WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 173

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173.

I turned the coin over in my hand and sighed. Professor On’s successor. I had not expected the meaning engraved on this small coin to be so enormous.

No wonder everyone had moved so aggressively. Most of those who had received coin fragments must have known what they meant. If I had known too, I would have treated this much more seriously.

In that sense, Mauro’s choice not to tell me may have been the right one. I had been able to use it to draw cooperation from Miorang, and beyond that, I had even managed to catch Ugo.

Of course, the result was that the coin had been completed like this. But Mauro must have known that too. That was why he had modified the terms of the wager from the outside.

He had made good use of the fact that the association heads would not sit by and watch someone else take the successor position. With them all keeping one another in check, Aronia, who had been the strongest candidate, was finally dragged down by my victory.

With that, the wager became void, and this coin returned to Mauro. Then he pushed it onto me. I clicked my tongue lightly.

As Mauro had said, this was a kind of wish voucher. The association heads were all at the completion stage, in other words, on the ninth floor or above. Being able to ask people like that for something was not an opportunity that came easily.

But this was both a wish voucher and a successor token. So the association heads definitely would not leave me alone if they wanted this coin.

Of course, I did not have to worry about dying. It was clear that simply holding this coin did not make someone the successor. Unless Mauro, the current successor, declared it, the position would not pass on.

That must have been why Mauro handed this over to me so casually. Well, even so, troublesome things were bound to happen. The reason he had given this to me was very clear.

This could be seen as a kind of declaration to the other association heads. He was saying he would hand the decision about the successor position over to me.

In that sense, the way to resolve this was simple too. I just had to push it onto anyone else. But I did not plan to do that. This coin was an item that could connect me directly to the association heads.

I frowned slightly. I wanted to spread my influence through this association. Mauro had clearly known that and given this to me. After all, this was probably the best gift he could give me.

I had tried my best to hide my thoughts, so I had not expected Mauro to notice so easily. Experience really was not something to take lightly. I gently shook my head.

Of course, it was burdensome. The association heads’ power was beyond comparison to mine. But opportunity tended to sit beside danger. Had this competition not been the same?

“Personally, I think it would be fine for Evron to become the successor. It sounds like that would be more fun.”

Mira smiled mischievously and hugged me tightly. With that strength, my body sank softly into her arms. A deep rose scent flowed from that warm embrace.

I gave a small cough and wrapped as much magical power around myself as possible. Then I shook my head slightly. As Mira said, if I held onto this, I might become Professor On’s successor. Mauro had acknowledged me, after all.

But there was no reason to go that far. I was already half-tied to Professor Irian’s tower. Not only because of the contract. My entire path of growth had already been built up there.

So what reason did I have to covet this tower? Besides, to seize that successor position, I would have to deal with formidable competitors. People much stronger than me. The association heads.

In that sense, there was no need to covet this successor position and create conflict with them. Even more so since there was still a very long time left before Professor On left.

Two hundred years. It was the distant future, but also an incredibly short time. To become a professor, one first needed to go beyond the completion stage. Only then would that realm become complete.

For me, who was still only on the second floor, that was far beyond reach. It was not a realm I could attain in a mere two hundred years. In that sense, this troublesome thing did not hold much value for me.

So all I had to do was draw more profit from it. In a way that did not earn the association heads’ hostility, and in a way they could accept. That was the direction I would pursue from now on.

I smacked my lips and looked around. Then I saw many shops floating near this sky park. Puppets were busily moving between them.

Perhaps because quite a lot of time had passed during the competition, I saw several people coming and going from those shops. They were probably buying things. I tucked the coin into my clothes.

For now, there was no need to think about this coin anymore. This was a matter for later. They would approach me first anyway, so I only had to move after that. Right now, I had to enjoy this festival.

Earlier, while wrapping up the competition, I had gained confidence in myself and a realization. Within that realization, I could also feel the clue to my growth more clearly.

But the basic competition I had participated in was only one part of this gathering. To begin with, mages of the fourth floor and below could not be said to hold a very important position here. That was why they had been given the opening event.

The more important events were bound to come afterward. In that sense, everything was not over yet. There were still many events to come.

My eyes quietly sparkled. If there was a basic competition, there was bound to be an advanced competition too. Koite had said he would enter that, had he not? If I peeked at it, I might learn even more.

So I needed to move quickly. It would be my loss if I did not enjoy the other events.

I tried to shift slightly and get out of the cocoon, but it had bound me very tightly. I glanced up at Mira. She met my gaze and stroked my head.

Seeing her laugh mischievously, I let out a faint sigh. She clearly had no intention of letting me go. Apparently, I would have to move like this.

I wore a slightly bitter smile. I could guess what kinds of misunderstandings others might have, but there was nothing I could do. In my current state, I could not escape.

“The competition is over, so we should move too. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

Since I was tied to Mira anyway, her opinion mattered. At my question, Mira lightly touched her chin. Then she smiled brightly and shrugged.

“I don’t mind anywhere. Go wherever Evron wants.”

I nodded slightly. From what I could see, various events seemed to be taking place throughout the clearing. Looking around at those would be good too. But before checking those events, there was something more important.

“Then how about we go to the prison first? There is someone I need to meet there.”

“Aha, you want to meet that person first. Hm... that sounds fun. I’m interested too.”

Mira narrowed her eyes and smiled. I nodded to her and rubbed my chin. Quite a few people had died in this competition. It had happened during the process of choosing a successor.

And there had been a small aftermath because of that. Someone had appeared who could not enjoy this festival. That was Ugo. I had briefly heard before the award ceremony that he had been sealed.

I thought of the prison where Ugo would be and twisted my lips into a smile. He was someone who had generously shared everything for my sake. So I needed to comfort him now that he was locked in prison.

And I also had to tell him how the current situation was unfolding. That could be considered the final step in wrapping up this competition. It was also the completion of my revenge.

As I laughed to myself, Mira gently poked my cheek. Then she began rubbing the corners of my mouth with both hands. When I looked up, I saw her shaking her head with a stern face.

“You mustn’t make such a sinister face. Right now, Evron is very cute. That expression is banned from now on.”

At that firm tone, I could only blink quietly. I had not expected her to try controlling even my expression. Her eyes shone. Somehow, I felt an intense desire in the gaze she aimed at me.

Mira did not leave it as a verbal warning. I felt mist blooming from her fingertips and seeping into me. It began naturally changing my expression.

Mira pulled out a little mist, shaped it into a mirror, and set it in front of me. Inside it, I was wearing a very bright smile. But Mira did not seem satisfied with just that, and she tilted her head.

After thinking for a moment, she laughed lightly and began fiddling with my face. My reflection in the mirror slowly changed under her hands.

My curly hair straightened softly, and my fatigue-dulled eyes began to sparkle. How she had managed to create the slightly red, plump cheeks was strange enough to be impressive. Like that, the me in the mirror changed into a child full of innocence.

After adjusting my face, Mira seemed satisfied and nodded. Then she slowly pulled her fingers away. The mist holding my face in place began to vanish.

I tried to change my face back. It might look plausible, but for me, the person stuck with it, it was extremely uncomfortable. But that attempt quickly failed.

I glanced upward. As soon as I tried to move my magical power, Mira softly poked my cheek with her finger. It was a kind of warning.

Looking at her shining eyes, I quietly released my magical power. Mm, while I was bound like this, it seemed I would have to go along with her wishes. If I did not, she might even try to change my clothes.

Once I returned to the tower, I would have to complete my body quickly. Otherwise, I might keep suffering things like this. From now on, I needed to take slightly better care of my body.

Mira lightly stroked my head, then slowly began walking. After leaving the park, she filled herself with magical power and walked through the air.

After we continued all the way down toward the ground, a huge castle came into view. It was the space where the previous second round of the competition had taken place. Professor On and Tiena were probably still inside it too.

The place we were heading for was an area set against one wall of that castle. Should I call it the most secluded place in this clearing? The closer we came to it, the heavier the magical power felt.

After crossing through that magical power pressing down on the surroundings, we reached a small door. That was the place where Ugo was. Mira opened the door and stepped inside without hesitation.

The inside of the prison was very dim. Still, it was bright enough to observe what was inside. I narrowed my eyes and looked around.

It was a room engraved with many spells. In the middle of that room, I saw a transparent crystal like ice. Ugo was inside it, quietly closing his eyes.

Held in Mira’s arms, I slowly approached him. Perhaps sensing our presence, Ugo slowly opened his eyes. I met his gaze and waved slightly. Seeing him again like this made me very glad.

Ugo’s face twisted slightly when he saw me. Mm, he was definitely welcoming me too. I looked him up and down and lightly clicked my tongue.

“It seems this place is a little uncomfortable for you. Your complexion has gotten much worse.”

Ugo, trapped within the seal, looked extremely shabby. He was exactly as he had been when we defeated him in the competition. It seemed he had been brought here right after being eliminated. Seeing him like that, I shrugged.

“Still, this is very fortunate. It seems Professor On will not kill you, Ugo. You will be released as soon as this gathering ends.”

Ugo quietly ground his teeth. He had probably already heard what would happen to him. I met his eyes with a leisurely smile.

“Oh my, he won’t be killed here? Then I’ll have a chance too. Hehe, I’m looking forward to it very much.”

Mira wore a soft smile. Her eyes curved into crescents, and I felt a hazy killing intent flow from them. That killing intent soaked the surroundings.

The reason she was releasing killing intent like that was definitely because Ugo was the one who had killed me. My life was hers, after all. I nodded.

From Professor On’s position, there was no reason to kill Ugo. Ugo had proceeded through the competition in a perfectly normal way. Killing people and using corpses could both be called actions that matched the purpose of the competition in the end.

I quietly looked at Ugo. Even so, the reason he had been captured like this was because he had broken the association’s rules. The rule that one should not intentionally harm fellow association members.

If someone had died by mistake or accident during a fight, there would have been no reason to bring him here like this. That could not be considered intentional. It would have been settled with only a warning.

But the way he hunted people was utterly vicious. He killed his opponents in an instant before they could even surrender. Just like what had happened to me.

Of course, his magical power acted very stealthily. Those outside must have seen it and thought it was an accident. That was why I had tried to reveal his actions as soon as I came out.

But then something I did not expect happened. A flood of testimony about his actions had already poured out. And that testimony came from the people he had killed.

The method of obtaining the testimony of the dead was very simple. Those who only had faint souls left had been revived. It was something Professor On had done.

I quietly scratched my chin. I could feel once again that Professor On’s power was endlessly strong. Professor On had reconstructed the bodies of the dead. Then their souls had been embedded straight into those bodies.

According to what I had heard from Mauro, it was because too many people had died this time. If only one or two had died, that might have been one thing, but this many deaths would definitely draw the university’s attention.

No wonder Professor On had not paid much attention to Ugo’s actions. To Professor On, death was nothing more than something meaningless. That was why Professor On did not kill Ugo and only left him with the debt for the cost of constructing those bodies.

In that sense, they could be considered somewhat similar to me, depending on how one looked at it. Their souls had settled into puppet bodies. And those revived people testified about what Ugo had done.

Since they were the ones who had died, they must have been able to notice Ugo’s magical power easily too. Like that, Ugo was locked in prison. As a kind of punishment. It was something that had happened even before the competition ended.

Ugo, and beyond him, Gaon, his association head, must have expected that this kind of situation would happen. But they had still done it. I had not known why before, but now I clearly understood the reason.

I took the coin out from my clothes. Then I lightly flicked it and smiled at Ugo.

“Was this what Ugo wanted? Here, look. This is the completed coin. Somehow, it ended up in my hands.”

Ugo saw it and opened his eyes wide. Then he released magical power inside the crystal and tried to escape. But the power binding him pressed down on him very strongly.

I quietly watched the sight. I could not tell what kind of magic made up that crystal. Still, I could tell it was a kind of space magic.

That was because I could not hear a single thing he was saying to me. Still, judging by his reaction, it seemed he could hear what I said. I laughed lightly and shook the coin.

I could clearly understand what Ugo had been thinking. If Gaon obtained the successor position through this coin, he must have judged that they could fully absorb the losses no matter what Ugo did.

This tower had that much value.

I glanced around. Even the space where the festival was being held right now was only a part of the tower. Once Professor On left, this tower would fall straight into the successor’s hands. Its value was beyond imagination.

But they had failed. It was because I had knocked Ugo down. The reason Ugo looked so miserable right now was the result of that. That must be why he was glaring at me with such resentment.

I smiled brightly at him. For some reason, that gaze felt amusing. Once this gathering ended, he would naturally be released too. Would he still be able to hold that kind of resentment then? Time would tell.

“Ah, and I will gratefully take this puppet as well. I returned the puppets to the others, but I am sorry to say I do not think I can do that for Ugo. This puppet chose me, you see.”

I quietly searched my clothes and took out the spatial pouch. The woman puppet popped out from inside. Its cracked body was still unstable. Mira glanced at it and lightly clicked her tongue.

Ugo looked at that woman puppet and opened his eyes wide. His gaze would not leave the red gem embedded in the puppet’s chest.

From that gem, a clear connection to me was visible. It had formed as the soul inside the gem and my soul intertwined. Ugo seemed to notice that too.

Ugo’s bloodshot eyes began spreading killing intent everywhere. Looking at his face, I smiled with satisfaction. Yes, this was the face I had wanted to see.

“You need to make a pretty face. This is a warning.”

Mira poked my cheek. I felt mist ripple along her finger. At that, I quietly made the same innocent face as before.

Mira nodded with satisfaction. Mm, somehow, the mood had died. I coughed lightly and looked at Ugo.

“I do not mind if you tell Gaon. Well, I do not know if Gaon will help you, Ugo. That is something Ugo will have to handle yourself.”

Ugo was a member of Gaon’s association. He was trusted enough to be entrusted with that piece. In that sense, Gaon could be called a great threat to me. The power of an association head was difficult for me to endure.

But would he really try to take revenge for Ugo? I lightly shook my head. I did not think so. Earlier, at the second round of the competition, Gaon had shown himself to be someone who acted based on rational thought.

If he had wanted revenge, he would have tried to make me fall there by any means. But he had weighed all the possibilities and given the chance to me, the one with the highest odds. I did not think someone like that would go out of his way to become hostile toward me.

I quietly fiddled with the coin. This was in my hands, after all. So he was sure to approach me in a different way. In that sense, I also had no intention of needlessly earning Gaon’s hostility.

There was no direct grudge between him and me. As revenge for him trying to drag me down, ruining this plan was enough. Would it not be nice if we resolved things smoothly?

In that sense, there was only one debt and grudge aimed at me. Ugo, the one right in front of me. And the resentment he held did not feel all that frightening.

I glanced up at Mira. The killing intent she was releasing was very intense. It would certainly be hard for someone at Ugo’s level to endure. But she was not the one I was relying on.

Ugo held a grudge against me. It was probably because I had ruined his work. But would that truly be greater than the resentment of those whose lives had been taken?

Those who had been revived after receiving new bodies clearly held the same power as before. But no matter how Professor On had reconstructed their bodies, a few problems still remained.

The reason I had no problems even after entering this fragile body was because of the imperfection of my soul. It only needed my soul fragments to flow together and become one.

But they did not have the same trait as me. Their souls were complete, so it would take them a long time to adapt to their new bodies. That would surely remain as a restriction on their growth going forward too.

For a mage, raising one’s realm was the top priority. That was why the resentment of the dead could be said to have been engraved into their souls. Then, with the woman puppet also gone, would Ugo really be able to endure that resentment?

“You would be better off worrying about the others than me. Everyone has already gathered to target Ugo. Since Ugo has done so much for me, I came to tell you about that danger as repayment for your kindness.”

Ugo frowned slightly. It seemed he understood the situation too. As I had said, the revived people had formed a kind of alliance and were targeting Ugo. It was also something I had created by gathering them together.

They would chase after Ugo. Of course, since this was the university, killing him would be impossible, but tormenting him would not be difficult. Mages were very skilled at cultivating that kind of malice, after all.

Had I not suffered it myself too? That was why I knew the sinister and wicked nature of mages very well. Amid all that trouble, he would keep suffering.

Probably for as long as he was in this university. No, perhaps even after he left the university. I shrugged. It was very unfortunate. This was why I avoided building debts and grudges whenever possible.

Of course, the moment a grudge formed, it had to be handled thoroughly. I narrowed my eyes. Damage dealt to me had to be paid back tenfold. This was also something done to uphold that rule.

Originally, I had another plan for Ugo, but a better method had appeared, so why not use it? The revived people would continue to pressure Ugo.

Ugo must have realized that too, because his face was twisting hard. Looking at him, I let out a satisfied laugh. Personally, I hoped he would endure for a long time. That way, more people would look at him and remember me.

This was my revenge, and also a time to harden my convictions. If someone touched me, I would take revenge thoroughly. On the other hand, if someone treated me with goodwill, I would treat them with goodwill. I needed to engrave that not only into myself, but into others as well.

If this happened again and again, others would also approach me with goodwill. How beautiful would a world where only goodwill came and went be? That was the world I dreamed of.

I burst into loud laughter. Then I received another warning from Mira and had no choice but to change my expression again. Like that, I showed an innocent face and smiled brightly. This was the end of my revenge.

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