WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 244

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I quietly stared at the enormous building before me. It rose high enough to seem to pierce every floor of the city, brimming with overwhelming magical power.

That was Mookgeumgo, where the hearing would be held. I had come here before for the pact.

And this was my second visit. Last time, I had come to form the pact. This time, I had come to break it.

I casually looked around. It felt as though eyes were gathering on me.

It was clearly not just my imagination. I could see several people watching me.

It also meant that this hearing had drawn a great deal of attention. Mira must have felt those gazes too, because she gave a faint smile and linked her arm with mine.

“Hmm, this should be fun. I’m quite looking forward to seeing how things turn out.”

Mira giggled, mischief overflowing from her. She looked up at me with smiling eyes.

“Don’t worry, no matter what happens. I’ll protect you, Evron.”

“I’ll be relying on you, Mira.”

I gave a small nod and stepped forward. Once we entered Mookgeumgo, someone who had been waiting for us joined us.

“You two have arrived as well. I’ve been waiting.”

“Ah, Hongryeong. It has been a while.”

Hongryeong gave a slight bow in response to my greeting, then took the lead.

“This way.”

I followed behind Hongryeong, and soon we reached a vast hall.

Many people had gathered there. Some floated in the air as they spoke among themselves, while others leaned back in seats placed throughout the hall and watched us.

Ignoring their gazes, I headed inside. Seats had been prepared for us, for those involved in this pact.

Once I sat down, I saw several familiar faces. There were people from the Trading Company, as well as a few people from Mookgeumgo.

The most conspicuous group was from the puppeteer association. I looked at Gaon, who stood with his arms crossed before several puppeteers.

Gaon seemed to notice me as well and silently stared at me. I gave him a small nod before taking my seat.

Watching Hongryeong sit beside me, I rubbed my chin. One person who should have been here was nowhere to be seen.

“You still haven’t found Orgot? That side prepared thoroughly. I can’t believe they actually abducted someone.”

Hongryeong’s expression hardened slightly at my words. He gave a faint nod, just enough for me to notice.

I tapped the table softly and continued.

“Still, he probably isn’t dead. They can’t ignore the university’s rules either. They’ll return him once this pact is concluded.”

“...I suppose so. The problem is that it will be after this hearing.”

Hongryeong glared toward the most crowded section of the hall, where Domitian was. Seeing Domitian’s shameless smile, Hongryeong clicked his tongue.

“I was sure we had prepared thoroughly, but I have no idea how he vanished. I thought we had taken every precaution to keep them from getting past the surveillance.”

“Exactly.”

As I agreed with Hongryeong, I felt someone’s gaze settle on me. I glanced over and saw Domitian.

The most important thing in this hearing was protecting people. That was why Hongryeong had done everything he could to keep Orgot safe.

He had arranged several stand-ins and protected him with layers of magic. Yet Domitian had overcome all those obstacles and taken him with ease.

And the source of that information had been me. Since I had made a contract with Domitian, I needed to uphold it as best I could.

So I had secretly passed along Orgot’s hiding place and the structure of the magic protecting it.

Domitian looked at me with a pleased smile. My information must have satisfied him. I gave a small cough and shook my head.

There was no need to make it obvious that I was connected to him. I naturally turned my gaze back to Hongryeong.

“...It can’t be helped. At least we managed to protect one person. Evron, please keep your promise.”

Hongryeong sighed as he looked at Isabella, who stood in the center of the hall. I gave a quiet nod.

After Orgot disappeared, Hongryeong had worried that something might happen to us as well. If we vanished too, it would become a serious problem for him.

That was why he had done his best to protect Isabella. He had even driven off several attacks in the process.

Those attacks had not merely been staged in collusion with Domitian. They had been real. Isabella had nearly been taken during one of them.

If I had lost Isabella then, my plan might have fallen apart. Fortunately, I had managed to protect her until today.

But that alone would not have been enough for Hongryeong. In truth, it did not matter to us whom we chose.

With Orgot gone, Hongryeong surely knew that the balance of this hearing now rested far more heavily on us than before.

Perhaps that was why Hongryeong had promised me so much. He had even paid an advance for it.

I smacked my lips as I recalled the tree branches piled high in my laboratory. They would easily be worth several million points.

All of it had been paid by Hongryeong in advance. If this pact was not broken, it would all become mine.

“I have already received payment, so of course I’ll keep my promise. I’m not foolish enough to get greedy over something like this. If you’re truly worried, we can make a contract right here.”

With a faint smile, I took a sheet of paper from my clothes. Hongryeong rubbed his forehead and let out a hollow laugh.

“I would like that too. But what can I do when Miss Ailey doesn’t want it? She says she trusts her own eyes... Well, for now, all we can do is trust her judgment. She’s the one who has risked the most in this matter.”

Hongryeong quietly shook his head.

She trusted her own eyes.

I looked toward Ailey, who stood near Isabella in the center of the hall.

Ailey was speaking with Isabella with a relaxed smile. Soon, she noticed my gaze and met my eyes.

There was a hint of interest in the way she looked at me. Looking into those eyes reminded me of the day she had come to visit me alone.

But that thought was cut short before long as the surroundings began filling with magical power.

The magical power grew stronger and stronger. I swallowed at the sensation of it seeming to pierce through my body.

The hall, which had been buzzing with conversation, fell quiet beneath that pressure. Amid the silence, someone entered.

He was a middle-aged man with scars across his face. That intense magical power came from him. After looking around, he slowly walked forward.

The man reached the center of the hall and sat in the highest seat. Resting his chin on one hand, he opened his mouth.

“The hearing will now begin.”

His voice resounded throughout the hall. Everyone bowed their heads toward him.

There seemed to be fear of the man in their expressions. Even Domitian was no exception.

It was only natural for everyone to be so tense. The man stood at the peak of this city.

He was Clavius, Mookgeumgo’s vault lord.

I swallowed softly as I examined him. They said it had been nearly five hundred years since Clavius took the position of vault lord.

And he had reached the twelfth floor around two hundred years ago. Whether that was a lie or not, the magical power I felt from him was extraordinarily vivid.

Aside from the professors, this was my first time meeting someone with such immense magical power. Clavius turned to Domitian.

“As the one who called this hearing, state your case.”

The vault lord made a bored gesture. Domitian nodded, rose from his seat, and began speaking while holding the documents he had prepared.

“I requested this hearing because Miss Ailey used Mookgeumgo’s assets yet failed to achieve results worthy of them. Furthermore...”

I listened to Domitian’s speech with half an ear and rubbed my chin. There was no reason to listen closely. Most of it was fabricated anyway.

What mattered was that the vault lord had appeared here.

I tapped the table and smiled faintly.

Strictly speaking, this hearing was not that important. It was only about buying and selling puppets.

Of course, the profit involved was not something to ignore. This territory would continue to expand, and whoever gained control of it would earn many points.

But compared to Mookgeumgo as a whole, it was still a trivial matter. There had been no reason for the vault lord to appear for something so small.

Even so, the vault lord had convened this hearing because Domitian wanted to raise the stakes.

There was an old saying that a lion used its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.

Like that, Domitian had put everything into cutting off Ailey’s arms and legs. He wanted to cut away her sprouts from the roots so she could never seize another opportunity.

I could only shake my head at Domitian’s ruthless plan. Perhaps that was how he had built such a massive force while living as a wanderer.

Of course, Domitian had not intended to bring in the vault lord from the beginning. There had still been some uncertainty for him.

The reason he ultimately decided to move the vault lord was because he had become certain of his victory.

I lightly stroked my wrist. The magical power of the contract caught at my fingertips.

This contract with me had given Domitian confidence. A contract was absolute, and neither Isabella nor I could escape his grasp.

That was why Domitian had risked so much in this hearing to bind Ailey. According to what I had heard, he had also reached many agreements with Ailey’s family.

I glanced at Ailey.

There was one thing that had puzzled me while preparing for this matter. As Hongryeong showed, great families usually held considerable influence within the university.

But it was difficult to find that kind of influence around Ailey.

Even the influence she had cultivated within Mookgeumgo had been built by her alone, despite the backing of a great family. That was why Domitian targeted her.

Why had they placed their own successor in such a dangerous place?

I had never understood it before.

But now, I felt as though I finally could.

Domitian soon finished speaking, and the vault lord nodded.

Clavius looked at Ailey. There was a faint glimmer of interest in his eyes, which had been filled with boredom.

“If you have a rebuttal, speak.”

Ailey snorted and stretched lightly. Then she gestured at Domitian with her chin.

“That old man really wants to eat me alive. Is there any need to say more? Let’s proceed immediately. Once this is over, I need to tear that old man’s mouth apart, as promised.”

Even before the vault lord, Ailey did not lose her composure. Dense killing intent and the scent of blood seemed to rise from her.

Clavius met her eyes for a moment before nodding.

“Those whose names are written on the pact, step forward.”

At the vault lord’s words, Ailey and Gaon rose. Isabella also slowly stood from her seat.

There was no emotion on Isabella’s face. Her eyes brushed over me for a moment.

I gave her a slight nod.

Isabella had once called me her light. All she needed to do was hold on to her trust in me.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, Isabella smiled softly. Then she slowly walked toward the center of the hearing hall.

The three of them stood facing the vault lord. Clavius looked over them and spoke.

“Should the pact continue, or should it end here? State your positions.”

Before Clavius had even finished speaking, Ailey raised her hand high. With a relaxed smile, she shrugged.

“I vote to continue. That side caused needless losses, so they should pay the price for this.”

“I oppose it.”

Gaon spoke after Ailey. Ailey glared at him, but Gaon simply let her gaze pass over him without any change in expression.

With one vote on each side, only Isabella remained.

Before she spoke, she slowly looked around.

Her gaze passed me, then Ailey, then Ugo, who stood among the puppeteers, before stopping on Domitian.

Domitian gave a small nod.

Isabella closed her eyes slightly and began writing in the air.

The people around us began murmuring. Even Domitian, who had been waiting calmly, widened his eyes.

It was only natural.

What Isabella wrote was beyond most people’s expectations.

[I will stand with Lady Ailey.]

I smiled quietly at the neat handwriting. Domitian abruptly rose from his seat and looked at me.

Disbelief filled his eyes.

“What is this? You bastard, are you refusing to fulfill the contract?”

At Domitian’s shout, the gazes of everyone in the hall turned toward me. At the same time, the chains of the contract on my wrist began to writhe.

It must have judged the current situation to be a violation of the contract.

I gathered magical power, widened the connection between Isabella and me, and spoke quickly.

“Isabella, follow Domitian’s wishes. That is an order.”

My will became a clear command and flowed along the connection to Isabella. Like a shackle, it bound her tree.

But Isabella merely shook her head.

I shrugged and raised both hands.

“Oh dear. It seems Isabella has slipped beyond my influence. In that case, there is nothing I can do.”

No matter how much will I sent her, Isabella showed no response.

At the same time, the contract that had been pressing down on my tree gradually calmed.

It was only natural. Isabella had not obeyed my will, but I had done everything I could to fulfill the contract.

The problem was not me, but Isabella.

Domitian glared at me, his face twisting as magical power surged from him.

“Isabella, fulfill Ugo’s wish right now. I command you in accordance with the contract.”

Domitian’s words carried magical power as they shot toward Isabella like chains. Isabella raised a curtain, but Domitian’s words pierced straight through it.

At the same time, Domitian ran a hand over the contract text on his wrist.

Isabella’s face gradually turned pale.

The final wish Ugo had left her was tightening around her body.

Clutching her chest, Isabella staggered before collapsing to the floor.

Seeing Isabella like that, I clutched my own chest. Through the connection between us, I could feel her tree collapsing.

Isabella’s tree was crumbling completely beneath the contract’s chains.

Death was coming for her.

The backlash from my puppet collapsing made my stomach churn. But I swallowed the blood rising in my throat and smiled at Domitian.

I had fulfilled every part of the contract.

And Domitian had been the first to wish for Isabella’s death.

So under the contract, Domitian needed to compensate me as well.

One hundred million points, equal to Isabella’s debt.

If he violated that, Domitian’s tree would collapse just as Isabella’s had.

“You bastard, all this for points...!”

Domitian glared at me, his face filled with killing intent. His words carried magical power and shot toward me like arrows.

But I smiled at Domitian calmly.

There was no need to avoid the magical power he had sent at me.

“Oh my. I think you need to calm down a little.”

Mira waved a hand with a mischievous smile. Fog stirred and swallowed the magical power rushing toward me.

The magical power wandered through the fog before disappearing without a trace.

Mira shook her head and rested her head against me.

“To act so violently in such an important place. I am very disappointed.”

“It can’t be helped. He was just forced to pay a great number of points without even leaving his seat.”

I shrugged and smiled.

Domitian glared at me with even stronger killing intent. But perhaps realizing he could not touch me here, he turned to Clavius.

“There is one vote in favor and one against. Now, Vault Lord, please render your judgment.”

I nodded quietly. I knew exactly what Domitian was thinking.

Since he had brought the vault lord into this, it was obvious that the vault lord would side with him in a tied vote.

He likely wanted to settle this first. Once the pact had ended, he would move to deal with me.

Even the Professor’s backing would have difficulty stopping him. The fact that I had caused him losses would give him clear justification.

But that was only if this pact ended.

I smiled lightly and leaned back in my chair.

I had always valued safety. There was no reason for me to step into something uncertain.

The fact that I had directly humiliated Domitian like this meant I was certain about this matter.

Clavius met Domitian’s eyes with a blank expression, then slowly shook his head.

“No. I cannot make the decision. The choice is not over yet.”

The vault lord looked at Isabella, who had fallen to the floor.

Domitian’s gaze followed.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Isabella raised her head. Then she coughed up blood and began pushing herself upright.

“How...!”

Domitian looked down at his wrist in disbelief.

The trace of the contract that had remained there had vanished completely.

It meant Isabella had met death according to the contract.

But unlike the contract’s judgment, she now held even greater life force than before.

Isabella struggled to her feet and smiled at me.

I laughed softly as well.

It had worked.

I remembered what I had said to Isabella before meeting Domitian.

“Isabella, I think you will have to die again.”

I had said those words while looking into Isabella’s trembling eyes.

For us to live, she first had to die.

It was the only path forward for us.

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