WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 182

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182.

-Evron: Greetings, students. This is storehouse keeper Evron.

It has already been five years since all of you came to the tower and joined us. A great deal has happened in that time. I can only apologize that the rules kept increasing because I failed to prevent those incidents.

Still, after pushing through somehow, this lecture course has nearly reached its end. I am leaving this notice because I will be holding the final lecture before the course concludes.

The final lecture will take place one week from now, in the lecture hall as usual. The contents of the lecture will also be posted in a later notice, so there should be no need to force yourselves to attend. Then I will take my leave.

└ Cassian(1): (A drawing of a bear giving a thumbs-up) Wow!

└ Hao(35): Congratulations on advancing to the third floor, Evron.

└ Luka(91): Huh? You advanced to the third floor already? That was fast. Aren’t you only in your tenth year? Well, it is something worth congratulating.

└ Evron: Thank you. I am sure the two of you will be able to rise soon as well.

└ Luciella(2): The final lecture? What is that? I do not believe you said there were no treasures left.

└ Evron: Yes. That is why I will be conducting it.

└ Luciella(2): Aha.... Then when will the rankings be decided? I have been getting headaches lately because there are far too many challenges.

└ Evron: I will speak about that matter on the day of the lecture as well.

└ Luciella(2): Then...

The mirror bug lightly shook its body and floated into the air. Its body was vibrating with magical power. It was a kind of alarm.

I let out a little magical power and jerked my chin at it. The mirror bug lit its mirror and displayed the message board on the screen. The notice I had posted came into view.

After checking it, I gave a small nod. Then I infused magical power and wrote on the mirror bug’s body. Apparently, someone had posted another question. If so, I needed to answer quickly.

This was the notice I had posted after finishing last week’s advancement evaluation and returning to the tower. Perhaps because I had put it up so suddenly, it had turned into a kind of question area. As I replied to those comments, time passed surprisingly quickly.

And today had finally become the day of the final lecture. With this, the five-year lecture course would come to an end. I fiddled with the mirror bug and smiled faintly.

Then I felt someone approach and sit beside me. A faint rose scent brushed the tip of my nose. There was only one person who carried that scent. When I glanced to the side, I saw Mira looking at me with a smile.

“What are you doing?”

At her question, I shook the mirror bug. The one who had left a question this time was Cassian. She was asking when we would go visit the city again.

This was not the place to post private questions like that. I gave a small shake of my head. Seeing that, Mira laughed softly.

“Cassian seemed very discouraged as well, so I’m glad she has recovered. I was quite worried.”

“You can say that again.”

I slowly nodded. After the celebration for my advancement, Cassian had looked extremely motivated. She had boldly challenged the evaluation, saying she would pass to the fourth floor in one go.

None of her earlier hesitation could be seen. Well, despite that mindset, she failed at once. Less than five minutes after entering the evaluation hall, she was thrown back out.

It was similar to when I first challenged the third floor evaluation. Even now that I had succeeded in advancing, the moment when I faced Merov and could not get a single word out remained vivid in my memory.

Still, one could say she was in a better position than I had been. The person in charge of her evaluation was a swordsman from the ninth floor, someone from Canyon City.

Considering how few swordsmen had reached the completion stage, the fact that the Blade Association assigned him at all showed how dearly they valued her.

Of course, that also meant his evaluation was thorough. Even after the evaluation ended, that swordsman told Cassian many things. It could be called a kind of scolding.

After pouring out all those words, he left the city just like that. Cassian saw him off looking completely deflated. None of her earlier confidence remained.

There was still one fortunate point. Unlike before, they did not forcibly drag her off to Canyon City just because she failed the evaluation. That meant they still seemed to view her talent favorably.

The fact that she had failed did not change, though. After he left, I asked Cassian why she had failed. But even she did not know exactly why.

She said that the moment she entered the evaluation hall, she felt as if she had been cut. When she opened her eyes, she was outside. At that, I could only shake my head. If even Cassian was eliminated like that, it meant the wall called the fourth floor was that high.

I quietly stroked the mirror bug. I remembered what Merov had said. He had said the fourth floor was the stage of adulthood. What was adulthood? It was a state that had gone beyond the previous stage and attained perfection.

In other words, one had to achieve a kind of ascent. And if one was a mage, one could not help but know instinctively how to achieve it. If one perfectly completed one’s realm, the next step would become visible.

In that sense, the fourth floor meant perfectly completing the Young Tree realm. It was the stage where all that remained was preparing the leap needed to surpass it.

In Cassian’s case, or rather, in a swordsman’s case, things would surely proceed in a similar way. Mages and swordsmen might classify realms differently, but the process of that ascent was bound to be much the same.

I smacked my lips quietly. After seeing Cassian so dispirited, the thrill of rising to the third floor did not last long. Instead, I was left with even greater worries about the path I had to walk from now on.

I had realized that what I had climbed was nothing more than a very low hill. A vague feeling filled my chest, telling me I had to walk a path far longer than the one I had already traveled. Feeling that, I wore a small bitter smile.

Still, this trip to the city had been rewarding in many ways. It had not only taught me about realms, but also given me a little more trust in the people around me. I quietly fiddled with the ring on my finger.

A beautifully cut red gem was set into the ring. I could feel strange magical power flowing from that gem. That magical power was flowing all the way into my body.

Mira placed her hand over mine. When I glanced at her, she lightly interlaced our fingers and laughed.

“It’s nice to see you wearing it properly. That makes giving it to you worth it.”

Mira sent magical power flowing through her mist. It headed straight toward the ring on her hand. The mist flowed inside it and naturally connected to my ring.

Between our overlapping hands, that magical power formed a single circulation. Within that circulation, the two rings blended together as if they were one. I quietly looked down at the sight.

The two rings looked almost identical. Of course they did. They were made by refining the same material in the same way. It was one of the rings I had gifted Mira before at the puppeteer association gathering.

“Is it truly all right to give this to me? You would be more complete if you had this, Mira.”

I slipped my hand away and asked. Mira shrugged. Then she fiddled with the brooch hanging from her chest.

There was a gem set there as well, giving off strange magical power just like this ring. When the brooch received magical power, it trembled and curled up its magical power as much as possible. Mira lightly tapped it and smiled with her eyes.

“To think you’re still trying to run away. How cute. This friend is enough for me. So I thought it would be better to pass it to someone who can use it more effectively than I can.”

Mira looked down at my ring and smiled. Then she rested her chin on my head and continued.

“Actually, I was rather worried. It looked as if I was giving back something you had gifted me. So I put quite a lot of effort into it. Do you like it?”

I quietly nodded. This ring was something she had separately gifted me as a present for reaching the third floor. I could feel a little mist contained inside it.

“Of course I like it. I can only be grateful that you gave me something like this.”

When I touched the mist with magical power, I felt it weakly spill out. Feeling it wrap around my body, I nodded. This was a method that hid my presence.

It could be called a kind of safety device. There were many other functions inside the ring as well. I quietly looked down at my body. My current appearance was also one of those functions.

When I smacked my lips quietly, Mira hugged me tightly. I flinched slightly from an instant feeling of resistance, and Mira laughed softly near my ear before whispering.

“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you? There are still two months left.”

The moment I heard those words, my body went limp. Mira quietly stroked my head. From her arms, I looked up slightly at her. Mira was wearing a satisfied smile.

Right now, I was small enough to fit in Mira’s arms. I was about the same size as when we made that emergency escape before. I stroked the ring and frowned.

The power inside this ring helped me settle more easily into the body I had cultivated. Beyond that, it even transformed my appearance like this. This current form had been created at Mira’s request.

I clicked my tongue. Mira had given this to me under the pretext of congratulating me for passing to the third floor. The intent itself had certainly been good. At the time, she truly had been filled with nothing but the desire to congratulate me.

But at the same time, there had clearly been a small plot mixed in beneath it to fix me in this state. It was a kind of trap. Perhaps Mira felt my gaze, because she met my eyes.

Mira smiled mischievously and lightly poked my cheek. At that, I let out a small sigh. I could not blame her for preparing this trap. In the end, I was the one who had stepped into it.

I thought of the Nun puppet that was still asleep. The other inner demons were forming their bodies little by little by tearing away the treasures’ powers, even if only in a limited way. But I had not yet been able to obtain the power needed for her.

The owner of that inner demon was Mira, after all. After we returned to the tower, she told me this. If I obeyed her until the lecture ended, she would share at least part of that power with me. My current appearance was the result of that promise with her.

There were only about two months left until the lecture ended. If it was to keep my promise with the Nun, I could endure this brief humiliation. I nodded firmly. Then, from Mira’s arms, I looked around the workshop.

The first thing that caught my eye was No. 0, who was adjusting various puppets in one corner of the workshop. The puppets’ forms were very ordinary. They were nothing more than human-shaped blocks of wood with no functions attached.

But No. 0 was examining those puppets very carefully. All of them would become products, after all. Things to spread through the city.

No. 0 would definitely be able to detect any issue with the puppets. That was why I had entrusted the inspection to it. Of course, that did create a few problems as well.

[No. 0, please take that out.]

Isabella wrote in the air. Those letters, filled with magical power, became a spell and bound No. 0’s hands. It could be called a kind of word command. Had she developed magic that way because she could not speak? It was an amazing skill.

No. 0, whose hands had been bound, slightly puffed out its cheeks. Then it took out a puppet it had hidden in its hands. It was a single lump wriggling tentacles in all directions. The magical power flowing from it was truly bizarre beyond words.

Looking at it, I quietly shook my head. Was it because No. 0 had kept attending Professor On’s classes without fail? It had gained firm standards for its own puppets. Even Professor On had found its puppets fascinating, precisely because of how grotesque they were.

That meant No. 0’s puppets were unsuitable as products. Maybe that was why it kept trying to hide its own creations inside my puppets and smuggle them out. No. 0 protested to Isabella just like that.

I felt a will flow from it, saying it was confident it could sell puppets too. At that, I glanced at Isabella. She shook her head firmly at No. 0. Then No. 0 drooped and put the puppet into its shadow.

Isabella smiled slightly at me and gave No. 0 a sharp look. She would be the person in charge of overseeing the puppet business in the city. So even No. 0 had no choice but to listen to her.

I slowly examined the puppets and nodded. Those would definitely sell well. I was the one who had made them, after all.

Of course, there was still a great deal to prepare before selling them. Looking around the city for just a few days could not be called enough groundwork. From now until the lecture ended, I would have to keep working on it steadily.

Then I felt the mirror bug vibrate softly with magical power. It felt a little different from the earlier alarm. It floated into the air and drew a clock.

It was telling me the current time. Had it already gotten this late? Mira looked at it and hugged me closer. From within her comfortable arms, I smelled a faint rose scent.

“It’s almost time to move. I’ll carry you.”

Mira stood up. It seemed she had no intention of putting me down. Holding me in her arms like that, she left the workshop. We were headed to the lecture hall.

As I had written in the notice, the final lecture was scheduled to begin now. Perhaps because of that, we met many people on the way to the lecture hall. The lecture hall itself was also crowded.

The moment Mira entered the lecture hall, I felt all of their gazes gather and pour toward us. I could faintly hear people whispering. At that, Mira smiled mischievously and hugged me even tighter.

Buried in her arms, I tried wriggling a little, but I could not overcome her strength. In the end, I had no choice but to give up and go limp. Mira stroked my head and climbed onto the platform just like that.

Facing the people, I wore a hollow smile. Ever since I had been carried around by Mira at the previous puppeteer gathering, I had gained the disgraceful name of puppet freak. Because of that, I could easily imagine how these people would see me now.

But it was a promise, so I had no choice but to stay like this. Maybe it would be easier on my heart to just give up on everything. The lecture was the last one anyway. I only had to endure this brief pain.

As I waited quietly like that, more people began filling the lecture hall. Soon, they each took their seats and murmured among themselves. Seeing that, I stroked my chin. To my surprise, it did not look like anyone was absent this time.

All two hundred students had gathered. The reason they had gathered like this was probably because I had declared this lecture to be the final one. That also meant they considered this lecture important.

While people talked among themselves, the mirror bug vibrated softly. It was announcing the start. At that, I lightly cleared my throat and let magical power flow.

My magical power amplified my voice and spread it through every corner of the lecture hall. Perhaps the students sensed my magical power, because they began quieting down little by little. Soon, silence fell.

Within that stillness, I slowly scanned the room. They all carried impressive magical power. It was the result of repeated growth. Among those people, I could also see someone lightly waving a hand at me.

It was Cassian, with the bear puppet beside her. She seemed to have recovered quite a bit now. Rather, she was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time she had seen me in my current appearance. Cassian seemed to like this appearance quite a lot too. At that, I could only click my tongue.

Come to think of it, Professor had also looked quite pleased when she saw me. I had no idea why everyone liked this appearance so much. These short arms and legs were simply immature beyond belief.

If not for the promise, I would have changed bodies at once. I let out a small sigh and wiped my face. Then I changed my expression and smiled brightly.

“I apologize for greeting you in this form. Still, there will be no issue with conducting the lecture, so please do not worry. Then shall we get straight to the point? I suspect all of you are wondering why I gathered you here. After all, the treasures’ lectures have already ended.”

People gave small nods. I looked around at them and raised a small amount of magical power. It seeped into the magic dwelling in the lecture hall and began blooming into illusions.

Many treasures floated in the air. The forms of the ones that had conducted classes in this lecture course so far appeared in small shapes. All of them were connected to their respective treasures.

They flew around the lecture hall and made a racket. At that, I gave a small shrug. They were also a core part of this lecture, so they needed to be here for the ending. Of course, the ones confined in prison were still asleep.

Those treasures were the ones that had joined my treasure network. Including the ones confined in prison, there were fifty-one treasures in total. That was also the maximum that could be obtained from the sixth floor.

These treasures had conducted lectures every month, and each of them had scattered its power once. The last treasure had finished its lecture almost half a year ago. The treasures’ powers had already been shared sufficiently.

That meant the time after that could only be called a period of training. There were no treasures left to conduct lectures. Perhaps because of that, the competition between students had become more intense.

Of course, even so, there were still people who obtained power. The gacha formed before based on Blood Axe’s lecture was still being held. Those in uncertain positions tried to draw power even if they had to spend more points.

That was also a result I had guided. I kept launching discount events during the gacha to draw out their points. The treasures also actively joined that plan.

Perhaps because I had sucked up so many points, I felt the students who met my eyes click their tongues. Their faces showed worry that I might aim for their points again in this lecture too. I smiled brightly at them and shook my head.

“You may all rest easy. This lecture will not cost points like before. You can think of this as the conclusion that wraps up the lecture course, more than anything like that.”

I snapped my fingers. Then faint lines began stretching out from the small treasures. They connected to each student. A kind of connection had been formed with those who possessed the treasures’ powers.

Through that process, it also became clear who possessed a great deal of power and who had many connections. Most were people in the upper ranks. And among those people, there was one who stood out the most.

It was Hao, the man who had formed connections with almost every treasure. He quietly scratched his head. Perhaps because he had made use of all those powers, he had continued growing and leaped all the way into the upper ranks.

In a way, that power could be considered enough to rise to the third floor. All of those in the upper ranks were mages of the third floor or higher, after all. That meant the method by which he had achieved growth was that efficient.

I gave him a small smile. The method of resetting power and building it up again was very interesting. The same went for that strange fragrance.

So I planned to keep using him as research material in the future. Right now, he could be called a slave bound to our tower, so it would be fine to use him freely for decades. Well, I did not know whether he would be able to escape even after that.

Hari would not let him go easily, after all. That was none of my business. I slightly spread my arms and looked around at the students. I could see that all of them were checking the treasures connected to them.

“This lecture will continue throughout the remaining period of the course. What I will give you is one assignment. And those who solve that assignment will be granted power, regardless of rank.”

The students’ eyes widened when they heard me. Soon, I could feel intense desire surge in their eyes. Looking at them, I smiled slightly.

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