WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 631: This Is Our School District

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The academy had emptied out, leaving only clutter behind. Used crystal lenses, pure ice, a magic-fueled brazier, a magical-energy xylophone, and all sorts of other things lay scattered across the floor.

It was enough to make someone sigh at the thought of cleaning it all up. Not me. The housekeeper.

I beckoned to her with my chin.

"Hey. Clean this up."

"Mmm... Huh? M-me? Were you calling me?"

"Where does this woman wander around all night that she's dozing off during the day? I said clean this up."

When I answered irritably, the housekeeper wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and grumbled.

"Pfft. You don't have to put it like that..."

Despite her complaints, she cleaned quickly. A few sweeping motions were enough to put everything away in an instant. Looking at the magic tools piled into a large box, she spoke.

"Wow. It's full of things I don't even recognize. Did you prepare all this for the children?"

"What are you talking about? These are my experimental tools."

"Thanks to these magic tools, the children were able to sense magical energy. I've never seen so many tools for teaching children in the Arcane Federation."

"I happened to have something to test."

I had been looking into ways to awaken magic at the Crystal Tower, and I simply needed subjects to test it on. By pure luck, they had benefited from my visit.

"To the children, your arrival must have been a providential encounter..."

"That's right. I'm a providential encounter, a miracle, and a blessing to them. If I hadn't happened to take an interest in awakening magic among the ignorant masses, if I hadn't happened to follow that lady who caught my eye, they would have wasted their lives gambling on whether they might amount to something at this frontier academy."

The housekeeper lowered her gaze and muttered.

"Sensei, you talk like that, but you're actually a kind person, aren't you?"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?"

"Your words are cold and your attitude is arrogant, but you're working for the children in this frontier. Talented people don't come all the way out here just to help others. Unless they're missionaries, anyway."

I shrugged.

"That's how it turned out. But I only act as I please, and I won't necessarily live up to whatever expectations you have of me."

"...Are you embarrassed?"

"I'd like to know what that feels like. I don't know what kind of emotion it is."

Apparently, that did not satisfy her curiosity. The housekeeper tilted her head as she continued putting things away.

"Shall I have a meal brought out? Or would you like to bathe?"

"I'll eat first, then wash up."

"All right. I'll let the lady know to bring your meal!"

As soon as it was time to eat, the housekeeper hurried out. Her own meal was coming too, so look at her rush. Everyone was only serious about their own business.

Just then, the resonance crystal orb in my pocket vibrated. When I took it out, Avant-garde's face appeared faintly within it. I twisted the resonance crystal orb into place and spoke.

"I got it, Senior Avant-garde."

As if she had been waiting, Avant-garde's voice came through.

[Hughes. How have you been? How's your summer break?]

"I'm staying somewhere nice, so it's comfortable. The rules here are interesting too."

[Oh, right! I forgot to explain the rules of Celsius territory! Um, what should I do? Should I bring you a guidebook or something?]

"Learning them is part of the fun. I've gotten somewhat used to them already. The anomalies beyond the freezing and boiling points make it good for handling crystal magic."

[That's right! In Celsius territory, the crystal structures of snow and ice are strengthened, causing anomalies beyond the freezing and boiling points! As long as you know that, you're fine!]

Avant-garde chattered away excitedly. I could not read her thoughts from so far away, but I could at least listen to her. After exchanging a few trivial stories and checking in on each other, Avant-garde talked for quite some time before saying:

[The Crystal Tower is busy because it's the ladder connected to this descent site. We should have more time next week, so I'll come down and visit too! Take care until then!]

"Of course. You'll be surprised when you see me. I'm looking forward to the day I can show you how much I've changed."

[I want to... I-I want to see it too!]

With that, Avant-garde ended the call. The light faded from the resonance crystal.

Having finished one task, I noticed someone staring at me and asked:

"What is it, housekeeper?"

"...You're a sinful person."

"Did you change jobs from housekeeper to judge? Leaving that aside, why are you staring at someone else's call? How rude."

"Then go into your room when you make calls!"

What was with her? Why was she so prickly? The housekeeper spoke coldly.

"While you were fooling around, I told the lady. The food will be here soon. But..."

"But what?"

"...There's someone outside looking for you, Sensei."

Someone looking for me? It was not Avant-garde, and I hoped it was not Lankart. Was it Shei? Strange. If it were Shei, she would have simply come inside.

"Then let them in. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is. The lady drove them out."

"What?"

Puzzled, I immediately went outside.

Ice did not melt easily in Celsius territory. Most of the territory was therefore covered in snow and ice, and buildings made from ice rather than stone were not uncommon.

The roads were made of ice, and most vehicles took the form of sleds. Occasionally, I saw people skating. They mainly raised huskies, and dog sleds were a practical means of transportation.

It was warm enough for the snow to feel soft, but moving around was difficult, so people did not wander outside without a special reason.

Yet today, there were many people near the academy. The lady had gathered a group and was shouting with fire in her eyes.

"This is our academy district! You didn't give us so much as a glance when we were begging for help, and now where do you think you're going, trying to get a share of this?!"

Her opponent was an old man with a long beard. Though his level was low, he was a retired mage, and he wore an easy expression.

"Now, woman. A share? Someone might think you prepared the whole table yourself."

"I did prepare it! I brought him here and treated him myself!"

Unlike the lady, who was shouting herself hoarse, the old man replied shamelessly.

"You did not call him down from the floating castle, and would the treatment you offered satisfy a mage? The mage simply entered the nearest academy. If so, there is no reason that academy cannot be ours."

"There's no reason it should be yours either!"

"Our academy is larger, has more students, is better... and could offer greater compensation too."

It was an academy run by a retired mage, who even taught personally. Its standing was entirely different from that of a lady who merely had a successful child.

Even so, she could not bear to hand over the stroke of luck that had fallen into her lap. She huffed, preparing to argue further.

"And, woman. I held my tongue because of your son, but..."

The lady could not say another word.

The reason was simple. Icicles had formed in her mouth.

The sudden cold made her body tremble. It was not just the cold. She was terrified because magic had been cast without her even noticing.

The old man, having finished the spell, stroked his beard as he spoke.

"The mage will leave with the floating castle, but we will remain here and live our lives, will we not? Shouldn't we settle this properly rather than turning red in the face? Unless you want to be struck by some inexplicable magic."

It was almost a threat, and it was the reality closing in on the lady.

Magical energy was the power to call forth natural phenomena through will. With sensing ability, one could detect it. With control ability, one could resist it. Unless it was a grand spell prepared in advance, magic was nearly useless against a mage.

But against ordinary people with neither sensing nor control ability?

They could not notice magic being cast, and they could not resist being attacked. Even if they were attacked, they had no way of knowing who did it or how.

They could not make an arrest even if they reported it, and they could not prove it even if they accused someone. To the ignorant masses, magic was an invisible hand. How could they prove something unseen?

The ignorant were ignorant.

Just as those declared legally incompetent required guardians, the ignorant masses could only suffer one-sidedly without a mage to protect them.

The only reason the lady had not suffered worse was that her son was a mage. The old man reminded her of that fact, then spoke politely.

"What great thing did we demand? We only wished to meet that mage. Is it not unjust to reject even that and hurl insults at us?"

"...!"

"Now then. We will head to the academy."

The lady's group did not dare block a mage's path. The old man was about to head toward the academy with a faint smirk when he happened to meet me.

"It's crowded. What are you all gathering here for when you've got nothing to do?"

My openly annoyed expression immediately told the old man that I was a mage.

"Oh. A pleasure. You must be the one said to have come from the floating castle..."

"What do you want?"

'So arrogant! Though that is only natural for one of the floating castle's chosen.'

Even when I answered in rude, clipped sentences, he understood. What exactly were mages?

The old man explained his business as briefly as possible.

"Ahem. It is nothing much. We wish to invite a gentleman such as yourself, who has mastered outstanding magic, to our academy rather than leaving you in a frontier like this."

"How did you find out and come here? I've only been here for three days."

"Celsius territory is small. And the land where people crowd together is smaller still. If a mage with magical energy as powerful as yours appears, everyone is bound to notice..."

The old man, who had been flattering me, sensed my magical energy and looked slightly flustered.

'Hm? Strange. I heard that an outstanding mage came down from the floating castle. But his magical energy is extremely faint.'

Tsk, he was a mage after all.

Mages could sense magical energy. That meant mine would be exposed.

Of course, mages who had reached a certain level could conceal their magical energy. But there was no need to. There was nothing wrong with showing that I was stronger.

'Why is his magical energy so weak? Could that woman have set up a stand-in? Let's see.'

The old man stroked his beard and subtly lowered his gaze. Magical energy began to gather beneath my feet, where the snow met my shoes.

That beard was fake. There was a bundle of braided threads hidden inside it. Was he casting magic through that as a medium?

No matter how weak I was, this much was easy.

I slipped my hand behind my back and took hold of a card. It was the Three of Clubs, one of the new cards Lankart had made for me at the floating castle to replace the Club cards I had used up. I dropped it behind my leg where the old man could not see, then slowly moved my foot and stepped on it.

"Fahrenheit."

The instant I ignited the magical energy stored in the card, it collided with the old man's spell. The icicles about to cover my feet scattered upon meeting the heat, and white vapor billowed up like clouds.

The old man's eyes widened.

'Magic through an incantation alone, without a medium?! I could not even follow the flow of his magical energy. He is a high-ranking mage!'

There had been a medium, but the old man could not see it. My cards were difficult to spot with the naked eye, and impossible for someone with failing eyesight.

The old man hurriedly removed his hand from his beard.

"Ahem. My apologies. You were concealing your magical energy, so I wondered whether you might be someone else."

"Do I have to accept an insult from you?"

"...Gasp! O-of course not! I am deeply sorry!"

An old man? Respect for elders? What age did he think this was? In the Arcane Federation, magical skill was everything. I stared at the old man, who hurriedly lowered his head, before opening my mouth.

"So, your business."

"I only wished to ask your intentions, so please do not be too angry!"

"Do whatever you want."

"We can make you comfortable, so if you would only... Pardon?"

"Bring them yourselves. I will not take them as disciples, but I can look after them in my spare time."

The old man was surprised by how favorable my answer was.

"Truly? But you mean we should bring them here?"

"Packing is a bother. And I've already adapted my body to this place."

"Our academy is much larger and has better facilities..."

"Then teach them using your good facilities."

"No, no, no! We must follow your wishes! Those who thirst must dig the well. I will let them know!"

The old man bowed to me several times and withdrew with his people. Considering how badly things had started, he was quite pleased with the result.

I had also preserved some of the lady's dignity. She might regret not being able to keep me to herself, but it was not bad for this frontier academy district to become the center of attention. As the old man said, once I left, they would only have each other.

Still.

'He is not someone who shirks his duties, but he is even less the sort to volunteer his services. He is not a missionary either, so why is he increasing his own workload? What sort of result is he trying to create this time?'

Only the housekeeper glanced at me with eyes half full of curiosity and half full of suspicion.

Footnotes:

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