WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 45

Ethan approached the automaton and asked, "By 'white-haired kid,' do you mean Jimonail Eurogia?"

"Jimonail? Is that her name? Eurogia, yes. White hair. Red eyes. She was even more striking than before."

While there were plenty of students at the academy with white hair or red eyes, Jimonail was the only one who had both.

"Are you the manager?" Ethan asked.

"The manager?"

"Headmaster Aincher said there’s an automaton in this mansion that manages the automatons."

"Ah." The automaton replied, "That’s right. I’m the manager."

"Is this your… normal state?" Ethan asked the manager.

"Does this look normal?"

"No."

The manager’s calm demeanor was confusing Ethan.

"You said you met Jimonail. Can you explain what happened?"

"She barged in some time ago and tore me and my automatons apart. I had no choice but to pretend to be broken. Then you showed up."

"How long ago was 'some time ago'?"

"Hmm. Before the leaves turned? Or… was it before the leaves sprouted?"

Ethan looked out the window at the unkempt garden and wiped the dust off a drawer with his finger. It had probably been a few months.

‘My guess was right.’

Jimonail wanted to play Cario just because she could. The hard part was taking control of the academy’s automatons, and she had accomplished that long ago. If the manager’s memory was correct, it had happened before the leaves sprouted, meaning before the first semester had even started. By the time Ethan obtained dark magic at the end of the first semester, it was too late to do anything.

‘But if the manager, who Jimonail thought she destroyed, is still functional, maybe we can stop her.’

"Jimonail is manipulating the automatons," Ethan told the manager. "How can we regain control?"

"Do we have to regain control?"

"Isn’t your job to maintain and repair the automatons so they function properly?"

"...Job? I suppose you could say that’s my role… but what does 'properly' mean for an automaton? Serving the professors and students of Yurmus Magic Academy and handling their dirty work?"

Ethan picked up the manager’s head and examined it closely. The long, black hair was so smooth it reflected the sunlight, and there was a subtle fragrance Ethan couldn’t place.

The manager squinted and said, "...What are you doing, brown-haired kid?"

"Nothing. I was just checking for magical traces to see if Jimonail had control over you too."

"I’m not under her control, so can you put me down?"

Ethan sat on the bed, pulled over a pillow, and placed the manager’s head on it so it could see properly.

"I don’t like the idea that automatons have to adhere to a specific norm of what is 'normal.' That’s why I didn’t intervene when that white-haired kid was causing trouble."

"But your contract with Yurmus Magic Academy…"

"As you can see, it was an act of god, so there is no issue. Over time, issues will arise, and I’ll have to fix them, but I don’t want to take the initiative."

"That time is now."

The manager avoided Ethan’s gaze, clearly playing dumb.

"You’re acting like a child," Ethan said.

Ethan was impressed by the level of this automaton’s sophistication. Most automatons weren’t very human-like, they ignored conversations and only performed their assigned tasks. Ethan had mostly seen automatons like that before coming to Yurmus Magic Academy, so he’d been amazed by the academy’s automatons, which could understand and carry out simple requests. Moreover, their craftsmanship and aesthetics were clearly the work of a master, to the point that students often kept them as companions or assistants.

But the manager was even more advanced. Its appearance was almost indistinguishable from a human’s. The subtle movements of its eyes and facial muscles were so refined that it seemed not just human-like but even superior to humans.

"Jimonail is going to use the automatons to manipulate the votes and secure the role of Cario in Cario’s Heroic Tale. Can you tolerate that?"

"I don’t care."

"Many puppeteers want their automatons to move like 'real people,' but being controlled by someone else reduces you to just an automaton, doesn’t it? No matter what you believe, I doubt you’d ignore the principles of puppetry."

The manager’s eyes sparkled at that. "That’s exactly it."

"What?"

"An automaton can’t become a human. An automaton is always an automaton. Unlike other foolish puppeteers, I aim not to be a real human but a true automaton. Specifically, a genuine automaton. An automaton that only moves according to human convenience is nothing, but an automaton that follows someone’s commands becomes that person’s automaton. That is the essence of an automaton."

Ethan realized how to motivate the manager, but he wasn’t thrilled about it.

"So, uh…"

"Do you understand now?"

"So…"

"Yes."

Reluctantly, Ethan said, "...I’ll give you a command. Tell me how to stop Jimonail."

"Good," the manager replied with satisfaction. "There’s a workshop on the first floor. Using the equipment in that workshop, you can call the academy’s automatons in order and regain control through the control device."

"Do I need to know any other magic?"

"No, you don’t. Jimonail likely used the same method to take control of them. Of course, you would need some knowledge of puppetry magic if I hadn’t told you. But..."

"But?" Ethan asked moments before there was a violent knock on the door to the room.

"That white-haired kid set up security automatons to activate if someone enters the house. It’ll be hard to walk down."

Ethan quickly moved the bed to block the door, just in time before a battle axe smashed through at head height and a tall security automaton appeared. It looked like an armored knight, somewhat similar to the ones at the academy. The exposed joints revealed gears, and the glowing blue light in its eye sockets made clear that this was an automaton.

Ethan tore some decorations off the bed to wrap around the manager and tie it to his chest.

"Are you taking me with you?"

"You need to teach me how to use the equipment."

"Anyone but a magic idiot would know how."

"I’m a magic idiot."

Ethan exited through the window he’d entered from and grabbed the rope. He considered descending to the first floor, but two security automatons were already waiting below, and one in the distance was drawing a crossbow. Ethan climbed the rope to the rooftop and rolled over the railing as an arrow whizzed past.

Fortunately, the automatons didn’t know how to climb ropes.

Ethan crouched and retrieved the rope from the railing as he asked, "Is there any way you can help me?"

"My assistant automaton is in the room across the hall. If the white-haired kid didn’t touch it, it should still be there."

"The room across the hall? Damn it."

Ethan saw two security automatons opening the rooftop door and entering.

Ethan tried fighting them with his sword but quickly decided it was too much.

"This won’t work. I need to bring someone along to help out."

"...Huh?"

Ethan used Heart Rupture to burst his own heart.

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"Is there any way 'we' can help?"

"My assistant automaton is in the room across the hall. If the white-haired kid didn’t touch it, it should still be there."

"The room across the hall? Got it."

Ethan tossed the manager to Boen. "Boen, you heard that, right?"

"What about you, Ethan?"

"I need to stop them."

Two security automatons entered through the rooftop door.

Boen tied the manager to his chest and secured the rope to the railing. He then climbed down and entered the room across the hall through the window, the one the manager had mentioned.

Ethan spread his legs and prepared Tusk Breaker, the technique Rivielton had taught him.

‘If I can use it properly.’

The security automatons, thinking they had the upper hand no matter what Ethan might do, approached with a battle axe and a sword.

"Here I go."

Ethan’s body launched forward with explosive force. The mass of his charge, nearly reaching supersonic speed, was fully transferred to his blade. Though Ethan couldn’t swing the sword properly, even this was enough to deliver an unstoppable strike.

Clang!

With a metallic screech, the chest of the first security automaton split open, and its upper body fell to the ground.

But the angle wasn’t good. The second automaton turned toward Ethan, who had fallen backward.

Ethan glanced at his sliced forearm, dusted himself off, and stood up.

"More security automatons are coming up from below. I need to finish this quickly."

But using Tusk Breaker repeatedly would be too taxing on his body, and this fight wasn’t over yet.

"Still, relying solely on swordsmanship against these automatons…"

Unlike humans, whose flesh could be pierced by a blade, the security automatons were made of mechanical parts. Even if Ethan risked damaging his sword, he wasn’t sure how much he could destroy their mechanics. Techniques like Tusk Breaker, which could cleave through entire sections, were the only sure way to deal significant damage.

"Wait, hold on."

With pure swordsmanship, Ethan could barely maintain the upper hand. He entangled his sword with the automaton’s sword and threw both into a corner of the rooftop. The automaton, still confident in its superiority, didn’t bother to retrieve its sword, instead choosing to approach Ethan bare-handed.

But in hand-to-hand combat, Ethan was confident in his grappling skills. He dodged the charging automaton, grabbed its leg, and lifted it toward the railing. The automaton’s high center of gravity and heavy weight caused the stone railing to break, whereupon Ethan let go of the automaton’s leg, letting it fall over the edge.

"If I can just block the rooftop door… huh?"

But a third and fourth security automaton appeared at the rooftop door.

As Ethan panicked, a voice called out, "I’ll help."

Ethan turned to see a slender girl, about his age, tearing off a stone railing with both hands and throwing it without any preparation. Two stone chunks struck the automatons’ heads. One collapsed immediately, while the other fell over the broken railing and disappeared. Ethan looked at the head of the fallen automaton and saw the stone embedded deep into its neck.

When he looked at the girl’s face, he realized it was the manager.

Ethan said dryly, "You could’ve stopped Jimonail, right?"

"Maybe?"

Ethan sighed and commanded the manager, "Defeat the security automatons and get us to the first-floor workshop."

Ethan couldn’t confirm whether the manager had other combat skills because she simply crushed all of the security automatons with overwhelming strength. As they descended, Ethan got to see the entire mansion, which resembled an automaton exhibition hall. Where other mansions might have art or decorations, this one was filled with various automatons from around the world.

The most impressive area was the first-floor reception room. The owner’s tastes were fully reflected here, with body parts of automatons likely crafted by the owner herself, each a work of art.

"This way."

When Ethan opened the workshop door next to the reception room, the smooth, freshly cleaned floor stood out compared to the otherwise neglected mansion. An automaton maid inside bowed to the manager.

"Good morning, Ru."

"Hello, Agatha."

Boen glared at Ethan, and Ethan glared at Ru. "Ru… you said?"

"That’s right. I’m Ru, and this is Agatha, who manages the automatons."

"Ru, the tenured professor at Yurmus Magic Academy?"

"Tenured professor? Yeah, I think that was my title."

"This year is your sabbatical, so you were supposed to be traveling…"

"That was the plan."

Ethan recalled the automaton’s earlier words.

It had mentioned being attacked by Jimonail before the leaves sprouted, meaning early spring. She’d been attacked before she could leave for her trip.

"...I’m sorry for the trouble, Professor."

"Huh? What trouble?"

Ru didn’t seem to care. She didn’t even seem to understand why Ethan was apologizing.

As Ethan hesitated, Boen said, "But Ethan, if this really is Professor Ru, something’s off. If the professor had left, then Jimonail attacking the mansion and taking control of the automatons makes sense. But a mere student attacking a professor, especially a tenured one, and succeeding? It seems unlikely."

Ethan thought it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, he hadn’t had any trouble killing Bain. Moreover, Ru seemed oddly indifferent to protecting herself. On the other hand, the security automatons in the mansion were not to be taken lightly.

Ru turned around and said, "There was no other way."

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

"The corpse in that white-haired kid’s control was incredibly strong."

"...Necromancy."

Boen said, "Regardless of the level of her necromancy, the strength of the corpse being controlled. The Immortal Eurogia could easily provide a powerful corpse even to a non-heir."

"We should avoid a fight."

"Then even if we take control, we might have to give it up."

To Ru, Ethan asked, "How can we maintain control?"

"Is that a request?"

"A command. Tell me."

"Fundamentally, there is no way. Symptomatically, you could kill me and Agatha."

Ethan thought that was a bit extreme, but Ru added, "That will probably be too difficult, though."

"Yeah, it would be."

"No, the white-haired kid is almost here."

Ru looked out the window, to where a dark shadow loomed in the sky.

Something was flying toward the mansion.

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