WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 197

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The request city lord Cassian gave us was extremely simple. We just had to roam the city and bring as many living people as we could back to the castle.

When I first heard it, I thought it sounded easy. It did not take long for me to realize how wrong I was. Feeling tension wrap around me, I checked my surroundings.

I stayed still and sniffed. Soon, the thick scent of blood reached me. It was drifting from beyond a collapsed building. That meant someone had definitely been inside.

Then I needed to check. I carefully stepped over the remains of the collapsed building. The stench of blood grew stronger and stronger.

The interior was pitch-black. I cautiously filled my eyes with magical power and scanned the area. Then I saw bloodstains covering the walls. They were traces left by someone who had died in pain.

But the person who had left those bloodstains was nowhere to be found. They had likely been dragged away without even leaving a corpse behind. This place had been cleaned out too.

Should I get out, then? The moment I thought that, my body stiffened. A prickling sensation had come from my chest.

The instinct that had saved my life countless times was warning me again. As soon as I felt it, I quickly poured magical power into a spell that hid my presence. The space around me distorted and concealed my form.

At the same time, a shadow flickered before my eyes. Beyond the thick shadow, I could see something wavering. It lingered near me for a moment, then seeped into the collapsed rubble.

To think it had approached so quietly. If I had not hidden myself in advance, I would have been caught for sure. A little cold sweat broke out from that sense of danger.

The shadow that had seeped into the rubble soon began spitting something out. It was a swarm of small bugs that looked as if they had been made by weaving human hands together. They scattered in every direction and searched the interior.

Seeing that, I frowned slightly. They were grotesque beyond words. To make something like that, black mages really did have rotten taste.

I took a small crossbow from my chest and tensed. If I was detected, I needed to run immediately. I carefully avoided the hand bugs that came near me and watched the surroundings.

Of course, those things were as weak as they looked. They would shatter to pieces if I simply crushed them with magical power. But those hand bugs were made to break like that.

They had been designed so that if they detected a presence, the tentacles would gather right away. How much trouble had I gone through when I first ran into them and stomped them dead without thinking? There was no need to repeat that mistake.

I stayed hidden and waited quietly. During that time, the hand bugs seemed to have failed to notice my presence. They only brushed past the area around me.

As if they had found no trace of anything living, they wandered through the rubble, then soon gathered in front of the shadow they had crawled out from. The shadow took them in and slowly began to fade.

Like that, the shadow vanished completely, and the surroundings sank back into silence.

But I held my breath and did not move. The cold sensation in my chest was still throbbing. I needed to trust my instinct more than what I had seen.

And that trust did not betray me. The shadow I had thought was gone quietly revealed itself again. It spat out more hand bugs and searched the rubble thoroughly.

But I was still hidden inside my spell. With their faint magical power, there was no way they could find me.

After finding nothing, they smashed the surrounding rubble even more, as if throwing a tantrum, then disappeared. Along with that, I felt the sensation stabbing at my chest subside.

They had really left. I let out a sigh of relief and released the spell. Then I looked at the place where the shadow had vanished and shook my head.

Those things were getting more sinister by the day. Waiting like that was nothing unusual now. They even laid traps and waited for me to approach on a regular basis.

My body trembled. In the previous search alone, had I not nearly had my head pierced through by a tentacle after walking carelessly? Without my instinctive sense, it would not have been strange for me to die at any moment.

Not that I could stop here. I smacked my lips and took a map from my chest. Then I drew several lines over the area I was in. It meant the search there was complete.

There was no need to check any further. The hand bug I had just encountered was a kind of cleanup unit. Since it had appeared here, that meant there were no survivors left in this place.

I carefully left the rubble. Then I slowly withdrew, heading toward our outpost.

The outpost was surrounded by a complicated magic circle. Just like the spell I had used a moment ago, it hid the presence of those inside. That magic circle was extremely natural. The shadows would surely have a hard time finding it.

After crossing the magic circle and stepping into the outpost, I saw people milling around. They were all survivors found in this area.

When they saw me, they lowered their heads and greeted me. I awkwardly accepted their greetings and headed deeper into the outpost. Then I pushed into the tent at its center.

I glanced outside. They were called survivors, but it was hard to see those things as people. As Evron had said, they were all just puppets.

But the way they spoke to me was extremely natural, just like now. From the outside, it almost felt strange to think those things were not human.

I let out a light sigh and headed deeper into the tent. Inside, I saw Emery leaning against a table. Perhaps she sensed my presence, because she glanced at me.

“You have returned. Report what you saw.”

“This place has been cleaned out too. I do not think there are any more survivors.”

I shook my head and took out the map. She accepted it from me and began reading the information written on it. Soon, she nodded.

“As this lady expected. Then prepare to move to the next area immediately. There should still be some survivors left there, at least.”

She wanted me to move right away? Working someone without even giving them time to rest. Truly vicious. And those feelings naturally slipped out of my mouth.

“...Could I rest for just a little while first? I used too much magical power. We also need to lead those people, and this time, I will go.”

I jerked my chin toward the outside of the tent. If I went to a new area, another vicious trap would surely be waiting for me, so I was a little scared to step into it. But Emery shook her head with a firm look.

“In this lady’s eyes, there is no bait as good as you. So be faithful to your role. That man will take charge of leading them.”

She glanced at the corner of the tent. Evron was there, brewing tea. I saw him bow his head toward me with a faint smile.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue. Damn it, he kept getting all the easy work. I should have taken that position. Envy filled me. But despite how I felt, I did not dare refute her words.

Had she not already caught me trying to run away earlier? So I needed to keep following her orders. There was no way for me to escape her grasp.

Then I had to move to the next area. I placed a hand on my chest and made a miserable face. Perhaps Emery noticed my dark complexion, because she stared at me.

“Is it still ominous?”

At her question, I nodded. Emery fluttered the fan in her hand and sank into thought. I quietly watched her.

The sight of her waving the fan was truly elegant. At the same time, it was also full of pressure. I was so crushed by that pressure that I did not dare defy her.

If I had known this would happen, I should have hidden my senses more thoroughly. I let out a sigh full of belated regret. The reason I had become a scout like this was partly because it was my specialty, but also because the others knew about the instinct I possessed.

Several days had already passed since we began searching for survivors. During that search, the others sometimes got caught in traps and were injured. The traps left by the black mage were vicious, just like the one from earlier.

But I alone was an exception in those situations. My senses always led me to the safe path. Emery quickly realized that. And now, she was making very efficient use of it.

“Seeing how you return unharmed each time, your sense does seem real. Danger... yes. It seems this lady underestimated the enemy too much.”

Emery rubbed her chin. Was she finally believing my instinct? The suffering of the last few days had been worth it. Then now was the time to persuade her. With the ominous sensation flickering in my chest, I watched her expression.

The ominous sensation had grown much larger than when we first chose to fight the black mage. We really needed to run away, even now. But if I said that directly, she would definitely look at me like I was pathetic again.

So I needed to phrase it indirectly. I cleared my throat lightly and opened my mouth.

“May I ask why you chose to fight the black mage?”

I stroked my wrist. Then a screen appeared.

Survive the black mage’s clutches.

That was what was written on the screen. Every time I saw those words, the ominous feeling seemed to grow stronger.

I really had not wanted to choose this, but since she had chosen it, I had no choice but to follow. But if she truly had started believing my senses now, perhaps she might change her mind.

With that hope, my eyes sparkled. But my hope was quickly crushed. Emery began looking at me with a pathetic expression, as if she had seen through all my shallow tricks.

“You will never understand in your lifetime. So simply follow behind this lady. Then I shall at least show you the path forward.”

Her tone was utterly firm. I had no choice but to lower my head in dejection. Emery ignored me and moved magical power, placing the map in my hand. It meant I should hurry up and leave.

“If you advance first, this lady will use you as a compass and follow. So rest assured. I shall guarantee your life, at least.”

Bait again. I grumbled a little inside and lowered my head. There was nothing I could do. Still, there was not much left now, so should I consider that fortunate?

I unfolded the map. Then I could see the city stained in black and white. The black indicated areas where the search had been completed, and the white indicated places we had not checked yet.

It was now split around six to four. It was the result of the careful searching we had done over the past few days, and the survivors outside could be called the product of that effort.

I quickly straightened my drooping body. Since I was going anyway, I needed to do my best. That was the advice the scroll had left me.

I felt the Sapling in my chest rustle its branches as if telling me to stay strong. The only thing that cared for me like this was this Sapling. Encouraged by it, I let magical power flow even more strongly.

Let us finish quickly. Quickly. Then I could finally rest. But contrary to my hopes, the next area was absolutely horrible.

I stared blankly at the massive flames blazing away. Many tentacles were writhing inside them. I had gone through hell just getting out of there.

I looked at the burning area and sighed. I did rescue a few survivors in this area, but most had already had their magical power sucked dry and been eaten.

And in that place filled with corpses, countless traps had also been prepared to catch me. That was exactly one of those traps. It was a good thing the ominous feeling kept me from getting close. One wrong move, and my limbs would have been torn off.

I checked the sky. A dark night sky entered my view. No, that was not the night sky, but the barrier surrounding this offering ritual. After all, I had not seen light enter for several days already.

I glanced at Emery. She was fluttering her fan and controlling the flames. She was cleaning up the place, both to deal with the trap and burn the corpses. Corpses, too, could be considered lumps of magical power.

“But can we really stop the ritual with something like this?”

That question came from my anxiety. Emery stopped sorting out her magical power and met my eyes. Perhaps she sensed my unease, because she gave a light snort.

“Yes. An offering is the act of cramming enough magical power into the body to fill it completely. If they fail to fill themselves to the limit, the mage will collapse on their own. Those bastards used this city as a sacrifice, so they must eat everything contained inside it.”

I quietly smacked my lips. Despite her confidence, that barrier looked far too intact. But I had no choice but to believe her and follow along.

This was my first time facing an offering ritual. Unlike me, Emery said she had experienced situations like this several times.

At first, I had been suspicious of that claim too. But after hearing where she came from, I had no choice but to accept it. She was from the borderlands. I had learned that over the past few days while we occasionally talked like this.

I sank into thought as I watched Emery fill her fan with magical power and wave it. I vaguely remembered hearing about a family that handled magic by filling a fan like that. Was it the border marquis who protected the Empire’s border who looked like that?

Of course, I had only heard it in passing, so I was not certain. Still, there was no doubt Emery came from a good family. Evron, who stayed beside her, served her with great care.

Even now, his puppet was gently massaging Emery’s shoulders. She accepted it as if it were completely natural. She radiated the air of someone who had been served since childhood.

The borderlands. It was a place filled with nothing but rumors. They said public order was so unstable there that hundreds of people going missing was nothing unusual. If so, offerings surely happened often too, just as she said.

I also had memories of experiencing the borderlands indirectly, so I could trust her. I had once been caught by a slave merchant and nearly sold off to the borderlands. If my instinct had not saved me from that danger, I would have become a sacrifice too.

My body trembled. No wonder the battlefield had seemed familiar to her. If she had been in such a terrible place, it made sense that she had skills like that.

But because of that, Emery’s attitude became even harder to understand. If she had truly seen offering rituals being carried out several times, she should have known better than anyone how dangerous they were.

Then why was she trying to take on this dirty work? We could simply run away. But I swallowed those words. I did not want to hear her call me pathetic again.

Well, was it not enough to simply follow behind Emery, just as she said? I forced myself to ignore the ominous feeling in my chest and circulated magical power through my exhausted body. Then I felt some of the fatigue wash away.

I let out a small yawn and headed toward Jaun. He was working on the corpses he controlled, with the burning area behind him. Looking down at them, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Is it going well?”

“Can you not tell by looking? I cannot even repair them properly.”

Jaun looked down at a corpse and shook his head. Then he stared in the direction Emery stood and clicked his tongue. The way he touched the corpse with a bitter expression was pitiful enough to feel sorry for him.

“This is why I did not want to waste them for no reason.”

I looked down at the burning area. There were corpses inside there too, but those were things Jaun could not touch. They were merely puppets made to look like people.

So he had no choice but to keep consuming only the corpses he controlled. In that sense, I could fully understand why he had kept choosing options that avoided fighting before.

He was only a wandering mage like me. Wanderers had nothing but their bodies, so they were bound to be sensitive even to small losses. How could someone like that endure the current situation?

In that sense, perhaps Jaun was the one most similar to me. As I watched him, I felt a sense of kinship. Maybe because of that, I had been able to speak quite openly with him over the past few days.

“What are you two talking about?”

At Gang’s sudden voice, Jaun frowned. He spat on the ground and began touching the corpse again. It looked as if he was refusing to talk.

It seemed there was still quite a bit of bad blood between those two. I lowered my head slightly. I was not as bad as Jaun, but this person made me uncomfortable too.

For some reason, Evron and Emery seemed to treat this person casually, but I could not do that at all. How could I keep a sword-user who might swing a sword at any moment beside me?

Unlike me, though, Gang treated me very casually. Should I call it the unique flexibility of a sword-user? Seeing Gang smile at me, I also wore an awkward smile.

“How about resting a little more? You will have to scout again tomorrow.”

“My unease keeps growing, you see. Would it not be better to leave this place quickly?”

Gang frowned slightly. Soon, he waved a hand lightly, as if he had heard a joke. I had no choice but to sigh. I was serious, though.

My instinct was leaving me stronger warnings as time passed. And I had told everyone that too. But they all half-believed it and brushed it off, just like now.

It was understandable. My instinct had not produced any clear result. Of course, I returned unharmed while scouting, but it would be hard to believe based only on that.

Since I had no way to prove it, I could not persuade them either. I could only suffer in unease like this. Still, there was one person who believed me. Watching Emery sort out the flames, I clicked my tongue.

Among them, she could be called the one who believed me the most. Of course, nothing changed just because she believed me. I was only worked even harder than before.

During the process of clearing this area, she had even tossed me in alone as bait. I took an arrow from my chest. Its arrowhead was covered in cracks.

It had been perfectly fine when this exam began. Yet it had already reached the verge of breaking like this. It was the cost I had no choice but to pay while running away this time.

Without this arrow’s help, escaping that place would have been impossible. But separate from that help, I could not stop sniffling at the feeling of my precious money cracking apart. At that moment, someone scattered magical power toward me.

“You, come here.”

Emery was calling me. My body flinched. What was she going to make me do now? Carrying that worry with me, I carefully moved to her side.

But contrary to what I thought, Emery said nothing and simply tossed something to me. I caught it reflexively and looked at her.

“This lady is not stingy with generosity. Since I value your efforts highly, I shall bestow that upon you.”

What was in my hand was a small pouch. Curious, I opened it slightly. Then I was so startled that my hand trembled. The pouch was filled with mana stones. It held spatial expansion magic.

“Continue to work hard. If you remain useful to this lady until the exam ends, I shall give you something even greater.”

I quickly counted the mana stones. This incredible amount would be enough to repay the debt I had taken on to join the exam, with some left over. Looking at it, I felt the slight dissatisfaction I had held toward Emery rapidly disappear.

With a bright smile, I lowered my head toward her. I did feel like the ominous feeling had grown even stronger for some reason, but what did that matter? It would be hard to find this much money easily.

I remembered the Fifth Maxim written in the scroll. The exam was a place of opportunity, so one had to explore every possibility. There was nothing wrong with that at all. I had received a new opportunity like this, after all.

Reaffirming my deep faith in the scroll, I fiddled with the pouch of mana stones. As I felt the magical power flowing through the mana stones, it somehow seemed like my fatigue was naturally easing. Like that, another day came to an end.

The next day, we searched another area. Between finding survivors and burning the shadow monsters with Emery’s flames, the search continued smoothly. Like that, we headed to the next area, then the next.

While handling the work, I glanced toward where the castle should be. The survivors were heading to the castle under Evron’s guidance. If they went there, their lives surely would not be threatened.

That place was the area protected by city lord Cassian. Even before, the black mage had failed to overcome her sword and fled. So the black mage surely would not dare think of invading it.

Of course, in return, Cassian also could not leave that place. The moment she left, an attack would happen again like before. That must be why she asked us for cooperation like this.

I glanced at Emery. Just as she said, results were slowly starting to show now. As we continued sending survivors to the castle, cracks had begun appearing in the sky.

I could feel a small light leaking in beyond the dark-red sky. It meant the barrier forming the offering ritual had grown at least a little unstable.

If we could gather even more survivors who would be used as sacrifices for the ritual, that thing would surely collapse on its own. But despite that hopeful outlook, my face could only keep twisting.

Because the brighter the sky became, the thicker the ominous feeling flickering in my chest grew. It flowed through my body as if telling me I was moving in the wrong direction.

I placed a hand on my chest. Then I felt the Sapling inside me trembling in fear, as if it had also sensed the crisis.

I had continued telling Emery about this sensation. I had to persuade her if I wanted to leave this place. But Emery only shook her head at my words and said one thing.

“We advance.”

Her eyes, as she said that, held a deep radiance.

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