WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 225

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After sitting in silence for a moment, I held out a teacup to Hongryeong. He tasted it and gave a small nod. He seemed satisfied.

Of course he would be. It was brewed from Millennial Herb. This serving had used up the last of my reserve. I lightly smacked my lips as I savored the tea’s fragrance.

His sudden visit had caught me off guard, but he was still an honored guest. How could I treat someone from a great family carelessly?

I watched Hongryeong sip his tea. The last time I had seen him was probably at the gathering where my first lecture, Treasure Hunt, came to an end. He had attended the lecture himself, then left with an acceptance certificate in hand.

As he left, Hongryeong said he would go to another city and build his own organization. That was why I had not seen him since.

Yet he had suddenly come to see me and spoken about the People’s Council. I had no idea why.

I glanced around. I could sense magical power flowing around the reception room. It was the concealment magic Isabella had set up.

Perhaps Isabella had sensed that Hongryeong’s topic would not be ordinary, because she had stepped out for a while. Before leaving, she had even prepared this barrier so we could focus solely on our conversation.

It was very tidy work. Hongryeong seemed to like it as well, nodding as he surveyed the barrier around us.

“Excellent. Seeing that you command even puppets like this, it seems you have changed greatly as well, Mr. Evron. I thought you were an interesting person from the entrance exam onward. It seems I was not wrong about you.”

Judging by the fact that he brought up the entrance exam, he did not seem inclined to get straight to the point. After leisurely emptying a cup of tea, Hongryeong continued.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I heard that Cassian entered Mr. Evron’s tower. Is she doing well?”

Cassian? I thought of her idling about in the tower and nodded slightly. Perhaps because I had left the tower, she had recently started bothering the students again.

She had begun holding sparring matches for the top-ranked students, claiming she would raise their rankings. The students, bewitched by Cassian’s words, had accepted.

With such a clever justification, I could not stop Cassian. She could not possibly have thought of that method by herself. Someone must have advised her for the sake of an idle Cassian.

Someone like the bear puppet, for instance. I sensed its will faintly reaching me from beyond the domain of my shadow tree and clicked my tongue softly.

Cassian was doing more than well. She was thoroughly enjoying life in the tower. Once this matter was resolved and I returned there, I would need to keep her under tighter control.

“Is that so? Whenever I think of her, I can only regret it. If Miss Cassian had become one of my people, handling matters would have been much easier. I never imagined she would refuse my offer and go to Mr. Evron.”

Hongryeong shook his head with a slightly regretful expression. I understood why he felt that way. Around the time my first lecture was held, Cassian often defeated Hongryeong and took first place in the martial arts tournaments I occasionally hosted.

Cassian was merely a wandering swordsman with no notable background. Losing to someone like her must have been a fresh shock to a member of a great family.

Perhaps that was why, after Treasure Hunt ended and before he departed, he had asked Cassian whether she would join his organization. Of course, Cassian had been drawn by the bear puppet and remained in my tower.

Judging by his attitude now, Hongryeong still seemed interested in Cassian. It made sense. Someone like her would not be easy to find.

I rubbed my chin as I thought of her running wild in the tower. Most of the tower’s current students were mages of outstanding talent, and there were even several who, like Cassian, were nearing the fourth floor.

Yet even they found Cassian difficult to handle. She was constantly honing herself.

Although she had failed to advance on her first attempt, if Cassian continued improving at this rate, she would surely reach the fourth floor within ten years. That was quite astonishing.

There was a saying that, among those who entered the university, it took an average of about a hundred years to surpass the fourth floor and graduate.

And that was clearly true. I had asked the Abyss Secret Association myself out of curiosity.

They told me how long it took on average to pass each floor. Five years to reach the second floor, twenty years to reach the third, fifty years to reach the fourth, and a hundred years to graduate.

By that standard, Cassian was advancing at an overwhelmingly faster pace than average. She had entered the university only a year before me. She had been at the university for roughly ten years at most.

Yet she was already heading toward the fourth floor. That was proof of her overwhelming talent. It was talent enough for someone from a great family like Hongryeong to pursue directly.

Of course, she was not the only exceptional person. Hongryeong, sitting before me, might be similar to her. I slowly looked him over.

Hongryeong said I had changed greatly. That was true. I had reached the third floor during that time. Though I was not as fast as Cassian, I was still far ahead of average.

But Hongryeong had changed far more than I had. I swallowed slightly at the powerful magical power I sensed from him.

I knew there was a gap between Cassian and me, but since she was a swordsman, I could not accurately feel how large that gap was. I could only judge her realm by the strength she possessed.

Hongryeong, however, was a mage like me. Through the lingering traces of magical power I felt from him, I could already tell that he was half complete.

Seeing that he possessed this much magical power, he had clearly reached the third floor. Perhaps, like Cassian, he was already knocking on the threshold of the fourth.

I shook my head slightly as I sensed that. Was this what it meant to be from a great family? The information the Secret Association had shown me seemed to come back to mind.

They had said the average was a hundred years, but among the samples, there were enormous differences in time. Some ordinary wanderers could not graduate even after more than two hundred years.

Apparently, the longest record was someone who took five hundred years to complete the basic curriculum and graduate. Climbing the university’s floors was that difficult.

Even so, the average time to graduate was only a hundred years. That meant some people completed the basic curriculum faster than the time others took to drag things out.

Those people were members of great families like Hongryeong.

Hwaryeong was the same. When I first met her, she had been on the fourth floor. Over the past ten years, she had reached the fifth.

Considering that she had only been at the university for around fifty years, her advancement speed was incomparable to that of others.

Hongryeong, who belonged to the same family, would likely advance quickly like her and reach the fourth floor. And as Hwaryeong had, he would probably enter the Trading Company. That was the territory their family oversaw.

That was why I did not understand. Why did he want me to spare the People’s Council? I refilled Hongryeong’s empty cup and spoke.

“I do not have much time, so let us get to the point. You said you want me to spare the People’s Council, but is there truly a reason to do that?”

“Hmm, I had hoped to talk about recent events a little longer, so that is somewhat regrettable... Still, the reason I wish to save them is exactly as I said earlier. If they disappear already, it will be difficult to restrain my older sister.”

I had heard it before, but it was clear whom he meant by older sister. It was probably Hwaryeong.

Despite an entrance-year difference of around forty years, they were treated as siblings. The generation divisions within a great family seemed quite generous.

“Both of you belong to the same family. Must you really stand in her way?”

I tilted my head slightly. The People’s Council was an obstacle to their family’s interests. That was why Hwaryeong was trying to eliminate them. Yet Hongryeong seemed to be trying to keep Hwaryeong in check instead.

I could make several guesses as to why, but I needed to hear the truth from him. He had come all the way to see me, so he surely would not hide his reason. Hongryeong put on a nonchalant expression and lifted his teacup.

“Of course, there is no downside to their disappearance from the perspective of our family as a whole. My older sister would be able to move more smoothly, and my grandfather would find it easier to act as well. If their influence within the Trading Company expands that way, the profits will increase. However.”

Hongryeong paused for a moment. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face. At the same time, the smile began to leave his face. Soon, his face twisted completely as he continued.

“That would not be to my benefit. My older sister created it, so the credit would go to her. What meaning is there in something I cannot possess? Naturally, I must keep them alive. That way, I can continue using them in the future.”

Through his slightly hoarse voice, I seemed to sense hostility toward Hwaryeong. I could not help but flinch at the sight of him. It reminded me of the Hongryeong I had encountered at the end of the entrance exam.

At that time, Hongryeong had poured out his hatred toward Shaking Rope, the witch who had entered the university with us. I could see a trace of that former self in him now.

“...Are the two of you fighting over the succession?”

At my question, Hongryeong’s expression changed in an instant. His former smile returned as he rubbed his chin. Then he gave a small nod and smiled at me.

“A fight over the succession. That expression is correct to some extent. This is a competition for survival, after all.”

A competition for survival. I had no idea what that meant. Perhaps my confusion showed, because Hongryeong slowly continued.

“Our Zhu family governs the region around Taepyeong Territory. Given the continent’s nature, which is unfriendly to humans, we naturally face great pressure. Yet the only reason we can endure is that we possess strong power, strong mages.”

I nodded slightly. Each of the Empire’s 108 regions was as large as the university itself. Every one of those regions was also a strategic point of the Empire.

Naturally, there were people who protected such vital locations. Those people were members of great families like Hongryeong’s. They could rule such enormous territories because they possessed overwhelming strength.

Mages with power that wanderers, other races, and even magical beasts could not dare approach.

But what did that have to do with this? My question was immediately resolved by what he said next.

“To raise such mages, the family must concentrate all its capabilities. Naturally, only one person can be chosen in each generation. My older sister and I are no exception. The one ahead among us will inherit the Zhu surname and gain freedom. The rest will become transference vessels for the next generation.”

Hongryeong wore a slightly uncomfortable expression when he mentioned transference vessels. What could a transference vessel be for him to make that face? When I asked simply, he answered.

“Hmm, to put it simply, you could call it being a stud. We bring in capable mages from outside and mix them into our bloodline. In that process, magical talent and magical power are passed on to the next generation. Along with the tree’s foundation.”

Hongryeong lightly tapped his chest. I could not help swallowing at those chilling words. Passing on the foundation of a tree? Now I understood why they called them transference vessels.

I was reminded of what Professor had once told me about great families. She described them as a single enormous magical organism.

A magical system that advanced toward producing an archmage. She had said that, from the perspective of the family as a whole, its mages were merely parts.

At the time, I had heard it without truly understanding. But hearing Hongryeong’s words, I could clearly grasp what she meant.

From the perspective of the huge system called a great family, only advancement mattered. Everything caught within that process was no more than a consumable.

Even members of the family themselves.

Then it did not matter how talented they were. Other than the finest mage of each generation, everyone else would become a sacrifice for the next generation.

I could understand why the family operated that way. It was the most efficient method. Any lacking talent could simply be passed down and supplemented in the next generation.

From a mage’s perspective, there was no better system. From an individual’s perspective, though, it was only horrifying. I immediately understood what Hongryeong meant by a competition for survival.

I glanced at Hongryeong. Of course, becoming a transference vessel would not mean death. No matter how lacking they were compared to the chosen one, they were still excellent mages. The family would surely find some way to use them.

But once they passed on their foundation through transference, cultivating their tree any further would become a distant prospect. Could that truly be called surviving? A mage’s tree was everything. Being unable to build one’s realm any further was no different from death.

Was that why Hwaryeong had been so obsessed with results? I had not understood why she wanted to rise higher, but now I had finally found the reason behind her actions.

And I understood why Hongryeong wanted to interfere with her.

“May I ask why you are explaining this to me? I am an outsider.”

What he had told me was rather deep information for a wanderer like me to hear. It was an internal matter of his family. Was there any reason to reveal it to me? Hongryeong laughed lightly at my question.

“I judged that I should reveal everything, since Mr. Evron is already entangled in our affairs. Besides, there is something I have done as well.”

I looked silently at Hongryeong. Something he had done? I had some idea what it might be.

And my guess was not wrong. Hongryeong took another sip of tea before continuing.

“The reason Mr. Evron became involved with the People’s Council this time is because of me. I informed the People’s Council that Mr. Evron was cooperating with my older sister.”

My eyes narrowed. Hongryeong had leaked the information. So that was it. One of my lingering questions finally seemed answered.

There was no need to ask how Hongryeong knew about me. He had watched the entire process of my mirror bug being taken from me. The same went for when I formed a cooperative relationship with Hwaryeong.

Someone like him could not have failed to notice the relationship between Hwaryeong and me. He could probably roughly grasp how matters developed after that as well. He knew I was behind her growth.

“My older sister will not be certain that I was the one who passed along the information. She believes I am somewhere other than this city right now. The corpse puppets controlled by the puppeteers of our city proved quite useful as stand-ins.”

“I put a great deal of effort into coming here secretly,” Hongryeong added with a proud smile.

I could only click my tongue softly.

So he had been staying in the same city as Gaon. If so, he might even have been the one who connected the People’s Council members with Gaon.

No wonder it had been difficult to find the informant. I could understand why Hwaryeong had been unable to find him. No, perhaps she had suspected him but had not told me.

So that I would not notice the relationship between Hongryeong and Hwaryeong. If I had only one option, I would have no choice but to follow it. This matter had been the same.

Therefore, based on what Hongryeong told me, he could also be called a new opportunity for me. The more options I had, the wider my room to maneuver would become.

Of course, there were still many things I could not understand from his words alone. If Hwaryeong wished to dispose of him, she had many opportunities. Why had she not touched Hongryeong when he entered the university?

And why had Hongryeong only begun obstructing Hwaryeong now?

There were many questions. But among them, one fact was clear.

I stared silently at Hongryeong. I could understand his motive well enough. He wanted to stop Hwaryeong. But he had harmed me in the process.

He had targeted me to halt Hwaryeong’s movements. I had no reason to help someone like that.

“Is there any reason for me to help you? Based on what you have said, I would only have a grudge against you, Mr. Hongryeong.”

Hongryeong met my gaze. To me, he was merely someone I should take revenge on. If I went to Hwaryeong now and told her about Hongryeong, she would surely reward me handsomely.

“Of course, I understand Mr. Evron’s grudge as well. That is why I revealed all the information earlier. I wished to explain how this matter came about and apologize for it.”

Hongryeong rose from his seat and bowed deeply to me. I watched him quietly.

Hongryeong was clearly stronger than me. He was also a member of a great family.

And someone like that was bowing to me.

Thinking back to the entrance exam, it was astonishing. Back then, I had been such a lowly existence that I could not even dare meet his eyes. I had been anxious because I could not read his thoughts.

Yet now, I was receiving his apology. Hongryeong bowing did not merely mean he was apologizing. It also meant he judged me worthy of respect.

If I had remained only a tool as I had before, he would never have come to see me like this. At last, I had reached a level equal to Hongryeong’s. I quietly closed my eyes. It was strangely moving.

But apart from that feeling, this was not something that could end with a simple apology. If I had not responded properly, the People’s Council would have taken all my territory from me.

I had sworn to myself that I would be thorough in repaying favors and grudges. No matter who it was, I would repay a grudge tenfold.

Hongryeong had to be added to that list of debts and grudges as well. He had nearly caused me to lose my territory, so I needed to repay him for it.

Hongryeong surely knew that. Even so, he had come to see me. That meant he was confident he could persuade me. He slowly straightened from his bow and spoke.

“The reason I came here is to explain what Mr. Evron can gain by keeping the People’s Council alive. I will also offer appropriate compensation so that you may settle your grudge.”

Compensation. A minor reward would not be enough to settle my grudge. Still, I needed to hear him out. I gave a small nod.

Hongryeong pulled a sheet of paper from his chest.

I blinked as I looked at it. Hongryeong’s magical power flowed through the paper. The clear current of magical power was strong enough to reach me even from a short distance away. It was an extremely familiar sight.

It had not been long since I had held one out to Jegang.

It was clearly a contract. Hongryeong held the contract out to me and continued.

“I know you will not trust a verbal promise alone. That is why I prepared this. I have written every part of my proposal inside.”

I reached out and accepted the contract, slowly reading what was written within it. Before long, I could not help parting my lips slightly. Its contents were so astonishing.

“Is this truly possible?”

Hongryeong readily nodded. My expression hardened as I began studying the contract more carefully. If he could fulfill this, I could forget our former grudge.

Perhaps sensing my attitude, Hongryeong wore a faint smile. Then he began speaking slowly.

“Competing in this way at the university is also a tradition of our family. The Trading Company becomes one of the stages on which we are evaluated...”

What he said answered the questions I had held. I nodded quietly as I looked down at the contract.

And by the time I reached the end, I had decided to spare the People’s Council.

I looked out the window at the Arcana Puppet Workshop, where many people came and went, and rubbed my wrist. Hongryeong had disappeared quickly when he left, just as he had when he came. Several days had already passed, so he had likely left the city by now.

I shook my head slightly. Much of what Hongryeong told me had been quite interesting. Among those things, I had also learned why he wished to keep Hwaryeong in check.

There were around ten candidates in each generation, and Hwaryeong was the furthest ahead among them. I was part of the reason for that.

Therefore, I had no particular need to cooperate with Hongryeong. If Hwaryeong was in the lead, plenty of scraps would fall my way if I followed her.

I looked silently down at my wrist. Even so, I had agreed to Hongryeong’s request because of this contract. Hongryeong had not asked me to cooperate with him. He had merely presented the contract as the price for bringing this matter to an end.

The contract contained many conditions, but there was only one that mattered to me. The condition that, if Hongryeong was later granted the family surname, he would free the mirror bugs.

It was a matter for the distant future, but it was a possibility worth pursuing. It was also an opportunity to judge Hwaryeong and Hongryeong against each other.

Still, I had wondered why he would make such a contract. It was a loss for him as well. When I asked, Hongryeong gave only a simple answer.

If something could not be his, he had to make sure no one else could have it either.

The sight of him smiling darkly was chilling.

A vicious struggle within a great family... I quietly shook my head. As nothing more than a wanderer, I could not imagine what they were thinking.

Perhaps even this was no more than a small exchange of moves to them. After sinking into thought for a moment, I shrugged.

For now, it did not matter what Hongryeong was thinking or what attitude Hwaryeong took.

Their struggle would continue for a long time. I needed to preserve this new possibility and squeeze as much profit as possible from between them. That was surely what Hongryeong wanted as well.

Then it was time to return to the tower. Everything had been settled.

I slowly left my shop and started walking.

And three years passed.

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