WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 159: The Magician Is Back

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The magician did not hide his tracks.

No, it was as though he was deliberately making his return known to everyone.

With a stunning beauty on his arm, he swaggered through the military state's back alleys as though showing them off. He was far, far too conspicuous to go unnoticed.

Naturally, word reached the person who least welcomed the magician's return. Though gripped by terror, they headed straight for the signal station. There, they used a single-use beacon to send a signal to their patron.

In Amitenggrad's dim, narrow back alleys, an empty signal rang out.

To those who did not know it, it was merely a collection of incomprehensible noise. To those who did, it was a sound that demanded constant vigilance.

A beacon prepared in fearful anticipation by those who had trapped him.

The beacon, which had waited for only one person, broke its long silence and blared furiously.

The magician has appeared.

The magician has appeared.

The magician has appeared.

That was how news of the magician's return spread through every district of the military state.

Their secret weapon.

With this, they had learned that the magician had returned before he caught on...

Or so they thought.

"Ugh... hhk."

Anton at the signal station finished sending the signal, sobbing as their hands shook. With a crackle, the signal gem crumbled pathetically.

Ordinary people without communications officers or devices had to use twin gems even to send a signal like this. Unless they intended to use a real beacon.

Still, anyone who could use twin gems was hardly ordinary.

And Anton was difficult to call ordinary in the first place.

Anton, my old friend. The audience member in the front row.

"I-I did it. I did what you told me, so spare me!"

At Anton's plea, I murmured leisurely.

"I never said I'd spare you if you did as I said. You're twisting my actions and building expectations all on your own again, Anton."

I had never said I would kill them either, but Anton had jumped to conclusions and trembled in fear.

Why was that? I had really only come here to ask them something.

"Being expected to do something puts a little pressure on me. You look so desperate that I feel like I should grant your wish. That's why I've granted all your unreasonable demands until now."

"Grant it! I'm innocent!"

Anton pleaded as though clinging to me.

"I-I didn't do anything! I kept watch like you ordered, but the military police moved too quickly! If I'd contacted you then, I would've been caught too!"

"Don't lie, Anton."

"It's true!"

"If that were true, why are you managing this signal station? Why did the owner entrust such an important responsibility to you?"

Anton fell silent. Their eyes darted around as they searched for an excuse. Then, ah, they seemed to think of one.

"No. I was looking for you, and they happened to be looking for you too. Your patron, that 'young lady.' So we joined forces, and they supported me... It wasn't because I was afraid you'd come back."

Their hastily constructed excuse naturally had holes in it. I had not come here to listen to nonsense even they did not believe, so I shut their mouth through slightly forceful means.

In other words, I took out a spike.

"Anton."

Anton shut their mouth. Smiling, I spun the spike around, and their eyes trembled violently each time I did.

Will he kill me, or won't he?

Those two thoughts kept circling through their head. Nothing else remained.

Ah, this was a problem. I had not intended to kill them.

But with expectations this high, I was starting to feel tempted.

"Anton, my precious friend. There's something I'm curious about."

"I-if I tell you... will you spare me?"

"That's not for me to decide, Anton. Still, I really want to hear your answer. This is, you see, something like a confession scene. I can roughly tell what you were thinking from your actions and words, but hearing you lay it all out perfectly in your own words... Well, there's a certain catharsis to it."

'You perverted bastard...!'

Anton had once been my assistant, my disciple, and my companion. At the same time, they had been an excellent audience member.

They wanted to become that, and I did not refuse them.

At some point, though, Anton began to want to bring about my downfall and take my place. Then, as if on cue, the military police suddenly came for me that day, and Anton got their wish.

A remarkably convenient coincidence. Or perhaps an opportunity handed to Anton.

But with my return, their brief dream had ended.

'He's going to ask why I betrayed him. I need to make up some excuse. Even a magician can't read someone else's mind!'

Sorry, but you were wrong. From beginning to end.

I was not curious why they had betrayed me.

I did not want an excuse.

And I could read minds.

"You were afraid of me, Anton."

I took some cards from my pocket and slowly shuffled them.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Every time the cards made a sound as they shuffled, Anton flinched.

I let them see every card as I shuffled them at an unhurried pace.

"You feared me, but you also revered and worshipped me. That was why you followed me around like a puppy. I had no intention of doing so, but you put me on a pedestal all by yourself. Betraying me never even crossed your mind. And then..."

They wanted to become my only pair of hands and feet. They wanted to feel important while standing beneath someone who seemed extraordinary.

It was a rather base wish, but I could not ignore it. Even though it had come rushing in reeking of something foul, it was not difficult to grant.

Only I could grant it.

Unfortunately, the price had been a sentence of hard labor in Tantalus.

Tap. The shuffle ended. I placed the deck on the desk and spoke.

"How did our cowardly Anton find the resolve to do such a thing? Until that morning, I hadn't noticed a thing. Your sudden change of heart, something close to a whim, caught me off guard too. I was curious what resolve a coward like you had found in that brief moment to betray me."

Perhaps because I kept filling their head with words like coward and fear, defiance rose within Anton.

With tears welling in their eyes, Anton confessed.

"...Fuck! I thought you couldn't come back!"

It was a cry that might have been regret or self-reproach.

"If I'd thought you would return, would I have done this? They told me they would send you somewhere you could never come back from...!"

'I trusted them completely...! A person with enough power to move the military police said it. How could I not believe them? They swore that you would never return, so I agreed!'

Yet they had still feared me.

You had been careless, Anton. You had not thought much about what came next.

Should I call them a foolish gambler? Intoxicated by the thrill they would feel if this succeeded, they had forgotten the fear of failure.

"You succeeded in getting rid of me, the person you feared so much, if only for a while. Congratulations. So? Was that brief dream satisfying?"

Those people, the ones who had approached Anton and urged them to betray me.

Anton did not know who they truly were, so neither did I. I could only read thoughts and memories, after all.

"Still, what were you going to do if I returned? Ah, did you not think about that at all?"

Then again, I could read every one of Anton's thoughts. From beginning to end.

Having read enough, I smiled and spoke theatrically.

"You left it to luck. Well, you always watched me play cards with admiration. Every time I made a risky bet, you held your breath, but whenever it succeeded, you cheered louder than anyone. You truly were a fine audience member."

My words struck straight at their heart. Anton could not even answer and only lowered their head.

They could not run from the cries in their own mind. All Anton could do was turn away from my words.

"Yes, you wanted to become me. You wanted to make risky bets to your heart's content, succeed, drive me out, and take my empty place..."

But I was not a gambler. I only looked like one on the surface.

That was why Anton did not know the mindset of a true gambler.

Why not give them a taste?

"Now, Anton. Let's play a very simple game. You see these cards, right?"

I laid the cards out before them in order.

Spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. Four playing cards, each bearing two symbols of its suit. I gave them a rough shuffle, turned them over, and placed them on the desk one by one.

Sensing what was about to happen, Anton shook their head.

"Pick just one suit, Anton."

'Pick one, and if I guess it right, he'll spare me? One out of four?'

You really were an excellent audience member.

You always anticipated what I would do.

"N-no. Please."

Now, now. Where did they think they were going?

A gambler had to be able to put even his own life on the table, didn't he?

Me? Of course not. I could read minds, so I only ever fought battles I knew I would win. My life had never been a stake.

That was why I needed to teach Anton the true mindset.

"Will you be lucky enough to save yourself?"

The cards had been laid down. Now all that remained was their choice.

Four cards lay before Anton. They could not peek underneath them, so all they could do was trust in luck...

'This is ridiculous. If he's a magician, switching out the card I choose would be easy!'

Would it really?

Could they truly become a gambler?

'Please... Let the magician have a human heart too...!'

"...H-hearts."

I confirmed Anton's decision.

"Hearts? Are you sure?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. That's fortunate. Now choose one from here. If that card is a heart."

What remained for them now was the choice that would decide their life.

Important choices always took time. Perching on the desk, I calmly waited for their decision while shuffling the cards.

A deck made in the Abyss. I had grown attached to it, but perhaps it was time to part with it soon.

Fine. I would treat this deck as disposable and carry around my original one. The more magic tools, the better, right?

While I was lost in idle thoughts, Anton broke out in a cold sweat, glanced at me, then lowered their head slightly and peered at the cards, as though that would let them see underneath them.

'I can't see...'

But face-down cards did not reveal their secrets. Giving up on peeking, Anton squeezed their eyes shut and placed their trembling hand on the card farthest from their right hand.

The farthest one, as though that small extra effort would bring them luck.

I asked again.

"That's the one you chose?"

"Y-yes. Don't try anything. This is the one I chose. Don't even dream of switching it..."

Anton nodded, putting all their strength into their hand in case I tried something with the face-down card.

Ah, don't think that way.

It was making me want to play a real trick.

"All right."

I spun the spike and drove it through the card Anton had chosen. I did not care much that Anton's hand was covering it.

Thwack. The sharp spike plunged into the wooden desk.

"Uaaaaaaaaagh!"

A piercing scream rang out. I placed a hand on Anton's shoulder and held a finger to my lips.

"Shh, Anton. Calm down."

"Hhk... hhk."

I took a step back from the sobbing Anton and raised both empty hands.

"This is a kindness I'm extending to you. I'm a magician, right? You were worried about what would happen if I tampered with the cards."

"M-my hand..."

"To ease your worries, I fixed this card in place so I couldn't tamper with it. Now you only need to check the fate that was given to you."

Keeping my distance so they could examine the card without interference, I urged them on.

Anton slowly turned it over with their bleeding hand shaking.

'Fuck... I was wrong... A monster like that could never have a human heart...'

The card was red. Whether it was the red of a heart or the color of Anton's blood.

Unable to rejoice even at the glimpse of red, Anton trembled as they turned over their bleeding palm.

At that moment, turning over their hand was a matter of life and death.

The suit on that cruel card, pierced clean through the center by a sharp spike and weighted down with blood seeping from the wound, was:

The two of hearts.

Anton blinked. At first, they stared at the card as though they could not believe it. Then they looked back at me, forgot even their pain, clenched their other fist, and shouted.

"Fuck, I lived! I lived!"

They were so thrilled that they sprang to their feet. Filled with the ecstasy of victory, they waved their arms.

"You lost, Magician! You can't kill me!"

They were right. Anton had won the game, so I could not kill them. Clicking my tongue, I shook my head.

"My, my. You're lucky. It looks like the Goddess of Fortune is smiling on you."

No, from the beginning.

They had not wished to die, so I could not kill them either.

"The loser of a bet should take his leave. Ah, before I go. Give me back my things."

"Get out, now!"

With their uninjured hand, Anton quickly collected the other cards scattered across the desk. Perhaps following after me and practicing had paid off, because their hands moved smoothly as they gathered them.

"Hm?"

But then, Anton reached for the other face-down cards, noticed their suits, and muttered blankly.

"Hearts...?"

'There was one spade, diamond, club, and heart each...'

There certainly had been. At least, when I showed them to them.

But the cards in Anton's hand were:

The three of hearts.

The four of hearts.

The five of hearts.

Hearts, all lined up together. Not one was missing.

Anton could not even be surprised. They only stared blankly down at the cards before them.

"Wow. All the cards I turned over changed into hearts! What incredible luck! You must be the luckiest person this year!"

"H-how?"

"Lucky people can do anything!"

'After he turned them over, the magician never touched them. Then when? I definitely said I would choose hearts after they were turned over...'

Their thoughts stopped. They tangled endlessly. Front and back blended into a mess, warped and twisted until the emotion at the end became fear and reverence.

'From the beginning, he knew I would choose hearts? Th-that can't be...'

"Congratulations, Anton. You fought desperately to survive and saved your life. Because the Goddess of Fortune smiled upon you."

The last expression that crossed their face was regret. Beyond their fear, their eyes finally yearned for the mystery that had surpassed it.

"How... did you do it?"

"Anton, do you want to know the trick? Truly?"

At my words, Anton snapped back to themself and shook their head frantically. Their teeth chattered.

'No! The only people a magician tells the trick to are dead people, or people about to die!'

They revered mystery. But they did not seek to uncover it. They only worshipped and upheld it.

Keeping them by my side had ruined them instead. Since they revered mystery itself, I should have remained mysterious to them.

I had kept them too close. The closer we became, the more dissatisfaction grew in their heart.

I was not a prophet. I did not know how people would change because of my actions.

It was not that I had failed to see their true wish... But I could not let them replace me as they wanted, so I had tried to grant another wish instead.

As expected, small wishes were swallowed by bigger ones.

In any case.

"I should give you this too, Anton."

"Huh?"

Naturally, I grabbed the spike embedded in their hand. Before they could react, I pulled it out in one motion.

A scream much like the one from before, perhaps slightly louder, escaped them.

"Uaaaaaaaaagh! Hhk, agh, aaaagh!"

"Wrong. You should say thank you. When you pull something embedded in the body out, it hurts less if you do it before the person notices. Like a tooth before the new one grows in."

Anton rolled on the ground, clutching their bloodied hand. They had lost a little blood today, but at least one worry had been lifted. I would not come seeking revenge anymore.

From now on, Anton's life and wishes were Anton's responsibility.

Leaving them behind, I lightly stepped out through the door and said,

"Live well, Anton. May your life continue."

"Ugh... hhk!"

'Crazy bastard...!'

Taking that near-praise as a farewell, I tipped the hat I was wearing to my former audience member.

"Ahahaha. Thank you. I'll live a long and healthy life too."

Thud. The door closed. From the signal station that had fulfilled its role, only blood-soaked sobs leaked out.

The military state's back alleys were dark at night, filled with people exhausted by life. District 15's residential area, where most were only level 1 or level 0.

Walking across the stage lit by faint moonlight and night lamps that made it seem pale, I let out a sigh.

I had sent a warning, so there would be a response. I only needed to read the thoughts of those approaching and make my way up step by step.

Of course, if what waited at the end was something far too powerful, I would have no choice but to run.

Ah, that was why.

People needed to play within their limits.

Life was a faint flame. Even when exhaustion and hardship made it hold its breath, it always watched for a chance to consume something else and burn.

I did not know what others wanted to consume, but my fuel was wishes. As long as there were wishes for me to spread to, I could endure forever.

I suddenly thought of the captain sleeping in my home.

What wish would the captain, who had regained her life, come to hold?

Footnotes:

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