WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 87

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“So, cough, what is this supposed to be?”

Professor said this as she coughed. Butler held out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the tea she had spat out. The magic woven into it cleaned the desk until it looked exactly as it had before.

“It is a joint statement. Ten treasures wrote it with one heart and one mind to newly establish the basic rights of treasures. Would you like to read it?”

At my words, she slowly nodded. Then she picked up the papers and began to read.

It was impossible to tell what was written on the ten sheets of paper. Of course it was. They did not know much about human writing.

Instead, they had poured magical power and will into the pages, recording their declaration that way. It appeared in a fierce red, as if blood had been sprayed across the paper.

As I looked at them, the contents seemed to carve themselves naturally into my mind. I glanced at one page. Its meaning flowed into my eyes on its own.

Statement

We hope this place will become a true treasure vault where the freedom of all treasures is guaranteed, and we demand the guarantee of universal treasure rights.

We hope our pained voices, asking others to “pay attention to what kind of lives treasures live inside this suffocating fence and face that reality,” will resonate through every storehouse.

We...

I closed my eyes after reading only that much. The magical power was not stopping at digging into my eyes. It was even eroding my mind.

The treasures’ sorrow, despair, and hope for the future were expressed naturally within it. Professor continued reading with a reluctant expression.

After reading the short statement to the end, Professor clicked her tongue and set it down on the desk. There was nothing all that grand written in it.

The statement spoke of only two things. The first was a demand that Professor take responsibility as their owner.

Professor had gathered the treasures and then simply thrown them into storage. She had shown no particular interest in what was happening inside.

As a result, some treasures had starved because they had nothing to eat, while others had collapsed on their own because they could not endure the cramped space. The grief of those who had watched it happen beside them was contained in the statement.

They wanted Professor, as their owner, to improve the treasures’ situation and create a better living environment for them. That was their first demand.

The second was the freedom of treasures.

The freedom they spoke of was the guarantee of their right to grow. Treasures had dreams too. They had wills of their own. That was why they dreamed of rising higher.

But that was impossible inside the storehouse. I could deeply sympathize with a situation where growth was blocked like that. That was why they wanted even a small foothold for growth.

That naturally came through in the statement.

Of course, plenty of other things were written messily in it as well, but roughly speaking, it could be summed up in those two points.

The treasures had been dragged here by Professor without any discussion and locked in the treasure vault. Because of that fear, they had not dared to even think about communicating with Professor.

But now they had an intermediary. Me. Through me, they communicated with one another and banded together.

Of course, I had guided them a little. Still, what was written here was also their true feelings.

“What do you think? Their sincere voices, I mean.”

In truth, perhaps the term treasure itself was wrong. That thought occurred to me. Look at them. Every one of them was its own being.

They had all been born from different origins and grown in different ways. But mages lumped them all together and simply called them treasures.

Mages did not see such treasures as beings to interact with. Just like Professor, they only collected treasures and used them as tools.

But treasures had desires, and some even possessed intelligence. If so, what exactly made them different from us mages?

In that sense, the existing Treasure Hunt lecture had been backward. It contained a perspective that saw treasures only as objects. That was something I had not realized before.

I thought of Mira. She desired things even more than I did, and she tried to live a more definite life than I did. Like her, they might actually be greater beings than mages.

Yes, mages could not be trusted. That had long been my opinion.

“What they demand is very simple. They have wills and desires too, and because of that, they dream of rising higher. They want an environment where that is guaranteed.”

“Does this kid think he’s a treasure too...?”

Professor muttered that. I lightly closed my eyes. Yes, I would rather become a treasure. I had realized it while talking with them. If anything, they were more reliable than mages.

Of course, they did have a few things in their past, like eating bodies, eating souls, or enjoying eating minds.

But aside from those minor issues, they were easy to talk to. Their desires were so clear that they were easy to use, no, so clear that I could trust them.

Professor looked down at the joint statement. After scanning its contents again, she let out a dry laugh.

“So, why should I listen to this?”

“Because doing so will be more valuable for you as well, Professor.”

I answered Professor’s question without hesitation. It was a question I had expected. Professor looked slightly curious.

Having the rights of treasures guaranteed. This dreamlike nonsense was nothing more than a delusion if Professor did not agree to it.

If she refused, what could they do? They would have no choice but to give up helplessly.

But I was not simply arguing for the treasures’ rights. The treasures were Professor’s property anyway. I had no intention of carelessly infringing on that ownership.

Instead, I wanted to move in a direction where everyone would be satisfied. Was there any need for someone to take a loss? If it benefited everyone, no one would object.

“The freedom they speak of does not mean leaving the storehouse. They simply want a way to cultivate themselves a little more inside it. Right within your embrace, Professor. If they grow, then you will possess more valuable treasures.”

Yes. They did not want to leave the storehouse. They knew Professor would not let them out anyway.

That was why we had made a lecture. Professor’s eyes shone faintly at my words.

“I will prove that in this lecture. Would you take a look at the syllabus?”

As if enchanted by my words, Professor picked up the syllabus. Her magical power slowly turned the pages.

“I believe treasures have greater value when their power is used than when they are locked away. Something bound is simply dead. That is why I designed the lecture to make the best use of their power.”

The treasures would share their power with the students. The students would then use that power to train themselves. That was the basic outline of our lecture. Professor frowned slightly as she looked at it.

“If they just hand out their power like this, it’s a loss.”

I quietly shook my head. The treasures were as sensitive as Professor about maintaining their own power.

That was practically their reason for existing. Would beings like that provide their power for free?

“It is a 5-year fixed-term loan.”

Professor blinked at those words. Professor Heisen’s lecture was like that. Since that was the only lecture I had experienced directly, I had used it as a major reference.

Well, from what I had found out, quite a lot of other lectures had a similar feel too. Give something, then take it away when the lecture ended. We only had to do the same.

“We plan to retrieve all the power from everyone except those who pass. During the lecture, the students will try to grow the power given to them even further so they can pass by any means necessary. And when that power is returned to the treasures, they will possess greater strength than before.”

“...That’s not bad.”

Professor nodded slightly. She already seemed half-convinced. I stretched out my arm and grasped the air. Then I raised my voice a little more.

“A competition for treasures, a battle for treasures, and a cycle for treasures will take place inside the tower. What a beautiful sight that would be.”

Professor stared at me blankly. Then she suddenly snapped out of it, blinked, and shook her head. She glanced at me and gave a small laugh.

“You really know how to talk. Fine, do as you like. I’m the one who appointed you as the storehouse keeper anyway. You handle everything written in this statement or whatever it is too.”

“Understood.”

I bowed deeply to Professor. She tapped the back of my head with her finger. When I raised my head, I saw her looking at me with a deep smile.

“I don’t care what you do. Just follow one principle. Do not let the treasures leave the storehouse. That is your job.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

That was something I was paying close attention to as well. If I let my guard down just because I had gotten friendly with the treasures, I would be eaten in an instant. I had to always recognize the difference between them and me.

After that, I added many more explanations about the lecture plan. Things like how each treasure would share its power and how they would select targets.

She nodded lightly as she listened. The syllabus received her signature and returned to my arms. I left her room just like that.

In the workshop, I carefully touched the syllabus. Somehow, I had succeeded. I was a little flustered. I had not expected Professor to allow it so easily.

Thinking about it, Professor did seem a little kinder lately. It was probably after she woke from sleep. She had not threatened me with magical power, and I had not been hit either.

Why was that? I could not know the reason.

More importantly, I seemed to have gotten too excited while explaining. I never thought I would end up thinking strange thoughts like wanting to become a treasure or thinking treasures were greater beings.

The magical power from the statement written by the treasures must have slightly pickled my brain. I had only looked at it briefly, but I had not expected it to contaminate my thoughts. Its power was beyond imagination.

The students might experience similar problems. But, well, would it not be a good thing if more mages started arguing for the rights of treasures? It was not my problem.

Now I only had to submit this. Then a new lecture would begin.

What kind of people would come to this lecture? I did not know that yet either.

The next morning, I left the tower while watching the sun rise. The turtle strode forward without hesitation.

Stalactite City was bustling with people. They had probably come for course registration. I also surrendered myself to the flow of people with familiar steps.

People began flowing toward [Integrated Registration Office], the massive building at the center of the city. A long line stretched out in front of it. They were people waiting for course registration.

I glanced at it and turned aside. The place I was heading to was Arcana General Trading Company. There was no need to stand there and spend a long time waiting. I just had to hand it to Hwaryeong.

I entered the company building and took out Hwaryeong’s medal. Feeling its magical power ripple, I headed to the room. Then I faced her once again.

After exchanging a brief conversation with her, I took out the syllabus I had prepared. She began examining it carefully. When she reached the end, Hwaryeong smiled in satisfaction.

“It’s an interesting lecture. It’s cleaner than last time too. With this, even if the previous reviews are a little bad, I think people will show interest.”

After saying that, she rested her chin on her hand. Then she quietly looked at me. Her eyes were sparkling slightly.

“Then, how many seats do you plan to sell this time?”

At those words, I closed my eyes for a moment. There was no longer any need to worry about Professor. This lecture was entirely in my hands now. Then how many should I sell?

Selling seats meant I had to accept the students who bought them no matter what. In the last lecture, Hongryeong had entered that way.

If I sold too many, one group might buy them all up and try to take the lecture into their own hands. The people in front of me were the most likely to do that.

I opened my eyes slightly and looked at Hwaryeong. She was smiling as she calculated the points. Still, there was no reason not to sell any. It was a chance for points to roll in.

Last time, I had sold two seats. Then this time, I should sell more than that. It was something I had agreed on with the treasures too. Ten seats. I told her that.

Those who bought a spot in the lecture could be called a kind of elite. Whatever their intentions were, if people like that were coming to take my lecture, there was no need to completely block them.

She handed over the points. Four thousand points per seat, forty thousand points total. A smile rose on its own at those solid points.

Come to think of it, there was one more thing I had to give her. I took a card from my clothes and held it out to her. Pure magical power leaked out from the letters that read “On.”

“Could you also check whether Professor On’s lecture has been prepared? If it has, I will apply right away. Please pass this to that side.”

Mauro had said the lecture would open either this year or next year. If it did not open this year, I would simply visit again next year.

And almost two months passed. The day the lecture would begin had come right before my eyes. During that time, the number of treasures we had gathered on the message board totaled twenty.

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