WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 192

──────

192.

I took a slow step forward. The magical power in the room began to stir, rippling faintly with my movement. I also saw Professor frown a little.

Once I had confirmed that, I stopped and carefully refined my magical power. I had to be cautious. If Professor happened to wake up, I would be the one on the receiving end of her irritation.

I waited until Professor’s magical power settled down, then carefully approached her side and placed a single tree branch beside the bed. Then I glanced at Professor and let out a small laugh.

Professor was snoring softly, and she looked as innocent as a young child. I felt this every time, but she was completely different from when she was awake. At least while she slept, she gave off an air that suited her appearance.

I infused the object I had brought with magical power and began to burn it. A rich fragrance spread through the room. As expected of something from a dream demon. The effect was excellent.

It was dream demon tree left over from when I used it in the dream before. Back then, I had brewed it into tea, but using it like this was also a valid method. I felt the scent drift through the room and nodded in satisfaction.

The fragrance instinctively pursued sleep and flowed toward Professor. After confirming that, I carefully stepped back. We had almost reached our destination, so that scent would help her wake gently.

Deep sleep would clear her mind, after all. I smiled faintly and gave a look to Butler, who was standing motionless in one corner of the room. Butler’s draconic eyes flashed as the puppet nodded.

At the same time, a little magical power began to rise from Butler. It gathered the dream demon fragrance and mixed it into Professor’s magical power. Like that, Professor was guided into an even deeper dream.

I felt the wavering magical power and smacked my lips. Perhaps because she had fallen into such deep sleep, magical power was covering the surroundings as if a dream were eroding them. In other words, her magical power was strong enough to dominate the area simply because she was dreaming deeply.

Once again reminded of how incredible her power was, I carefully left the room. If an impurity like me stayed there too long, she might wake up for no reason. And if she woke up like that, her irritation would be difficult to handle.

I closed the door and stretched lightly. Then I slowly looked around. A vast expanse of nature stretched out before me. It was also a common sight at the university. Trees and mountains everywhere.

I felt the turtle let out a huge yawn. As it trudged along, trampling trees underfoot, boredom radiated from it. It seemed unhappy with our current speed.

I sent my will to the turtle and soothed it a little. Several days had already passed since we left the tower. At our original speed, we probably would have reached our destination long ago.

But if we moved that fast, Professor might wake up. That was why, out of consideration for her, we had been advancing as slowly as possible. Even so, thanks to our steady progress, we would probably arrive in just a few more hours.

I glanced back. Professor’s private bedroom, located on one side of the turtle’s back, had been designed so comfortably that it did not even feel the turtle’s movements. Since I had lit the fragrance, Professor would wake naturally once we arrived.

I took a small tray from my chest and floated it into the air with magical power. Then I headed toward the tree in the middle of the turtle’s back. Beneath it, I saw several figures leaning against the table.

The table was crowded with quite a few people. Mm, perhaps calling them puppets would be more accurate than calling them people. Most of them were puppets I had made with my own hands.

I moved the tray to the table and set it down. Then I adjusted my magical power, spread the refreshments across the table, and took a seat as well. Mira rested her chin on her hand and gave me a small smile.

“Is Irian still sleeping?”

“Yes, she seems to have been very tired.”

“Hehe, Irian really is such a sleepyhead. Well, thanks to that, I managed to seize this chance.”

Mira ate a cookie and smiled with her eyes. Beside her, Rabbit, who had been playing with her hands, picked up a cookie of a similar shape, ate it, and happily let out her will.

Slaughter!

Those cookies had originally been prepared for Professor. I had added plenty of sweet things in case she woke up. It seemed Rabbit liked the taste.

I lightly stroked Rabbit’s head. Rabbit picked up another cookie and handed it to Armor, who was sitting blankly beside her. I watched the two of them gnaw on cookies together and smiled with satisfaction.

Then a hand approached me and gently set down a teacup in front of me. When I glanced at the owner of the hand, I saw Isabella smiling.

“Thank you.”

I nodded and took a sip of tea. The magical power in the tea gently loosened my body, and I nodded again. The tea, with its warm fragrance, was not inferior at all to the tea I made.

To think she had already become this skilled. Isabella bowed her head to me, then poured tea for the others as well. I had originally planned to do it myself, but she seemed to have noticed my intention in advance and moved first.

After pouring tea for everyone, Isabella returned to her seat. Then she lifted the book she had been quietly reading. No. 0 was staying by her side.

No. 0 released their will, urging Isabella on. Isabella laughed softly and stroked No. 0’s head. Then, while looking at the book in her hand, she began writing letters full of magical power in the air.

[I will begin from where we left off. This part explains how to assign roles to shadows. I will show you an example, so try following along and you should understand.]

Isabella waved her hand. Magical power flowed from her fingertips and melted into her shadow. The shadow infused with magical power began to writhe little by little.

Soon, it spat out several lumps. The shadowy lumps, like small puppets, began forming shapes of their own. Some looked like mages, and others looked like magical beasts.

Then they began fighting each other. Like a kind of play. No. 0’s eyes shone as they watched the scene closely.

Soon, Isabella’s shadow melted back into the ground. No. 0 thought for a moment, then began to manipulate their own shadow just as Isabella had. It was a little clumsy, but No. 0 had clearly imitated her magic.

Isabella smiled lightly as she adjusted No. 0’s magic bit by bit. No. 0 listened to her advice and quickly corrected the spell.

“Hmm, I didn’t know she could be useful like that too. I can see why Evron likes her.”

“Though that makes her even more suspicious.” Mira added that and sipped her tea. Then she smiled at me with her eyes.

Despite what she said, Mira’s gaze toward Isabella no longer felt nearly as sharp as before. As time passed, a small agreement had formed between the two. It might be better to say they had each settled on their own territory.

Suspicious, huh. I stared at No. 0 and Isabella. No. 0 had no one who could be called a teacher when it came to magic. It was difficult for me to give advice, too. Most of the magic I had learned had been self-taught.

Perhaps because of that, No. 0 usually learned magic alone instead of asking me. The grimoire we had received from Professor On after finishing the lecture this time had been the same.

But its contents were full of things that were difficult for No. 0 to understand alone. So No. 0 had no choice but to clutch their head and think it over again and again.

The one who saved No. 0 from that was Isabella. Surprisingly, she was skilled in shadow magic as well. Skilled enough to explain the contents of the book to No. 0 like this.

Was that why? No. 0 had been steadily receiving instruction from Isabella. Isabella also seemed used to teaching, guiding No. 0 with great ease.

I received help from her from time to time as well. Whenever I asked something, the answers came smoothly. Thinking about it, this entrance exam also had a little of her touch on it.

I quietly scratched my head. Sometimes I was startled by just how capable she was. As Mira said, she was so capable that it almost felt burdensome.

Since I was receiving her help like this, I found myself understanding why Ugo had not wanted to let Isabella go. Even though Isabella was now nothing more than the remnants of a fallen soul, she still displayed that level of ability.

If she was like this now, how capable had she been when she possessed a complete soul in life? She must have been an exceptional mage, far beyond anything I could compare myself to.

But even someone like her had died and fallen into a puppet like this. I smacked my lips lightly. No matter how outstanding someone was, one blow to the back of the head was enough to send them tumbling down.

That was the life of a mage. So I had to be careful, then careful again, so I would not end up like Isabella. Receiving a second chance like she had was extremely rare.

That was why I never stopped suspecting the people around me. Still, by my standards, these people were somewhat trustworthy. I glanced around.

First, near where Isabella and No. 0 were talking, Rabbit was devouring snacks with Armor. Beside the two of them, Cassian was half-asleep, leaning into the bear puppet’s arms.

The most striking sight among them was Hao, lying face down on the floor while Hari held the leash. With Hari sitting on Hao’s back, Hao waited without the slightest movement.

After confirming that, I quietly shook my head. Tastes had to be respected. If that was what Hao wanted, I would have to pretend not to see it and let it pass. I looked away.

All of them belonged to the tower. Including Mira, most of the members who made up the tower had come outside. At the moment, the tower was empty except for the minimum number of puppets needed to manage it.

They would each take their own place in this exam, too. I could not be the only one suffering, could I? Since they belonged to Professor’s tower as well, they needed to share the hardship with me.

As I smiled and sipped my tea, the turtle let out a bored cry.

“Meeeng.”

I soothed it again. Then I looked at the path the turtle was taking.

The magical power here was terribly rough. The mountains were just as steep. But perhaps because Professor was here, all the nearby magical beasts had already fled. That was also one reason the turtle was bored.

Still, we had nearly arrived. Beyond the towering mountain range, plains were beginning to come into view. That was our destination. The turtle seemed to have seen it too, because it began to speed up.

At this level, Professor would not wake. When I nodded, the turtle let out a cry with a slightly pleased air.

“It has been so long since I went outside the university. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mira smiled and held out a cookie to me. Then she waved it near my lips. When I quietly opened my mouth, she placed the cookie inside.

I slowly chewed and swallowed it, then nodded. Mira smiled with her eyes and held out another snack. Her eyes shone with a clear light.

It seemed she was thinking of the outside world. I could feel a little anticipation from her. And I felt the same way.

Chewing the snack in my mouth, I stroked my chin. Once someone passed the university’s fourth floor, they could complete the basic curriculum. Now, if I received just one more acceptance certificate, I would satisfy the condition.

Those who went beyond the basic curriculum and graduated from the university, or those who reached the advanced course, were able to leave the university. They had already satisfied the university’s minimum requirements.

That was why mages on the fifth floor or higher could sometimes be seen leaving the university. To handle missions outside the university, for example. Koite, who I sometimes talked with because we belonged to the same association, would also leave his post that way.

They carried out those missions to reach higher floors. From the advanced course onward, they not only had to raise their realm, but also had to build a certain record of achievements.

Merov had taken charge of my third floor advancement evaluation for the same reason. Thinking of the president, I shook my head. To work students naturally like this without pay. What an excellent method. I should learn from him too.

But taking on missions like that was something for the advanced stage. For someone at the foundation stage like me, leaving the tower was impossible. Unlike those who had already completed their trees, we were still far too immature.

Yet this time, by chance, I had gained an opportunity to go outside. It was because the admission evaluation hall was located outside the university. Seeing Mira smile with her eyes, I smiled faintly as well.

Ten years had already passed since I entered the university. Even I was curious about how much the outside had changed, so Mira must have been even more excited.

For Mira, who had been trapped in the tower, this was her first outing in hundreds of years. Still, expecting too much would only make the disappointment worse. I lightly patted her shoulder. When Mira met my eyes, I shook my head slightly.

“Please do not expect too much. We will not be able to sightsee outside.”

“Hehe, I know. Still, I’m very happy that I can go out like this at all. The university’s magical power feels so artificial, after all.”

Mira quietly leaned her head against me. Then she continued in a whisper.

“It was worth following you around, Evron. Next time, please grant me even greater freedom. That was our promise. I will be looking forward to it.”

She lightly tapped my chest. Seeing her eyes sparkle with desire, I nodded. The memory of the promise I had made with her in the treasure vault was still vivid.

She had decided to support me. In return, I had decided to guide her outside the university. In accordance with that promise, she had assisted me until now. So I needed to repay her as well.

This could be called a small taste of that promise. Of course, she would not be able to sightsee outside, but this exam would certainly satisfy her. She would be able to contain many people in her mist, after all.

Like that, I slowly talked with her. Rabbit joined our conversation and made a mess along the way, while the turtle kept moving steadily forward. Then, after some time passed, it came to a quiet stop on the plains.

We had arrived at our destination. I looked around from its back. This wide clearing was completely empty. No, not completely. A single small door stood alone in the middle of the clearing.

After confirming the door, I nodded. It was the door I had faced when I entered the university. The magical power flowing from it was still nothing but complicated. I could not understand at all how that thing had been made.

It was the first time I had seen it since entering the university. I felt a strange sense of nostalgia. The reason I had wanted to cross the university’s door was because Ojo had planted that dream in me when I first began learning magic.

Even after learning that truth, I had not given up on the dream of the university. That was why I had stayed in the slums for nearly ten years, trying to cross the university’s door. That had been my goal after leaving the island.

But sometimes, I had doubts. Was the university truly different? Had I simply wasted my time?

I quietly placed a hand on my chest. Then I felt the fierce flow of magical power surging inside it. That was the result I had built over the past ten years.

Over these ten years at the university, I had clearly learned that my doubts were wrong. If I had given up on the university, I would never have achieved this kind of growth.

And the same was surely true for others. That must be why mages tried so desperately to cross the university’s threshold. This year’s examinees must all be carrying desperate hopes of their own.

So I needed to respect them as well. That was why this entrance exam was filled with respect for them. Thinking of how delighted they would be, I smiled quietly.

At that moment, the door to Professor’s bedroom flew open. Then Professor emerged from the room, rubbing her eyes. I bowed my head to her.

“Haah, have we arrived?”

Professor seemed to have woken after sensing the door’s magical power. Still, perhaps because the dream demon tree branch I had given her had worked, her face looked much less tired. She let out a small yawn and looked around.

“This is still annoying... Should I just run away like this?”

Professor looked at the door and clicked her tongue lightly. Her face was full of annoyance. She seemed to dislike being in charge of the entrance exam that much. I smiled and shook my head at her.

“Please do not worry too much. I did my best so there would be nothing for you to find troublesome, Professor. You only need to stay in your seat and watch. I arranged it in a way you should find satisfying.”

After hearing my words, Professor nodded. Then she yawned again and slowly walked forward. I quickly moved to her side and created a path down from the turtle.

She advanced toward the door while receiving my attendance. Her movements made it seem only natural that I follow behind her. She stopped in front of the door and lightly smacked her lips.

I quietly observed the door. The small door, barely large enough for a few people to pass through, was so shabby that it could not hide the passage of time. But unlike its appearance, the magical power it gave off was extremely powerful.

Since that door was the only passage connected to the outside, forcing it open would be very difficult. Still, I had a way to pass through.

I carefully searched my chest and took out a sheet of paper. It was something Arcana General Trading Company had given me, a permit for passing through the door. I had received it as a member of the exam staff.

“Then I will open the door...”

Before I could finish speaking, Professor reached toward the door. Then she infused it with magical power and began pulling it open. The door scattered strong magical power, as if resisting Professor’s power.

But Professor pushed in even more magical power without so much as blinking. Unable to withstand her magical power, the door was forcibly opened. Professor turned back toward me and yawned.

“What did you say?”

“...Nothing. Please go in.”

I quietly shook my head. Professor rubbed her eyes and stepped beyond the door. Her figure soon disappeared. She had crossed the boundary and gone outside.

To think she would force the door open like that. It seemed I would have no use for this permit this time. I smacked my lips lightly and tucked it back into my chest.

“Then everyone, please cross over. I will close the door and enter after you.”

I gestured to the others. They naturally passed through the door as well. Then only I was left standing in front of it.

I quietly looked at the door. Beyond it was filled with writhing magical power. Its flow was impossible to predict, making it incredibly strange. The outside world would be beyond this door. I swallowed softly and stepped toward it.

---

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried