WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Magic-Eating Wizard ◈

Chapter 3: Disciples of the Orphan Collector

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“Cod for sale, cod! Fresh cod caught just moments ago!”

“You’re saying this really is a treasure of the Royal Family of Luca?”

“Have you spent your whole life getting fooled? I’m telling you, it’s real! Just look at this brilliant color...”

Only an alley separated it from Elmin Street, yet the merchants’ district was overflowing with life.

The fishy smell from the stalls mingled with the sweat of the crowds and heavy perfume, assailing the nose.

Rather than blend into this unbearably noisy street, Cardin hailed a passing carriage.

“To the Targa Inn.”

“Fifteen pins.”

When Haren climbed into the carriage after Cardin, the driver frowned at Haren’s shabby clothes.

Seeing that, the old mage smiled.

“First, we should buy you some decent clothes. At this rate, they won’t even let you into the inn. They’ll throw you out.”

“Ha ha...”

In truth, Haren’s outfit had been chosen through careful calculation.

To people in the merchants’ district, it looked reasonably neat, while not being nice enough for Elmin Street residents to covet. It struck a very delicate balance.

Of course, to someone who used luxurious transportation like a carriage, it probably just looked like a beggar’s outfit.

“Can I buy something expensive?”

“Buy whatever you like. You’ll be using the money I gave you earlier anyway.”

“You have plenty of money.”

“Isn’t that why I have plenty of money? Because I save it?”

Cardin grinned slyly, then let out a small “Ah,” as if remembering something.

“Come to think of it, you’ll soon meet your fellow disciples.”

“Fellow disciples?”

“Indeed. Children who became my disciples before you and received training from me.”

Haren remembered what Cardin had told Kishasha earlier.

Something about raising talented children because there was an enemy too difficult to face alone.

Apparently, that had not been a lie.

Still, Haren had no idea how strong someone would have to become to help an old man like Kadin face such an enemy.

“Anyway, you’re all around the same age, so try to get along. I’m very busy, so I intend for you to learn basic knowledge from them, the sort that anyone can teach.”

Haren prayed that Cardin’s disciples, his senior fellow disciples, were not as awful as their master.

Though considering the old man’s character, refusing to teach properly or teaching false information out of wariness would be the least of it. Haren would not have been surprised if they tried to kill him with traps.

While Haren was lost in worry, the carriage came to a stop before an extravagant five-story building.

“We’re here!”

At the driver’s blunt shout, Haren opened the door, stepped out, and let out a soft gasp.

“Oh...”

Haren had often seen tall buildings in a previous life, so the size alone was not particularly impressive.

Still, this grand building, decorated to welcome distinguished guests, was old-fashioned yet elegant, a pleasure to look at. It felt like seeing a designated cultural heritage building still being used for business.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Of course. It’s not somewhere someone like me can come and go freely.”

Many nobles and wealthy people lived in this area, so police officers patrolled often. Vagrants like Haren were not even allowed to come near.

Even now, several officers were glaring at Haren. If not for the well-dressed old gentleman standing nearby, they looked ready to order him to get lost at once.

It was the exact opposite of what had happened in Elmin Street, where Haren had protected Kadin.

“Come along.”

Haren’s shabby clothes stood out far too much in a place like this, so Cardin took him to a clothing shop beside the inn.

The owner was a middle-aged man with a stern face. At Kadin’s request for clothes that would suit Haren, he nodded and quickly brought out garments from all around the shop.

“Go into that room and change.”

A little later, Haren changed out of his worn old clothes and into a white shirt and black trousers.

With black shoes and a gray vest added, Haren looked like a child from a reasonably well-off family.

The only problem was his messy hair, which had been cut roughly. But after borrowing the shop owner’s favorite hair oil and slicking it back, even that looked quite respectable.

“Oh ho, those long limbs make the clothes look good! You’re a proper little gentleman now.”

Cardin admired the finished look, but Haren did not feel particularly pleased.

As befitted a shop beside a luxury inn, the clothes were outrageously expensive.

My money...

After buying underwear and several changes of clothes, one-third of the payment for guiding Kadin had vanished.

With that money, Haren could have bought more than a hundred new sets of cheap clothes like the old ones.

Weeping tears of blood inside, Haren shoved the remaining money into the inner pocket of his vest.

Let’s think positively. In a way, this is an investment.

Simply changing clothes had instantly changed Haren’s social status.

Unless they had known him before, no one would have thought he was an orphan from Elmin Street.

The police officers who had glared at him moments ago did not even spare him a glance when Haren left the clothing shop.

One of them even smiled broadly when their eyes met.

When Haren entered the Targa Inn, the employee waiting in the lobby, like the police officers, found nothing strange about his presence.

“Welcome, sir. Shall I carry your luggage?”

“That won’t be necessary. Bring a few cups of tea to room 310.”

“Of course.”

After ordering with practiced ease, Cardin led Haren up the stairs toward room 310.

Cardin turned the key and was about to open the door when he suddenly paused and gave a small laugh.

“Step back.”

The moment the old man turned the handle and opened the door, a Crack! rang out from inside.

A bright white flash shot from within and struck Cardin in the chest.

* * *

“Die, you fucking old man!”

The unexpected ambush came with a voice from inside. Haren immediately sensed that the attacker was a boy around his age.

Since Cardin had told Haren to step back, he seemed to have expected the attack.

Cardin brushed at the scorched part of his clothes and spoke with mild disappointment.

“I told you before, Ruska. Your worst habit is constantly using methods that obviously won’t work. Try thinking things through. And do refrain from causing a disturbance with magic in a place like this.”

“Don’t lecture me!”

The one who appeared, shouting angrily, was a boy with red hair, golden eyes, and a strikingly square jaw.

He was probably Haren’s age, or a little older.

The boy called Ruska turned his eyes toward Haren, narrowing them as though seeing something unpleasant.

“Where did you kidnap a perfectly normal kid from this time? You didn’t kill the family too, did you?”

“I don’t know whether that’s fortunate, but this child was an orphan from the start, so there was no need. Let us go in and greet everyone properly.”

Ruska glared at Cardin as though he wanted to kill him, then gave a scornful snort and strode back inside.

“Always such a lively friend.”

Despite this unbelievably rude behavior from a disciple, Cardin’s smile never faded.

But to Haren, it did not seem like the attitude of a merciful and kind master.

It was more like the attitude of an owner fondly watching a pet chew on his hand.

Upon entering the room, Haren realized that two people besides Ruska were there.

One was a slight boy with a timid expression, watching the others carefully. The other was a girl absorbed in fiddling with her nails.

The boy had mysterious blue-gray hair and eyes. The girl had bright red eyes and skin so pale it looked corpse-like.

Cardin introduced the two to Haren.

“Now, greet one another. You met Ruska just now. This boy is Rim, and this young lady is Nasrel. This is Haren, who’ll be living with you from today.”

“I-I’m Rim Claydel. Nice to meet you.”

“Nasrel Mana.”

Rim, the timid-looking boy, stammered out a greeting.

When the girl beside him only gave her name and turned away, Rim looked between Haren and Nasrel before adding defensively.

“N-Nasrel isn’t trying to ignore you. She’s just very shy around strangers.”

“I guess we’ll get to know each other from now on. Nice to meet you, Rim. I’m Haren.”

Rim seemed relieved by Haren’s easygoing response and let out a breath.

Ruska, who had gone inside earlier, was sitting back on the sofa when he spoke in a crooked tone.

“Ruska Rimansherden. More importantly, what’s your family name? Even an orphanage gives its children a surname.”

Rim looked uneasy at the arrogant, mocking tone, but Haren was not particularly shaken.

That was nothing compared to the insults people threw at each other in Elmin Street.

“I don’t have one. Unfortunately, I’m not some young master from an orphanage.”

There were orphanages in Moria as well, but they were far too small to take in all the orphans overflowing through the city.

Because of that, the stray dogs who grew up trapped in Elmin Street mockingly called children from orphanages “young masters.”

“Hmm.”

The bizarre phrase “young master from an orphanage” seemed to overwhelm Ruska into silence.

Just as the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, there was a knock knock at the door.

[Excuse me, sir. I have brought the tea you ordered.]

“I’ll get it!”

Rim answered in a hurry, crossed the living room quickly, opened the door, and took a tray carrying several teacups from the employee.

As Rim placed the black tea on the large table in the living room, Nasrel, who had been sitting perfectly straight like a doll, suddenly complained.

“I hate black tea. It’s astringent.”

Cardin shook his head with an amused smile at the whining that did not suit a girl who looked like a young noble lady.

“Even if it doesn’t suit your taste, keep drinking it. Not only in the Empire, but elsewhere as well, people won’t treat you as high society if you don’t know the taste of black tea. You don’t have to like it, but it would be good if you could at least tell its quality when you drink it.”

“I’m not interested in high society.”

Though Nasrel grumbled, she picked up the teacup and drained it in one gulp.

Haren cautiously lifted a cup and found that the tea was still hot, so he only took a small sip before setting it down.

After a brief silence, the old man turned his eyes toward Haren.

“You young people will be more comfortable talking if this old man isn’t taking up space, so talk among yourselves. I may not return tonight.”

“Go to hell forever, old man.”

When Ruska said it mockingly, Cardin chuckled as though Ruska were adorable and waved before leaving.

* * *

Even after Cardin disappeared, none of the four boys and girls remaining in the room spoke.

Watching their reactions, Haren thought they might sit there all night at this rate, so he started the conversation.

“Why don’t we introduce ourselves? If we’re going to get along, we should know more about each other than just our names.”

To avoid seeming like he was only trying to dig out information, Haren began first.

“Like I said earlier, my name is Haren. I’m from Elmin Street in Moria, and I somehow became Master Cardin’s disciple a few hours ago.”

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Unexpectedly, Ruska spoke first.

There was suspicion in Ruska’s eyes as he looked at Haren.

“Isn’t your clothing too proper for an orphan? It doesn’t look cheap.”

“This? I suppose you could say Master Cardin bought it for me... Something like that.”

Strictly speaking, Haren had bought it with the payment from Cardin. But honestly, considering that what he had done did not deserve that much money, it was not entirely wrong to think of it that way.

Ruska’s expression grew worse.

“You didn’t come eagerly following that bastard just because he bought you nice clothes, did you?”

“Come on, no way.”

Haren laughed heartily and explained what had happened.

How he had guided an old man wandering through the back alleys, nearly died, and became a mage.

Of course, Haren kept the two layers of light a secret.

When he finally mentioned receiving something called the Mark of Subordination, Rim sighed.

“So you have one too...”

Judging by those words, the other three fellow disciples likely bore the mark as well.

Haren suddenly noticed that Ruska’s expression was completely different from before.

It was still grim, but there was no hostility or anger in it. Instead, it seemed closer to bitterness.

“So, how did you all become that man’s disciples?”

“Ask Rim about me. It’s not something I want to mention myself.”

After saying that, Ruska stood and went into the next room.

Haren looked at Rim.

“That friend doesn’t seem to get along with Master Cardin.”

“Yeah, well... I heard Master killed Ruska’s whole family to take him by force. His parents, his older brother, and his older sister too.”

Only then did Haren understand the source of Ruska’s hostility.

Ruska was being dragged around by the villain who slaughtered his family just to make him a disciple. How could Ruska possibly speak kindly to him?

For a boy of thirteen or fourteen, Ruska was actually showing considerable restraint.

Haren also grew more wary of Cardin.

He had already suspected it, but Cardin truly seemed to be someone without even the smallest line of morality or ethics.

In particular, now that Haren thought back on it, “This child was an orphan from the start, so there was no need,” had been openly cruel.

Getting closer to that guy might not be a bad idea.

Haren remembered Ruska as a possible ally.

This was not the sort of hatred that could be repaid by teaching someone a little magic. Someday, they might join forces against Kadin.

“What about you two? Ah, you don’t have to say anything if it’s difficult to talk about.”

“Me? It’s nothing special. My parents died in the Great War. I lived with a relative, but that person sold me to Master.”

Rim muttered that at the relative’s house, he had always been forced to curl up in the attic to sleep and work like a servant. Compared to that, life now was not so bad.

Haren agreed that this was fortunate, while classifying Rim as a potential danger.

This one probably doesn’t hate Kadin very much. I’ll have to wait and see whether we can work together.

Finally, Haren looked at Nasrel. She closed her bright red eyes and spoke briefly.

“I was beaten and brought here.”

“You were beaten?”

The explanation made it hard to understand the full situation, and Haren expected more. But Nasrel closed her mouth firmly, apparently having no intention of explaining.

Even when Haren looked at Rim, he only made an awkward expression. He likely knew, but found it difficult to tell the story in Nasrel’s place.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to explain. I was just curious.”

Haren did not know Nasrel’s circumstances in detail, but it seemed all of Cardin’s disciples were orphans.

It even appeared that Cardin had personally made Ruska an orphan despite Ruska having a normal family.

The title orphan collector truly suited Kadin.

Still, there was one thing Haren did not understand. Could Ruska really fight for Cardin, the enemy who killed his family?

Haren had nearly died, but survived unharmed. Perhaps Rim and Nasrel could be persuaded as well, but Ruska was impossible to judge.

Does Cardin trust the Mark of Subordination that much? Even if we become mages powerful enough to be useful, we can never remove it?

But that made no sense either. Why would a mage who could use such powerful magic as easily as breathing need children like them?

If Cardin were truly skilled, it would be easier to build social standing, raise subordinates, and make them do this work.

Lost in thought, Haren heard Rim mutter something and quickly focused again.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t hear that. What did you say?”

“It’s okay. My voice is always quiet... You said you didn’t live in an orphanage. Then, wasn’t there anyone else who raised you?”

“There was. It’s not as if I could walk and run from the time I was a baby.”

Before Haren became independent among the stray dog packs of Elmin Street, two orphans who had also lost their parents and drifted there had raised him.

The two, childhood friends and lovers, raised Haren like their own child after finding him abandoned as a baby.

Later, the man became a gangster and was stabbed while fighting a rival gang. The woman became a prostitute and died of illness.

Their deaths were also what made Haren struggle so desperately to escape that terrible street.

“How awful...”

Rim’s eyes filled with tears after hearing the story, and Haren felt confused.

He did not think it was sad enough to warrant that reaction.

“You don’t need to be so sad. It happened long ago.”

“Sorry. I just related to it somehow. I was very sad when my parents died too. It reminded me of that time.”

“You said they died in the Great War?”

“Yeah. I heard they were both mage officers in the Imperial Army. I was a baby when they died, so I never got to speak with them.”

“They were patriots.”

There were countless children like Rim in Elmin Street.

The Sherden Empire had been the main battlefield of the Great War, which caused more than several million casualties.

Half sincerely and half calculatingly, Haren chose the words carefully before speaking.

“I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m jealous.”

“Of what?”

“You have parents you can be proud of. It’s better than children like me, who don’t even know who their parents were. Or children born to parents who weren’t worth being proud of.”

“Ha ha...”

Rim gave an awkward laugh at words that were almost self-mocking, but did not seem to feel too bad.

After all, Haren had praised Rim’s dead parents.

As Haren reflected on those words, a bitter smile appeared.

Across both his previous life and this one, Haren’s parents had, ironically, fallen into the latter two groups.

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