WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 21 - Rising Above (4)

"Elisia, are you really sure about this?” 

One dark night in the mansion’s garden. 

In a space where not even the butler could enter, Aletus asked his daughter with a worried expression plastered all over his face.

In truth, he already knew what kinds of rumors were making their rounds about Elisia.

If she didn’t attend this event now, those rumors would just gain more credibility, but since the outcome wouldn’t really change whether she attended or not, he preferred the option that wouldn’t leave yet another scar on his daughter’s heart.

But Elisia only shook her head slightly at that and gave him her answer.

"I’m fine. I can’t just keep running away forever, right?”

"Maybe, but still…” 

"And I, erm…”

Elisia tapped her index fingers together, pondering.

'Can I even tell him?' 

That she had found a janitor who could use magic. 

And that she was planning on asking him to help her get through the Regenstone event somehow. 

It was just a brief thought that crossed her mind. It wasn’t even guaranteed that it would work out.

She didn’t want to raise her father’s hopes unnecessarily. 

He had already been disappointed enough. 

"You never know how things go. I might actually be able to use my magic, right?”

"...Yeah, it’s possible. If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”

Seeing how determined Elisia was, Aletus relented.

It was her first field exercise after all, so she must have been very excited to go out with her friends. 

Given how she already received the worst possible inheritance, he didn’t want to take even this small joy from his daughter.

–It was a choice made without knowing that it would be the worst possible one.

* * * 

Thorough preparation always paid off. 

"Open the gate." 

"Huh? You came alone?” 

"Yes." 

The guard, who had treated me like nothing more than a little brat yesterday, was now stiffly bowing to me in greeting.

Thanks to the noble clothes I had brought along with me for exactly this reason. And it turned out it was the best choice I could have made.

"But, erm, weren’t you supposed to come a little later…? Why are you here alone? Who exactly are—” 

The guard seemed to be a bit suspicious.

If it had been before I learned a bit about nobles, I might have been quite flustered. But that wasn’t the case now.

"What are you even talking about? Move aside.”

I frowned and waved him off like an annoying fly. 

Skrrt…! Then I used the current to push the guard a little. 

This was the most definitive way to prove one’s noble blood.

With a face now completely cleared of suspicion, he blinked in slight shock but still blocked my way.

"U-uhm! You haven’t paid the entry fee yet!” 

"..." 

I can’t not pay, since it might leave a trace behind.

Even though I felt that it was a waste, I still paid up for my safety’s sake. Walking through the entry, I was met with a completely empty road, unlike what I had encountered yesterday.

Now with the crowd gone, I finally noticed the many facilities and rides for children to have fun with. This really was like an amusement park. 

"...Is he there?"

I scanned the area near the Regenstone, putting all my strength into my Tide Sense, but that red-haired guy I had come across yesterday was nowhere to be seen. 

He was a pretty impactful character in many ways. Especially those last words he said. 

While… I wasn’t yet certain that he really was an enemy; I should still stay on my guard. 

For now, I just slid back into the burrow I had found and made my preparations.

I hid the hole from view using some leaves, securing minimal visibility, and waited.

"...! ..."

 "....?" 

About an hour later, I could hear some faint voices. 

It was the excited laughter and shouting of children below. Since I heard they would only let nobles in for the next two days, they probably were the Academy students.

They were still out of my Tide Sense range. They were probably touring some other places first before coming to the Regenstone. 

With nothing else to do in the meantime, I decided to just review the things I learned.

In the end, the only thing that I could control in this vast ocean was the currents. 

However, once I figured out how to move them instantly from a distance, this ability’s worth would drastically increase. 

If I could manipulate the currents around a target and press down on them from all sides, I could practically crush them like a grape from far away with nothing stopping me.

Mana? Not needed. 

Power? Practically infinite. 

'...Except that I can’t even use it.’ 

Sadly, while it was very powerful, it was unusable. 

I figured out as much after a few tries. 

Ever since I nearly died in that alleyway, every time I tried to crush something with water pressure, I would have to pay a price.

For example, if I focused my Tide Sense too much, I’d start feeling dizzy and nauseous, as if blood were about to rush out of every orifice.

The price I had to pay every time I tried to utilize the water pressure was a lot simpler and easier to grasp.

The golden rule.

"Why the hell is it like that?” 

Clicking my tongue, I pressed down on a tree close to me using the pressure. 

Crrrrack...The trunk shuddered like paper in the wind, its branches cracking.

And so did I. 

It felt like my entire body was tied up in ropes, pulling tighter and tighter.

"Krgh..." 

I couldn’t even breathe properly before I quickly released the pressure. 

That was the price. 

Whenever I tried to crush something using water pressure, I would also get crushed.

Equal force was applied to both me and my target. 

"The cause is..." 

I felt like I knew why. 

The mechanism behind it is very different from the currents. 

The moment I started compressing rather than just pushing and pulling using the currents, it started to resemble being in this abyssal deep sea, even though it was just some slight water pressure. 

When I press down on something, I feel it, and because I do, I subconsciously accept that this world lies in the abyssal sea. 

Simply put, the instant I crushed someone using pressure, 

'Huh? Why am I fine while they get crushed like that?' 

That question starts to bubble up in me, which leads to backlash. 

At first, I tried blindfolding myself, plugging my ears, and even blocking my nose. I changed my way of thinking in order to trick myself. All sorts of things.

But as long as I could sense my target through Tide Sense, there was no escape from the price.

So in the end, this power was completely useless.

"Still, hmm…” 

I frowned as I pondered over it. 

It was an amazing, ridiculously powerful power, really.

As long as I somehow get rid of that stupid price, the applications for it would be beyond imagination. 

Was there really no way to avoid the cost? 

As I kept thinking about it, I felt something.

"We decided to start a bit earlier this year! This is the Regenstone ritual you’ve all been looking forward to!” 

"Huff, huff… Am I shaking?” 

"Teacher, I’m not feeling so good. Can we do it a bit later maybe??”

Chatter, chatter. 

Even I, who had been eavesdropping on a few children’s classes, was shocked by the sheer number of participants present. 

There seemed to be more than 80 of them. I had no idea there were this many noble children. 

The teacher handled this huge crowd as if it was nothing.

"No need to worry too much, everyone. You all went through your Soul Fever not too long ago and only learned a few elemental spells, right? This isn’t some sort of contest to show off something extraordinary, but a chance to practice what you’ve learned.” 

"B-but… I don’t think I can break the stone…” 

"Ufufu, don’t worry. The Regenstone isn’t an ordinary rock. These types of stones are highly sensitive to magic, so they immediately show a reaction if they are just slightly touched by a spell.”

"Really?" 

"Yes, really. Would you like to try?” 

The hesitant kid raised their hand. 

Not long after, water sprang up from thin air and shot towards the Regenstone.

Ssssshhhh! As the water slightly touched it, it started melting as if hydrochloric acid had been thrown on it.

"Wooow...!" 

"Amazing, isn’t it? It’ll regenerate in a bit, though.” 

"I-I want to try too!” 

"Okay, let’s not rush, everyone gets their turn.” 

Once the kids realized that the Regenstone was a lot easier to damage than they thought, their eyes lit up like lanterns, eager to challenge it. 

The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed than I had expected, if not for the teaching assistant standing close by, writing something into a notebook with a stern expression on their face.

It clearly seemed like they made this exercise seem easy to get everyone to practice so that they could write up a report on their achievements.

It looked like talent among nobles wasn’t something that could be taken lightly, which is understandable, I guess.

"Hmpf, it’s my turn, right?”

"Ah, yes…” 

Then I saw one of the kids, seemingly about to burst with confidence, taking a step forward.

I recognized that face. 

"Hu-Hughins! Burn it to the ground!” 

"If it’s Hughins… that might actually be possible!”

"Found a new nation!” 

They were cheering quite loudly for him. But didn’t that last one kind of sound like they were telling him to start a rebellion…? 

"Just sit there and watch.” 

Hughins confidently raised his fingers and chanted his incantation. 

"Blazing flames, melt down my enemies!!”

... 

Well, that was completely unnecessary. The simpler an incantation, the better.

I guess he’s still just a little kid in the end. Despite that cringey chant, his spell was incredibly strong. 

-Fwssssssh...! 

"Wow, as expected from Hughins!” 

"He really melted it completely!” 

Wrong, but not completely. 

It did melt, but it was just twenty percent of it, which was still a staggering amount.

That magic was stronger than anything the others had shown.

Still, Hughins only clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. 

"Tsk, is that all I amount to?” 

"B-but this is truly incredible. To display such power after just a month…”

"But I couldn’t melt it completely.” 

The fact that he had been seriously aiming to completely melt the rock showed how truly talented he was.

But he seriously had no manners at all. 

"It’s her turn next, right?” 

"...Ah, indeed. Elisia?” 

Hughins went back to his group, smirking at Elisia, who wore an extremely stiff expression, and whispering something under his breath.

It was so quiet that even the surrounding children didn’t seem to have heard it properly.

But he was still in the range of my Tide Sense. 

[Why don’t you just run away crying now? That would spare you from letting everyone know what filthy blood runs through you.] 

...Wow, that couldn’t even be called mean anymore. 

That was straight-up verbal abuse. I could see Elisia clenching her fists tightly even from over here.

The teacher, who was aware of her condition, only cleared their throat nervously.

"Erm, Elisia? If you’re not feeling well, then…” 

What they really meant was… “This is all the mercy I can give you. If you’re going to get exposed either way, let’s at least avoid getting humiliated like that.”

"No, I'll do it.”

But she only shook her head, determination clearly visible on her face. 

She scanned the area as if she were looking for me. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t show myself.

"Whew…” 

Elisia stepped before the Regenstone, taking in a deep breath, and began to concentrate.

It was no time for me to act. 

And I was also a bit curious. 

I had seen enough of the children’s skills to gauge their general level. The average, the lows, the peak.

So where would I be situated?

How far had my desperate struggle for survival taken me during this time?

The Regenstone was supposed to react sensitively to mana, right?

"Uuuuhhmmm…! Hiyah!” 

At that moment, Elisia’s cute cry echoed through the area.

"Cut."

The wind spell I had unleashed slashed at the Regenstone.

-Crrack! 

"Oh… Ooooh!” 

"Waaah!!” 

"H-huh?” 

Even Elisia was shocked that she had apparently done it. 

There was a long, deep scar left on the Regenstone. The result of a single cut made by my wind magic.

"E-Elisia… Amazing! You finally did it!” 

"Thank you…” 

Cheers erupted from all around her. 

However, the shock everyone showed didn’t seem to stem from how powerful the spell was and more from the fact that Elisia had managed to cast it.

My mastery over the wind spell I had just unleashed wasn’t any better than the other children’s. 

However, I didn’t despair over that fact. Considering the distance and the fact that Dercia had told me that I didn’t have any particular talent in magic, these results were actually quite good. No, they were actually better than I had expected.

"This, this is impossible!” 

While Elisia was busy receiving congratulations from various places, Hughins, his face flushed, came storming forward.

"You’ve never been able to use magic even once before, so why can you suddenly do it here? What trick did you use?!” 

"..." 

Elisia, perhaps out of a reflex borne from the constant bullying she suffered from, flinched slightly but quickly straightened up and crossed her arms proudly.

"What do you want from me? I already did it, right? So stop bothering me already!" 

"Then show us your mana circles!” 

"..." 

Elisia froze. 

So that was the problem. 

When he noticed her silence, Hughins immediately pointed his finger and pushed her further into a corner.

"See? You’re not showing it because you’ve got something to hide!” 

"Tha-that’s not true!”

"Then why don’t you show us! Right here and now…”

Well, it wasn’t really such a big problem. 

Doubts could only ever remain as doubts. She had no obligation to prove anything, so she could just ignore him and let this pass.

This situation was more or less over. But right as I let out a sigh of relief, I suddenly saw something strange floating next to my face. 

"...?" 

The abyssal sea was usually devoid of color. 

Just darkness or clear water. 

But at this moment, I could see a red liquid spreading within the sea.

[...??? ? ???] 

The deep-sea fish were stirring. 

I had seen this happen before. It was exactly how they acted when I spilled some of my water into the sea. 

There was a much larger amount of it this time, and the fish didn’t react as much to it, but it was clear that someone’s blood had somehow leaked into the abyss.

"What the hell…?”

Something like that had never happened before. Startled, I sharply rose to my feet to look from where the crimson liquid originated.

I was incredibly confused. The sea itself was being consumed.

To be precise, everything hundreds of meters away had already turned completely red, into a sea of blood.

I could tell at a glance that this spelled danger. 

I immediately increased the range of my Tide Sense to the max.

"-My, I finally found the jewels.” 

I could hear a single voice.

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