WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 134

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The axe flew wildly through the air, cutting down the soldiers. They tried to block it, but the axe, condensed with powerful magical power, swung with vicious force and split them apart.

The sound of things being smashed filled the area, and soon, everything fell completely silent. Every soldier had been cut down.

I glanced at the axe. The magical power dwelling inside it was immense. It was clearly power that came from a treasure. She was using it freely.

How was that possible? A treasure’s magical power was unbelievably violent. Even I could only stockpile it and use it for magic.

Being able to handle something like that so well meant one of two things. Either she was a being born from that magical power, or she was the owner of it.

That was why, before entering the dream, I had thought so hard while investigating their identities. Were they agents the treasures had planted in me? That kind of thing.

But that could not be true. They existed as anchors, as the core of my dream. That meant they were deeply connected to me.

An anchor in a natural dream like this was different from one in a play. In a play, anchors were forcibly created to construct the dream, but here, those anchors naturally came into being.

And I had about fifty such anchors. That number was exactly the same as the number of treasures connected to my message board.

I lightly stroked my chin. If the treasures had not planted them, then what exactly were they?

Now I would be able to find out. After this crisis, I had finally gotten to meet them. Thinking that, I slowly steadied myself and moved forward.

“Slaughter! Slaughter!”

I saw the Professor with rabbit ears, Rabbit for short, set down the axe and pick something up from the ground. I glanced at what she was collecting.

It was a small orb. With hazy energy rippling inside it, the orb looked familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before.

Where had I seen this? After thinking for a moment, I nodded. It looked like the dream orbs Koite used to eat.

Rabbit rummaged across the ground and picked up two orbs in total. Holding them in her hand, she hesitated briefly, then put one into her mouth.

She began sucking on it like candy. As she did, her eyes sparkled.

“Slaughter!”

She threw both hands high into the air. Her rabbit ears spun round and round, plainly showing how pleased she was.

The nun approached Rabbit. Then, with a small laugh, she stroked her head.

“I have told you again and again, you must not eat those. They are bad for your body. Now, spit it out.”

The nun lightly tapped Rabbit’s head. Then she held out her hand. Rabbit Professor quietly watched her expression.

Rabbit mouthed the orb for a moment, then soon made a sullen face and spat it out. After that, she started wiping it on the fur clothes she was wearing.

Once the orb had returned to its original appearance, Rabbit stared down at it, then held both orbs out to the nun with a regretful look. The nun checked them and nodded.

“I will go make you something tasty with this wish orb. So do not be too disappointed.”

After saying that, she lightly stroked Rabbit’s head and tucked the orbs into her clothes. A wish orb, huh. That seemed to be the name of those orbs.

Rabbit cheered up and lifted the axe. The nun looked at her, then lightly waved a hand.

Magical power rippled from her fingertips, and a light mist began to rise. Then it swept gently through the surroundings.

I glanced at the mist. As I had felt before, she had power that came from Mira. That was why Mira had found it interesting too.

It was also one of the reasons I did not suspect them of being agents of the treasures. Mira had no reason to leave something like this in me.

The mist blooming from the nun was similar to Mira’s, but also a little different. Should I say it felt much thinner? Even so, it was clear that it had come from Mira.

“There is nothing around us now. More importantly, I did not expect to meet the little lamb here. What brings you this time?”

She drew the mist back into her body and looked at me. A small smile had appeared on her face.

I lowered my head slightly. She handled Mira’s power, but she was not Mira. Since I could not be sure of her identity, I had no choice but to stay wary.

But there was no need to show that. I raised both hands and put a bright smile on my face.

“I came to meet you.”

“Us?”

She tilted her head slightly. I glanced above her head. A large sun was floating there.

Following my gaze, she looked up at the sky. But as if she could not see the sun, she only scanned empty air. Was that because it was an option I had added separately?

“Yes. I have something I want to ask.”

I spoke with a light shrug. At that, she stroked her chin. From the gentle smile in her eyes, I could see a hint of interest.

Just as she was about to speak, she paused. Then she began looking around. Murderous intent had begun rippling from somewhere.

The intense killing intent spilling from the distance reached even me clearly. Rabbit seemed to sense it too, because she gripped the axe tightly.

After confirming that, the nun gave me a small nod. Then she brought her index finger to her lips and signaled for silence.

The killing intent swept past us. From it came the same raw iron smell I had sensed from the soldiers before. I let out a small sigh. It seemed we had not been found.

“Before we talk, we should move first. Other things will soon swarm this place.”

After saying that, the nun turned and began walking. Above her head, the sun floated silently and gave off a dark light.

She walked slowly for quite some time before stopping. That must have meant we had arrived.

I looked around. But there was nothing but wasteland everywhere. I could not see anything special. As I thought that, the nun lightly tapped the ground.

After repeating that a few times, she took one more step forward. Then a building began rising from the ground. It was shaped similarly to the one I had seen in the previous dream.

I slowly approached it. Once I got close enough to check, I found that the building was impressively small.

“Now, please come in.”

The nun opened the door and pointed inside. Following her gesture, Rabbit hummed and headed in. I also cautiously entered.

Then I blinked at the sight inside. A small single-room space came into view. A small altar occupied the center of the room.

“Hehe, it is a little different from the last dream, is it not? It cannot be helped. The place where we met last time was the center of the dream. Right now, this place is our home.”

The nun said that and held out a small cushion. I lowered my head slightly and sat on it. She then placed an old table in front of us.

It seemed to be something she had picked up from somewhere in the dream. Rabbit leaned against the table, tapped the axe, and let her eyes sparkle.

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit lightly tapped the table. The nun smiled and took one orb from her clothes. It was the wish orb she had just collected.

She seemed to focus for a moment, then placed it on the table. The orb changed, soon turning into food.

It was steaming fried chicken. Rabbit threw both hands into the air and began picking it up and eating.

“How is that possible?”

I asked the nun while watching. The nun laughed lightly at my question.

“It is an item that sometimes appears when those soldiers are caught. It grants what the user wants. Of course, it has limits.”

I silently nodded. Then I scratched the tip of my nose. So there were even items like that. Just how did my dream work? It was full of things I could not understand.

“Then I will serve you some tea.”

Saying that, I stood up. Then I lightly cast magic and prepared tea. Some of the dream demon powder I had prepared mixed into it, giving it a faint fragrance.

I placed it before them. Perhaps the scent drew her interest, because Rabbit stopped eating the fried chicken and took a sip of tea.

After holding it in her mouth for a while, Rabbit tasted the sweetness and went limp. The nun also sipped it and gave a faint smile.

“Hehe, it is delicious. We know that magic too, but what we make does not have this kind of flavor mixed in. The little lamb’s skill is quite unique. As expected of the original, I suppose.”

After muttering that, she glanced at me. A slight, beaming smile spread across her face.

“Then shall we continue the conversation we could not finish earlier? You said there was something you wanted to ask.”

“What should I call you?”

I spoke to her. Come to think of it, we had not even properly introduced ourselves yet. I needed to make that clear first.

“Call me whatever you wish. Since I am dressed this way, you may simply call me Nun. I do not have a name of my own.”

The nun spoke with a light laugh. Nun, huh. It was the same as what I had been calling her in my head until now.

I nodded slightly. Then I placed a hand on my chest. Perhaps because this was a dream, I could not feel my heartbeat. Instead, I could clearly feel the writhing of the tree beyond it.

“The obsession rising in my heart is growing stronger with time, so I want to remove it. But to do that, I need to know its exact cause. I thought you might know the reason, Nun.”

I glanced at her. She resembled Professor so much that I could believe it if someone said Professor herself had been brought here.

So she had to be connected to my obsession. In Lumira’s dream, I had watched my puppets become stained by inner demons so easily and thought this. Inner demons were like desire.

They had been stained by inner demons and transformed themselves to match. Then what kind of form would a being that expressed such desire take in my dream?

It would take the form right before my eyes, the shape of Professor. In that sense, these unknown beings had to be deeply connected to me.

Even if I did not know their exact origin, it was clear they knew more about my dream than I did. They were even functioning as anchors of my dream right now.

There was no reason not to seek an answer from them. That must have been why the sun had guided me to them too.

“The reason for your obsession, you say.”

At those words, she sank into thought. She toyed with her teacup and closed her eyes, then soon nodded.

“I do have something in mind.”

“What is it?”

I leaned slightly toward the nun in anticipation. Could I really get an answer this easily? But she drew back a little.

She placed a hand on her own chest. After lightly tapping around her chest with her fingers, she looked at me and smiled brightly.

“It is a secret.”

At her words, I could only blink. A secret? The nun drank her tea and smiled gently with her eyes. Beyond that smile, I could see the same mischievousness as Mira.

Looking at her, I opened my mouth.

“Then is there something you want, Nun? If you answer my question, I will help you with it. With everything I have.”

At that, her eyes shone faintly. I could see interest in them. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head slightly.

“Hehe, it is not that I do not want to tell you. I am not saying it because you need to learn it for yourself. Even if I said it, the dream would block those words.”

After saying that, she opened her mouth and said something. But the words brushed past my ears and vanished. Just as she had said, the dream was stopping me from hearing them.

Why was this happening? As I frowned, she began sipping her tea. After savoring the taste, she soon nodded lightly and continued.

“Still, I can give the little lamb a little help. You said you wanted to know the root of that obsession, yes? For that, you will need to head to the end of this world.”

The end of the world. That must mean I had to head to the end of that abyss. I waited for her to continue.

“This place is the little lamb’s inner world. The closer you come to its end, the purer the form that is revealed. The little lamb’s soul, I mean. So once you reach it, you will understand right away.”

The nun said that and let out a light laugh. Well, the road will be difficult, though. She added those words and curved her eyes into crescents.

How did she know such a thing? I set that question aside for now. Whatever her identity was, there was no doubt she was helping me.

Right now was the time to gather information. Judgment could come after that. I stroked my chin. The deepest place, huh. I glanced at the nun.

“Is there a specific reason the path is difficult?”

She had deliberately added that it would be hard to get there. There must be a reason. At my question, she glanced outside the building.

“As you know since you just met them, those soldiers are very good at hunting. The closer you get to the end, the more those soldiers will overflow.”

She said that and smiled brightly. Soldiers, huh. I scratched my head slightly.

“I do not know why they are so full of hostility. They felt a little different from the other memories.”

Though it was my past life, I did not properly recognize it. Only fragmentary scenes sometimes came to mind.

At that, she placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head slightly. After thinking for a moment, she opened her mouth.

“I wonder if I may tell you this much. It is because they want to become one with us. Their hostility is an expression of that instinct.”

“One, you say.”

I tilted my head slightly. They were memories of my past life. Why did they want to become one? I looked at the nun.

If it were me, I could understand. I was the result created by that past life. But their hostility was not directed only at me.

They released that killing intent not only toward me, but toward them as well. Then did that mean they were also connected to my past life? I carefully stored that clue away.

I looked at her, but she said nothing more and only smiled softly. She smiled gently with her eyes and sipped her tea.

At the same time, the Black Sun floating above her head slowly began moving. Through the ceiling of the building, I felt the sun’s light gradually grow distant.

I glanced beyond the window. The sun was naturally moving away from me. It was leaving the space above the nun’s head and heading deeper inside.

At that, I nodded slightly. It meant the words the nun had told me were true. The Black Sun always headed toward a definite destination.

I glanced at the nun. I still did not know her identity properly, but for now, everything she had said seemed correct.

She even knew facts like this. The more this went on, the more curious I became about her identity. But it was still too delicate to ask what she was. I needed to gather a little more information.

I had asked for advice, and through it, I had found a new destination. Now all I had to do was move. But there was one problem. I toyed with my teacup.

The path to the destination was extremely dangerous. According to her explanation, there were definitely going to be plenty of those soldiers from earlier. Remembering their strength, I smiled bitterly.

Just facing one unit had left me with no choice but to run. No, I had not even managed to run properly. Without their help, I would have died then and there.

I let out a small sigh. My specialty lay in puppets. It was difficult to face them with simple magic. If only I had the turtle, that would have been enough. What a shame.

It was not as if I could make puppets here either. The surroundings were nothing but wasteland. It was nowhere near enough to secure materials for puppets.

It would be nice if there were beings somewhere that could become my arms and legs. Beings I could receive help from. Thinking that, I stroked my chin.

Then I looked at the nun and Rabbit sitting around the table. I had no power. But beings far stronger than me were right before my eyes.

If I could use them, could I not reach the end of the world? I did not know what kind of beings they were, but for now, the fact that they had helped me was enough for a passing grade.

At the very least, they did not seem intent on killing me like the other memories. I quietly cleared my throat and drew their attention. Then I met the nun’s eyes.

“Then could you help me?”

At that, the nun tilted her head. Holding up her teacup and lightly savoring its fragrance, she narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“Help, you say?”

“Yes. Since you said the path is dangerous, I need your help. I think it will be too much for me alone.”

I nodded and spoke confidently. Showing my lack plainly was the best way to make someone want to help.

At that, the nun laughed lightly. Then an amused look appeared in her eyes. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at me.

“Is there any reason we should? The road there is difficult for us too.”

I nodded slightly. Earlier, when I asked what she wanted, she had looked as if she wanted to say something.

That meant there was something she wanted. Then I needed to press that point.

“I will make the offer I mentioned earlier again. Is there something you want, Nun? If you help me, I will do my best to help you obtain it.”

“Hmm, then could you take me to reality?”

The nun asked lightly while tapping the table. At that, I could only pause for a moment. Reality? I glanced at her.

I could see an air about her that seemed to be half Professor and half Mira. She was an anchor of my dream, in other words, a being of dreams. Was that why she wanted to come out into reality?

I fell into thought for a moment. Then I nodded. A being from reality could enter a dream, so why would something inside a dream be unable to escape outside? It should be possible somehow.

“I cannot be certain, but I think it will be possible. No, I will make it possible. Then, over there, may I call you Rabbit? What about you, Rabbit?”

“Slaughter?”

Rabbit, who had not paid the slightest attention to our conversation, raised her head at my words. One chicken bone popped out of her mouth.

“Can you help me, Rabbit? I will grant you anything you want.”

At my words, Rabbit began thinking. Soon, she took a sip of tea, then drew a round circle with both hands as her eyes sparkled. It was a clear expression of agreement.

“Slaughter! Slaughter!”

She waved the teacup wildly. It meant she wanted one more cup of tea. I filled her teacup and nodded.

She had also shown that she wanted to see reality. Since they were beings of dreams, what they wanted was more or less the same.

For now, I had obtained one person’s agreement. I looked at the nun. She laughed lightly and nodded. Then she stroked her own chin.

“Hmm, since the little lamb has descended into the dream, this long dream will somehow come to a close. Hehe, that is good. I was just starting to get bored. Very well, shall we go together?”

“You must keep your promise.”

After saying that, she smiled brightly. I nodded too. If I could borrow their power, keeping the promise would be no great task.

And so, we confidently set out. Before long, we returned to the building we had started from.

I frowned while rubbing my aching chest. I could feel a bruise where a bullet had hit me. We had fled from the soldiers.

I glanced at the nun. She also had traces of bullets grazing her body. She met my gaze and gave a small laugh.

“Oh my, as expected, it is difficult with only the two of us. We were not enough.”

It was the same even after repeating it several times. The defensive line the soldiers created only grew thicker, and we were repeatedly blocked by it and forced to run.

“Slaughter! Slaughter!”

Rabbit swung her axe wildly. Her cheeks were puffed out, and her face was full of dissatisfaction over having run away.

But there was nothing we could do. A force dozens of times larger than before had blocked the road and was waiting for us. If we tried to face them, our lives would be in danger.

My life, that was. I could not die here again. More importantly, to think even their power was not enough to break through. That was unexpected.

They really must have been fighting for a long time. Now I understood. Those soldiers were used to dealing with magical power because they had fought these two to exhaustion.

Thinking back to how the soldiers had handled the nun and Rabbit, I smiled bitterly. Besides them, about fifty beings resembling Professor were wandering around inside the dream.

If they kept fighting all of them, anyone would become skilled at handling those opponents. According to the nun, those things were a kind of swarm, so they shared experience as well.

“Then what should we do?”

The nun placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head slightly. Rabbit leaned against her and drooped.

I crossed my arms and looked at the nun. Then I toyed with the orb held between my fingers. I had not expected even these two to be insufficient.

It was because of the difference in numbers. No matter how strong they were, they could not stop enemies swarming from every direction. Then we needed to increase our numbers too.

“It seems the time has come to use this orb. I need to draw the others.”

Saying that, I raised my hand. The orb in my hand gave off a hazy light. The nun saw it and tilted her head slightly. Looking at that, I grinned.

“You said this place was too vast for the others to come to us, yes? Then we will call them here. A kind of gacha.”

This orb granted wishes, she had said. As far as I had checked, that power was real. Then perhaps I could use it. Thinking that, I had kept fiddling with it.

I had also obtained some results. I glanced at the magic circle laid out on the floor. It was a kind of summoning magic circle. I had made it after thinking it over again and again. It functioned by forcibly pulling things connected to me to this place.

Dreams had no spatial restrictions. Because of that, no matter how far away they were, it was possible to forcibly seize them and bind them to this spot. If I combined this orb with the magic circle’s power, I might be able to pull in the anchors of my dream too.

“A gacha, you say. But the power of that orb alone will not be enough.”

I nodded lightly. She was right. Even if I tried a summon with this, there was almost no chance anything useful would come out. The power of the wish contained inside the orb was extremely faint.

Things I could not predict would clearly keep popping out. But if one time was not enough, I only had to repeat it dozens of times. Then sooner or later, something would get caught.

When I finished explaining that, the nun burst into laughter as if she found it interesting. Her eyes sparkled lightly.

“Hehe, this brings back old memories. I was once quite absorbed in something like that too. How nostalgic.”

What was that supposed to mean? I glanced at her. At that, she lightly waved a hand. I saw her shake her head with a faint smile.

“It is only a small thing I said to myself. Do not mind it.”

I stared at her, then nodded. For now, I needed to focus on this new magic rather than on her.

I closed my eyes slightly and began breathing my will into the orb. The orb’s power was extremely faint. If I had been summoning with only this, it would not have stood a chance.

But this only served to search for something connected to me. Pulling it here was the magic circle’s job. And so, I poured magical power into the magic circle.

Then the magic circle gave off a clear light and began containing the orb within its circuits. And I saw a small door appear at the center of the magic circle.

Looking at that door, I swallowed. Beyond it would be the result of my first summoning. The door, supplied with enough magical power, slowly began to open. I could see blue light leaking through the gap.

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