WeTried Translations
Translator: Joy
Editor: Joy
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 69: Fermented soybean paste stew
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The childhood friend Elena had defended even while enduring the derogatory label of kept man.
Arist did not know what had happened to separate them two years ago, but the failures of the Dersia Mage Tower who associated with her often joked that Elena’s change had begun with trouble involving her childhood friend.
Maybe she had confessed and been rejected? That was the sort of joke they made. Of course, Arist had not thought that was the whole reason Elena had changed. She would not change over something so insignificant.
The Tower Master had been delighted, saying Elena had finally gone mad for magic, and all the senior sixth-tier mages had welcomed her transformation as well.
Naturally, the existence of the man from two years ago had faded from everyone’s minds. Elena had been alone for ten years, and he had only lived in her mansion for half a year.
That was why Arist had never imagined Elena would react so strongly.
She had imagined Elena shedding a few tears. Why would she not?
Her childhood friend, whom she had separated from two years ago.
The Salhomun assassin who had stopped serving as Elena’s bodyguard and vanished a few months ago.
The two were together now. Arist did not know the details, but they were together.
And Elena had been left alone.
That alone was enough to let anyone’s imagination run wild.
Would Elena not feel betrayed? Would she not feel sad or angry, then cry? Arist hoped Elena would cry. She wanted that nasty, arrogant orphan who openly disregarded her to break down in bitter tears of betrayal.
But Elena did not cry.
Whether what Elena felt was betrayal or something else was impossible to tell. Standing amid crackling currents, Elena’s face was pale as a corpse and frightening to behold.
“E-Eek.”
Golden light flickered in Elena’s eyes as her gaze turned to Arist.
Arist flinched and stumbled back a step.
Arist’s only mistake was taking it upon herself to show Elena the newspaper. Even if Arist had not shown it to her today, news of Yuri and Haryeong would have reached Elena somehow.
But today was an especially sweltering summer day, and Elena was in an exceptionally foul mood from yesterday’s hangover.
What had the mages in the lounge been talking about before she arrived at the Mage Tower?
They must have been mocking her. That was why they had shut their mouths the moment they saw her.
Why had Arist stepped forward to show her the newspaper?
“A man?”
The words Arist had spoken before tossing her the paper. The mocking expression on her face.
“...”
Elena was irritated.
Arist, wearing a frightened expression. The other mages, shrinking back as they watched her. Every one of them irritated her.
Had they not all been mocking Elena and gossiping about her?
Mages of the Tower, yet all so pathetic. People lacking talent and unwilling to make any effort. The most disgusting and unpleasant among them was Arist Benharman, standing before her.
She might once have been promising, but she had no value now. The only thing of value Arist possessed was the Benharman Family name, and even that family was slowly declining.
In the end, Arist and the Benharman Family were in the same position.
‘And yet.’
You and your lot dare mock me?
The increasingly violent current began spreading out from Elena.
“Stop!”
A sharp shout shook the lounge.
Blue light flashed, and Lacey Yuzha, dressed in a white gown, stepped in front of Elena.
“Using attack magic against people inside the Mage Tower is forbidden. Elena, have you forgotten something so obvious?”
Elena did not answer immediately. She glared at Lacey for a moment, then clicked her tongue softly and closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
The shimmering golden light in her eyes faded. Elena opened her dull blue eyes and bowed her head.
“I’m still inexperienced. My emotions... ran wild on their own.”
On their own?
Lacey found that absurd, but did not laugh. Emotion may have served as the catalyst for the activation, but from a certain point onward, Elena had clearly targeted Arist and the other mages with hostility.
“Elena, are you... really alright?”
“I... I’m alright.”
Her head felt as though it would split apart.
But headaches were an everyday occurrence for Elena, and she did not want to complain about pain to Lacey.
‘Ah, my head hurts.’
‘Are you alright? Should I make you some tea? Or medicine, where did I put the medicine?’
‘Don’t make such a fuss. For a mage who concentrates every day like me, headaches are routine. A mage who does not have headaches is the strange one.’
‘If your head hurts, you should take medicine. How can you make that into something to boast about? Yuri-nim, is it not fortunate that you chose the martial path instead of becoming a mage?’
‘Haryeong-nim said something similar when I was suffering from muscle pain.’
‘I do not remember that.’
‘Don’t think about it.’
Elena moved the stiff corners of her mouth and forced out a smile.
“I’m sorry, Senior. You told me not to come today and to rest.”
Lacey had plenty she wanted to say, but swallowed it with a sigh.
“That is not something you need to apologize for. Elena, since you seem to have calmed down, you should return for today...”
“Telling her to go back would be rather cruel.”
A voice interrupted.
Orca had appeared at Elena’s side without anyone noticing. Wearing a white shirt and tie, Orca smiled and draped an arm around Elena’s shoulder.
“Did you not come here because you did not want to stay at the mansion?”
“...Yes.”
“Then stay here.”
Orca chuckled as she patted Elena’s shoulder, but the amusement vanished from her face when she saw the meal replacement food in Elena’s hand.
Rarely frowning, Orca snatched away the dry stick-shaped snack.
“You have a mouth to eat delicious food. If you eat nothing but this, you will lose your mind.”
“It’s bothersome to prepare meals...”
“If eating is bothersome, then move somewhere with someone who will prepare your meals. Alfreon Ascard has offered to provide everything for you, so why refuse?”
“My current mansion is...”
Elena meant to say that she liked it.
But the words would not leave her mouth. Her lips moved silently for a moment before she barely managed to force out her voice.
“...I like it.”
The answer was so forced that even a fool could tell.
“If you dislike the mansion Alfreon prepares for you, would you like to live with me instead?”
“I don’t want that.”
“That answer came quickly. If that is what you want, then I understand. Still, do not eat food that is not even food. Your mind will not work properly.”
Clicking her tongue, Orca turned the snack into ash.
After that, Elena was practically dragged to Orca’s room at the top of the Mage Tower.
“Why did Senior Lacey tell me not to come?”
Elena had followed as instructed, but she still had a question.
Elena had become Orca’s disciple at the Dersia Mage Tower, but that did not mean Lacey had been cast aside. Lacey still served in a secretary-like role for Orca, and sometimes attended when Orca taught Elena.
Elena had never felt uncomfortable about Lacey’s position. If anything, she was grateful and relieved. Without Lacey, Elena would have had to attend to her eccentric master herself.
“Because we need to talk about your childhood friend.”
Rumors that Lacey Yuzha might be a transmigrator had circulated for a long time, but Orca had never acknowledged them.
There was no reason to acknowledge them. Even Elena did not know that Lacey was a transmigrator.
“Your outburst today was because of the Orsia Family’s statement, was it not?”
Elena, who had been about to sit on the sofa across from Orca, froze.
She barely calmed her ragged breathing before sitting down. Damp hair clung to the nape of her neck and her forehead. Cutting it neatly would remove the inconvenience, but Elena never wanted to cut her hair.
“I saw that statement too. A bishop of the Sect of Chaos, was it? I hear they were a sixth-tier mage who fled the Rudella Mage Tower. It is impressive that several fifth-tier mages killed a sixth-tier mage.”
“...”
“I already knew Dark Blossom, who served as your bodyguard, was fifth-tier. But it is surprising that Yuri reached the fifth tier in such a short time. I have heard plenty about the exceptional talents of transmigrators, but Yuri’s talent does not seem to come merely from being a transmigrator.”
“...Yuri is not a transmigrator.”
Elena barely managed to say it.
Since returning from Logos two years ago, Elena had never once admitted Yuri was a transmigrator. Her master’s words were only conclusions Orca had reached through speculation.
“Are you still telling pointless lies?”
Orca clicked her tongue and loosened her tie.
“No matter how much you deny it, I believe Yuri is a transmigrator.”
“I told you he isn’t...!”
“So what? I will think Yuri is a transmigrator and speak accordingly. If you do not wish to hear your master speak, you may leave.”
The moment Orca issued the ultimatum, Elena sprang to her feet. She glared at Orca with all the force she could muster in her eyes, then turned sharply and headed for the lift.
“Are you really leaving?”
Orca laughed at her young disciple’s adorable reaction. She stood up. She did not grab Elena, but continued speaking.
“Yuri may be in danger from now on.”
Elena, who had been about to press the lift button, stopped dead.
Orca laughed again, finding Elena’s obvious reaction cute.
“Of course he might. Someone who was practically unknown has started making a name for himself. Yuri even has the powerful backing of the Orsia Family now. I do not know whether the Orsia Family will become Yuri’s patron, but judging from the statement, the Sword Emperor and the Sword Dragon seem to like Yuri very much.”
“...”
“The world is full of losers with snakes’ hearts, jealous even over trivial things. Who knows where they will find their fangs, or how they might sink them into Yuri?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Elena had failed to press the lift button and turned around.
“I mean someone may spread groundless suspicions that Yuri might be a transmigrator. Then the Sect of War may move.”
“For such a reason...!”
“They are hounds that sniff out a scent from wandering suspicions.”
That was half right and half wrong.
The Sect of War truly were hounds that sought out a scent in suspicions, but their foremost targets were people without any ties.
The overwhelming majority of transmigrators changed their identities completely, including their names. If someone whose past could not be verified suddenly appeared and gained fame, there was a high chance they were a transmigrator.
In that sense, Yuri was not a target that would prompt the Sect of War to move. Moonlit Reveller was openly a transmigrator, but Yuri’s accomplishments could be explained simply by his training under the Fist Wolf. Yuri had also steadily worked and improved his skills in the criminal underworld for two years.
Still, it was true that Yuri had drawn public attention through this incident, and that the possibility of the Sect of War moving now existed.
‘They will not move.’
Orca knew what kind of people the Sect of War were.
Transmigrators feared being hunted by the Sect of War, but the Sect of War did not hunt transmigrators unconditionally. Few factions were as skilled at making use of transmigrators as they were.
Even if the Sect of War somehow concluded that Yuri was a transmigrator, they would not move to capture him when he had already become an enemy of the cultists.
Orca had no intention of telling Elena that truth.
“Eventually, someone will begin digging into Yuri, your childhood friend, to learn his identity. That will not be difficult. They could begin with Oldor, that rural village, or with Rutlan, where Yuri first started receiving serious attention.”
“...”
“If it is the Saint of War from the Sect of War, they are qualified to meet and speak with me. Or another faction besides the Sect of War may contact me. If someone asks me about Yuri, I find myself wondering how I should answer.”
Orca gave Elena a mischievous smile.
Standing before the lift, Elena bit down hard on her lip and glared at Orca.
“Will you keep standing there?”
“...Master, you really...!”
“I know I said something unpleasant, but you have been no less rude to your master.”
Elena’s shoulders trembled at Orca’s giggling laughter.
In the end, Elena returned to Orca and dropped onto the sofa.
“So Yuri is a transmigrator after all, correct?”
“He isn’t.”
“Fine. Let us say he is not. If someone comes to me and asks whether Yuri is a transmigrator, I will say no as well.”
Elena swallowed a sigh of relief.
It was not just anyone offering that assurance. Heavenly Thunder Orca, the renowned Tower Master of the Dersia Mage Tower, would vouch for Yuri.
“I know your mental state is unstable.”
The words came suddenly.
Before Elena could respond to Orca’s words in surprise, Orca continued.
“Do you resent Yuri?”
“I...”
“No. You must be confused.”
Orca’s curved golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“I do not know exactly what you feel for Yuri, but it must be complicated. It cannot be defined by resentment, hatred, or anger alone.”
“...”
“That is why you cannot be honest. Is that not so?”
Elena could not answer.
What Orca said was true. No matter how many times Elena had thought it over during the past two years, she could not find the answer.
Anything could have been the answer.
The real Yuri, whom Elena had known since the orphanage and exchanged letters with for ten years.
The transmigrator Yuri, whom she had reunited with in Oldor, brought to Rutlan, and lived with at the mansion for half a year.
“One day, your childhood friend may become caught up in something dangerous.”
Orca tilted her head as she spoke.
“Transmigrators cannot avoid such things. Even if I guarantee Yuri is not one, Yuri may be exposed someday.”
“...”
“Yuri has even become a target of the cultists by killing a bishop of the Sect of Chaos. Perhaps we should be grateful Yuri did not seek refuge with the Sect of Chaos, but Yuri has undeniably become more endangered. The Sword Dragon of Orsia, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Haha, compared to those two, Yuri, the orphan from Oldor, is naturally easier to deal with.”
“I have... killed quite a few cultists too.”
“But all the cultists you killed were small fry. The most impressive among them was merely a priest, was it not? A bishop is different from the start.”
Elena could not reply and lowered her head.
“Why did Yuri make enemies of the cultists? I cannot know. I am not Yuri.”
“...”
“Does Yuri want to return home? It is well known that if the Evil God is killed, the Goddess of Order will regain her strength and be able to return transmigrators to their homes.”
Return home?
Go back home?
Elena’s eyes trembled violently.
‘No.’
The thought came to her amid the dizziness and throbbing in her head.
“It is also well known that a transmigrator who kills the Evil God can make a wish to the Goddess of Order. It seems that even non-transmigrators can make a wish. Perhaps Yuri is seeking that wish.”
A wish.
It was a well-known story, but Elena had never properly considered it. The God of Chaos and the Evil God were beings too distant from her.
But now, the wish Orca spoke of entered Elena’s chest with terrible weight and sank deeper and deeper.
‘A wish...’
Transmigrators were not the only ones who could make wishes. Anyone in this world could make a wish if they killed the Evil God and awakened the Goddess.
Elena did not know the extent of the wishes the Goddess could grant, but a wish personally granted by a god would easily surpass human common sense.
“Whatever Yuri’s reason, Yuri will be in danger from now on. Yuri may possess exceptional talent, but no one knows whether Yuri can continue growing stronger. The limit most transmigrators can reach through talent alone is fifth-tier at best. To go beyond that, a transmigrator’s talent is not enough.”
There were limits to mana affinity and understanding alone.
One naturally needed to put in effort, and naturally needed to risk one’s life. If someone gave up on challenges out of fear of failure, danger, and death, and only walked toward safe places, they could never overcome the wall.
Someone too afraid to take a step might advance half a step from where they stood at best. Only someone who believed they could overcome fear and moved forward could cross that wall.
“The Salhomun assassin is undoubtedly capable, but that assassin will not be able to protect Yuri as an escort.”
“What... are you trying to say?”
“What do you think?”
Orca smiled as she asked.
“If Yuri finds himself in danger, Elena, will you be able to save Yuri?”
“I...”
“I know better than anyone in the world that you are a genius. There is still a long way to go before you reach the bottom of your talent. The fifth tier, which some can only reach after devoting their entire lives to it, is no more than a passing point for you.”
Elena’s heart pounded loudly.
That noisy sound drove away her headache.
“If you feel as if you are going mad, go mad for magic. Do not rely on alcohol. Rely on magic. Every problem that makes you suffer and struggle can be solved if you reach the pinnacle of magic.”
Orca’s voice continued sinking into Elena’s chest like heavy stones.
“You only need to become strong enough to be the one person who can save Yuri. Then Yuri will not be able to leave you again. Become someone whose mere presence makes it impossible for anyone to threaten Yuri. Do what that assassin can never do. Elena, you will do it.”
“H-How much?”
Elena’s voice trembled.
“How strong... how strong do I have to become to do that?”
“As strong as me.”
Orca smiled as she answered.
“No, Elena. You can become stronger than me.”
Her master stood.
“I will help you.”
This child was unstable.
Orca Dersia was no fool. Orca had known of Elena’s instability when she brought Elena from the orphanage twelve years ago.
Elena possessed a talent for magic that surpassed even transmigrators, but Elena had obtained an environment where that talent could bloom far too late.
The Oldor Orphanage had been the worst environment possible for an immature genius.
Elena had been tormented by people who were not even as good as monkeys, no, not even as good as insects compared to her.
As young Elena gradually became aware of her talent, Elena must have wondered.
What did these pathetic things believe in to torment me?
From the first time Orca met Elena, Elena had already known how to handle mana skillfully. The trick Elena showed at the orphanage was merely levitating a ball high into the air, but if that much mana had been directed at a child, Elena could have killed them as easily as crushing an ant.
But Elena had not done that.
Elena had been bullied repeatedly at the orphanage, and each time, her childhood friend Yuri had helped her.
Elena had a void that could not be filled.
Orca knew that, yet knowingly left it unaddressed. What the Tower Master of Dersia wanted was not an ordinary genius, but a genius with an obsession for magic like madness.
Orca gave Elena the Heinderga surname and adopted Elena as her daughter. But Orca did not provide the care expected of an adoptive parent.
Instead, Orca gave the affection expected of a Tower Master. Whenever Elena learned something new, succeeded with magic, advanced a tier, or completed a paper.
The personality born from Elena’s emptiness drove Elena even harder amid the competition forced upon her in the Mage Tower. In the end, cravings for affection and validation became deeply ingrained in Elena Heinderga’s personality.
Look.
Elena Heinderga had spent only half a year with the current Yuri. How heavy could the bond they built during that half year truly be? Yet Elena was still held by the affection and validation fulfilled during that time.
It had already become kindling for madness.
To Orca, Elena at that moment was deeply lovable, both as Orca’s adopted daughter and as Orca’s disciple. The transmigration that had come to Elena’s childhood friend had not been Orca’s intention, but the seeds Orca had planted twelve years ago had ultimately bloomed as spectacularly as Orca could have desired.
So Orca’s golden eyes shone brilliantly as Orca extended a hand toward her disciple.
“...”
Elena raised her head and blankly took Orca’s hand.
Elena had found her answer.
Her head no longer hurt.
* * *
“Guhhhk...”
A man in a white short-sleeved shirt with the number 7 on the back clutched his chest and dropped to his knees.
Clatter.
The iron ball that had lost its strength fell to the floor and rolled away.
“A-Are you alright?”
Selpione, who had already been tensely attending to him nearby, hurried over in alarm.
“I-I’m fine.”
“You do not look fine...! Sir Moonlit Reveller, why did this suddenly happen? Could you have been wounded on the battlefield earlier?”
“N-No, it is not that. I was not injured or anything...”
“But the Saint of War and the Polar Point were on the battlefield...!”
“Those old geezers really are strong, but I am not weak either. I was not injured. You know?”
“Yes?”
“Let’s try some noise beat.”
Chuk-sin-doo spoke an incomprehensible phrase and sprang to his feet.
Boom! Kaboom!
He had returned to a tent within the safe zone to rest, but explosive sounds from the distant battlefield continued shaking the ground.
“Ah...”
Chuk-sin-doo checked the newspaper in his hand again, and his shoulders trembled.
“Hey. Selpione.”
“Yes.”
“There is someone I really, really want to see, but I cannot meet them. What should I do?”
“Would it not be best to go meet them...?”
Selpione tilted her head, unable to understand.
That was true, but Chuk-sin-doo shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Yuri is doing well alone.”
Chuk-sin-doo erased the crumpled newspaper and composed himself.
Whoosh!
Madorido, which had been on the floor, floated into the air and settled atop Chuk-sin-doo’s foot.
“Yuri is doing well. I cannot go and ruin things.”
“I do not understand what you mean...”
“Let it happen naturally.”
He had intended to rest because he was a little tired, but reading the newspaper just now made heat surge through his body.
“S-Sir Moonlit Reveller! I prepared the bean soup as you instructed. Please have at least one spoonful...”
“What I want is not bean soup. It is fermented soybean paste stew.”
It lacked that distinctive smell.
“Make it again as though you were my mother.”
Selpione’s expression twisted, but Chuk-sin-doo did not see it. Chuk-sin-doo was already dribbling Madorido by himself and racing back toward the battlefield.
Footnotes:
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