WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈

Chapter 63: The Cursed Lake and a Wrong Encounter

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Crunch, crunch.

In the bronze braziers scattered throughout the city, flames lit by Fire Mages melted the nearby snow and gave off warmth.

Unlike the Labyrinth, the city was not much warmer inside than outdoors, but it was warm enough to thaw your hands if you held them over the fire.

"Uuuugh..."

Children with bright red noses and several adults stood before the braziers, warming themselves.

The doors were shut because of the cold, but the shops were still open.

Red firelight spilled from the windows of wooden buildings lining the uneven main road, and the smell of baking bread wafted from some of them.

It wasn't as refined as the Labyrinth, but the people here still lived fairly safe, prosperous lives beneath the warmth provided by their lord and the Fire Mages.

"They've actually got things pretty good here."

Unlike the bizarre city walls, the inside was peaceful, which seemed to catch Elena off guard.

"The buildings look sturdy too."

Enlightening a foolish elf was also part of a genius mage's job.

I explained the territories of the local lords, known as Castles, to Elena.

"They may not be like the Labyrinth, but the owners of Castles were nobles even before winter came to this world."

The Castles were legacies of the golden age, back when the world was prosperous enough for people to fight over land instead of focusing solely on survival.

Those who couldn't adapt or endure had long since been weeded out and vanished.

Their homes became ruins, like the Draugr habitat we had passed through before.

The Shirinwind Territory wasn't flashy, but it was a solid, well-defended city.

'It's not just a wall of corpses, either.'

Its methods of rule involved plenty of inhumane acts, however.

"So they had no choice but to do this to survive."

Daisy sighed at the bleak reality that couldn't be helped.

Elena compared the two cities.

"Still, it's not as good as the Labyrinth. There aren't many peddlers around, and... it feels less lively."

"Most people here are self-sufficient."

The Labyrinth had many Alchemists who could transform Mana Stones into food and other materials.

But in a rural territory like this, there would only be one or two at most.

Naturally, both commerce and living standards would be worse in all kinds of ways.

You couldn't compare a major city's infrastructure to that of the countryside.

"I seeee. So the Labyrinth is the best after all!"

Elena reached a short, simple conclusion, showing a sense of belonging.

The soldier guiding us looked displeased by her insult toward the city where he lived, but he didn't dare say anything to mages and kept walking.

Whoosh!

We arrived at the inner castle where the lord lived.

Inside its old yet elegant stone walls, servants hurried about sweeping, cleaning, and lighting the torches in their brackets.

The soldier knocked on the grand double doors, which were firmly shut.

"My lord. I have brought the mages you requested."

"Ah, yes! Show them in!"

The doors opened with an urgent reply.

Inside the spacious hall, where a fireplace blazed, stood a middle-aged man in an impressive uniform beneath a banner bearing a noble crest.

"Welcome, mages of the Magic Tower. You must have had a difficult journey."

His refined noble manner and the dignity of one accustomed to ruling radiated from him.

"I am Amodei Kvalder, lord of this castle."

He also didn't drag around a whole crowd of subordinates like a village chief.

"..."

He was accompanied only by several massive guards, each at least a head taller than an ordinary person, wearing kettle helmets and chain mail, along with one sharp-eyed escort knight in plate armor.

Even so, they looked stronger than a gathering of dozens of riffraff.

Perhaps because he was used to occasions like this, Kulkin calmly accepted the lord's greeting.

"Thank you for the welcome, my lord. I am Kulkin of the Heide School, and this is Ian of the Astrafe School."

'If we’d been wandering mages, he would’ve treated us condescendingly.'

Seeing a noble who commanded over a thousand people treat us with respect reminded me of the Magic Tower's power.

"You must be hungry after your journey, so let's eat first."

When the lord clapped, servants began bringing dishes to a table set with silver candlesticks.

As I warmed myself with heated wine mixed with honey, Elena and Daisy, seated on either side of me, whispered.

"It's my first time seeing a noble."

"Me too... I'm nervous."

It was my first time seeing one in person too.

Even in the Labyrinth, they only lived in the wealthy district in the north.

"But he looks like he's in a hurry. Is it really okay for us to be relaxing like this?"

Hahahaha!

Elena looked at Lord Amodei, who was chatting with Kulkin, as though she found him strange.

He was laughing, but his legs trembled beneath the table. She seemed unable to understand why he was acting so leisurely in such an urgent situation.

I accepted some wine from a maid who kept glancing at me and blushing for some reason, then wet my lips.

"That's what dignity, etiquette, and grace are."

Munch, munch.

"Do nobles really have to be so elegant?"

Please finish chewing before you talk, you barbaric elf.

I gave Elena a disgusted look before explaining.

"That's part of a noble's identity. Blue blood. They're in a position where they have to constantly prove that they're different from commoners."

That was where their honor and authority came from.

"Being a noble is hard..."

"..."

Had he heard us even though we were speaking quietly?

The lord looked my way.

He didn't seem offended, though.

If anything, his expression said, Look at this. How do you know so much?

'Don't underestimate the refinement of a twenty-first-century modern man!'

Just then, Elena, who had been nodding vaguely, pointed at one of the dishes being served.

"Huh? Fish?"

There were several fish dishes on the table.

"Oh, that's rare."

My eyes lit up.

Most seas and lakes in this world were frozen, making fish difficult to obtain.

It was more expensive than meat, so to speak.

"Hmm..."

Elena eyed the fish dish suspiciously, then stuck it with her fork.

After tasting it, she perked up her ears in admiration.

"It's salty and light. Tasty! Would fishfolk taste like this if you grilled them too?"

"Haah."

It would be nice if she didn't add those weird comments.

'Fish in a backwater like this?'

Kulkin and I barely touched the fish dishes.

After the meal, Lord Amodei got to the point.

"Before we begin, there is something I would like to show you. Follow me."

Accompanied by several soldiers, we followed the lord into the castle's underground level.

At the bottom of the winding, arched stairs was a damp underground cavern.

"Hee?"

"Oh."

Kulkin, the girls, and I all widened our eyes.

There was a completely unexpected structure in the gloomy place where a dungeon should have been.

Dripping water left gentle ripples across the surface, reflecting our faces.

Beneath the castle was a pond, too small to be called a lake and too large to be called a puddle.

The waterway beneath the castle, enclosed by finely crafted architecture, gave off a mysterious atmosphere that couldn't be felt in the bleak fortress.

The lord enjoyed our reactions with a proud expression before speaking.

"You could call it the heart of our territory. The fish dishes you just ate came from here as well. We trade the fish caught here with other cities and feed our people with them. It is the Blessed Pond."

'It's a natural fish farm.'

But worry soon appeared on the lord's face.

The clear water now reeked, and fish corpses floated across its surface.

"Something suddenly went wrong with the pond a few weeks ago. Before we knew it, it had become like this."

From the lord's perspective, it made sense for this to be so urgent.

One of the key pillars supporting the territory’s productivity had been crippled.

"The pond is everything to our territory. At this rate, countless people will starve to death."

The lord's face darkened.

He looked like a true ruler who cared more for those beneath him than for his own well-being.

"So this was the strange phenomenon you requested help with."

Kulkin asked.

"Could the water have gone stagnant and spoiled?"

"No. The pond is connected underground to the frozen lake in the mountain behind the territory. Fresh water flows in regularly, so that cannot be the cause."

"Have you investigated the connected lake?"

"Of course. But we couldn't find anything particularly unusual."

Lord Amodei had scholars, advisers, and various mages around him.

Yet even those intellectuals of the territory had been unable to make sense of the strange situation.

"Hmm."

Places that needed the Magic Tower's mages often had more bizarre problems like this than simple monster extermination.

That was why the Magic Tower dispatched mages rich in knowledge, experience, and wisdom.

From the Magic Tower's perspective, I could understand why they had been reluctant to send me alone.

"What do you think, Ian?"

Kulkin asked for my opinion.

He was probably testing me as well.

'Kulkin is an excellent senior, but...'

'If I give a stupid answer, he'll exclude me from this request.'

Splash.

I dipped my hand into the underground lake.

Along with the cold temperature, I felt faint mana.

But Fire Mages and Earth Mages had been casting spells around the lake in the castle to establish its ecosystem, so I couldn't tell whether that mana came from them or from some other magical measure.

In that case...

"First, we should test the water's composition. We should also investigate the large lake in the mountain behind the castle that connects to this underground lake."

There were many reasons fish could die off in large numbers.

The water temperature might have changed, or there might not be enough oxygen.

Or...

'It could be something more unusual.'

I thought of the underground fish farm and the inner castle, both steeped in a colder aura than elsewhere.

"You and I think alike."

Had I passed the test?

Kulkin nodded.

"The problem is whether this place has the facilities we need..."

We also needed someone well-versed in alchemy.

As I considered that, Kulkin chuckled and said, "Didn't I tell you? I'm a Double Master. I'm also studying under Master Marianne of the Luminous School."

In addition to being a Fire Mage, he was an Alchemist with the Grimoire of Creation.

What? Really?

He was one of those naturally gifted freaks?

Not as much as me, though.

As I stared in surprise, Kulkin gestured.

One of the porters he had brought carefully put down a bag, took out a flask, and collected some water from the pond.

"My lord. Is there a place here equipped for alchemical work?"

"Mage Gaedri has a workshop. I will guide you there."

"All right."

"My lord, but..."

An old Alchemist serving the lord looked displeased at someone encroaching on their field.

But the lord paid no attention, and neither did Kulkin, who went at his own pace.

"Let's start with the analysis. I'll let you know if I need help."

"Yes."

Analyzing the water's composition would take quite some time.

Since it was already late, we decided to begin the full investigation the next morning.

"Good night, Ian."

"Yeah, Daisy. You worked hard too."

Daisy, Elena, and I were each shown to separate rooms by the lord.

Fire Mages came in and lit warm flames in the fireplaces, making the rooms pleasantly cozy.

'I hope this gets resolved easily. If it gets complicated, this could turn into quite a mess.'

As I lay beneath the blankets, thinking about the request, I yawned and got up.

"Yaaawn."

I suddenly needed to pee.

As I walked down the corridor toward the latrine...

Whoosh.

The torch in the hallway flickered.

A single set of footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor swallowed in darkness.

Someone was approaching.

I thought it might be a patrolling soldier or servant, but then narrowed my eyes.

Their outfit was strange.

Even indoors, their robe's hood was pulled up, hiding their appearance.

Yet beneath the torchlight, I could see slender fingers through the sleeves and skin pale as a corpse.

...

The person stopped when they saw me.

Then they suddenly called my name.

"Mage Ian?"

It was a beautiful voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Huh? You're...?"

The figure fumbled with their hood before removing it.

Silver hair tied in a ponytail fell softly down her back.

She had violet eyes and a beautiful face marked by a cold, ruthless expression.

It was Darnen, the dark elf mage who had fought alongside us in the Secret Dungeon before.

"...!"

My eyes widened at the sight.

Why the fuck was a dark elf here?

Emergency!

Footnotes:

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