WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Inept Mage’s Infinite Regression

Chapter 88

──────

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

The Inept Mage's Infinite Regression
Chapter 88: Karakula Labyrinth

──────

If there was one stroke of luck, it was that they could make light with magic.
'Was that really luck?'

Since Boen could create water with magic, they could at least wet their throats. But people could not live on water alone. Sitting in the dark, Ethan, Boen, and Renzo were not completely dried out yet, but they all looked exhausted.

After realizing he had used up every bit of food he had been rationing in his bag, Ethan looked at Boen.
"Boen, got anything left?"

Boen started pulling out random items, then turned his bag upside down and shook it.
"Nothing. What about Mr. Renzo?"

Renzo did the same, then set his bag on the floor and pressed a dagger against it. It did not look normal at all, so Ethan grabbed his wrist.
"What are you doing?"

"I'm about to use the last resort."

"What last resort?"

"Leather is meat too."

"Ah."

Next to them, Boen started pounding his own bag with his fist. Ethan grabbed his wrist this time.
"What are you doing now?"

Boen answered Renzo instead of Ethan.
"Mr. Renzo, you've never eaten leather gear before, have you? It's very tough, so you have to beat it first."

"What? We were going to boil it anyway."

"Even if you cut it into bite-sized pieces, it's hard to digest. In our condition, it'll wreck our stomachs."

"...I see. You're right. Smart as always."

Ethan said,
"Can you two get a grip? We're just skipping one meal."

"That's not it, Ethan. We haven't had a proper meal for days."

"Hey, Ethan. Doesn't your idiot familiar have any edible parts? Its outer shell looked tough, and things like that are usually full of meat once you crack them open."

Ethan spoke to Demi.
<Really?>

<You need to get a grip too, User.>

Ethan wondered how things had ended up like this.

∞

The beginning had definitely gone well.

They had successfully escaped from Somu, the Assistant Inquisitor, and that was probably thanks to Robita.

After that, Ethan's group shook off Somu's pursuit while heading for Tultra, and a lot happened on the way.

First, on Renzo's suggestion, they registered with the Adventurers' Guild and got licenses, something they had not managed to do in Lupla. Adventurer rank could start high depending on status and ability, but Ethan and Boen both began as ordinary copper-badge adventurers.

At first, it felt like a pointless detour while Somu was chasing them, but Renzo had a plan. He sold Ethan and Boen's adventurer licenses in the back alleys. Even a copper-badge license had value, since it was still a recognized status. It would damage Ethan and Boen's reputations a little, but seeing those names in circulation would throw Somu's pursuit off.

They also handled all kinds of things that came up during the journey.

For one, Ethan received a third Broker Quest from Zir in Limbo. The objective was to collect "shell fossils," which they sometimes found while walking along rocky streams and scanning the ground.

Of course, they also ran into many people and incidents.

Someone had dropped a family heirloom ring in the water, so Ethan put on a snorkeling mask and spent five hours searching for it. They also used climbing gear in earnest to rescue someone who had fallen off a rocky mountain and collapsed halfway down a cliff. Another time, all three of them were warming up in a hot spring when robbers attacked, and Ethan had to fend them off in a hurry with whatever was nearby, including a baseball bat, a hockey stick, and even a rugby ball.

Watching Renzo, completely naked, swing two tennis rackets in both hands, Ethan suddenly thought he could not waste this time.

"Mr. Renzo."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Please teach me some swordsmanship."

Right after they had beaten off the robbers, Renzo, still naked, looked embarrassed. Realizing the tennis rackets could not cover any part of his body, he simply stood there and said,

"Can you tell me what about me right now made you think that?"

"Ah, what you just did was very cool, but that's not why I said it."

"...Then maybe this wasn't the exact moment to bring it up?"

According to Renzo, just as mana was called internal energy, what Damarth called body magic was called martial arts in eastern Yumaha. There were other terms like that too, and in the case of martial arts, those terms seemed more fitting. What mages usually called the throne, the brain, was called the upper dantian there, and the lower abdomen, which had no special name in Damarth, was called the lower dantian. Each had detailed names for its meridians and acupoints, all of it new knowledge for Ethan.

Renzo explained,

"They say mages ruled the world in ancient times, but history was a little different in eastern Yumaha, because warriors existed there who could stand shoulder to shoulder with mages. In my case, I learned a one-to-one inherited martial art from my master. But besides martial institutes, which fill a role similar to the Magic Academy system in Damarth, each major house under the great families also has its own martial training system."

"How does that compare to knights?"

"Yumaha's warriors would admit Damarth has excellent knights. They refined their own techniques within the frame of body magic. But compared to true masters, it's hard. On average, I'd say they're one step... no, two steps above. Still, simple comparison is difficult. Knights are all nobles, but many warriors don't cling to worldly values."

"So did you learn swordsmanship in Yumaha?"

"No. I learned it from someone from Yumaha. I met that person after running away from home when I was young. They were a wandering mercenary. I fell for their swordsmanship and started learning. In return, I served them. I heard that's a common master-disciple relationship in Yumaha. If you think about it, it's not that different from a knight and his squire. Who taught you?"

When Ethan said he had learned swordsmanship from Rivielton, Renzo got curious and asked exactly what he had been taught. Ethan explained strength training, basic sword forms, and rope wrestling drills, and Renzo replied as if there was little left to add.

"Solid fundamentals. Looks like a teaching method worth referencing."

"Even the rope wrestling?"

"I never thought much of it, but if the Hero of the Great Wall said so, it's oddly convincing."

"You submit to authority pretty quickly, unlike your usual words and behavior."

Renzo started to argue, then held his chin and wrestled with his own contradiction before answering.

"Uh, hmm. If it's someone I acknowledge?"

Ethan asked,
"So, there's really nothing for you to teach me?"

"I didn't say that."

Renzo said,

"Even in Damarth, people don't just hand their techniques to anyone. But in Yumaha, martial arts, including swordsmanship, are passed down as secretly as magic. They carefully choose whether someone is worth teaching, and once a master-disciple relationship is set, the disciple has to serve the master for life."

"Should we pretend I never asked?"

"On top of that, I want to teach you the swordsmanship I use, but it requires a very specific condition. My master didn't want disciples either, but I happened to match that condition, and my master thought if not now, never, so they took me in quickly. Then they saw I could hold my own, and since this wasn't Yumaha, they tossed me aside just as quickly. They had plenty to do."

"Then what's the condition?"

Renzo asked,
"Which hand do you use when you eat?"

"My right hand."

"Then this conversation is over."

Looking at Renzo's hands, Ethan said,
"But I remember you're right-handed too."

"Wrong."

Renzo opened and closed both hands as he spoke.

"I'm ambidextrous."

"It's rare, sure, but is that all?"

"It is rare among people who want to make a living by the sword, and people willing to volunteer as attendants. And you're neither."

Ethan got greedy anyway.
"Then what about starting with left-hand sword training?"

That made Renzo laugh.

"If that worked, everyone would do it. Left-hand sword has advantages over right-hand sword, but people don't switch because even with those advantages, spending that time training your right hand is better. It takes at least three years just to swing properly with your off hand. Swordsmanship starts after that."

Ethan said,
"But left-hand sword has meaning beyond better technique."

"For example?"

"It's better for protecting your heart."

"That's worth considering. What else?"

"Even if your right arm gets cut off, you can still swing a sword."

"That was funny. Next?"

"I can learn your swordsmanship."

"Now that's an impressive answer."

Renzo said,

"Fine. I'll help you train your left hand. I never had to do it myself since I'm ambidextrous, but my master prepared methods in case they had to teach either a left-hander or a right-hander. I know the method. Don't expect too much, though. I don't think you'll improve to a level where I can teach you actual swordsmanship in a few months. I'm not taking you as a disciple."

"Good. Think of it as entertainment. I don't want to serve you either."

"You little punk."

That was how Ethan ended up learning swordsmanship from Renzo during the trip.

∞

The Karakula Labyrinth was well known.

Inside, a mineral known as Blue Quartz grew in dense clusters. Blue Quartz contained high-density magi, and when processed, it could produce various magical byproducts. In particular, mana potions made mainly from Blue Quartz were highly valuable because they could refill a mage's depleted mana. Of course, they were not used often, since those mana potions had side effects that harmed the mind.

In any case, the eastern entrance of Karakula was so busy it hardly felt like the entrance to a labyrinth, and the nearby village was full of life. Adventurers heading in to mine fist-sized Blue Quartz, merchants trying to buy it cheaply from those adventurers, and villagers selling food and alcohol to all of them.

Renzo said,
"We have no business in this labyrinth."

Boen said,
"Logically speaking, no one has business in a labyrinth."

Ethan said,
"But if you're bringing it up, that means our situation isn't exactly logical, right?"

"Right."

Renzo nodded.

"If we cut through this labyrinth, we can save about half a month. We go in through the east entrance and out through the west. It should take about a week."

Boen said,
"That's good news, but I don't think it's essential for us."

"Why not?"

"Isn't avoiding capture more important than arriving quickly?"

"Exactly because of that. Even if we don't use it, if the Imperial Inquisition might use that route, then we have to use it."

After thinking it over, Boen accepted Renzo's argument.

"Alright."

Renzo added,
"And they say one fist-sized Blue Quartz sells for five Imperial gold coins."

"Do those show up often?"

"Blue Quartz grows inside the labyrinth, so even people just passing through often find some. You still need luck, of course."

"I see. That does sound tempting, but since it's still a labyrinth, there's a risk... Ethan, why are you so far ahead?"

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