WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 243: 243

──────

I quietly looked out the window, feeling the cold air wrap around me. Beyond the dark cityscape, the scattered lights of magical lamps seemed to reveal just how bleak this city was.

Three days had already passed since Hongryeong and Ailey visited the villa. During that time, I had needed to choose the direction I would take.

And today, the time had finally come to finish making that choice. Feeling a powerful trace of magical power approaching this place, I took a slow, steady breath.

Soon, someone entered the shop with several attendants in tow. The magical power I had sensed was leaking from him.

Was it an attempt to seize the initiative? He clearly meant to intimidate us before we had even met.

But that sort of pressure was far too weak to affect me. Having spent so much time beside Professor Irian, pressure created through magical power meant nothing to me.

If anything, watching him leak magical power helped me relax. With a soft smile on my face, I nodded at Isabella.

Today’s guest had a connection to Isabella, so he would likely be pleased to have her greet him.

Feeling my will, Isabella left the reception room and naturally began guiding him inside. Soon, he entered the room.

I could somehow feel him examining me through his narrow eyes. Without showing it, I gave him a slight bow.

“Mr. Domitian, hello. Thank you for making time for us.”

“Thank me? I had been thinking that I should meet you myself. It’s good to see you.”

Domitian stood across from me and held out his hand. I carefully took it and shook it, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Domitian glanced at Isabella, who had guided him here, then nodded at the attendants who had followed him. They left the room.

“This way, please.”

I headed farther into the reception room. Standing beside Mira, who was seated on the sofa, I gestured to the opposite side. It was the seat of honor I had prepared beforehand.

After confirming that Domitian had taken his seat, I sat down as well. Then I released magical power into the air and drew a magic circle.

It was a spell I had repeated thousands of times by now. Perfect Tea.

As tea flowed from the magic circle and filled the teapot, I smiled quietly.

Before discussing business, I needed to serve tea first. And this was something I had more confidence in than anything else I had prepared so far.

I lightly swirled the teapot. The rich fragrance within slowly began spreading through the room.

No, fragrance was not enough to describe it. Deep magical power was contained within that gentle aroma. Domitian seemed to sense it as well, because he looked at the teapot.

“This is something I prepared for you, Lord Domitian. Please, have a taste.”

I poured tea into Domitian’s cup with confidence. He lifted it and began taking small sips.

“Ho. This is tree branch.”

Domitian opened his eyes slightly wider and looked at me. I met his gaze as I poured tea for Mira, then gave a small laugh.

“You recognized it immediately. That is truly impressive. I was able to acquire the tree branch of someone who had completed their tree, so I wanted to try brewing tea with it. Does it suit your taste?”

Domitian gave a slight nod. I lifted my own cup with a satisfied smile.

Cooking was one of my hobbies. That was why I had always tried to go beyond fixed ideas and create something new. This tea was the result of those efforts.

Of course, I was surely not the first person to try brewing tea from tree branches. There was nothing easier than extracting magical power from another person’s tree branch.

But just as directly implanting a tree branch into one’s body caused rejection between magical powers, filtering magical power through tea did not change that.

A mage’s tree was a completed whole. It was only natural.

That was why I had tried to remove the rejection between magical powers. It was something I had researched for a long time.

After struggling for the last several days, I had finally found a partial answer. This tea was the result.

I glanced at Mira beside me. She had a satisfied smile on her face.

Mira seemed to like it very much. She said it felt as though dozens of souls were packed into the tea. As expected of a treasure, her senses were remarkable.

In the silence, we all emptied our cups. Soon, Domitian set his down and spoke with a pleased smile.

“I hurried here when I heard that you had suddenly called for me, but I never expected such hospitality. Was it Stem Collector? It seems that nickname is not entirely baseless.”

Stem Collector. Had that strange nickname reached even Domitian’s ears?

I quietly scratched my nose, refilled his cup, and smiled blandly.

“Well, it is a nickname filled with misunderstandings. Still, I appreciate you viewing me kindly.”

“So, why did you call me? We have not built enough of a relationship to sit down and speak like this. Is there something you want?”

Domitian asked while touching his teacup. At the direct question, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Was he planning to get straight to the point the moment he arrived? I had no reason to refuse. It had not been easy to sit here and smile at him.

“Hmm, something I want, you could say. I arranged this meeting because there is something I wished to tell you, Lord Domitian. At this rate, I think I will only suffer losses.”

“Losses?”

“Yes. It seems you are aiming for the pact, Lord Domitian. So we will act according to your wishes as well.”

Domitian raised his brows at my words. I met his gaze and smiled faintly.

Over the last few days, the situation at the Arcana Puppet Workshop had continued to worsen. More and more puppets were breaking down, and accidents continued to occur nearby.

The movements of several shops we had recruited before were suspicious as well. Thinking of Mortawin and Beldar, who had secretly passed information on to me, I lifted my teacup.

What they told me was simple. Someone from Mookgeumgo had come to purchase their magic.

Just as Ailey had said before, they clearly intended to break the pact and exclude the Trading Company. And Domitian did not hide that he was responsible.

The fact that he did not bother to conceal himself showed just how confident he was. He likely believed the hearing would take place and the pact would be broken in the end.

That was why I needed to approach him first. It was the safest way for me to survive.

Of course, Domitian had likely planned to come looking for us as well. Isabella was quite important to his plans.

But we had been showing that we were closer to Hongryeong and Ailey’s side. If time passed like this, I might suffer losses too.

“Quite a few accidents have been occurring around the Trading Company lately. It made me reconsider a few things. As you know, Lord Domitian, I do not care who wins.”

I glanced at Domitian. Now that things had come this far, I could make a good guess about who had tried to blow up my shop before.

After the hearing ended, another act of terror might happen. No, if I continued to remain close to Hongryeong and Ailey, it definitely would.

The Domitian Isabella had told me about would surely act that way. He likely had no intention of forgiving me for siding with Ailey.

That was why I needed to reveal my position to him in advance. It was how I would survive.

Domitian leaned forward slightly, seemingly interested in my words. I met his gaze and continued.

“What matters to me is profit. So there is only one thing I want from you, Mr. Domitian. What profit can I gain by abandoning the pact?”

“Ho, profit?”

“Of course, I do not want much. I have learned of the trap you prepared, after all.”

I gave a small shrug and looked toward Isabella, who stood quietly to one side. She approached me. I gave her a slight nod.

“Isabella, please show him.”

Isabella placed a hand over her chest and began releasing magical power.

A small chain burst from her chest. The chain soon melted away in midair, turning into faint letters.

[Isabella must grant Ugo’s three wishes. Once she has fulfilled them all, Domitian must waive all of her debt.]

The traces of the contract remained painfully clear. Seeing them made my chest burn again. But there was no need to show that anger.

I calmly smiled and took a sip of tea. Then I looked at Domitian as he examined the contract text.

“I was quite surprised. I never expected Isabella and Lord Domitian to have made a contract.”

“Hehe. Did she not tell you?”

“Well, that was my oversight. When I inspected her, I found nothing unusual, so I did not think to investigate her past. Still, I never imagined you had revived a contract that I believed was dead. You are truly impressive.”

I looked at Domitian. He rubbed the wrist where his own contract must have been engraved and shook his head.

“It is nothing. You are more impressive than I am. If it were not for you, none of this would have happened.”

Isabella lightly clenched her hand. The letters engraved in the air crumbled away, becoming chains again before sinking back into her body.

Through the connection between Isabella and me, I could somehow feel a trace of impurity. I quietly closed my eyes.

I understood well enough why Isabella had not revealed her past. But in the end, that past had become a contract that bound her down.

Still, I did not want to blame Isabella. No, I could not blame her. As Domitian said, I had played a major role in bringing back a contract that should have disappeared.

After Isabella became my puppet, I often wondered how Ugo had been able to make her into one.

From what I had seen, she had been a powerful mage in life, strong enough to extend branches. Who would believe that someone like her had fallen to a person like Ugo?

But after hearing Isabella’s story before, I had finally solved that long-held question. Ugo had wished for Isabella’s death. And that wish had been engraved upon her.

According to the contract between Isabella and Domitian, the wish bound her. In the end, she must have had no choice but to die. Then, after her death, she became Ugo’s puppet.

I opened my eyes and looked at Isabella again. Feeling the thick flow of life within her body, I clicked my tongue lightly.

The reason the contract had resumed was obvious. Isabella had escaped death and returned to the world.

I had put tremendous effort into restoring Isabella as much as possible. It was only natural, since it would be difficult for me to find puppet material as good as her.

So I had even placed fragments of my own soul within Isabella, trying to rebuild her tree.

And those efforts had eventually borne fruit. Using Isabella, I had succeeded in imitating life, if only in part.

That gave Isabella a form separate from that of my other puppets. She felt more like a soul Sapling than a shadow puppet.

And that became the problem.

Ugo had wished for Isabella’s death. Therefore, the contract had ended with her death.

But under my hands, she had regained a partial form of life. To the magical power of the contract, that was enough for it to judge that Isabella had escaped death.

As Domitian said, I had brought the contract back. That problem was now laid out before me.

Over the past few days, I had conducted many experiments and learned why the contract had only awakened now.

No matter how much life I had placed within her, Isabella was still ultimately a puppet. She was alive, yet also half dead.

Because of that, the contract could not make a clear judgment. Isabella must have believed the contract had ended as well.

But the moment she met Domitian, the other party to the contract, it resumed.

It was only natural. A contract was created when two people’s magical powers came together.

Domitian had likely felt the embers of the contract revive the moment he saw Isabella. But he had continued suppressing it so Isabella would not notice.

He probably intended to use her as the decisive dagger that would break the pact. Perhaps his attempt to break the pact had begun because of his contract with Isabella.

I let out a quiet sigh. If I had succeeded in fully restoring Isabella’s tree, she would have felt the contract reconnecting.

But Isabella’s tree had already been ruined. I had only somehow gathered its remains together and shaped them into something convincing.

That was why Isabella could not know she was bound by the contract. It was impressive enough that she had sensed something suspicious with that half-broken tree.

And after noticing the contract and conducting experiments, I learned one more thing for certain. I could not sever this contract.

The contract had resumed because I had half brought her back to life. Other people probably could not resurrect the dead like this.

And there was only one way to sever the contract of someone revived in this manner.

Isabella had to die again. I would have to destroy the tree I had rebuilt.

Isabella understood that as well. That was likely why, the moment she noticed the contract, she had asked me to kill her.

But I could not do that. Putting aside my anger, I had realized that doing only that would not resolve this situation.

“Isabella, did I not tell you? No matter how far you try to run, ties will remain.”

Domitian smiled lightly. Isabella quietly closed her eyes.

Domitian looked her over from head to toe, then turned his gaze to me.

“The contract resuming was unexpected even to me. It must mean your magic is quite extraordinary. That is why I became interested in you and did a little investigating.”

Domitian emptied his cup as he looked at me. Mira curled her finger.

Mist rose from her fingertips, moving the teapot and filling Domitian’s cup again.

I felt Domitian’s gaze linger on her for a moment. He had likely sensed her power.

“Seeing that your professor gave you even something like that, it seems she values you quite highly. I thought you were rather useful, but now I see why nobody picked you up.”

At his words, I lightly rubbed my chin. The fact that he brought this up meant he had likely learned everything about my past.

Well, I could not complain about something like that. Investigating the other party before taking action was only natural.

If anything, the fact that he admitted to investigating me was fortunate for me.

Learning about someone was, in a way, an act of assessing them. Assessing whether they could be devoured or not.

If Domitian had judged that he could devour me, he would not have bothered mentioning it. He would have swallowed me up at once.

But I had a small amount of backing. Professor Irian.

I lightly rubbed my wrist. It was where the contract for the mirror bugs that had been taken from me remained. That contract was still tightly binding my tree.

Domitian must have learned about this contract too. He knew I had suffered at the hands of the Trading Company. And yet, he said nobody had taken me in.

Well, perhaps that did not amount to much in Domitian’s eyes. Compared to what had happened to Isabella, this was nothing.

Unlike Isabella, who had no choice but to escape through death, I had been given a small way to survive. And I owed that chance largely to Professor Irian.

If Professor Irian had not been behind me, I would have been bound to the Trading Company like Isabella and turned into a factory that produced mirror bugs.

Until I died. No, perhaps even after I died, I would have been used as a tool for producing mirror bugs.

Had Miryeong not said the same thing when he made this contract with me? That he had held himself back a little because of Professor Irian.

Simply by existing, Professor had been a great help to me.

But I could not rely on Professor for every matter. Professor kept me close because I was useful to her.

This matter was no different. Domitian had enough justification to touch me. I could not ask Professor to resolve that for me.

“How much is Isabella’s debt at this point?”

“Her debt? Hmm... Since the contract was not completed, it would be about this much. I rounded it off nicely for your sake.”

Domitian pulled out a sheet of paper and held it out to me. It was as though he knew I would bring up this subject.

I accepted the thin paper and slowly read what was written on it.

The expensive paper was as soft as a feather. Yet it somehow felt heavier than a massive boulder.

It could not be helped. This was a promissory note.

One hundred million. That was the debt Isabella had accumulated.

“A long time has passed. That is why the interest has built up so much.”

As I watched Domitian smile at ease, I could only click my tongue inwardly. This was the justification he had for coming to find me.

From what I had heard, Isabella’s original debt had only been a few million points. Yet it had increased this much. Even though I had calculated it beforehand, it was difficult to believe.

It was an enormous sum that I could never repay. How could I repay an amount of points I had never even imagined, let alone touched?

Even if I asked Hongryeong or Ailey, they would surely find it difficult to obtain such a huge amount of points. If anything, they would become more wary because I carried that debt.

That was where Domitian’s confidence came from. As long as the contract remained in place, the debt would continue to grow. And we could not repay it.

Naturally, Isabella would have no choice but to be restricted by the size of that debt. Unless the contract was completed, she had no choice but to act as the owner of the debt wished.

“As expected, it is too much for me to repay. As long as this exists, it will be difficult for the pact to continue. You must be continuing to work on the Trading Company as well.”

“The Trading Company? What do you mean by that?”

Domitian tilted his head slightly. I shrugged and looked at Isabella.

With her eyes closed, she stood quietly, as though obediently waiting for our words.

“Hmm... I thought the cooperation between the Trading Company and Lady Ailey would bother you, Lord Domitian. Seeing that you have been in contact with Hwaryeong, I assumed that apart from breaking the pact, you also intended to move against the Trading Company.”

I had some information about that as well. Someone from Mookgeumgo had been directly observing the Trading Company.

If breaking the pact had been the only goal, they would have needed to take measures against our workshop similar to those taken against the Arcana Puppet Workshop.

But aside from the incident where a magical power bomb nearly exploded, there had been no direct clash at our workshop.

Considering that, the bomb had been a warning. A warning that I would not see a good outcome if I continued working with Ailey.

If they were checking even me, someone who had only recently come to the city, there was no reason not to eliminate Hongryeong, who had been here far longer.

That was why they were targeting Orgot, a member of the People’s Council. Judging by the current situation, they had likely planned to target him even before deciding to break the pact.

They were putting in far too much effort for it to be simple surveillance. The reason they had not acted yet was likely the pact.

If Orgot disappeared during the process of breaking it, Ailey’s side would suffer a far greater blow.

And that was also why I had stopped Isabella from taking her own life.

At this point, Isabella remaining alive only meant that the time was not right yet.

If Domitian could eliminate Orgot as well, he would have no need to seek our cooperation.

He could simply force Isabella to fulfill the contract and destroy her tree. After dealing with the People’s Council, only the two of them would remain, and the pact would naturally collapse.

“But that process must be somewhat inconvenient for you. They have started protecting Mr. Orgot as well. That is why we wish to cooperate. So that you can bring Lady Ailey under your control more certainly.”

I looked Domitian over slightly. Just as he had investigated me, I had also looked into him quite thoroughly. Isabella beside me had told me many things as well.

And through that process, I learned one thing clearly.

Domitian’s power, influence, and accumulated years stood so far above mine that they could not even be compared.

According to Isabella, Domitian first appeared at the university eight hundred years ago. Over those eight hundred years, he had become part of the core of Mookgeumgo.

That was an incredible achievement. Domitian did not belong to a great family. He was only a wandering mage.

The method by which a wandering mage like him had built such power was simpler than I expected. I clicked my tongue lightly as I recalled his nickname, Nest-Builder.

There were species in the world that laid their eggs in the nests of others. Cuckoos were one such species. Domitian’s nickname reflected that habit.

Just as he had done to Isabella, Domitian lured talented people into traps. Then he connected them to his own bloodline.

He scattered useful people born through that repeated process among various families. Based on them, he cultivated bloodlines and made them occupy the core positions of many families.

Several families had been swallowed by Domitian that way. Ugo’s family was likely being consumed by his work as well.

The families Domitian had targeted probably knew it. There had surely been many people before him who tried to consume families from the shadows.

But they did not refuse his hand. It was profitable for them too.

Unlike other thieves, Domitian tried to unite the power of multiple families. He wanted to create a kind of alliance.

The alliance formed around Domitian possessed great power that nobody could ignore.

A wandering mage had succeeded in creating a vast domain over a thousand years.

But that power inevitably had limits. No matter how much he continued expanding sideways, it ultimately lacked depth.

That was why he was targeting Ailey this time. If he could consume someone who held the successor position of a great family, his alliance could rise another level.

“What I want is simple. Release Isabella and allow me to continue my business. In return, I will cooperate with you, Lord Domitian.”

That would benefit Domitian as well. If he gained Isabella instead of destroying her, he could pressure Ailey more reliably.

I silently met Domitian’s eyes. He tilted his head with a bland expression, then soon gave a quiet laugh.

“You are quick to notice things.”

I lightly clenched my hand. For now, I had succeeded in drawing Domitian’s interest. That meant I was already halfway to my goal.

Domitian had likely expected me to bring up something like this. Well, it was only natural.

He said he had investigated me. If that was the case, he would know my tendencies well. My attitude of avoiding conflict and trying to survive.

“But there is a small problem. There is not enough trust between us for me to believe your words. There is an easy way to fill that gap in trust.”

Domitian shrugged. Then he nodded lightly toward Isabella and spoke.

“Hand Isabella over to me. Then I will grant your request.”

I could see greed flickering in Domitian’s eyes. But that was something I could not accept. I slowly shook my head.

“I am afraid that will be difficult.”

“Why? She is bound by debt anyway, so why concern yourself with her? If you find the corpse valuable, I can prepare the corpse of a mage who may not be as good as her, but is still useful. You could revive it like that one, could you not?”

I had no choice but to narrow my eyes at his words. His attitude of seeing Isabella as nothing more than a tool made something burn inside me.

But I could not reveal my true feelings here. I quickly composed my expression into a smile before speaking.

“Hmm, Isabella is the culmination of my magic. It would be difficult to casually hand her over to someone else.”

The reason Domitian had left Isabella alone until now was surely not only the pact, but also the contract.

Isabella had certainly died. And the contract had ended. But I had revived her.

Domitian seemed to want to uncover how I had made such a puppet. If he could use that method on the others under his control, he could use people more efficiently.

But I could never accept that.

Isabella’s revival was partly due to her exceptional talent, but the uniqueness of my soul had played a major role.

My soul fragments filled her broken-down soul, changing it so she could imitate a partial form of life.

If Domitian dissected Isabella, he might naturally become interested in my soul as well. He might even discover that I had reincarnated.

There was no reason to keep such a risk around.

Perhaps sensing my firm attitude, Domitian quietly smacked his lips. I looked at him and continued slowly.

“But as you said, there is not enough trust for us to simply proceed like this. So I would like to leave behind definite proof.”

I rummaged through my clothes and pulled out a sheet of paper. I held the paper, thick with my magical power, out to Domitian.

“...Ho.”

Domitian looked down at it and rubbed his chin. The paper seemed to have caught his interest. It was only natural. It was a contract.

“How about making a contract with me? Just as you did with Isabella.”

“A contract.”

Domitian picked up the paper and began reading it carefully.

“There are two things I promise. First, I will help remove the Trading Company from the pact. Since I have a place among them, it will be easy for me to obtain information.”

I looked beyond the wall, toward where the Arcana Puppet Workshop stood in the distance.

Orgot, who had signed the pact, trusted me. That was why he had revealed secrets to me.

If I could guide his actions, then no matter how thoroughly Hongryeong protected him, it would surely be easy to lure him into a trap.

I continued slowly.

“Second, at the hearing, I will hand Isabella’s command authority to Lord Domitian. She is my puppet, so she will be unable to disobey my commands.”

“And what you want is points equal to the debt that has accumulated so far. You intend to use that to repay her debt instead?”

Domitian glanced at me while reading the contract. I nodded.

“Yes. You said you rounded it to exactly one hundred million, so I would like that amount as my compensation. As written in the contract, I intend to use it to repay Isabella’s debt.”

Of course, I could abandon Isabella here. But Isabella was my puppet. How could I hand her over to someone else?

And though she had been bound by a contract this time, that also meant I was moving in the right direction.

Even the contract, a law that made up the world, had recognized Isabella’s life. That was why I needed to protect her. She was no different from a lighthouse guiding the path I walked.

“Hmm... Then why did you not simply state that the debt would be forgiven?”

As expected, he was raising that point. I glanced at Isabella. We had already discussed it thoroughly.

“As you can see from Isabella, if a contract goes wrong, debt can increase in an instant. That is why I specified the points. The amount must be exact, so it cannot be manipulated through points afterward.”

If I only mentioned forgiveness instead of one hundred million points, there could be a small loophole in the contract. Domitian might exploit such a gap.

Even if the matter was resolved, I might become bound by debt like Isabella. That was a situation I needed to avoid.

Of course, there was a small issue with this as well. If I ordered Isabella to die, one hundred million points would be left hanging in the air.

The debt remaining on Isabella would disappear according to the contract, and the enormous sum of one hundred million points would naturally have to enter my hands under the contract.

But I had carefully closed that loophole too, so Domitian would not become suspicious. If Isabella died without Domitian’s permission, I would not receive the compensation either.

Domitian fell into thought with the contract before him. As he considered it, I exchanged glances with Mira.

Before long, I felt a contract wrap around my wrist. It was connected to Domitian before me as well.

A contract was absolute. Just like Isabella’s, it was a shackle that could not be escaped even through death. Domitian had stepped into such a contract.

I smoothed the blue blade stirring within me and wore a bright smile. Domitian smiled back.

It felt as though I could grasp what he was thinking. He had likely found at least part of a loophole in the contract.

Then who would be the one smiling in the end?

With that thought in mind, I clasped Domitian’s hand. A few days later, the day of the hearing arrived.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried