WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Malfoid
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Don't Need a Family ◈
Episode 42
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‘A magic wand?’
“A scepter...?”
It was a large rod, about half my height, with a fist-sized crystal ball shining brilliantly at its core.
There were similar magic wands displayed in the corridors of House Ashwilt’s main house as part of the previous heads’ collection.
‘It looks like the wands I saw then.’
Judging by the cut of the gemstone and its overall appearance, it was from Erenston.
I did not know why it had been placed so prominently at a test meant to measure strength.
“This precious artifact was given to the then head of House Isherwolf by the Mage Tower Master of the time, a century ago, in recognition of defeating a demon from the Western Continent. It is a treasured family heirloom, usually kept safely in Isherwolf’s vault. But when new talent is recruited, as it is today, it is brought out.”
Click.
Two assistant examiners removed the huge glass case.
The examiner reverently held the wand in both gloved hands.
“It is said that anyone who grips this wand has their potential measured by its mysterious power. Those who earned high scores here have all gone on to display outstanding ability as knights.”
Mysterious power? No, that was simply mana.
It was amusing how they had received it from the Mage Tower Master, yet were being vague about magic.
They probably did not want to admit that they relied on magic even for a process intended to select descendants of knights.
“Now, this is the final stage of the strength test. It is also worth the highest number of points. Step forward one at a time and grip the wand with all your strength!”
‘The highest number of points?’
My eyes widened. This was an opportunity to turn things around in one go!
At the same time, failing would confirm my disqualification.
If I could not make up the difference here, I would be sent home without even reaching the endurance test.
I had to be careful.
“We will begin at once.”
The first applicant reverently accepted the grand ducal house’s treasure in both hands.
Their touch was as delicate as a holy knight clasping a saint’s hand.
In contrast, the fist-sized crystal ball set into the wand showed little change.
Only a low blue ripple, no higher than a fingernail, stirred within it.
The applicant looked flustered.
“Uh, what?”
“Did you not hear me tell you to grip it with all your strength?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
When the impatient examiner snapped at them, they finally strained until their hands turned red.
“Grrrgh!”
“The crystal ball...”
The level of the waves noticeably rose.
‘Oh?’
The harder someone squeezed, the stronger the reaction. In other words, it was a grip-strength meter.
The higher the score, the stronger the martial artist, and such a person was more likely to succeed later on.
‘Then I need to make sure I can exert as much gripping force as possible.’
As I carefully considered how to do that, a scream full of pain burst from the second applicant.
“Aaaagh!”
Thud.
The applicant clutched their wrist and rolled across the floor.
“W-what was that?”
“They collapsed as soon as they touched the wand!”
The applicants stirred uneasily at the sight of them still convulsing and crying out in pain.
“A-are they really all right?”
“Now, now! There is no need to worry. Things like this happen from time to time during the test. There is no danger to their life, so do not concern yourselves.”
‘It happens from time to time...?’
Without batting an eye, the examiner gestured to the other examiners.
“Take the patient away.”
The groaning applicant was carried away with their support.
“Anyone afraid of having their potential as a martial artist assessed may step back. Such people are not fit to become members of great House Isherwolf.”
“...”
“What will you do?”
The examiner jerked his chin at the next applicant as though urging them onward.
They did not hesitate long. After all, there were few people as proud as martial artists.
The third applicant stood before the wand, trying to hide the anxiety on their face.
But they were not much different.
As the crystal’s waves slowly rose, their complexion visibly worsened.
The only sounds in the hall were their ragged breathing and the scratch of scores being recorded.
After safely finishing the test and returning to his place, the applicant shook his head.
“I have never felt such discomfort in my life.”
“Brother? A-are you all right?”
“I should see my physician as soon as this is over. There is no way my body could be fine after going through that.”
And as the test continued, more people said similar things.
The degree varied from person to person, but they all claimed that the pain had kept them from properly exerting their strength.
Some looked genuinely aggrieved.
One man looked strong enough to use a fair amount of force, yet the moment he touched the wand, he threw it down and fled backward.
“What do you think you are doing?!”
The examiner shouted furiously.
“Did you not hear that it is a family heirloom of the grand ducal house?!”
The applicant stammered until the grand ducal knights seized him and dragged him from the testing grounds.
But what else could he have done? It was only natural for a body to reject intense pain.
Still, not everyone reacted that way.
“Look at that person.”
“They are tough, enduring all that pain.”
Several people earned good scores despite the pain.
People memorized their faces. As the examiner had said, they might be promising talents destined for great success.
Meanwhile, I was thinking hard.
‘What could it be?’
What exactly was that system?
‘Since it was given by the Mage Tower Master, it must have been designed with Magical Engineering.’
It caused pain upon skin contact. Perhaps it gave higher scores to those who could endure that pain and exert greater force.
It was a reasonable hypothesis.
The greater a person’s endurance, the better a martial artist they would become.
And that was what I was most confident in.
My past life had been an unbroken series of pain, discomfort, and suffering.
Pneumonia, heart failure, and every illness a long-term bedridden patient could suffer. I endured them all without ever showing how hard it was.
...Because my family was watching. I did not want to hurt them.
There was no reason I would fail to endure a brief test.
I would never become accustomed to pain itself, but I was no longer afraid.
“Next!”
My turn came sooner than expected, thanks to the many people who had given up midway.
“Ashwilt, onto the platform.”
Soon, the grand ducal house’s treasure was in my hands.
“...”
The crystal ball gave off a strange feeling.
Even when I stared into it, the unused crystal ball remained cloudy and gave no response.
‘If I could take this apart, I could figure out how it works.’
Vivette Ashwilt was a final-year student of Magical Engineering.
That meant the essence of the Magical Engineering she had studied through so many nights was in my head as well.
But that was not important now.
‘Put aside the stray thoughts and take the test first.’
I steadied my breathing and gripped the wand, keeping the tips of both hands facing the same direction.
‘Extend my wrist thirty degrees, then angle it about ten degrees toward my little finger.’
I positioned it precisely at the angle that produced the strongest grip.
When trying to clench a fist tightly, the wrist could bend without one meaning it to.
But I could not let that happen. A wrist bent backward could exert two or three times more force than one bent forward.
How many cups had I gripped with insufficient strength? How many spoons had I held?
Compared to those days, this was easy.
A solid strength, incomparable to Choi Eunseo’s, flowed through me.
Strength unhindered by anything ran to my fingertips like a stream.
There was no pain. Surprisingly, not even the slightest discomfort.
But something else was even more surprising.
“Uh?”
“Why is the crystal’s level like that? Can it rise that high?”
The waves inside the crystal orb steadily rose the moment I gripped the wand.
To the heights others had reached.
Yes, that much was not a problem.
But even after the waves rapidly filled the orb to its very edge, and the whole crystal had turned blue, it did not end.
The crystal was no longer blue. Its color gradually turned red, becoming the monstrous shade of something that might burst at any moment.
Even I, unable to sense toxic mana at all, could tell that something was wrong.
“It looks overloaded.”
As I muttered to myself, the examiners rushed over.
“Let go! Release that treasure at once!”
“Applicant! The crystal will break! Move away!”
At their sharp commands, I put down the wand.
But the crystal remained filled with that blazing red energy, neither improving nor worsening.
As if it had frozen.
“...I think it is broken.”
“Good heavens.”
Even the dozen or so examiners who had gathered from all over stared blankly at me.
With expressions beyond description.
‘They are not going to hold me responsible, are they?’
I had followed the examiner’s instructions faithfully.
So even if they tried to blame me...
“Full marks! Full marks!”
The chief examiner shouted in a booming voice.
‘What?’
“It is the highest score in history! There has never been a result like this since the magic wand came into use. I will give you the highest score I can!”
The subordinate examiners, who had been watching cautiously, cheered a beat later.
Everyone affiliated with the grand ducal house, servants and knights alike, congratulated me on my excellent score.
The chief examiner, who had frowned and gotten angry the whole time like Duke Ashwilt, patted my shoulder.
“You will surely become an outstanding talent who will bring lasting glory to the name Isherwolf. Ha ha.”
At that moment, he seemed to have forgotten that I was the daughter of a mage, the enemy of all knights.
And that I was the one who had made the crystal stop working.
Before long, the crystal lost its light and faded with a soft crumble.
“It has run out of power.”
The subordinate knight’s words were drowned out by the examiners’ congratulations.
The highest score was written beside my name.
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