WeTried Translations
Translator: Joy
Editor: Joy
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 47: Revealed
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The house Elena returned to after about a month was, naturally, empty.
As she passed through the gate and crossed the garden, Elena stopped without realizing it.
Was it because she had been away for so long? The empty garden felt hollow and awkward.
Elena stood there for a while, staring at the garden. Then she forced her reluctant feet to move and walked on.
The moment she opened the door and entered, the living room lights came on by themselves. Nothing in the room had changed since she left, but there was no sense of welcome in the familiar sight.
Elena stood blankly in the middle of the living room for a long time.
The mansion was a little too large for one person to live in alone. From now on, Elena would have to live here by herself. She would wake up every day, eat alone, and leave the mansion without greeting anyone or being greeted.
She would have to clean out the room of someone who would never return and dispose of the things that could no longer be used.
“...”
These were things she had taken for granted until last year, yet she could not remember at all how she had lived in this mansion then, or how she had felt.
The person she had lived with in this mansion, believing without a doubt that he was her childhood friend, had actually been a monster wearing the skin of that childhood friend.
In the end, he was a complete stranger who had taken advantage of Elena’s goodwill to enjoy a comfortable life here.
What was even more terrible was that, despite learning all of this, Elena simply could not bring herself to hate the transmigrator unconditionally.
She had thought about it many times.
She liked the Yuri of now more than the Yuri she had only heard about through letters.
The person she wished she had gone to see sooner was the Yuri of now.
Elena did not know exactly what kind of person the real Yuri had been. She could remember Yuri from the orphanage ten years ago, but she knew nothing of Yuri’s life after leaving it, when he drifted through the back alleys.
She felt awful.
If Elena had been stronger, if she could have killed the Blood Fiend without Yuri stepping in, then perhaps she would never have learned this truth.
Perhaps she could have continued the make-believe childhood friendship she had maintained for half a year without ever realizing that the Yuri before her was not Yuri, but a transmigrator.
Perhaps she could have exchanged letters with Yuri after he left the mansion and looked forward to seeing him again.
She hated herself for thinking that way. At the same time, she felt guilty toward the real Yuri, who had already died.
In the end, Elena was more devastated by the betrayal of the transmigrator she had believed was Yuri than by the fact that the real Yuri, whom she had been separated from for ten years, was already dead.
And yet, she still could not hate Yuri, the transmigrator, unconditionally.
In the end, Elena could not shout, “Give Yuri’s body back,” at the transmigrator.
The choice Elena made in that moment was to part ways, and it was the result of turning away from many things.
If they met again someday.
When these tangled emotions finally settled, could she choose something other than parting ways then?
Could she leave behind only pure betrayal, condemn him as a liar and a monster, and kill Yuri?
Or.
“...”
Elena, who had been standing blankly in the living room, staggered up the stairs. Before the tightly shut door, she clutched her chest without realizing it.
She trembled and hesitated, but not for long. Elena steadied her breathing and opened the door.
A neatly organized room came into view. Though she had opened the door, Elena could not step inside.
“Ugh...”
Elena bit down hard on her lip and raised a hand.
Crackle!
Electrical currents rose around her as mana resonated. But in the end, Elena could not pour magic into the room.
No one would return. She could not let him return. That would be completely denying the Yuri who had died.
But even as she thought that, she simply could not destroy this room.
In the end, Elena chose to turn away and run again. She closed the door once more and collapsed in front of it.
“What... what do I even want...?”
The electrical currents disappeared, but her fringe, ruined by static, fell over her eyes. Swallowing her sorrow and irritation, Elena pressed her fringe down with a hand.
She thought of the hairpin she had received as a gift.
Elena could not bring herself to throw the hairpin away, but she could not use it either.
* * *
“Adra Giovanni. His estimated rank is fourth tier, and he uses a sword. If you want to know the martial arts he uses as well, you will have to pay more.”
The easiest way to contact an informant was through a back-alley tavern. Of course, it was not free. You had to pay the tavern owner an introduction fee, and the price of information varied wildly depending on its quality.
“Ah, I should tell you in advance that the martial arts I give you may not be entirely accurate. These days, it is not common for people to shout the names of their techniques while using martial arts. And as you know, even the technique names they shout could easily be false.”
Since no distinctive weapon was visible, the informant wondered if Yuri was a martial artist. Yuri could possibly be a mage, but that did not seem likely. The sturdy build beneath the large robe and the solid muscles in Yuri’s arms made it almost certain that Yuri was a martial artist.
“Adra has ten subordinates, four of whom are third tier. They call themselves the Angor Eleven Swords. Like that ridiculous name suggests, they have settled on Angor Mountain and rob lone peddlers and passersby.”
They were a gang that knew their place. They rarely bothered martial artists or mages, and they did not even look twice at merchant companies or caravans. The Angor Eleven Swords targeted only lone peddlers and passersby.
Their evil deeds had eventually earned them a guild bounty, but due to their cautious choice of targets, the bounty on their leader, Adra Giovanni, was not high. Considering that anyone pursuing it would have to face all eleven members, the reward was far too low for the trouble involved.
‘This guy is ridiculous.’
Information on Adra Giovanni’s martial arts. The characteristics of the four subordinates estimated to be third tier. A map of Angor Mountain with their hideout marked on it.
Buying all of it cost several times more than the bounty on Adra’s head. From the informant’s perspective, Yuri was a sucker buying information that would not sell, but Yuri’s apparent lack of concern for profit despite being a bounty hunter was puzzling.
“Is this revenge, by any chance?”
When someone clung to something with such poor returns, it was usually because of personal feelings. Had Adra killed a family member or acquaintance? The informant asked out of idle interest, but received no answer.
“Sir, I am only saying this because you remind me of a younger brother. If you go alone, you will definitely die. That bastard Adra is petty and cowardly, but he is not weak. Quite a few bounty hunters have gone to Angor Mountain hoping to earn some spending money, and most of them died.”
“So not everyone died?”
“That bastard Adra has an uncanny sense of his own limits. If he sees someone from afar and thinks they are even a little stronger than him, he will never show himself. The hideout is marked on the map I gave you, but that is not the only one. If Adra sees you from a distance and thinks, ‘This is a bit much,’ Adra and the underlings will immediately flee to another hideout.”
“Then what do I look like to you?”
Yuri pushed back the hood he was wearing. The informant blinked and studied Yuri’s face closely.
Yuri did not look gentle, but he did not have the air of experience either. At most, he looked to be in his early twenties. A few scars on his face might have made him look more convincing, but unfortunately, there were none.
“You look weak.”
The informant gave an honest assessment. Yuri’s gaze was not especially sharp. His build was fairly good, but he was not the hulking figure one would expect from a master of external arts. He had no weapon.
Most importantly, Yuri lacked the distinctive presence of a martial artist who had cultivated internal energy.
“That is why I am telling you this. You really remind me of a younger brother. I am not saying this because I want money. This is purely advice out of goodwill. So, sir, if you are going alone, why not recruit some companions?”
The informant lowered their voice and whispered.
“Because of my work, I have extensive connections. If the price is right, I can introduce you to an expert capable of catching that bastard Adra.”
“No.”
The informant did not see Yuri as a younger brother. They saw him as a sucker.
Yuri answered indifferently and took out the money. The suggestion itself was contradictory. The informant had just said Adra would not even show his shadow to someone stronger than himself, yet now they were offering to introduce an expert. It was a trick to collect another introduction fee.
“Ah, well, you really are going to die...”
Showing no real regret, the informant checked the money.
“Then let me give you some other advice. You seem to be a martial artist. Why not target someone else instead of Adra? If the price is right, I can draw up a whole list of people you can handle.”
“That does interest me.”
Yuri rose from his chair.
“I will hear more about that after I return.”
Yuri himself was not entirely certain how far he could go.
There were several reasons he had chosen Adra Giovanni.
Adra was the highest-tier wanted criminal Yuri could reach from this town. He had ten subordinates, four of them third tier. All of them used swords.
Before coming to this town, Yuri had fought a swordsman.
The man had been a bandit, and Yuri had not heard the name. The estimate had been around second tier.
The bandit had suddenly blocked Yuri’s path, drawn a sword, and demanded everything Yuri had.
When Yuri refused, the man immediately swung the sword.
It could hardly be called a fight. The clumsy swordsmanship did not even brush Yuri’s collar, and the nameless bandit died when Yuri’s fist crushed the bandit’s head.
There had been no need to use condensed force.
It was Yuri’s first time fighting a swordsman, but it did not seem like useful experience.
That was why Yuri chose Adra Giovanni. Though it was only an estimate, Adra was fourth tier and had four third-tier subordinates. The remaining six would be second tier at best, so Yuri did not need to worry about them.
He could fight a proper swordsman and experience a chaotic battle against multiple opponents. No one nearby could give Yuri more experience points than Adra.
It was a shame that the money paid for information exceeded Adra’s bounty, but Yuri would not suffer a loss if he killed Adra and looted the hideout.
‘Would they have arrived in Rutlan by now?’
Yuri thought as he unfolded the map of Angor Mountain.
Ten days had passed since the group left Logos. The journey to Logos had taken fifteen days because they had stopped in various places along the way, but the journey back would have been different.
Yuri let out a deep sigh and folded the map.
If he wanted to climb Angor Mountain before sunset, he had to leave immediately.
* * *
“I hear your disciple reached fifth tier?”
It had been a long time since they had met, but Chuk-sin-doo had not changed. His hair was still spiked upward, he still wore a jacket over pure white clothes covered in meaningless writing, and Madorido rested at his feet.
No one knew exactly what commission Chuk-sin-doo had received from the Ascard Family, but this was Chuk-sin-doo’s first return to Rutlan in two years. Nothing was known of his movements during that time, so some had wondered if he had died.
But the mad transmigrator had entered Rutlan again, walking through the sky while performing tricks with Madorido.
“Fifth tier at twenty-two. What astonishing talent. Are you really sure your disciple is not a transmigrator?”
Chuk-sin-doo held the teacup before his nose and slowly swirled it. Savoring the fragrant scent of tea, he turned his gaze.
“Mmm, Thor. Your tea brewing has truly reached a realm of its own. In the art of tea, you could be called a true master. But are you not neglecting more important training while obsessing over tea?”
“Do not call me that.”
Lacey openly glared at Chuk-sin-doo in irritation.
“And I told you, I am really not Thor.”
“Hahaha! What are you so ashamed of that you deny that username? All you ever did as Thor was act like a fucking prig.”
“Fucking... prig? What is that? Stop saying things I do not understand. And I am really not Thor.”
“Then what was your username?”
“I have no intention of telling you. In any case, I am not Thor. My name is Lacey Yuzha.”
Lacey snapped back, strode over, and snatched the teacup from Chuk-sin-doo’s hand.
“And I have never neglected my training. I simply do not obsess over raising my tier without thinking.”
“Even so, remaining fifth tier after two years is a bit much. Is it not because you stay only in the mage tower and avoid real combat?”
“I get all the real combat experience I need. And I can reach sixth tier whenever I want. I simply do not.”
“Why?”
“Because there is still room to delve into fifth-tier magic. Before reaching sixth tier, I want to properly understand fifth-tier magic.”
The perspectives of sixth tier and fifth tier were clearly different. Rather than raising her tier unconditionally, Lacey wanted to see everything she could see at her current tier.
“You chose the wrong mage tower.”
Orca, sitting across from Chuk-sin-doo, chuckled.
“If you are obsessed with understanding all magic before advancing in tier, you should have chosen the Lucionell Mage Tower rather than the Dersia Mage Tower. There is no pervert as obsessed with the pinnacle of spell formulas as old man Arsen.”
“I have told you many times. I simply liked the magic of the Dersia Mage Tower more than the magic of the Lucionell Mage Tower.”
“What an honor. Still, I would like you to reach sixth tier soon.”
“Elena is working hard in my place, is she not?”
“Elena Heinderga.”
Chuk-sin-doo stroked his chin and spoke.
“So, is your disciple really not a transmigrator?”
Elena Heinderga’s reputation had recently spread beyond Rutlan. Elena had already been famous as Dersia’s favored talent for reaching fourth tier at twenty, but reaching fifth tier at twenty-two was truly unprecedented.
“Elena is not a transmigrator.”
Orca answered with a smile. Two years ago, Orca had three potential disciples, but Lacey withdrew from consideration and Arist was expelled from consideration.
That left Elena as Orca’s only disciple.
“Elena reaching fifth tier is partly due to talent comparable to that of a transmigrator, but it is also due to Elena’s thirst and madness for magic and power.”
“Then there must have been a trigger.”
Chuk-sin-doo watched Orca with interested eyes.
“How strange. I saw your disciple briefly two years ago, but honestly, I was not particularly interested.”
“That was because your attention was on someone else then.”
“Ah, yes. That is right.”
Clap.
Chuk-sin-doo brought both hands together and nodded.
“The name was Yuri, was it not?”
Chuk-sin-doo rarely remembered the names of people weaker than him. But he remembered the name of the young man said to be something like the Fist Wolf’s disciple.
He considered it a name worth remembering. Yuri’s internal energy was lacking, but his eye for martial arts and his talent were genuine. It would take time, but Yuri had more than enough potential to grow stronger.
“Is Yuri still in Rutlan?”
“No. Yuri left Rutlan two years ago.”
“Left? Why?”
Chuk-sin-doo retrieved the teacup Lacey had taken with telekinesis and raised it to his lips.
“I am not certain, but Yuri appears to have been a transmigrator.”
Tea streamed from Chuk-sin-doo’s mouth like a waterfall.
Footnotes:
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