WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 215: 215

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Mauro met my eyes and gave a small nod. After setting down the teacup, Mauro used magical power to push the chair in front of them toward me. It was an invitation to sit.

“Mr. Mauro, I apologize for coming so suddenly. Something urgent came up.”

I pulled out the glass jar containing the puppet and showed it to Mauro. Mauro checked it, then clicked their tongue softly. It seemed they immediately recognized what it was.

“A puppet workshop opened in the center of the city. It is an exact copy of the shop I built. This is a puppet I bought there.”

At my words, Mauro closed their eyes slightly and let out a low hum. Mauro tapped the glass jar containing the puppet. The puppet stirred within my magical power and blinked its tiny eyes.

“After examining it, I found that it was made using the method I demonstrated at the previous gathering. That naturally means someone within the association made it. Mr. Mauro, I am sure you immediately recognized what it was made from as well.”

I silently looked down at the puppet. It was a puppet made from a corpse. Within the puppeteer association, there was only one group that specialized in handling corpses like this.

Gaon’s association.

Seeing them distribute puppets like these, it was obvious that several of them had entered our city. I met Mauro’s eyes again.

Judging by Mauro’s attitude, Mauro had clearly already known they were in the city. Yet Mauro had simply watched until they opened their shop?

Mauro was the association head of our city. I could not understand why Mauro, who claimed this place as their territory, had left puppeteers from another city alone. After being lost in thought for a while, Mauro spoke.

“I had a bad feeling about this, but trouble came in the end. As you suspect, these were made by people sent by Gaon’s side. This is my failing. I could not stop them from moving within the city. I am truly sorry.”

Mauro gave me a bitter smile and bowed deeply. Mauro’s polite attitude left me somewhat flustered, so I quickly waved my hands.

“No. You cannot call this your fault, Mr. Mauro. I did not expect them to open a shop either. Still, are you saying you could not stop them?”

“Mm. Naturally, I wanted to find out why they had come. If they did anything suspicious, I intended to drive them out. But the Trading Company’s people blocked me. They said they had brought them in for a collaboration, so we had no authority over the matter.”

Mauro sighed. Hearing that, I could understand. How could a small organization like our association defy the will of the Trading Company that ruled the city?

Of course, it was surely not the will of the entire Trading Company. The People’s Council had probably done no more than apply a little pressure.

Even so, that alone was enough to burden Mauro. They had clearly used the moment Mauro hesitated to establish their shop.

My expression hardened slightly. This kind of pressure was clearly something that could be challenged. The Trading Company had directly intervened in another organization’s affairs.

At the same time, it was difficult to challenge. Just as they had told Mauro, they had merely arranged a collaboration. Who could criticize them for doing business that way?

Even from Hwaryeong’s position, it would be difficult to intervene easily. It was an extremely clever form of pressure, balanced right on the edge. I had to admit that I was impressed.

There was only one problem.

That pressure was aimed at me.

I clicked my tongue at the cold feeling that seemed to be targeting my heart.

There was another part I did not understand. I could fully understand why the People’s Council was targeting me like this. In their conflict with Hwaryeong, they had to cut down her collaborator first.

But what about Gaon’s side?

I could only tilt my head slightly. I could not properly judge why they were targeting me.

Of course, there was one person there who held a deep grudge against me.

Ugo.

I had taken Isabella from them, so their grudge against me was probably bone-deep.

Still, Ugo was only one person. No matter how talented they were, they were ultimately just a mage who had remained on the lower floors. Could Ugo truly pull off something like this? They were too busy avoiding the Revenge Alliance to do so.

Then who was targeting me?

I recalled Mauro’s words. Mauro had said they had formed a collaboration. That meant the ones making the decision sat among the upper ranks of their association.

The meaning was clear. They were moving not as individuals, but on the association’s level.

I rubbed my chin as I thought of their association head, Gaon.

Could Gaon possibly hold ill feelings toward me?

No. That could not be it.

I shook my head slightly.

I had ruined part of Gaon’s plan at the last gathering, but that alone was not enough reason to create this kind of conflict. Gaon did not seem like the sort who would seek revenge for Ugo, either.

Then why was Gaon acting this way now?

This was an act that would deepen the conflict between association members. Someone like Gaon would not make such a decision without a clear reason.

Ah. Could Gaon be after this?

I opened my spatial pouch and took out the coin I had carefully kept inside. Strange magical power leaked from the coin engraved with Professor On’s face.

This was the token representing Professor On’s successor position. When I thought about why Gaon might target me, this was the only thing that came to mind. If I thought about it, this was also why I had earned Ugo’s hatred.

Still, I did not quite understand. There was still a long time before Professor On would leave the university. Gaon had no reason to move so hastily already.

Our association had only one rule.

Association members were forbidden from fighting one another.

Even if Gaon broke that rule and took the token, Professor On, no, Tiena, would never acknowledge it.

This might have been part of a similar process, which was why I had been taking my time. Perhaps noticing my doubts, Mauro quietly sighed.

“I did not tell you beforehand because I did not know their purpose either. But after hearing what you said, I understand. Since Professor On is absent, it seems they intend to take the token from you.”

“Professor On?”

I blinked. I had not expected Professor On to suddenly come up here. Mauro gave a small nod, then took a card from their chest.

Mauro placed it on the table and lightly tapped it with magical power. Words seeped out from the card and spread through the air.

I will return in twenty years.

It was a short message.

“This is the communication network held by the association heads. Messages from Professor On appear like this. This one came a year ago.”

“Where could Professor On be to need twenty years...?”

I stared blankly at the message as it scattered. Mauro stroked their beard and shook their head.

“I do not know the exact location either. Still, I can roughly guess the situation. Professor On must have found something appealing. Similar messages have occasionally come before.”

Twenty years. Professor On would not return for that long?

I scratched my head quietly. Perhaps this was a crisis I had brought upon myself. Professor On had left the university after hearing my story.

It was already a memory from several years ago. They had seen my magic and headed for the island to learn about the grain I had demonstrated. They had not returned to the university since then.

They were probably still studying grain. Perhaps they were even reviving the elder who had taught me about it.

If that was true, it would be a very good thing. I would have repaid the kindness I owed that elder. It was what I had wanted as well.

Still, I had never imagined the process would take this long.

To think they had declared an intention to spend twenty years outside.

I could only frown slightly. Now that I had seen this, I was beginning to understand Gaon’s intentions. I quietly turned the coin over in my fingers.

Professor On and Tiena were powerful restraints that bound puppeteers together. That was why people in the association did not move so directly, even when they kept one another in check from the shadows.

But Professor On’s absence had loosened those restraints. They could act much more freely for twenty years. In that situation, Gaon had no reason to refuse the Trading Company’s offer of collaboration.

Gaon’s thinking was obvious.

If I could not withstand the pressure and retreated, they would use that as an excuse to demand the coin. They would say they were preserving my means of making a living.

Twenty years was enough time to manipulate records. If they only succeeded in forcing me to agree somehow, it would surely remain in the records as a transaction. Professor On would then accept it as well.

On the other hand, even if I withstood this pressure, Gaon would lose nothing. From Gaon’s position, this was an area where they could deny everything at any time.

As Mauro had said, Gaon had merely provided puppets at the request of the Trading Company’s people. Our territories overlapped, but Gaon could say it was only a coincidence caused by the Trading Company’s wishes.

Getting involved in a major conflict truly never ended cleanly. To think they would try to slowly suffocate me to death with such a simple trick.

Once again, I realized how small I was.

Of course, if I approached this in principle, I had no reason to hand this coin over to them. If I felt I could not endure, I could simply give up my shop.

But that was only true if I considered points alone.

I clicked my tongue softly.

This shop was not simply a means of earning points. It was the foundation of my growth.

I scattered puppets among people, stole magical power and information from them, and used it to build my foundation. The shop I had created was specialized for that process.

Abandoning it and running away would be no different from having my path forward taken from me.

I had already experienced something similar once.

The mirror bugs.

Having the path you meant to walk taken by others was unbearably dreadful. The experience had left a deep scar on me. Anyone who had not experienced it directly would never understand how terrible it was.

I could not let it happen again.

I had to protect this new possibility I had created. If this was taken from me as well, I would lose the very drive that pushed me forward.

Perhaps they had noticed my method of growth to some extent. I had demonstrated how I handled puppets before the puppeteer association.

Ordinary mages might not understand it, but puppeteers could certainly discover it. That was probably why they were targeting my shop directly.

Gaon’s attitude felt strangely familiar.

Where had I felt something like it before?

As I thought quietly, the treasures in the tower came to mind.

That was it.

Gaon resembled a treasure.

I let out a quiet sigh. In this situation, I probably could not even request negotiations with Gaon. To them, I was no more than an ant.

An ant holding a fine jewel.

Who would negotiate with someone like that?

Gaon would simply wait until I could no longer withstand the pressure and came crawling to them with everything I had.

My face twisted slightly as I felt that arrogance.

“If you wish, you can return that to me. I did not expect this situation to arise either.”

Mauro stroked their beard, concern visible on their face. I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head.

The situation had already begun. Even if I handed this to Mauro, the pressure on my shop would not disappear.

Gaon could not have failed to predict that I might hand it to Mauro. They would have already prepared a response for that possibility. What would be the point of running away in such a situation?

Besides, this was also my lifeline. If everything came to nothing, it could be my last chance to speak with Gaon.

Mauro slowly nodded as they watched me.

“It is rather late, but no more puppeteers will join that side. I will stop them. The other association members will move as well. They picked this fight first, so we must respond.”

I bowed my head at those words.

I could not overcome this situation alone. It was impossible for one person to defeat many. Just knowing that the association would help me was enough to make joining it worthwhile.

“Thank you. At least now it is clear who I must face.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked down at the puppet.

Part of the reason I had come to Mauro was to ask for help, but I had also wanted to clearly understand the situation I was in.

Before entering a fight, the most important thing was knowing exactly who your enemies were. Only after knowing the extent of their abilities could you deal with them easily.

And now it was very clear.

The People’s Council and Gaon’s group had joined forces.

They would not be able to direct all their strength toward me. They each had to contend with Hwaryeong and Mauro, respectively.

So I only needed to focus on the hardship before me.

The shop that had made this puppet.

As I thought that, I could only smile bitterly. Had my information been released the moment Gaon made a move as well? For the timing to become so tangled.

I really had terrible luck.

Yes. Luck...

I paused slightly.

Was this truly something I could dismiss as bad luck?

No. It could not be.

My brows furrowed slightly. This was clearly the result someone had arranged. They had connected Gaon and the People’s Council so they could deal with me for certain.

I did not know who it was, but it was an extremely neat plan.

They had likely anticipated the current situation before acting. And they must have chosen this method because they were confident of winning their competition against me.

I tapped the glass jar containing the puppet and shook my head.

As I had seen earlier, this puppet had been made from a person. They had even prepared puppets like these before moving, so there was nothing I could do but suffer for now.

I had a feeling things would not go smoothly from here on.

And that feeling was not very wrong.

Only one month passed after the Arcana Puppet Workshop opened, yet the stream of new customers entering my shop came to a complete halt.

The problem was not merely that new customers vanished.

Existing customers were steadily leaving as well.

They went to the Arcana Puppet Workshop for many different reasons. Some switched because the prices were lower, while others left to earn more points.

The number of customers that had steadily grown until then continued to shrink.

Of course, not everyone left my shop.

I glanced at the people in front of me. The first person I noticed was Repo, the freckled woman. She spoke to me with a worried expression.

“Boss, are you all right these days?”

“I have no problem. I am more worried about all of you.”

I shook my head lightly and smiled. Repo frowned slightly and glared out the window. Through it, she could see the central district where the Arcana Puppet Workshop was located.

“Those people really have no business ethics. Running their shop so aggressively. It is disgusting how obvious they are about trying to suffocate this place to death!”

Repo shouted in outrage. The people around her nodded in agreement. I could feel their strong hostility toward the Arcana Puppet Workshop.

They had all visited my shop since its earliest days. I never thought they would curse the Arcana General Trading Company like this for my sake.

It was incredibly satisfying.

Of course, they were not worried about me from pure kindness.

They had gathered here to curse the Trading Company not because of some deep bond with me, but purely for their own interests.

They had earned points by referring many customers to my shop. They had also achieved substantial growth using those points as a base. That was why they had put so much effort into attracting new customers.

But the other shop had swallowed all of them up.

Naturally, they could not help feeling furious.

Of course, if they moved there, they might be able to gather customers anew. The only reason people were not gathering here now was because we had lost the price competition.

Still, they had no reason to leave my shop. Even if they moved there, they would have difficulty earning as much as they did here.

Unlike us, who maintained a thorough membership system, that place was completely open. Anyone only needed to visit the shop, so there was no reason to name them as recommenders.

Various methods, such as dividing earned points among themselves, had become popular. Even so, they could never earn as much as they had here.

Those who had been unable to resist their greed and moved there had already proven that.

In this situation, they had no reason to abandon my shop.

That was why most of those who left my shop were customers at the very lowest tier. The higher their rank, the less reason they had to leave.

But this structure could only last for so long.

This exploitative structure required people at the bottom to exist. If people continued leaving like this, the cycle would eventually stop.

“So, have you thought of a way to resolve the situation?”

Repo cautiously asked me. A trace of unease remained on her face. She must have recognized the current crisis as well. If things continued this way, they would surely become wandering mages again.

The others felt the same anxiety. I looked over them, then nodded slightly.

A method?

Of course I had one.

Over the past month, I had not remained idle only to study their puppets. At the same time, I had been carrying out a kind of filtering process.

I wanted to leave behind only those who were nearly one with my shop.

And now, those people stood before me.

They would not betray me easily. Of course, even if they did, I had prepared for it.

Perhaps sensing my confidence, Repo’s face brightened somewhat.

“What is it...?”

Repo began to ask, then closed her mouth midway.

A small bell rang.

Someone had opened the shop door and entered. The gazes of everyone in the shop gathered on that person.

“Oh, there are quite a lot of you here. It seems I have interrupted.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.

The shining name tag was the first thing I noticed.

Probationary Employee, Jegang.

He was clearly from the Trading Company.

I had seen his face once before as well. He was the person who had sold me the corpse puppet.

But Jegang looked very different from then. He swept his gaze over us and let out a sneer. Then he pushed through the people with a swaggering stride.

When Jegang stood before me, he jerked his chin toward the thing beside him.

It released magical power and slowly began forcing the people around us back.

It was a corpse puppet, a puppet that looked nearly identical to a person.

Still, it looked quite different from the puppet Jegang had handled before. It could not help being different.

It was a puppet made from a mage’s corpse.

“Mm, it is satisfying after all. It was worth paying so much to get the corpse!”

Jegang nodded with satisfaction. I bowed my head toward him as he lightly patted the puppet.

“Hello. Seeing that you already have a puppet, I do not believe you came to purchase one of ours. May I ask what brings you here?”

“I have something to say. I would like to speak with you alone.”

Jegang looked around. A faint pressure began to leak from his narrowed eyes. Even without him saying it, I immediately understood what he wanted.

He wanted everyone to leave.

I glanced at Repo. She had stepped back with a somewhat frightened expression. None of the spirit she had shown while cursing the Trading Company remained.

Well, a mage affiliated with the Trading Company was that kind of existence. Someone like Repo, a wandering mage, would naturally find him burdensome to face.

“Could everyone step outside for a moment? We cannot be rude to a visitor from the Trading Company.”

At my words, the others bowed their heads and quickly left. Leaving them behind, I slowly guided Jegang into the reception room inside.

Why had someone from the Trading Company come here?

I had no idea.

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