WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 79

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What kind of beings were sword-users?

They were moths drawn to flame.

As this city made clear, they stayed close to battle. Duels, wars, things like that. Whenever a large fight broke out, a sword-user was always there.

Then why did they chase battle? Their lifespans probably had something to do with it. The moment sword-wielders created their swords, the possibility of becoming mages disappeared. The sword devoured everything its owner had.

Mages, on the other hand, grew trees. Those trees filled the body, filled the soul, and made everything richer.

That was why, compared to mages, they lived and died after very short lives, only about a third, no, a quarter as long. To overcome that limit, they had to raise their realm. So they chased battle.

Because talented people tended to avoid that moth-to-flame life, most of them chose to become mages. Even so, the world was full of sword-wielders. The reason was simple. Growing a sword was relatively easier and more comfortable than growing a tree.

As long as someone had even a little talent for magical power, they could create a sword. All they had to do was prepare the materials and condense magical power into them. It was completely different from mages, who had to overcome pain intense enough to kill them.

It was even possible to create a sword without talent for magical power. In theory, if several mages forcibly poured in a large amount of magical power, even someone with no talent could become a sword-user.

There were also rumors that the great families and the imperial family each possessed several armed groups made up of such sword-users. They were probably true. Otherwise, they would not be able to fully protect their territories.

Right. The sword was the path chosen by those who could not become mages. That was how mages saw it. That was also why I called them sword-users with a hint of contempt.

But their strength was real. The swords they created cut through a mage’s magic, and through a mage’s body and tree. They were also extremely effective tools for killing magical beasts.

Sword-users were beings specialized for slaughter like that. It was also a very easy and comfortable path. That was why most people wandering at the bottom became sword-users, and such sword-wielders were beyond counting.

Under the discrimination of mages, they became extremely close-knit. They called themselves swordsmen, set themselves apart from mages, and built a society of their own.

And even among them, talented people appeared. Those who entered the university were exactly that sort. As this city showed, even they stuck together tightly.

That was their nature. Gathering together, and fighting.

That was why mages despised them. Some even treated them like magical beasts. A threatening pack of magical beasts that spoke, thought, and acted. Since one wrong move could get you stabbed to death by their swords, it was only natural in a way.

I did not know where it had started. Did sword-wielders gather because mages despised them, or did mages come to despise them because sword-wielders gathered? Maybe both were true.

In any case, sword-wielders generally felt goodwill toward one another. If someone outstanding appeared, they congratulated that person instead of envying them.

If anything, they tried to protect and cherish such people. I learned that atmosphere among sword-wielders while holding public duels. I could feel the respect they had for Cassian. They were the exact opposite of mages.

After the fifth duel ended, it had been four weeks since we started holding public duels in the city. Every demand we made for our victories had been used to increase our time outside. By now, we were spending half of each day in the city.

Over all that time, Cassian became quite famous. There were several reasons. Selling duels, possessing excellent skill, and having striking looks, among other things.

But the biggest reason was probably the duels run by the Blade Association. No matter how privately those duels were held, I had steadily used the fact that she had received sponsorship in our promotion.

Anyone who knew the Blade Association’s traditions must have guessed her situation. They probably had a rough idea of how many people she had defeated by now too.

Because of that, the rumors spread thickly. People who became interested came to find Cassian, challenged her, and admired her. I approached those people and sold them Score Sheets.

Some turned me down, but others wanted to be scored. In that way, I collected a large amount of bodily information. Then Mira and I analyzed it and applied only the strongest parts to Cassian.

That information alone nearly filled my shadow tree. During this period, duels with restricted magical power spread like a trend. Some people even began copying us and selling duels of their own.

I thought of Cassian while fiddling with a puppet.

Her body had nearly reached its limit. She would probably have to reach the next realm before it could contain more changes. That was what Mira had told me.

I had felt it too when I received the Score Sheet from the last duel. Her score had almost reached its peak.

In the fifth duel, the Score Sheet gave her 95 points. That meant the endpoint of her body was right in front of her. The end of that talent was finally beginning to show.

When I thought about what was contained inside it, it was almost frightening. Dozens, no, hundreds of types of changes lived and breathed within it.

The fact that she had reached her limit also meant we no longer needed to adjust her in a rush. Of course, that did not mean we stopped dueling or collecting information. We still had to raise her completion a little more.

Even so, I could enjoy a bit of breathing room. Like now, when I was fiddling with a puppet while Cassian and Mira had left the room to look around the city for a while.

I checked the puppet’s circuit. It had an extremely complex structure. It was built solely to contain Cassian’s information.

How much of Cassian’s body could I recreate? To find out, I had been continuing this simple experiment. I carefully breathed magical power into the puppet’s body.

As the mana heart took in magical power and began to beat, the puppet started twitching. After hesitating for a moment, it carefully lifted its foot. Then it took one step forward.

At that instant, cracks formed across its body. When it took another step, the cracks widened. Without panicking, I calmly observed its body with magical power.

Each time it took a step, I felt the circuit slowly crumble. The magic broke, and the body cracked. It meant an overload had occurred.

Then, on the fifth step, the mana heart could no longer withstand the pressure and burst apart. Just like that, the puppet became a block of wood. It was today’s tenth failure.

I had only inserted about a fingernail’s worth of information, but this puppet could not even endure that. I roughly recorded the experiment’s progress on paper. Still, this time it had managed five whole steps. Lasting that long was impressive enough.

I crossed my arms and looked down at the paper. Containing less information than this would not mean much. Information more fragmented than this lost its flow. In the end, the path forward was clear. I had to use better materials.

I wanted to continue with more varied experiments, but I would have to end things here today. I glanced toward the door. Beyond it, somewhat familiar magical power was slowly approaching this place.

Soon, that magical power opened the door naturally. A young man with a cold impression entered the room with bold steps. It was Aldric. After looking around, he saw me and lowered his head slightly.

“I’m the only one here right now. Everyone else went to the city.”

I lowered my head in return. I could not tell why he had come. The watchers had also left the room while following Mira and Cassian. They should have already made their report.

At my words, he shook his head slightly.

“I came to meet you, Evron-ssi. I had been thinking I should speak with you alone at least once, and I happened to hear you were by yourself.”

He had something to discuss with me. I could not guess what it might be. Still, I first had a puppet prepare a table and chairs. Another brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.

Whatever the topic was, I needed to treat him well. This person was someone who would someday become a core figure of the Blade Association. There was no reason to get on his bad side.

When I first heard his name, I thought it sounded familiar. After thinking for a long time about where I had seen it, I finally remembered. It was a name I had confirmed on the paper while looking into the duels.

The people who had won eight duels. Aldric was one of them. Sixty years ago, while staying on the third floor, he had passed the duels. The paper had no record of what happened after that.

So I had thought he must have left the city, but to think he had stayed in the Blade Association. That was probably why he was in charge of Cassian. He would understand her mindset better than anyone.

“Please sit. Since you have something to say, I’ll listen carefully.”

Aldric slowly sat in the chair. Then he held the teacup and began sipping from it. I sat across from him and savored the tea as well. A bitter fragrance lingered at the tip of my nose.

I did not know how much time passed like that. He set down the teacup and spoke.

“I believe you have roughly realized why we hold duels, Evron-ssi. That we are not simply trying to pressure Cassian-ssi.”

I slowly nodded. He was right. To call it pressure, they were too dignified, and even kind. Every part of the duel process was handled transparently too.

I had thought that was just confidence. But after spending time among sword-users, I came to understand their intentions a little.

The reason they sponsored people and held duels was not to suppress them. It was the opposite. It was to protect them.

Taking the recommender’s sword as the price was also a warning and a lesson born from the failures they had experienced. Though it was ironic that such goodwill appeared in a form similar to the methods mages used.

“To be honest, I was very surprised.”

He smiled bitterly.

“I thought Cassian-ssi’s limit would be the fifth duel. I thought she would break there. But she didn’t. That was probably thanks to the help all of you gave her.”

He tapped the table and stared straight at me. His face, carrying a faint smile, looked softer than before. But there was a trace of hostility in his eyes. I could not understand the reason for it.

“The completion of that body was truly astonishing. I never imagined she would advance in that direction. Restricting magical power and maximizing the potential of the body. It made me want to experience it myself.”

His words continued quietly and politely. But I tensed. I could see hostility slowly building in his eyes.

“Yes. Her body is now nearly complete. But do you think she has grown? No. I don’t think so. As she is now, she is nothing more than a test subject controlled by your hands.”

“A test subject? I only did this out of concern for Cassian-ssi….”

He held out his palm. The sharp magical power gathered there cut off my words.

“Unlike that body, her will has not developed at all. Because of that, her realm has barely risen either. Every duel she has fought has merely followed your instructions. If she wins the final duel and then says she wants to leave, will you let her go?”

I could not answer. If I lied, he would surely notice at once. He continued without even checking my reaction.

“The Blade Association exists to protect lost talents like this. As you all are proving, swordsmen are very convenient beings for mages to use.”

He closed his eyes. Then the surroundings grew a little lighter. I felt cold sweat run faintly down my back. He lifted his teacup and took a sip of tea.

“I do not believe this is your will, Evron-ssi. It must be the influence of that unknown thing beside you. The moment a swordsman is tamed like that, they lose the path they should follow. I came because I wanted you to understand that.”

I quietly nodded.

This duel was not my business. Because of that, I had simply repeated experiment after experiment. In the process, I collected all sorts of data and information, then inserted it into Cassian’s body. I wanted to see the finished result.

Without realizing it, I had treated Cassian like a part, and like something I owned. He was right. Test subject was the perfect term. I had been conducting an experiment with her as the sample.

After drinking all his tea, he rose from his seat. He looked down at me and continued.

“So please think about it. Letting her go and sending her to us may be the path truly meant for her. I also intend to stop all of you. I will be the one to step forward in the eighth duel.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for the advice.”

I slowly nodded. He turned and left the room. I watched his back and chewed over his words. Mira’s influence. Maybe that was true. Hearing it made me feel as if we had become the root of all evil.

I organized my thoughts and quietly looked down at the teacup. After waiting like that, Mira and Cassian soon returned. They were looking at each other and laughing. The bear puppet followed behind them while carrying an armful of things.

“Oh my, why do you look so terribly gloomy?”

Mira asked while looking at my face. I quietly spoke to her.

“Aldric-ssi came by.”

Then I told her everything he had brought up. He had treated Mira like a monster while trying to coax me, so there was no reason to hide that conversation from her. My distinction between enemies and allies was very clear.

In this situation, these people were my allies, and those people were enemies. There was no need to be swayed by an enemy and start doubting an ally. Besides, what was wrong with treating Cassian like a test subject? She had agreed to it too. I had no reason to feel guilty at all.

“You heard an interesting story. I should have stayed instead of going out so I could listen too.”

Mira said with a small laugh. Cassian paid no attention to my story and was playing hand games with the bear puppet. I glanced at her. This was a story about her, so why was she not even looking this way?

“Well, it isn’t exactly wrong. I put quite a lot of effort into taming this body. But this child is more special than they think. Protecting this talent? What a foolish idea.”

She wrapped an arm around Cassian’s shoulders and giggled. Only then did Cassian look at us.

“Since you told me this secret story, shall I reveal one secret too? In truth, I already finished discussing the matter of borrowing that body with this child.”

My eyes widened at those words. Mira saw my surprise and smiled mischievously.

“Everything was already agreed upon before we left the tower. I polish that body, and she lends it to me from time to time. Like that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

“Mm, because I wanted to make sure you moved, Evron-ssi. Points alone felt a little uncertain, so I tried adding one more reason you had to come. Once you think something is reasonable, Evron-ssi, you move this easily.”

I slowly turned those words over in my mind. What would have happened if I had heard this before we left? Perhaps I might have moved in the opposite direction.

I could have handed Fake Tree to them and stayed at the tower. That alone would have been enough to handle the bear puppet. Only Mira and Cassian would have come to this city. And only they would have participated in the duels.

“Did you know something like this would happen here?”

All of this was the result of them anticipating that something would happen here and acting on it. Had they known about the sponsorship ahead of time? But Mira shook her head slightly.

“No, not that. But this child said it. That she had a bad feeling. That she thought Evron-ssi would be needed. So I arranged things like this. I held out the fishing rod, and you made the choice, Evron-ssi.”

Mira gathered fog and mimed casting a fishing line. It lightly caught on my clothes. Mira gently tugged it and continued.

“You are too passive, Evron-ssi. That makes you easy to read. Isn’t that why other people keep poking at you too? Like that friend who came by just now.”

She let go of the line. It scattered into the air and returned to her body. She smiled and stroked Cassian.

“This child’s instincts are truly amazing. They belong to a realm of talent those people know nothing about. She immediately noticed that my main body was the heart, and after a long conversation, she reached an agreement with me. Bringing us along, and trusting us with her body, were all the result of those instincts whispering to her. She instinctively knows it will benefit her.”

Cassian looked a little smug at those words. The bear puppet also puffed out its chest and clapped wildly. Come to think of it, this thing had been part of it too. It must have heard everything beside them, but it had hidden all of it deep inside its consciousness.

I sighed. The fact that they had kept it secret would not cause me any great loss. It was just a simple trick to make me move a little more actively. More importantly, was I really that easy to read? That shocked me more.

“Then what do you intend to do from now on? As you said before, Mira-ssi, her body has almost reached its limit.”

At that, Mira put a finger to her chin and tilted her head.

“Mm, is there anything else to do? They are misunderstanding quite a lot. Saying she is not growing. Until now, she was simply accumulating strength for a leap.”

Mira smiled softly as she said that. Then she tapped Cassian on the shoulder. Cassian looked at me and lowered her head slightly. A somewhat serious look settled over her face.

“Did that person say my will was lacking? But I don’t think so. My life is hanging on the end of this sword. Since all of you have led me this far, from now on, it’s time for me to move forward.”

She spoke while stroking the sword at her waist. Then she calmly closed her eyes. Even without magical power, the surrounding air gently sank beneath her will.

“Oh my, how cute.”

Mira started groping Cassian all over. Fog dug into her body. Cassian looked appalled and quickly escaped from her hands. Watching them, I sighed a little.

After that, the same sort of time passed. Duels continued, and data gathered. Through it all, Cassian’s body became even more perfect.

Then the sixth duel began. Her opponent was someone staying on the fourth floor while preparing for graduation. Cassian won after her arm was cut and her leg was half split open.

Covered in wounds, she looked at us and smiled faintly. The Score Sheet gave her 100 points.

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