WeTried Translations
Translator: Joy
Editor: Joy
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 23: The Master’s gaze
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There were three ways to meet Heavenly Thunder Orca in the game.
1. Hire a Salhomun assassin as an escort and wait in front of the Dersia Mage Tower in the Rutlan field.
2. Kill Alfreon Ascard.
3. Invade the Dersia Mage Tower.
In the game, there was no legitimate route to become a mage of the Dersia Mage Tower.
Shared magic could be bought from NPCs or shops, but the only way to obtain the tower’s magic was to hunt Dersia mages and farm it from them.
There was also no way to become Orca’s disciple and peacefully inherit her unique magic. To learn both Dersia magic and Orca’s unique magic, one had no choice but to kill Dersia mages and kill Orca.
The requirement for meeting the hidden boss, the God of Chaos, was to kill every boss except the Heavenly Demon. That was why Lee Su-hyeok’s UrMumSpammer had no choice but to kill Orca several times.
The method he used most often was the third.
The Ascard Family was a gold mine for farming currency and elixirs. When the Ascard Family was harassed, mages from the Dersia Mage Tower would be deployed one after another. Hunting them every time was annoying enough, but after too many were killed, Orca could appear at a low chance even without Alfreon Ascard being killed.
Heavenly Thunder Orca. She was far too strong and troublesome to defeat without proper preparation. So before seriously grinding the Ascard Family, it was easier to wipe out the Dersia Mage Tower first.
‘It really is different from the game.’
The Dersia Mage Tower in the game consisted of five fields.
The first floor had mages in the Level 20s.
The second floor had mages in the Level 40s.
The third floor had mages in the Level 50s.
The fourth floor had mages in the Level 60s.
And on the final fifth floor, the Level 81 Tower Master, Heavenly Thunder Orca Dersia, appeared alone.
But the Dersia Mage Tower Yuri saw in reality had a completely different number of floors. Looking up at the tower, which seemed to rise well beyond ten stories, Yuri swallowed.
Gulp.
He heard someone swallow beside him as well. Glancing over, he saw Elena pressing her lips together, looking more nervous than ever.
“What are you so nervous about?”
“W-What do you mean?”
When Yuri nudged her with his elbow, Elena jolted and turned to him.
“Anyone can see you’re nervous.”
‘Shouldn’t I be the nervous one?’ Yuri grumbled inwardly as he glared at the entrance to the Dersia Mage Tower.
He did not know exactly why Heavenly Thunder Orca had summoned him.
‘Bring your childhood friend tomorrow morning.’
Yesterday, the eccentric mage had suddenly visited Elena’s laboratory and said that. Elena had asked in alarm why Yuri was being summoned, but received no answer.
No matter how favored a prospective disciple she was, Elena could not possibly defy Orca’s orders. That was how Yuri ended up at the Dersia Mage Tower with Elena today.
“She is not going to kill you, surely.”
Unlike the two tense youths, Haryeong looked perfectly calm. She looked at Yuri with an indifferent expression and continued.
“Just relax and think of it as an interview.”
“What kind of interview? I have no intention of becoming a mage of Dersia.”
“That is quite an assumption. Even I doubt this is an interview to bring you into the tower, so do not get your hopes up.”
“Then what kind of interview is it?”
“Who knows?”
Haryeong shrugged and took a step back.
“Then I will inform Sir Bakerd that today’s training cannot take place. Lady Elena, should I come to pick you up at the usual time?”
“Y-Yes.”
Elena answered with a stammer. Seeing that, Haryeong clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘That is probably why she summoned Yuri.’
Haryeong had not been Elena’s guard for very long. Still, Haryeong knew that Elena’s attitude had changed considerably since Elena had brought Yuri to the estate.
The old Elena had been colder, blindly devoted to magic, and had always put her own achievements first.
But she had changed while spending time with Yuri. Her cold personality had softened a great deal. That was a good change. Elena was still devoting herself to magic, working hard and giving it her all.
But that alone was not enough. There were countless people in the world, and in the Dersia Mage Tower, who worked hard and gave it their all. The tower’s mages possessed not only diligence, but talent as well.
Marigold Elena Heinderga was one of the prospective disciples favored by Heavenly Thunder Orca. To be favored meant that expectations had been placed on her. The great mage at the pinnacle of the Ivory Tower of Lightning might want her disciple to become a madwoman obsessed with magic.
Before meeting Yuri, Elena had not been a madwoman, but she had possessed the potential to become one.
What about now?
“L-Let’s go in.”
Elena swallowed and took the lead.
Truthfully, Yuri did not want to follow. If possible, he wanted to refuse the summons. He still had no desire to get tangled up with that eccentric Heavenly Thunder Orca.
But Orca had personally summoned him, so there was nothing he could do. Yuri swallowed his sigh and followed Elena inside.
In the game, he would have been attacked by mages the instant he entered the Dersia Mage Tower. Reality was not like that, of course. Still, stares as sharp as attacks stabbed into Yuri from every direction.
“Oh my?”
A woman sitting in the first-floor lounge let out a derisive snort. Even her outfit differed from the other mages’. Her expensive-looking robe was made of purple fabric embroidered with golden patterns, and her jewelry was equally extravagant.
“Who could it be but the man from the rumors?”
The woman openly sneered and waved at Elena. Elena’s face twisted with irritation. She bit down on her lip once, then gave the woman a slight nod.
“Senior Arist. Is it alright for you to be here?”
“Hahaha. Is there any reason I should not be? This is still the Dersia Mage Tower.”
“You just seem to have so much free time. I heard you have not met the benchmark for this quarter’s performance report yet?”
This time, Arist’s face twisted. She glared at Elena for a moment, then irritably brushed a hand over her spotless robe.
“Thank you for your concern, Elena. But wherever you heard that, I have no problems at all.”
“I suppose you do not. If you get into trouble, you can always ask your family’s mages for help.”
“What?!”
“But should you not restrain yourself this time? You stitched together the Benharman Family’s spells for your report last quarter too, did you not?”
Arist’s face flushed red. Her birth family was the Benharman Family, a name always mentioned among the great magical families.
“Y-You...!”
Arist rose abruptly from her seat, breathing heavily with rage. The mages resting in the first-floor lounge did not seem inclined to intervene. It appeared they were accustomed to Arist and Elena arguing.
“You penniless beggar...”
“Enough.”
A calm voice cut Arist’s abuse short.
A woman in a pure white gown walked over from beyond the lounge.
“There are things you may say, and things you may not.”
That voice instantly subdued the atmosphere. Arist flinched and turned toward the approaching woman. After hesitating, she bit her lip hard and lowered her head.
“Senior Lacey.”
Elena glared at Arist with cold eyes, then let out a short sigh and lowered her head as well.
‘So that is her.’
Lacey Yuzha. Like Elena, she had reached the fourth tier at twenty, and had now reached the fifth tier at twenty-seven. She was, in truth, the person closest to becoming Heavenly Thunder Orca’s disciple.
‘They said she might be a transmigrator.’
Yuri’s first impression of Lacey was far better than his impression of the openly rude Arist.
“How could you make such a scene when we have a rare guest from outside?”
Lacey stared at Arist while twisting a lock of her messy purple hair around her finger. Still hanging her head, Arist did not answer. Instead, she dropped back into her seat and turned away.
“Honestly.”
With a wry smile, Lacey stopped in front of Elena.
“I apologize. The Tower Master personally gave orders regarding your visit, but... well, it is uncommon for an outsider who is not a mage to visit this place.”
As she spoke, Lacey looked around.
“Now then. It seems you have all finished staring? Are you going to stay here? It is still far too early for lunch.”
So that was why there had been so many mages in the first-floor lounge. It seemed they had all come out to see Yuri’s face. Once Lacey confirmed that the other mages were leaving the lounge, she turned back.
“Elena, you should go to your laboratory as well.”
“What? But, Senior...”
“It is the Tower Master’s order. I will personally guide the guest, so you should go to your laboratory. There is not much time left before the quarterly report, is there?”
“...”
“Though I do not think there is any chance that you will fail to meet the deadline.”
Lacey met Elena’s eyes with a faint smile. Faced with that gentle, coaxing tone and manner, Elena could no longer object. Lacey had helped ten-year-old Elena adapt and grow in the tower. Though they were not related by blood, Lacey was like an older sister to Elena.
“Yes...”
In the end, Elena nodded and stepped back.
“See you later.”
Her eyes were full of unease and worry. Yuri gave Elena a calm smile and waved.
“This way, please.”
Yuri followed Lacey toward the lift beyond the lounge.
“How should I address you?”
“You may call me by my name, Yuri-nim.”
“Yes, Lacey-nim.”
There was not a trace of forcefulness in her gentle tone.
‘Could she really be a transmigrator?’
Yuri watched the back of Lacey’s head, her purple hair uncombed and tousled, as he thought. Transmigrators did not possess some innate ability to recognize other transmigrators. But according to Elena, Lacey’s tier at that age was higher than Orca’s had been.
‘Orca must know the rumor that Lacey might be a transmigrator. Yet she still made her a prospective disciple...’
Had Orca verified it? Or did she simply not care whether Lacey was a transmigrator? That could be the case. Not every transmigrator harmed the world.
‘The unique traits of transmigrators fit well with magic.’
Perhaps Orca was the sort of person who recognized such talent and kept it close.
‘THOR123 would probably have approached the Dersia Mage Tower somehow.’
The father of the community’s lightning mages. THOR123 was a player who had stubbornly used nothing but lightning-attribute magic, and had killed both Orca and Dersia mages more than any other player in Seronis.
‘Could Lacey be THOR123?’
In the game, one could raise their stats and wreak havoc in the Dersia Mage Tower. Reality did not allow that. Perhaps THOR123, after transmigrating into this world, had chosen the peaceful method of becoming a mage of the Dersia Mage Tower.
‘I cannot ask outright.’
Inside the spacious lift, Yuri kept staring at the back of Lacey’s head as he thought.
“I will apologize again for what happened earlier.”
Lacey suddenly spoke. She turned to Yuri with a faint smile.
“You may not know this, but Yuri-nim is quite famous.”
“I did not know I was famous. What kind of rumors are there?”
“Um, how should I explain it...”
“I can roughly guess. They are not good rumors, are they?”
“I cannot deny that.”
“Leaving aside how unfair they are to me, I feel sorry for Elena. Because of someone like me.”
“People know you are childhood friends, but Elena receives a great deal of attention.”
“That is all our relationship is. There is nothing romantic between us.”
Yuri answered with an indifferent expression. Yuri had heard the rumors. Whenever he went outside the estate alone, he heard other people whispering.
Marigold’s man.
Kept man.
“Actually, I was interested in Yuri-nim too. Have you heard that Elena and I used to share a room?”
“I have.”
“Back then, Elena told me many stories about Yuri-nim. Hehe, I was even the one who sent the first letter she wrote.”
“Ah... I see.”
“A childhood friend. It is a wonderful and special relationship. I have never had a friend like that, so I envy Elena.”
Lacey giggled. Yuri glanced at the steadily rising floor numbers and asked.
“Why did the Tower Master summon me?”
“Um, well. I was not told the details. What I heard was...”
Lacey’s blue eyes curved as she stared intently at Yuri’s face.
“That I should meet you once and examine what kind of person Yuri-nim is. That is why I am guiding you. It may sound strange coming from me, but I have rather sharp eyes.”
“Examine me? It is not as though I am someone remarkable.”
“No, I do not think so. I heard you only began formally learning martial arts a month ago, but... hehe. You absolutely do not look like it.”
“I heard you are the greatest talent in the history of the Dersia Mage Tower. Do you know martial arts as well?”
“Just because I am a mage does not mean I must only use magic. I am not at an impressive level, but I can defend myself when I cannot use magic.”
Though there was humility mixed into her words, they were the words of a fifth-tier mage. Yuri looked at Lacey again with mild surprise. Her gown was so large that it was difficult to tell her build, but looking closely, he could see that she had a fair amount of muscle.
‘A transmigrator.’
There was no rule saying absurd geniuses could not exist. Still, a twenty-seven-year-old fifth-tier mage who had also learned martial arts? His conclusion might be premature, but Yuri could not help thinking that way.
‘Is she testing me?’
“That is impressive.”
Yuri concealed his thoughts and responded appropriately. Learning martial arts was not something she needed to hide, but her claim that she had come to examine him, along with that glimpse of absurd talent, set alarm bells ringing in Yuri’s mind.
‘Does Orca suspect me?’
Fuck. Yuri kept the curse buried in his chest.
“So, what do you think of me, Lacey-nim?”
“Your talent for martial arts seems exceptional. But your talent for magic...”
With both hands shoved into the pockets of her gown, Lacey shrugged and trailed off.
“You need not be careful. Having even one talent is better than having none.”
The lift arrived at the top floor. Lacey, who had silently watched Yuri, gave a slight nod and stepped back.
“It was a short conversation, but I enjoyed it. Yuri-nim, I will return to my laboratory now.”
“Yes. I enjoyed it too.”
He lied. He had not enjoyed it very much. His mind was in turmoil with suspicions. No matter how he looked at her, Lacey seemed like a transmigrator, but he could not guess her identity.
‘THOR123?’
Thinking about it, there was no guarantee that THOR123, whose gender had never been confirmed, was male. THOR123 was a player who rarely shared personal information and only posted guides for raising lightning mages.
‘Or perhaps it could be someone else.’
Leaving the unresolved doubts behind, Yuri stepped out of the lift. Lacey smiled brightly through the slowly closing doors.
“...”
Inside the descending lift, Lacey sank into thought for a moment.
“I do not think so...?”
She murmured cryptically and tilted her head.
* * *
The top floor of the Dersia Mage Tower was home to Heavenly Thunder Orca’s room, which looked completely different inside from how it had in the game.
“Would a month count as a long time?”
The room was too large to call a room, as it occupied the entire floor. Orca was sitting on the huge desk at its center.
“Would it not?”
Yuri first gave a deep bow.
“It has been a while, Orca-nim.”
“I see. It has been a while.”
Orca chuckled and nodded.
“I summoned you so suddenly. Were you displeased?”
“Displeased? I consider it an honor.”
“I am glad if you truly feel that way. Let us see, a seat...”
When Orca lightly moved a finger, a sofa from one side of the room floated into the air and moved near Yuri.
“Sit there. There are drinks as well. What would you like? Coffee? Water? I have alcohol too.”
“Water will do.”
A table moved in front of the sofa. Yuri watched a floating water jug and teacup with admiration.
“Magic really is convenient.”
“In that regard, it is better than martial arts.”
Still sitting on the desk, Orca crossed her legs.
“Well, high-tier martial artists sometimes demonstrate a similar technique called telekinesis, but a mage can do this once they reach the second tier.”
“I do not think a second-tier mage could do it as easily as this.”
“That is true as well.”
Trickle. At Orca’s gesture, the water jug poured water into the teacup.
“Why do you think I called you?”
“Honestly, I cannot even guess.”
“I intended to call you after your training ended. But it seems the Fist Wolf likes you more than expected, since Bakerd continues teaching you even after a month.”
“I am grateful for it.”
“I did not intend to disrupt your training, but I thought we should meet at least once.”
“For what reason?”
“Elena Heinderga.”
The name came out abruptly.
“Do you know about the surname Heinderga in that child’s name?”
Though Yuri had expected Elena’s name to come up, the question itself caught him a little off guard.
“No, I do not.”
Yuri was from an orphanage and had no surname. Elena had been the same ten years ago. But at some point, she had gained the surname Heinderga.
“It was the surname I once had.”
Orca spoke with a smile.
“The Tower Master inherits the tower’s name as a surname. That is why my name is Orca Dersia. But I was not Orca Dersia from the day I was born. My old name was Orca Heinderga.”
It was a story Yuri was hearing for the first time.
“Ten years ago, I found a jewel in an orphanage in Oldor. Hmm, no. I did not find her. I went there because of a letter from the orphanage director. In any case, the Elena I saw was a jewel, so I took her in.”
“...”
“She had no surname, so I gave her my old one. Of course, I followed the proper procedures. On paper as well, Elena is a member of the Heinderga family. In a sense, you could call her my adopted daughter.”
Orca gave a low laugh.
“Unfortunately, I do not possess anything like maternal affection for Elena. Nor does that child think of me as her mother. By now, our relationship is closer to that of master and disciple. Though she is not truly my disciple.”
Her golden eyes curved into a smile.
“I expect that child to become my disciple someday. I also think she has what it takes to become the next Tower Master.”
“If we only consider tiers, is Lacey-nim not closer?”
“For now, yes. But Elena is younger than Lacey. And Lacey has no intention of taking the Dersia name. That girl only covets my magic. She is a nasty one.”
Orca stared at Yuri’s face for a moment.
“What do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think Elena Heinderga can become Elena Dersia?”
What answer was she expecting? Yuri did not answer right away, meeting Orca’s gaze. Her golden eyes seemed to pierce into his very core, but Yuri did not avoid them.
“Yes.”
Yuri slowly nodded.
“I think Elena can someday become the Tower Master of Dersia. Elena herself desires it as well.”
After answering, he added a joke.
“If mother and daughter both become Tower Masters, the Heinderga family could call itself a great magical family.”
“Hahaha.”
Orca burst into laughter.
“Though that family would only consist of Elena and me.”
“Well, it could grow larger in the future.”
“What do you think of Elena?”
The sudden question came flying at him.
Footnotes:
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