WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 223: 223

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I felt the flow of music entering through my ears. The ensemble, played in perfect harmony by many instruments, was refined beyond words. As I listened, I smiled with quiet pride.

The music filling the small banquet hall came from the puppets arranged in one corner. The coordination between the instrument-playing puppets was truly exquisite.

The reason my puppets had been able to surpass Jegang’s corpse puppets was largely due to their superior magic and emotional exchange, but scenes like this were one reason as well.

An attendant’s work was not merely about reducing inconveniences. They had to go beyond that and make their customer happy.

In that sense, playing instruments, along with cooking, could be considered one of an attendant’s virtues. I had tried my hand at several instruments whenever I had spare time.

There was something I had realized during that process. I did not have much talent for playing instruments. Of course, I could play something simple, but that was no more than copying what I had heard.

However, what my puppets were performing now was on an entirely different level from my stiff playing. Through their exchange of wills, they understood one another without speaking. More than that, they wove their individual performances together into one whole.

That was how they could produce such beautiful music. I nodded slightly as I felt the warm, comforting residue of magical power. Music was like cooking as well. It was a means of putting magic into something.

I reached toward a passing puppet. The puppet carrying a tray handed me a glass of wine. After savoring its scent for a moment, I slowly looked around.

The small banquet hall, made by remodeling my shop, was crowded with several dozen people. They were all people who had helped me. It seemed nearly everyone had attended.

I took a sip of wine and smiled faintly. This banquet was a place to express my gratitude, but it was also a declaration of victory.

Jegang had been forced to close his shop because of the audit. That meant there was no longer anyone standing in my way. To commemorate that, I needed to let others know that I had won my fight against them.

Most people who had rented puppets knew that Jegang and I were competing. Once they learned of the current situation, they would clearly see who had won and who had lost.

It was also an expansion of invisible influence. That was why I had put so much care into arranging this event.

I bowed my head slightly toward Isabella, who was controlling puppets from afar.

The banquet hall had been arranged so splendidly that it was difficult to believe it had once been a small shop. It looked like a smaller version of the banquet hall I had seen during the entrance exam.

It was all thanks to Isabella’s work through the night. Perhaps she felt my will. Isabella smiled gently and shook her head. As I contentedly sipped my drink, I sensed someone approaching my side.

I shifted my gaze to see who it was. Repo stood there. She was smiling brightly as she swirled her glass. Her face was slightly red, so she seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit.

“Congratulations, Boss. You drove all of them out in the end. That was amazing!”

Repo raised her glass high and clinked it against mine. Then she started drinking as though it were water. I followed her lead and took a small drink.

“It was all thanks to you, Repo.”

“No. All I did was bring people here. You had it harder, Boss. You were the one who dealt with them directly.”

Repo lightly scratched her head. She really seemed to believe she had not been much help, so I shook my head.

Repo had been my first customer. She also had quite a few referrals under her. Naturally, she held considerable influence among my customers.

If she had wanted to leave me and join them, many others would have wavered as well. But she had stayed with me until the end. That alone had helped me greatly.

The same was true for the others I had invited here. I glanced around and saw several customers with puppets at their sides. This victory was possible because they had all helped me.

“What is the point of deciding who had it harder? As you said, we definitely won, so we should enjoy this moment.”

I held out my glass to Repo. She received a fresh glass from the puppet beside her and clinked it against mine again. I quietly savored the sweet taste of the wine and smiled warmly at Repo.

Repo was probably in such a good mood because she was thinking of all the points that would soon come rolling her way.

Before opening the banquet, I had announced my future plans to them, including the benefits they would receive. I had given them the Grade 1 standard.

It would serve as the core of the ranking system I planned to establish while operating the shop as a membership system. Benefits and functions would differ according to ranks from Grade 9 to Grade 1.

This city was divided into floors to stimulate the desire to rise higher. I needed to follow that structure as well.

Before, I had focused solely on increasing my numbers. Now that business had settled into place, I intended to start drawing in points in earnest.

In that sense, granting them Grade 1 status meant accepting losses on my end. The more benefits they received, the less profit would return to me.

But business was about bringing benefits to both sides. They had helped me, so I needed to make sure they gained more as well.

Animals in nature often formed symbiotic relationships. It was the result of cooperation while everyone pursued their own interests. In the same way, our experience of victory would allow us to build a stronger relationship.

That meant Repo and the others would protect me in the future as well. My profits would become their profits. In that sense, they would surely become the first shield against future threats.

If someone tried to target my territory carelessly, these people would move first. And as my shop continued to expand, that shield would grow thicker as well. I smiled faintly at the thought of that future.

I talked with Repo for a while. Before long, she cautiously watched my reaction and set down her glass.

“Please excuse me for a moment. There are people who need to apologize to you, Boss.”

An apology? I tilted my head slightly. Repo made a small gesture, and Jang, her puppet, bowed before heading toward one side of the banquet hall.

Jang soon returned with two people. I smiled faintly once I saw them. I understood what Repo had meant.

They were Gadon and Haryu, Repo’s companions who had previously been tempted by Jegang and left my workshop.

“What do I have to apologize for?”

Gadon grumbled with a sulky expression.

Repo gently but firmly stepped on his foot, then glanced at Haryu. Haryu soothed Gadon as well.

“Do you know how much trouble you caused after betraying us like that? It is fortunate that Boss took you back. Otherwise, we would have been ruined. Why did you leave in the first place?”

Repo crossed her arms and glared at Gadon. I watched them and shook my head. Then I handed the two of them glasses of wine.

“Betrayal? I do not see it that way. There is no need for you to apologize. If anything, I am simply grateful that you returned.”

I smiled warmly at Gadon. He cautiously began sipping from his glass. Before long, he bowed his head slightly toward me.

It did not take long for those who had left my shop for the Arcana Puppet Workshop to begin returning.

They had left in the first place because Jegang had promised them great benefits. But the person behind those promises had been taken away, and the workshop had closed. Feeling uncertain about the future, they were slowly returning.

Naturally, I had no intention of driving them away. As I had just said, I did not consider it betrayal in the first place.

They were all customers. Naturally, they had the right to choose their product. Gadon had left because he preferred what they offered. Now he had returned because he trusted mine more.

How could that possibly be called betrayal? From my perspective, I should instead reflect on failing to keep them from leaving. I should be grateful that they had returned.

So I intended to welcome them gladly. Of course, their rank would need to be adjusted slightly compared to those who had remained. It would be a little difficult to place those who returned after everything ended at Grade 1.

Still, I did my best to give them something they could be satisfied with. I glanced at Gadon. A puppet shaped like a woman was leaning against him. It was a rather beautiful puppet.

“So, are you satisfied with your new puppet?”

I asked Gadon with a mischievous smile. The gazes of the two women turned toward him. Gadon gave a small cough.

“…Well, it is not bad.”

I nodded slightly. The benefits they offered had been one reason he left, but dissatisfaction with my puppets may have been another. Repo had remained because she was satisfied with the puppet I had made for her.

To prevent that from happening again, the puppet I gave Gadon this time had been made to thoroughly reflect his tastes.

Repo looked back and forth between Gadon and the puppet, narrowing her eyes.

“You are going to end up liking your puppet too. Why were you only so biased against mine?”

“That is different. You were practically glued to your puppet.”

Gadon became slightly indignant and stepped forward. Repo clicked her tongue at him, then pointed her chin toward the puppet beside him and continued speaking. An argument had begun.

Haryu, the woman beside them, smiled gently and stopped the two of them. I watched their bickering before stepping away. They had fallen into their own world, so I needed to give them space.

As I walked away, I let out a quiet laugh. Gadon had left because of puppets and benefits, but some jealousy had been mixed in as well. Jealousy toward Jang, the puppet that stayed beside Repo.

Even now, I could sense a little of that jealousy from Gadon. I had noticed it somewhat while making his new puppet.

That was why I had made his puppet look like a blend of the two women. Repo and Haryu understood that as well. Perhaps that was why they did not seem particularly jealous of the puppet.

I glanced toward Repo’s puppet, Jang. Come to think of it, Jang resembled Gadon quite a bit too. He did not seem to have noticed, though.

I shook my head slightly. Well, that just meant my puppets were well made.

I slowly walked toward the wide sofa placed on one side of the banquet hall. Nobody was near it. Everyone had kept their distance.

It was probably because of the magical power. Feeling the powerful magical power surrounding the area, I slowly approached the sofa and gestured slightly toward the puppet standing beside it.

The dragon-faced puppet sensed my will and slowly dispersed its magical power. Following its guidance, I entered and set the wine glass on the table. I had received it from a puppet on the way over.

Professor, who had been half-lying across the sofa, raised her head and met my eyes. I bowed my head slightly to her.

“It seems you do not like the banquet. If I had known Professor would come, I would have prepared a grander venue. I am truly sorry.”

“Yes. This place is too shabby. What are you trying to do with a shop this small?”

Professor clicked her tongue as she looked around. I scratched my head. Well, she was right that my shop was small.

Professor glanced at me before examining each person moving about the hall. Soon, she nodded.

“You handled it properly this time. If you came back having been fleeced again like last time, I was going to pull out your soul.”

“I did my best not to bring disgrace upon you, Professor.”

I placed a hand over my chest and bowed at the waist. Professor narrowed her eyes as she looked at me, then snorted.

“Hmph. You sure know how to talk. Still, since I keep making you run around, you are starting to show that you can be useful.”

Professor leaned back against the sofa and took a sip of wine. I gave a bitter smile.

Her arrival at the banquet had come without warning. I had not expected her to visit at all. That was why the others were cautiously watching her reaction. Of course, she had told them not to mind her, but who would act carelessly when a professor had come to visit?

I quietly looked at Professor. The fact that she had arrived once everything was resolved meant that she had been watching me this whole time, just as she had during the mirror bug incident.

As she had just said, if I had handled things poorly enough to dissatisfy her, she had probably intended to punish me. But looking at her now, it seemed that she liked how I had dealt with Jegang.

I clenched my hand slightly. As her attitude showed, I had changed a great deal compared to before. I had managed to overcome this crisis with my own strength.

“Hmm... Perhaps I should give you a little reward once we return to the tower. This was somewhat entertaining too.”

Professor murmured as she rolled the wine glass in her hand. I blinked quietly.

A reward. It was an unexpected gift.

What did she intend to give me? Excitement began swelling in my chest. If she called it a reward, it was surely something special. Everything I had received from her before had been immensely satisfying.

I rubbed my hands together and approached Professor. If I could satisfy her even more here, perhaps the reward would become even greater.

Just as I was about to speak with sparkling eyes, I saw the doors of the banquet hall open in the distance.

Hwaryeong entered through the doors. After looking around, she spotted us and smiled brightly. Professor gestured toward me with an expression full of annoyance.

“Go. If you let that nuisance come over to me, I will pull out your soul.”

At Professor’s terrifying words, I quickly stood up. I stepped in front of Hwaryeong, who had been approaching us. Hwaryeong looked slightly disappointed as she glanced toward Professor.

It seemed she had wanted to use a greeting as an excuse to say something to Professor. It was something she had often done during the entrance exam. As always, Professor found it extremely bothersome.

“I did not expect you to come.”

I bowed my head slightly toward Hwaryeong. Of course, I had sent her an invitation, so that was probably why she had come. But I had not thought she would actually attend.

She was surely busy handling the Trading Company’s affairs. Yet she had still come. Hwaryeong smiled lightly as she met my eyes.

“I knew Evron had been through a lot, so of course I had to come. I am only sorry that I was not able to help more before.”

Hwaryeong bowed her head. I waved my hands and stopped her.

“You have already helped me more than enough. Jegang and the others were put under audit because of what you did. Without that, I would not have been able to hold a banquet like this.”

Of course, she likely had her own ulterior motives for helping. I swallowed those words. Either way, it could still be considered help.

I glanced out the window toward the center of the city, where the Arcana Puppet Workshop stood. The workshop was firmly closed.

“What will happen to Jegang?”

“Hmm, he is probably in the audit office now. The People’s Council will not abandon him immediately. Still, he will not be getting out easily.”

Hwaryeong followed my gaze toward the workshop and smiled faintly. So that was how it would end. I nodded slightly.

Hwaryeong had initiated this audit herself. Jegang clearly would not be able to escape it easily.

There was no telling what would happen during the audit. He might even lose the opportunity altogether. Thinking of how confident he had been, it was an exceedingly hollow end.

I quietly closed my eyes and remained silent. Then the harmonious rhythm created by the puppets seeped into my ears. Feeling that sweet music, I waited for Hwaryeong to speak.

I did not think she had come to the banquet merely to offer congratulations. She must have had something to say to me. She had likely judged that it would be more profitable than simply pressuring them.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to come find me while she was so busy. Just as I expected, Hwaryeong received a glass from a passing puppet and opened her mouth.

“As you can see, Evron, the workshop they established is empty. Quite a few people are moving to claim it. I am one of them as well.”

Hwaryeong took a sip of wine. I nodded. I already knew that much.

Then why had she come to find me? Hwaryeong gave a slight smile with her eyes and continued.

“You seem curious about why I am here, so shall I get straight to the point? I came to negotiate with you in advance. You will play an important role in claiming that place.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You have already established a place for yourself. Normally, the Trading Company would simply crush you, but Jegang has already shown what kind of result that leads to. Everyone is being careful now.”

“And Professor Irian is here as well.”

Hwaryeong added that before looking toward where Professor was.

“Everyone already knows that Professor Irian is here. She is releasing such dense magical power, after all. That is why everyone is watching their steps. I wanted to speak with Professor briefly too, but that is unfortunate.”

Hwaryeong clicked her tongue lightly. Listening to her, I looked toward the sofa where Professor was. Professor was simply rolling about on the sofa as though she did not realize I was looking at her.

But unlike that outward appearance, her actions carried careful consideration for me. So that was why she had come. She had intended to directly spread her influence. I could not help but feel moved.

“The negotiations will take place at a level you can be satisfied with. We can adjust puppet prices and market shares. In the end, all of us will earn more profit.”

Hwaryeong smiled lightly. Everyone’s profit. It was tempting language. I quietly nodded.

Hwaryeong clinked her glass against mine, then began walking away.

“It would be better to send you the documents tomorrow than discuss it further here. It is too rigid a subject for a banquet. I will be taking my leave now.”

Hwaryeong turned around and slowly left the banquet hall. As she had said, she had come only to convey her business before leaving. I watched her back, then shook my head.

There were a few things I needed to think about, but first I needed to finish the banquet. I slowly walked toward Mauro.

I smiled faintly as I watched Mauro and Koite drinking together. I needed to properly greet the people from the association as well. Without their help, the crisis would have grown even worse.

I approached them and bowed my head.

The banquet continued until late into the night. As time passed, the guests who had attended began leaving one by one.

At last, the final guest left, and the banquet came to an end.

I slowly looked around the area, where only silence remained. Then I took the coin from my pocket and flicked it slightly.

It was the token proving my position as Professor On’s successor.

I narrowed my eyes as I thought of Gaon. Gaon sending puppeteers this time had been a way to test the waters. And Gaon surely would not be the only one doing so.

Now that it had become certain Professor On was absent, the other associations would move as well. I needed to think about how to handle this.

Still, this had allowed me to grow. With a satisfied smile, I stroked the coin.

The dagger Gaon had used against me was Jegang. They must have judged that someone from the Trading Company would be enough.

But Jegang had ultimately fallen to his knees before me.

Crisis always came with opportunity. Using the threat called Jegang as a foundation, I had expanded the territory held by my puppets several times over. My puppets had spread throughout the entire city.

As a result, I could finally meet the Trading Company’s gaze, even if only a little. As Hwaryeong had requested negotiations, I would no longer be used as a tool as before. I could stand on equal footing.

How could I not be satisfied with this situation?

However, there was still one problem. I did not know who had leaked my information.

I lightly rubbed my chin. This situation had escalated because my information had leaked outside. If it had not, things would never have grown this large.

Could Hwaryeong have deliberately leaked my information? Perhaps to control me more easily. I had considered that possibility.

But I could only shake my head. Hwaryeong valued profit. There was no reason for her to take such a risk.

Then who could it have been?

As I sank into thought, Isabella approached me.

[There is a guest here to see you, Master.]

“Now?”

I tilted my head. Who would visit at this late hour? I had already met everyone I needed to meet.

Still, a guest was a guest. I needed to see who it was.

I nodded slightly. Isabella controlled a puppet and opened the shop’s door. A person hiding their body with magical power stood outside.

Judging by the silhouette, the person appeared to be a man. The fact that he had concealed himself so thoroughly clearly meant he wanted to hide the fact that he had visited here.

The man entered the shop, stood before me, and slowly dispelled the magic concealing him.

“It has been a long time. Was the last time we met about seven years ago?”

I blinked quietly. A familiar face appeared where the magic faded away.

He was a man with sharp eyes who looked very much like Hwaryeong. I bowed my head slightly toward him.

“It has been a long time, Hongryeong.”

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