Wizard of the Abyss - Chapter 30

WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 30 - Growth (5)

The training ground.

Gwallan, who was sitting in a formal posture while wearing his armor, deliberately put on a stern face.

He wanted Linmel to take what he was about to say very seriously.

Facing her, who seemed really puzzled by all of this, he began to speak in a heavy voice.

"My daughter. The time has come for you to choose.”

"Yes, Dad. I’ve already chosen.

"...Wait, I haven’t even said anything. What did you mean you’ve already chosen?”

Linmel blinked her big eyes as if to ask if it wasn’t obvious.

"You’ve been saying since yesterday that we’re low on protein. So I brought a lot of meat ahead of time for us to add to our meals. I even prepared some for Dad’s friends. Should I invite them too? Otherwise there’ll be leftovers.”

"Tha-thank you, ahem.”

Gwallan cleared his throat, clearly feeling embarrassed.

Frugality had always been his creed, so he never even hired a maid or other servants. After eating Linmel’s stew a few times, which she had struggled to learn to make in the orphanage, he came to realize that roasting meat over a fire couldn’t be called cooking.

No wonder he had been kicked out of the kitchen. For the other Knights, it was both a source of laughter and envy alike.

With astonishing talent and vitality, paired with her natural cuteness incomparable to any squire, Linmel was the perfect daughter and apprentice.

It was to the point that even other Knights started to tour all the surrounding orphanages, to stumble upon a lucky find like he had. However, Gwallan forced himself to keep his solemn composure and continued his words.

"...But this time it’s not about that. It’s about your future.”

"My future? I’m going to become a Knight, right?”

"Indeed. But I'm asking what kind of Knight you want to become. You are currently standing at a crossroads. One path leads to you becoming an ordinary Knight, and the other leads you to becoming a Knight of Heavenly Retribution.”

Linmel tilted her head.

"What is that?"

"It’s every Knights dream and nightmare—a Knight who slays other Knights. Their training is completely different from ordinary Knights. While other Knights learn to wield a sword, Knights of Heavenly Retribution learn how to slay a sword itself. Even those said to be highly talented can’t even attempt it.”

"Huh?"

Linmel frowned.

Not because of the supposed difficulty, but because of something else.

"Why would I kill a Knight?”

"...Because not all Knights are virtuous.”

Gwallan didn’t go into further detail.

This truth was still far too cruel for a child her age.

"The Knights of Heavenly Retribution are those punishing corrupted Knights. It’s an honorable position only reserved for the most gifted Knights. While I’d rather see you grow into an ordinary Knight, your talents won’t allow for that. Would you like to give it a try?”

"Hmm..."

She pondered for a moment, then asked a question that completely blindsided Gwallan.

"If Knights of Heavenly Retribution kill Knights, then what do ordinary Knights kill?”

"...Hmm, well."

Gwallan hesitated for a moment before giving her the most fundamental answer.

"At their core, their purpose is to oppose wizards…”

"What??"

Linmel was so startled by that response that she couldn’t help but ask more.

"Knights are supposed to kill wizards???”

"Ah, no. That’s a story of the past. Nowadays all wizards are nobles, so saying that aloud would be quite dangerous. It's just something from a bygone era.”

"I've decided. I’ll go for that Knight of Heavenly Retribution thing.”

"...Are you sure? It's going to be difficult.”

Linmel, her face twisted in disgust, answered firmly.

"Yes."

If Knights were supposed to kill wizards—

Jern, who is one, will definitely hate her.

'...I absolutely can’t let that happen.'

She absolutely didn’t want to be despised by Jern.

* * *

The castle hall.

I sat uncomfortably in a large chamber that seemed to exclusively serve as a dressing room, as some maids busily dressed me up.

"Is all this really necessary?”

"We’ve explained all of this as being due to your injury.”

"Fine then."

I felt like I should just keep my mouth shut in order to not end up saying something strange.

After they finally finished outfitting me, I emerged out of the room wearing pale-blue robes. Aletus glanced at me with a strangely puzzled look.

"Do I look odd?”

"Hmm, I wouldn’t say odd. Perhaps a bit strange."

Wasn’t that practically the same thing? Aletus added to his words, choosing his words carefully.

"We can’t really do anything about those eyes of yours, right? Well, I doubt it’ll pose a problem.”

"...Excuse me?"

"You don’t know?”

I grabbed a hand mirror from a maid and examined my face.

... My eyes were totally unfocused. Deep and hollow, somewhere between eerie and mysterious. Even to me they seemed kind of unsettling.

Of course, they hadn’t always been like this. It probably was one of my burdens or something.

Oh well, as long as I could see clearly, it shouldn’t matter much, so I simply shrugged.

"I guess appearing mysterious is better than seeming common, right?”

"...Indeed. Let us go.”

I wasn’t really all too nervous.

This was supposed to be some sort of award ceremony to commend me for my deeds after all.

I bet it’ll be over after a few slightly solemn words in this formal setting.

—That thought completely vanished as soon as I set foot in the hall.

"Welcome all. It has been three years since we last gathered here like this.”

"...I never thought I’d ever set foot in this place again in my lifetime.”

They looked more like gladiators than nobles.

Rough, burly beasts seated at a round table, glaring at Aletus.

...These were nobles? I really struggled to hide my surprise. They seemed more like Knights than wizards.

"I still haven’t forgotten what happened at the last hunting festival.”

"What a coincidence, neither have I.”

A few nobles tried to start a verbal fight, but Aletus deflected them smoothly, placing me next to himself, who was sitting at the head of the table.

I just stood there awkwardly until a bald noble, the one that looked the most terrifying, got to his feet, his eyes opened wide.

"..."

Veins bulged at his temple as he slowly stomped toward me, his eyes fixed on me.

I barely managed to keep my hands from twitching, ready to strike. The noble got close enough to me that I could feel his breath. He then asked in a rumbling voice:

"Are you… Jern?”

"Yes."

"The one who saved my son?”

"Yes."

Thud!

The floor shook as the noble dropped to his knees.

On the verge of tears, he seized my hand.

"U-ugh..Thank you… If not for you, my Hughins would have been in serious trouble!”

"Ah, you’re Hughins’...”

"Yes, this foolish son of mine hasn’t stopped talking about you since. He swears that you are the greatest wizard he has ever seen… Thank you so very much. I swear I’ll repay this debt, no matter what…!”

"Thank you."

Still feeling quite dumbfounded, I held his rough yet warm hand. Before long, other nobles began to approach me one by one.

"I offer you my deepest respect. For one as young as you, you have accomplished something extraordinary.”

"What is it you desire? I shall heap mountains of gold at your feet!"

They were completely different from what their monstrous appearances might suggest.

Before they were nobles, they were fathers.

It seemed like saving their children’s lives made them so grateful that it transcended social status.

As I listened to all their thanks one by one, Aletus cleared his throat loudly to draw everyone’s attention.

"Ahem, everyone, please listen. Before anything else, I have to tell you something about this boy, Jern.”

"First, explain why you kept Jern detained here!”

"Even if he’s a commoner, he is still a citizen of the Empire. Why was he under your care, Aletus?”

"My next words will serve as that explanation as well. This boy, Jern—in fact, he is Elisia’s tutor.”

"...?"

The nobles looked quite puzzled.

"You all must know my daughter, Elisia, was slow to manifest her magic. I searched everywhere for some kind of solution to this issue, which is when I found Jern at an orphanage.”

He patted my head as he continued.

"It was my first time seeing a natural-born mage. You all must know this old superstition, that natural-born mages are more beloved by mana than ordinary ones, right?”

"So you mean to say that you actually believe in such nonsense?”

"There were just that many rumors. I thought that if I made him her tutor, he might be of help to Elisia. And now look at what he’s accomplished. This world is indeed full of surprises.”

"Huh, so he belonged to your household from the beginning…”

The nobles didn’t raise any particular objections.

They all seemed to have similar questions about my identity and why I had been in that place at all. This neat little explanation seemed to have cleared up all their doubts.

"In that case, I must thank you as well, Aletus. I’ll forget about the matter with the hunting festival."

"Welcome words. However, this is a coincidence akin to a cow killing a mouse by taking a step back. If you want to thank someone, it should be Jern.”

"Of course.”

With all their doubts dispelled, other questions stumbled out of their mouths.

"What magic did you use to save the children?”

"My level is still low, so I can only use elemental magic.”

I decided not to mention that I was a Fallen.

If there was one thing I learned in that last fight, it was that an imbalance of information was the sharpest weapon.

I wanted to keep my fangs hidden.

So I only demonstrated my wind magic, to which the nobles chuckled approvingly.

"Wahaha, quite precise. He’ll make a great wizard one day.”

"Indeed. Ah, though when you channel your mana, you seem to twitch your hand. What might be the reason for that?”

"Hmm, it’s just a habit…”

"This won’t do.”

A plump noble opened his palm and conjured a gust of wind with skill incomparable to mine.

"Now then, do it like this. Just project what you already know will happen… like this.”

"Yes."

Now that I think about it, each noble present here was also an elite mage.

"That’s right. It seems you can implement what you are taught just by hearing it once.”

"Outstanding! If only he had been born with noble blood…”

However, in the midst of this friendly atmosphere filled with the laughter of doting veterans teaching a little newbie, a cold voice echoed through the hall, which froze everyone here in place.

"---But he is still just a commoner.”

"..."

A moment of silence spread through the hall.

The nobles turned to the owner of the voice, frowning in displeasure.

"Rohan, do you have to bring that up now?”

"My apologies for spoiling the mood. I didn’t mean to offend you. Child.”

The noble, Lord Rohan, sitting at the very back, looked very much like the others.

Except for one thing.

His hair was jet black.

I shrugged before replying.

"It’s fine. It simply is a fact. I never intended to overstep. I apologize if my presence here displeases you.”

"Hmmm...."

I wasn’t foolish enough to start a fight with a noble.

Rohan smiled deeply at my polite response.

"Rohan. Even if he’s a commoner, this young man still is the savior of our sons and daughters. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

Aletus, however, raised his voice, to which Rohan simply raised a hand to calm him down.

"I didn’t mean to offend. I just found it a shame.”

"What do you—”

"He has accomplished something so admirable and possesses such prodigious talent but is of lowly blood. As such, his opportunities to learn will be quite limited. If he chooses to walk the path of a wizard, he will always be bound by the restrictions of his birth, no matter how much we support him. Isn’t that right?”

"That still doesn’t explain why you chose this moment to mention this.”

"How sharp. My intent was to offer him a better option.”

"...?"

Aletus frowned, clearly filled with doubts over those words.

Rohan stood up, a smile still on his face, and approached me.

"Jern."

"Yes."

I wasn’t particularly nervous.

What was he going to say? That some lowly brat like you couldn’t have saved the children? That they just escaped on their own and that I was just tricking everyone here?

That I might be a spy from Scarlet Abyss? Or that I was at least somehow connected to them?

No matter what he might accuse me of, I was more than prepared for it. I would be able to answer anything without so much as a single stutter. But what followed…

"Will you become my illegitimate son?”

"...Pardon?"

wasn’t on that list.

As surprise surfaced on my face before I could control my emotions, Rohan began to explain as if he had expected that reaction.

"I assure you, this offer is far more attractive than whatever the other nobles could ever offer. You would be treated as a noble, and if anyone dared to speak of your common birth, they would make an enemy of our house.”

"Wait, uhm, I…”

"The Academy? Of course, you’d be able to attend. I won’t spare any support. That is the only proper way to repay our family’s benefactor, don’t you think?”

It really was the most generous offer imaginable.

Even if it was only as an illegitimate child, was it really fine to accept an unknown orphaned commoner as a member of a noble household?

Looking at the nobles around us, it seemed like it was quite the refreshingly shocking and unconventional offer for them as well.

"Wait, Rohan. Even so, don’t you think this is a little…”

"A little, what? Should we not offer at least this much to our children’s savior? Or are you saying their lives aren’t worth as much?”

"Ahem, that’s not what I meant, just…”

"I don’t particularly care for discriminating against others based on their background. If one can prove their worth to such a degree, they are more than qualified.”

Rohan held out his hand, smiling confidently, as if the thought of rejection didn’t even cross his mind.

"Well then, what do you say, Jern?”

"It’s a great honor, but this is a bit sudden.”

"Haha, no need to hesitate. If you take my hand, you will no longer be Jern, but Jern Rogmaline. That is all there is to it.”

What should I do?

As I rolled some words in my mouth, suddenly—

-Clang!

The doors to the hall burst open.

The first to react to this phenomenon was Aletus.

"Who…Hm, you.”

"Hmm? I thought all the guests were already… Ugh.”

"Ahm……”

The proud nobles desperately tried to avert their eyes.

Not one of them dared to meet the gaze of the woman who had just entered, with heavy dark circles underlining her eyes.

... Wait, why was she here?

"De-Dercia…!”

"What business brings you here!”

Aletus sighed as he provided the others with an explanation.

"...I suppose I should have said it sooner, but this elf has decided to attend this event as well.”

"B-but why?”

"You’re about to hear the reason.”

Dercia casually strode toward me.

Step, step. Her footsteps echoed through the hall as her decadent face stopped right beside mine.

I cleared my throat and asked her,

"What brings you here?”

"...Do the two of you know each other?”

"Yes, well. More than acquaintances, less than teacher and student…”

"Not anymore.”

"Huh?"

Dercia looked toward Rohan, her face slightly sour, then brushed back a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, before declaring,

"I came to collect my disciple.”

"...What?"

"Are you deaf perchance? Jern. This child is my disciple.”

"????"

As the nobles stood there frozen in place, Dercia grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her.

"W-wait a second. Didn’t you say you’d come for me later?”

"I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you turned into some machine that is only to learn preset spells.”

"?"

"Let’s go.”

"No, wait, what do you—”

I was dragged away like a sack of potatoes in front of all those nobles.

The last words I heard were still stuck in my head.

"...Didn’t she refuse to take even the Princess as her disciple?”

"I heard she turned down a whole kingdom as payment—”

-Bang!

The doors shut behind us, but where I found myself wasn’t anywhere inside Aletus’ castle.

It was in the library that I had grown familiar with.

Blinking a few times, I immediately started protesting.

"Excuse me, Lady Dercia. What in the world is going on right now?”

I was utterly dumbfounded, getting dragged away like this when I was supposed to completely squeeze those nobles dry.

Dercia flinched slightly, then sat down in her usual chair, sighing.

"Haah, erm, I apologize. I’ll make sure you get what you’re owed next time.”

"...No, well, there’s nothing really to apologize about."

Accepting her apology actually felt a bit strange.

Aware that she had gone too far, Dercia furrowed her brows as she muttered some excuses.

"Actually, I only planned to stand by and watch, but… I never expected that Rohan guy to make such a suggestion. Knowing you, I figured you might end up accepting.”

"...Well, it was a pretty tempting offer.”

Honestly, if Dercia hadn’t interfered, I might actually have taken that hand.

"You shouldn’t."

"Why not? I could be that guy’s illegitimate son and still be your disciple, right?”

Dercia firmly shook her head.

"The magic nobles teach is agonizingly formulaic. Nothing new, just endless repetition of the old. I do not want you to learn things like that.”

"Ah, is that so?”

I honestly didn't know any of that. In that case, it was the right call to stop all that.

As I nodded, Dercia, still wearing an apologetic look, waved her fingers, making a strange box appear from thin air.

It was wrapped in colorful paper and decorated with a ribbon. It looked oddly familiar.

"I didn’t want to give it to you like this…but this is a gift for you.”

"??"

"It’s an unwritten rule that a teacher, when they are accepting a new disciple, gives them an arcane tool they’ll use for life. This is an arcane tool that I made myself to fit you perfectly.”

"...Thank you."

So she even gave me presents.

I felt any lingering resentment within me subside.

An arcane tool made by a 9-star wizard. I wondered what it could be.

A staff? A mystical crystal orb? A broom?

I opened the box with some anticipation only to find that it was none of the above.

"A pipe…?”

A golden cylinder that looked exactly like a drainpipe.

A plain cylinder with not a hint of decoration.

Still, I didn't feel disappointed. It was something Dercia gave me, right? And an initiation gift, no less.

It would definitely hold some incredible power.

"What is this?”