WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 102 - Three Calamities (9)

"Before that, just one thing.”

"Y-yes?”

Looking at Sunken Mire, who had visibly tensed up, I asked something i had been curious about for a while.

"What exactly makes a Great Realm different from other Realms? I mean, I know they are supposed to be vast, or be able to exert influence without directly touching things…but is that all?”

"Great Realms target the real world.”

"What?"

I furrowed my brows, unable to grasp what she meant. Perhaps taking my reaction as anger, she hurriedly continued.

"N-no, I mean, we only destroy our own inner worlds. In my case, everything I touch turns into a swamp, and anything that sinks into it dies.”

"Isn’t that destroying parts of the real world as well?”

"The swamp forms because I, who is broken, touch the world. To put it another way, I’m like a person who’s been lit on fire. Everything my hands touch burns, but that’s because I am burning, not because the world itself has changed…”

"Then what am I?”

"Fallen of Great Realms don’t just distort themselves, but the world around them as well. Just by existing, they erode the real world. Our individual inner worlds are hells, but a Great Realm turns the place we inhabit into hell.”

I tried recalling the Fallen I had met who didn’t have Great Realms.

Faris, Illusory Flower, Sunken Mire, Ren, and the Lump.

Faris shed blood and used it as a weapon. Illusory Flower became a monster, the Lump took the form of Knights. Ren burned everything she touched. Sunken Mire turned every place she touched into a swamp…

It really did feel less like the world itself was changing and more like creatures from other worlds were walking around inside of it.

As for me, I simply lived within the concept of the Abyssal Sea.

Was that the difference between a Great Realm’s Fallen and an ordinary Fallen?

"I see.”

"S-so, erm—”

Sunken Mire looked at me, clearly confused.

"I can’t even start to imagine…what kind of world you live in…”

"Hmm."

I couldn’t let her find out that my world was the Abyssal Sea.

Judging by how these people kept drowning unfortunate wizards in seawater, there was a good chance I, or someone similar to me, was their actual target.

So I played dumb and described a few traits that were deliberately slightly off.

"First, list the Great Realms you know.”

"U-um. Solitary Plateaus, Sand Ravines, Absolute Frost, Underworld…”

Most of the Great Realms she listed were terrain-based.

But one of them stood out, so I stopped her.

"The Underworld? That’s just hell, isn’t it? That counts as a Great Realm?”

"Yes, it’s a world that uses the dead. One of the Upper Tiers possesses it. I don’t know much, just that most city occupations are handled by that person…”

"Is it different from the Lump?”

"Ah, yes. You know…the Lump as well?”

"We’ve crossed paths. Among those, is there a Great World that can use Telekinesis?”

"Could you specify what you mean by Telekinesis?”

"The ability to apply force at a distance.”

"I-I don’t think so…”

Flustered, Sunken Mire asked another question.

"May I ask what kind of burdens you’re receiving? If I knew that much, it’d be easier to narrow it down…”

"I don’t want to say.”

"R-Right…that makes sense. It’d be dangerous if it got out…”

Fortunately, hiding one’s burdens didn’t seem particularly unusual.

After that, she listed a few more Great Realms, but none of them felt like something I could convincingly imitate. The common knowledge Sunken Mire had wasn’t exactly high-level information either.

Yeah, after talking for a while, I came to the realization that this girl wasn’t really anything special.

"I’m…a warehouse.”

That was the answer I got when I asked her what role she played in Scarlet Abyss.

"What do you mean by warehouse?”

"Things that I drop into my swamp can’t be dug out, no matter how deep you dig. But I can pull them back out anytime, anywhere. So…most valuables are stored with me.”

"If you can do that, shouldn’t you be able to pull yourself out when you fall in?”

"I’m unable to do that…”

Talking about her burden, Sunken Mire looked a little gloomy.

"I once tried controlling it while sitting inside a wooden box and sinking into the swamp. But the bottom of the box became part of the swamp as well, so I sank in anyway.”

"So how do you usually deal with your burdens?”

"I take the World-Sealing Elixir.”

...?

"And when you don’t have them?”

“I endure it. I walk or run.”

What kind of…brute-force method is that?

Most members of Scarlet Abyss seemed to have chosen dependence on World-Sealing Elixirs rather than finding ways to resist their worlds.

Well, it was convenient and immediate, so it’s not a bad way. I’d benefited from them too.

Still, I couldn’t afford to rely on them that much. My burdens weren’t something the World-Sealing Elixirs could easily suppress.

I decided to look for another Great Realm to impersonate later and just opened the book that supposedly listed missions for now.

The booklet was crammed full of dense text. Strangely, the letters repeatedly appeared and vanished.

[Destroy the defensive barrier of the Azure Magic Tower.]

[Special Note: Must fight a 5-star wizard.]

[Quantity: 200]

[Equal.]

[6/7]

"..."

The quantity probably referred to World-Sealing Elixirs.

Below that were 6 names, along with the mark 6/7.

Before long, another name appeared. When the page changed to 7/7, it wiggled for a moment and then returned to a blank page.

"What is this?”

"This is the Recruitment Ledger. It’s where people get gathered to complete missions taken from the Mission Ledger…”

"Recruitment Ledger?

"Yes. Chapter 1 is the Mission Ledger, where tasks issued by the Upper Tiers are recorded. Chapter 2 is the Recruitment Ledger, used to gather people to carry out those missions. Chapter 3 is the Trade Ledger. And Chapter 4 is the Record Ledger, which keeps track of completed missions.”

"Aha. Then ‘Equal’ means the World-Sealing Elixirs are divided evenly.”

If I wanted to get the information I wanted about the Three Calamities, I would have to first climb up by clearing missions. So I flipped through the Recruitment Ledger, looking for something that suited me.

[Eliminate the Stray Dogs of Parasak Fortress.]

[Special Note: ‘Stray Dogs’ is the alias of the underworld bosses. The objective is achieved only after annihilating all 390 members of the organization.]

[Quantity: 50]

[Equal]

[1/3]

"Only recruiting three people to kill 390?”

"Yes, we’re Fallen, after all, right? This is something one person could handle on their own, but since some could slip away—”

Sunken Mire tilted her head, acting as if my question was strange.

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Even if they were Lower Tiers, they were still only a hair’s breadth away from the Heavenly Realm. This level of work would be easily taken care of by them.

A quick glance through the mission list, and I could roughly tell what Scarlet Abyss was focusing on the most lately. Retaliatory strikes against a few Magic Towers that had been pursuing them aggressively, while at the same time crushing and absorbing underworld organizations.

Whatever their ultimate goal was, I felt a slight sense of relief.

If missions like kidnapping children had been their focus, that would have been quite the big deal.

"Alright. Let’s start with this one.”

I was about to write my name under Eliminate the Stray Dogs of Parasak Fortress but hesitated. I felt like I shouldn’t write down ‘Jern.’

I couldn’t really think of a good alias, so I just used the name I had used before.

[Undercurrent.]

Less than 10 seconds passed after I wrote it—

Then the name disappeared.

The page itself, however, remained.

"Does that mean it worked?”

"N-no. When a mission officially begins, Chapter 5 automatically opens so the members can communicate.”

"...Then what was that?”

"Well, the member who took the mission…deleted your name.”

"?"

At my puzzled expression, Sunken Mire spoke carefully.

"Th-this is your first mission, Jern. No one knows what kind of world you have, there’s no record of you. Nothing. That’s why… They won’t accept you.”

...So I had been rejected. Swallowing the dizzy feeling, I asked again.

"Then what am I supposed to start with?"

"You need to clear smaller missions first. Once word spreads among the members that you’re a strong and trustworthy Fallen, they’ll accept you.”

"What do you mean by trustworthy?”

“S-sometimes there are people who don’t care about the mission at all and just kill other members to steal their World-Sealing Elixirs.”

"And the Upper Tiers don’t regulate that at all?”

"No..."

What the hell—?

Not even subcontracting organizations operate like this.

At this point, it was more accurate to think of the Lower Tier members not as members of Scarlet Abyss, but as mercenaries Scarlet Abyss exploited.

'...So that’s what he meant.'

Only now did I understand the meaning behind Decay’s words. That I should prove that his eyes weren’t wrong.

He meant that I should rise from this pit. This entire process was a trial and a way to make the Upper Tiers of Scarlet Abyss acknowledge me.

"Tsk..."

I clicked my tongue. So the best-case scenario—joining Scarlet Abyss, draining them of information, and slipping away—wasn’t going to happen.

Everything I did in the Lower Tier would serve as my résumé. A record the Upper Tiers would use to decide how to treat me and what kind of position they’d give me.

In that case—

"Is it possible to clear missions solo?”

"N-no. It depends on the mission, but at least two people are required… four for large-scale ones.”

"I see…”

If I had to do this anyway—

Then it made sense to fill that résumé with the best possible entries.

I had been looking at the ledger listing thousands of jobs when I turned to Sunken Mire.

"How many missions do you usually get here?”

"Everyone knows I'm a warehouse, so… I’m not counted as combat power. I doubt anyone would accept me…”

"I see."

That was even better actually. I handed her a World-Sealing Elixir.

She received it hastily with both hands as I gave her a gentle smile.

"Sunken Mire."

"Y-yes?”

"You, work with me on a job.”

Sunken Mire looked a bit anxious, but that was none of my concern.

Results obtained with a porter were evaluated far more highly.

* * *

Underground prison.

Looking down at the spot where Jern had been held, Carose took out a crystal orb and reported.

"He’s gone. I don’t know how, but he left behind a decoy.”

[Is that so? Thank you for your hard work. If this timing is right, he’s already made contact with Scarlet Abyss… At this point, he’s no longer in our hands. All we can do is pray for his safety.]

That should have been the end of the conversation.

But Carose gripped the orb and added one more thing.

"...Your Highness."

Carose had never pried into Sharmia’s ability before she herself had spoken of it.

She knew that would be overstepping her bounds.

However—

"Is this—truly possible?”

[...]

This time, she found herself unable to hold back.

Of course, Jern’s proposal had been incredibly persuasive.

If it succeeded, it would be a miraculous breakthrough. An opportunity to uncover most of Scarlet Abyss’ long-hidden secrets.

But the opposite was also true.

"I haven’t known him for very long, but I believe I understand what kind of person Jern is. He’s likely already noticed most of Your Highness’ secrets.”

[Well… You’re probably right about that. I did try to hide them as much as possible…]

"If, and I really mean if, he truly became influenced by Scarlet Abyss…”

Carose swallowed the rest of what she wanted to say.

She trusted the princess. Having watched her from up close, she also knew that this trust was not blind faith.

No matter who the opponent was, if the princess resolved herself, she could overcome them.

To Carose, that was less faith and more a cold, hard fact.

But—

"...Perhaps, he might become Your Highness’ greatest enemy.”

Not now.

But if that child grew into an adult over the next few years.

If he accumulated even more connections, knowledge, and power than he already had.

—He might stand at the same height as the princess herself.

That was why she felt so uneasy.

[Hmm…]

"...I apologize. I’ve troubled you with my pointless worries. Surely, Your Highness was already aware of this and chose to test him regardless…”

Even as she apologized, Carose secretly hoped that the princess would dismiss her concerns as something foolish.

That she would say such a future didn’t exist among those she had seen.

However, Sharmia’s sigh-filled voice carried the opposite answer.

[That’s genuinely scary. Really. I still can’t believe that Jern is only 11 years old… if he grows further and becomes my enemy, ugh, I’m getting chills.]

"...Does that mean such a possibility truly exists?”

[Yes. Scarlet Abyss understands the Fallen very well, after all. It’s possible Jern could be taken in by them and turned against us.]

Hearing the unease in the princess’ tone, Carose found herself speechless.

She knew that possibility existed and still sent him to Scarlet Abyss?

...Why?

[But Jern will grow there. He could become my greatest enemy or my strongest ally.]

"Th-then—”

Carose wanted to say that it was too dangerous.

That it would be better to eliminate Jern and act without allowing any variables and go on with just the two of them.

Until she heard the princess’ self-deprecating voice.

[But, want to know something interesting?]

"What is it?”

[I’m reaching my limit.]

"...!"

It was the last thing Carose wanted to hear.

Seeing her flinch, Sharmia chuckled softly and shook her head.

[That’s not what I meant. I can still challenge fate many more times. The real problem is this. No matter what I try, it’s never good enough. So whether it’s dice, coins, or cards…I have no choice but to enter every gamble.]

"Not good enough?”

The Sharmia within the orb rested her chin on her hand.

[Hmm, this is a bit of a different matter.]

"Please command me."

[Even if Jern becomes my enemy, I wonder how much of a difference that would make.]

"...Pardon?"

Sharmia smiled bitterly at the confused Carose.

[Whether enemy or ally, that distinction will soon stop meaning much anyway.]

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