WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 146

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146.

Simply creating Rabbit did not mean this whole mess was over. There was still cleanup to handle. If you caused trouble, you had to take responsibility for it.

So I bound the three beings responsible for the incident. Of the three, I put the most effort into restraining Tooth Necklace. I was tense, wondering if it might resist, but thankfully, it accepted the result.

-Oh dear, I failed in the end. I lost this game! My, my, next time I will have to try harder to win.

It said that and clacked its teeth together. Magic circles surrounded it in layer after layer. They had been drawn by the puppets stationed nearby. They were simple magic circles that would sound an alarm if it left the area.

There was no need to draw anything more elaborate than that. As I was now, I could not deal with that thing directly. All I needed was to keep its actions under control.

Handling it properly would have to wait until Professor returned. I lightly stroked my chin. Next time, huh. Whether it would really get another chance was hard to say. Professor was sure to punish it thoroughly.

After cutting my connection to it, I began writing on the mirror bug. I needed to record the fifth rule born from this incident.

A new rule. I could not even remember how long it had been since I last made one of these. It felt like well over a year since the fourth rule was created.

Come to think of it, every rule so far had come about because of Hao. This one was no different. It seemed I had let that one run far too loose.

There was no need to deal with Hao separately. Hari was already punishing Hao enough. Ever since the last incident, she had kept Hao tied up and was raising them that way.

Every action of theirs was now controlled. Why had they done something like that? No matter how good the points were, they should have expected what would happen if they failed like this.

I could not understand it. I did not want to understand it either. I clicked my tongue lightly and finished the notice.

-5. A girl wearing rabbit clothes sometimes appears in the tower.
If she asks something of you, please make sure to listen to her. If you do not, she may attack you.
If damage occurs because of this, please come find me.
A simple consultation and "cleansing" will be carried out in the infirmary.

After editing the notice, I stretched lightly. Then I looked at the owner of the rule I had just posted. A small puppet was scurrying around the workshop.

It was Rabbit, who had now fully settled into that body. She was wandering through the workshop, poking at the puppets I had made. Under her hands, the unfinished puppet bodies crumbled apart.

Rabbit looked down at those puppets, then glanced at me. Then she hid the broken bodies among the other puppets. Watching that, I let out a small sigh.

How long had it even been since she caused trouble? And she was already doing that again. The reason I had established this new rule was because of what she had done this morning.

Having appeared in the world for the first time, she was extremely curious. Because of that, she sometimes went around watching the students. And today, she had completely smashed one student who refused her request.

In the process, a great deal of unstable magical power originating from Rabbit had seeped into the student’s body, so cleansing the student had been quite a hassle. Even so, I could not stop Rabbit from behaving that way.

That was how she expressed her desires. So for now, all I could do was leave a warning through the notice to prevent it from happening again. I could only hope she calmed down a little.

After wandering all over the workshop, Rabbit headed toward No. 0. No. 0 was fiddling with a puppet. Now that there was some breathing room, No. 0 seemed to be thinking about the assignment.

Rabbit tapped No. 0’s body. No. 0 looked down at her. Rabbit raised both hands high.

“Slaughter?”

It was a question asking if No. 0 could play with her because she was bored. No. 0 thought for a moment, then nodded. Then No. 0 put down the puppet they had been fiddling with and lightly raised magical power.

Guided by that magical power, No. 0’s shadow began to wriggle. From within it, strange puppets slowly rose.

How should I put it? They looked like human arms gathered together into tentacles. Those bizarre puppets wriggled, mixed together with shadow. The puppets half-assimilated into that shadow were already no different from another body for No. 0.

The puppets that had appeared began slowly weaving their tentacles together. As the tentacles gathered, and as the shadows forming the puppets merged into one, the puppets gradually turned into a single mass.

At the end of that process, the puppet took on the form of a huge composite monster. Dozens of tentacles writhed from its body.

No. 0 sent a signal to the puppet. The puppet carefully lifted Rabbit and placed her on top of its body. Rabbit stood naturally on its head and looked down.

“Slaughter, slaughter!”

Rabbit lightly stomped her foot and threw herself forward. The puppet quickly stretched its tentacles along her path. Rabbit began sliding down the winding tentacle at high speed. I supposed it was a kind of slide.

After reaching the floor, Rabbit let out a happy laugh and clapped. Then she raised both hands as if asking to ride again. In response, the puppet placed her back on its head.

Watching that, I quietly nodded. At least No. 0 was here. Rabbit loved No. 0’s puppets like this. That was why she often clung to No. 0.

It was probably because of the treasure’s power dwelling inside them. Rabbit seemed to want to move faster, because I saw her raise magical power. That magical power dyed her body red.

Wrapped in that magical power, Rabbit began riding the tentacle at bullet-like speed. She was so fast that unless I put magical power into my eyes, she looked like a red streak. Then she was launched into the air.

That magical power was what had contaminated the student. It had the trait of strongly encroaching on its surroundings, as most treasures did.

In that sense, Rabbit could also be called a kind of treasure. No, since her power was still lacking, spirit object would be more fitting. Still, she was clearly similar to a treasure.

That was probably why she liked No. 0’s puppet so much. I carefully observed No. 0’s huge puppet. Since I also contained a treasure’s magical power, I felt a natural pull toward it too.

A question suddenly occurred to me. Why exactly were the puppets No. 0 made so special? I lightly stroked my chin. It could not simply be because their form appealed to me. Out of curiosity, I had tried making shapes like that a few times myself.

But the treasures had not shown any particular interest in my puppets. I had not felt anything special from my own puppets either.

I glanced at No. 0. Somehow, I felt that No. 0’s puppet and Hao were similar. Both contained a power that naturally drew treasures in.

Well, it was only a simple guess. I lightly shrugged. I still could not clearly identify the cause. No. 0 did not properly understand it either.

So there was no need to think too deeply about it. As long as it was useful like this, was that not enough? I blankly watched Rabbit play with No. 0’s puppet.

After enjoying the puppet-made ride for quite some time, Rabbit came down to the floor. With a thoroughly satisfied expression, she approached my side. It seemed she had enjoyed herself enough.

For her sake, I pulled out a chair slightly. Rabbit hopped up and perched on it. Then she leaned against the backrest and lightly swung her legs.

“Now, shall we have some tea? I made it sweet to suit Rabbit’s taste.”

When I let a little magical power flow, the waiting puppet brought a teacup in front of her. A sweet fragrance gently rose from inside it. Rabbit lifted it and took a small sip.

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit’s eyes sparkled, and she laughed. The rabbit ears on her head perked up, showing her joy. With a pleased smile, I lightly stroked her head.

Rabbit gently shook her head under my hand. The texture of her fluffy fur outfit lingered on my fingertips. It was unbelievably soft.

I glanced at Rabbit. As she sipped her tea, she was wearing the outfit I had seen before in the dream. Her whole body was covered in rabbit-like fur clothing.

The fur clothing gave off a smooth luster. I had made it by skinning the horned rabbit hides Blood Axe had bought in bulk before. That pure white color suited Rabbit very well.

I quietly nodded. That outfit was also something Rabbit had requested. Just like in the dream, it helped calm her mind. It could also be seen as a kind of individuality unique to her.

Watching Rabbit sip her tea, I also leaned against the backrest. Then I poured myself some of the tea and slowly drank it. The sweet fragrance gently relaxed my body.

Rabbit seemed to like the taste, because she quickly emptied the cup and shouted, “Slaughter!” It meant she wanted another cup. I smiled in satisfaction and kept stroking her head.

The delicate texture of that fur made my mind even more comfortable. Mm, was this not the happiness of life, this brief moment of leisure? I stared blankly at the workshop.

Unlike when the gacha had been in full swing, the puppets were not moving in a complicated frenzy. Only a few puppets were continuing that work.

The workshop had grown quiet like this. After one incident passed, the tower became fairly calm. The reason the gacha had been so popular was that the students had been receiving support. It was the result of Blood Axe recklessly scattering those points around.

But the scheme they had tried to pull had failed. The ringleaders had also been bound. After losing that point support, the gacha craze naturally died down too.

As the workshop showed, only a few people now tried the gacha from time to time. Still, the gacha would continue a little longer. The ten-times event was still ongoing, after all.

Of course, its end was not far off either. I gently shrugged. The promised month was almost over. Once it ended, Blood Axe would sink into my swamp of points.

Now all I had to do was wait. I had already half-succeeded in harvesting Blood Axe. With that, I lifted the mirror bug and left Blood Axe a message.

-The repayment date is coming soon. Have you prepared the points?

-S-Slaughter....

Blood Axe showed an extremely servile attitude. It meant it wanted me to extend the deadline just a little longer. It had clearly only now realized how massive the debt was.

But it was already too late. It could no longer escape my hands. Especially since it had scattered so many points to the students.

-Mm, then I will extend it a little.

-Slaughter!

It immediately showed delighted intent. I nodded slightly and put the mirror bug away.

There was no need to imprison Blood Axe the way I had imprisoned Tooth Necklace. The solitary cell it was in was already no different from a huge prison.

It had no hope of escaping that place. Even its offshoot body had been eaten by Rabbit beside me. Blood Axe knew that too.

In that way, it had become extremely obedient. I had succeeded in completely binding Blood Axe with points. I lightly stroked my chin. Then how should I make use of it? That was the question.

A treasure’s power was useful no matter how it was used. Because of that, it was a very pleasant question to consider. As I thought about how to use it, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

Still, I could not handle that power recklessly. It was Professor’s possession. Even the amount I had originally planned to peel away while controlling it had been very small. Just enough to hold the possibility of a treasure.

But now, there was no need for that. An existence with that possibility had already been created. I looked at Rabbit. She was in the middle of drinking another cup of tea.

“Fortunately, it seems to suit your taste.”

“Slaughter!”

She nodded strongly. In response, I clapped lightly. At my signal, a puppet approached again. It held a small tray in its hands.

The puppet set it on the table. Several kinds of snacks were arranged on it. I had prepared ones that would go well with this tea.

“Then try these with it too. I think you will like them.”

As I said that, I placed one snack into Rabbit’s mouth. Rabbit blinked and accepted it. After I pushed in another, then one more, Rabbit’s cheeks puffed up like a squirrel’s.

I lightly patted Rabbit’s head. She had the possibility of a treasure, just as I had wanted.

But I could not say she was the result of achieving everything I had aimed for. Mm, it would be fair to say she was about half a success. The other half was less a failure than an unknown.

During the previous process, she had forcibly absorbed the power of that offshoot body. Perhaps because of that, Rabbit had become a slightly different existence from turtle or Hari.

Turtle and Hari were based on very pure, new desires. Because of that, they could be called beings with infinite possibility.

In contrast, Rabbit’s desire originated from Blood Axe. Should I say she had been stamped out like a kind of mass-produced product? Because of that, no matter how hard she tried, Rabbit could not surpass Blood Axe, which could be called the main body.

Of course, her power was certainly extremely strong. If we considered strength alone, this Rabbit was definitely stronger than Hari or turtle. That power came from Blood Axe, after all.

Ah, thinking about that gave me a good idea for where to use the power I would squeeze out of Blood Axe later. If something was lacking, I just had to fill it.

Rabbit had already been whining from time to time, asking me to make her an axe she could hold in her hand. Then I should use that power to make an axe for Rabbit. If I did, Rabbit’s growth might improve a little too.

I quietly placed a hand on my chest. I had called it half a success, but a success was still a success. Through the connection leading to Rabbit, I could feel pure magical power flowing.

Rabbit was also filtering the treasure’s magical power and delivering it to me. That magical power settled in my tree and made its body even firmer.

With Rabbit joining me, the speed and stability of digesting a treasure’s magical power had improved considerably. If I made just a few more beings like Rabbit, rising to the next rank surely would not be impossible.

Now that the direction was set, all I had to do was steadily walk that path. Of course, fishing up other treasures would be that much harder.

Still, if I pursued a little more perfection based on this incident, it should work out. I even thought that deliberately guiding treasures into causing trouble like this might be a decent method.

At that moment, I felt a slight lurch in my chest. Something had appeared within my domain. I quietly focused my mind on it.

A faint connection began linking to me from beyond it. That hazy ripple gradually grew stronger. This meant a puppet that had been outside my domain was approaching the tower.

The presence had now become very clear. I swallowed slightly. There was only one puppet outside my domain right now. There was also only one being who could form this kind of connection.

I sprang to my feet. Then I looked at Rabbit, who was still chewing snacks with her cheeks puffed out. She met my gaze and tilted her head slightly.

“I think we need to move now. As I said before, there is someone I need to introduce to you, Rabbit.”

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit nodded. Taking her with me, I quickly headed down the tower. They would clearly arrive soon, so I needed to go down in advance.

The familiar presence I felt in my chest belonged to Mira. And if I could feel her, that meant Professor, who had left with her, was also returning. It seemed the graduation evaluation had finally ended.

Standing at the tower entrance, I straightened myself. The connection was now perfectly clear. They were close. As if proving that, someone quickly descended in front of me.

The ripple of that magical power was unmistakably familiar. I had been hit by it many times, so there was no way I would fail to recognize it. It belonged to Professor. Mira and Professor slowly emerged from within that magical power.

“Hoho, to think you were waiting for us like this. I am truly touched.”

Mira covered her mouth and laughed softly. Then, as if greeting me, she lightly waved her fingers. I smiled slightly at her as well, then looked at Professor.

Professor looked extremely sulky as she stared at me. From her slight frown, I could tell she found me irritating.

“Professor, you have returned. I was waiting for you.”

Ignoring that uncomfortable feeling, I smiled brightly and bowed at the waist. Professor clicked her tongue lightly and snapped her head away. She clearly had not fully gotten over her anger yet.

Still, this was better than before. Compared to when she had first shut herself in her room, it was like heaven and earth. Back then, I had not even been able to face her like this.

This could be called the result of my steady efforts over the past year to ease her anger. And now, I had prepared the finishing blow for her. Still bowing, I wore a confident smile.

“While you were away, Professor, I prepared a new gift. I am confident you will like it. Would you like to see it?”

I could feel Professor glance at me. The word gift seemed to have stirred a little interest in her. Mira smiled warmly and lightly gestured toward me.

“Hoho, it seems Professor has become interested. Go on and bring it out. I am curious too.”

I nodded and let my will flow. Perhaps sensing that will, the tower door opened slightly. From inside, Rabbit slowly walked out. I raised myself a little and looked at her.

“Slaughter!”

She raised both hands, looking full of confidence. At the same time, a little magical power rippled. Professor blinked as she looked at Rabbit. It was probably because that magical power was similar to a treasure’s.

Smiling slightly, I stroked Rabbit’s head. She perked up her rabbit ears and swayed under my hand.

“It is a puppet I newly made using the tower’s treasures. Like this turtle, it could be called a kind of spirit object. Though it is a little lacking.”

I lightly tapped the turtle shell hanging on my chest. It let out a meeeng cry. Professor’s eyes sparkled slightly. I could see a bit of interest in them.

Mm, this was the chance. I gently pushed Rabbit’s back. Rabbit went toward Professor. Professor observed the magical power around her, then nodded softly.

“...It is interesting. You made another strange thing. Something like this could not be made using only a treasure’s power.”

Professor said that while glancing at me. A natural laugh escaped me. It had been quite a long time since Professor had spoken to me. This could be taken as proof that her heart had softened a little.

Professor’s magical power slowly swept over Rabbit’s body. Rabbit simply entrusted herself to that magical power and quietly looked around. As Professor examined Rabbit with a satisfied air, she soon frowned slightly.

Was there some problem? I stiffened slightly in tension. Professor glared at me with sharp eyes. Fierce magical power began to ripple from her.

“Everything else is fine, but I think you need to explain why this one has my appearance again. Don’t tell me you used my body again.”

At that, I gave a small dry cough. Then I gestured toward Rabbit. At my call, she spread both arms and scattered her magical power, completely opening her insides. Even the mana heart at her center was exposed.

“This is simply a puppet. It only resembles you in appearance, Professor. I did not intentionally make this form. This shape was the most optimal form for containing that power, so it could not be helped. Please check for yourself.”

I put magical power into my words and spoke with complete sincerity. Then I watched Professor’s reaction. She looked at Rabbit with a slight frown. Then, with her magical power, she searched every corner of Rabbit’s opened body.

Watching that, I gently stroked turtle’s head. Just as with this turtle, she was clearly searching for any trace that her own body had been placed inside.

Professor soon wrinkled the tip of her nose slightly. As she quietly stroked her chin, she nodded lightly. She seemed to have confirmed that everything I said was true. The elements composing Rabbit were very clear.

At Rabbit’s origin was my soul fragment. Beyond that, it was also my inner demon. And within that body was the obsession I had poured out. Those things had combined into one and formed her current shape.

If even one of them had been lacking, Rabbit surely could not have been created. Professor must have realized that right away too. Watching Professor’s reaction, I cautiously swallowed.

Professor crossed her arms and stared at Rabbit. After lightly tapping her arm with a finger, she glanced at me.

“Hmm, I do not like it, but with this kind of composition, I suppose it could not be helped.”

At that, I let out a small sigh of relief. Fortunately, she did not seem to feel much rejection toward Rabbit having an appearance similar to hers.

Of course, I had expected that. I glanced at Mira. Her face looked exactly like Professor’s. If Professor had been dissatisfied with that appearance, she would have said something to Mira too.

But she had not particularly bothered Mira. It was probably because a person’s appearance had no value to her. To her as a dragon, that was nothing more than a shell.

Professor valued what was inside far more than the outward form. She had been angry after seeing turtle because I had stolen a fragment of her and placed it inside. In that sense, this Rabbit could pass her standard well enough.

Of course, if I simply copied her outward form meaninglessly, she would certainly not forgive me. Thinking that, I coughed lightly. Ahem, it seemed I would need to hide that puppet storage room in the workshop even more perfectly.

“Since I received something like this, I suppose I will forgive you a little now. I am letting it go because it is the first time. If you do something like that again, know that I will tear your soul apart and throw you out entirely.”

Why did I let such a strange one in? Professor grumbled and waved her hand. From the tip of her hand, intense magical power rose and rushed toward me in an instant.

The magical power came so fast I could not even react, and it struck my body hard. The impact sent me flying backward.

After hitting the tower wall and falling down, I felt an aching pain through my body. In the middle of that pain, a light laugh escaped me instead.

It was because I understood Professor’s meaning. This was a warning to me. Beyond that, it was also a kind of declaration that she would forgive me. Because of that, even this pain felt incredibly welcome.

“I was bored during the past month anyway, and now something a little interesting has appeared. I am going to examine this child a bit more, so do not disturb me.”

Professor passed by me and cast me a sidelong glance. I quietly nodded. Rabbit shouted “Slaughter!” and patted my head, then followed Professor.

Just as she had done with Hari and turtle, Professor was probably going to adjust that body a little more. I had no reason to interfere with her hobby. With that, Professor entered the tower.

Behind her, I bowed my head. I had finally been forgiven. It was the result of spending a full year on it. So next time, I needed to be careful not to let something like this happen again.

“Hoho, congratulations. Professor finally forgave you. More importantly, to think you made something like that. It seems something interesting happened while I was away.”

Mira approached me and smiled brightly. The mist rising from her body gently wrapped around mine. Feeling that mist slowly lift me up, I gave a slightly bitter smile.

Interesting, huh. If I only looked at the result of creating Rabbit, I could describe it as enjoyable. But the process had been rather uncomfortable. If I had not used a kind of trick, I could not have resolved it with my own power.

I lightly brushed myself off. Mira linked her arm with mine. At the same time, I caught a faint rose scent. Through this incident, I realized just how much I had been relying on her.

Her power was absolute at my current level. Because of that, I had always depended on it. It was the most convenient solution, one that could resolve anything.

But if I kept relying only on her like that, my own development would inevitably stagnate. This incident was proof of that. So I needed to grow my own power further.

“Then let us go in. I have prepared things so you can rest comfortably.”

I bowed my head slightly to Mira as I said that. Mira leaned her head against my chest and smiled softly. I gently accepted her weight and began walking.

After observing and adjusting Rabbit, Professor released her into the tower, just as she had with Hari. Rabbit became half-bound to the tower that way. That was unavoidable too.

The Blood Axe magical power and desire she held were extremely unstable. They were the result of forcibly absorbing what the offshoot body had possessed.

So to stabilize them, that power needed to be slowly refined within the tower’s magical power. That was also why I had given her to Professor as a gift.

As soon as Professor returned, she quickly noticed the abnormality in the tower. There were traces of someone having tampered with the barrier. I reported everything that had happened this time in detail.

As a result, Tooth Necklace and Blood Axe were beaten by Professor’s magical power, then dragged away to Ring of the Sky. Under Ring of the Sky, they were forcibly injected with “happiness.” They would probably be kept inside it for years.

And that entire process was posted on the message board. The treasures who saw it became a little more docile. Since they had seen for themselves what happened to those who tried to escape the tower, they seemed to be watching their behavior.

Like that, the tower began returning to normal, and within it, time also flowed quickly.

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