WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 181

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181.

A mage grows their own tree. And that tree does not remain confined to the mage alone. Naturally, it creates a territory around them as well. In that sense, a mage’s domain could be described as the range of magical power that their tree brings into bloom.

And this was the domain I had created.

I gazed at the night sky spread out in every direction. Drawing an image onto reality like this was essentially a crystal formed by gathering domains together and condensing them into one.

It was a space that contained all of my magic.

The flow of magical power running through the night sky was nothing short of beautiful. That magical power flowed between the stars fixed in the sky, then rode along the galaxy formed by those stars coming together.

The magical power flowing out like that went even farther, toward the Moon floating at the center of this night sky. The enormous Moon that received that magical power poured intense light in every direction. That light soaked the stars, making them shine even brighter.

Within that cycle, my domain was expanding little by little.

This was the first time I had ever drawn my domain so clearly. Was that why? Somehow, I could not take my eyes off it.

Merov also scanned the surroundings with a cautious look. Merov’s magical power stretched out in every direction. It examined the stars, moved toward the Moon, and then even reached the Saplings taking root in them and growing.

Our eyes met. In Merov’s eyes as they looked down at me, I could sense the look of someone staring at something strange.

“Is this structure thanks to your unique magic? No, that alone doesn’t explain it. I’m sensing something even stranger from it.”

Merov stroked their chin. The magical power Merov had scattered gradually began digging deeper into the domain. Merov was trying to understand how this night sky was structured.

After steadily sending magical power through it like that, Merov soon fell into deep thought. Then, after who knew how much time had passed, Merov let out a quiet hum and glanced around my chest.

The curiosity from before had vanished from Merov’s gaze. What had taken its place was disbelief, as if Merov had encountered something bizarre. Merov gave a hollow laugh and shook their head.

“Hah, what a similarity. So there was another reason the tree shrank. You’ve been doing something truly insane.”

I quietly scratched my head and glanced at the night sky. All of this was the result of carving down my tree and creating something from it. Because of that, the magical power these things held was based on my own magical power.

It seemed Merov had followed that similarity and worked out the structure behind how my domain had formed. I had not expected Merov to figure that out from the nature of magical power alone, even without being a puppeteer. It was truly impressive.

There was a reason Merov had earned the nickname “fundamentalist.” Merov was incredibly sensitive when it came to sensing magical power. I faced Merov and quietly smiled.

If Merov could sense magical power that well, then they must have understood even more clearly why I had shown them this image. They must have sensed that each of these stars possessed its own small foundation.

The Saplings I had created, those small soul trees, had their translucent roots plunged deep into the galaxy. Connected to the stars like that, they were slowly drawing power from that foundation.

They were turning the information and magical power the puppets had gathered directly into their own strength. In a way, this could be called suppressing the puppets’ growth. But the Saplings taking root in those foundations did not stop at simply stealing power.

They rooted themselves in the stars that formed the puppets’ egos and became trees for their sake. Just as my tree held my soul fragments, those Saplings formed the center of the puppets.

As the Saplings took root more deeply, the puppets’ magical power deepened as well, and their connections became far thicker. And within those firmly built connections, the domain drawn by my shadow tree also grew larger.

That was why I could expand my domain all the way to the city like this.

I tapped my chest. It was all thanks to creating these Saplings. That was why I did not regret my tree shrinking at all.

The more these grew, and the more their numbers increased, the wider my domain would become. The puppets would also surely grow more comfortably under the guidance of those trees.

Still smiling, I quietly looked at Merov. There was no need to explain anything more. This domain was my everything. Adding more words here would only be needless decoration.

Merov quietly crossed their arms and scattered magical power around again. After examining the night sky like that, Merov soon jerked their chin toward me. The inspection was finished, so I was to withdraw the domain.

I lowered my head slightly and began retrieving my magical power. The shadow that had filled the evaluation hall slowly began fading along with my magical power. The shadow tree, sensing my will, had begun shrinking that domain.

Like that, the night sky seeped into the shadow beneath my feet. With the final twinkle of the last star flickering inside it, the night sky settled once more beyond my chest. Feeling that, I looked around.

The scenery of the night sky had vanished, but some aftereffects of that magical power remained.

In the quiet evaluation hall, Merov slowly nodded. Then Merov began staring directly at me.

“It was very impressive. But it remains true that you have not surpassed my standards yet. The individual called you cannot fully command the power contained within that domain, after all.”

I met Merov’s gaze and waited silently. I had already done everything I could to persuade Merov. Now all I had to do was wait for their answer.

Merov uncrossed their arms and beckoned with a finger. Magical power gathered in the air and formed a pen. Merov took it and scribbled something on the paper placed on the desk.

As Merov wrote on the paper for quite some time, a slight frown appeared. I could see deep contemplation on Merov’s face. Only after filling several sheets of paper did Merov stop.

The pen that had served its purpose melted away and vanished. After checking the papers again, Merov let out a small sigh. I sensed a hint of hesitation. Soon, as if having made up their mind, Merov closed their eyes and spoke.

“Before I tell you the result, I have something to ask. Do you know the standard by which the university’s floors are divided?”

It was a sudden question. I could not help feeling a little flustered. I fell into thought for a moment.

The university’s floors. I had a vague understanding of them. Though I was not certain.

Merov looked at my face, then clicked their tongue lightly. Merov propped their chin on one hand and shook their head. A trace of bitterness showed on their face.

“Do the young ones these days not even know this properly? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. That is the passage of time.”

Merov stared into the air as if recalling the past. There was something tired about them. Soon, Merov came back to the present and sighed while looking at me.

“A mage’s realm is already divided into twelve stages. Even so, the university newly divided itself into twelve floors. That was because this university had values it pursued. In our time, each floor even had a name.”

Names for each floor? This was the first I had heard of it.

I quietly listened. Merov raised a finger toward me.

“The first floor meant egg. The second floor was larva, the third floor was pupa. The fourth floor was expressed as adulthood. But now they simply divide them by floor. How bleak. Where’s the character? The character.”

Hearing that, I quietly nodded. I had realized why, unlike in the past, they now classified them only by floor.

Comparing mages to insects would obviously draw heavy backlash.

Just as Merov had said, it was the result of time passing. In that sense, perhaps the current floor classifications might also change to different names later on.

Merov continued.

“Of course, even if the way they were called changed, the standard for dividing the floors itself remained the same. The first floor is the foundation stage, for those adapting to magic. The second floor goes one step further from there, for those who finally awaken to magic and gain the qualification to take their first step.”

Those were things I had felt as well. I had not climbed to the second floor simply when I reached the Young Tree realm. Only when I had secured all the conditions needed to grow had the Advancement Evaluation Notice finally arrived.

That meant the division of floors was not limited to realm alone.

And the same was true of the third floor. Merov propped their chin on one hand and stared straight at me.

“Then what meaning does the third floor, the place you wish to climb to, hold?”

Merov quietly tapped the table. I could see a strange light flickering in their eyes. Merov stroked their chin and continued.

“It can be called the area climbed by those who have decided their own path. Those who have determined their own direction and wish to explore that path.”

Merov scratched their head slightly. Then they let out a faint sigh and gave me a bitter smile.

“It seems I had built up quite a few fixed ideas myself. Perhaps because I looked only at magical power too much, I stopped caring about the meaning held by each floor. If not for a strange one like you, I might have forgotten it completely.”

Merov looked down at their own hand. Had Merov gained some sort of realization? The magical power flickering from their hand shook unsteadily.

Then Merov met my eyes. I could sense a somewhat favorable air from that gaze.

“In that sense, what you showed me was very impressive. It made me want to see how far the path you walk will continue, and what comes after it.”

Merov infused magical power into a finger and waved it. Then one sheet of paper placed before Merov slowly flew toward me on that magical power. I carefully accepted it.

Merov’s magical power was engraved on the paper in the form of writing. As I slowly stroked it with my hand, I felt part of that magical power seep into me.

Holding it, I bowed deeply toward Merov. Then I covered my mouth slightly. But as I looked down at the paper, for some reason, a silly laugh began leaking out.

The reason officers conducted evaluations so strictly was not simply a sense of responsibility. It was tied to a more direct benefit than that. The officer had to guarantee the floor of the person who passed the evaluation.

If they sent up someone lacking, that became the evaluation officer’s own responsibility. The penalties that came from it were also severe. That was why they always did their best.

That was why I had no choice but to laugh. This paper meant that Merov was guaranteeing my floor. The fact that Merov had handed it to me meant I had passed the evaluation.

“You pass. I will guarantee you. So devote yourself even further.”

Merov lightly jerked their chin toward me.

I nodded slightly and placed a hand on my chest. The ominous feeling that had once flickered beyond it had long since vanished. What filled that empty place now was liberation and accomplishment.

I closed my eyes slightly and enjoyed the refreshing feeling filling my chest.

Ten years had passed since I came to the university. Many things had happened during that time. I clearly remembered falling into traps and even creating crises for myself.

And during that time, there had been moments when I had doubted myself. But after enduring all of that and moving forward, I had finally managed to achieve a result like this.

They said it usually took twenty years to climb to the third floor. But I had cut that time in half. It meant my level had far surpassed the average mage.

Of course, comparing myself with others like that had lost meaning for me. The path other mages walked and the path I walked had completely diverged.

So while I could say I had advanced quickly for now, there was no telling what would happen in the future. I would have to invest a great deal of time into building the forest I wanted to create.

It had taken two years just to plant three Saplings. Reducing that time was impossible. The process of creating Saplings happened according to a fixed rule.

In that sense, the road to the fourth floor might be much rougher than things had been so far.

No, it surely would be. Had Merov called the third floor a pupa? Just like that, for a pupa to break its shell, it would definitely need that much strength.

Still, there was one thing I knew for certain. I quietly opened my eyes and faced Merov.

The path I walked was enough to persuade others.

This advancement evaluation had value for proving that alone. It had given me greater certainty like this. So all I had to do was continue moving forward in silence.

Merov looked down at me and fell into thought for a moment. Then Merov took a small jewel from their clothes. After filling it with magical power, Merov snapped a finger and sent the jewel flying toward me.

I caught the jewel that flowed toward me on magical power with both hands. Merov smiled at me.

“You should visit our council someday. The others will likely be curious about the way you process magical power too.”

“Thank you. I will visit as soon as I have time.”

I lowered my head while fiddling with the jewel. A strange magical power flowed from the blue-tinged jewel. That strange magical power drew a map inside my head.

Inside it, the location of the organization Merov belonged to, the Magical Power Council, had been engraved. I quietly nodded. There was nothing bad about accepting this interest.

They were all mages of the upper floors. Each of them would have their own power and influence, so if I built new connections with them, it would surely benefit me as well.

“Then leave now. I have many evaluations to handle besides yours.”

Merov waved a hand. I greeted Merov again, then slowly stepped backward and left the evaluation hall. Then I faced the evaluation hall’s huge door and laughed.

I had looked at this door when I was driven out before too. Back then, it was because of the emptiness of not being able to say a single word. But now, it was different. My chest was filled only with accomplishment.

I had climbed to the third floor by my own strength.

With a bright smile on my face, I stepped outside the building. Then, once I came out, I could not help stopping.

I had come across a sight I had not expected at all.

“You came out. We were waiting.”

Mira was waving at me. She slowly approached. The sight of her in a red dress that clung to her body drew the surrounding gazes all at once.

And she was not the only one there.

The others in our party were also walking toward me. The first one who caught my eye among them was Rabbit.

She was wearing a black dress instead of the rabbit costume from before. Perhaps she had not adjusted to the dress, because her face was scrunched up hard.

Cassian and Isabella were dressed up just as much as she was. Cassian approached with staggering steps and sprawled onto the chair beside me. I could see a deeply exhausted air from them.

Cassian looked at Mira with resentful eyes. Mira gave them a mischievous smile.

“Hmm, do you want to choose more clothes? I do not mind at all.”

Cassian looked horrified after hearing that. Then they quickly hugged their bear puppet and hid their face from Mira. Mira looked down at Cassian as if finding them cute, wearing a satisfied expression.

“It is a little regrettable, but shall we be satisfied here? You have quite a good sense for choosing clothes. I liked it.”

Mira smiled slightly at Isabella. Isabella lowered her head in response. She too had a small smile on her lips.

[Thank you for saying so. I learned a lot myself.]

The two smiled at each other like that. Rabbit, who had been watching them, quickly ran over and clung to me.

“Slaughter...”

Rabbit looked completely fed up. She quickly hid behind me and trembled. I could sense even a little fear from her.

Why was she so frightened? When I stroked Rabbit’s head, she met my eyes and became teary. Rabbit pointed at Isabella and Mira, then ground her teeth.

“Slaughter... Slaughter!”

A whine that they had tormented her mercilessly reached me. I had no choice but to smile bitterly. It seemed they had played around with Cassian and Rabbit.

I glanced at Mira and Isabella. I had expected Mira, but I had not thought Isabella would join in on that prank too. Somehow, I felt a hint of mutual respect between the two of them.

Seeing that, my hand paused while stroking Rabbit. I had already been thinking about how to improve the relationship between those two. And here was a very good method.

I could offer Rabbit and Cassian as sacrifices for them. If the two of them played with these two as toys, their relationship might grow even closer.

At that moment, an impact struck my waist. Looking down, I saw Rabbit ramming her head into my waist. With her cheeks puffed up, she began pummeling my leg with her fists.

I could see a sense of betrayal toward me on her face. It seemed she had read my faint intention. I stopped her hands and laughed slightly. Was it because she had taken off the rabbit costume? Her actions were simply cute.

As we were playing like that, Mira slowly approached us. She looked down at Rabbit, smiled softly, and linked arms with me. Then she placed a hand on her own chest and met my eyes.

“What do you think? Does it suit me? I chose it carefully so that Evron would like it.”

I felt the surrounding gazes gather on her. I quietly observed Mira’s appearance. Then I readily nodded.

“As I always say, Mira, anything suits you. You are very beautiful.”

That was only natural. Mira had formed her body based on Professor Irian. Of course that perfection would not disappear.

Mira looked at me with her eyes slightly narrowed. Why was she making that face? I tilted my head a little. Then she gave a small shake of her head. I spoke to her.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Obviously, we gathered to congratulate Evron. Oh my, did you perhaps fail?”

I shrugged. As if that would happen. I had decided to make sure I kept my promises. This matter was no different. Seeing me, Mira nodded.

“I am glad it seems you passed. What we prepared did not go to waste.”

“What you prepared?”

I quietly blinked. Then Mira gave a sly smile and gestured to Rabbit. Rabbit snorted at her.

Rabbit made a sulky face and whipped her head away. It seemed the intention I had revealed had not pleased her at all. After I soothed her a little more, her face soon relaxed, and she began rummaging through her clothes.

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit took out a small box. Wearing a smug smile, she handed it to me. What was this? Thinking that, I carefully accepted it.

“This is a gift we decided on after careful thought. We chose it to congratulate Evron’s advancement.”

I quietly fiddled with the box. Mira, who was watching, leaned her head against my chest and smiled. Beyond that chest, I felt a slight emotion ripple like a wave.

I had not expected to receive a gift like this. This was the first time someone had congratulated me. With gratitude, I bowed deeply to them. At that moment, Cassian, who had been sprawled on the chair, quietly raised a hand.

“Mister, since we already congratulated you, how about we rest now? I’m hungry too.”

Cassian’s eyes as they looked at me seemed extremely desperate. If things continued like this, they would surely not escape the fate of being a dress-up toy again. I nodded to them.

“Then I will treat all of you.”

Since I had received a gift, I also needed to give back to them. That was how I would repay the goodwill they had offered me. Like that, I walked with them toward the center of the city.

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