WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 109 - Choice (6)

Fortunately, Vile Blood didn’t annoy me any further after that.

"..."

Instead, his vigilance intensified. I overheard him talking with his subordinates about what he had seen, and in the process, I caught quite a few interesting remarks.

[That guy’s world interferes with the mind. He made all the bandits kill themselves.]

[Is that really true? If it’s the type of world that lets him control—]

[What I saw was him manipulating their bodies from a distance… If he could actually dominate them, that’d make him practically invincible. That would explain how he’s cleared so many missions without a single scratch. He must’ve been controlling other stronger fighters.]

[Hmm, doesn’t that mean we’re in danger too?]

[If he could dominate other Fallen that easily, he would’ve already done it. The problem is how unusual his powers are. Have any of you ever heard of a world like that?]

[Could it be something like that bastard Unity’s world?]

[No. Unity just uses mimicry, right? What I saw was closer to direct control.]

[Then…could it be…Puppet? From what you described, that’s the only thing I can think of.]

[...That’s it! That must be it. If he has Puppet, everything makes sense!]

[But isn’t there already someone in the Upper Tier who has that world?]

[There could be two of the same world. Haah, so that’s why he was so confident. Since there’s already someone like that among the Upper Tiers, he believed he could naturally rise.]

[Then maybe he really does have a chance to reach the Upper Tier…]

[We’ll see.]

From their perspective, they were talking far enough away, but they couldn’t possibly avoid the reach of my Tide Sense.

Honestly, who would expect that? No matter how one thought about it, my Tide Sense was just that absurdly overpowered.

I continued to listen like it was a podcast while riding, then asked Sunken Mire, who was sitting behind me (she was so slow that I almost stuffed her into my workshop, but ended up letting her ride behind me instead).

"Sunken Mire. Do you know a world called Puppet?”

"Ah, yes. It belongs to someone named Nightfall. An Upper Tier member. She usually controls corpses.”

"..."

I frowned. So it was Nightfall’s, huh?

"Have you seen her use it yourself?”

"Yes. I didn’t want to.”

"?"

Sunken Mire shuddered.

"Seeing Nightfall made me realize there are things far more painful than death. That was—just too much.”

The trembling I felt from her carried both fear and revulsion.

This girl, though weak, had acted as a warehouse for Scarlet Abyss for some time. She must have seen all sorts of horrors. For even her to say it went too far meant that that world was truly something else.

Just as I was about to retract Tide Sense and spur the horse…

"Ugh."

Suddenly, something surged up inside of me, to which I clenched my teeth.

"Huh?"

"...It’s nothing.”

I took a shallow breath, waiting for the abdominal pain to fade.

My vision blurred, and a ringing filled my ears again and again.

Only after barely steadying myself did I realize that the pain from before had returned, now more severe.

'This again.'

This was different from the currents, deep-sea creatures, and the water pressure…all of that.

It was another burden that had formed after I endured everything else for about a year. I still didn’t know exactly what it was.

What on earth could it be? As I pondered over that, piecing together its characteristics, Vile Blood approached from the side, cleared his throat, and stopped his horse.

"Ahem. Halt. We’ve arrived.”

Below the hill we were on, we could see the capital, if only faintly.

I hadn’t been away for all that long, yet I could feel some nostalgia wash over me. As I stared at it, Vile Blood dismounted and sat down together with the other members.

"Then shall we start laying out the plan?”

"Didn’t you come up with one already?”

"This is a plan you’re supposed to make. This mission is the assassination of the princess’ escort Knight… but strictly speaking, it’s nearly impossible.”

"?"

What was that supposed to mean? As I sat down and looked at him, Vile Blood replied as if it were nothing.

"This mission has been removed from the mission list.”

"What?"

"The Upper Tier bastards changed their policy recently. From full-scale assaults on the Empire, they’ve shifted their focus to covert operations. In other words, assassinating the princess’ escort Knight used to be a mission, but now it isn’t anymore.”

Was this what Decay had mentioned before? Focusing all efforts on expanding their forces.

Indeed, most of Scarlet Abyss’ recent missions were covert operations, with all missions involving open warfare all but gone.

"Secondly, the princess’ escort Knight is absurdly strong.”

"I already knew that.”

"She's stronger than you think. The number of Fallen she’s killed is easily in the hundreds.”

Vile Blood shook his head as he spoke.

"For these reasons, we have no intention of fighting her. Doing so would only cost me my members’ lives, right? However, we can help you achieve your goal. That’s why we followed you here.”

"And what exactly do you mean by help?”

"We’ll help you draw her out. But we won’t participate in the fight.”

Vile Blood said this with a friendly smile on his face.

"As I said before, we need some kind of guarantee, you know? If we’re to help you defy the Upper Tiers, you need to show us that you’re strong enough to be worth backing. So go and take revenge on the bastard who slaughtered our comrades, and prove your ability.”

"..."

In the end, that was what he was saying.

Vile Blood fundamentally didn’t trust me. From the moment he realized I was a lunatic trying to challenge the Upper Tier, he had probably judged me as someone better off dead.

He hadn’t just randomly chosen the mission to assassinate Carose. He had deliberately picked the Knight most skilled at killing a Fallen in one-on-one fights, intending to lead me to my death. That was the gist of it.

I had expected as much, so I just nodded and asked in return,

"Understood. But there’s one thing I want a clear answer on.”

"What is it?”

"To what extent do I need to push her for you to consider it a passing grade?”

"Hmm, well…”

Vile Blood pretended to ponder over my question, then nodded.

"If you make her flee, I’ll acknowledge you and fully support your ascent to the Upper Tier.”

From that answer, I realized it.

This guy knew Carose.

I was well aware that Carose wasn’t the type who’d ever run away, so he probably set that condition while knowing that.

But I smiled and nodded.

"Is that so? Easy enough.”

"Nice to see you’re confident.”

We exchanged smiles, each hiding our own machinations.

To assassinate someone from the Upper Tier, Vile Blood’s help was essential. Sunken Mire was too foolish to know anything, while Vile Blood, having lived quite a long time, knew far more than most members.

Right now he was trying to kill me, but when the time came, he would absolutely change his mind.

Once he confirmed the possibility that I could truly reach the Upper Tier.

"So, what’s our plan?”

"Hmm, let’s see…”

After some thought, I glanced at the surrounding forest and nodded.

"You guys, stay in this place and hide.”

"Okay. And then?”

"I’ll lure Carose out and beat her senseless and kill her right in front of you.”

"...?"

"That’s all. If I don’t return after three days, assume I’m dead and head back.”

"W-wait. What did you just say?”

I didn’t listen to anything they had to say.

I had a lot to do in the capital.

***

While I was gone, the capital had changed quite a lot.

"Halt. State your identification, purpose of visit, and length of stay.”

"..."

It hadn’t been this troublesome to enter before.

Of course, I had made some preparations.

"This…Pl-please forgive us, Sir!”

The guard snapped to attention the moment he saw the credential I presented and bowed deeply.

The imperial envoy status the princess had given me was quite useful in places like this. It had been worth Dercia bringing it to me, even though she grumbled about how dangerous it would be if it were discovered.

As soon as I entered the capital, I headed straight for the library as usual.

Along the way, guards stood at nearly 10-meter intervals, weapons in hand, watching the passersby. The people themselves walked around as if used to that sight, completely unconcerned.

It was…how should I put it. Surveillance at almost wartime levels.

-Knock, knock, knock!

"I’m entering.”

I stepped into the library and casually removed my mask.

I fully expected Dercia to be waiting inside.

But to my surprise there was someone I had never even imagined here.

"..."

A white-haired old man sat quietly at the librarian’s desk, reading a book.

At first, I was startled by his sheer size. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, and his frame was truly monstrous, easily over 2 meters tall, conservatively estimating.

Next, I noticed that his clothing bore the familiar insignia of the Imperial family and the oppressive aura of authority that naturally weighed down the surroundings.

Finally, when his intelligent green eyes turned toward me, confusion flashed through my mind before I dropped to one knee.

There were enough clues to infer his identity.

"Messenger of Her Highness Sharmia, Jern Apandil, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor."

"...So you are Jern.”

"Yes."

A heavy, somber voice resonated through the library.

This was the first time I was seeing the true ruler of this nation.

But I wasn't particularly surprised. Nor was I nervous.

If Sharmia had been here, I would’ve been several times more startled and nervous, but the Emperor was just an emperor. He had no prophetic ability and wasn't particularly fanatic. To be honest, his daughter was far more frightening.

Most of his authority had already been delegated away, to the point that calling him a mere puppet wouldn’t be strange. Of course, even that puppet’s power was more than enough to kill someone like me with ease—but it was pretty absurd for the Emperor to be alone in this place to begin with.

It was obvious that his purpose was to meet me.

"..."

The Emperor—stared at me in silence.

For a long time.

"?"

For nearly 5 minutes. The Emperor didn’t say a single word.

I didn’t dare to speak up first either, so an uncomfortable silence spread between us.

The Emperor, who had been looking down at me like that the whole time, suddenly twisted the ring on his finger.

-Psssh.

The next moment, I was alone in the library.

"...What’s going on here?”

I straightened my tingling knees and walked over to where the Emperor had been sitting.

Did I just hallucinate? No, this had definitely been real.

Could it have been someone else impersonating the Emperor? I looked at the title of the book the impostor had been reading.

[Imperial Etiquette Manual.]

"Hmm..."

It wasn’t the sort of book one would expect to find in a library.

Was this one of those things where someone folded a page to leave a message…? I flipped through it a few times, but there were no folded pages.

Reading it revealed nothing unusual either. It was nothing but stiff, heavy-handed explanations of etiquette.

What was that, seriously—Just as confusion set in, the library doors suddenly opened.

"It has been a while, Jern. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in this body.”

“Ah, Master.”

Dercia hadn’t changed at all.

The same sullen expression, the same dark circles like she hadn’t slept, the same languid tone.

Though she did seem a little irritated.

"Just where were you?”

"...Pardon?"

"I confirmed your entry into the capital, but after that, you suddenly vanished.”

"?"

"I searched for quite some time, then I suddenly got a reaction from the library. Did you discover some new way to use the Abyssal Sea?”

"No, it’s just… Until a moment ago, I was here with someone impersonating the Emperor.”

"What are you talking about?”

Dercia tilted her head, seemingly truly at a loss for words.

I was struggling to explain it myself when she sighed and stepped closer, grabbing my arm.

"We’ll talk about the details later. For now, dealing with that burden comes first.”

"Ah, yes.”

Led by her, I found myself bound to some sort of operating table in her mansion basement. Hearing the sound of metal scraping together, I suppressed my anxiety before speaking.

"I’ll say this while I still can. I’ve agreed to assassinate another Upper Tier member together with some Lower Tier guys.”

"And they agreed?”

"No. They told me to beat Dame Carose in front of them instead. They already know I’m some madman who could become an obstacle to them, but they can’t accurately gauge my full strength, so they intend to have me killed by Carose instead.”

"Hm, so you intend to turn that against them?”

"Yes.”

I nodded in affirmation.

"If I really do something like that, their thinking will change. They won’t want to oppose someone who can easily defeat Carose, and I seem easy enough to talk to for them. Above all, the thing they fear most is the uncontrollable Upper Tiers halting the production of World-Sealing Elixirs and collapsing the kingdom they’ve built.”

"If production begins, then we can exploit them instead… go on.”

"Yes—ugh."

Dercia suddenly drove a fist-sized syringe into my upper arm.

I frowned slightly and continued.

"My purpose is clear, and this is an opportunity to establish connections even within the Upper Tier. Once I finish proving myself, they will definitely help me. They won’t lend their strength directly, but in my current position, even indirect assistance is desperately needed.”

From the moment I realized that one of the Upper Tiers had to be killed, I never once overestimated myself into thinking I could do it alone.

After all, I couldn’t even perfectly finish off the Lump. Handling other Upper Tiers by myself was impossible.

The Lower Tiers, Dercia, the Empire. Only by mobilizing nearly every force available to me could I barely see a way to do it.

"The plan itself is flawless. If there’s a single problem, it’s whether Dame Carose can act convincingly enough. If she gets angry midway and kills me, there’s no way out.”

"I see. I understand what you intend to do. Leave applying pressure to the princess to me.”

"I don’t get it. I mean, I’m only asking now, but what exactly is being done to me right now?”

As Dercia began lifting a scalpel with Telekinesis, I couldn’t help but ask.

The only thing that kept me from resisting the moment she suddenly dragged me into the basement and bound me to the operating table was because I trusted my master.

But the curiosity in her eyes—the unmistakable yearning of a wizard eager to apply what she had learned—made it impossible for me to just dismiss it.

And to be honest, I didn’t have infinite trust in Dercia. It was very much finite, and most of that was already spent during the last kidnapping incident.

"As I told you before, it’s a simple procedure to prevent you from freezing.”

"Then at least explain what kind of procedure it is.”

"Jern, I’ve decided to slightly alter your bodily structure.”

"And why are you the one deciding that? Isn’t this my body?”

Dercia silently unfurled a long sheet of paper, showing a finely detailed diagram of the human anatomy.

"This isn't merely to stop you from freezing to death. Right now, your body is being continuously overworked, subjected to water pressure, cold, and various other burdens. In this situation, simply inserting a heat-generating device into your body to resist the cold would be a one-dimensional solution, one that only accelerates the consumption of your lifespan and physical integrity.”

She unfolded the next sheet.

"Therefore, I concluded that applying an extremely light procedure that allows you to effectively counter cold and pressure would be the most natural method with the fewest side effects. Do you understand?”

"..."

The illustration on the paper differed quite a bit from the earlier depiction of the human body—

But honestly, there wasn't any other option. Even if it was a light burden, it was still something fully capable of killing me, so it had to be dealt with.

In the end, I nodded since I had no other choice.

"I-I get it… then at least put me under anesthesia or something.”

"Not possible.”

"Why not?”

"A lot has changed within the last week. There’s much I need to tell you. If you’re anesthetized, an entire day will be lost. You won’t feel any pain, so listen while the procedure is underway.”

"..."

"Good. Then first, I’ll explain the current perception of the Fallen.”

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

If she weren’t as famous as she was, wouldn’t Dercia have been far better suited than me for infiltrating Scarlet Abyss?

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