WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈
Chapter 92: Between Resolve, Illegality, and Legality
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Hans used Ian's letter of recommendation to enter the Magic Tower and began investigating the Secret Society.
The mages at the Magic Tower had no interest in an outsider like Hans.
They were scholars by nature, the sort who barely paid attention to their surroundings unless something caught their interest...
'It's the same here too.'
The Magic Tower had also been in an uproar over the recent Floor Master incident.
"The Guild bastards kept such an interesting research subject hidden until now. Tch."
"The third-floor Floor Master, the Star Watcher. How can we break through its magical immunity?"
"Use a reality-distortion magic item. Physically block the eyes that are the source of its Dispel. Cast spells from inside it. Something like that?"
"Perfect in theory. Where's the mage who put all this together first? This Ian guy?"
"I don't know. I heard he's an eccentric who cares more about the Labyrinth than research or scholarship..."
"Hm. What a shame. I wanted to discuss it with him."
Even the proud mages of the Magic Tower were murmuring Ian's name.
Once again struck by how impressive Ian was, Hans began secretly investigating every corner of the Magic Tower.
A Scout.
A guide who led party members through darkness where they couldn't see an inch ahead, through mazes and evil.
Hans always said he lacked talent because he was overshadowed by Ian, an experienced veteran, but he was actually quite gifted.
Otherwise, there was no way a low-floor Expedition Party member could have survived for over three years.
A Scout without any special blessings needed many things to find traps and paths: the observation skills to notice the smallest trace, the reasoning to piece clues together, the imagination to break free of preconceived notions, and broad knowledge.
'To keep up with them...'
Because he came from the bottom, there were things Hans could see that others could not.
After desperate effort and a stroke of luck, Hans finally found traces of the Secret Society.
'How could that person...!'
That person's identity shocked Hans even more than learning that the old hero Dmitri was actually a member of the Secret Society.
The problem was...
"To think I'd be found out in a place like this."
Had the other person discovered Hans as well?
"How could you...? Ian trusted you!"
"The Secret Society isn't an organization filled with evil like you think. Well, you won't listen no matter what I say."
Hans fired his crossbow and kicked off the ground.
Whoosh!
The other person easily blocked it and subdued Hans.
"Ghk!"
Was this the end?
Hans's calm eyes trembled with faint fear.
He had risked his life as an Expedition Party member, but that didn't mean he had no attachment to life.
He wanted to live.
More than anyone else, he wanted to live.
Yet what weighed on him more at that moment was...
'I need to tell my companions about this...'
It was a duty he had yet to fulfill.
Perhaps something in Hans's eyes moved them.
Oh?
A strange light appeared in the being's eyes.
"I won't kill you. I think rather highly of that guy. He'd make the perfect candidate for the Eighth Eye. Hehe."
Rather than finish Hans off, the other Secret Society member placed a hand on his forehead and chanted a spell.
"Mmph!"
Hans lost consciousness from the shock.
When he woke up, he had no memory of what had happened after entering the Magic Tower.
* * *
"I remember heading to the Magic Tower, but I can't remember anything after that."
Hans, who had lost his memories of the Magic Tower, came to the Veliar Family mansion and told us what had happened.
Strange missing memories and a gap in time.
He said someone seemed to have done something to him while he was investigating the Secret Society.
"It sounds like you were hit by a memory-erasing spell or magic item. I'm just glad you made it back alive, Hans."
"Ian's right, Hans. Do you know how worried we were?"
"That's right. Nothing is more precious than your life!"
Gimlius comforted Hans, hugging him with his short arms.
Then we began looking into what had happened.
"But there's something strange about what Hans said... You said you lost your memories, so how do you know there was a culprit?"
Elena snorted at Daisy's question.
"Idiot. He went to the Magic Tower to investigate, and only that part of his memories disappeared. It's obviously the Secret Society's doing."
"You're the idiot, Elena. I mean Hans accepted that conclusion too quickly. If he lost that much of his memory, it would be hard for him to be certain that someone had done something to him."
"What?!"
"Stop, stop. Don't fight."
'Daisy's question is reasonable.'
I looked at Hans.
After hesitating for a moment, Hans held something out.
"The reason I'm certain that I lost my memories and that someone did something to me is... because of this."
Hans held out a piece of paper.
It was a note with words inscribed in mana.
This was what it said.
[The Dragon Slayer will be unable to move for a while.]
"Dragon Slayer? That dragonkin bastard?"
I carefully examined the note.
'Dmitri wouldn't have sent something like this himself...'
"Judging from the circumstances, it's probably a signal sent to us by another member of the Secret Society."
'The handwriting was inscribed with magic. Comparing it will be impossible.'
"I set out so boldly, but now I'm too ashamed to face you all. They might have done something to me. If you decide to remove me from the party, I'll accept it."
Hans spoke with a face full of guilt.
"That's..."
"Send away someone who risked his life to infiltrate enemy territory?! Does that make any sense?!"
Gimlius looked at me as if to ask, Surely not?
"Hm... Darnen, can you help?"
"Sure."
Darnen and I examined Hans's body, but we found no unusual symptoms.
Of course, every Secret Society member was incredibly skilled, so there might be some hidden trap we couldn't detect yet...
'But if they were truly hostile, would they have let Hans live through such a roundabout method?'
'It's not as if there's no way to trace them back or restore his memories.'
'It would be easier to dispose of him cleanly.'
Maybe...
'The one who sent this note might be on bad terms with the Dragon Slayer, another member of their group.'
'What if they deliberately did this to use us?'
"You don't need to leave the party, Hans. Stay with us for now, and we'll keep an eye on your condition."
It was true that Dmitri's injuries were serious because of the aftermath in the Mindscape.
If the Dragon Slayer was badly injured as the note said, and the Secret Society was divided over this incident, then we had overcome the immediate crisis for now.
After making my decision, I spoke.
"Now we should start preparing to enter the Labyrinth again."
Gimlius looked concerned at my words.
"You're going to believe this? They're all notorious criminals."
Of course, I wasn't going to blindly trust the note.
Still...
"So what, are we going to hide here and waste time because we're scared of them?"
I shrugged irritably.
"Without even entering the Labyrinth?"
The only reason we had ended up like this was because we were weak.
"Even now, other people are getting stronger. If we sit here and hesitate, we'll be the only ones left behind. Then something like this will happen again, and an unpleasant future will be waiting for us."
"..."
"Wouldn't it be better to get strong as soon as possible, so neither the Expedition Party Guild nor the Secret Society can ignore us?"
It was a harsh world where everything had frozen.
A world where parents sold their children because they had no food.
In this world, where fists mattered more than the law, weakness alone was enough to be a crime.
"The sixth floor. If we become at least mid-tier or high-tier Expedition Party members, we won't be defeated this helplessly."
...
After a brief silence, Daisy nodded.
"Ian's right. I always follow what Ian says, but there's also a passage in Meia's teachings that says there is an answer after every trial."
"I was starting to wonder what those arrogant bastards looked like anyway."
Elena crossed her arms, her fighting spirit burning.
"What? Don't enter the Labyrinth? The Labyrinth isn't a divine blessing, but a pit of evil?"
Who didn't know that?!
"Who doesn't know the Labyrinth is a fucked-up place?! We're doing this shit to survive!!!"
Because we hated being cold! Because we were hungry! Because we had families to feed!
Elena's emerald eyes blazed.
She was furious that people treated our efforts and those of other Expedition Party members and countless others desperately trying to survive in this world as worthless.
"Calm down, Elena. People who are well-fed and comfortable always have other thoughts. Things like justice, honor, and enlightenment."
Gimlius patted Elena on the back and sighed.
"Haah, this ruins my plan to enjoy a peaceful retirement, but... it can't be helped."
"Having your memories erased is a horrible feeling. I don't want to become powerless again."
Hans turned his inferiority complex and disappointment in his own weakness into the driving force to move forward.
Whether we liked it or not, we had to return to the Labyrinth.
'The closer we get to the Deep Floors, the more we'll learn about this world's secrets.'
Just as in the snowfield, just as in the Labyrinth, pain that couldn't kill me would only make me stronger.
* * *
Of course, we couldn't enter the Labyrinth right away.
We had to prepare by making the most of what we had.
Hadn't we made a huge amount of money after defeating the Floor Master?
'Elena and I are already broke after settling our equipment expenses, but our companions aren't.'
Gimlius, Hans, and Daisy each had several hundred gold coins.
"The best ways to grow stronger quickly are magic items and Grace Stones."
"Right. If we can get our hands on decent ones."
"Are you leaving?"
I looked at Darnen, who somehow seemed disappointed.
During the past few days we had spent at the Veliar Family mansion, I had learned a lot about her.
For one, unlike other dark elves who hated light, she liked looking at the sunlight and birds in the morning, even while rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"That one's Chirpy, and that one's Roselyn."
Caw! Caw!
'Though the only birds that came near this gloomy mansion were ominous crows.'
She was also something of a gourmet. She liked food served elegantly, and she always had tea after a meal.
"The aroma is nice."
'Though we had to check for poison every single time.'
"What should I wear? What do you think, you super-genius mage?"
To me, all her clothes looked like similarly dull outfits, yet she agonized over what to wear today. Those were remarkably human sides of Darnen.
'She's even more unusual up close.'
I shook my head at Darnen's question.
"Not yet."
"Then?"
"I'm thinking of going to the Black Market. Can you help guide us there?"
There were only two places in the Labyrinth that handled rare goods like Grace Stones and magic items.
One was the Crystal Auction House in the northern district of the Labyrinth, run by the Golden Dawn Society.
The other was the Black Market, where goods from the shadows gathered.
'The Crystal Auction House has guaranteed quality, but it's expensive.'
'The Black Market is more random, but if you're lucky, you can get decent things for cheap.'
When it came to magic items and Grace Stones, even several hundred gold coins were pocket change, so I planned to try the Black Market first.
Of course, getting into the Black Market required a special method...
But Darnen, a dark elf, would know how.
"All right."
As expected, Darnen nodded.
But after saying that, she paused to think before suddenly speaking again.
"Now that I think about it, this is unfair."
"Hm?"
"By the code Expedition Party members live by, this isn't fair. I'm the only one helping you right now."
She wouldn't have said something like that before...
'My attempt to take advantage of her failed!'
'This dark elf has evolved!'
Clutching my aching stomach, I offered a compromise.
"I'll help you next time."
"Good."
"Tonight happens to be a market night. Let's go."
We headed for the Black Market under cover of darkness.
Illegal? Fuck that.
You only lose out if you live honestly.
'I wanted to live decently!'
But what was I supposed to do when the world wouldn't let me?
Boo-hoo.
Footnotes:
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