WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 86

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WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

The Inept Mage's Infinite Regression
Chapter 86: Oneunwiang

──────

Robita explained,
"I should explain the final record of the Kingdom of Almin in more detail. The final record is an anonymous text, presumed to have been written by one of Almin's officials, and it was written on the inner wall of a secret passage in the royal palace decades after the kingdom fell. One of the survivors returned after the kingdom's destruction and left behind the truth. At a glance, the overall content does not differ between my version and Professor Alinai's. It describes the mysterious process of the kingdom's collapse and why it happened. The Kingdom of Almin was destroyed by a curse that turned living beings to stone, and because the curse was contagious, it spread from the first person petrified, to family and friends who touched that person out of concern, to officials and mages who touched them to heal them, then again to their families and friends... In that way, the final record uses poetic repetition to trace exactly how the curse spread from person to person. It includes specific names and records that can be cross-checked with other sources, so even though the author is unknown, the final record is considered highly credible."

Boen quietly said to Ethan,
"The curse Ms. Robita is talking about is what was later interpreted as 'Almin's spreading petrification.' It's a grand petrification spell, but in the present age, the method to break it is already well known. It can be dealt with."

"What? Then can people from ancient times be restored too?"

"No. By the time the Almin ruins were discovered, the statues were already severely damaged. And it's doubtful whether such an old curse can be undone. Magic of that kind can grow more complex over time, and even if it doesn't show on the outside, the inside of the statues may be badly damaged. Some mages did try on statues in relatively good condition, hoping they could revive them, but they failed."

Robita continued,
"The difference between Professor Alinai and me was how we interpreted who cast the curse. In the final record, Professor Alinai interpreted the word Oneunwiang, the word indicating the one who cast the curse, as a proper name. So the sentence became, 'A person named Oneunwiang cast the curse on us.' But if someone at that time had enough power to cast such a spell, traces of them should exist in other records, yet nothing appears. I judged that Professor Alinai and others were not fluent in Alminic, and that this naturally led to a mistranslation. Of course, there is a reason they treated Oneunwiang as a proper name. In decipherment, repeated words are important clues to meaning, but Oneunwiang does not appear anywhere else in any source. If it is used as a subject and not as another kind of word, it is not strange to assume it is a name referring to someone. But because there are not many Alminic sources and interpretations were incomplete, I thought a new reading had to be possible, so I devoted myself to decoding the final record. To understand this, you have to understand Almin's unique class system."

Stacking the four books on the table, Robita said,
"At the top, as in other ancient kingdoms, were mages. In Almin's case, there was a mage king. The second layer was mage nobles, who attended those mages while ruling the third layer. The third layer was commoners, who served nobles while ruling the fourth layer. The fourth layer was the slave class, which had the largest population and handled actual production. What matters most is this slave class."

Robita picked up the bottom book from the stack, the one she had indicated as the slave class. The remaining books tilted and collapsed across the table. She opened the book as if proving her point and said,
"This final slave layer made up about eighty percent of the population, and it was split into many occupations. Slavery is horrifying for the loss of freedom alone, but Almin's slave system was even worse. Depending on their assigned work, slaves had their bodies altered through transformation magic. Those who plowed fields had to crawl like oxen. Those who carried heavy loads gained strength but had to lose intelligence. Those who delivered messages could fly, but lost their arms and could no longer grow. Even among themselves, they were divided into ranks and encouraged to mock and condemn one another. The lowest of those ranks was known as filth-cleaning slaves, but I found an even lower expression beneath that category. It was called Oneu, or Oneun. Add Wia, which indicates the slave class, and then the singular sound A, and it becomes Oneunwiang. There were more clues too. Of the 182 slave ranks, only 181 are mentioned in sources. Almin culture valued records heavily, so those who committed crimes were not recorded. Slaves handled tasks like filth cleaning and corpse disposal, yet one major task in the Kingdom of Almin was left unaccounted for."

Ethan asked,
"What task was left unaccounted for?"

"Among the 182 slave ranks, the highest rank was Torture Performer. It was not simply a job for torturing criminals. The Kingdom of Almin was ruled by a mage king. There was no law. When incidents happened, the noble in charge handled them however they pleased. In Almin, there was a profession that tortured people as spectacle. The work itself was hard and filthy, but because it filled a role like modern clowns, it became popular, and Torture Performers were treated as a special status, not ordinary slaves. And criminals are not always available for every event. Events need people prepared in advance."

Robita set the book down.
"Oneunwiang was likely a torture slave."

Renzo shook his head with an exaggerated grimace, and Boen swallowed dryly.

Robita continued.
"In Almin, criminals were demoted in rank and became slaves. Oneunwiang was probably a traitor, or someone who violated a taboo. Or both. Because any record of that rank itself was erased, we do not know how many Oneunwiang there were in Almin, what happened to them, or what suffering they endured. I can only interpret the final record as, 'A torture slave cast the curse on us.'"

Ethan said,
"Then if Professor Alinai committed murder after your interpretation was published, that means he wanted to hide the existence of Oneunwiang itself?"

"Yes."

"But is there any reason to think Oneunwiang was related to dark magic?"

"A slave would not have had the capacity of a mage. If there was one thing he could rely on, it would have been dark magic."

Boen cut in.
"And like I explained, Almin's spreading petrification can be reproduced because we understand its magical principle. It's also well known that, in principle, it's connected to dark magic."

Robita nodded.
"Yes. For those reasons, the main assumption is that Oneunwiang himself was a dark mage, or connected to a dark mage. And trying to hide the existence of Oneunwiang can only be seen as an attempt to hide the existence of a dark mage."

Renzo asked,
"Then why come here, to Lupla City?"

"To go to Havain University. If Muhati had still been passable, I would have crossed through there, but the university said there was an Armed Scholar group near the Kingdom of Sodel that could protect me. Today was the first agreed date. I have to wait here until tomorrow."

"You think going to Havain University will solve this? Professor Alinai must have countless connections there. Wouldn't that make it even more dangerous?"

Robita shook her head.
"No, you've misunderstood the situation. This is contention between the professor and me. Even if I explain everything to the public, and to all of you, none of you fully understand the Kingdom of Almin, the final record, and Oneunwiang. You have to trust only my words without any evidence. If I die, then the fact that Oneunwiang existed, that unrecorded lowest class in Almin, will vanish with me. In the worst case, even the True History itself, that 'a dark mage destroyed the kingdom,' could be damaged. But Havain University has many historians with knowledge of the Kingdom of Almin. They will clearly understand my theory, and then the True History will be preserved."

Robita said,
"If you're willing, could you all protect me one more time, until this time tomorrow?"

A quest window appeared before Ethan's eyes.

['Quest: Robita's Secret (D)' Complete!]
[Reward: 12 experience points]
[Reward: D-rank Lottery Coupon]

After hearing this much, Ethan had no intention of refusing.

∞

Boen set up a defensive barrier in Robita's room, and Ethan lent DJI Gespenst V to Robita. Then the three of them took turns standing watch through the night, observing the area around the inn for suspicious movement.

Thankfully, perhaps because of those efforts, nothing happened before the appointment time the next day. Ethan's group moved to the meeting place, the warehouse under the steeple, and waited for Havain University's Armed Scholars.

According to Boen, Armed Scholars were not very different from knights in practice, but unlike knights, they were not formally appointed by lords. They began as self-defense groups affiliated with Havain University or regional academic institutes.

Some among them, like battle mages, treated combat itself as an academic field. Naturally, people trained in self-defense, weapon arts, and warfare emerged around them, and their skill became widely known. They seemed to be dispatched all over the world, teaching nobles and knights or serving kingdoms by teaching military techniques.

Ethan thought some of the swordsmen he had seen when he was young might have been Armed Scholars.

Ethan asked,
"By the way, is it possible that Havain University's Armed Scholars still won't come even after today?"

"Ah, yes."

Robita answered.
"There are not that many Armed Scholars. They said the people in charge might have other duties and might not arrive on the promised date."

"Then what do you plan to do in that case?"

Robita had originally gotten into a carriage alone and set out because she believed she had deceived Professor Alinai, at least to some degree, back in Bisneri. But Alinai was better at this kind of maneuvering. He pretended to be fooled, then attacked her.

Robita said, trying to reassure them,
"If that happens, I was told other people have been arranged to protect me."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know that much. I was only told they are people who can respond best to the current situation."

At that moment, they heard footsteps surrounding the warehouse.

Renzo placed a finger to his lips, then gestured for everyone to lower themselves.

Glancing at the window, Renzo said,
"About ten of them? You think they're Armed Scholars?"

Ethan said,
"No. They surrounded us and aren't moving. If they were Armed Scholars, they'd just come inside the warehouse."

"Agreed."

"They'll come through the window first. Mr. Renzo, please check that. I'll take the main door. Boen, protect Ms. Robita."

"Understood."

Ethan muffled his steps and walked toward the warehouse door.

Then, with a loud bang, the warehouse door was smashed apart, and a woman with braided pigtails walked in. She looked about Ethan's age. Beneath a silver breastplate shining in starlight, he saw the Imperial Inquisition insignia: a red circle on a black field, with a red X jutting out beyond the circle.

Holding a warhammer, the woman shouted,
"I am Somu Yumuran of the Imperial Inquisition! We heard from Havain University that a dark mage might be holed up here. ...Are you that dark mage?!"

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