WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 174

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174.

I stood there with my arms crossed, watching Ugo. Ugo was an excellent audience. He reacted strongly to every part of my story, so I got carried away and ended up saying quite a lot myself.

But that had come to an end now. I had no more stories left to tell him. The small soul that had slipped out and been watching Ugo stuck its tongue out at him, then seeped straight into my chest.

I had not expected it to react like that. It had probably felt an instinctive rejection toward him. Its original soul had fallen into ruin at Ugo’s hands, after all.

Ugo had been staring at it with bloodshot eyes, but now he began glaring straight at me. I gave a slight shrug. There was no need to provoke him any further here.

Ugo would be walking a hard road from now on anyway. This was only the starting point. I looked up at Mira and lightly touched her body with my finger.

At my signal, Mira looked at me. She gave me a pleased smile and stroked my head. I opened my mouth to speak to her.

“Then let us get going. I have nothing more to say to Ugo. Since he seems to be doing well, I should take my leave.”

I smiled lightly at Ugo. Then I met his glare and stroked my chin. How long would that intense look in his eyes last? I did not know, but I hoped he would remain unbroken for as long as possible.

“If there is ever anything you wish to ask of me, you may come find me anytime. I do not refuse those who approach me with goodwill.”

I lowered my head slightly toward Ugo. Then I put the woman puppet, which had been out, back into the spatial pouch. I felt the soul inside the gem watching Ugo for a brief moment.

Ugo shouted something from inside the crystal, but I could not hear him at all. I had no choice but to figure out his words from his actions. I carefully observed his gestures.

Soon, I nodded. His will had clearly reached me. He was definitely asking me to take good care of this puppet in his place. In that case, I needed to properly inherit that will of his.

I smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Then I waved at Ugo. If I left now, there was no telling when I would meet him again.

Mira turned and left the prison. With Ugo seeing us off behind us, the magical power that had been pressing down on my whole body slowly began to fade. Once Mira had completely left the prison’s area of influence, she lightly straightened her back.

Mira gently tapped my head, then glanced toward where the prison was. A little mist began to ripple in her narrowed eyes.

“Are you satisfied with this much? If it were me, I could take care of him without anyone knowing. We can simply make it look like a magical beast did it.”

I could feel dense killing intent flowing through the mist spilling from her. I smiled bitterly. As she said, if she used her mist, the assassination might be possible. Even while bypassing the university’s restrictions.

Of course, there might be plenty of consequences too. Still, I understood why she brought it up. If Ugo stayed alive, he would definitely become a lingering problem. The grudge he held toward me must have been carved deep into him.

In that sense, cleaning it up completely would be neat, just as she said. But what meaning would there be in that? I quietly shook my head. Rules had to be respected. In that sense, I was satisfied with the current state.

“I want Ugo to live a long life. The benefits are greater while that man is alive.”

It had not been long since I formed a kind of alliance to hunt Ugo. It could even be called the first organization I had built after entering this university. So I needed to strengthen the bonds between its members.

And when it came to building connections like that, there was no better means than a common enemy like Ugo. We would achieve unity in the process of chasing Ugo.

I smiled brightly and looked at the prison. In that sense, Ugo truly was someone who gave generously to me. I felt deep gratitude for his help. I was even looking forward to what he would bring next time.

Like that, within the chain of favors and grudges, Ugo would gradually wither away. And in the end, someday, he would reach his limit and kneel before us. That was what I wanted.

I narrowed my eyes and let out a faint smile. Mira lightly poked my cheek. At that, I hurriedly changed my expression. Mira looked down at me, then nodded.

“Hmm, that is an amusing thought. That would be more enjoyable. Then I suppose I will leave him alone too.”

The killing intent on Mira’s face vanished like melting snow. She smiled brightly, then hugged me tightly. Then she looked down at me and her eyes began to sparkle.

“To think that gloomy person would become this adorable. I really like it. How about staying like this in the tower too? No, I think staying like this for the rest of your life would be fine as well.”

She met my gaze. I could feel strange emotions mixing and flowing out of her eyes. I swallowed slightly. For some reason, I felt as if my body was in danger.

At the sense of danger rising in my chest, I let out a dry cough. I needed to quickly turn that interest elsewhere. I looked around. Then I raised a finger sharply toward the sky.

“Now, shall we go up? I must keep my promise.”

“A promise?”

Mira discreetly wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth. I nodded to her. Before entering the competition, I had made a promise with her. If I won, I would buy her something she wanted.

So now I had to keep it. A promise had to be fulfilled, after all. In the direction I pointed, there was a small stall. It was the place I had looked around with her before.

Mira followed my hand with her gaze and smiled slightly. Then she hugged my head and began stroking it gently.

“Hehe, how admirable. I did not know you remembered that. I am touched.”

“I always remember every conversation I share with Mira clearly. How could I forget?”

I spoke while puffing out my chest. At that, Mira wrapped her arms around my body and smiled with satisfaction.

Mira stroked my head and floated into the air. Then she moved lightly toward the stall. Her mist-filled steps were endlessly light.

Once we reached the stall, she let out a little mist. At that, the bald man who had been dozing while leaning against the stall snapped awake. He was a human-like puppet made by Professor On.

The man saw us and quickly straightened himself. Then he rubbed his hands together and began laughing slyly. His attitude was perfectly natural, with no sign that he had been asleep before.

“Oh my, customers have arrived.”

He quickly looked us up and down. I felt the gaze that had briefly stayed on Mira soon move to me. The moment he saw me, his eyes suddenly widened. Strong interest rose in them.

“Well now, you are the ones who came last time. I enjoyed the entertaining sight you showed us this time. To think you would even offer up your own body to make a puppet.”

He looked at me, gathered magical power at his fingertip, and made a small explosion. He nodded quietly with a moved expression. Then he slowly continued.

“We who watched it were very moved too, you see. Perhaps because of that, everyone became your fan. So if you tell me what you need, I will hand it over cheaply.”

I quietly scratched my head. It seemed this man had also watched my competition. Well, not only mages but puppets as well could move freely around this place.

To think my method would be recognized like this. As expected, puppets always understood me. I nodded with a satisfied smile. Mira clicked her tongue while looking down at me.

“We came because we wanted to see the item we looked at last time.”

I said that to the man. The reason we had visited this place before was because Mira had reacted to it. Back then, I had not had enough coins and had to leave without buying it, but now it was different. The man grinned and nodded.

“I knew you would come again, so I kept it aside in advance. An item should find the owner suited to it, should it not?”

He looked at Mira and winked. Mira did not give him so much as a glance and only stroked me. At that, the man made a sullen face and bent down under the stall.

After rummaging below the stall, he soon straightened up. In his hand was a small brooch. The brooch, set with a red gem, gave off an atmosphere similar to the magical power flowing from Mira’s body.

That was probably because it used the same material as the spine forming Mira’s body. He had said it was a fragment of the heart of a magical beast called Akur, which I had never seen. The man placed it on top of the stall.

“It was originally one hundred coins, but I will give it to you cheaply. I will take only ninety coins. I would like to shave off a little more, but if I go any lower, I will have nothing left either.”

He stroked his own head. I lowered my head to show my thanks. The man waved his hands at me and laughed. Then he began checking under the stall again.

“On that note, there are a few more items I would like to show you. I think the two of you will like them.”

He took out the items. They were two small rings. Seeing them, my eyes quietly sparkled. An energy similar to the brooch was flowing from them.

The red gems set in those rings were clearly fragments of that heart too. Of course, they were smaller than the one in the brooch. Perhaps Mira was interested, because she picked them up.

I also moved my magical power and carefully examined them. As he said, they were items I liked very much. After checking their structure, I nodded. The man looked at us and smiled lightly.

“As you can feel, they are probably similar to this brooch. After you looked at it and left last time, I searched more just in case. These are the items I gathered that way. All of them were processed by Madam Tiena.”

“I will buy these too.”

I said it without hesitation. The man nodded and handed the rings and brooch to Mira. Then he curled his fingers into a circle and opened his mouth.

“These are a bit cheaper than the brooch. They are smaller, and she said they were practice pieces too. Including the brooch, I will hand them all over for two hundred coins.”

“I am cutting the price quite a lot,” the man added, then looked at me. I quietly fiddled with the spatial pouch in my arms. Two hundred. If I used that, I would only have one hundred coins left.

Originally, I had only planned to buy the brooch. With the remaining coins, I had been thinking of buying some items I wanted. Considering the price, I needed to save a little.

But the moment I saw these rings, I knew at once. If they were connected with the brooch, they would hold even greater power. So I needed to invest as many coins as possible.

Besides, this was not something I would use on myself. I glanced at Mira. She was fiddling with the rings with a satisfied expression.

Seeing that, I quietly nodded. This was a gift for her. Her strength was my safety, so it did not matter if I spent more coins.

“Then I will buy them right away.”

I put my hand into the spatial pouch and pulled out a bundle of coins. The man who received it drew a smile on his lips wide enough to split his face. He looked very excited.

He put one coin into his mouth and chewed it. I could feel the magical power flowing from him gradually increase. Soon, he patted his stomach and nodded.

“Haha, you are generous after all. Would you like to look over a few other items as well? I will serve you well.”

The man rubbed his hands together and began moving the stall this way and that. Many items flowed past on top of it. The man showed off each of those items one by one.

During that brief viewing, I found several items I liked. But I could not buy them now. The remaining coins had another use. So I left the stall with regret on my face.

“Take care! Please feel free to visit again anytime!”

The man shouted while bowing deeply. I waved at him, and Mira slowly flew through the air. After we had gone for some time, she stopped for a moment and smiled.

It had been an unexpected expense, but seeing her so satisfied made me feel a little proud. She glanced down at me. Then she lightly hugged me and held out the accessories in her hand.

Why was she handing these to me? I looked at her with that question in my eyes. Then she smiled softly and met my gaze.

“Could Evron put them on me? This is a date, so we need to create that mood, don’t we?”

She leaned her upper body against me. A rose scent began to seep out from that soft embrace. I quietly smacked my lips. This was a kind of coercion. As I was now, I could not refuse.

I shook my head slightly and accepted the accessories. Then she tapped the area over her chest. She wanted me to pin it there. Following that request, I carefully reached out and attached the brooch.

Then the gem gave off light and began connecting to her. It trembled all over. It seemed to still remember what it had experienced before.

It allowed her mist in and held it inside its body. Like that, the red gem intertwined with the mist and began giving off a strange luster. Mira stroked the brooch and nodded with satisfaction.

Was this enough? As I thought that, she hugged me even more tightly and held out her hand. It meant she wanted me to put on the rings too. I obediently slipped the two rings onto her fingers.

“Hehe, thank you. I will treasure them from now on.”

Mira smiled happily and stroked the rings. She began drawing the power carved inside them into her body. She was undergoing a kind of transformation.

After taking my form, then Professor’s form, she soon returned to her original shape. The flow of mist coming from her body had become stranger and calmer than before.

It seemed she had already finished adapting. Watching that, I quietly stroked my chin. That transformation power was fascinating. Fascinating enough that even I wanted to research it. Once we went back to the tower, I would need to borrow it a few times and examine it.

“Then where shall we go now? You may move as Evron wishes.”

Mira quietly stroked my head. I groped at my clothes. For some reason, my pocket felt lighter. It had to be because I had taken out two hundred coins. If converted into points, it might easily go over one million.

Then how should I use what remained? I had already decided. I looked at one of the many buildings floating in the air, a place shaped like a scroll. It was a space where all kinds of knowledge accumulated by Professor On had been placed.

The power Professor On showed this time had been flawless. Professor On was certainly the strongest mage I had met so far. Of course, there was the president too. But he was far from perfect. He too was a kind of fragment.

The perfection Professor On showed was not limited only to puppetry. Professor On had even brought the dead back to life. In that sense, the magic used to freely control time and space had left an even deeper impression on me.

Perhaps Professor On was leaving the university because of that kind of power. I glanced around. The tower’s puppets resembled people to an almost endless degree.

Professor On had said it once before. That we should all create a world of puppets together. In that sense, the structure of this tower was almost proof that Professor On had nearly completed a domain of their own.

I quietly smacked my lips. What would the knowledge of someone that perfect be like? I wanted to explore it. I wanted to steal that knowledge and make it mine.

That desire of mine naturally traveled through the connection and reached Mira too. At that, Mira laughed lightly and flowed out on mist. Like that, we were able to enter the bookstore.

The place was packed with people. Not only puppets, but other mages were wandering around inside too. The atmosphere was quite different from when I had first visited.

They had probably all earned a few coins, so they had come here. The first one I saw was Miorang. He must have come here as soon as we parted. I met his eyes and lightly greeted him with my gaze.

There was no need to talk any more here. And he was not the only familiar face. I met the eyes of someone who was looking at me with an uncomfortable expression.

It was Jugang, with the monkey puppet on Jugang’s shoulder. The monkey puppet revived within Jugang’s magical power looked at me and leaked a little hostility. It seemed to instinctively recognize that I had handled that body.

But why was Jugang making that face? When I returned that puppet, there had been plenty of thanks. I quietly blinked, then realized the reason.

Unlike then, Mira was currently hugging me and stroking my head. Jugang looked back and forth between us, then stepped backward. It seemed there had been some misunderstanding.

But before I could make an excuse, Jugang went far away. I had no choice but to scratch my head. If we met next time, I would need to explain properly.

There were many people besides them. Not only mages from the fourth floor and below, but also mages above that, and even association heads could be seen. I saw Aronia click her tongue lightly at me.

I lowered my head to her and looked around. Compared to other places, the number of people was clearly high. It could not be helped. Knowledge was the most valuable thing to mages, after all.

Knowledge, magic, was always hard to obtain. It could be called the sum total of a mage’s experience. In that sense, those who formed families naturally controlled that knowledge. That was also why the price rose.

It was the same at the university. Without enough points, one could not even approach it. And among that knowledge, Professor On’s could be called especially distinct.

Because it could only be obtained in this place. It was a limited resource that could not be found outside at all. That was why I had come here too.

If I had not made a promise with Mira, I certainly would have used every coin here. But what was done was done, so I needed to somehow get items within the remaining amount.

I looked down at the spatial pouch containing one hundred coins and smacked my lips in regret. Of course, this could be called a large amount too. But it was clear that I would not be able to get everything I wanted to buy.

Mm, it could not be helped. I had no choice but to narrow down the list a little. Thinking that, I began erasing items from the list in my head one by one.

Then I felt a hand gently wrap around me. When I raised my gaze, I saw Mira looking at me with a soft smile. She rested her chin lightly on my head and opened her mouth.

“Since Evron gave me a gift, this time I should give Evron a gift. Here, this is a gift filled with my feelings.”

She took out a pouch. It was the one she had shown me when I had knelt and watched her reaction. It was a pouch full of coins. The amount was as large as the coins I had.

Of course, I had known she had that. But that could not be called mine. Just as I had earned coins by myself in the competition, I had thought she had earned them in her own way.

So I had said nothing. I thought she must have something she wanted, just like me. But to think she would say she was giving it to me.

I gulped. It was far too large an amount to refuse.

“How much am I allowed to use...?”

Mira laughed lightly. Then she tapped my head.

“You may do as Evron wishes. I do not mind if you spend it all. It has no real meaning to me.”

I could not help but be moved by those words. My eyes sparkled as I looked at Mira. Mira met my eyes and gently licked her lips. I could see a deep desire rising in her eyes.

“Hehe, how cute. But if you look at me like that, I feel like eating you up. Please be careful.”

She playfully bit my head. At that, I hurriedly gave a dry cough and nodded. Then I carefully accepted the pouch from her. Feeling its heavy weight, I looked up at Mira.

“How did you earn this?”

I had been curious about that from the first time I saw it. At that, Mira lightly shrugged and laughed.

“I found this place fascinating, so I wandered here and there, and at some point, some coins had gathered. I bet those on Evron’s victory, and they increased a lot. In that sense, this is something Evron made too. So you may use it without burden.”

I could only blink. To think she had bet on me. I quietly fell into thought, then nodded. The payout must have been high. I was only from the second floor, after all. That also meant she had trusted me that much.

But to think she had earned an amount as large as what I had earned in the competition. Her skill was remarkable. As expected of my puppet.

I looked down at the turtle hanging from my upper body. Did this fellow happen to have hidden coins too? But it only yawned with a meh. I smiled bitterly at that. I had wondered, and sure enough, no.

I let my will flow. Then No. 0 rose from my shadow and looked around. It seemed to realize where this place was at once, because its eyes began to sparkle.

This knowledge would fill not only me, but also that fellow. Like that, together with it, I carefully chose books. And in the end, I was able to pick out several grimoires.

The Basics of Space-Time Magic, Introduction to Puppetology, and so on. They were things that were hard for me to understand right now. But if I could someday grasp even fragments of them, their value would be great.

I spent the coins Mira gave me and bought them. They did not remain as mere books, but were also carved directly into my head. I quietly trembled and let myself ride the wave of knowledge.

Of course, this knowledge had only been placed inside my head. Researching and applying it would be my work from now on.

Still, that knowledge felt very reassuring. It had to be because I had spent so many coins. Its value was outstanding. To express my gratitude, I looked up at Mira. Then I froze.

Mira was looking down at me with a mischievous smile. For some reason, an ominous feeling began to soak into my chest. Mira poked my cheek and let out mist.

“Now, since we have stopped by where Evron wanted to go, it should be time to go where I want to go.”

Mira pointed at a small, cloud-like building far away. It was a place where many outfits were hung. Mira slowly began moving her feet.

“It is a place I noticed while wandering around here. They said they offer various outfits. Since you have become cute anyway, should we not get new clothes too? I will choose them well for you.”

Mira hugged me tightly. At those words, my face stiffened. This was unexpected. I twisted my body in strong resistance, but Mira looked down at me with a sad face.

“Oh my, do you not want to go? I spent coins and bought you those precious things.... I did not think you would refuse even this one request.”

At that, my eyes widened. Damn it, it was a trap. I looked down at the pouch of coins. This was the same method I had suffered at the auction house before. Creating a huge debt and using it to force my actions.

So I had no choice but to grant that request too. I had sworn I would never fall for it again, but to think I would be bound like this. Her skill was truly remarkable.

I closed my eyes and nodded. This was only a brief humiliation. I just had to endure it. At that, Mira’s eyes sparkled, and she dragged me toward that strange shop.

And there, many things truly happened. It took a long time to get out too. I quietly fiddled with my hair. The hair braided into twin tails did not come undone easily.

I sent a grateful look toward Koite beyond the screen. He was participating in the advanced competition. If he had not come to find us, I might have been trapped there until the gathering ended.

That competition ended very quickly. As with mine, the time outside and inside differed greatly. Koite placed eighth. He could be said to have achieved a fairly excellent result too.

And from our city association, the only ones who participated in the competition like that were Koite and me. The others spent their time participating in other events rather than the competition.

I also followed them and earned coins, obtaining several more items. I stroked my reliable pocket. What I bought most heavily was Wriggler No. 1.

It could be called an artificial life-form that made a puppet seem alive. The way it imitated life was very impressive. So I planned to use it in research.

And I also learned that an item surpassing it existed. Something called Wriggler No. 2. But that was not something I dared touch. Its price proudly exceeded one thousand coins.

So I could only be satisfied with Wriggler No. 1. I also made up my mind that if I ever had the chance, I would try touching that too.

Like that, roughly a week had passed since I first arrived here. Many people filled the surroundings. I glanced ahead.

I could see Professor On standing on a small platform and looking down at us. Behind Professor On, many puppets were moving busily, dismantling the buildings.

“Now then, all of you scatter. The next gathering will be held twenty years later.”

Professor On spat that out as if it were bothersome. With those faint words as the last thing I heard, space began wrapping around us. Then that space split, and we were instantly kicked outside.

The gathering had ended. I could finally feel it. Like that, people left in their own directions. Amid them, I could feel several sharp gazes.

They were probably the association heads. Someday, I would need to talk with them. Like that, I also slowly walked along with the people of our association. The enlarged turtle let out a happy meh.

The road back did not stretch on for long. I quietly placed a hand over my chest and smiled. This gathering had been endlessly satisfying. I confirmed my growth, gained conviction, and was able to form a new path as well.

Puppeteers were truly beings who shared generously. So I needed to keep my connection with this association until the end. At the end of that, I would go even further.

With that confidence, I laughed loudly. Of course, Mira corrected me with her hand again.

And after returning to the tower, I had no choice but to quietly scratch my head. It was because of the eyes looking at me. Those eyes, full of questions, swept my body up and down.

“...This is that guy?”

“Slaughter?”

The little Professor wearing rabbit clothes climbed onto a chair, met my gaze, then tilted her head. It was Rabbit, the spirit object dwelling in the tower. She compared herself and me, then gave a victorious smile. As if saying she was bigger.

“Is he not truly adorable?”

Mira hugged me tightly. I could feel a strange gleam settle in her eyes. She smacked her lips. Professor Irian, who had been staring at us, made an uncomfortable face and crossed her arms.

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