WETRIED TRANSLATIONS
Wizard of the Abyss
[Translator – Aren]
Chapter 165 - Resident (1)
Ascent.
Rising from beneath the surface to above it.
It was a sensation I could hardly ever feel, having lived my entire life in the Abyssal Sea—but I could imagine it.
A world that had gone dark suddenly flooding with light. The sound of breathing, the pounding of a heartbeat crashing against the eardrums as if to shatter them, and the agony of being unable to exhale.
Every sense tearing itself free from the protection of the water’s surface and running wild.
I wondered if the very first sensation a human felt upon leaving their mother’s womb wasn’t fear and pain, but the terror of this ascent.
"…Khg, Khaaagh..."
My hazy consciousness snapped awake, and the sensations that suddenly squeezed my entire body became painfully vivid.
My soft skin free of calluses felt as though even paper could cut through it easily. Simple lighting, light footsteps, the touch of fabric against my skin. Every stimulus felt like torture, ravaging my body.
As I writhed like a worm in agony, someone gently grabbed my shoulder.
Then, a soft voice calmed me.
"Calm down and look around. Sensations are just personal perceptions. The world isn’t collapsing. It doesn't break that easily.”
"...Ugh."
As if she fully understood my current condition, she held my trembling shoulders and soothed me.
"The ground is still flat, and breathing isn’t painful. Actually, now that I think about it, you don’t even breathe at all, right, Jern? You're better off than I am.”
"...I simply do it differently…Cough, cough!”
After forcing myself to take several deep breaths, I gagged and spat out blood.
My blurry vision slowly focused. Before me was a face so breathtakingly beautiful, yet subtly different from the one I remembered.
It was Sharmia.
"Kgh, ugh… This is…?”
"That’s right. You made it back safely. You really did well…”
Sharmia let out a relieved sigh and took out a handkerchief, gently wiping my forehead.
I forced my voice out and sat up.
"...That was horrible. Do you go through that every time?”
"You get used to it after a while. I came back with you, and I’m perfectly fine, right?”
She really looked different, smiling so brightly. To think she’d been enduring this since she was 10 years old.
…She was seriously incredible in a very different sense.
As I steadied myself, it seemed my thrashing had caused quite the commotion. The sound of a door opening followed, and someone entered.
"...So it came to this after all.”
An elf with a familiar sullen expression stood there. It had been a while.
She looked down at me with clear discomfort, then sighed and closed her eyes.
"I guess it can be said to be fortunate that nothing serious happened. This is something you should never do again.”
"Yeees, I know. But the situation was what it was. Jern said he’d do it.”
"So…how much time has passed?”
"Let’s see. It’s been about 1 minute since I stepped outside.”
The infiltration plan for which I borrowed the princess' regression power had happened just 1 minute ago.
That was when I finally realized that I was in Sharmia’s office.
I really came back.
"...”
Only then did it truly sink in. I stared at Sharmia in disbelief.
The princess, who had always seemed kind, hadn’t actually been aiming for the salvation of all humanity, but the creation of a peaceful hospice for it.
Of course, I could understand her feelings to some degree, but…
I never imagined she’d been hiding something this absurd all along.
I’d been completely fooled.
"Why are you looking at me like that?”
"Have you really not changed your mind?”
"Huh? Changed my mind about what…?”
Sharmia tilted her head, wearing a completely blank expression.
"Don't pretend you don't know. You said it yourself. If I die, my memories go to you, and that would be how you die too. Which means you definitely—"
"Hmm, I think you might not be feeling well. I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
As she said that, Sharmia deliberately avoided my gaze. How shameless.
When I extended my Tide Sense, I could see her face faintly flushed.
...Well, from her perspective, she probably never expected the one secret she’d told to a single person in the world to be exposed like this. It must have felt like having an embarrassing childhood secret brought out for everyone to see.
I sighed, wiping the corner of my mouth, and straightened my posture.
"You don’t need to worry too much. I have no intention of breaking my promise.
“...What?"
"I didn’t just say that on a whim to get out of that situation. Whatever your original goal was, many people were saved along the way.”
As she blinked at me in surprise, eyes wide, I continued, saying the words I hadn’t been able to say back then.
"I believe that we are where we are now because of you. Thank you for experiencing something that would have made anyone run and still choosing not to."
"..."
If Sharmia had ever once realized that she could set down the responsibility placed upon her…
Or if she had chosen to accept the fixed future, resign herself to it, and throw herself into Scarlet Abyss…
Then we wouldn’t have had even this single remaining chance.
But even after seeing a future that could never be changed, Sharmia chose to resist until the very end.
Thanks to that choice that only someone truly insane could make…
I was given an opportunity.
"So—from here on out, let me try.”
An unchangeable future.
A predetermined end.
Nothing had changed. As I calmly spoke, Sharmia’s tranquil eyes wavered for just a moment.
The silence was broken by Dercia, who looked visibly uncomfortable.
"I don’t know what the two of you are talking about. Did something happen?”
"...Nothing happened.”
"Then let’s talk about what you’ve gained. Have you found a way to stop those shadows?”
"Yes. We just need to do nothing.”
"?"
"I’m serious. That thing has limits. More precisely…”
I explained how that thing had spread through the world to begin with.
And that it was something that would naturally come to an end with time.
As she listened, Dercia stroked her chin and fell into deep thought.
"So directly seeking the person and defeating him is difficult. That’s what you're saying.”
"Yes. And honestly, that part isn’t the most important thing. Umm…”
I hesitated, trailing off as I looked at Dercia.
She was someone who had trained with the goal of reaching the Heavenly Realm. I knew that.
So… I felt a slight resistance, wondering if it really was okay to say this to her.
"...?"
Noticing my hesitation, Dercia furrowed her brows and pressed me.
"Don’t hold back. Whatever those people may be doing, I won’t be easily shocked.”
"The truth is wizards are something very similar to the Fallen.”
"What? That’s rather backwards. If anything, Fallen are another type of wizard…”
"No. Actually, this world is the Heavenly Realm. And it's heading toward destruction.”
"?"
Seeing the confusion on Dercia’s face, I hurriedly continued before the shock could deepen.
"The Fallen of Heaven, the First Mage, passed fragments of Heaven down to their bloodline. Those people are what we call wizards. In that sense, all wizards are technically Fallen.”
"...Why would they do something like that?”
"If Heaven collapses, then this world will collapse as well. And as I mentioned earlier, I heard that it has been gradually deteriorating. So…ultimately, their goal was to create a wizard who could replace the broken Heaven with a new one.”
"Hmm..."
After tilting her head for a moment, Dercia spoke rather calmly.
"But this world seems to be holding up quite well. I’ve even tried to break it before, but for a world that’s supposedly nearing collapse, it doesn’t look like it’s about to fall apart.”
"I’ve been told that the fragments of Heaven…the wizards, are what keep the world stable."
"Then the reason Scarlet Abyss is trying to kill wizards is—”
"Yes. If all mages are wiped out, this world will collapse as well. Scarlet Abyss’ target isn’t the Empire itself, but the mages within it. Their true goal is to destroy the world entirely.”
I wondered what kind of reaction Dercia would have upon learning that she herself was technically a Fallen.
Feeling some anxiety in my heart, half expecting her to fall immediately, I watched her response.
"They are far more insane than I expected.”
But Dercia simply shook her head, wearing a displeased expression.
Expecting her to react more violently, I cautiously asked,
"...Are you alright?”
"What do you mean?”
"You know, about kind of being a Fallen?”
"That isn’t a fact, so there’s no reason to be upset.”
Had she entered the denial stage?
As I looked at her with pity, Dercia clenched her teeth and calmly rebutted me.
"You seem to be under quite the strange assumption. Saying that all wizards are Fallen is far too large a leap. Then why is it only wizards who fall? If this world is already the Heavenly Realm, there would be nowhere left to fall to.”
"That’s…true.”
"Most likely, what you call “Fragments of Heaven” are not yet worlds in their own right. As one wields and expands that power, the possibility of touching other worlds increases. To be able to reach the Heavenly Realm means being able to reach other worlds as well. That is likely the reason wizards fall.”
"Oh..."
Dercia’s conclusion was surprisingly plausible.
Wizards weren’t yet Fallen, but beings who trained with the goal of becoming Fallen of Heaven.
If one shaved away part of oneself in order to accept something, that empty space might be filled by something unintended. That was what falling was. The invasion of another world into the space created for Heaven.
It was a thought that had never occurred to me. As I silently admired her reasoning, Dercia tapped the desk lightly, drawing my attention.
"However, there is still something I don’t understand. I think I need to hear more details.”
With a flick of her finger, she brought over nearby teacups and placed a still-warm apple tea in front of me.
She did the same for herself and Sharmia. The cup placed before her, however, contained nothing but plain water. Was it really alright to treat a princess that way?
Fortunately, Sharmia only smiled awkwardly and said nothing about it.
"Tell me everything you experienced. In detail. From beginning to end.”
"Ah, yes.”
Pressured by her silence, I began recounting everything that had happened at Scarlet Abyss’ headquarters. Every single detail.
"J-Jern? There’s someone that’s like me there? What does that even mean?”
"...Well, another shrine maiden..."
Even when Sharmia occasionally interrupted, Dercia silently listened.
After my long recount ended…
Nearly 30 minutes passed in silence. Long enough for the tea to go completely cold. Then she finally spoke up again after having been lost in thought.
"...I understand what happened. You’ve truly been through a lot.”
"Yes."
"I know you only just returned from death, but I have a request to make. It will be rather difficult, but I see no other alternative.”
"Yes. Please go ahead.”
Now that we had information about Scarlet Abyss and a clearer idea of what had to be done, this was the moment when I had the most to do.
I steeled myself and straightened my posture.
Then Dercia slowly spoke.
"Forget about Scarlet Abyss entirely for the time being.”
"What?"
"I'll be honest. While listening to your story, my thoughts were occupied by something else. And yet, no answer came to me.”
"What is it?”
"Could you tell me exactly how you regressed?”
"Well, I was probably crushed to death by the Abyssal Sea.”
In the end, I had been forcibly transferred from the immortal world of Heaven into Sharmia’s past.
I couldn’t forcibly escape the past, and my true body couldn’t die in that world. An ordinary Fallen would have vanished there without accomplishing anything, but—
My world was the Abyssal Sea. Even Heaven couldn’t keep me alive for more than 2 weeks. I didn’t know the details, but being crushed to death was the most likely outcome.
As I explained, Dercia nodded, as if this only confirmed her suspicions.
"I thought as much.”
"...What?"
"Jern.”
She looked at me with the most serious expression I had ever seen on her.
"I can no longer find any way to extend your lifespan.”
She then practically sentenced me to death.
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