back and charge at him.
She merely narrowed her eyes and let out a thoughtful, “Hmm.”
“…So that’s what it was. That explains everything.”
Shei had been harboring several suspicions as it was.
His various abilities, whose origins were a complete mystery. His attitude, far too lighthearted and friendly for an officer of the Military State. His bizarre tendency to pry into private matters while completely ignoring his official duties.
The man, who had spouted nothing but smooth words without ever stating his rank or name, was decades removed from any ordinary warden.
Above all, setting aside the rescue of Tyrkanzyaka… the act of reviving her heart was the most nonsensical of all.
If the Military State had known how to revive the Progenitor’s heart, they would have used it as a hostage to control her rather than bringing it back. That was the logic of the State.
His actions, therefore, were completely out of character for someone from the Military State. That was why Shei had tried to ascertain his true motives.
And every time I tried, he slipped away like an eel, so I could never be sure!
For the Military State, which sought to standardize all things, including humans, it was impossible for such a chaotic individual to be a warden. It went against the State’s very ideology.
It was far more plausible that he was a criminal with strange and bizarre abilities who had to be locked away in Tantalus…
“Wait. A laborer? Not a criminal who should be imprisoned in Tantalus?”
A laborer and a prisoner were entirely different. Prisoners were those who had been completely stripped of their freedom and incarcerated, while laborers were those who paid for their crimes by performing all sorts of menial tasks at a given facility. As such, those with relatively minor offenses received labor sentences and were treated as quasi-workers.
He wasn’t a warden.
Nor was he a felon deserving of being locked up in Tantalus.
Just a petty criminal?
And what’s more…
“He was caught for… mere gambling?”
“That’s right. Like the worthless level 0 citizen he is, he’s a parasite who schemes for a windfall instead of thinking about honest work.”
Callis made no effort to hide the contempt that filled her face.
Tyr, who had been cautiously observing, bristled at her attitude and came to his defense.
“A parasite for playing a simple card game? Your words are harsh!”
Callis’s reply was immediate, as if she had prepared it in advance.
“Of course, he wouldn’t have ended up in Tantalus if that were all. However, after interrogating the other five participants, we found that he was a habitual gambler who often lured innocent people into his games.”
“Gambling is, at its heart, a game. How can you speak of sin for merely playing?”
“Furthermore, the other four unanimously accused him of cheating. They said he had a ninety percent win rate that day alone.”
Tyr froze.
Even for the most skilled gambler, a ninety percent win rate was abnormal. Even Tyr, who knew little of the world, was aware of that fact.
Her voice now lacking its earlier confidence, Tyr retorted.
“…Perhaps the other four were simply incompetent.”
“They say that, frustrated by their consecutive losses, the four of them finally colluded against him, and still they could not win. That was the moment they became certain.”
“……Colluding… is hardly something to be proud of, either……”
Even Tyr, who held him in high regard, couldn't continue her defense and let her words trail off.
Having thoroughly refuted her, Callis declared with renewed confidence.
“Those at the very bottom try to use their circumstances as an excuse for their crimes. The Military State does not tolerate this. To prevent them from testing our military law with pleas for compassion, the crimes of level 0 citizens, no matter how trivial, must be made an example of!”
Callis lifted her head and raised her voice.
“Level 0 citizen Hughes! You may have enjoyed a lax life until now, but that ends today. The overseer has arrived. Come out at once and report your current status! Failure to do so will result in punishment for dereliction of duty!”
Her loud voice echoed through Tantalus, but no response came from within. Instead, Tyr stepped forward.
“He will not be able to answer. He has lost his memories and become a near simpleton.”
“Lost his memories?”
Callis scoffed in response.
“Is losing one’s memory an excuse to neglect one’s duties? It is not. If it were, a man could murder another, feign amnesia, and be found innocent.”
“This is not a matter of turning a blind eye to what has happened, but of being unable to do what must be done. The two are entirely different. As different as the past is from the future.”
Her tone was gentle, yet it was an archaic rebuke that seemed to scold the listener. As Callis fell silent, at a loss for words, Tyr carefully picked up the mana herbs and began to move.
“These supplies are for him. If his mind returns, I will hear the rest of his story.”
Just before entering Tantalus with the mana herbs held dear, Tyr suddenly stopped and asked.
“Wait. Did you say his name was Hughes?”
“I did. Is there a problem?”
“…Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“Before my appointment to Tantalus, I read through all the documents containing the personal information of those staying here. There is no room for doubt.”
Tyr wore a sour expression. Shei snorted as if to say, I knew it.
“See? I told you his answers were weird. The whole thing with the beans didn’t make sense from the start.”
“…We can simply ask him ourselves. The priority now is to wake Hu.”
“I’m coming with you. I have some questions for him, too.”
As Shei spoke, her eyes burned with intensity.
“I’ve finally found a clue…! You won’t be able to run this time…!”
Tyr couldn’t blame him. Whatever the outcome, this was a matter he had to endure. All Tyr could guarantee was his physical safety.
Tyr and Shei walked side by side, heading once more toward the room of the man whose name they didn't know.
*
Callis was the epitome of a Military State officer, but like all humans, she also valued her own life. She had come to Tantalus under orders, had even been told she might die… but a dog’s death was by no means what she desired.
So when Shei had unleashed her killing intent, she had felt a fear that took her breath away.
“The Progenitor is one thing, but he is a threat on par with a general officer…. To show such hostility at our first meeting.”
The Progenitor was a historically famous entity, akin to a natural disaster.
Is there any need to fight and win against a typhoon? Is there any need to stand firm when lightning strikes?
One simply had to duck down and wait for the typhoon to pass, to wait in a low place for the lightning to cease.
The Progenitor, a vampire who had lived for ages, was indifferent to most things and paid little mind to how the circumstances around her changed. She hadn't reacted at all when the Military State moved her, sleeping in her coffin, to the Abyss.
It was a well-known story within the State that she had only asked once, ‘Where are we going?’, and when the soldier carrying her had unwittingly answered ‘The Abyss,’ she had simply murmured, ‘I suppose I will not see the sky there,’ and fallen silent.
As long as one didn’t cross the Progenitor’s line—for example, by praying to the Sky God in her presence—there was no real danger. It might even be possible to become her ally.
“However, the problem is the irregular.”
Shei. A powerhouse of unknown identity, whose status and origins were unclear, though he was currently ranked as Level 3.
He was a dangerous individual who had required the direct intervention of one of the Military State’s Six Generals, Sunderspear Patraxion, to be subdued.
Having a monster by her side who could kill her at any moment was by no means a pleasant experience.
The only reassurance was that the laborer sent down first… the litmus test… hadn’t yet been stained red with blood.
If even a petty criminal could survive, there was no reason an elite of the Military State like Callis couldn’t.
“…Though I have no idea what he went through to become a simpleton.”
Callis took a deep breath and removed her service cap. Though she prided herself on her strong heart, her body was more honest; a single bead of sweat trickled down her neck, exposed beneath her short hair.
“My mission is to survive. And to report.”
Because Shei had smashed all the golems, not enough information about the interior of Tantalus had been gathered. Therefore, her superior, who was originally scheduled to come, had sent her down instead. Go first and gather information, he had said. If there is danger, experience it first with your own body.
She knew her situation was no different from that of the litmus test, but it couldn't be helped.
It was to be used in times like these that she had become a lieutenant colonel, surpassing so many other officers.
“Make humanity great again.”
Recalling their great desire, she steeled her resolve.
*
The 4th floor of Tantalus was the laborers’ domain. It contained the spaces where they worked, like the cafeteria and laundry room, and right on the same floor were the quarters where they could rest their bodies after their work was done.
Shei headed for one of these rooms, remarking.
“Come to think of it, this guy was staying in a laborer’s room, wasn’t he? To think he lived in a place like this.”
“You mean you didn’t know where Hu was staying all this time?”
“I didn’t even know his name, how would I know where he lived?”
Tyr chided Shei, who was looking around curiously.
“You are so indifferent. After all the time you’ve spent together.”
“Huh? To be honest, you didn’t know either until you got your heart back, did you?”
“…Hmph.”
Tyr offered no reply and opened the door to his room.
He was still sitting blankly on the edge of the bed. When the door opened, he briefly turned his head toward it, but it was nothing more than a reaction to a stimulus.
A passive state, where he would answer if asked and react to someone’s actions, but never take the initiative himself. Toward him, who had not yet found himself, Tyr spoke with her usual cheerful greeting.
“Hu, has anything happened?”
The cramped laborer’s room felt full with the addition of just two more people. Tyr crossed the small room and sat beside him.
Shei leaned against the doorframe and muttered.
“It’s creepy when you think about it. He used a fake name even when he had no ego.”
“He must have had his reasons. Here, Hu. Look at this. It’s the supply you needed…”
Tyr took out a cigar rolled from mana herbs from a paper packet. Then it suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know how to use it.
For a vampire, who was naturally immune to disease, poison, and drugs, a finger-sized roll of tobacco was an exceedingly perplexing object. Tyr held the cigar awkwardly, hesitating.
“How to use it… How does one use this stick… It doesn’t seem to be for eating…”
What was the most common way to use a long stick?
In Tyr’s experience, there was only one.
Lifting the mana herb cigar, Tyr smacked him on the shoulder with it.
“Hmph. Snap out of it!”
And of all places, she hit his shoulder, not his head. Even then, there was no force behind it. Even if he hadn't lost his memories, he likely wouldn't have reacted to such a blow.
At the childishly playful sight, Shei’s mouth hung open for a few seconds in disbelief.
“…That’s not how you use it. And even if it was, do you think tapping his shoulder that gently is going to change anything?”
“Then what am I to do? Is there no other way?”
“This is for smoking… Ugh, what’s the point of explaining. Just try putting it in his hand.”
Tyr, half-doubting, carefully brought the mana herb to his hand.
There was a reaction.
The moment the mana herb touched his palm, his hand twitched reflexively. He instinctively curled his fingers, gripping the cigar. Then, he slowly brought it to his nose and sniffed, as if checking its quality.
“It’s starting.”
Even without Shei’s words, Tyr had noticed that much. She kept her mouth shut and quietly watched what he did.
His movements, with the cigar in hand, were as natural as if they were second nature.
He raised his fingers and lit a flame with standard magic. With a fingernail wreathed in fire, he flicked the tip of the mana herb, and a crimson flame seeped into the gap.
The flame, hidden deep inside, gathered its strength in the darkness before bursting forth, boasting of its overflowing power and dyeing the world crimson.
“Shei? Hu has set it on fire. Should I not stop him?”
“No, that’s how you’re supposed to use mana herbs. If you think about it, it’s similar to incense.”
A belated cremation for the dead leaves began. Those who claim to have seen the human soul each give a different description, but the soul of the tobacco leaf has only one form: a gray, vertically striped snake, coiling as it rises.
The connoisseur greeted that soul with a rather reverent posture. The snake, winding around the unseen, rose and filled the world with its color, its scent.
When enough smoke had risen, he followed an old etiquette, holding the cigar with two fingers and bringing it lightly to his lips.
A movement as natural as flowing water. A clear picture of his next move formed in the mind.
Shei nodded.
“Ah, I get it now. This is what he was aiming for.”
Having mastered the Qi Art known as the Heavenly Counter Domain, Shei understood his actions at once.
The basic principle of the Heavenly Counter Domain was to engrave movements into one’s body. The body reacts before the mind, allowing one to maintain mental and physical stability in any situation.
What the Heavenly Counter Domain emphasized for countering mental attacks was a form of somatics, similar to what he was doing now.
“The rising smoke is like incense. Is this fragrance a ritual to restore his mind?”
“The smoke from the burning mana herb definitely has an effect, but that’s only part of it. What he’s doing now is a kind of self-suggestion. He’s trying to reignite the memories of his mind with the memories of his body.”
From lighting it with magic to bringing it to his lips and inhaling.
The series of movements was too smooth to be that of someone who had lost their memory. It was clear that he had found the optimal path to this state after thousands, tens of thousands of attempts, and had engraved it upon his body.
“These are movements ingrained in his body from smoking mana herbs thousands, hundreds of times. They remained deep in his subconscious, so even while he’s lost himself, his body is recreating them on its own. He’s stimulating his dormant ego with these movements.”
“Then, will this truly awaken Hu?”
“Yes. He emphasized it in his note, so it’s certain.”
With each passing moment, the cigar grew shorter. In this moment, the cigar was a clock, telling time by its burning. Just as the acrid smoke filled the room and the ember, having gnawed away more than half the cigar, gently tapped his fingers…
He placed the cigar on the desk.
“Finally!”
Along with Tyr’s expectant gaze, he…
“Cough! Cough!”
…coughed violently, then continued to stare into space with the same vacant eyes.
Tyr cried out, overwhelmed with a sense of betrayal.
“It didn’t work!”
“Huh? That’s weird. This isn’t it? Is it a different mana herb? No, from the way he’s smoking it, this has to be right…”
While Shei examined the mana herb, Tyr looked around. Her eyes fell upon a small chime bell sitting on the desk.
“In the first place, I have never seen him put incense to his lips! If it is not in my memory, how could his body remember it!”
“That’s because you couldn’t get cigars in the Abyss… He probably could on the surface…”
“Perhaps another trigger is needed? Well, since the incense has been lit, I shall now ring this bell.”
“Wait! That bell is for calling Azzy…”
Shei’s warning was in vain. Clinging to the last straw, Tyr shook the bell. Tinkle, tinkle. The small bell chimed, and a few seconds later…
“Woof woof!”
The sound of a dog barking came from a distance. Azzy, responding to the bell, was racing down the hallway toward them.
The howl of a beast, accompanied by the rhythm of four-legged footsteps.
To react like this when it wasn’t even mealtime… was she just really well-trained, or simply a glutton?
Sighing, just as ‘I’ always did, I looked toward Azzy and shouted.
“Azzy. Time to eat!”