WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 64 - Undercurrents (3)

Visiting Dercia’s mansion would have to wait.

Instead, I headed over to Brimdal, who was still loading food supplies into the carriage. Perhaps with his last shred of conscience, he shoved in a crate of cabbages before glancing towards me with some curiosity.

"What? You got into a fight, didn’t you? With whom?”

"...Wait, how did you know?”

"That part of this robe of yours would never wrinkle like that from walking, running, or sitting. If you want to hide that you’ve been fighting, you should straighten your clothes first.”

"Yes."

So that was a thing, huh? Finding this new piece of information quite interesting, I handed him the perfectly flattened certificate.

"This is what I got for winning that apprentice tournament you forced me to enter last time.”

"And?”

"Apparently I can use it to meet the Royal Knights. Is that actually possible?”

"Hmm, it could do that…?”

Brimdal scratched his head, clearly unsure, then quickly frowned.

"But why are you asking? You’re not actually planning to meet them, right?”

"I am.”

"..And why?”

"There’s something I want to ask them.”

Brimdal, having shoved the cabbage crate deeper into the back of the carriage, folded his arms and shook his head with a sour expression.

"I can’t approve that so easily. It’s dangerous.”

"I’m not going there to pick a fight or anything.”

"That’s not the issue here. First of all, if you draw your sword in front of the Royal Knights, you’d be exposed immediately.”

"Why?"

"Because you’re a mage pretending to be a Knight.”

"?"

I tilted my head, wondering what he meant by that, to which he then explained in more detail.

"What kind of swordsmanship have you actually learned?”

"Technically none.”

"Right. From your grip to your stance, everything’s a mess. You might be able to fool people from afar, but the moment you cross blades with a skilled Knight, they’ll see right through you in an instant.”

"Aha."

To be fair, Brimdal only made me do physical training to master Arcane Strengthening. Not swordsmanship.

"That’s why I told you to just show up in a few small tournaments, get some good results, and step away from the spotlight while you still can get away with your poor posture and grip. Like this, you can keep training Arcane Strengthening without drawing any suspicion. Good for you, and good for me.”

"...There were a lot of spectators, though. I doubt that none of them noticed anything.”

"You dodged before your opponents could even swing. It’s simple. As long as you can do that, you’d be able to defeat any Knight in the world with your blade. Anyone who sees that will simply overlook the small mistakes. They’ll just assume you have some slightly bad habits or something.”

But if I walked up to a Royal Knight and drew my sword, they’d notice the moment I moved?

"Second, we might not even get permission.”

"Why not?”

"Even if that certificate really grants you a meeting with them… I’d be the issue.”

"?"

Brimdal spoke proudly without a hint of shame.

"I once picked a pretty big fight with the Royal Knights. So I doubt they’ll agree to meet you, my disciple.”

"If it wasn’t too serious, maybe they forgot?”

"It was a bit serious, though."

"..."

If even Brimdal called it serious—I was afraid to ask what he did. Sighing, I held out the certificate again.

"Understood. Still, just in case. Please submit the request.”

"Fine. But don’t get your hopes up.”

Brimdal accepted the document with a thoroughly annoyed expression.

Then, three days later.

"Hmm."

Brimdal stared at the reply he had received with an uncertain expression.

"What is it?”

"The first princess wishes to meet you.”

"?"

* * *

It was quite easy to find out some things about the first princess.

Almost everyone in the Empire had only praise to say about her, extolling her name.

"Yeah! I saw her once. She was super pretty!”

Even Elisia said stuff like this.

When she first came here she was a complete wreck, but spending all day in the cabin with me, plus playing with her often in exchange for her not watching me while training, seemed to have made her feel better, a smile appearing on her face again.

As I flipped through a book detailing the first princess’ accomplishments—basically a biography—I asked again.

"What else do you remember?”

"Hmm…”

Elisia crossed her arms, deep in thought, then added something.

"She was, like, really pretty!"

"You said that already.”

"But seriously, she’s the prettiest person I’ve ever met… Why do you want to know, though?”

"...No reason. I was just curious.”

Putting aside Elisia’s intel that wasn’t that useful, I focused on the biography again.

After cross-checking every source it cited, I realized one thing.

The first princess was basically a superhuman.

She was only 21 yet had been involved in national affairs from quite a young age and even excelled at them.

She had helped with many projects like the orphanage expansion program and the matter with the Fallen, but in a way, it almost seemed natural that she had.

She was so capable that nothing seemed out of her reach. I wondered whether the Empire’s peace and the public’s generosity were also her doing.

No, it definitely was her doing. She didn’t just frivolously pour the national budget into welfare to gain popularity. She acted rationally with a clear political strategy behind it, reinvesting the profit she made, not using it to merely secure her position, all for the Empire’s wellbeing…

Even I couldn't have done that. And suddenly, I understood why Lumia was so jealous of her.

So that left only one question.

"...Why me?”

I knew that I wouldn’t get the answers I wanted from Knights alone.

And the second princess, Lumia, wouldn’t be of any help to me either. So one could say that part of my goal was to extract some information from the first princess.

So everything had gone exactly as I wanted.

And yet—something felt off about all this.

I guess I would only understand once I got there. The meeting was still three hours away, but to avoid committing lèse-majesté, I should arrive at least two hours early.

"Don’t be nervous. But don’t get too relaxed either.”

"Understood.”

Brimdal dropped me off at the capital, giving me a look that clearly showed that he had no idea what was going on either.

I followed the map drawn on the letter.

It led to a tiny, but not completely secluded, teahouse hidden away in a side street.

Was this really where we were supposed to meet? I sat down at the designated table by the window, tapped my finger on it, and ordered some black tea.

I scanned my surroundings using Tide Sense but couldn’t see any Knights or concealed weapons. No one here was particularly pretty either.

I also scanned the area outside the teahouse, but there was nothing.

...Did I get pranked? I had thought that it was pretty unlikely that the princess would show up somewhere this public without a single Knight as her guard.

"Hello, have you been waiting long?”

As such thoughts crossed my mind, a brown-haired woman casually sat down in front of me.

Unlike what I had expected, she actually seemed quite plain. I bowed politely.

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Your Highness Princess Sharmia.”

I tried to be as discreet as possible. Kicking up too much of a fuss in a crowded place like this would only draw unnecessary attention.

The woman smiled softly and shook her head.

“It seems you misunderstood. I’m not Her Highness.”

"Pardon?"

"I’m just a maid acting on her behalf. I know it’s disappointing, but please understand. Her Highness is currently buried in urgent matters and cannot attend in person.”

"...I see."

Of course, that was only natural.

I should have deduced as much from the fact that the designated meeting spot was this teahouse.

As I was pondering over what more I had missed, the maid suddenly pulled out a letter and handed it to me.

"Her Highness left you this letter instead."

"It is an honor.”

I tucked the letter away, intending to read it later, but the maid quickly shook her head.

"Please read it now. You must.”

"Right. My apologies. I’m unfamiliar with palace etiquette.”

Maybe the maid had to witness me reading it.

I pulled it back out, opened it, and read its contents.

[I’m pleased to meet you, Jern. This is our first time speaking.]

And that was how it started…

And that was all that was written there, actually.

"...?"

No matter how often I checked, I couldn’t find any more text.

It was extremely short, informal, far too informal for a princess, at least, and completely meaningless.

I glanced up, wondering just what this was supposed to mean, but the maid just smiled brightly, waiting for some reaction from me.

So I forced a smile and gave her a reply.

"...A really nice message. Short, but it clearly showed Her Highness Sharmia’s unwavering conviction.”

"Is that so? How wonderful.”

It was pointless to complain to the maid. She was only the messenger.

Since Her Highness wrote the letter in this way, she must have also given the maid enough context. I cleared my throat and asked this one thing that was pretty much beyond my comprehension.

"Then why did Her Highness call for me? I used the certificate because I wished to meet a Knight.”

The maid smiled brightly and, instead of answering, handed me another letter.

"I just read this one, though."

"Yes, I know.”

"...?"

Why did she hand it over now, right when I asked her a question?

Well, the letter did feel a bit too short, so I opened the second letter.

[I understand you wished to meet a Knight, but I have a request to ask you, so I had no choice but to use this method. I apologize that you had to waste your certificate. I will ensure you are compensated properly.]

I could feel my expression slowly hardening.

Losing my former rigid politeness a little, I pressed on.

"Yes, of course, I’d be honored if I can be of help to Her Highness. However, I’m just a weak apprentice Knight. I feel like my means are far too limited to offer much assistance.”

The maid handed me a third letter. I immediately opened it as soon as I received it.

[I do not intend to use you as a Knight, but in your other capacity. Let us say… as a wizard, for both our convenience.]

After reading the contents, I opened my mouth to say something, but the maid had already given me a fourth letter.

"I haven’t said anything yet.”

"Yes, Her Highness instructed me to give this to you before you ask anything.”

"..."

I opened the next letter, my hands slightly trembling now.

This time, what was written there wasn’t a full sentence.

[Yes.]

Just a single word.

Clatter! I immediately shot up from my seat.

"My apologies. It seems like I have mistakenly drunk green tea, to which I have a severe allergy. Still, there’s still some time until symptoms appear. How about calling a doctor while I pass some time at a nearby tavern?”

The maid, still smiling, handed me the fifth letter.

[That is terrible. Even if symptoms are delayed, I highly recommend going to the hospital immediately. And going to a tavern in broad daylight seems rather inappropriate, so how about a cake shop instead?]

-Thud

My legs gave out, making me collapse right back into the chair after I saw its contents.

This was—without a doubt—real.

I checked her bag and every envelope with Tide Sense again and again, but I couldn’t see any tricks that allowed the writing of messages on those letters mid-conversation.

The first princess, Sharmia, was genuinely a prophet.

...I see, so that was how she dominated politics without making even a single mistake from such a young age.

No. I could analyze the situation later.

This situation could mean life or death. This was equal to, if not worse than, being discovered by Scarlet Abyss.

It felt like everything about me was laid bare. Cold sweat rolled down as I clenched my fists.

"It seems there’s a literal god in the Imperial Family.”

[It seems you misunderstand. If I knew every future that might happen in this world, then yes, you could call me a god. But my foresight is a truly fragmented ability. I can only glimpse tiny pieces of a future I specifically choose to look at.]

"..."

I looked up at the maid, pondering.

If she could predict everything I say, then even glimpsing only fragments of the future gave her the power to subtly shape many details.

"How do you possess such power? Forgive my rudeness, but could it be—”

[Occasionally, people like me are born into the Imperial Family. Some say it is the inherited blood of the First Wizard—I don’t really know the details. And no, I haven’t fallen as of yet. Though perhaps I am not far from it.]

It was truly hard to believe for someone to possess such a strange power and yet not be a Fallen.

[And as I said, my ability is truly, truly limited. I can observe the process of a future, but not its outcome. Quite half-baked, isn’t it? I can only try to guide things towards a better process.]

"I don’t really see the difference."

[My apologies. It’s quite hard to explain. Just know this. I have absolutely no intention of harming you.]

That was the answer I most wanted to hear, yet something still felt off.

[I simply strive to achieve the outcome I desire. Reaching out to you is part of that.]

"What do you need from me? I will do whatever I can.”

[I saw several possible futures branching from this moment. I could not see the results, but the paths were all horrifying. I want to prevent that.]

I tore open another portion of the letters.

[There is a traitor among the nobles who doesn’t even realize they are a traitor. Please help me find them.]

After a small pause, the letter continued.

Accompanied by a photo.

[Jern, I do not only know the future.]

"?"

[I also know the past. Perhaps a past that no one but me knows. That is why I chose you..]

"Hmm."

My eyes drifted to the last part of the letter. The photo.

A black-haired toddler, perhaps around 3 years old, being held in someone’s arms.

[I won’t force you.]

I let out a sigh.

If she was a prophet, then she already knew my answer, so what was all that nonsense about not forcing me?

[Thank you!]

By the time I braced myself for what the end of the letter held, I saw the small thank-you note already written there.

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