WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 122 - Using One Evil to Fight Another (12)

"Th-then does that mean you’ve become a puppet…?”

"A puppet?”

"A slave. One of the things that woman, Nightfall, controls.”

I stared down at Sunken Mire without saying a word.

She looked like a snake. Honestly, she didn’t seem to be very smart. If anything, she gave off a foolish impression.

But the fact that she had come looking for me at this hour meant—

"What’s this…?”

"The ground feels weird?”

"...Eek."

She jumped in surprise, so I glanced down. The earth had sunk into a muddy mess.

Was that the kind of world she was living in? It seemed like her trail had been found because she failed to control her power.

I sighed and pointed toward the bushes behind us.

"Hide in there.”

"Ah, okay.”

I sat casually on a nearby bench, pretending to admire the garden, when two guards approached and bowed deeply.

"Teacher. It will soon be time for the service.”

"It’s that late already. How many gathered today?”

"Almost everyone.”

Perfect. I nodded, feeling satisfied.

"Understood. I’ll be there shortly. You go on ahead.”

"Yes.”

After the guards left and some time passed, Sunken Mire stepped out, bewilderment on her face.

"Withered Grass and Vile Blood…? You’re using them as guards?”

"Were they people I know?”

"He’s one of the reasons we even managed to get here. Ah, no, this isn’t the time.”

Sunken Mire shook her head hard, then spoke with a serious expression.

"If you’ve really lost your memories, this might sound hard to believe. No, this absolutely is hard to believe, but it’s true, so please listen. Sir Undercurrent, you're not actually Nightfall’s subordinate. Rather…”

"I came here to kill Nightfall.”

"Yes. Huh?”

Sunken Mire nodded reflexively, then froze in shock.

"You haven’t lost all your memories, have you?”

"Unfortunately, it seems I have.”

I rubbed my head with a sigh.

Other than coming here and wearing my loyalty to Nightfall, I remembered nothing.

Not my childhood. Not the things I’ve done. Nothing.

"Then how do you know that??”

"Because I gave up my memories myself.”

"...What?"

"Exactly what I said. The only memory I have is that I asked Nightfall to erase my past because it was useless and to turn me into a loyal servant.”

"Uh… Then wouldn’t it be right to think that your past memories were really useless? That was your judgement, wasn’t it, Sir Undercurrent?”

"Me?”

Feeling dumbfounded, a chuckle escaped my lips.

"Based on the judgement I have formed through my actions so far, this country is one massive hell, and Nightfall is a monster for whom even the word ‘scum’ would be too kind. There’s no way I would ever swear loyalty to something like that. Undercurrent, my past self, must have known that too. That’s why he offered up his memories.”

"Wh-why?”

"He must have known. That whether I had memories or not, if I saw this situation, I’d end up making the same choice. I’m certain he infiltrated this place prepared from the start to discard his memories.”

"...??"

"And it seems today is the day."

As I started walking off, Sunken Mire hurriedly followed after me, asking,

"The day??”

"Yes. You’re probably part of Undercurrent’s plan. The meaning must be that once you showed up, that was when I was supposed to act.”

"Umm… I only came because I thought something had gone wrong with you, Sir Undercurrent, and wanted to save you…”

"It seemed like he even calculated that, so don’t bother me anymore.”

"W-wait a moment. Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? How could someone who lost their memories decide they’d act like this?”

"Because I would’ve done the same.”

I had already heard all the basic facts from Number 1 and Nightfall.

The Fallen, this country, its grotesque structure, the livestock, and the family.

When I thought about what I would do in this situation to bring Nightfall down, the only conclusion I could come to was something like this.

"C-can’t we just run away…?”

"What?"

I couldn’t help but turn around at that absurd suggestion. Sunken Mire swallowed hard and protested.

"To be honest, I don’t see even a single chance of victory…”

"Hmm, go on.”

"I saw a lot while I was hiding.”

A hint of fear flickered across her face.

"Look at this city. It feels like you’ve swallowed more than half of the Lower Tiers. If all these people are puppets who absolutely obey Nightfall’s orders… She was terrifying before, but now she’d be completely impossible to resist.”

"I’m the one who made it that way.”

"I-I thought so. The Fallen seem to follow you really well… Anyway, even if you still had your memories, I’d say fighting is the wrong choice. You should just consider yourself lucky and run.”

"I see, I understand."

I nodded and smiled at Sunken Mire.

"It seems like Undercurrent didn’t trust you much.”

"...Huh?”

"How could he not explain even a single thing? Are you really comrades? It doesn’t seem like it. I’ll explain as we walk, so listen.”

I headed toward the cathedral. The one I had built.

"What do you think was the very first thing I started looking for after learning the basics about the Fallen, puppets, Scarlet Abyss and recognizing Nightfall as someone I had to kill?"

"A way to escape?”

"What Puppet’s burdens are. That.”

"...Huh?"

"The Puppet world possesses absurd power, even compared to others. A resident of that world could freely manipulate people under contract, and even those without one, knead their memories at will, and even take away their burdens. But a Fallen’s world shouldn’t be this benevolent. Isn’t it because burdens are a thousand times stronger than the power the world grants that the Fallen end up dying so quickly?”

"I don’t think it goes up to a thousand times stronger though.”

"No, it does.”

I grimaced and shifted aside so my cheek wouldn’t brush against the writhing eel passing by.

At this point, I honestly wondered how my past self had managed to live in a world like this without killing himself.

"Puppet clearly has burdens as well. Once I started thinking about what they actually were—I realized it.”

"And what are they?”

"It forces the user to uphold contracts."

"...Huh?"

"If it promised to get rid of one’s burdens, then it must do so. That obligation is that world’s burden.”

"That’s a burden? That’s way too simple! You’re telling me its residents can make use of all those ridiculous powers, and that’s all the burdens they receive for it? They only have to keep promises?!”

"It wouldn’t end there.”

I shook my head quietly.

"Nightfall is distributing contracts. In exchange for eliminating their burdens, she makes the Fallen swear unconditional loyalty and then passes those burdens onto the people of Manganji, whom they call livestock. The livestock are forced into contracts where they accept those burdens.”

"Then what do the people get…in return for taking them?”

"They receive this hell. A hell without conflict, pain, or strife, but also no freedom.”

A meticulously designed hell.

"This contract works only because Nightfall is truly insane. Because she isn’t in her right mind, the Puppet world truly judges this place to be a paradise.”

"...I still don’t get it.”

Sunken Mire replied with a serious expression.

"Then doesn’t that mean, for Nightfall, increasing the number of Fallen puppets just means endlessly gaining comrades without paying any price? Why did you do all this?”

"First, to gain trust.”

I shrugged.

"As you said, increasing the number of pieces she controls brings nothing but benefits to Nightfall. If I keep repeating that behavior, she can’t help but believe that I’m absolutely loyal to her.”

"I feel like it still doesn’t add up… What’s the second reason?”

"Nightfall can manipulate only specific portions of memory. If the original Puppet can do that, then a copy like me should also be able to, if given permission. I needed that ability.”

"Why?"

"Watch closely.”

By the time we reached the cathedral, a large crowd had already gathered.

"O-ooh! It’s Number 33!”

"What is today’s service about?”

"And the woman beside you is…?”

Fallen dressed in pure white.

People I had personally brought here, granting them selective memories, building and spreading a religion where Nightfall was the one and only god.

Sunken Mire shot me a glare, as if dumbfounded.

"What in the world is all this? Are you planning to fight Nightfall using them?”

"I merely assigned settings to these puppets. Telling them to attack their true master? That’s nonsense. Unless you’re directly manipulating the puppeteer’s hand, it’s impossible.”

"Then why…?”

"They entered a contract with Nightfall. In exchange for transferring all their burdens to her, they agreed to become her faithful puppets.”

With that, I stepped up to the very front of the cathedral, onto the pulpit, and spread my arms wide.

"Everyone. Today once again, under Lady Nightfall’s boundless mercy, are you happy, free from all suffering?”

"Yes! We’re happy!!”

"Truly?”

"Yes!!"

"That makes things a little troublesome.”

"...Huh?"

Leaving the confused believers behind, I drew in a deep breath.

They were meant to be puppets. Puppets that would stare blankly even if someone cut off their arms. Puppets that listened only to Nightfall’s commands.

But for the sake of efficiency, I allowed them to live.

I returned fragments of their memories and allowed them to converse.

I gave them the ability to make decisions. That alone gave them vitality. They became humans capable of acting.

Of course, their absolute loyalty to Nightfall remained unchanged.

If I tried to incite a rebellion here, they would just think that their church’s leader just went mad and immediately try to get me executed.

Not that it really mattered.

Humans who could think, remember, and understand happiness possessed a weakness puppets could never have.

They could become unhappy.

"Sunken Mire. Go outside, count exactly two minutes, and come back in.”

"Huh?"

"Right now."

Sunken Mire hesitated, but when she saw the look on my face, she hurried out.

As that happened, the believers inside the cathedral also began to sense that something was off, their expressions showing anxiety.

"T-teacher?”

"Everyone, please remain calm. I sent her out because today’s topic may be slightly uncomfortable.”

"I-I see… But who was that woman earlier…?”

"Merely a pitiful lamb—Not as pitiful as myself, though.”

The mass was familiar. Wearing a gentle smile, I calmly reassured the congregation.

"To be honest…because the one who should be guiding you all is lacking in faith, traces of sin still remain within me.”

"Huh, how could that be…?”

The crowd, all of them wearing shocked faces, whispered among each other.

By sin, I meant burdens. The notion that their cult leader still possessed them caused their expressions to shift.

At this point, it no longer mattered what happened. Using my world, I slammed the door shut and let out a sigh, continuing my confession.

"Even worse, instead of cutting away that sin, I committed the blasphemy of testing it again and again, wondering if it might still be of use. Yes. I am a sinner who has committed a great crime.”

"Wait, but Teacher, someone as wise as you, why would you…”

"In that process, I came to learn something truly horrific.”

As I felt the small wall before my eyes tremble and begin to close in—

I released my Realm.

"And so, today, I prepared this gathering so that you might experience my sin for yourselves.”

"What do you mean by that??”

Not long after, something bizarre occurred.

One believer clutched at their throat in discomfort, and suddenly, the breath he exhaled turned into water bubbles that rose up toward the ceiling.

"..."

"...”

Everyone stared at the scene in confusion, then one person suddenly sprang to their feet, grabbing their throat.

"Kh-khg…I ca…breathe…!”

“Shit, what is going on?!”

Hm.

Even knowing it was possible, this was my first time actually doing it.

The impression it left was quite horrifying.

"O-open the door…”

"It’s closed! Cough, grhgk…”

"U-ugh."

Gradually, most of the believers began to rise into the air.

Rather than floating, it felt more like they were being lifted up by buoyancy.

Not one of them could breathe, and as the pressure grew stronger, their entire bodies slowly turned red.

Without exception, they struggled desperately to survive until they finally realized something.

‘Realized what?’ you ask?

Where they were, what they had to do, and how.

What method would they need to use to survive this place?

As despair slowly entered their eyes, I myself couldn’t be said to be unharmed. Even as I felt my throat tightening, my eyes remained fixed on a single point.

Threads.

I clenched my teeth and stared at the threads binding the believers.

If my assumption was correct, and if survival was the goal—

-...Snap

"...Phew."

Not long after, one of the threads wrapped around a believer’s arm snapped.

That was the first step.

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