WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 203: 203.
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Maybe I was seeing things. Thinking that, I rubbed my eyes. But the screen did not disappear. It still displayed the same message.
Only then did I realize it was real. What in the world was going on? I stared blankly at the screen with my eyes wide open.
I read the title on the screen again.
Chapter 3. Treasure....
Chapter 3? My face twisted. We were clearly still in the middle of Chapter 2.
Yet Chapter 3 had suddenly cut in like this. I had never expected anything like it. The others seemed just as shaken.
It was clear none of them had expected this either. No, perhaps not everyone. Emery was clicking her tongue softly as she looked at the screen. She looked irritated.
“So it came to this. I was one step too late. Evron grasped the situation before I did. It seems he was more capable than expected.”
Emery waved her fan and shook her head. Everyone’s eyes naturally turned toward her. I cautiously spoke to her.
“Did you know something like this would happen, Emery?”
Emery looked over all of us in our confusion. Her face was quite calm compared to ours as she waved her fan. She nodded readily.
“I found it somewhat suspicious. Compared to the previous story, the current situation was far too safe. Since they had even prepared a treasure like that, I thought they must be planning something.”
Emery looked at the treasure swaying in the Ballroom. Then she frowned slightly and continued.
“Even I did not expect it to appear in such an extreme fashion. So that was why they gave us so much time to choose. This may not be a simple choice.”
Emery covered half her face with her fan as she fell into thought. At that moment, someone suddenly rose from his seat and began releasing magical power. It was Jaun.
Jaun looked urgent as he tried to head outside. Gang raised his sword and lightly blocked his way.
“Where are you going?”
“Evron ran away, so I intend to give chase. We cannot lose points like this. If we move quickly, we can still catch up.”
Jaun gritted his teeth as magical power flowed from him. His tightly clenched hands and face were full of anger. But he had no choice but to stop at Emery’s words.
“How foolish. You failed to notice it beforehand, yet your emotions rush ahead.”
Emery shook her head slightly. Then she waved her fan with a contemptuous look.
“The points have already been deducted. Since the examination announced it like that, Evron must have escaped and disappeared already. No matter how wildly you thrash about now, you will only lose more points. Stay still.”
Jaun’s face twisted slightly. He glared at Emery with a trace of resentment.
“If you knew something suspicious was happening, why did you not tell us beforehand? If you had said something first, this would not have happened. We would all have watched each other carefully.”
Jaun’s voice was full of frustration. I could understand his attitude. He considered this examination almost his last chance.
That had been especially clear in this story too. Among us, he had worked the hardest to gather information.
Then he had suddenly been struck by a disaster like this. Of course he would be furious. Yet his anger did not reach Emery in the slightest. She only snorted and lightly waved her fan.
“Ha, blaming me. Can you not even reflect on your own attitude? If you had given me reason to trust you, I would have shown you due respect. But you only ran away. How could I trust someone like that?”
Jaun flinched at her words.
In Chapter 1, the story of the Black Mage, Emery had left us advice. Fight and die. Then seize the center of the story at the end.
From her perspective, she had given us an opportunity. But Jaun had rejected it and run. We had followed after him too.
Emery, on the other hand, had remained alone and faced the Black Mage, as if keeping her own words. The sight of her fighting without yielding to strength had been incredible.
Mm. Maybe that was why my senses had guided me to her.
I quietly touched my chest. Looking back on it, I could barely believe it. I had always taken only safe paths, yet I had acted like that.
Still, thanks to that, I had earned good points. Had Emery not said so after the Black Mage ran away? That she would give me points as compensation for helping her.
But as much as I had gained good points, there were naturally people whose points had fallen in comparison. I glanced at Jaun. He was one of them.
If Emery and I had failed to endure the Black Mage’s strength and died there, it would have been different. That would have meant his choice was more correct. But we endured, while he ran away.
The center of the story had remained with us. Naturally, their points had fallen. I did not know how much had been deducted, but it was clearly fatal in our current situation.
“Look at the one who watched for an opportunity and escaped. Even if I had told him, would he have changed his attitude? No. He would have moved even faster.”
Emery lightly tapped the screen. I quietly nodded. Jaun and the others surely knew they would receive deductions.
What would happen if people like them were given an opportunity to abandon the examination? If they were offered a reward in exchange for giving it up? The treasure’s power, as the screen said.
Then some would surely be unable to resist the temptation and leave. And I was not free from that temptation either. I had returned late, but I had run away like them too.
I had no idea how many points had been deducted from me in that process. That was probably why Emery had said nothing. I clicked my tongue softly.
“If you cannot refute me, be quiet. I need to organize my thoughts.”
Jaun bit his lip tightly. He did not look fully convinced. Still, perhaps he found it difficult to protest further, because he only closed his eyes silently.
I sighed as I looked at his stiff face. Maybe I had a similar expression. I looked back at the screen.
A ten-point deduction.
I felt for the scroll in my clothes. It contained many types of examinations. This examination was proceeding in a different form than previous ones, but it still had a somewhat similar structure.
The way we passed the examination as a group was one such similarity. I frowned lightly. The university’s examinations were notorious because deductions were made in great detail.
And those deductions became even more severe in group examinations like this. The analysis in the scroll even said group examinations felt much more difficult.
Losing ten points in this situation. Considering that the passing score was sixty points, we were in danger. We had already half failed.
Once I realized that, a sense of crisis filled my chest. Resentment toward Evron rose along with it. Why had he done this?
At the same time, I was a little impressed. I still had not properly grasped the structure of this examination. Yet he had chosen what he judged to be the most likely outcome and left.
What a cold and decisive move. It was enough to make me think that if the scroll were made into a person, that person would be Evron.
Then what should I do?
While Jaun swallowed his anger and Emery fell into thought, I quietly shifted my gaze. Then a calm voice rang out nearby.
“Hmm, let us determine the cause first. What has happened has already happened. The deduction is certain too. There is no need for us to fight among ourselves further.”
It was Gang. He touched his sword sheath and stared at the screen. Then he slowly continued.
“More importantly, should we not find out why Evron did it and what he gained that made him abandon the examination? Only then can we decide our next move.”
It was a very reasonable opinion. I nodded slightly. Emery also seemed satisfied, because I saw her smile faintly.
“There is at least someone here who can be trusted a little. We need to act as you say. Chapter 3, Treasure.... The one who shared its power would know best why this happened. I shall go meet it.”
Emery stood and looked toward the Ballroom. She seemed to be planning to seek out the treasure alone, leaving us behind. Jaun looked a little uneasy.
“You are not planning to leave us behind, are you?”
Jaun muttered suspiciously. Emery looked displeased when she heard him. She filled her fan with magical power and glared at him.
“How foolish. Do you think I share your hesitation? How dare you judge me so carelessly.”
When she lightly waved her fan, the small snake that had been staying in Jaun’s clothes instantly grew huge and wrapped around his body. I could even feel the scorching heat from where I stood.
The snake carried strong killing intent toward Jaun. Jaun’s face paled slightly, and he stumbled back. Then he bowed his head a little toward Emery.
Emery watched him silently before withdrawing her magical power. The snake turned into flames and scattered in her hand. Jaun let out a small sigh of relief.
“I cannot afford to lose another person either, so I shall overlook it this once. But there will not be a next time. I do not like people who are both foolish and greedy.”
Emery waved her fan and beckoned to me. She wanted me to come closer. I swallowed and approached her.
“I shall respect your wishes and place my trust in you. The others cannot approach the Ballroom, so you will accompany me and tell them what you see and hear.”
Jaun looked at me suspiciously. Well, it was only natural. From his perspective, if even one more of us left, our chance of passing would disappear forever.
Still, he seemed somewhat convinced by the fact that the two of us would move together. Gang also nodded slightly and glanced at Jaun.
“Then we will wait here. If we scatter for no reason, we will only make each other suspicious.”
It was an arrangement where we split into pairs and watched each other. I looked at Gang and Jaun. They had shown signs of being uncomfortable with each other before. They surely would not cooperate and run away together.
Leaving the two of them in the room, I slowly began walking. The Ballroom was still lively. Normally, I would have mixed among the people and danced.
But this time, there was no need to dance.
We were not gathering information from the people. I glanced at the axe swaying in the center of the Ballroom. There was not a single person near it.
It was probably because of the terrible magical power it gave off. As I approached it, the pressure from its magical power made it hard to breathe. I swallowed.
The treasure did not seem to notice our approach. It was wildly swaying to the music. The moment we reached its side, something blocked our path.
It was Small Axe. It looked like a miniature version of that treasure. A small girl holding it stood in front of us.
“Slaughter!”
Rabbit narrowed her eyes and waved the axe in her hand. I was a little flustered by her obvious wariness, but Emery only looked at them indifferently.
“I came to meet the treasure. Open the way.”
“Slaughter! Slaughter!”
Rabbit shook her head as if refusing. Then she poured magical power into her axe and drew a line on the floor. She was telling us not to cross it.
“Hm. Since you threaten me like that, there is no helping it. I shall have to use a little strength.”
Emery spoke as she raised her magical power. Magical power began clashing little by little between her and the girl.
But their magical power soon gently settled.
Fog that had risen from somewhere swallowed it all. It hovered around the treasure and devoured every trace of hostility. After putting everything in order, the fog slowly began to disperse.
Mira appeared through the fog.
She held a wineglass and gave us a small smile. I blankly stared at her.
The moment Mira appeared, it felt as if all the light in the Ballroom poured toward her. I stood there dazed before suddenly coming back to myself. Damn. I had been bewitched by her again.
“Please do not blame Rabbit’s actions too much. She allowed an intruder in once already, so she is only guarding the place more thoroughly. It seems she was shocked that her power was stolen without her realizing.”
Mira spoke as she stroked Rabbit’s head. Then she slightly bowed her head toward us. I followed her example and glanced at Rabbit.
“Slaughter!”
Rabbit looked a little dejected. Armor beside her gently comforted her. The two of them looked truly innocent.
Yet unlike their appearance, the power they possessed was formidable. It was enough to confront Emery, as I had just seen.
Evron had gotten past these two and stolen power? It was hard to believe.
Emery seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she frowned slightly. Mira looked over us and tilted her head.
“This is unexpected. I was waiting here because I thought tearing away the treasure’s power was part of your plan. If you came here with your eyes on the treasure, I could not forgive you.”
Mira narrowed her eyes and moved her fingers. Thick fog began pouring from her hand. The strange magical power within it felt no less impressive than the treasure floating in the sky.
I could feel Emery tense slightly. Feeling Mira’s magical power, I instinctively stepped back as well.
Still, it was clear the threat was not genuine. My senses were quiet. As if proving it, Mira released her magical power and smiled lightly.
“But seeing how flustered you are, it seems you two did not know about this either. I am a little flustered too. To think someone would steal the treasure’s power and run away. I did not expect it.”
“To think he went this far to avoid making a choice. No wonder he never told me anything. Once we are outside, I will have to scold him a little.”
Mira muttered so softly that her words did not properly reach me.
“So he really left.”
I muttered softly. Honestly, I had wondered whether Evron had truly left. But seeing Mira speak so confidently, it seemed to be true.
At my words, Mira looked up at the axe. She narrowed her eyes and lightly tapped its body. The axe trembled slightly, then began inching away as if avoiding her hand.
But its attempt was stopped by the leashes held by the two girls.
“That must be it. This friend is still trying to run away. That is why I have it firmly restrained with leashes like this. Yet it tore off part of its own body and entrusted it to someone. It must be trying to make itself a new body outside with that. What a bold attempt.”
Mira flicked her hand. Fog wrapped around the axe and began pouring out ominous magical power. The axe let out a small scream and released magical power.
[Slaughter!]
I lightly shook my head. A strong will to be saved reached me. That will alone was enough to make my mind dizzy.
I could see even the fog Mira had released getting pushed back by the axe’s magical power. Mira clicked her tongue, grabbed the axe blade, and shook it lightly.
“How troublesome. You should have chosen me quickly. To split in half like this, I find it unpleasant. At this rate, I might just break you in two.”
[Sla... Slaughter! Slaughter!]
The axe desperately released its will. Its powerful magical power made it hard for me to understand. I stepped back a little and exhaled. Once I got away from the magical power, it felt a little easier to breathe.
“I never expected you to play around this much. Well, a promise is a promise. Play until you are satisfied. I will not leave you alone afterward.”
Mira narrowed her eyes and sighed. It seemed even she had no way to force the axe’s actions. Emery watched the two of them and clicked her tongue.
“So it was an ownership ritual. We have gotten caught up in something troublesome.”
“The person who left must have known that too, which is why he stole the power first. That power can be used outside as well.”
An ownership ritual. It was a term I had never heard before. Still, judging from the atmosphere, I could tell this process of choosing was what it meant.
It seemed that choosing the treasure’s owner was a kind of ritual.
As I listened to them quietly, I froze. A small screen had appeared before my eyes.
--
Chapter 3. Treasure
You have encountered the treasure and learned that it shares its power. If you obtain it, you will fail the examination, but you will be able to take the treasure’s power outside. Make your own choice.
--
My eyes widened at that.
The treasure’s power.
I slowly looked at the axe. Its brutal magical power and strength were far beyond anything I could approach. Could I gain the power of something like that?
Only now could I be certain why Evron had left. Chapter 3’s story depended solely on an individual choice.
Like Jaun, Evron had lost quite a few points in Chapter 1. Given that, he had clearly chosen a certain reward over an uncertain pass.
It could be said he had made the natural choice. He was probably aiming for the next examination. If he received this power, his chances of passing next time would become much higher.
I swallowed hard.
Looking at that axe, I too felt a little... no, a great deal of greed. I could not be sure I would pass this examination either.
Of course, the chances were fairly high this time. I was in the same group as Emery. I glanced at her. The screen did not seem to have appeared only for me. She was narrowing her eyes as she fell into thought.
Being grouped with Emery was practically good fortune for me. In the fight against the Black Mage, she had shown me the surest path. If things continued like this, she might lead me to passing.
But was that really certain?
Evron had already left, causing us to lose a huge ten points. In that situation, I could not be certain of passing.
Maybe it would be better to gain that power here. The examination existed every year, after all. Just like Evron, could I not accept that power and challenge the examination again?
Besides, what Evron had said bothered me a little. I frowned.
First come, first served. Just as he had said. Once everyone heard this story, they would surely have the same concerns as me.
And the first person to move would gain the power. The others would fail after receiving deductions. So I had to move quickly to obtain it.
As I quietly agonized over it, I could feel someone’s gaze fixed on me. I shifted my eyes slightly and saw Emery watching me with narrowed eyes.
“Do not make a foolish choice. Even if one person has left, the story has not come to an end. Do not disappoint me.”
Her eyes seemed to see straight through my thoughts. I cleared my throat and quickly shook my head.
“Of course. I was not thinking anything at all!”
But inwardly, I could not stop thinking about it. I glanced at the axe.
Isabella had said the moment of choice would come only once it was fully satisfied. That would surely be the end of Chapter 2.
But would the end of that story really come? Mira had said it wanted to escape. Something like that would not be easily satisfied. It would try to resist until the end somehow.
That meant this story would continue endlessly. Until someone gave up and left.
Could we really last longer than the treasure? I had no idea.
Perhaps Emery did not trust me that much, because there was a trace of distrust in her eyes. I quietly clicked my tongue. If I were her, I would surely be suspicious too. I was wary of her as well.
Emery was incredibly capable. She surely understood the current situation more thoroughly than I did. What if she tried to give up on this examination before I did?
I did not think she would, but I could not know for sure. You could never know what people were thinking. There was no harm in maintaining the smallest amount of caution.
“Seeing the two of you doubt each other, it seems you really are both unrelated to this matter. Then think about just one thing. Who would benefit most from your disappearance?”
Mira looked at us and smiled faintly. She stroked Rabbit’s head as she continued.
“These children are Treasure Keepers. With your strength, it would be impossible to break through their power and reach the treasure. But the person who left accomplished that.”
Emery looked at Rabbit. Mira was right. Evron alone surely could not have escaped the senses of those two.
“So someone guided his actions. They intentionally created an opening.”
Mira smiled with her eyes and lightly nodded.
“That must be it. Perhaps your votes were an obstacle. Hehe, to play such a cute trick. Isabella is quite amusing too. Did she think this would let her defeat me?”
“Then I will return now.”
After finishing her words, Mira lifted her dress slightly. Thick fog began pouring from her.
It rippled briefly, filled with magical power, then soon vanished. Mira inside it vanished as well.
The axe, which had been watching Mira’s reaction, released magical power as if relieved.
[Slaughter!]
It meant it was going back to play. The axe moved to the center of the Ballroom where music played and began swaying to the rhythm. I watched it before shaking my head.
“Let us return now. We need to tell the others what we heard.”
Emery spoke as she waved her fan. I gave a bitter smile and nodded. I could already imagine how the others would react to this.
Still, we could not hide it. If they took enough time, they would discover it eventually. Then an even greater conflict would surely arise. It was better to tell them beforehand.
We headed toward the room where we had agreed to meet. But I did not need to explain things to them.
Someone had already come to see them.
The moment we entered the room, I could feel an unsettled atmosphere. At the center of it was Isabella. She had been sipping tea, but when she saw us enter, she gave a gentle smile.
[You are both here. I heard what happened. You went to find the treasure, did you not? We just missed each other.]
Isabella looked a little sad and placed a hand against her cheek. Then she shook her head slightly and sighed.
[I felt that the treasure’s power had been torn away, so I was looking around a little. Then I met these people and heard what happened. That one member of your group had disappeared.]
“...That bastard left the examination grounds with the power too.”
Jaun muttered softly. His eyes were directed at empty air. It seemed the contents of Chapter 3 we had just seen were floating before his eyes as well.
[It is sad. But it is a little strange too. To approach the treasure despite the Treasure Keepers being there. Someone must have helped him. It was probably Mira’s doing. She is desperate to bring me down, after all.]
I blinked slightly. It sounded similar to what I had heard just now. Had Mira not said exactly the same thing? Both of them were pointing to the other as the culprit.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Isabella. She carried herself confidently, as if her words were true. Mira had been the same. That meant one of them was lying.
As the situation grew more complicated, I rubbed my forehead. Isabella looked over us and slowly stood.
[I cannot take up more of your time. I will leave now. But please remember this. I have no intention of harming any of you. If you need help, please come find me anytime.]
Isabella gave a gentle smile and slowly left the room. Then Emery took her place and looked at Jaun and Gang.
“You both understand well enough why that bastard left. If you need an explanation, say so. That one will explain it for you.”
Emery pointed her fan at me. But they only shook their heads. They seemed to understand the situation well enough. They were sending suspicious looks toward us too.
Emery let out a long sigh.
“I have lost. Was the purpose of this story to plant suspicion and distrust among us? We are trapped.”
She was right.
After going through Chapter 1, we had gained a sort of sense of belonging as group members. There had even been a little familiarity between us.
But now none of that remained. All I could see was wariness and the urge to watch one another.
That was especially clear in Jaun. It was probably because he was the most desperate person here. And along with his wariness toward us, I could see desire flickering in his eyes.
He clearly coveted the treasure’s power too. As a wanderer, there were not many chances to face such great power.
I quietly placed a hand on my chest. I was trying to activate my unique magic. But as before, it only spread in every direction. After confirming that, I let out a small sigh.
In the Black Mage’s story, I had acted with certainty because I could see a clear path. But there was no crisis like that now. Maybe that was why my senses were not giving me such a strong reaction.
Then what choice should I make?
I quietly felt through my clothes. There was something that gave me guidance whenever things were this uncertain.
The scroll.
I recited one of its maxims.
The Eighth Maxim. When a loss is certain, you must act first and gain the greatest possible profit.
It was also what Evron had said before he left. As he had said, if I was late, I would only lose out. I had to move before others betrayed me to gain the treasure’s power.
Maybe this was my chance.
And the others were surely suspicious because I was having these thoughts right now too.
In the bleak atmosphere, Emery narrowed her eyes. She looked over us and shook her head.
“In the current situation, we have no choice but to remain bound in this room and have the four of us watch one another. Until the moment of choice comes, so no one runs away. This is why I said nothing.”
I nodded. Her suggestion was the best choice for now. Even if someone tried to run away and obtain the treasure’s power, the other three could surely stop them.
If I could not have it, I needed to stop anyone else from having it too.
After everyone agreed, we remained in the room and began watching one another so that no one could move carelessly.
And the waiting went on endlessly.
I glanced outside the door. There, I could see the axe swaying in the Ballroom.
[Slaughter!]
It was releasing a joyful will, even though we had been trapped here for quite a long time.
Would the moment when it was satisfied ever come? There was no way to know.
I blankly looked into the air. At this rate, we might remain bound here until the examination ended.
Then we would fail.
I spent the night with those thoughts in mind. I sighed and rose when I suddenly felt someone standing beside me.
I could not see anyone, but someone was sending magical power toward me.
I was startled and tried to shout, but something covered my mouth. At the same time, I heard a whispering voice.
“Be quiet. Do your best to look normal so the others do not notice.”
It was Jaun’s voice.
He had taken a strange form that was neither magical power nor soul. Even though he was right beside me, I could only sense the faintest presence from him.
Jaun had clearly been sitting on the sofa just moments ago.
With that thought, I looked at the sofa. Then I could only blink blankly. Jaun was sitting there perfectly normally, tending to one of the corpses he controlled.
Then what was this?
As I blinked in confusion, he whispered to me again.
“This is one of my little tricks. The others will not know. So just listen.”
I shifted my eyes slightly. What suspicious behavior. Should I reveal this to the others?
As I thought that, Jaun let out a soft sigh.
“You felt it too, did you not? The examination has stagnated. At this rate, none of us will reach the end of the story. And we will fail. I cannot let it end like this.”
My eyes twitched. It was something I had been thinking about constantly too. If we remained this way, we would only fail. Perhaps sensing my hesitation, he continued in a subtle voice.
“You know too. How precious every chance is for wanderers. My failure is already half certain, so I want to seek the next opportunity. Let us cooperate. The two of us will gain that treasure’s power and escape.”
Escape together?
I glanced at Emery. She did not seem to notice this conversation. She had her eyes closed as she refined her magical power. Gang was the same.
One person would not be able to overcome the other three. But if two people joined forces, there was a higher chance they could deceive the other two. Maybe, as he said, both of us could escape this place.
The reason Jaun had told me this was obvious. He knew there was no possibility if he raised the matter with those two. Emery was from a great family, and Gang was a sword-user.
Unlike them, I was a wanderer like Jaun. I remembered feeling a sense of kinship with him from Chapter 1 because we were both wanderers. Maybe that was why I could clearly feel how desperate he was now.
I placed a hand over my chest and formed my unique magic. But my senses would not tell me anything. It meant that whichever choice I made depended on my will.
Then Evron’s words suddenly rang in my ears.
First come, first served.
The moment I remembered those words, I could not help nodding as if bewitched. Had the scroll not said so too? That I had to act first.
Footnotes:
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