WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 42

The entire heroic tale of Cario, when performed on stage, spanned eight acts and included over two hundred characters. However, magic academy students were not professional performers and thus couldn’t handle such a grand production. For the Cario Victory Day celebration, the most popular seventh act of the heroic tale was usually selected, simplified, and staged.

The simplified version of Cario’s heroic tale went like this:

All of Cario’s companions were either dead, injured, or traitors. Due to the schemes and slander of other kingdoms, Cario had almost no one left to aid him. Amidst this, the last of the great evils, the Demon King Phale, continued his westward advance. Cario’s final companion, the Saintess Isniel, gathered a peasant army to confront Phale’s demon army, giving Cario the opportunity to face Phale alone.

Cario infiltrated the enemy camp to ambush Phale, but an accident caused the ambush to fail. Exposed and alone in enemy territory, Cario was mocked by Phale. However, as word spread of Cario’s desperate fight, people on the battlefield and among the fleeing refugees began to pray for Cario’s victory, and their prayers granted Cario a miraculous power.

With that power, Cario confronted Phale in the heart of the enemy camp, and as he fought valiantly, the peasant army and Cario’s scattered companions regrouped on the battlefield. Ultimately, Cario killed Phale and won the war.

In the actual performance by magic academy students, only about twenty students would take the stage. There were the main roles of Cario, Isniel, and Phale, of course; the peasant army and refugees, represented by a few voices; the distant narrator recounting Cario’s tale; and Cario’s returning companions, who had longer lines. The rest of the cast were mere background extras.

If considered purely as a theatrical performance, it was a story everyone knew. Nobles often watched plays, and the theatrical tone of classical plays aligned with the tone of noble events, so there was no awkwardness. As long as one could memorize the lines, any magic academy student could play any role without much issue.

"That’s why the most popular student in the academy gets to play Cario."

In other words, who played Cario was determined purely by popular vote. It wasn’t that playing the role made someone popular but rather that a popular person took on the role of Cario, further solidifying their status and increasing their popularity.

In Ethan’s case, since Arca had played the role of Cario in her first year, he had heard stories about it. Despite being the same person, Emperor Cario Arnesia and the hero Cario were treated as distinct, making it hard to find anyone who disliked the hero Cario. Cario’s costume was always newly made and extravagant, so people would be talking about whoever played Cario until graduation. This was why, last year, Arca had expressed disappointment that Ethan wouldn’t be able to see her play Cario. She had even said that if Ethan enrolled in Yurmus Magic Academy, she would play the role again in her second year.

‘Well, the point is moot because of the Yurmus Hunting Competition, but generally, someone who’s played the role once won’t be chosen again. She probably wasn’t serious about it.’

The main roles—Cario, Isniel, and Phale—were chosen by vote, while the rest were filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For the other roles, students could ad-lib lines, mimic professors or other students, and play pranks to entertain the audience, so there was no shortage of people willing to participate.

"So how are you going to take the role of Cario away from Jimonail Eurogia?"

"I’ll have to think about that." Immediately, Ethan asked, "Wait, before that… do you have solid evidence that Jimonail will play the role of Cario?"

"…Hmm, it would be better to consult an expert on this rather than rely on my word."

"An expert?"

Boen called over Linav Promorus, the president of the Combat Magic Society, who had been reading a book in the corner of the workshop. Linav had dark skin and a white diamond-shaped mark on her nose.

Ethan pointed at Linav. "This person is the expert?"

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Linav looked at Boen. "I don’t know what this is about, but you’ve said something rude about me again, haven’t you, Boen?"

"Not at all. Not at all, President. I just remembered you saying in the workshop, 'Jimonail will probably play Cario this time,' and I thought, 'As expected, our president knows everything about academy affairs.' "

"Exactly,” Ethan said. “The expert on academy rumors."

"That’s still rude, isn’t it?"

"That was Ethan’s comment, not mine."

Linav glared at the both of them.

"Anyway, senior, why do you think Jimonail will play the role of Cario?" Ethan asked.

"Conventionally, nobody is allowed to play the role twice," Linav began, "but although this would be Arca’s second year, she could still play Cario if she wanted to."

"Wouldn’t people be opposed to that?"

"Maybe, but even more people would want to see her play Cario again. Despite the convention, it has happened a few times," Linav said. "Anyway, Arca is unavailable because of the hunting competition. Yejoff is also quite popular, although not as much as Arca. He’s a prince, he’s good looking, and he has political power, so many people want to befriend him. It’s bad luck to only hang out with nobles, but if you don’t get close, you won’t know their personalities. But, like Arca, he’s unavailable due to the hunting competition."

"So Jimonail is next in line?"

Linav crossed her arms. "There’s also Keshen and Miul."

Keshen Dart, another student, had gained attention because his mother, Baroness Dart, was a prominent scholar. While Keshen wasn’t as academically inclined as his mother, he was a skilled mage and was sociable. Miul Sino was a noble who often accompanied Yejoff. While Yejoff relied on his background to stir up trouble, Miul played the role of calming him down and keeping him in check.

"If Maya were still here, she might have been a candidate over Keshen. Keshen was close with Maya too… Hmm, I shouldn’t have brought that up."

Ethan asked, "Is the gap between Jimonail and the other two significant?"

"Not dramatically, but Jimonail, being from the Empire, will likely receive votes from pro-Empire nobles. As a member of a great family, students hoping to build or maintain relationships with her will also vote for her. And without Yejoff and Maya, fewer students will feel the need to vote for Miul and Keshen."

Ethan understood Linav’s point. Jimonail was the top candidate in her faction, while Keshen and Miul were second-tier in Yejoff’s and Maya’s now-defunct factions. People would naturally vote for the top candidate rather than the second-tier ones.

"Hmm, are there any other candidates besides those two?"

"There is one."

"Who?"

"Here."

Ethan turned, thinking, ‘Surely not.’

Linav was pointing at Boen. "Our junior Boen Palmize is also quite popular."

Boen adjusted his glasses, and Ethan noticed that Boen’s ears were turning slightly red.

"Don’t joke about that," Boen said.

"Why not? You’re the top of the first-year class, and you’re cute. You’re always wandering around alone, though I’m not sure what you’re up to."

"Is that really a factor in popularity?"

"Why wouldn’t it be? Oh, but your popularity has been a bit shaky lately."

"Why?" Ethan asked.

"Because of you," Linav said. "Everyone’s worried Boen’s hanging out with some troublemaker."

"Who are these rude people?"

"…Experts."

To Boen, Ethan said, "Well, should we go with this strategy? Get you to win?"

"Are you serious?" Linav seemed intrigued by Ethan’s words. "What’s this about?"

Ethan didn’t think he and Boen alone could complete the quest, so he briefly explained to Linav, "I think Jimonail shouldn’t play the role of Cario."

"Why?"

"The Empire is dangerous. During the break, demons from the Mage Court infiltrated the academy. Nothing major happened, but it’s still scary that a large nation is meddling in smaller territories. Even though Yurmus and the Empire don’t share a border, if Jimonail plays Cario, more students will become pro-Empire. It might not seem like a big deal now, but in the long run, it could help the Empire further its ambitions."

"You’re from Charasen, not Yurmus."

"Eventually, the Empire’s influence will reach Charasen."

Linav gave Ethan a puzzled look. "…You care more about your territory than I thought."

"Don’t you, Senior?"

"I thought I loved my territory and its people, but seeing you makes me think otherwise…"

Ethan said, "Thinking about it, it might be better to focus on making Keshen or Miul win instead of Boen."

"Why are you stating the obvious?"

"If we’re going to choose one of them, who’s better?"

Linav said, "Keshen would be better for you."

"What do you mean?"

"…Do I really have to explain this?"

Boen whispered in Ethan’s ear, "Miul is the one who always teases you with Yejoff."

"So what? Miul seems nice."

"Your magnanimity is commendable, but Miul would be uncomfortable."

That made sense to Ethan. "So how do we get Keshen to win?" he asked.

"Am I involved in this now?"

"I need the advice of an expert."

Though she’d been annoyed initially, Linav now seemed to find the situation interesting. She was seriously pondering Ethan’s request. "Hmm. There are several ways, but we should probably meet Keshen first. I only know his name and face, but nothing else."

That seemed like a good idea, so Ethan said, "Then we’ll bring Keshen here. You come up with a plan, Senior."

"Really? How serious are you about this?"

"It’s a festival. Let’s have some fun."

With that, Ethan left with Boen.

As they moved, Boen said, "I understand you need help, but I’m not sure if this method will work. I’m no expert like President Linav, but I do know how students group together. I agree the vote gap isn’t dramatic, but it won’t be easy to close either."

"Senior Linav is just filling in the blanks," Ethan said.

"What do you mean?"

"It’s a vote."

"So?"

"A vote reflects the votes cast, not the opinions of the voters."

"…Are those different?"

"If the votes matter more than the voters, it means we just need to swap the votes. We’ll swap the ballot box."

"How?"

Ethan pulled out his drone, his Gespenst V, from his bag.

<…When will democracy come to this world?> Demi muttered.

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