WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 105

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With a heavy boom, one massive pillar slammed down toward the thickly grown trees. They were trees that had grown hard while holding magical power, but they could not withstand the force of that pillar.

The trees were crushed flat beneath it. A deep tremor shook the earth along with it. A strange sensation ran through my body, as if I had stomped them down with my own foot. I quietly closed my eyes and savored the feeling.

Then someone leaned against me. A faint rose scent drifted around the tip of my nose. When I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Mira leaning against my arm and looking up at me.

“Are you doing that again? Really, what do you enjoy so much about it?”

She puffed out her cheeks a little and grumbled. At her words, I quietly stroked the floor. A hard texture filled my hand. It was Turtle’s shell. The pillar crushing the trees had been Turtle’s foot.

“Because I can understand something I couldn’t feel before. I think I understand a little why Mira wants to move Cassian’s body.”

Turtle was walking forward with heavy, unstoppable steps. It had already been two days since we left the tower.

Professor On’s lecture had come right up before I knew it. That was why we were on our way to Professor On’s tower. I was sitting on Turtle’s back with Mira, enjoying the scenery around us.

In truth, this was the first time I had stayed outside like this while traveling.

The most important thing to me had always been my own safety. So whenever I left the tower and went somewhere, I hid inside the temporary workshop within Turtle. That place was the final stronghold I had created, after all.

This time, though, I came outside. I wanted to commune with Turtle directly. I leaned back quietly. A hard sensation touched my back. It naturally supported me in a comfortable way.

Then it bent its body and made shade over me. That thoughtfulness, trying to care for my comfort, felt admirable, so I patted its shell. Turtle responded by shaking its body slightly. It seemed a little happy.

I quietly looked up at the thing supporting my back. A small tree stood there. Was it about two meters tall? Rather than a tree, it looked more like a small sprout. It wriggled as if alive while supporting my body.

It looked very fresh. At first, it had only been the size of my palm, but it had already grown this much. I closed my eyes and focused on my chest again. The tree there intertwined with Turtle’s tree and created one massive passage.

Within it, I began to feel a sense of unity, as if I had become Turtle and was moving. Through this connection, I felt its existence. Turtle was probably feeling the same thing.

This was less a connection and more a communion, and also a conversation. This Turtle was me, but it also was not me. That strange sensation always felt new. Thrilling, too. It was on a completely different level from controlling an ordinary puppet.

Professor Irian was also the reason I had been able to create this connection. A week had already passed since I remade Turtle into a new god for the puppets. During that time, Turtle stayed with Professor.

Professor checked its functions and also fixed some of the parts it lacked. As a result, it stabilized quickly. Enough that it could form a connection with me like this. The same went for the sprout on its back.

My gratitude toward Professor welled up again. But was gratitude really the right feeling? I was not sure. I thought back to when Professor handed Turtle over to me.

At the time, she looked a little regretful. If Turtle had not been perfectly connected to me, she might have kept it as another decorative pet puppet for the tower, just like Hari.

No, she definitely would have. My gratitude shrank very quickly. Still, some of it remained. It was true that she had helped me. With making that Moonturtle, no, Turtle.

Tsk, no matter how I thought about it, the name Moonturtle suited it well. I smacked my lips in regret. Turtle, which was connected to me, read that thought and got angry again. It seemed to like its existing name, Turtle.

Wasn’t Turtle or Moonturtle basically the same thing...? That thought did pass through my head, but I did not bother thinking about it any further. Turtle might sulk. Just as I could read its thoughts, it could also read mine.

On the outside, Turtle had not changed much from before. Its body had grown a little larger, and one tree had begun growing on its back. That was all.

What had changed was its inside. Turtle could no longer be called a simple turtle. Its ego had expanded greatly. As a result, it had become a huge Moon that filled my shadow tree.

It could be called the totality of the puppets’ love. A god that existed inside me and bestowed love for the sake of the puppets. Mm... saying it like this made it sound like I had pushed love onto Turtle.

But what could I do? As a mage, I could not give them complete love. The part of me that always pursued reason existed inside my chest.

So I wanted to make something that could take my place. A “me” that could endlessly pour out love in my stead.

That attempt had succeeded wonderfully, as shown right now. As long as Turtle existed, it would be able to embrace any puppet with deep love. Even if they lost their bodies, they could seep into the Moon it held and continue living anew.

I tapped Turtle’s shell. Turtle shook its body slightly as if answering.

Of course, nothing could be perfect. A small side effect had occurred as a result of this.

Turtle and I were now practically one body. That was also why Professor had readily returned it to me. It had absorbed my realm and created its body, its Moon. Parts of my tree and shadow tree had also mixed into it.

The Turtle created that way could be called me. The very structure of its power was completely connected to me. That was also why we could create a communion like this.

During the process of becoming a god, Turtle had settled into the core of my realm. It was different from the other puppets. Turtle had become part of me outright. If it disappeared, my tree would probably collapse as it was.

Because of that, Turtle could not leave me. I could not let it go either. If the two of us ended up far apart, both of us would definitely suffer a major shock.

Like that, I closed my eyes and continued communicating with it. Well, this was nothing more than a minor side effect. Crisis always came with opportunity, did it not?

From another angle, I could say I had created a new talent, a new possibility. Turtle would now grow based on the tree on its back, and in that process, I could receive its help as well.

“I never imagined you would go this far...”

Mira placed a hand lightly against her cheek and murmured. I quietly looked at her. If Mira had not been there, I would not have recognized this existence of love. I also would not have been able to reconstruct Turtle.

A mage completes themself. That was also why I could not give complete love to the other puppets. Because the part of me that always pursued reason existed inside me.

But this Turtle could also be called myself. As a mage, if I did not love myself, whom would I love? Because of that, this Turtle could be called the puppet I loved the most, and the puppet I would continue to love from now on.

It was the perfect answer to the assignment Professor On had given me. At its foundation was her help. Should I call it a prank? Whatever her intention had been, I felt deep gratitude toward her.

With that thought, I unconsciously stroked her back lightly. Then I froze. Mira looked at me with smiling eyes.

“Oh my, how bold.”

Ah, what had I done? I coughed for a moment. I had touched her as if I were dealing with Turtle. It seemed my heart had loosened quite a bit.

“I apologize. I was trying to express my gratitude, but I ended up making a mistake.”

As I said that, I avoided her gaze.

“Hoho, is that so? If that is the case, I do not mind if you do more.”

Mira smiled mischievously and lightly poked my side. Then she began leaning her head against my chest. I slightly avoided her body and quietly pulled my hand away. I had to hurry and escape before she teased me any further.

“Ahem, I need to restore my realm right now. I will focus until we arrive at the tower.”

After saying that, I quickly closed my eyes. Then I focused on my chest. Leaving behind the sound of someone lightly clicking their tongue from somewhere, I slowly sank into the magical power.

My will reached beyond my heart and arrived atop the foundation made of magical power, where it found a single tree. The tree, with traces of circuits piercing it left behind like holes, was twisted unsightly because so much power had drained out of it.

The shadow tree beneath it was the same. Large parts had been torn away, leaving it with a very shabby shape. I accepted magical power through my breathing method and gradually healed those wounds.

Even though it had held magical power continuously over the past while, it showed no real sign of improving. I would have to recuperate steadily for a year before I could stabilize my realm. Even then, it would surely be lacking compared to before.

My realm had regressed like this. Still, a satisfied feeling flowed through my chest. The tree seemed to feel the same. It shook its branches as if showing off.

Through this incident, I realized I had grown at least a little. This was not simply about my realm. As a human, and as a puppeteer. And perhaps as a mage, too. Should I say it felt like I had become a better existence?

As if proving that, my foundation spread wider and firmer. Emotions flowed inside it. Turtle’s love, and the puppets’ love. In a way, this could be called an expansion downward, rather than an ascent upward.

I quietly continued breathing while leaving my body to Turtle. Turtle also breathed with me and began drawing in the surrounding magical power for my sake.

The tree’s recovery happened very slightly, bit by bit.

How much time had passed like that? Someone began stroking my chest. Along with that, something moved along my chest and approached the tree. It was Mira’s mist.

When I slowly opened my eyes at that sensation, Mira met my gaze and smiled lightly. Then she lifted a finger and pointed ahead. Following that finger, I saw a huge sphere.

“Over there, do you see it? We have arrived at the tower.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at it. The surrounding magical power was quietly flowing toward it. It was Professor On’s tower. It was still creating a great flow as it absorbed magical power.

Turtle slowly climbed the mountain together with that flow. As it went up the mountain, it gradually began shrinking. By the time it reached the peak, it had become about the size of a small carriage.

Turtle stopped in front of the sphere. The sphere was enormous. I looked up at it and got down from Turtle’s back. Turtle shrank even further and let out a cry. I placed it on my palm and hung it on my chest.

“Then shall we go?”

I held out my hand to Mira. She smiled and took it. Under the sphere, there was a transparent staircase like before. It meant we should enter through it. Like that, I slowly climbed the stairs with her.

The other students were nowhere to be seen. They were surely already inside. Unlike me, who had to operate the tower, they must have continued training here. Perhaps they had even talked among themselves and found the answer to the assignment.

Like that, I opened the door and entered the tower.

And once again, noise greeted us. Someone shouted, and someone moved busily, brushing past me. The tower was crowded, just like before.

We were standing in a massive passage. I quietly watched the people filling the surroundings, no, the puppets, move busily. It was hard to believe that all of them were puppets.

The puppets filling the corridor each had their own purpose and were all hurrying somewhere. A mirror bug quietly floated up. Holding my will, it showed me the time.

I gave a small nod. There was about one hour of free time before the lecture. It had been worth urging Turtle to hurry. We had a little time left to look around the tower.

With Mira, I carefully pushed myself into the flow of puppets. The corridor was enormous. It also stretched out in every direction. The paths connected in a very complicated way.

And many doors lined those corridors. A door beside us opened at just the right time, and a puppet popped out. The puppet carried a small bundle in its arms and headed somewhere.

I glanced beyond the door. The space rippled slightly and showed the scenery beyond it. A wide meadow spread out there. Many cows were grazing on it. They seemed to be livestock raised by puppets.

“Oh my, those are puppets too.”

Mira said that with a smile. At her words, I blinked. Then I quietly looked at the cows. They moved very leisurely. Strong vitality could be felt from those movements. Those were puppets too?

Soon, the scenery beyond the door gradually began to blur. Then the door closed.

I looked around again. Puppets were going in and out through the other doors too. The scenery beyond each one was different. One place was a family home, and another looked like a wide training arena.

We slowly walked down the corridor. The puppets laughed and chatted like people. I could also feel light magical power from most of them. Enough that I could believe each one of them was a mage.

As expected, I could not think of them as puppets at all.

As we looked around at the puppets, I asked Mira several times if they really were puppets. But she lightly shook her head. It meant she could not sense the scent of people from them.

Time passed quickly. And within that time, the corridor continued endlessly. The doors lined up along it were the same. All those doors led to different spaces, and there were too many to count.

Then how many puppets were spread throughout this entire tower? I could not imagine the scale.

“Hm, are you not going to cross through a door?”

Mira leaned a little closer to me and asked. A young man was running quickly from the opposite direction. I gently pulled her close and moved to one side of the corridor. The young man bowed his head lightly and brushed past us.

I gave a light nod toward the young man and began walking again. That young man was definitely a puppet too. Beyond the door he had come out of, I saw many books piled up. The magical power the books gave off looked rather unusual.

It made me curious about their contents. Still, I did not step inside. I looked down at Mira and shook my head slightly.

“Professor On warned us. This place is a space for puppets only. So there is no need to invade their territory.”

I looked at the puppets moving through the corridor. Yes, this tower was a single space. A world meant only for puppets. I felt like I now understood a little more about what kind of space this tower was.

A tower was not simply a device for gathering magical power. It could be called a small world created by each mage.

Just as Professor Heisen had created a space only for shadows, Professor On must have created a world only for puppets.

Of course, our tower was a little different. A faint bitter smile slipped out. Professor Irian did not seem interested in the tower. She had only used it as a storehouse until now.

At first, I had found that strange, but now I understood the reason a little. To her, decorating a world like this probably had no meaning. Of course, the things inside that storehouse were the problem.

“That is a very good thought. A few others crossed through doors out of curiosity and were punished.”

A voice like a whisper beside my ear reached me. Startled, I looked to the side. A transparent carriage was there. It was the strange carriage that had transported us before.

Until it spoke, I had not noticed its presence. The surrounding puppets also passed by naturally, as if they could not perceive it.

“It is time. Please get in. Professor is waiting.”

The carriage door opened quietly, and the magical power that came from inside it naturally pulled our bodies. That meant an hour had already passed.

When I climbed inside, I saw the other students. Eleven people. Everyone except me had gathered. I lightly greeted them with my eyes and sat down. Since they had been staying here, it seemed they had all gotten on together at the appointed time.

The carriage closed its door and began moving. Looking out the window, I saw the surroundings gradually blur. The carriage crossed over puppets, then walls, and began heading somewhere.

The place it arrived at in the end was the lecture room. The carriage spat us out there and vanished. It had definitely existed, but at some point, it had naturally disappeared. Was that also a kind of treasure? That question came to mind.

On the platform in the center of the lecture room stood Professor On. And beside Professor On, a woman was looking at us with a light smile.

Was her name Tiena? She was also the puppet Mauro had called madam. So I needed to treat her a little more carefully. I bowed deeply toward them and found a seat.

Professor On quietly watched as we settled into our seats. Soon, Professor On spoke.

“Mm, everyone is here. The ones taking the class number twelve... no, was it thirteen?”

As Professor On spoke, No. 0 slipped out of my shadow and raised a hand. Professor On saw it and nodded lightly. No. 0 solidified its form and sat beside me. Its eyes were shining brightly.

It could not be helped. No. 0 had grown a lot after listening to the last lecture. Especially when it carved out my form, it had built up several more stars of its ego.

So of course it would look forward to this lecture too. And I was the same. What kind of lesson would happen today? My heart thumped.

“Good to see you. It is time for me to teach you again. I hope your puppets improved through the last lecture. And I hope the same happens through this lecture too.”

Professor On quietly manipulated magical power. Within that magical power, the empty air gradually began to distort. Then it formed one black line. It was a kind of spatial fissure.

When Professor On lightly waved a hand, several books popped out from inside it. They floated in the air and quietly flew toward us.

I carefully accepted one and read the title. On’s Basic Theory of Puppetry. It was the same as the one I had received before.

This time, perhaps Professor On had prepared one for No. 0 as well, because a book flew to it too. No. 0 accepted it and smiled.

“We will proceed with the lecture using that today as well. This time, I will try to make it easier than last time so you can understand, so make sure you engrave it properly into your heads.”

After saying that, Professor On quietly looked at us. Then Professor On pulled Tiena close and continued.

“Before we begin the lecture, shall we check the assignment first? The assignment I gave you was to make a puppet. Submit them here.”

Mm, was it finally time? I lightly touched Turtle’s head where it was hanging from my chest. Receiving that signal, Turtle dropped onto the desk. Then it bounced its body and headed toward the platform.

The others’ puppets also began revealing themselves one by one. I glanced at their puppets.

There was armor decorated with all kinds of jewels, and there was also a puppet made from the corpse of a magical beast. I glanced to the side. No. 0 also presented the small, reduced puppet of me in front of Professor. Like that, various puppets gathered before the platform.

Turtle met Tiena’s eyes and cried lightly, “Meeh.” She looked at it and smiled softly. Professor On glanced at that with hazy eyes, then lightly clapped.

“Now, then. Let us check whether you solved the assignment.”

The students all seemed confident in their own answers, with confident smiles drawn across their faces. I was the same.

But one by one, those smiles gradually began to disappear. On the contrary, their faces turned pale.

It could not be helped. I looked at the platform with reluctant eyes.

Another puppet melted down. This time, it was the armor embedded with countless jewels. Every puppet that failed to pass Professor On’s “inspection” melted down like that. Professor On stood in front of it and tilted their head.

“Hm, this puppet failed too. Then shall we move on to the next one?”

The next one. Turtle was trembling beside the armor that had melted down. It looked at me and made a crying face. I nodded while looking at it. My answer was certain. So Turtle would be safe. Uh... probably.

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