WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 172

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172.

After the competition ended with my victory, a simple award ceremony was held for us. The prizes were handed out outside the castle, in front of all the gathered puppeteers.

Professor On found the whole process terribly annoying, but with Tiena urging from beside them, they had no choice but to carry on with the ceremony. With the awards given and blessings bestowed upon the participants, the basic competition finally came to an end.

I quietly fiddled with the spatial pouch in my arms. I thought I could feel a slight weight inside it. The prize given to us was simple. Coins, the currency used only in this world.

As the winner, I received a total of five hundred coins. Wriggler No. 1, which made a puppet look alive, had cost 30 coins, so even if I converted this purely into points, it was an excellent result that easily surpassed several million points.

And in keeping with the promise I had made during the first round of the competition, I handed them out generously. I distributed nearly two hundred coins to the others. It was a little more than I had promised them.

But I did not feel it was a waste at all. More important than that was the fact that I had built my image among the association members. An image of reliability, of someone who always kept his promises.

In that sense, handing out those coins could also be called an investment. This association was a place I would be dealing with for a long time to come. With that in mind, I was certain the goodwill I had shown them would help me in the future.

After around two hundred coins disappeared like that, I had three hundred coins left. With that alone, I could clearly buy most things. Of course, right now, I was in no state of mind to go leisurely shopping.

More importantly, I needed to get through the crisis in front of me. I felt my body twitch slightly. It was a kind of conditioned reflex from kneeling for too long.

It was also a sensation I had not felt since magical power took control of my body. Since I had entered this frail body, I could no longer control my body with magical power the way I had before, and that was why this was happening.

I had never known that being unable to control my own body would be this frustrating. Of course, if I just stretched my legs, I would feel better soon. But I could not do that right now.

I glanced up. Mira was looking down at me with her arms crossed. After the award ceremony ended, I had been dragged away by her and made to kneel like this.

I had already spent several dozen minutes quietly trying to read her mood. But she only looked down at me without saying a word. Apparently, her anger had risen to a dangerous level.

I had even tried quietly holding out the coins I had brought, but she snorted and pulled out even more coins than I had. I had no idea where she had gotten that many.

Unlike the competition, which had a clear solution, this crisis was endlessly vague. Because of that, I could not find any proper way to soothe her anger, and could only sit here trying to read her mood.

After looking down at me for a long while, she finally let out a sigh. Then she placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head slightly. At that, No. 0, who had been waiting nearby, gently offered her a chair.

Mira glanced at No. 0, then sat in the chair. Then she rested her chin on her hand and looked at me. Meeting her eyes, I cautiously swallowed.

“I believe you know why I am doing this.”

Mira narrowed her eyes and glared at me. She clicked her tongue softly, then lightly stroked my head.

“If I had known this would happen, I should not have sent Evron alone. To think you would surprise me in that way. I never imagined Evron would run wild without understanding how precious his own life was.”

I could feel the anger brimming in her eyes. Because of that, I carefully watched her expression. Those eyes were still terribly cold. Under that sharp gaze, I quietly looked back down at the ground.

I knew very well why Mira was this angry. She was inside the puppet body I had made. The more complete that body became, the firmer the connection between her main body and the puppet grew.

Through that process, she became able to reveal much of her power. And in reverse, that also meant the body had become a form of restraint for her.

That was also the agreement she and I had reached. It was a restriction meant to let her loose in a place like the university. In that sense, there were many safeguards built into it as well.

And the greatest among them was our shared life. If I died, her body would also stop functioning. Then her main body, the Fog Heart connected to it, would naturally suffer a fatal wound as well.

So when I died, Mira could not help being shocked enough to wreck the competition grounds. In that sense, my life could not be said to belong only to me.

I quietly scratched my head. Even for me, that first death had been unexpected. If I had known I would die like that, I would have told her about my puppet ahead of time.

“I am truly sorry. I will be careful next time.”

I bowed my head deeply. Right now, I had no choice but to apologize like this. But even after my apology, Mira said nothing.

When I quietly raised my head, I saw her narrowing her eyes at me. She met my gaze. Deep suspicion lingered in those eyes.

“Your wording is a little strange. Careful next time, you say. To me, that sounds like you are saying you will do it again if you get the chance.”

Mira gently stroked her own chin with a finger. My body flinched. To sense that much from my words, she really was sharp. I had tried to smooth it over vaguely, but that seemed difficult. I clicked my tongue softly and rolled my eyes.

If another chance came, like this time, to offer my body and soul and create a new soul, would I sacrifice my flesh again? I asked myself. And I had no choice but to nod.

If it were me, I would definitely do it. Wasn’t I supposed to always do my best? It was impossible for now because my tree and soul were still weak, but once they filled up enough, I was already thinking of trying again.

She had seen through that deep thought of mine. I cleared my throat. Of course, if I wanted to get through this crisis right now, I could simply promise I would not do it.

But I could not bring myself to hide my true feelings. Even if I lied here, I would be caught soon anyway. So I had to make my position clear instead. I opened my eyes wide and looked at her.

Mira quietly stared into my eyes, then soon let out a sigh. She gently brushed her cheek and clicked her tongue.

“It seems you have no intention of changing your mind.... Well, I did think Evron would be like that.”

Mira narrowed her eyes. Then she breathed mist toward me. I felt it slowly begin to cover my body.

In an instant, the mist wrapped around my body and bound me like a cocoon. She lifted me up just like that and gave a mischievous laugh.

“Then I have no choice but to punish you my way. Until we return to the tower, Evron will not be able to escape my arms. I will have to manage you carefully during that time. I do not know what kind of accident you will cause again.”

She hugged me against her chest. Held in her arms, I quietly blinked. For a moment, I could not grasp the situation. Then I suddenly realized what state I was in.

I was hanging in Mira’s arms with all four limbs bound. Was she telling me to go all the way to the tower in this state? I had no idea what Professor would say after seeing this.

I twisted my body in protest. But the more I did, the tighter Mira’s arms around me became. She soon breathed out a bit of mist. The faint rose scent within it seeped into me.

That charming scent was very weak. But my current body was so frail it could not resist even that. Because of that, I had no choice but to go limp and quietly settle into her arms.

“Hehe, seeing you like this really is cute. How nice would it be if you listened this well all the time? I think it might be fine for you to keep living in this form altogether.”

Mira laughed as she stroked my head. Drunk on the scent, I could not say anything. Perhaps sensing that misty fragrance, the small soul in my chest poked its head out.

It floated into the air. Then it began looking back and forth between me and Mira. Its face was like someone looking at something fascinating.

It approached Mira, eyes sparkling. It was probably because the form of her magical power was so strange. She was neither human nor puppet, after all. Mira looked at it and narrowed her eyes.

“Come to think of it, there was this too.”

Mira lightly waved a finger toward it. It climbed onto that finger. Looking at it, Mira breathed out mist.

That mist captured its body as it was. Just as I had been, it too was wrapped in a cocoon of mist. It rolled over Mira’s palm. Mira observed its insides, then soon clicked her tongue lightly.

“I am very disappointed. To create life with someone else even though I am here. It would not be wrong to call this betrayal, would it?”

Mira hugged me tightly. The gesture was full of playfulness. The rose scent flowing from her began to make me thoroughly drunk. Before my mind could be taken over by that scent, I quickly shook my head.

“What are you saying? That is the combination of a puppet’s incompleteness and my own potential. You could call it a new direction of growth that I created....”

Mira lifted a finger and blocked my mouth. She looked down at me and smiled softly. Then she lightly shook that finger and spoke.

“Hmmm, so you are saying you did mix them. I heard that very clearly.”

At her words, I briefly fell into thought. Did that thing contain my soul fragment? It did. Then did it also contain the woman’s soul? It did.

Had I mixed the two and created a new soul? Mm, that was also true. Thinking about it, that viewpoint had a point. As she said, a kind of mixing had taken place.

But there had been no helping it. If not for a shortcut based on my soul, creating that soul would have been impossible. So I only felt wronged.

As I quietly blinked, Mira placed her chin on top of my head. Then she began laughing lightly.

“Hehe, I know what Evron was thinking. So I will forgive you just this once. But from now on, I will be watching from right beside you. If you treat your life carelessly again, I will tie you up like this even in the tower.”

Mira smiled with her eyes and lightly tapped my head. For some reason, I felt a deep chill from that light gesture. The small soul on Mira’s palm seemed to feel the same, because its body trembled just like mine.

Mira looked down at it, then lightly waved her hand. At that, the cocoon of mist around it disappeared. Freed like that, it watched Mira’s mood and quietly floated into the air.

“So, what is this child’s name?”

A gentle smile rested on her lips as she asked. It seemed carrying me like this had soothed her anger a little.

I smacked my lips lightly. If this was enough to ease her anger, then that was fortunate. I could not escape with my own strength anyway, so I had no choice but to accept it.

More importantly, a name. I looked at the small soul and smiled slightly. I had already thought of a very good name that suited it. Feeling it meet my eyes, I nodded.

“It is Myoil.”

The small soul, no, Myoil, had settled in my chest as a new life. In the form of a single Sapling.

Like my tree, it would gradually grow in size. And that Fake Life would not be the last one either. In that sense, it could be called Soul Sapling No. 1.

Myoil made a disgusted face. This was also the name I had given it when it was first created. But whenever it heard that name, it tended to make that face.

It was probably because it was not used to the name. So during the competition, I had considered its feelings and deliberately avoided calling it by name. But now that the competition was over, I needed to properly call it by that name.

Mira looked down at my face and gave a wry smile. Then she quietly stroked its head.

“You must have suffered a lot after receiving such a strange name. You do not need to worry anymore. I will give you a name instead.”

Myoil smiled brightly and hugged Mira’s finger. Watching the two of them seem to grow closer at a rapid pace, I looked deeply wronged.

What was wrong with the name I had made for it, for them to react like that? This name had been created after a great deal of thought. A name was supposed to contain meaning that revealed what it was, after all.

In that sense, there was nothing as excellent and intuitive as this name, Myoil, that I had created. I had been planning to name the next life I created Myoi. You could call it a structure that neatly revealed the order as well.

I sent my will toward No. 0 beside me as if asking for agreement. The one whose body was half-sunk in shadow met my eyes and quietly shook its head. No. 0 pointed at itself and sent me a protesting will.

It was saying it did not like its name either. What, even you, No. 0? Turtle added one vote to that opinion as well. It said my naming style was terrible.

How could this be? To think the names I created would be rejected this much. I had no choice but to go limp. I had never thought I would be rejected by my own creations.

At that moment, I felt someone approaching us. The place where we were staying was a garden set up in the air. If someone came all the way up here, it meant they had business with us.

When I glanced over, I saw Mauro approaching. Beside him were Aronia and Miorang. I narrowed my eyes. Why had they come looking for us?

Mauro looked me and Mira over, then burst into hearty laughter. He winked at me, then stroked his beard.

“Hoho, the two of you look quite nice together. I am sorry for coming when you were enjoying yourselves like this. How about it, may we talk for a moment?”

Enjoying ourselves? He was clearly misunderstanding something. Just as I was about to open my mouth, Mira blocked it with mist.

Mira looked down at me and laughed softly. Then she stood up and approached them. She bowed her head slightly.

“Hehe, we showed you something embarrassing. Evron ran too wild this time, so I was educating him for a moment.”

Aronia glanced at me in Mira’s arms and clicked her tongue. Then she narrowed her eyes and nodded. I could feel discomfort in the way she looked at me.

“Seeing him stick this close to his puppet, he really is someone under Mauro. Though he might be even worse than the others.”

Aronia shook her head. My eyes widened at that. I was the most normal person in our association. Unlike the other puppeteers, who only looked at their own puppets, I always thought rationally.

But even if I wanted to protest, I could not say anything. Mira had buried me against her chest. Like that, I could only quietly keep my mouth shut. Aronia continued.

“Mm, it did look like he needed education. Watching him, I thought there was no madman like him. To think he would explode his own body to make a puppet.... Well, I suppose that is why he won.”

Aronia let out a sigh. Beside her, Mauro stroked his beard. He held out his hand toward Aronia and gave a pleased laugh.

“Now, since everyone is gathered, I should get the token back. Come now, hand it over.”

He waved his hand. At that, Aronia glared at him and released killing intent. But Mauro ignored that pressure and only burst into hearty laughter.

At that relaxed attitude, Aronia soon clicked her tongue loudly and gestured to Miorang. Miorang, who stood beside her, gave a bitter smile and pulled a coin from his arms.

It was the token of the bet I had seen in the competition grounds. After receiving it from Miorang, Aronia grimaced slightly and threw it at Mauro. The coin, filled with magical power, shot fiercely toward him.

Mauro struggled to catch it and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He inspected the coin this way and that, then soon nodded deeply. I could sense satisfaction on his face.

“Hoho, it is genuine. Then I shall gratefully accept it.”

I stared at Mauro. As he had requested, I had even achieved victory. But I still did not know exactly what that coin was. Just what was it, for the association heads to value it that much?

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Mauro met my eyes. He laughed lightly and shrugged.

“I do feel sorry to you. You probably did not know what this was.”

“You seriously did not explain anything?”

Aronia frowned slightly and glanced at Mauro. A hint of confusion showed in her eyes. Mauro laughed at that.

“I was worried young Evron would feel burdened if he knew what this was. So I deliberately did not explain it in detail. And since we obtained such a fine result like this, was I not right?”

Mauro winked at Aronia. Her face crumpled, and she filled her foot with magical power and kicked at Mauro’s shin. Mauro quickly dodged it and shook his head while stroking his beard.

“How can you act so violently just because you lost the bet? If you do not accept the result, you will only look ugly.”

Mauro chuckled, then flicked the coin toward me. Mira raised mist and caught it.

“That is payment for you. Thanks to your victory, the bet has ended.”

Mira quietly inspected the coin. Soon, she placed it into my arms. I blinked as I felt that strange magical power. Mauro continued.

“If you show that, the other association heads will grant one request of yours. That was the promise made during the bet. So keep that coin safe.”

I touched the coin inside the cocoon. Was this the compensation for the request he had made? A wish ticket I could use on other association heads. It was an item with quite a lot of value.

“There will be no next time. I will win for certain. ...And now I know there is a madman like that, too. Then let us go. I do not want to look at their faces any longer.”

Aronia jerked her chin lightly toward Miorang. She turned around and quickly walked away without looking back.

Miorang watched her back, then approached me. He bowed his head slightly and spoke with a friendly smile.

“I learned a great deal from Evron this time. I was shocked when I came outside and saw the process of you making your puppet. It was a truly remarkable method. After seeing that, I had no choice but to admit my defeat.”

Held in Mira’s arms, I bowed my head toward him. I too had been deeply impressed while watching his puppet. His method of making puppets was truly excellent.

In that sense, if we had fought using orthodox methods, I would certainly have lost. I had not built up that kind of foundation. My victory had come from using a kind of shortcut.

I met his eyes. Then I smiled faintly. During the first round of the competition, the traps and schemes he had shown were very impressive.

Even in my case, I had only filtered out the traitors after being hit by Ugo. He could be called someone whose mind worked as well as his puppet-making skill. That was why he had also been the opponent I had needed to watch most carefully.

But the competition was over. Then there was no need for us to be hostile to each other anymore. Besides, I felt that he and I thought very much alike. The process of hunting Ugo together had gone very comfortably.

In that sense, maintaining a relationship with him would be a good thing. Miorang seemed to think the same, because he gave a gentle laugh.

“If we get the chance next time, I hope we can have a good conversation. I think we will be seeing each other often from now on.”

He bowed his head once more and began leaving the garden after Aronia. After they reached the edge of this aerial garden, they soon dropped toward the ground.

Mauro did not follow them and remained beside us. I glanced at him. Then I pulled the coin out of the cocoon and lightly shook it. Mauro saw it and let out a hearty laugh.

“Now that the others have left, I should ask. So, what was this in the end?”

Earlier, he had said this coin was a wish ticket. A kind of blank check. The fact that it could exert that kind of binding force on others meant the coin itself held great meaning.

“Mm, now that the matter is over, I suppose I can tell you. That is the token that signifies Professor On’s successor position.”

Mauro smiled while stroking his beard. I had no choice but to stare blankly at him and quietly blink. I could not understand what I had just heard.

I looked down at the coin. The coin engraved with Professor On’s face did not seem to have anything special about it. I vaguely remembered hearing before that Mauro had been Professor On’s successor. Was this the token of that?

Mauro looked toward the castle where Professor On was and clicked his tongue softly. I could feel a slightly bitter air from him.

“Professor On will soon leave the university. So someone will need to inherit that tower. All the other association heads are aiming for that position.”

“Are you saying Professor On is leaving?”

I frowned slightly. Mauro shrugged at me. With a relaxed face, he shook his head.

“You do not need to worry. It will be something that happens after two hundred years from now. For you, that must still be a very long time away. Though the other association heads do not seem to think so.”

I nodded. Two hundred years. For me, who had not even lived a hundred years yet, that was a distant story. I quietly stroked my chin. No wonder the competition had felt so fierce. The association heads had been carrying out a proxy war over the successor position.

I could also immediately understand why Mauro had been trying to hand over that successor position. I glanced at his body. At my gaze, he gave a bitter smile.

“Well, as you expect, it will be difficult for me to stay alive until then, so the others often urged me to hand over the position. But perhaps because of lingering attachment, it was hard for me to let it go. Then you came along. Since the timing was right, I thought I could entrust my lingering attachment to your hands.”

“But in the end, it has come back to me again,” Mauro added, smacking his lips. I fiddled with the coin. For some reason, it felt terribly heavy.

Seeing me like that, Mauro burst into laughter. He gently stroked my head and looked around. Then he slowly began walking.

“Let us stop the heavy talk here. You should enjoy the festival too. You may keep that. I very much liked what you showed in this competition. Perhaps the successor position would suit you well.”

Mauro waved his hand as he began walking away. He left the garden and headed down to the ground. I stared blankly at his back, then snapped back to my senses. My expression crumpled sharply.

“My, you received a troublesome object.”

Mira said that with a smile. She was right. Mauro had said it nicely, but in the end, this was no different from passing the burden to me. If I had this, the other association heads would not leave me alone.

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