WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 108 - Choice (5)

Scarlet Abyss’ missions were usually carried out far from the Empire’s capital, in the most distant border regions.

The reason was probably Sharmia. If anything they did was immediately detected and blocked, then at the very least they needed to operate far away so the response would be delayed.

Because of that, although they had no real headquarters, reaching the capital required several days—

"...Can’t we just meet separately?”

"That won’t do.”

I ended up traveling together with Vile Blood’s group.

I let out a sigh as I looked at Vile Blood, grinning broadly, and the roughly ten horses following behind us.

"..."

"..."

Unlike when I saw them at the pavilion, they were far more taciturn now, their expressions hardened with resolve.

And judging by how all their gazes were fixed on me, this so-called test probably included the journey itself.

"S-Sir Undercurrent… They’re staring at us all scary…”

"Don’t mind them. They want to get a reaction out of us.”

I replied briefly to Sunken Mire, who was precariously riding beside me, and urged my horse forward.

I was planning to put some distance between us, but Vile Blood easily caught up, unfolding a map without even holding the reins and letting out a sigh.

"Hmm, it looks like we’ll have to cross the mountain. It seems like pretty rough terrain. Are you alright with that?”

"...?"

I tilted my head. According to the map I knew, going around the mountain would be much faster.

"Of course. I’m confident in my riding skills.”

Still, I simply nodded. If he had some ulterior motive, I figured it’d be better to just let him act sooner rather than later.

I didn’t want to be subjected to this uncomfortable surveillance all the way to the capital. Perhaps satisfied with my answer, Vile Blood laughed heartily.

"Wahaha, really? That’s reassuring. A man who rides well is someone you can trust.”

"Is that so? And why’s that?”

"A horse is a beast whose instinct is to run. No matter how much you tame it with a hot iron or painful whiplashes, the more it runs, the more it forgets the training and starts seeing the saddle and the human as a mere nuisance…”

Vile Blood looked down at the horse he was riding, his eyes holding a mix of affection and killing intent.

"To handle creatures like that well means you’re instilling a fear greater than instinct itself in them. An animal’s judgement is sometimes more accurate than a human’s.”

"...That’s a unique perspective.”

I actually thought he was completely insane, but I played along.

I mean, how could someone who took drugs just to survive and killed people for a living be sane? One of the secrets to living long was not to argue with fools.

—Clop, clop

As we ran through the lush mountain path, the sun eventually set.

Vile Blood looked at the darkened path and grinned.

"Well then, shall we try running?”

"Hmm."

So that was the reason we came through the mountains.

He must have heard something about my world’s detection abilities. I didn't know how, though. Perhaps Sunken Mire sold me out, or he bought information from Knights who had fought me.

Of course, I had no real problem with that. For someone like me, who could easily spread out my Tide Sense whenever I wanted, this was no different from walking across an open plain.

Still, I slightly shook my head.

"Looks like that’ll be a bit tough.”

"Really? That’s not what I heard. You can’t handle this much?”

"Look behind you.”

"?"

Vile Blood’s companions were keeping up just fine.

But Sunken Mire—

"Kegh, hek, kugh, s-sorry! I don’t know why I’m like this either!”

-Neeigh! Neeheheheeeigh!!

She’d already been unstable galloping across the plains. There was no way she could handle a night ride on a mountain path, no less.

The horse, an instinctive animal or whatever, quickly realized that the human on its back was nothing more than a parasite and started thrashing wildly in a desperate attempt to survive.

"You crazy bitch—"

"Kegh, ugh—!”

As a result, her rampage disrupted Vile Blood’s companions, who had been riding smoothly, slowing the group down, and before long the rear rank had fallen far behind.

Vile Blood clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Why are you dragging that thing along? If you need a keeper, I can introduce you to a much better one.”

"A keeper?”

"Someone who has a world with the ability to store things safely.”

So that’s what they called Scarlet Abyss members who served as warehouses. Keepers.

As I nodded, Vile Blood looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Undercurrent, don’t tell me you didn’t know what a keeper was?”

"Yeah. No one explained it to me.”

"You’re crazy—then what the hell have you been doing all this time?”

"Completing missions and getting World-Sealing Elixirs.”

Naturally I left out the part about planting countless time bombs inside Scarlet Abyss or selling my companion’s information and Scarlet Abyss’ internal workings to the Empire.

When I summarized everything I’d been doing in just two sentences, he punched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"It seems like you were aiming for the Upper Tier from the start.”

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Idiots often harbor goals like that. But no matter how you joined, a man like you shouldn’t be stupid enough to get swept up by those lunatics… I don’t get it.”

Trailing off, Vile Blood raised his hand.

"We'll rest! Set up a temporary camp.”

Even if we set aside Sunken Mire, running through mountain terrain at night wasn’t a good idea.

As everyone sat down to unpack and began setting up simple shelters, I cut down some trees, made a light door, and dug out an earthen pit.

"What are you doing?”

"I stored food in my workshop. I was going to take it out.”

I glanced sideways at the companions traveling with me.

"It doesn’t look like you brought much.”

For a group that consisted of 10 people, their luggage was shockingly modest.

Just a few wires holding up their small shelters. That was all. No weapons, no food, no water. Were these people unable to starve to death or something?

At those words, Vile Blood smirked.

"Save that. Withered Grass!”

"Yes."

A man bowed his head at a full 90 degrees, suddenly took off his shoes, and began walking slowly.

Wherever he stepped, green plants sprouted from the ground.

"First, I've prepared feed for the horses.”

"...Huh."

The resting horses eagerly crowded in, tearing into the grass Withered Grass had grown.

As I nodded, he examined the nearby trees, then placed his hand on one.

"Which ones would you like?”

"As much variety as possible. We have a guest, after all.”

"Yes. Understood.”

The tree trembled, then began to bear fruit.

It wasn’t just one type of fruit. Pears, apples, cherries, and even watermelons. All sorts of fruits and vegetables that shouldn’t be growing from trees, along with all manner of other produce, sprouted from that tree.

The members plucked the fruit as if it were completely normal.

With a mix of suspicion and disbelief, I picked a pear and took a bite. It was cooler and sweeter than any pear I had ever eaten in my life.

I was truly amazed by that overwhelming world.

"So that’s why you didn’t need supplies. I can’t even imagine what kind of burden this world comes with.”

"Yes. The burden itself is nothing special.

Withered Grass explained proudly, hands clasped behind his back.

"If I don’t take World-Sealing Elixirs, plants begin to grow inside my body.”

"?"

"That’s how I lost this eye. A pear grew inside my head.”

Wait, how did he manage to survive that?

"Whatever I eat becomes nutrients for the plants, so before meeting Scarlet Abyss, I lived almost starving. I ate just enough not to die. And whenever I felt something starting to grow inside me, I cut that part open and tore the roots out.”

"..."

I looked down at the pear in my hand, felt my stomach churn, and hastily set it aside.

Vile Blood lit a small campfire and sat beside it, answering proudly.

"We can live without anyone’s help. No food, no shelter, nothing. No spatial restrictions can stop us.”

"The perfect lineup for an assassination squad.”

"Indeed. Just one thing—if only this horrible, lovely drug didn’t exist.”

He pulled out a white World-Sealing Elixir from his robe, stared at it with hatred, then swallowed five at once, chewing them down.

The other members also took out their pills carefully, treating them preciously. At that moment, they guarded their surroundings more cautiously than during any meal.

It felt as though consuming the World-Sealing Elixirs was a kind of religious ritual. As Vile Blood trembled, sensing the burden of his world easing, he looked at me.”

"It’s a real shame. That’s why our expectations for you are high.”

"...Expectations?”

"Didn’t I tell you that I think that it would be nice if we had someone that could be spoken with among the Upper Tiers? That’s what I mean.”

It sounded like there was more meaning behind his words.

I shrugged, gave no answer, and leaned against a nearby tree.

"You’re not sleeping with us?”

"I’m more comfortable alone."

"Well, suit yourself."

Vile Blood didn’t push any further and returned to his tent after finishing his meal.

I wanted to go inside my workshop to sleep, but doing that would clearly draw a line I shouldn’t cross.

With my eyes closed, I quietly fell asleep, my guard still up.

...

.

.

.

"...Tsk."

And then, I opened my eyes.

There wasn’t any kind of night watch. It had been about two hours since I had fallen asleep.

I clicked my tongue in irritation. Vile Blood was already sitting by the fire, poking at the smoking embers with a stick.

"Hmm? You’re up? It’s still early, right?”

"..."

Once again, I didn’t answer.

Vile Blood didn’t have any kind of wide-area detection ability like me.

Even if someone among them did, no one had the range or precision to surpass my Tide Sense.

And even if—someone truly specialized in detection enough to exceed my Tide Sense, they wouldn’t be able to use it while asleep.

Which meant.

"You lit that fire on purpose.”

"What do you mean? I don’t quite follow.”

He replied slyly, raising both his hands.

"If there’s a problem, say the word. I’ll wake the others.”

"..."

The people inside the tents were already awake.

They were lying down with their eyes closed, but their heartbeats weren’t those of sleeping people. The moment Vile Blood opened his mouth, they would spring out.

At this moment, the only one actually sleeping was Sunken Mire, who had somehow wandered over to the tree beside me and was snoring peacefully.

"Leave it.”

"Really?”

"Yes. If you’re going to give an order, tell them not to wake up.”

"...Hmm, I can’t command physiological processes like that—but fine. I’ll tell them not to get up.”

The ones inside the tents should’ve heard that.

I got up, stretched my body, and strode down the dark mountain path.

"...Oh? They were awake.”

"Damn it, I guess we got caught, huh?”

Men armed with axes, spears, swords…and even crossbows, approached carefully through the forest, wearing camouflage that blended in with the surroundings.

There were thirty of them.

A large man who looked like their leader stepped forward with a snort.

"You idiots. So what if they’re awake? Think they can run faster than us in these mountains?”

"Y-yeah. I suppose not.”

"It would’ve been better for you if we just snapped all your necks while you slept. Now you’ll die knowing it.”

A man holding a crossbow, far too light a weapon for his bulky frame, laughed mockingly as he approached.

"Well, if you hand over the woman and everything you’ve got… Hmm, yeah. I’ll shoot you in the head.”

"What difference would that make?”

"If you resist and make this annoying, we’ll tie you up and carve the flesh off you. Wouldn’t it be better to die cleanly?”

A familiar threat. A familiar hand gesture.

It seemed this mountain had been crawling with people like them for a very long time.

I let out a sigh while looking toward Vile Blood, who was standing behind me with his hands clasped behind his back.

At least this was better.

"That’s a viable suggestion.”

"Oh? You’re the first guy smart enough to agree after hearing that.”

"Put that crossbow right under your chin and pull the trigger.”

"...What?"

"It’s going to happen anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to get it over with sooner?

"..."

I expected the bandit leader to immediately fly into a rage and fire the crossbow.

But perhaps it was the instinct of someone who had lived this kind of life. He cautiously stepped back and whispered to one of his men.

[...Hey, these guys aren’t Knights, right?]

[That guy’s just bluffing! They really don’t have anything. No swords, no spears, nothing. Just their bare bodies. Look at how shabbily they’re dressed.]

[Hmm, is that so?]

But instinct was just instinct.

If they were well-off enough to pass up a defenseless group like ours, they wouldn’t be bandits in the first place.

"Fine. Then we’ll tie you up and kill you slowly—”

Half-listening to the bandit’s words, I looked at Vile Blood, who was smiling as if amused.

No matter what, he wouldn’t have assumed I could lose to mere bandits.

It seemed like he wanted to see what kind of world I had during that battle—that was why he was there.

If this was part of their stupid test, then I had two conditions to satisfy.

Deal with those guys in a way that revealed as little information as possible, yet in a way that Vile Blood couldn’t help but acknowledge.

Difficult, but not impossible.

"...Then let’s make sure they can’t run away first.”

I didn’t want to waste too much of my energy on things like these.

As the guy was still talking, I grabbed the fingers and arm of the man who was about to lunge for my legs, clamping down hard with water pressure.

"Ugh—?"

His reaction was slow.

Obviously. When a part of your body suddenly stops responding in the middle of combat, it’s not easy to immediately come to the conclusion that you should apply force in the opposite direction.

On the line of death, hesitation meant death. Knights, with their reflexes honed far beyond a normal person’s, would instantly resist and create distance.

Even wizards, though they would need to properly form a spell to attack, would immediately sense something was off and chant another spell to freeze their hand.

But for someone who was neither Knight nor wizard—for mere bandits, this kind of trick worked incredibly well.

-Thud, crack!

"Khg."

The leader’s arm bent. His fingers were pulled.

In less than a second, the crossbow aimed at his own chin.

Modified to pierce armor, the bolt flew at tremendous speed, far too powerful to be stopped by flesh.

"..."

Before he could even let out a scream, the bandit leader dropped to his knees as the bolt burst out the top of his head.

Blood spilled, soaking into the ground. Yet, his subordinates didn’t erupt in anger.

"B-Boss…”

"Huh?”

Swords, spears, and daggers.

The weapon they held, or rather, the hands holding those weapons, betrayed them.

It was too fast for them to comprehend. Expecting them to realize their leader had killed himself and that their own bodies had turned against them was an unbearably cruel demand.

-Cruunch—!

In a brief instant, flesh was torn open, blood sprayed, and lives were extinguished.

Every single one of their strikes had pierced a vital point that would spell their instant death.

The time it took was exactly 2 seconds.

As a result, it appeared as if all those bandits had committed suicide within that time.

I wondered what Vile Blood learned from this scene. With a hint of concern, I turned around—

"...What?"

He was staring at the bandits’ corpses with a blank, bewildered expression, as if he had no idea what had just happened.

Well, it was difficult to figure out after all.

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