WETRIED TRANSLATIONS
Wizard of the Abyss
[Translator – Aren]
Chapter 39 - Declaration of War (2)
"Wait, Lady Dercia? Lady Dercia? Erm, huh…?”
The Knight’s desperate knocking soon faded.
It seemed Dercia had cast some sort of sound-dampening spell.
"Is it really okay to just ignore this?”
"Why wouldn’t it be?”
She spoke bluntly, her face not showing a single bit of hesitation.
She seriously seemed to be completely unconcerned about what was going on with the Magic Tower.
A Magic Tower wasn’t just some sort of research space. It was a mage’s home, their workshop, their study, their archive—none of it was so easily possible to do outside of a Magic Tower.
At least, that was how I understood it. So, a wizard’s greatest fear was supposed to be expelled from their Magic Tower…
"I don’t need it. Even if I gathered all the knowledge contained inside the Magic Tower, the difference between that and what I know wouldn’t amount to much. Besides…”
Dercia frowned, looking somewhat displeased.
"That Magic Tower has rotted. They only focus on imitating and refining magic that already exists.”
"Is that a bad thing?”
"Yes. They’re solely obsessed with making perfect magic even more perfect. Perhaps it is necessary work that someone should do, but certainly not an entire Magic Tower. If one walks the path of natural magic, one must study not only flowers but also seeds, the trees, the weeds, and the grain as well. But the Magic Tower pours all its effort into cultivating flowers that simply look beautiful, with the sole purpose of flattering nobles…”
She suddenly went on a rant even though I didn’t ask her to.
I had realized that before, but when it came to magic, Dercia tended to drone on and on.
After talking for quite some time, she finally concluded with a disgusted expression on her face.
"In other words, the Magic Tower today is no different from the one a hundred years ago. The only progress they have made is making aesthetically pleasing magic that might be prettier to look at but with no real value.”
"Did you have a fight with them or something?”
"It’s more that I refuse to get involved with them any further.”
So they fought.
I figured Dercia would handle her own messes, so I didn’t say anything more.
But—the Tower was incredibly persistent.
The next day.
"L-Lady Dercia! The Tower says if you respond to their summons this time, they’ll forgive you for burning all the research data!”
"...Why did you do that?”
"I simply burned my own research. That could hardly be called a crime.”
And the day after that.
"Lady Dercia! The Tower has even decided to drop the matter of you insulting the Tower Master’s research to his face!”
"And why did that happen?”
"He plagiarized my work. I wouldn’t have minded, usually, but since he used it to do one of those ‘refined’ spells I mentioned the other day, I just wanted to make absolutely sure that it wouldn’t happen again.”
"..."
Dercia sipped her coffee as if she had never done anything wrong.
She must have seriously been a nightmare in her younger days. I finally started to understand why other wizards feared or avoided Dercia.
"Still, it’s annoying that they keep sending people every day. It makes it hard to focus on your lessons.”
"My apologies. I know I’m still rather lacking.”
For those three days I had been diligently learning ‘Form’.
However, unlike ‘Purge’ this one was a lot harder. No, its concept was something completely different. I still hadn’t quite grasped it yet.
From what I understood, ‘Form’ was about etching a phenomenon into one's own body.
Even something simple, like the muscle rupture command Dercia had used in training, kept giving me strange results. Sometimes it felt like my muscles were actually relaxing, or as if I was getting a massage.
Dercia encouraged me as if it was nothing.
"It just a matter of time. Since you’ve already experienced it with your body, the moment you find a single clue you’ll immediately grasp it. Rather…”
She stared at my hand for a moment, as if astonished, then gave me a nod of approval.
"Your failures aren’t just failures. They’re closer to progress.”
"What do you mean?”
"It means you’re not just blindly copying what I taught you but are trying to create your own magic."
"Huh? I’ve been doing exactly as you told me, though.”
"It’s like you have the same concept but are going for different solutions. I can clearly see all the creative, if not audacious, experiments you’re attempting. For example, you’re trying to reverse what I taught you to disprove it and see if ‘Form’ can be used to your advantage.”
Dercia smiled, clearly pleased.
"This is what I believe to be your greatest strength. It may take you longer than other wizards to learn spells, and your output might be a bit lacking, but in terms of understanding and utilizing the magic you learned… you are very much unrivaled.”
"So that’s what you meant when you said that there’s a difference between having talent in magic and having talent as a wizard.”
"Not exactly, but yes, that is a fair way to put it.”
So I guess I hit the nail on the head.
As I practiced ‘Form’ under her satisfied gaze, another loud, pounding knock echoed through the library.
"Lady Dercia! We won’t hold you accountable for everything that has happened so far, so please! Even the assault on a member of the Magic Tower…!”
"What’s the reason behind that?”
When I asked her out of pure curiosity, she simply shrugged before replying.
"I just wanted to beat them up.”
What a truly exemplary teacher.
* * *
The next day.
The Knight, exhausted from running back and forth for both sides, had even more to say that wasn’t just about the Magic Tower offering to pardon Dercia for her colorful deeds.
"Lady Dercia! In addition to what I have already mentioned, they have also sent word that they would grant you one request, no matter what it is…”
I had expected her to continue to ignore the guy, but to my surprise, Dercia stood up with a sigh.
My eyes widened at that.
"You’re going?”
"Yes. Even with all their shortcomings, being expelled from the Tower would cause more trouble than it’s worth.”
"No, it’s a lot more surprising that you haven’t been expelled yet.”
How did she not get expelled after all the stuff she had done?
Dercia smirked as she replied.
"The Magic Tower that’s home to a 9-star mage. They value such trivial labels more than anything in the world.”
"Aha."
So they just used her name without her actually ever going there?
"And besides, I was waiting for them to offer something like that.”
"So you had something to gain from the Magic Tower.”
"Didn’t I tell you? There’s nothing to gain from those regressive scum.”
"Then why are you going?”
“Because of you, Jern. You have something to gain from the Tower.”
"...Pardon?"
"The Dark Magic Tower’s name carries quite some weight. If you’re affiliated with it, other wizards won’t look down on you when you introduce yourself. Of course, that’s only a minor benefit. What really matters is that there’s something you could only gain there, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do so.”
Dercia opened the door with a clunk, but instead of the exhausted Knight who had kept pounding on the door—
A bustling market street in the middle of a desert spread before us.
It clearly was a completely different region, far away from the capital. Even though an entirely new space had just connected to a random alley, the people nearby didn’t show any reaction beyond some curious glances.
Following behind Dercia without a hint of hesitation, I soon understood why the people here weren't so surprised about all this.
When I tried spreading my Tide Sense in the area, I sensed some cloaked figures walking by us, to which I frowned.
"There are a lot of high-ranking mages around here. And this place isn’t even near the Academy.”
"I wouldn’t know, but apparently the meaningless label ‘First Magic Tower’ draws in quite a few mages. They're all just peacocks showing off. There’s no need to be afraid of them.”
It wasn’t me who was feeling afraid, but all the wizards in the surroundings that noticed her.
"...? D-Dercia?”
"Why is that elf…? Oh, right, that incident.”
"Tsk, apprentice. Let’s take a month off.”
The crowd parted before Dercia like the Red Sea before Moses. Every single one of their movements showed their intense reluctance to get involved with her.
Of course I wasn’t all that surprised. After learning of Dercia’s eccentricity—no, her crimes—I had to say that their reaction actually was milder than I expected.
The Dark Magic Tower—completely unlike the spires around the Academy—wasn’t actually shaped like a tower.
In fact, it was the complete opposite. It was just an ordinary, old wooden building with five stories.
This was supposed to be the Dark Magic Tower?
"I chose it because they didn’t obsess over appearances. But I didn’t expect that to mean that they were completely unwilling to change…”
Dercia sighed as she shook her head, then opened the front door and stepped inside.
As I was about to follow, the door suddenly slammed shut in my face.
Before I could even start being confused, Dercia ordered me from inside.
"Just wait here for a moment.”
"Yes."
I stepped away from the door so that I wouldn’t be in the way of any of the passersby.
Meanwhile, I watched the numerous wizards coming and going, as if this was some sort of community center.
They were holding large stacks of documents as they rushed about. They talked with each other quite frantically, which I could overhear using my Tide Sense, even with their voices hushed. The content of their conversations was quite unusual.
"You still haven’t finished the analysis?”
"No. I’ve checked multiple times, and all the protective spells were functioning normally. Unless something destroyed them completely…”
"Damn it, what in the world happened…!”
I used to think that wizards were always calm and composed, but apparently they couldn’t afford to be like that in this situation.
After waiting for a few minutes, Dercia finally returned and handed me a cloak.
"It’s a Cloak of Recognition. Think of it as an entry pass. Put it on and you’ll be able to enter.”
"Ah, yes.”
I quickly put it on and followed her inside.
The moment we entered, my eyes narrowed.
The size of the interior—was completely different from what I saw outside.
"Did they expand the space with magic?”
"They did."
If that was true, then they had expanded it a lot.
What had looked like a five-story building now seemed closer to a twenty-story one. By the time we reached the top, everything, including the wallpaper and decorations, was either gray or black.
Dercia looked around and let out a sigh.
"I never thought I'd set foot in this gloomy place again. Let’s finish quickly and leave.”
I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying that this place suited her perfectly.
There was only a single door on the top floor. Dercia simply flung it open, not even bothering to knock.
"…What in the world?”
The people inside, seemingly already having met her, looked quite stunned.
It was a gathering of incredibly old men. Even the youngest looked to be about 80, their skin covered with age spots, yet every single one of them sat upright around the round table, their incredibly vigorous expressions belying their age.
So this was the Council of the Dark Magic Tower.
As Dercia took her seat in this dimly lit room, one of the elders with a long goat-like beard started to frown.
"Good heavens… You can’t just demand a Cloak of Recognition and leave without explanation, Dercia. Would it kill you to explain for once…?”
"My disciple couldn’t enter.”
"...Your disciple?"
All the elder’s eyes focused on me.
They blinked, clearly taken aback, then started to scan me from head to toe.
"You took on a disciple? You?”
"Yes. You must not have heard the news.”
"...Haah, come closer, kid.”
I didn’t move an inch.
As the elders started to look puzzled, Dercia spoke up.
"It’s fine."
"Yes."
Only then did I approach the elder. He then proceeded to examine me closely, only to look disappointed, turning back to Dercia.
"He doesn’t look that exceptional. Surely someone as close to being an Archmage as you should have noticed as well.”
"Just why in the world did you…Hmm?”
Then, the elder suddenly looked back at me, his eyes widened in surprise.
...As expected, the elders of this Magic Tower were able to recognize that I was an Abyss Realm mage.
They covered their mouths and began to exchange uneasy glances before saying something quite odd.
"Would you mind stepping over to stand beside Dercia for a moment?”
"?"
I followed his instructions. When I glanced toward Dercia, wondering what was going on, she seemed just as confused as I was.
The elders then proceeded to mutter among themselves. Stuff like “Hooh…” and “I see…” before finally nodding.
"We could have never imagined that you, aham… would have a son.”
"...I beg your pardon?”
"He’s the spitting image of you. Even the atmosphere around him.”
"Indeed. You share the same gaze, like someone who’s lost interest in everything in the world. The way neither of you ever seems to smile, and that mechanical coolness…”
"So you took him as your disciple even though he’s not that outstanding. It seems like you have a strong attachment to your bloodline.”
It was quite the brutal assessment. Did I really look that much like a corpse?
Dercia, a look of disbelief on her face, immediately denied it.
"There’s no way he could be my biological child, now is there? I took him on because of his talent.”
"He’s not your biological child?”
"No way, he looks so much like you.”
"...Well, think what you like.”
Dercia glanced at me, then continued.
"Before we proceed, let me state my condition. I demand that my disciple become an apprentice of the Dark Magic Tower.”
"...What?!"
The elders jumped to their feet. It seemed that this was an incredibly shocking demand.
"No, that’s impossible! The Dark Magic Tower doesn’t accept anyone without the right qualifications, no matter whether they are noble or even of the Imperial Family! If we start admitting someone with unverified skill, the very foundation of our order will be shaken!”
"Ah, is that so?”
Dercia immediately stood up.
"Then, it seems my help isn’t as necessary as I believed. Please call me again when you’ve made up your mind.”
To be honest, I wasn’t all that sure about what benefit being an apprentice of this Tower would really get me.
However, there had to be a reason that Dercia, who clearly detested this Tower, insisted on my enrollment here.
I followed the unhesitant Dercia out.
The elders, now quite desperate, had a quick discussion and then grabbed her by the sleeve before she could open the door.
"W-wait just a moment.”
"Have you changed your mind?”
"We can’t accept someone unverified. He has to take a test at the very least, okay?”
"Hmm. A test, you say?”
"Show us the boy’s skill. If he can do that, we’ll review his case and consider it positively after that…”
"Jern."
Dercia cut off the elders and issued an order.
"Attack the elder who just spoke with everything you’ve got.”
"Yes."
-Uugh!!
I didn't question it. I immediately planted my feet on the ground and tried to strangle the elder with the strongest water pressure I could muster.
I trusted Dercia. Unless she was trying to turn me into a murderer, there was no way that this Tower’s old monsters would die from my Abyssal magic.
"Krrgh…!”
Even with the robes he was wearing reducing the load a bit, the pressure was still intense enough to make it hard for him to breathe.
But—
"...What is this?”
The elder, whose body should have been crushed easily, remained completely unharmed.
It was hard to even notice that he was affected by the pressure. He wasn’t just calm either. He tried to analyze my skill.
"This isn’t… Telekinesis, is it? Can you all feel it?”
"Hmm. Pressure, I suppose.”
"Quite remarkable… No, is this really a phenomenon a 1-star can produce?”
"Hum… amazing.”
"....Kgh, khugh.”
I kept giving it my all until the very end.
In the end, my vision went yellow, and I collapsed forward.
–Thud
Dercia caught me with her hand.
"Good work."
"Haah, haah…”
As I was gasping for breath, the elders slowly nodded.
"...It seems we have underestimated him because he’s still so young.”
"But still, hmm, yeah."
It seems like those guys didn’t just become elders because they were old.
"As expected from your child. Strange, yet undeniable talent.”
"Fine. With this, I’ll give him my approval.”
...Or maybe not.
As I staggered to my feet, the elders’ expression became quite serious as they continued.
"Then, as compensation, we’ll pardon all your previous offenses and grant this boy the status of a Tower’s apprentice; is that acceptable?”
"That will do.”
"Haah, so we can finally proceed now…”
The elder seated in the center sighed and took out a grimoire.
"Isn’t that the Tome of Heavenly Growth? I haven’t seen it in quite some time.”
"It’s just a copy. The original was stolen.”
"..."
Dercia’s expression changed slightly.
"For now… we can use this to hide the truth. But if they begin to use it, it’ll be discovered that it’s gone. That would be terrible.”
"This item couldn’t possibly be stolen unless the Tower was completely destroyed. But from what I saw, it is still very much intact.”
"...That’s what is so strange. It vanished while the Tower was assaulted. Of course, all our protective spells were still active, but the intruder somehow managed to deactivate every security spell and walked out with it as if nothing happened.”
"How does that make any sense?”
"It’s impossible! That’s why this is a problem…”
The elders sighed and gritted their teeth.
"At first we suspected that there was a traitor among us.”
"I would have come to the same conclusion.”
"So we tried this method—”
The elders opened their robes.
Every one of them had a dagger thrust into their heart. A truly bizarre sight.
"Surprisingly… there was none. We are all innocent.”
"Hmm.”
Dercia snorted and crossed her legs.
"Or all of you were accomplices.”
"Well, you could think that. But if that were the case, we wouldn’t have bothered to summon you, right?”
"What do you want me to do?”
"...Whatever it takes.”
The elders’ voices seemed rather exhausted as they begged her.
"Recover the Tome of Heavenly Growth before the other mages find out. Aside from the reward we will grant your student, we’ll give you anything else you ask for.”
"I don't need anything. Though I think I have a rough idea of what might have happened.”
Dercia stood up, as if she had heard everything she needed to.
"Show me where the Tome of Heavenly Growth was kept.”
"Very well. In the meantime, I’ll take care of your disciple.”
"Jern, choose wisely.”
Leaving those cryptic remarks behind, Dercia exited the room.
One of the elders approached me, his hands clasped behind his back, and then cleared his throat.
"So then—is there anything you want? I will try my best to grant it to you as a member of the Dark Magic Tower.”
It was hard not to feel a bit awkward, given that I had strangled that man with all my might not too long ago.
"I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to choose.”
"You mean your master didn’t tell you?”
"She said she would explain later, but she hasn’t yet.”
"Haah… What a troublesome master you have. Ugh, tsk.”"
Making sure that Dericia was gone, the elder clicked his tongue and shrugged before replying to me.
"Every wizard should have a workshop. We will have one built for you.”
"A workshop?”
I tilted my head, to which the elder nodded, elaborating patiently.
"It’s rare for a mage to stay in a single place to train forever. They travel, seeking new experiences. Apprentices, especially, tend to move almost every week. They can’t just carry around all their materials every time, so they keep their notes and research inside our workshops. Think of it as a portable subspace.”
"...?"
I tilted my head again.
Dercia probably brought me here because she came to the decision that I needed one, but from that explanation, it didn’t seem like something I really needed.
The elder opened a door with a bored expression, leading me down another hall, and added,
"Most likely, Dercia judged that your nature makes a workshop essential to you.”
"My nature?”
"Hm?"
The elder looked at me as if I just asked the most obvious thing in the world, then shrugged lightly.
"You fell into the Abyss Realm, didn’t you?”
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