WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 149

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149.

Mauro walked ahead without hesitation, as if the scenery of the tower was familiar to him. After pushing through the puppets, he passed through the huge door. Once he stepped into the clearing, he gave us a light beckon.

I followed him through the door. The moment I crossed over, I felt a great amount of magical power rippling around me. It was flowing naturally from the people already gathered in the clearing.

I glanced around. There was nothing in this vast clearing. It was like an empty plain stretching endlessly in every direction.

Were they holding the general assembly here? I wondered how exactly it would proceed. For now, we probably needed to join the others. I followed Mauro and slowly headed toward the center.

The closer we came to the crowd, the stronger the rippling magical power became. Within the flow of magical power surrounding us, I felt them glance our way, as if they had noticed us too.

Mauro stopped near them and jerked his chin toward us. It meant we should wait here. I stopped in place and examined the others.

Now that I was this close, I could tell there were invisible lines drawn between them. They had probably come from different cities. Three groups, roughly? It seemed not everyone had arrived yet.

As if proving they were puppeteers, each of them had puppets standing beside them. I glanced over those puppets, then tilted my head slightly. Something felt a little strange.

The puppets all had different forms. Even so, I could feel a kind of unity from them. It felt as if the puppets in each group had all been constructed in the same way.

As I studied the puppets, I frowned slightly. Just as I was examining them, they were examining us too. And from them, I could feel a slightly unpleasant air.

It was not just one or two of them. Most of the group was giving off that feeling. I could easily read a hint of mockery in their eyes.

That mockery was not aimed only at me. Rather, it would be more accurate to call it contempt directed at the puppeteers of our association.

I could not understand why they were looking at us like that. Was there something wrong with us? Thinking that, I compared them to us. Then I scratched my head lightly.

Mm, maybe it was only natural they would look at us that way.

They were all dressed neatly. And as I could see now, each group showed a kind of unity through its patterns or colors. They strongly gave off the impression of belonging to an association.

By contrast, we were... I looked at the puppeteers of our association. Most of them were in shabby clothes that looked ready to fray at any moment, and on top of that, their puppets were a chaotic mess with no sense of unity.

The difference in numbers was huge too. A single one of their groups was two or three times larger than ours.

From the perspective of an association, meaning an organization, we were no better than a disorderly mob compared to them. So that was probably why they were sneering at us.

Even under those gazes, the people of our association did not care. They paid no attention to those looks and simply focused on checking their own puppets. That indifferent attitude really could be called puppeteer-like.

Mauro stood in front of us with a slight smile. Just as he was about to speak, one of those groups began murmuring, and one person stepped out.

It was a woman with white hair. Wearing light armor, she walked straight toward Mauro. When Mauro saw her, he blinked slightly, then closed his mouth.

Powerful magical power rippled from her. It stood in stark contrast to Mauro, whose magical power was crawling along the ground. From the way she looked at Mauro, I thought I could feel a hint of killing intent too.

Perhaps Mauro felt it, because he let out a slightly bitter smile. I could read a little awkwardness in his eyes. It was the first time I had seen him, always so relaxed, react like that.

Mauro soon seemed to pull himself together and began walking toward her. Once they faced each other, Mauro let out a hearty chuckle and waved warmly.

“It has been a long time, Miss Aronia. Has it been twenty years since we last met?”

The woman called Aronia snorted lightly. Then she extended her magical power and ran it over Mauro’s body.

Mauro simply smiled and let that magical power do as it pleased. After checking his condition, she clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Don’t act friendly. I thought I told you not to call me that. You’re still in a pathetic state. And you brought your miserable puppies along again. I suppose the humiliation you suffered last time wasn’t enough.”

At Aronia’s words, Mauro scratched his head slightly and chuckled. Seeing how relaxed he looked, Aronia glared and released a little killing intent.

Mauro smoothly let that killing intent flow past him and stroked his beard. Were those two in some kind of grudge relationship? No, rather than that, it looked more like Aronia was one-sidedly hostile toward Mauro.

Had that mood spread to her group too? The eyes that group turned toward us were unbearably cold. Mauro lightly waved his hand in that atmosphere.

“Humiliation? What humiliation? Everyone came here to enjoy themselves, so what is there to be disgraced over? So relax your face now too. I do not want to see that beautiful face of yours twisted like that. A smile suits you better, you see.”

Mauro burst into loud laughter. Aronia glared at him, but he only shrugged. After staring at him for a long while, she clicked her tongue and smoothed out her expression.

At the same time, her magical power calmly settled. Mauro stroked his beard and stared intently at Aronia. Avoiding that gaze, she lightly scanned the surroundings, and soon her eyes turned to me.

“That’s a face I haven’t seen before. Is that the new recruit who joined this time?”

“That he is. Quite an outstanding fellow.”

Mauro nodded. At his words, Aronia glanced sideways at me. Then she suddenly raised her magical power and shot it at me like an awl.

Mira, who was beside me, released mist from her fingertips. It swallowed Aronia’s magical power, then scattered naturally as if it had never existed.

The entire process happened faster than a blink. So fast that I did not even notice it. I only barely registered that the magical power had existed at all.

I glanced at Mira. Then I bowed my head slightly in thanks. If she had not been there, that magical power might have hit me. Mira smiled lightly and linked her arm with mine.

“She’s strong. Even if I used all my strength, she would be hard to deal with.”

Mira whispered lightly to me. At her words, I narrowed my eyes slightly. Did that mean she was a mage strong enough to trouble Mira?

Mira was a treasure. Even though she was embedded in that body and bound by restrictions, unable to use even a third of her power, her strength was still immense.

But that woman named Aronia possessed enough power to stand against Mira. That meant she was a mage of at least the ninth floor. She was probably the head of that city’s association. Aronia examined Mira, then nodded.

“What a curious puppet. It doesn’t suit a new recruit.”

“You felt it too, did you? That is why I am so confident. I believe this fellow will win this basic competition.”

Mauro smiled brightly. Aronia snorted at his words. But the gaze with which she examined me was terribly sharp.

Why say something like that? I glanced around. Perhaps because of the conversation between the two association heads, I felt many gazes gather on me.

I quietly gave a bitter smile. I did not really know what form this competition would take. They had said they would decide the method on-site.

So I had been planning to avoid attracting as much attention as possible, but I had not expected to fail the moment I arrived. I quietly scratched my head and bowed toward Aronia. She did not even glance at my greeting and continued examining Mira.

“Win, you say. That’s an amusing story.”

A heavy voice rang out, carrying magical power. I thought I could feel a thick stench of blood within it. It had come from among another group.

Soon, a man revealed himself. He was full of killing intent. It was like a trace soaked into his body.

Aronia looked slightly disgusted when she saw him. Mauro, by contrast, did not care and smiled brightly as he waved.

“Mm, Gaon, you came early too.”

“I can’t be late when I’m here to see Professor. Unlike you, bastard.”

The man grinned. Beside his mountain-like bulk stood a small puppet that did not match his size. It was a puppet in the shape of a young girl.

Looking at it, I narrowed my eyes. Its composition felt similar to Professor On’s puppet. It had a form that seemed almost endlessly close to a person.

Was it trying to resemble Professor On’s puppet? Thinking that, I looked at the puppet, then soon realized I was wrong.

That was not a puppet made to look like a person.

It was the opposite. A person had been made into a puppet.

My eyes widened slightly in shock. I never thought I would see a puppet made with a person as material at the university. I quietly shifted my gaze to the group of the man called Gaon.

From them, I could feel the same air that his puppet gave off. A strong stench of blood was coming from them. It was clear they had all made people into puppets.

“It seems we’ll be taking the basic competition again this time. The fellow who won last time is still on the fourth floor, you see. Judging by the look of that guy, he hasn’t been at the university for long, so tell him to try his best not to die in this competition. Accidents always happen, after all.”

The man showed his teeth slightly and smiled as he said that. Mauro met his gaze, lightly stroked his beard, then burst into laughter.

“That fellow will not be able to beat our young Evron either. Yes, indeed.”

At his words, I felt even stronger gazes pour toward me. With an awkward smile, I subtly hid myself among the people. Then I stared at Mauro.

Why would you say that? When I glared at him with a bit of resentment, he gave me a hearty laugh. Then he raised his thumb and winked.

Now that I thought about it, I remembered saying something like that to him. That I would prove myself. He was clearly doing this to help with that. In the end, was my own mouth the problem? I let out a light sigh and hid myself even more.

After us, people began arriving one after another. Just like the groups that had gathered first, the people from each city all had their own kind of unity. They were also the same in that they gave our association slightly mocking looks.

Their numbers were all greater than ours. We had only around fifty people, while each of them had well over a hundred. That was probably why they looked down on us like this.

Then why did our city’s association have the fewest members? Before I came, I had heard that no new recruits had joined for a long time, but that alone did not seem to be the reason.

Well, I felt like I would learn the reason soon enough. I lightly shrugged. More than that, waiting here like this somehow reminded me of the entrance ceremony.

As I lightly traced those memories, Mira leaned her head against me. When I looked at her, she met my gaze and smiled slightly.

“Hehe, this is interesting. I thought all puppeteers would be the same, you see. I didn’t know they would be this varied.”

I could see her eyes were filled with interest. I nodded lightly. Maybe it was because I had joined the Stalactite City association, but I had thought all puppeteers would be like those in our association.

But facing them directly, I found they were a little different. The associations in each city had a kind of unity like this. Whether in their clothing or in the composition of their puppets, their tendencies branched out in completely different directions.

I lightly rubbed my chin. Before joining the association, I had researched it quite a bit, but I had not known there were differences like this between each city.

Unlike those groups that had achieved unity, the people of our association were incredibly messy. Mm... no, our association did have unity too.

I quietly nodded. Maybe because so many people had gathered, their mocking gazes felt especially strong. Even so, the people of our association still paid them no mind at all.

They only stared endlessly at their own puppets and communicated with them. Couldn’t that intense desire for puppets be called the defining trait of our association? Thinking that, I scratched my head.

There was only one person from our association who reacted to their gazes. Beside me, Koite lightly clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, this is why I tried to make the others dress a little more decently. Damn it, when I become association head, I really will change everything.”

I quietly nodded. Now that I had come to the general assembly, I naturally understood why Koite had wanted to change the association. I had not expected to end up in such an awkward situation right after arriving either.

Under those prickling gazes, I glanced at Mira. The necklace around her neck was giving off dense magical power. It seemed Mauro had not given me that request for nothing.

In the crowded clearing, the association heads from each city gathered separately. The magical power surging from them flowed across the clearing.

Just like their groups, each of them gave off a different atmosphere. Among them, Mauro was laughing leisurely.

“Hm, so what are we supposed to do here? There’s nothing at all.”

Mira murmured while examining the surroundings. At that moment, as if it had heard her words, the ground began to ripple. The rippling grew stronger, and soon the ground slowly split open.

Several buildings rose from between those cracks. They filled this wide clearing in an instant. Even the air above it.

I looked around. Several platforms had been placed on the ground, and many buildings floated in the air. Between those buildings, I could see people moving busily.

They were definitely Professor On’s puppets. They moved energetically and carried the buildings. A kind of festival-like atmosphere flowed from them.

Just like that, the surroundings were instantly filled with noisy commotion. I looked at the several platforms on the ground with magical power. But the complex, rippling magical power inside naturally blocked my gaze.

What was in there? While I was thinking that, I saw Professor On between the buildings. Professor On too was slowly rising while splitting the ground. Beside Professor On, Tiena looked at us and laughed softly.

When she linked arms with Professor On and lightly waved, the gathered association heads quietly bowed their heads. The other puppeteers did the same.

I lowered my head and sank into thought. I had not realized it when meeting her alone, but seeing it like this made it feel a little more real. She really was the head of the whole association responsible for this association.

Unlike Tiena, who responded to us like that, Professor On showed no reaction at all. Professor On simply walked over with a tired face.

Once Professor On stood in front of us, Professor On let out a light sigh and swept a gaze over the people. That gaze contained not the slightest emotion, as if looking at something worthless.

“You all came in great numbers again this time. It is only a pity that even with so many gathered, there are still so few puppets worth being satisfied with.”

Tiena lightly poked Professor On’s arm. Then she whispered something into Professor On’s ear. At that, Professor On’s face softened. Professor On smiled slightly toward us and continued speaking.

“Mm, enjoy this general assembly as well. Tiena has prepared many things, so take what you can with your own ability.”

After finishing those words, Professor On gently wrapped an arm around Tiena’s waist. Then Professor On kissed her lightly.

The way Professor On paid no attention to other people’s eyes was truly puppeteer-like. After savoring her lips for quite a while, Professor On raised Professor On’s head. Then Professor On glanced at the gathered association heads.

“Then shall we discuss how these competitions will be held? You, follow me.”

Professor On lightly tapped the ground. Then the magical power rippled and created a tall castle in the air. Once Professor On and Tiena entered, the association heads also headed inside as if they were used to it.

What form would the competition take? I did not know. But no matter what form it took, I could be confident I would handle it well enough. The sum of all my past years was contained inside this. I lightly touched my chest.

Perhaps because the central figures had disappeared, the surroundings began to murmur little by little. The borders between the groups broke down, and people left their groups one by one and scattered.

It seemed they were going to talk with people they knew. The people of our association also naturally scattered and disappeared somewhere.

“Well then, I should get moving too. I need to fish up a few new employees.”

Koite, who had been beside me, stretched and looked around. Soon, with a refreshing smile wide enough to show his teeth, he quickly walked away.

As he moved forward, he paused for a moment, looked back at me, and pointed at the many buildings floating in the sky.

“You should move around freely too. Go look at the stalls up there or something. There’ll be lots of interesting things. Well, of course, you probably won’t be able to buy anything.”

Koite left with a laugh. I saw him naturally join the people from another city, curl his hand into a circle, and smile greedily.

At the same time, Mira wrapped my arm even more tightly. Then she pulled me firmly. When I looked at her, I could see her eyes sparkling a little.

“Hehe, then shall we go on a date? I’ve started wanting to look around this area.”

A date, huh. At those words, I scratched my head lightly. It seemed this festival-like atmosphere had drawn out a lot of her interest. I nodded. In that case, I needed to go along with her for a little while.

Relaxing like this before the competition would probably be a good idea too. Led by her hand, I slowly stepped forward. Toward the countless buildings floating in the air.

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