WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 115

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I quickly looked over the young man standing in front of me. The first thing that caught my eye was his round build. Even the loose robe he wore could not hide his figure, and it made him stand out all the more.

It made sense. Most mages kept their bodies in peak condition. It was rare for one of them to become that bulky. He was probably maintaining that body type on purpose.

Then I noticed the clothes wrapped around him gleaming as they caught the light. They shone gold, just like his hair. At a glance, it was clear they were made from expensive materials.

The various accessories were just as luxurious. Several rings on his fingers gave off light. Strong magical power rippled from the jewels set in those rings. Some kind of magic had definitely been engraved into them.

Of course, even that magical power could not compare to the ripple of magical power coming directly from the young man himself. The pressure he gave off stood out even among the people gathered here.

I still could not tell what kind of person this young man was. Even so, I could tell a few things. He was an extremely powerful mage, and unlike the other puppeteers here, he looked very wealthy.

He moved the hand that had been patting my shoulder and held it right in front of my eyes. Then he let out a bright, refreshing laugh. His whole face shone with cheerful ease.

“What do you think? Interested? I’m offering you a very good deal here. Other guys start at seven to three. You look like you’ve got potential, so I’m raising the share a little.”

“Could you tell me what kind of business it is first? This is a bit sudden.”

I said that with an awkward smile. The young man blinked for a moment, then gave a light nod.

“Ah, you’re new, so you wouldn’t know. It’s been so long since we had a newcomer that I forgot. I just assumed you’d know everything.”

His blue eyes sparkled as he glanced at Mira. Mira met his gaze and smiled back. He walked straight up to her and looked her up and down.

“Mm, as expected. Very beautiful. It doesn’t turn out like this just from putting in Professor On’s elixir.”

“Hehe, thank you. You are quite interesting too.”

Mira spoke to the young man. At her words, the young man’s eyes rolled slightly. Then he gave me a thumbs-up. He placed his hand on my shoulder again and smiled brightly.

“With this much, she could become the ace of our shop right away. If you’ve stayed in Canyon City, you’ve probably heard of it at least once. Dream Theater, that dreamlike tale!”

Dream Theater... I blinked at those words. Dream Theater, Dream Theater. I had never heard of it. I shook my head slightly. Seeing that, the young man clicked his tongue.

“Mm... You must not know because you haven’t been at the university for long. Well, it’s simple. We provide puppets to our guests, and our guests experience a dreamlike day they could never have in ordinary life. What do you think? Interested?”

At his words, I let out a small bitter smile. I could not tell from the name alone, but after hearing his explanation, I understood what he meant. He was definitely talking about some kind of entertainment business.

Mira seemed to notice as well, because she gave a small laugh and leaned against me. I gently supported her and shook my head. Then I bowed briefly to the young man.

“I’m sorry, but I think it would be difficult to send Mira there. She has a body that has a hard time being away from me.”

“No, think about it aga...”

The young man was about to speak while tightening the hand on my shoulder. At that moment, Mauro quietly placed his own hand over his. The young man met Mauro’s eyes and flinched.

“Now, now, let us end the discussion there. Since you have come all this way, enjoy today’s meeting with us. We can speak about what comes next later. Everyone is waiting for you to sit.”

Mauro smiled gently at the young man and patted his hand. Then he naturally took that hand and led him to an empty chair at the table.

The young man glanced around. Just as Mauro had said, every puppeteer seated at the table was staring straight at him. He grumbled lightly and sat where Mauro guided him.

“Whew, I was planning to leave quickly because I don’t have much time. But if Mauro tells me to sit, well, I suppose I can stay for a bit.”

The young man said that and jerked his chin toward the people who had entered the cave with him. At that motion, they quickly took seats as well. There were roughly ten of them.

The young man crossed his arms and put his legs on the table. He looked as if he wanted to leave at any moment. Even so, he did not get up. His will to respect Mauro was clear.

Like that, almost all the empty seats at the table were filled. Mauro stroked his beard and put on a satisfied smile.

“Quite a lot of people came today. Only about ten seats are empty. Thanks to that, I will have less trouble passing on the news later.”

Mauro said that and nodded. Then he approached the young man and lightly patted his shoulder. The young man clicked his tongue softly, then lowered his legs beneath the table. He straightened himself properly.

Mauro looked at the young man with a faint smile, then handed him the letter he had read to us. When the young man infused it with magical power, wavering letters popped out and spread before the newly seated people.

The young man checked the contents and gave a quiet laugh. When he withdrew his magical power, the letters folded themselves and returned to the letter. He handed it back to Mauro.

“Guess I’ll have to prepare a few puppets.”

The young man said that and laughed. Mauro briefly patted his shoulder, then lightly looked around at the people seated at the table.

“Is there anyone with questions about the general assembly? Ah, Evron. I will explain it to you in detail later.”

Mauro looked at me as he spoke. I nodded at his words. Mauro waited for a little while, but no one stepped forward. Everyone probably knew the general assembly well.

“Then that is the end of my notices. Now we can begin the proper meeting. There were too few of us last time. Everyone, speak freely in the order you arrived.”

At Mauro’s words, the people seated at the table began shifting lightly. In the middle of that, Mira tapped my chest with her finger. When I lowered my gaze, I saw her looking up at me with a very satisfied smile.

“That person is very interesting. His scent is very different from the others.”

She said that and pointed to the young man, who was yawning widely. “He really is,” I whispered softly and smiled bitterly.

She was right. Opening an entertainment business with puppets was something the puppeteers I had seen would never imagine. The older a puppeteer was, the more fiercely they cherished their own puppets.

“It is very touching. To think Evron treasures me so much. Since you have been so absorbed in Professor lately, I thought you had forgotten someone like me.”

“Mira is my puppet too. And you are misunderstanding. Absorbed in Professor? I merely believe firmly in that person.”

I said that and shook my head. Mira let out a slight sigh and leaned her head against me. A faint rose scent flowed from her hair and brushed the tip of my nose. In that state, Mira opened her mouth.

“Well, if you deny it yourself, there is nothing I can do. So what do people usually do at meetings like this? This is my first time attending any sort of human gathering, so I do not know.”

“They will probably exchange what they have with one another.”

I explained to her and glanced around. The chaotic mood was starting to settle now, as though everyone had finished preparing. Meetings were usually like this. They exchanged information, and they exchanged things they had.

This meeting probably would not stray far from that structure. As if to prove it, one person stood up. It was a woman with curly hair and thick glasses.

Mauro, who had returned to his seat at some point, glanced at her and leaned toward me. Then he began whispering softly.

“You briefly met her earlier, yes? Her name is Amelia. She should be on the fourth floor right now. She was the last newcomer to join our guild before you. Back then, she was a very lively young lady, but now she is truly....”

Mauro said that and lightly shook his head. I knew right away what words would follow. He meant she had become puppeteer-like. I glanced at her hollow face and shabby clothes.

The woman called Amelia took a small book from her clothes. Perhaps she had read it countless times, because the book was as worn as her outfit. Holding it in her hand, she began speaking hesitantly.

“I, I want to exchange this.... It is something I received from Tiena in the past. It is Volume 2 of General Theory of Puppetry, written personally by Professor On. It also has a seal stamped with Professor’s mark attached to it....”

At her words, my eyes sparkled. What I was currently attending and learning in Professor On’s class was only the basic volume. But that was Volume 2, which went beyond it. I could not even imagine what kind of stories were inside.

I hurriedly checked my points. I had to get that. No matter how much I had to invest. But that expectation soon collapsed.

“Oh my, we cannot even join in there.”

Mira said that. Just as she said, I had no way to join that competition. I clicked my tongue with a sour feeling.

Her book seemed quite valuable to the others as well, because several people offered her payment. They did not hold out points like I would have. They simply took out various materials they had and presented them to her.

“I, I’ll take this one.”

Amelia, who had been hesitating among the high piles, chose one person and handed over the book. Then she put the materials placed in front of that person into her spatial pouch.

The things she received were giving off very dense magical power. Dense enough that I gave up at once after seeing them. If she simply exchanged them for points, she could probably receive several hundred thousand points with ease.

Amelia inspected them and nodded in satisfaction. Then she leaned her head against the puppet standing beside her. The puppet, which looked like a mix between a wolf and a human, gently wrapped its arms around her body.

“Hehe, I’m done with this. Hehehe....”

Amelia muttered that. Still held in the puppet’s arms, she sat down. Just as Mauro had said, she really looked puppeteer-like....

Following her, the person sitting beside her lightly stood up. It was a young man with slightly nervous eyes. Like Amelia, he also wore thick glasses on his nose.

“You saw that friend earlier too, yes? His name is Dagon. He is staying on the 7th floor. He has been in our association the longest after me, so if you ever need help, tell him.”

The man called Dagon scratched his unkempt hair, which was sticking out in every direction, and placed the puppet beside him on the table. His puppet was like a long cylinder of some kind. Its purpose was impossible to tell from its shape.

He lightly manipulated magical power and split its body in half. With that, the inside of the puppet was clearly revealed. The circuits tangled in complex patterns inside made my eyes dizzy.

It was a structure difficult for me to understand. Dagon lightly blew magical power into those circuits and briefly activated the structure. Then I could see a little of the flow. He pointed to part of the circuit and said,

“Here. I want to improve the efficiency a little more. I’ll give this to whoever advises me. It is a Lantern Core. It should be good as a puppet’s core.”

He took out something like a small stone from his clothes and placed it on the table. The bizarre magical power inside it surged in all directions. It looked like an extremely valuable item at a glance. At that, Mauro lightly waved his hand.

“Is that not woven in too classical a manner? With that kind of triangular resonance method, the symmetry of the magical power held by the circuit will be maintained too excessively.”

At those words, Dagon nodded. It seemed the person he wanted advice from was Mauro. Then why was he showing the circuit so openly like this? He could have visited privately.

But I soon understood why. Dagon faced Mauro and opened his mouth.

“I need this to adjust the frequency to a secondary dimension that responds to my magical power.”

“But with only that, you will only be able to peek. To directly interfere with that dimension, you need to create a focus even if it means breaking the balance....”

Like that, Mauro and Dagon began talking while facing each other. Others joined the flow of that discussion as well. Of course, most of them were quietly listening like me.

During that time, I understood. Yes, the reason they were openly talking about the structure of a puppet like this was both a process of finding the answer and an act meant to teach us. It carried the desire to guide their juniors.

“Hoho, this is quite good.”

In the end, the thing called Lantern Core went into Mauro’s hands. The puppet’s circuit had changed quite a bit after taking in Mauro’s advice. It certainly looked different from before. Dagon also nodded in satisfaction.

Then he sat down. After that, another person stood up. Mauro introduced that person again. Like that, one person after another, the turns began to pass.

My turn did come eventually, but I could only pass. After all, I had nothing to offer them.

I looked at them again. At the intense flow of magical power moving among them. All of them were mages of the fourth floor or higher. Because of that, the things I had did not mean much to them.

That was very surprising. It meant most of the people in this small organization were taking the university’s advanced course. It was a structure different from other organizations, where mages from the lower floors made up the majority.

That was also why I wanted to join this guild. It was the easiest organization for me to approach, and it also had enough power. Of course, I had not known they would be so poor that they held meetings in a cave like this.

But were they really poor...? I looked at the expensive materials passing back and forth in front of me and made a sour face. Then I looked at Mauro. While explaining another person to me, he saw me and blinked.

“Mm, are these people really poor? It looks like selling just one of those would bring in tens of thousands of points.”

I gestured with my chin toward the materials being exchanged and asked Mauro. He gave a small bitter smile and scratched his head.

“Mm, I think it is true that they have no points. None of them can even pay their membership fees properly. Well, as you can see, whenever they get points, they pour them into their puppets.”

At his words, I stared at the puppeteers. All of them were decorating the puppets beside them with the items they had exchanged for. They looked very happy.

“The things being exchanged over there are probably all things they had wrapped up carefully to use on their puppets. From their perspective, they would never think of selling them. Rather than selling those to get points, they would try to make even one more puppet.”

Well, I supposed it was because all of them thought that way that they could make such excellent puppets. Mauro said that and laughed heartily.

“That is also why this meeting is maintained. After all, it is comfortable for everyone if we only barter like this. Since everyone is a puppeteer, their judgment of an item’s value is similar too.”

I nodded at those words. It meant they were typical puppeteers. With Mauro’s words in the background, I slowly observed them. By the end, I could roughly grasp how this guild, and this meeting, worked.

As for that unnamed young man, Mauro only gave a short explanation and moved on. He simply said the young man had climbed to the sixth floor. Excluding Dagon, he held the highest position here.

That young man’s group also naturally blended into the flow of exchange. They too were puppeteers, after all.

The exchange did not end after going around the table once. Those with things they needed brought up discussions again, and only after the turns of people who repeated that two or three times were over did the exchange roughly come to an end.

I could not obtain anything during that process. Even so, I was quite satisfied. Just watching them like this, and hearing the things they discussed, had taught me a great deal.

When things briefly settled down, Mauro stood up. Then he looked around, stroked his beard, and burst into hearty laughter.

“Everyone looks satisfied. Now then, let us end this year’s meeting here. Everyone, feel free to speak among yourselves. If anyone is curious about this friend, come find him at your leisure.”

Mauro said that and lightly placed a hand on my shoulder. At his words, people’s gazes began gathering on me. I lightly bowed my head toward them.

Like that, people began talking to each other. And the first one to approach me was the young man from earlier. He patted his thick belly and strode over without hesitation, letting out a laugh.

He looked over Mira once again. This time, his gaze contained magical power. At that, Mira slightly shook the body leaning against me and breathed out mist. The mist lightly let the young man’s magical power flow away. Seeing that, the young man nodded.

“As expected. The more I looked, the stranger it seemed. My eyes weren’t wrong. Whoever is inside this is a very precious person. It would be hard to even value in points. Am I right?”

He looked at me and winked. At that, I glanced over the people around us. They did not seem to care about Mira anymore. Mira’s power should have been thoroughly hidden, so how had he noticed?

He tapped around his eye and smiled. His blue eyes gave off a cold light.

“I’ve got good eyes, you see. I’m fantastic at telling what’s expensive. In that sense, I’m sorry. To think I only offered six to four for a puppet like this.”

He rummaged through his clothes and took out a small card for me. Perhaps it was modeled after Professor On’s, because the letters Koite were written on it, wavering with magical power. He handed it to me with a friendly smile.

“My name is Koite. Come to our shop later. I’ll welcome you very well. Let’s talk business again then. I don’t have much time right now.”

The business card fell into my hand. He turned around and left the cave with a slightly cheerful gait. Behind him, the group that had followed him in trailed after him.

I did not even have time to say anything to him. As I stared blankly at his back, the people who had been unable to approach because of Koite began inching toward me.

“Um, excuse me. You said you were Evron, right? I, I’m your senior.”

The first to approach was a woman. Thick glasses, curly hair. I quickly looked over her face. Fourth floor, Amelia. Her puppet was a werewolf. Recalling those traits, I smiled warmly.

“Yes, Amelia-senior. I look forward to your guidance.”

“Se, senior.... Hehe, that’s the first time I’ve heard it.”

Amelia blushed slightly and burrowed into the arms of the puppet beside her. Then she peeked her head out and looked at me. I lightly bowed my head toward her and smiled.

Each and every one of these people would become ropes that would serve as my future connections. They would become points of contact too. So I needed to do my best to satisfy them.

Like that, I spent time exchanging names with the people who approached me. How much time had passed? Finally, when no more people came over, I sat my slightly exhausted body down and smiled bitterly.

They were more interested in my puppets than in me. I looked at Mira, who was moving slowly in front of me. Quite a few people looked at her with shining eyes. They said she had a very excellent structure, one that did not suit the level of the second floor.

The turtle was the same. Since it held Professor On’s Wriggler No. 1 in its body, that was only natural. It seemed that item was quite famous among them. Someone even asked me to bring one if I obtained it during class.

Mauro seemed to have finished talking to the others and approached me. Seeing me so exhausted, he burst into hearty laughter.

“Was it a little complicated? Still, treat them well. It has been nearly seventy years since a newcomer joined.”

I nodded at those words. As he said, dealing with these unpredictable puppeteers was a little tiring. But I had gained just as much.

They had inspected my puppets and left advice. About their structures, about the efficiency that needed to be contained in the mana hearts, and about the puppets’ magic. Like that, they spared no words for my sake.

On top of that, there was one more thing I had received unexpectedly. I stared blankly at Mira.

“Oh my, I like this one too.”

Mira stood in front of the table and was sorting items with delicate hands. Dense magical power could be felt from the items piled high on the table.

Those were things Mira had extracted from them under the name of welcome gifts. Various materials filled with magical power, or tools related to puppets. As if bewitched by Mira’s subtle requests, they had taken out those items. It was a very seasoned skill.

Perhaps Mira noticed my gaze, because she smiled brightly. Then she glanced toward the people talking to each other in the distance.

They were people I had not yet spoken to. Perhaps because of Mira, they seemed reluctant to approach me. So her gaze meant I should approach them first.

“I’ll rest for a moment and go right away.”

“Hehe, please push yourself just a little more.”

Somehow, each and every one of them was starting to look like points to me. I clicked my tongue lightly and looked at them. Seeing us, Mauro once again let out a laugh.

“How was it, participating in this meeting? Everyone was a little different from what you expected, yes?”

I nodded slightly. It was something I had kept feeling while observing them. Talking like this made it sink in even more.

“None of them... seemed very mage-like.”

A certain closeness, perhaps, or maybe trust toward one another. Something like that seeped out from their words and actions. Like swordsmen. At those words, Mauro smiled gently and nodded.

“That is right. They are all people who only fiddle with puppets, after all. I suppose it is because they were influenced by the teachings of Professor On and Madam. Was it your first assignment? That thing called love. Well... perhaps because of that, all of them are so absorbed in puppets that they have no points at all.”

I placed my hand on my chest. The connection extending toward my puppet. Did they all recognize this kind of connection too? If so, I understood their attitude.

Once one realized this connection, one could not help being drawn to all puppets naturally. That must be why they tried to guide younger students like this. As expected, there were no bad people among those who handled puppets.

Then what exactly was this person? I looked at the business card left in my hand. Magical power flowed steadily along the letters spelling Koite.

Mauro saw that business card and smiled bitterly. He slowly stroked his beard and opened his mouth.

“That friend is my adopted son. I raised him myself outside the university.”

“What do you think? Do we look a little alike?” Mauro said with a wink. Seeing that, I quietly blinked.

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