WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 118 - Using One Evil to Fight Another (8)

Number 1 led me to the basement of the castle, or to its prison to be precise.

I called it a prison, but most of the bars were rusted through or broken. With a bit of determination and a willingness to risk tetanus, just about anyone could have escaped from this old, decrepit place.

Yet the prisoners were obedient. They were all in solitary cells, each kneeling in the center of their room, mouths agape, staring blankly outside.

It seemed their minds had been cleared away somehow. He stopped in front of a cell holding a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, glanced at me, and gave an order.

"Pull out a thread.”

"If you tell me how, I’ll try.”

"There’s nothing difficult about it. By now, you should be able to see my grotesque appearance as well.”

"..."

So there was no need to pretend I couldn’t see it anymore.

I slowly nodded, and one of the threads attached to his eye snapped.

Immediately after, a new thread descended from the sky.

"We may not be on her level, but those of us who have been blessed can accomplish something similar. To wield power without bearing any burdens.”

"Truly a blessing.”

"Don’t misunderstand. Do you think you can use what you’ve been given for your selfish desires?”

The extracted thread wrapped itself around the prisoner’s neck.

"G-ghk…!”

Though it was only a single, impossibly thin strand, the prisoner writhed in agony as if a massive rope were tightening around his throat.

After rolling on the floor for several minutes, the prisoner abruptly stopped convulsing. He stood up calmly, dusted off the dirt, and spoke.

"One descended thread allows the domination of one person.”

The voice was different, but the speaker was the same. It was a flawless act of subjugation.

"Be careful though. To dominate those with strong will or sturdy bodies, you must first render them completely helpless or send down multiple threads.”

"I see. But I’m not bound by threads, am I?”

"I'll pass them on to you now.”

-Snaap!

Hundreds of threads tore loose from Number 1’s body all at once.

Then the threads descending from the sky wrapped themselves around me. I didn’t feel as though my body was being controlled, but even so, it was far from a pleasant sensation.

As I looked at the weightless threads bound around my arms, Number 1 turned away as if his task were finished.

"By tomorrow morning, dominate one of those prisoners here.”

"I haven’t been taught how yet.”

"You just saw everything. Don’t tell me you’re incapable of using your world even now that you have to not suffer from any burdens.”

This obviously was some sort of hazing ritual.

"Yes, understood.”

When I nodded, he gave me a nasty smile, as if he had expected my answer.

"If you can’t dominate even one, I’ll consider what you received beyond your worth and take back half the threads. Live according to your station.”

"What happens if all these threads disappear?”

"Don’t worry. You won’t die. You’ll simply go live with the ‘outside’ family.”

So I’d become livestock, huh?

No matter how many times I thought about it, Nightfall’s idea of ‘family’—that only those who sacrificed themselves endlessly for one another could qualify—was deeply twisted.

"I’ll be back when the sun rises.”

I already knew that he would. When I nodded, the door closed.

Left alone in the prison, I touched the threads hanging from my arms.

It clearly was an incomplete power. To dominate someone, one could only consume the threads one has been given. Once they were gone, one would be no different from an ordinary person.

Number 1 probably received all those threads from Nightfall as well. In exchange for suffering from almost no burdens, his power was also heavily restricted.

"Let’s see…”

I was different.

Puppet had only taken an extremely small portion of the Abyssal Sea’s burdens, and, naturally, my world still remained intact, meaning I could use Puppet’s power while retaining my own world.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether those who received fragments of Puppet from Nightfall could truly be considered as Fallen with their own worlds.

But if they were, then that meant I currently possessed two Abyssal Realms.

An overwhelming advantage. I had to use this to earn Nightfall’s trust.

'If my memories had been sealed from the start, I’d have had to go about this more indirectly.'

I cast aside the stray thoughts and stared at the threads hanging from my arms, preparing to complete the assignment Number 1 had given me.

I hadn’t been taught a single thing, so I had to figure everything out on my own.

As I intensely stared at the prisoner and focused on the threads, I could feel a faint tingling sensation.

-Snap.

"Oh."

A few strands snapped.

But the real problem started after that.

"..."

Now I understood why he chose to use this as hazing.

Manipulating these threads was truly, genuinely, absurdly difficult.

It was hard to describe properly, like a hazy dream, but it felt as though there was a hand at the edge of the sky, no…the edge of the universe with the threads tied to it.

I moved that hand to move the threads. Naturally, the response was slow and sluggish. There was no way one could master such an absurd thing in a single night.

At least, it was fortunate that I was within the Abyssal Sea.

"If I push it like this…”

The threads were affected by the currents, albeit slightly.

It was so inefficient that I even had to use my Water Partition to move the currents a bit more, but the important thing was that it worked.

Thanks to that, after about an hour, I managed to wrap a thread around the prisoner’s neck.

"Khg."

And then, the domination began.

If I were a true Puppet user, I would have been suffering from the world’s burdens at this point.

But since all the burden was being passed on to others, I felt absolutely nothing. The only one suffering was the prisoner.

When the domination ended—a remote control appeared in my mind.

"?"

There was no better way to describe it.

I felt like a tool had formed in my head that allowed me to control that prisoner. If I thought of an action, he would move according to that thought.

So I tried it once…

"H, e, l, l, o.”

It was clumsy compared to Number 1, but the guy, unmistakingly, spoke the word I had thought of.

When I told him to raise his arm, he raised it. When I told him to sit, he sat. Watching it for too long felt like it might cause a gestalt collapse, so I had him sit still for a moment and tested the most important thing.

‘Tell me about your past.’

I issued that command through the remote.

"..."

But there was no answer. He just stared at me blankly.

From the perspective of the one dominating, I understood immediately. This command didn’t work.

After several more experiments that lasted until dawn, I learned that anything related to memories was completely unusable, as if sealed away.

This was probably something Nightfall had blocked. I forcibly suppressed my disappointment and listened to the birds chirping outside the window when the door opened again.

"Time’s up. If you still haven’t managed…”

Saying that, Number 1 entered, then flinched when he saw the prisoner standing on his hands.

It seemed he hadn’t imagined I would actually succeed. Feeling a bit smug, I answered calmly.

"I did as much as I could. Would you call this a success?”

"...Tsk."

Number 1 clicked his tongue once and left.

The implication of his actions was clearly for me to follow him, so I did so without a word. He continued in an irritated tone.

"This evening, when she returns, there will be a banquet to celebrate the increase in our family, and you’ll be given a designated number. Probably Number 33.”

"Number 33? That’s fewer than I expected.”

"A designated number is an ex~tremly honorable title granted only to those who have entered the family circle."

Despite calling it honorable, Number 1’s tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

"In the meantime, I’ll explain a few rules you must follow in her presence and toward us. If you break them, it won’t be just you who suffers, so listen carefully.”

"Please go on.”

"First. No matter what you’re called, it’s not particularly important. If you want to play at hierarchy, do it by counting threads. Assuming you even can.”

"You mean being called ‘older brother’?”

"Yes. Second, do exactly what she tells you to do. No more or less."

"Yes."

So far, there has been no real issue.

The last rule, however, was a bit strange.

"And when you introduce yourself to others, you must always introduce yourself using the family title you were given.”

As he said this, Number 1 clenched his teeth slightly.

When I swept my Tide Sense over him, I felt fear in his heartbeat.

"...If she thinks you’re taking being family lightly… Tsk. Dying would honestly be the better outcome.”

In short, I had to be aware that this was just a massive game of house.

But I still had to be sincere while playing.

"I'll keep it in mind.”

After that, I was shown around the castle until evening.

Along the way, I met several others who were likely with the family circle. Their bodies were so thoroughly covered in threads that it was obvious they were deeply favored.

Compared to them, with my mere 499 strands, I felt almost shabby.

Yet none of them flaunted it. They didn’t boast.

Instead, they moved cautiously, stepping lightly enough to avoid even fallen leaves.

"You’ve completed quite a few missions for Scarlet Abyss, haven’t you?”

"Yes. That’s right.”

"Don’t think this place will be any different. She’ll give you your first assignment soon. Whatever you do, never refuse it. I mean it.”

Servants carried in dishes, and brilliant fireworks lit up the sky above.

Yet the banquet was so quiet that even breathing sounded loud. Aside from the servants, there were more than 30 members of the family, including Number 1 and myself, present, but all of them stood motionless like statues, holding their glasses with blank expressions.

Only the soft background music played by the musicians drifted by, making this scene even more eerie.

The silence was broken when the doors rattled open.

"Were you all enjoying yourselves?”

"Yes! It’s been a truly delightful banquet!”

"Haha, really wonderful!”

It was a sight worthy of admiration.

Those who had looked like ice sculptures, those who hadn’t moved a single muscle with their eyes closed…

All of them suddenly smiled brilliantly, laughing as if they had truly been enjoying the banquet all along.

"I’m glad. When I summoned you so suddenly, I wondered what you’d think, but, haah…”

Nightfall sat naturally at the head seat, lifted her glass, and began to complain.

"They were saying something absurd again, like asking me to give you all up because they want the sea.”

"Hooh, you should have just given us to them! For Lady Nightfall, we would gladly offer our bodies at any time!”

"Eeh, I can’t sell out my family. How could I do that?”

"We, too, can do anything for the sake of our family!”

"Hmm, thank you. That’s reassuring.”

Nightfall smiled bashfully and swirled her glass awkwardly.

It was a truly laughable sight.

A lunatic holding everyone’s lives in her hands, and a crowd of desperate yes-men doing everything they could to say in her favor. There was something quite surreal about it all.

Of course, I wasn’t really in a position to act like a third party that had nothing to do with this either.

"Ah, Mom. By the way, how was Undercurrent?”

"He still has quite a few shortcomings.”

"You can’t expect perfection from the first try. Undercurrent, come here.”

Nightfall tilted her glass and beckoned to me from the far end of the hall.

I stepped forward and bowed deeply. She patted the back of my head affectionately, murmuring softly.

"From today on, you're not Undercurrent anymore. You’re my older brother and my thirty-third family member. I'll fulfill my duties as your family. And you have to do the same for me.”

"I will, without fail.”

"Hmm, good. Then shall I make my first request of you as a family member?”

Before Nightfall could continue, Number 1 hurriedly cut in.

"Lady Nightfall. As I mentioned earlier, he still has many shortcomings. Please take that into consideration when making your request.”

This bastard. He wasn’t saying this for my sake. He just didn’t want to deal with the consequences if I failed.

Nightfall nodded, but…

"Hmm, still, what must be done must be done, right? The family’s been suffering because of my brother’s burden. I wonder what kind of world it was. I can even see the children in pain. And while this isn’t entirely your fault, using so many threads to take you in means I won’t be able to expand the family for quite some time.”

"I’m sorry. My previous world…”

I had a few ideas prepared and began to speak, but Nightfall shook her head instead.

"Your past doesn’t really interest me, big brother. Now we’re sharing my world, aren’t we? What matters is that our family made many sacrifices to deal with your burden.”

"Yes. That’s correct."

"You, too, have to repay the family for those sacrifices. But, yes, you did bring 10 family members with you. It wasn’t a huge help, but I suppose I should acknowledge that much…”

It sounded like she was referring to Vile Blood and the others.

Nightfall nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied, then lightly issued her command.

"Could you bring me about three Fallen who still have their own worlds? Friends are fine. Blood relatives are fine as well.”

The content wasn’t anything light, though.

Still, I nodded without hesitation.

"Understood. By when would you like this done?”

"Within a month, I guess. You can do that, right?”

"Yes."

"Yes, good. Family love must be repaid after all.”

Nightfall smiled gently and dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

After that, the banquet continued as a rare sort of theatrical performance, with Nightfall in the center, smiling happily as she was surrounded by her family and those so-called family members performing their roles, pretending to be happy for her sake.

After it ended, Number 1 guided me to my room and spoke in a slightly softer tone.

"If you fail to secure the number of Fallen she asked for by the end of the month, come to me.”

"You’ll gather them for me?”

"Yes. But you’ll have to pay a price as well.”

His gaze flicked to the threads bound to me. So that was his aim.

"I will.”

"You must understand this. If you fail, the responsibility will fall on us as well.”

I dismissed Number 1’s warning and left my quarters.

From this point on, I had absolutely no time to rest.

* * *

One month later.

When the agreed-upon deadline arrived.

"I’ve brought them.”

"...H-huh?”

For once, Nightfall tilted her head in confusion, and Number 1 ground his teeth.

It was quite understandable.

I had brought back quite a lot of new family members.

I smiled softly and lifted the lease in my hand.

"I’ve secured 50 Fallen.”

Do you know what it’s called when you use trash to hunt trash?

We call that recycling.

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