WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 195 - Journey (1)

Returning to the Empire didn’t earn me any cheers a triumphant general might receive.

The moment I regained consciousness, Dercia opened a portal and headed straight to the Imperial Palace. Directly into Sharmia’s room, to be precise.

"Ah, Jern, it seems you’ve woken up.”

Perhaps she had already heard the news. Despite the advanced hour, Sharmia greeted us politely, dressed in formal attire.

"I heard you were badly injured, which shocked me quite a bit. I’m glad you returned safely…”

"I’m fine. My master gave me some treatment or something close to it…”

Maybe because the actual battle had been quite short, my wounds hadn’t reopened too badly.

"And there’s something I’d like to show you as well, Master. I found a chunk of ice in the Abyssal Sea.”

"You can already use Decay’s power?”

"No, I just found it.”

"?”

To show them 'that,' I briefly slipped into the Abyssal Sea, grabbed the piece of ice I had prepared beforehand, and slowly wrapped it in my Water Partition.

Once the Water Partition and the ice block became completely fused, I returned to the real world.

Dercia, who had remained expressionless even when I vanished and reappeared out of thin air, immediately frowned when she saw what I brought.

"Wh-what is that?”

This time it was Sharmia who voiced her shock. Beside her, Carose also stared with her mouth hanging open.

It was an expected reaction. This was the first time I had shown this to any of the people I knew.

"These are what I call deep-sea creatures.”

Inside the ice block was an anglerfish the size of my body, its shape perfectly preserved. Being large wasn’t the only unusual thing about it either. For example, it had a few extra eyes growing along its fins.

Dercia seemed intrigued by its strange appearance and lightly tapped on the ice cube as she asked,

"Hmm, is this the most horrifying specimen among them?”

"No. This is actually one of the cuter ones. There weren’t preserved fish around.”

"Then the world you fell into is even more horrifying than I imagined…”

After defeating Decay, strange glaciers had begun to slowly sink into my Abyssal Sea.

Some were as large as houses, others no bigger than a fist…and among them were ice blocks that had deep-sea creatures contained within them, preserving them like mosquitoes trapped in amber.

Until now, the deep-sea creatures had never been able to survive long enough to be shown like this. Even the smallest wound would cause them to be crushed instantly by the pressure. And if I placed a living one inside my Water Partition, it would immediately sense me and try to kill me.

"May I melt it?”

"Hmm, they're pretty tough creatures. It might still be alive. Though it shouldn’t really matter.”

Since there were plenty of reliable people around, I agreed. Dercia immediately snapped her fingers.

-Fwoosh!

Flames briefly burst forth, wrapping around the ice before vanishing. However, the residual heat remained, slowly melting the ice.

Soon the entire block turned into water, and the dark red scales of the creatures started to gleam clearly in the lamp light. Sharmia recoiled in horror.

"I-it looks really, really disgusting!! It won’t spread any diseases, right…?”

"Don’t worry. If there were something like that, I’d be the first one infected.”

"Jern."

As I was reassuring Sharmia, she suddenly called out to me urgently.

When I looked back—I saw the deep-sea creature swelling.

"?"

"Ugh… I think I’m going to throw up…”

Ignoring the retching Sharmia, I watched as the anglerfish began to swell up like a bomb with a lit fuse. It didn’t actually explode, but it continued inflating until it became about twice its original size, finally stopping once it had turned almost perfectly spherical.

"It must be because it usually lives in the deep sea.”

Dercia nodded in understanding as she observed the now far more bizarre-looking fish.

"Since it suddenly entered a world with no water pressure at all, the internal pressure it used to withstand in the Abyssal Sea must have pushed outward, leading to this result. Fascinating, hmm…”

"Can you at least get that thing out of my office first?!”

Dercia opened the door and shoved the bloated deep-sea creature’s corpse into her room, then turned back to me with eager eyes.

"Jern. Could you bring me more of these? The more the better.”

"Yes. Of course."

I hadn’t even found Decay’s corpse yet to absorb his power, and stuff like this was already happening. As I thought about how incredibly efficient this world was, Carose looked uneasily at the wet marks left by the deep-sea creature and asked,

"So…The reason that deep-sea creature swelled up is because it suddenly left the deep sea and came out here?”

"That’s correct."

"Then wouldn’t the same thing happen to you the moment you escaped the Abyssal Sea?”

"I’m not surviving the Abyssal Sea through my physical body alone…”

Even if I left the Abyssal Sea, I wouldn’t suddenly burst apart.

Just as I confidently stated that, something occurred to me.

'...Escaping.'

Surviving the Abyssal Sea had become much easier.

However, my real goal—escaping it—was still completely unclear to me.

In fact, the more I learned about it, the more pessimistic I became about whether it was even possible to escape the Abyssal Sea through normal means.

Every time I used the Abyssal Sea’s environment in battle. Every time I felt its overwhelming power…

I was reminded that in the end, the one who had to overcome that power was me.

"—Jern endures the Abyssal Sea using his own unique world called the Water Partition, so he won’t end up like that deep-sea creature.”

While I was lost in thought, Dercia added the explanation in my place.

"Anyway, Jern. You’ve worked very hard. As I said earlier, without you we never would have found him.”

"I only did it because I wanted to survive. It’s not something worthy of gratitude.”

"Achivements deserve rewards. Otherwise, no one would step forward for the sake of their nation…”

She glanced at Carose.

Carose nodded once, then pulled out a box she had been carrying and handed a medal each to Brimdal and Dercia.

"What’s this thing?”

"It’s not just a 'thing.' It’s the Medal of Honor given to heroes who saved the nation…”

"I don’t need it. Take it back.”

Dercia picked up the golden medal between her thumb and index finger as if it were garbage, frowning as though someone had just insulted her parents.

"Hmm, is this refined iron-gold? The purity’s incredibly high. If I melt it down, I could probably make a decent dagger out of it.”

Both Dercia and Brimdal looked rather unimpressed, but Sharmia responded firmly.

"I’m sorry, but you'll have to accept it. In a little while, we’ll also be holding a parade for our two heroes. You’ll ride in a carriage for about two hours, touring the capital while smiling and waving to the citizens.”

"Did I commit treason in the future you saw, Your Highness?”

"—The Empire needs heroes right now.”

She shrugged as she tried to persuade the clearly displeased Dercia.

"All the people of the Empire are in despair. The truth about Scarlet Abyss still hasn’t been fully revealed to the public, and the direct threat they face is far worse than anything they imagined. Because we’ve lived in peaceful times for so long, they cannot endure hopeless despair for very long.”

"And why should I become that hope?”

"You’ve already shown undeniable results, didn’t you?”

"Then you seem to misunderstand. What I am asking is what I gain from becoming that hope.”

"Because we can help each other.”

"In what way?”

Despite the venom in that question, Sharmia replied with an innocent smile.

"Has any elf ever managed something like becoming a hero in the world of humans? Human history doesn’t portray elves as pleasant beings, you know?”

"..."

“And besides? As the leader of those humans, I’ve recently learned about the secret history of the elves. About how they’ve placed a leash upon themselves and are now waiting for a savior who might come…”

"You seem to know quite a lot. I suspect you’ve been investigating.”

"Ehehe, you caught me.”

...Responding like a girl her age, Sharmia soon returned to a slightly more serious tone.

"I know you don't particularly like your own kind. But you don't truly want them to remain trapped inside the mind of a single elf forever, do you? Becoming a hero among humans might be the first step towards their freedom.”

Despite her soft and cheerful tone, the content was quite sharp.

After thinking for a moment, Dercia slowly nodded.

"...Very well. However, if you intend to use me for ‘public activities’...”

"Don’t worry. I know perfectly well that using you for public activities would only backfire, Lady Dercia. Have you ever heard of mystique?”

It seemed even Dercia found it deeply unpleasant that all elves were essentially bound within Azrael’s mind.

"Ahem, Your Highness.”

As the two reached a compromise, Brimdal, who had been quietly listening, cleared his throat to draw attention.

"Ahem, Your Highness. Do I get anything?”

"For Sir Brimdal, your criminal records will all be…”

Before she could finish, Carose quickly leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

After hearing it, Sharmia nodded with a slightly bewildered expression and continued.

"...We’ll erase the major crimes for now. We’ll also negotiate settlements with the noble houses you harmed. That should reduce the number of assassination attempts if you walk around the capital.”

"Hm, if that’s the case, I suppose I could live a bit closer to the city.”

"..."

So the reason Brimdal lived deep in the mountains away from the capital wasn’t because he was a recluse, but because he had committed too many crimes.

When Brimdal nodded in satisfaction, Sharmia finally turned to me.

"And Jern.”

"I really don’t need anything.”

"I figured you’d say that. First of all, the charges you were previously saddled with have all been erased. But the problem is that you were publicly revealed as a Fallen in front of all the nobles.”

After all, someone insignificant couldn’t simply join the expedition sent to defeat Decay.

Even just to act as a guide, revealing that I was a Fallen couldn’t have been avoided.

"It’s fine. I’m actually quite good at hiding.”

"I told you already. Punishment for crimes, rewards for merit. Every problem that occurs in a country stems from this principle being violated.”

This time Carose handed me a small seal.

Unlike Dercia, who showed no reaction, Brimdal flinched and stared intently at the seal.

"What is this?”

"In the end, the public’s perception of the Fallen isn’t something we can easily change. A plausible position alone won’t fix it…even if I inherited the throne, that prejudice probably wouldn’t disappear.”

"Your Highness, that statement’s a little..."

"Ah, sorry. It was just an analogy. Anyway, what we need is justification. Something that clearly proves that Jern isn’t just a Fallen who betrayed his kind, but someone on our side…That’s why I’d like you to become an honorary Knight.”

"...A Knight?”

"Yes. Of the Waxed Wings Unit. I’ve already handled the appointment ceremony under my authority.”

Well, I guess that made sense.

The Waxed Wings Unit was a unit created specifically to hunt Fallen. Even as an honorary Knight, simply holding a position there would greatly reduce the public’s perception that I might be allied with the enemy.

Of course, if I failed to show results, the complaints would eventually resurface. But considering I would probably encounter them multiple times while searching for a way out of the Abyssal Sea, it was an appropriate reward.

I nodded and expressed my thanks.

"Thank you. Being made a Knight is far more honor than I deserve. It must have been quite difficult for you to give me this opportunity.”

"...No, but that seal, if I remember correctly…”

"It’s nothing special. For now, just get some rest today.”

When Brimdal tried to say something, Sharmia quickly cut him off.

"I heard your internal injuries are quite severe. We’re grateful you defeated Decay, but you should rest for at least a few weeks.”

"No, it’s not that bad. I’ve mostly recovered.”

"Her Highness is correct, Jern.”

To my surprise, Dercia agreed with Sharmia and shook her head.

"You’ve been pushing yourself far too hard recently. Even if you feel fine now, that’s precisely why you should rest.”

"Decay is gone, and Scarlet Abyss hasn’t shown any response yet… This might be the only chance you’ll have to rest, you know?”

"Ah, alright.”

Under their combined pressure, I eventually nodded in agreement.

* * *

At first I refused repeatedly, but thanks to Sharmia’s persistent persuasion I ended up receiving a room in the Imperial Palace.

"For the time being, rest here. There are…procedures that need to be handled. Of course, your movements won’t be restricted, so you can go anywhere you want.”

And so I found myself lying on a bed large enough for five people, in a room bigger than most living rooms, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"...No, this isn’t right.”

Just because they told me to rest didn’t mean I could literally do nothing.

I still had to find Decay’s corpse in the Abyssal Sea, and I also needed to search for other deep-sea creatures worth devouring while expanding my bestiary.

Still, diving into the Abyssal Sea only an hour after being told to rest felt somewhat disrespectful, so instead I decided to work on the bestiary, pulling out a notebook and pencil.

[...]

Apparently, I had continued descending deeper into the Abyssal Sea, because the deep-sea creatures swimming nearby looked slightly different from before.

After sketching the outlines of the deep-sea creatures for a while, the question I had been thinking about earlier resurfaced.

'...Is escaping really possible?’

I didn’t know.

I didn’t think the process of slowly improving and growing like this was meaningless. After all, it was the reason someone like me, who should have been crushed to death long ago, was still alive.

However, now that surviving had become a little easier, whenever I looked up at my haughty goal, the distance between us felt exactly the same as it had at the beginning.

That wasn’t a reason to give up. If I were the type to choose death just because something was difficult, I would have done so a long time ago.

Still, it was also true that I couldn’t think of a concrete method to get closer to that goal.

Where should I go? What method should I use?

After thinking about it for a long time, I felt a headache creeping in and sighed as I set my pen down.

"Maybe I really should rest…”

I had defeated one of Scarlet Abyss’ Upper Tiers.

They wouldn’t be able to act openly for a while. Just finding a replacement for someone of that rank would take time.

If there was ever a moment to rest, it might be right now. No matter how much I thought about it, I had no idea what I should do next.

At best, I could hope that taking a short break might help me come up with new ideas.

It was already really late. As I walked absentmindedly through the palace hallways, where only guards were still patrolling, I suddenly stopped.

"?"

I had stopped in front of a library. The imperial palace had countless buildings, and thanks to Sharmia, there were especially many rooms dedicated to storybooks.

The reason I stopped here—was because my Tide Sense caught something quite familiar.

Carefully opening the door, I stepped inside the dimly lit room, illuminated only by a single oil lamp. Elisia was lying there with her head buried in a book.

"Snore…Hmm…snore…”

"...Why is she here?”

Even if Elisia was a noble, she shouldn’t be able to wander into the palace freely.

Puzzled, I noticed she had fallen asleep in a rather acrobatic position. I gently lifted her and placed her into a nearby armchair.

While picking up the books scattered on the floor, I grew curious about what she had been reading and checked them one by one.

There were cookbooks, a map of the Empire, and travel guides to famous locations in each region. There were also several history books and even children’s fairy tales.

In other words, they had nothing in common. Just as I thought she had simply been reading whatever caught her interest and was about to finish tidying up…

One of the fairy-tale books caught my eye.

"...”

On the cover was a heroic Knight pointing his sword at an evil demon seated atop a towering spire. That alone was fine, but this title “The First Mage” inevitably drew my attention.

Flipping through it quickly, I found the story was something I already knew. It was a rather brutal fairy tale about the First Mage, depicted almost like a creator figure, heroically defeating Scarlet Abyss.

Why was she reading something like this? Thinking that, I continued reading half-heartedly until I reached the ending and let out a sigh.

[After defeating Scarlet Abyss, the mage slowly began to die from wounds that could not be healed. He traveled to a small mountain village and immersed himself in the pond there.]

[The pond turned red with his blood, but a fairy sleeping within it healed the mage’s wounds.]

[That pond was the Fairy Pond located behind the city of Iavon…]

When I flipped to the back cover, it stated that the book had been printed in Iavon.

Fairy tales like this often had slightly different versions depending on the region. This was probably just local marketing.

Just as I was about to close the book, something rather interesting caught my eye.

[As a sign of gratitude to the fairy of the pond, the mage placed the staff he carried with him before her.]

[That staff grew into a tree, rising higher and higher. Wherever the leaves of the tree touched, everything turned white, comforting the pond that had been stained red.]

"..."

The description was quite similar to the tree I had seen at Scarlet Abyss’ headquarters.

Of course, judging from the rest of the story, it was clearly just marketing. The following pages were filled with nothing but praise about how wonderful Iavon was as a travel destination.

It was probably one of those cases where something added casually for rhyme or storytelling happened to resemble reality.

Honestly, the advertisement itself was what caught my interest the most. The idea that there were warm hot springs where you could relax sounded surprisingly appealing.

"Hmm..."

I didn’t believe in fairy tales.

Still, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to visit once, just to rest.

"Mhm...?"

Maybe the sound of turning the page had been too loud, because Elisia stirred and rubbed her eyes.

She looked at me, standing by the lamp holding the fairy-tale book, with sleepy eyes that slowly widened.

"J-Jern?”

"Long time no see.”

"Are you okay?? You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”

It seemed she knew I had gone somewhere dangerous, because worry was practically written on her face the moment she saw me.

"I’m fine.”

"B-But…your face looks really tired…”

Even though I answered confidently, it seemed I couldn't hide how worn out I looked. After lightly patting my cheeks, I shrugged.

"I’m a little tired. I’m planning to rest for a while.”

After thinking for a moment, I casually asked,

"Do you happen to know a city called Iavon?”

"Yeah!"

Elisia, who answered me immediately, tilted her head before adding,

"...That’s our city!”

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