WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 241: 241

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Like every other university city, Icewall City had a residential district. Of course, this district was not simply a place to eat and sleep. Such basic activities did not mean much to mages.

The residential district was more like a simple workshop. It was a space where the city’s mages could continue their training and research, where the purest magical power in the city gathered.

It could not hold as much magical power as a tower operated by a professor, but it was still a place rich with it.

I glanced back. The workshop where I had just been conducting research closed its door on its own.

From that perspective, the villa Ailey had lent me for a temporary stay was surely worth a great deal. She had called it merely a villa, but it was located in the heart of the city.

Its maintenance costs alone probably ran into tens of thousands of points every month. That was why I had put considerable effort into installing security magic. Another bomb like the one that had nearly exploded in my shop might roll in here as well.

And perhaps my concern had not been unfounded, because I had found traces of someone trying to sneak inside. Fortunately, they had apparently failed to overcome the security magic pouring out its sinister magical power, and had ultimately not entered.

No intruder should have been able to enter so freely. Then how had these people gotten in without a sound?

I slowly made my way to the spacious living room. Magical lamps crafted from jewels cast bright light across the lavishly decorated room. At the center of that light was Ailey, tilting a wineglass.

Half reclined on the sofa, Ailey took a sip and cocked her head.

“This tastes a little unusual somehow.”

“Hehe. I thought you’d like it, Miss Ailey. I added this.”

Mira shook a small bottle from the seat opposite Ailey. Watching the two of them get along so well, I let out a quiet sigh.

They might have been the ones who gave us this villa, but they were still intruders. I looked at Mira reproachfully. She gave me a small wink.

Mira’s gesture carried the confidence that she could suppress them in an instant, whatever they tried. I gave a small shake of my head and approached them.

Through the transparent bottle in Mira’s hand, I could see red liquid thick with magical power sloshing about.

Hmm. That was the soul concentrate I had given Mira before. It was something I had brewed for a long time by combining deeply accumulated magical power, part of my tree branch, and other people’s tree branches.

It was also one of the failed products from my research into souls. What I had originally wanted was not concentrate in that form, but a single solid mass. Something like elixir refining.

But after completing it, I realized something. Elixir refining could only melt and combine life. It could not create life.

Moreover, it was not worth what it cost to make. What it contained was a mass of tree branches. It could also be described as fragments of other people’s souls.

That made it no different from poison to a mage, who always pursued becoming a complete whole. Naturally, I could not sell it to others. Remembering the points I had spent making it, I sighed lightly.

Still, they said even a flipped frog could become medicine. It did have its own use. I watched Mira add a drop of soul concentrate to the wineglass. She mixed it in and smiled lightly.

Just as it did now, it suited Mira’s palate perfectly. To someone who melted down and consumed life, she said it was like a sweet seasoning. That was why I had given her most of the concentrate.

But even Ailey liked it. I could only tilt my head. If she were a normal mage, she would have found it poisonous.

The person sitting beside Ailey proved that immediately. Hongryeong was seated there, his face slightly pale as he steadied his magical power. He had clearly followed Ailey’s lead and taken some, suffering minor internal injuries as a result.

Unlike Hongryeong, however, Ailey kept smacking her lips as though she liked it. I narrowed my eyes slightly. Ailey’s reaction meant that her soul was shaped differently from those of ordinary mages.

Perhaps she was more like a treasure.

Thinking that, I looked Ailey over before shaking my head. She was from a great family. There might be something inside her that a bottom-feeder mage like me could not understand.

There was no reason to dig deeper into my curiosity. Nothing good came from uncovering a great family’s secrets.

Besides, that was not important right now. I sat down before them. The three people looked at me, and I smiled faintly as I looked around at them.

“I didn’t expect you to break through the security. If you had left word in advance, I would have opened the door for you.”

It was an unspoken rebuke as well. Even if Ailey had lent us this place, a mage’s territory was a space that had to be protected above all else.

For them to enter it so casually, of course I was displeased.

Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Hongryeong bowed his head. He removed the stealth garb covering his body, and his magical power slowly began to leak into the surroundings.

“My apologies. The area is suspicious, so we needed to come without anyone knowing. As an apology for our rudeness, I have prepared this. Please accept it.”

Hongryeong took a small box from his chest. I accepted it and carefully undid the seal.

Inside was a long tree branch. The magical power within it was far too dense for it to have come from a third- or fourth-floor mage’s tree. It was probably something higher, a piece of a completed tree.

“You didn’t need to bring something like this. If you have urgent business next time, please feel free to visit whenever you wish.”

I gave a dry cough and sealed the box again before slipping it into my clothes. I had needed a branch of such high purity anyway, so this worked out well. I could overlook a little illegal entry for this much.

“So, what brings you here?”

I looked at Ailey and Hongryeong. I had been considering how to find them myself, yet they had come to me in secret. It saved me the trouble.

At the same time, it meant something troublesome had happened. People who were undoubtedly much busier than me had moved personally, which meant they had something important to say.

“Mm, getting right to the point is no fun... But we’re in a hurry too, so I suppose it can’t be helped. Evron, have you noticed anything suspicious while doing business lately?”

Ailey emptied her glass in one go and set it on the table. Isabella, who had followed me out of the research room, refilled it and smiled at her. Ailey let out a satisfied laugh in return.

“See? I told you I liked her.”

I stroked my chin as I faced Ailey’s ominous magical power, which rose amid the scent of alcohol and the thick smell of blood.

Something suspicious? Of course there was.

That was why I had wanted to find them. But before I said anything, there was something I needed to address.

“I don’t know what’s happened, but it seems you two suspect me.”

Perhaps my words had been too sudden. The two of them showed the slightest hint of agitation. It vanished in an instant, of course.

But that brief gap proved my words were true.

Perhaps they understood that as well, because they relaxed their guard a little and smiled.

“Oh? You know something happened?”

Ailey raised her glass again with a smiling gaze. I shrugged as I faced her. I had brought it up because I had sensed that they were somewhat wary of me.

“I met Mr. Orgot today. He asked me to tell you that someone from Mookgeumgo, I believe their name was Irappa, had placed surveillance magic throughout the shop. They also said that the rate at which corpse puppets are breaking down has been steadily rising.”

Since this sort of thing could not be common, I assumed something must have happened.

I added that and examined the two of them. They furrowed their brows slightly, lost in thought.

Soon, Ailey clicked her tongue and poured herself another glass. Staring into the red wine, she spoke.

“Irappa put up surveillance magic?”

Ah. So that person’s name was Arippa.

I nodded lightly and created a small illusion in the air. It showed the glass shard containing the surveillance magic that Orgot had shown me.

It was only a copy of a copy, but I had grasped the core of the magic contained within. Ailey seemed to know that, because she examined the illusion before closing her eyes slightly.

“Interesting. I didn’t expect them to have gotten their hands on even one of my close aides. Is that why that old man decided to move?”

Old man. I had only ever seen Ailey call one person that. Domitian, whom I had met at the banquet before.

I glanced at Hongryeong. He gave a slight nod.

“We came to find you because we discovered a movement within Mookgeumgo to break our agreement. Before we knew it, they had even prepared a hearing. It’s only a week away. And at the center of it is Mr. Domitian.”

Breaking the agreement. It seemed my earlier guess had been roughly correct.

Domitian. Remembering those narrow eyes that made him difficult to read, much like Ugo, I clicked my tongue lightly.

Then I glanced behind me. The moment I heard Domitian’s name, I had felt an emotional stir through my connection with Isabella, who was standing behind me.

Hongryeong continued as he watched us.

“As you know, Mr. Evron, organizations eventually divide into factions and compete within themselves. In that respect, Mr. Domitian has an antagonistic relationship with Lady Ailey. It was not that way from the beginning, of course.”

Hongryeong glanced at Ailey. Ailey drained her wineglass in a single motion and frowned. Thick disgust flowed from her.

“What can you do when an old man is nothing but greed? He had the nerve to prattle on about wanting to become engaged to me. It’s a shame I only bit off his tongue on the spot. If we had been outside, I would have killed him on the spot.”

“It was an interesting sight. Well, he probably wanted a stepping stone to becoming Mookgeumgo’s master. If he could consume Lady Ailey, who has not fully established herself yet, the road to a great family would open before him. Apparently, he had absorbed several families that way before, so he must have been confident.”

“It’s somewhat unfortunate. If you two had cooperated, it would have been better for me.”

Hongryeong added that with a small smile. Ailey glared at him and released a faint killing intent.

“Even if I’m helping you, young master, if you keep crossing the line like this, I’ll have no choice but to cut out your tongue like that old man’s.”

I imagined Ailey biting off Hongryeong’s tongue. Hongryeong must have imagined it too, because he shuddered slightly and shut his mouth.

I could only blink quietly as I watched them. Domitian wanted Ailey? This was the first I had heard of it.

I considered Ailey’s position and nodded. Well, Ailey was quite an attractive woman. Not merely in terms of power or appearance, but because of what she represented.

From what I had learned, Ailey was the sole heir of her family. Her family’s support had surely played a major part in helping her quickly secure a place in Mookgeumgo.

The power of a great family was immense. If someone could consume her and continue her bloodline, it would clearly be a great help not only at the university, but outside as well.

And Domitian bringing it up meant he had judged it possible. He held an important position in this city too.

After hearing Hongryeong’s story, I could understand why Domitian was moving. His interests aligned perfectly with Hwaryeong’s.

Hwaryeong would remove Hongryeong, and Domitian would obtain Ailey. I remembered Hwaryeong and Domitian exchanging something at the banquet.

There was no doubt Hwaryeong was involved in this. She had revealed herself openly instead of hiding. As she had said herself, this was simply a gift.

I nodded.

“That’s why you came to find me.”

When I spoke quietly, the two turned their eyes toward me. I glanced at Isabella and continued slowly.

“Merely damaging puppets won’t be enough for them to break the agreement.”

Puppets continuously breaking down was sufficient reason to gather the parties to the agreement. The agreement had been based on providing profit, and if they could no longer earn enough profit, they would need to discuss it.

But it was also not enough to break the agreement completely. Breaking it required the parties’ consent.

I tapped the table lightly. There were four parties involved in the agreement: Mookgeumgo, the Arcana General Trading Company, the On Puppeteer Association, and me.

From Domitian’s perspective, he needed to bring at least half of them over to his side. Only then could he hold a hearing on the pretext of poor management.

And Domitian had likely already gained one vote. As I had seen earlier, the method of damaging the puppets was exquisitely designed. Only two parties could have done such a thing: me and the city’s puppeteers.

That meant the puppeteers had sided with Domitian.

It was rather unexpected. I tilted my head slightly.

Domitian was related by blood to Ugo, and Gaon was Ugo’s teacher. From that perspective, it made enough sense for Gaon to help Domitian.

But the Gaon I knew always acted with the certainty that he would not lose, whether he succeeded or failed. He certainly had not moved while considering only the benefits of success.

Then what could Gaon gain if this failed?

I considered the question, then shook my head. His thoughts were not especially important. What mattered was that he had chosen Domitian.

But that was only one vote. To create a tie, Domitian needed one more vote from among Mookgeumgo, the Trading Company, and me.

And gaining Mookgeumgo’s or the Trading Company’s vote was practically impossible. No matter how much Domitian stirred up people within Mookgeumgo and held a hearing, Ailey was ultimately the party to the agreement.

As long as Ailey refused to break it, Mookgeumgo could not change that decision.

The same was true of the Trading Company. Orgot, the representative of the People’s Council, could not betray Hongryeong.

That naturally left only me. That was surely why they had come to confirm their suspicions about me.

I looked at Ailey.

Domitian moving like this meant he was prepared for an all-out conflict with Ailey. He was not merely targeting her, but her family as well.

If someone emerged victorious from this fight, the loser would be consumed by the other side. In such circumstances, Ailey would naturally prepare for everything thoroughly.

So it was only natural for them to suspect me.

Even if the agreement broke and Ailey and Hongryeong were removed from it, I would lose nothing. The work I did would remain the same.

If Domitian’s side tried to buy my vote by offering substantial profit, would I have any reason to refuse? I had a contract with Hongryeong, but if enough profit was offered, I would naturally have to consider it.

That was why they had come to me after seeing Domitian act as if he were certain of victory. If I had fallen into Domitian’s grasp, it would become a problem for them too.

I scratched my head lightly. From the look of things, the conflict between Domitian and Ailey seemed to have been planned long ago.

Perhaps bringing me here under the pretext of expanding into a new city had been intended to trigger that conflict. I narrowed my eyes and quietly watched the two of them.

“Hmm, you really are quick-witted. That’s why I like you, Evron.”

Ailey took another sip of wine and smiled. I could only click my tongue slightly.

Hongryeong shrugged as he looked at me.

“Mm, we didn’t orchestrate all of this. Originally, we wanted to use this agreement as a foundation and slowly grow our power. But I didn’t expect them to move so quickly. They seem to have decided that if they don’t act now, it will be difficult to suppress us.”

Hongryeong stroked his chin. I had no intention of criticizing them. From the moment I came to this city, I had expected some kind of conflict. They had even given me a slight warning about it.

“But we came to find you because we couldn’t understand why they were moving as though they were so certain. It seems, however, that even you don’t know.”

Hongryeong wore a vague smile, his eyes smiling as well. But suspicion still lingered within them.

His gaze was directed at Isabella.

“Even if they haven’t approached her until now, you should be careful in the future. Mr. Domitian is quite devious. He may exploit something you haven’t considered.”

Something I had not considered.

Hongryeong’s meaning was clear. It was Isabella, not I, whose name had been written into the agreement. And Isabella was connected to both Ugo and Domitian.

Considering Hongryeong’s meticulous nature, he had surely looked into Isabella’s past. There was no doubt he suspected that she might have betrayed me.

Perhaps Isabella sensed that too, because she flinched and trembled. I stepped before her pale face and glared slightly at Hongryeong.

No matter how suspicious the situation was, Isabella was my puppet. My puppet would never betray me.

That was why I trusted her. If there were anything that could become a problem, she would have reported it to me beforehand.

“Let’s not entertain needless suspicions. I’m more concerned about Mr. Orgot. Even Lady Ailey’s close aide changed sides, so there’s no reason they wouldn’t target Mr. Orgot as well.”

Perhaps they were continuing to monitor Orgot so they could uncover some weakness to bind him with.

Hongryeong, who had been meeting my eyes, soon nodded.

“That is a reasonable suspicion as well. I will look into it further.”

Hongryeong nodded. After that, we discussed many things, including what Domitian intended to use as grounds to break the agreement.

But we had yet to find a clear answer.

As dawn approached, Ailey and Hongryeong vanished in an instant through the floor of the villa. It was a secret door they had never told me about. That was surely how they had entered without anyone knowing.

“Hmm, this has become interesting. Though Isabella doesn’t seem to think so.”

Mira swirled her wineglass and gestured toward Isabella with her chin.

I followed her gaze. Isabella’s face was still pale, and her complicated expression seemed full of deep worry.

Soon, Isabella began gathering magical power. She raised a hand and drove it deeply into her own chest.

Startled by the sudden action, I rose to my feet, but she said nothing as she concentrated magical power in her hand.

By the time blood flowing from the corner of Isabella’s mouth had soaked the floor, she slowly pulled out her hand. She fell into thought for a moment, then looked at me and gave a bitter smile that seemed filled with sadness.

[…Could you please look at this?]

Isabella approached me and pulled open her top.

Her pale white body came into view. Mira frowned slightly at the sudden situation, but perhaps sensing Isabella’s complicated mood, she said nothing.

Isabella took my hand and placed it over her chest. Then she slowly guided my magical power, leading me into the image within her chest.

I entered Isabella and calmly spread out my magical power. I could feel her half-collapsed tree.

It was still in this state.

I could only smack my lips in regret.

I had put considerable effort into restoring Isabella. Aside from Mira, there was no material as exceptional as her, so it was only natural.

And while refining Isabella, the thing I regarded as most important was this tree.

When I had first encountered Isabella, when even her mind was not whole, her tree had nearly vanished. As she suffered under Ugo, her tree had burned itself away so that her broken soul could maintain even some form.

Even its roots had melted away, and it had seemed ready to disappear at any moment. That was why I had devoted tremendous effort to restoring it.

After a long time, I had managed to restore at least part of her tree. This was what it looked like now. A form full of cracks, unstable as though it might collapse at any moment.

And this was Isabella’s limit.

Isabella had surely possessed outstanding talent in life. But after she died and fell into becoming a puppet, even the foundation of her tree had been lost, and it had collapsed.

Restoring such a tree to this extent was already an incredible achievement. If my soul fragments had not seeped into her, even this form would have been impossible.

But no matter how many soul fragments I poured into her, Isabella could not grow her tree any further. It had already collapsed, leaving her unable to create the steps needed to advance. Recovering even her former realm completely would likely be difficult.

With regret, I carefully examined Isabella’s tree. There had to be a reason she had guided me here.

And I soon found it.

“This is...”

My eyebrow twitched slightly.

I could sense something strange from Isabella’s tree.

That strange presence lay deep inside a crevice in her tree, hidden so carefully that I would not have noticed without examining it closely.

But Isabella had apparently dug around it beforehand, and it had now revealed itself.

What appeared was shaped like a chain.

It was faint and cracked, but still enough to bind her tree.

I knew that familiar shape very well. There was something similar in my own tree.

This was a binding created by a contract. A contract I had never once sensed from her before.

Why was a contract binding Isabella?

I met her eyes, my question evident.

[This is a contract I made with Domitian before. This is probably why he moved. He must have judged that he could bind me with this.]

Isabella closed her eyes and continued writing with an indistinct expression.

[Ever since I met Domitian again, I had felt something strange. At first, I thought it was only because seeing him made me uncomfortable. But after hearing today’s conversation, I realized it. If there was something Domitian sought, it would be me. So I searched within my tree... and my intuition was correct.]

“A contract? Why didn’t you tell me anything before?”

At my question, Isabella looked down at her own body. She placed both hands over mine, which rested on her chest, and continued writing.

[I thought this contract would have been completed. I had fulfilled every promise I made with Domitian. I did not mention my past because I did not think Master needed to hear about something so insignificant. I was already dead, and I did not want to make Master worry over something that had passed.]

Isabella fell silent.

Then she looked up at me and continued slowly.

[…But I never imagined my past would hold Master back like this. I am truly sorry. Since this has happened, I will tell you about my past without hiding anything. It may help you judge what to do about this.]

As Isabella faced me, she slowly began revealing her past.

-

Every person had their own dream.

For example, her father dreamed of a life without hunger. And he was willing to pay a sufficient price to achieve it.

That was why she did not resent her father so deeply. It was natural for people to strive to achieve their dreams.

That was the conclusion she reached at five years old, inside the carriage that carried her away after her father sold her.

Her father would achieve his dream and be happy. Then he would move again in search of another dream.

She wanted to have a dream of her own, like her father.

Perhaps that wish came true. Before long, she found her dream.

It was survival.

The people who bought her from her father for a few silver coins put her up in a slave market in the city, alongside more than two hundred other children.

Then an old woman bought them all.

She made survival her dream because the old woman who bought her was a mage. They said the old woman had lived for hundreds of years. A number so distant that she could not count it even if she gathered all her fingers together.

That ancient mage had bought the children to use them as materials. She said she would dye them with lightning and create a wand of her own.

As though proving that declaration, the old woman summoned the children one by one.

The method she used to tame them with magical power was very simple.

She burned their flesh with lightning.

At first, she used very weak magical power. When their bodies adapted, she used stronger magical power. Many children who failed to adapt died that way.

If she had possessed no talent, she would have turned to ash and vanished like the others.

But fortunately, she had talent.

Quite useful talent.

It happened after she was struck by lightning for the second time.

When she returned to the room that served as a prison, she writhed wildly under the terrible pain running through her body.

If she remained like this, she would die without achieving her dream of survival.

As she wept, she heard a whisper beside her.

“Hey, you’re No. 129, right? Are you all right?”

She flinched slightly.

No. 129. That was the name the old woman had given her.

At the sound of someone calling her, she lifted her head.

Then, in the darkness, she saw red eyes that held light.

She jerked back in surprise, and the red eyes curved into a smiling gaze.

“You’re cute. I’m No. 130. I was originally No. 200, but I’ve already become No. 130.”

She trembled slightly.

She had not originally been No. 129 either. Her first name had been No. 198.

And while she received two bolts of lightning, she had become No. 129.

She knew very well what had happened to the numbers between them, because she had seen it with her own eyes.

Slowly rising, she approached the red eyes.

There, she saw a girl wrapped in a half-torn blanket. The girl, who appeared two or three years older than her, wore a bright smile.

The girl looked her up and down, then nodded.

“Mm. You look even prettier up close.”

“...Why did you call me?”

She asked while holding her trembling body together.

The girl thought for a moment as she watched her.

“From now on, try focusing on your breathing. Like this.”

The girl drew in a huge breath as though she were biting through the air. Her chest swelled as it filled with air.

After staying still for a moment, the girl breathed out deeply, as though driving everything inside her away.

Hoo, hah. Hoo, hah.

The girl’s repeated breathing looked utterly ridiculous. But she continued with a very serious expression.

As she watched her, she unconsciously began copying her.

And the longer she continued breathing, the more it felt as though the pain wrapped around her body was fading away.

“You’re good at it even without an explanation. Does it feel a little better? I learned it from a street medicine seller.”

The girl smiled brightly at her. Then she reached out and stroked her hair.

The girl’s hand was covered in burns made by lightning.

“...Why are you telling me this?”

She asked, stopping in the middle of drawing a breath.

Every child she had met here had been fried by lightning and filled only with despair. But somehow, this girl seemed different.

“Because I like you. I like pretty things.”

The girl looked at her with eyes full of hope.

From that day onward, she gradually became close to the girl. Whenever pain consumed their bodies, they breathed together. Whenever they were hungry, they held each other and forgot their hunger.

Before long, No. 129 became No. 80, then surpassed that number to become No. 40.

And in that time, her body slowly broke down.

The same was true for the girl beside her, No. 130, or rather, No. 41.

“What is your dream?”

She asked the girl lying beyond the iron bars.

The girl shifted slightly and looked at her.

“A dream?”

The girl asked quietly.

She nodded.

“Yes. People move because of dreams. When we get out of here, we’ll have dreams too. So we should decide on them in advance.”

She looked at the girl.

The girl who had once only had burn scars on her hands was now covered in burns from head to toe.

Yet even in that state, her eyes still sparkled.

“Mm, then I’ll become a noble.”

The girl excitedly waved a hand.

“I heard that nobles eat tasty things every day, sleep in big beds, and no one can hit them. So if I become a noble, that evil old woman won’t be able to touch me either.”

Noble was a word she had never heard before.

Was there really something so amazing?

As she pricked up both ears, the girl eagerly told her all about nobles.

“They say nobles fly through the sky. They change clothes every day. They have houses of their own too, and they give themselves cool names.”

The girl’s stories sounded a little flimsy in places.

But she only nodded without showing it. The girl looked so happy to keep talking.

After chattering for a long time, the girl gave a small cough.

She saw the girl cough up a little bloody phlegm. The girl wiped it away as though it were nothing and continued.

“If I want to become a noble, I need to decide on a name too. I can’t keep being called No. 41. Hmm... I’ll call myself Isabella. I heard before that it’s an incredibly good name.”

The girl said that with a clear smile.

Isabella.

She repeated the name quietly.

She had a name of sorts too.

She touched her hair. Its reddish color resembled her mother’s. Perhaps because she had that hair, her father had called her Red.

She had never thought much about it.

But compared to the name Isabella, it somehow felt lacking.

The girl came closer and stroked her hair through the iron bars.

“You said you were called Red, right? When you get out of here, you’ll become a noble with me too. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a new name. If I don’t come back tomorrow, then... you can take my name.”

Tomorrow.

At those words, she could only freeze.

Tomorrow was the day the girl would receive her ninth bolt of lightning.

Could the girl, whose whole body had been burned, endure lightning again? She did not know.

But she believed in the girl, Isabella.

She believed Isabella would overcome the lightning brilliantly, as she always had, and return.

The next day came, and Isabella headed out of the prison.

Standing at the door, Isabella looked back at her and grinned.

“I thought of a pretty name, so look forward to it.”

Then Isabella crossed the doorway and never returned.

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