WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈
Chapter 114: Labyrinth Exploration
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Smack!
A tiny palm no bigger than my index finger smacked my forehead as if to say I was wrong.
She looked angry, but her hand was cool like a cooling mat and clung pleasantly to my skin.
“W... water...”
As if she understood me, the little mermaid hopped off the bed.
Flapping her fins and grunting with effort, she climbed onto the table, dropped the water jug as though throwing it, then laboriously brought it over to me.
Mmm!
After drinking some water, I regained enough awareness to properly examine the little mermaid.
That seaweed-like blue hair, those tiny, delicate features.
No way...
“Nadia?”
...!
The mermaid nodded excitedly.
Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. It seemed she could not speak.
What was going on? How could an inhabitant of a Secret Dungeon get outside?
Then what would happen to the progression NPC in Storm-Tossed Waters?
Ah, fuck. Does this mean I have to settle up with her after all? My money!
Leaving those questions behind, I fell asleep.
Smack, smack!
Nadia’s cool presence lingered over my burning forehead.
Thanks to her, I was able to sleep comfortably.
[Ian has overcome his fever.]
* * *
“...”
I still felt drained, but my body was much lighter.
“Fuck, I almost died for such a stupid reason.”
The tiny mermaid was sleeping beside my face with her mouth hanging open, proving last night had not been a dream.
‘It feels like I’m looking at a chibi character.’
When I carefully poked her cheek with a finger, Nadia smacked her lips.
‘Did she take care of me all night?’
Thanks to her, I had survived.
“Ian. Aren’t you coming to eat?”
“Hey! You haven’t been washing all day like some girl again, have you?”
At that moment, Daisy and Elena entered after knocking.
I had nearly died last night, but the two of them looked fresh and well-rested. It irritated me for no reason.
Damn it, am I the only weak one around here?
‘Being weaker than that beast Elena is one thing, but weaker than Daisy...’
My pride as a man was crumbling.
“What are you talking about? My head hurts, so keep it down.”
Daisy, who had just entered the room, saw Nadia beside me and gasped.
“Could that be Nadia?”
She recognized her right away?
“Yeah. Her form is a little strange, but it’s definitely Nadia.”
“What a relief... Ah, Lady Meia...”
Daisy drew the sign of the cross from her forehead to her chest, then from left to right, and sighed in relief.
But I was not happy.
“Ah, shit. Now I have to give her money. She should’ve just stayed there.”
I had promised Nadia a share of the rewards.
“...”
Daisy, who usually looked at me kindly, suddenly stared at me as if I were a disgusting bug.
It was a joke, but that still hurt a little.
“I was joking.”
“Right? Ian would never mean that.”
Relieved, Daisy smiled again.
“Hey, why are you two talking about something only you understand? What is that fish?”
Elena poked her head out from behind Daisy and asked in a crooked tone.
“It’s Nadia.”
“Nadia? Ah, that native you said you met in the Labyrinth?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t you say she definitely couldn’t get out?”
“That’s what I thought.”
Even in the game, there had never been a case like this.
I pressed the sleeping Nadia’s belly until she woke up.
...!
Nadia startled awake.
Then she yawned as though tired before glaring at me as if asking why I had woken her.
Well, look at this little bean.
“Nadia.”
...?
“Do you know what you look like right now?”
I took a mirror out of my bag and showed it to her.
She jumped in surprise, pointed at herself, and opened and closed her mouth.
She seemed to be asking, Me? Why do I look like this?
“Hmm...”
She could not even write, so we could not communicate.
‘I’ll have to teach her letters first.’
I put Nadia on my shoulder and headed to the inn hall to eat.
“I think she might be some kind of spirit...”
I looked at Nadia, who was diligently chewing soft wheat bread with her tiny mouth.
The Blue Grimoire inside me.
Nadia carried a salty sea scent and energy similar to it.
“A spirit...”
“This? This fish?”
If she was a spirit, she must have special powers.
But I knew nothing about spirit magic, so I could not be sure.
“Aren’t elves close with spirits?”
Daisy repeated something she had heard somewhere.
Elena casually snatched Nadia up and tilted her head.
“Hmm, I don’t know... Aah!”
Elena screamed in the middle of speaking.
Apparently annoyed, Nadia bit Elena’s finger with a chomp!
“You little fish bastard!”
“Hey, you bothered her while she was eating. Of course she bit you.”
I took Nadiamon from Elena, carefully placed her back on the table, and petted her.
Anyway, an NPC that had escaped an outer dimension had become a spirit.
Wasn’t this perfect research material?
‘She might even be connected to the Snake King.’
This genius mage had finally gained a spirit underling.
“Heh heh heh.”
As I smiled, Nadia looked at me anxiously with bread crumbs around her mouth, then scurried into Daisy’s arms.
“Ahaha! I-it tickles...”
While Daisy laughed, Elena tapped my shoulder.
“Hey, Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to swordsmanship training. Come with me.”
“Why would I? I have to get the Grace Stones appraised, and I need to visit the library and Magic Tower.”
I also needed to thank the people who had gone out of their way to help find me when I returned yesterday.
‘Dize, Alejandro, Narita, the elven archer Elias, and so on.’
There were a lot of them.
I was busy.
“Just come when I tell you to! I always went with you whenever you visited the Magic Tower!”
“You only came because you wanted to...”
“Aaaaaaaaaah!”
I made a perfectly logical argument, but that crazy knife-ear started throwing a tantrum.
Fuck, they said the loudest person ruled the world.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
In the end, I sighed and waved a hand.
Nadia suddenly hopped into my arms and burrowed between my robes.
The Storm Robe I was wearing probably held water energy, so she seemed to like it.
Hng.
Daisy watched regretfully, then said she would go to the temple.
“Then I’ll go to the temple.”
“Daisy, could you get the Grace Stones appraised while you’re there?”
Since priests received a discount, I handed Daisy the Grace Stones I had obtained in the Secret Dungeon.
“Okay~”
Elena watched Daisy wave as she left, then gave a smug smile.
Clack, clack!
These two.
When did they become so hostile?
After Gimlius, now the two women were causing trouble too.
* * *
Elena felt restless.
More precisely, after getting stranded together, Daisy and Ian seemed to have grown much closer.
It was the sharp instinct of a beautiful elf Paladin.
‘Daisy. That fox-like bitch.’
‘She definitely did all sorts of strange things with that idiot while they were there.’
That was why Elena had forced Ian to come to the swordsmanship training hall where she practiced.
She wanted to show that oblivious idiot just how popular she was.
“Hey, Elena’s here!”
“Ooh, an elf as ignorant as an orc, but at least she has a pretty face!”
“A woman! A woman!”
Inside the building, whose stone exterior already gave it a sturdy impression.
“Hello, everyone~ The super beautiful Paladin Elena has arrived~”
As usual, when Elena entered with a greeting, the burly men with fierce faces welcomed her warmly.
Strangely, every single one of them was a man.
In a place overflowing with men, even an ugly woman received a beauty boost.
And if that woman was an elf?
The trainees happily welcomed the existence known as a woman, then turned their attention to the random guy beside her.
“W-what? Is that your boyfriend?! Is he?!”
“Not yet... Well, he’s a childhood friend?”
Elena glanced at Ian and flicked her hair coyly.
“What?!”
“You damned bastard! You dare go after the only woman in our training hall?! A duel! Draw your sword!”
Though Ian had not said a word, the enraged trainees swarmed toward him.
“But I’m a mage?”
“Then draw your staff!”
“...Sigh.”
[Electric Spark]
Crackle!
“Ghk!”
Ian fairly won the duel with a spell.
“Boo! That’s cowardly!”
“You spellcaster bastard! If you’re a true mage, fight with only your staff!”
“What are you even talking about?”
Leaving the unconscious trainee behind, Elena smiled and placed a hand over her chest as she looked at Ian.
“Hehe, well? This is how popular I am~”
I’m a woman with this much appeal.
If you make a mistake, someone might snatch me away.
Elena subtly tried to convey that.
But Ian merely looked around as if he did not understand and said,
“Hmm, is it because this place is full of muscle pigs? Those people must be blind.”
“What?!”
Elena clenched her fists and almost punched Ian, but barely held herself back.
‘Endure it, endure it...’
‘I’ll show that idiot how cool I am...’
Elena decided to show Ian her stylish and elegant side another way.
“Now! A spar! Come at meee!”
That way was sparring.
“Fwahahahaha! Good! Elf!!!”
But that was rather too centered on Elena and on warriors.
Booom!
Elena began knocking trainees down with a wooden practice sword.
Five people had already fallen without her receiving a single serious injury.
It was an impressive display, earned through all her training and experience in the Labyrinth, but to Ian, a mage, it was only a sweaty and barbaric brawl.
Cough, cough. “Ugh, dust.”
Instead, Nadia alone, peeking out from between Ian’s robes, watched and giggled as she clapped.
‘You little fish brat! I’m not doing this for you to watch!’
‘Fuck, is this not working?’
Elena panicked.
She had wanted to show off her charms so she would not lose to Daisy, but it did not seem to have much effect.
“You’re done, right? I’m leaving.”
“Ah!”
“Elllfff...”
Left alone, Elena’s ears drooped.
* * *
At some point, Nadia had curled up in my arms and fallen asleep.
After the tour of the swordsmanship training hall, I walked through the city to take care of my errands.
A faint smile lingered on my lips.
“Elena has improved a lot.”
Elena was cute for arranging something like that just to show off how much stronger she had become.
“She’s such a kid, seriously. Heh heh.”
Watching fights was the most entertaining thing in the world, so why would I not have been interested?
I had only pretended to be indifferent because that idiot Elena’s reaction was amusing.
- Thank you for making time even though you were all busy.
Anyway, because of the whole Ian disappearance incident.
I thanked the acquaintances who had made time because Elena made such a fuss, and gave them small gifts.
Some had entered the Labyrinth or gone to handle their own business, so I decided to see them later.
- Ian! How could you be so distant with me?! I’ll enjoy the sweets, hehe! They’re too expensive for me to buy.
- It’s enough that you came back safely.
- I never thought I’d receive this kind of thanks from a mage... You really are different.
Dize and Alejandro were one thing, but the elf Elias and Narita seemed more confused than anything.
It really showed how awful mages’ social skills were.
But as someone from a Confucian country, I was different.
‘A genius mage with manners, that’s me.’
Anyway, after finishing my first round of errands, I headed to the library to search for information about the Labyrinth’s Deep Floors.
But there was a problem.
“Under construction.”
The library’s doors were closed.
What? Hardly anyone even used this place, so why were they renovating it?
I found it strange, but there was nothing I could do.
Though I was not mentally prepared yet, I headed to the Magic Tower instead of the library.
‘Come on, Secret Society bastard. Try me!’
I was wearing the Coward’s Ring, the artifact I had obtained this time, on my finger.
‘Maybe I can use this to uncover the identity of whoever has infiltrated the Magic Tower.’
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