Wizard of the Deep Sea Chapter 75
TL/ED – Miso
I didn’t know Brimdal had such an intention. I thought he had followed to train me in the Enhanced Mana Body.
But in truth, it was to take me from Dersia.
…No, more than that, since when did he evaluate me so highly?
While I was reading the true intent in confusion, Dersia looked this way with the face of the branch.
[What are you talking about? Is this true?]
“Yes. He is my master.”
[Why did you become a disciple of such a lunatic Dwarf? I understand you were desperate, Jern, but this man is neither a wizard nor a knight. And the kind that renders all his apprentices completely incapacitated.]
“That’s harsh. I broke their spirits, not their bodies.”
“…Didn’t you fall into a sleep-like state because you knew my condition? Though I’m not sure if calling it a sleep state is accurate.”
[I don’t know. What are you saying?]
“My body was breaking. I was told that if I didn’t train in the Enhanced Mana Body, mana would become my enemy.”
[Hmm.]
Dersia tilted her head and answered.
[So that happened.]
“…Ah, yes.”
I felt a slight sense of dissonance in that sentence.
Though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was strange.
[But you can rest assured now. With me here, you can abandon this stopgap measure.]
“A stopgap? Ha!”
Brimdal snorted and locked eyes with Dersia.
“I will forge this kid into the greatest sword. One that can withstand even if he lives in the deepest depths of the ocean.”
[Humans cannot become swords.]
“No, they can. Everything I’ve done proves it.”
Brimdal looked at me and muttered with an expression that still didn’t seem entirely trusting.
“I’ve seen clearly what this kid thinks, where he stands, and what he aims for. Why he takes up the sword. What he is willing to give up.”
No wonder I felt watched recently. I was being observed.
As I quietly listened, a sudden criticism came my way.
“To be honest, he’s not particularly talented. Not that outstanding as a wizard. And his talent as a knight is hopelessly abysmal.”
“?”
“He’s smart, so he must already know that himself. But this kid never once complained. Not even in situations where anyone else would have given up and collapsed.”
[…That’s true.]
Dersia nodded slightly.
“Even if his world went berserk right now and tried to kill its master, he wouldn’t despair or give up. He’d struggle to the end.”
[I agree. Not all Dwarves have knots for eyes.]
“If I can’t break him, I’d like to grind him down instead. I want to see with my own eyes how far his struggle can go.”
Brimdal, who said something similar to Dersia, threw the small shortsword he had been carrying on his back.
It was a small sword only to him; to me, it was a greatsword. I barely caught it and he said with arms crossed,
“Choose. I’m not like the Elf who might abandon you and run away at any moment.”
[I have never run away.]
“Then that’s even worse. An Elf who doesn’t consider this situation as running away?”
“…”
Dersia and Brimdal stared intently at me.
[Are you sane…? So, you think Jern will choose the path of a knight?]
“I have my own thoughts too.”
I looked back and forth between Dersia and Brimdal.
Then drove the sword into the ground.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to choose.”
“What?”
[What did you say?]
“Please don’t look at me like that. I don’t have a choice.”
Feeling wronged, I raised my hands and argued.
“If I don’t learn the Enhanced Mana Body from Brimdal-nim, my body will break and I’ll die. But if I don’t learn magic from Dersia-nim, then even if I learn the Enhanced Mana Body, I’ll die anyway. Choosing one means giving up the other, and I’m not in a position to give up either.”
To be precise, I wasn’t living a life with room to spare.
The plain truth is that unless the world’s greatest wizard and the world’s greatest knight help me at the same time, I won’t be able to last long.
“That’s how it is. I’m sorry.”
“…Tch.”
Brimdal clicked his tongue in regret and stepped back.
“If that’s your will, then it can’t be helped. But those words mean you’ll at least spend half your time learning from me, and that’s how I’ll take it.”
“Yes. If that’s the method that helps me, then I’m all for it.”
To withstand the burden of the deep sea with my body.
It was such nonsense that I didn’t even consider it possible from the start, but Brimdal wouldn’t have said that without some reason.
[…Hmm.]
Dersia seemed moderately satisfied as well and didn’t argue further.
“Then I think it’s time we hear more detailed information. It’s not that I don’t believe you when you say it won’t cause harm, but I am very curious about what kind of method you’re using to make that happen, and why you’re doing it in your hometown of all places. It’s not just me; others are wondering too.”
[…Yes. I should explain.]
She opened her mouth in a slightly lower tone.
[Since you seem not to understand that a stopgap measure is no longer necessary, I’ll have to show you directly.]
“?”
Wasn’t she satisfied?
That’s what I thought, until suddenly, the number of moving objects detected by my current sense increased by hundreds of times.
And they were all coming from the ground.
The ground was disappearing. That’s how it felt.
“What the f- Run!”
“What? No, what is this!”
I hurriedly shouted, but it was already too late.
Crash-! Dozens of furry, living tree roots burst out from the earth and bound me.
“…Tch, damn pointy-eared freaks can never be trusted!”
Brimdal was quick. In an instant, he unsheathed his sword and cut through the roots binding me, but thousands of branches were already wrapping around even his legs.
“J-Jern-!”
“This crazy…”
Ciel, Azrael, and Linmel too.
They were all wrapped in roots. The strength was just enough not to hurt them, but no matter how they struggled, they couldn’t break free.
Dersia quietly declared as she watched the scene.
[It was going to be over in a week anyway, and I intended to come get you after that, but I guess persuading you with words was impossible.]
“Let Jern go! You crazy old hag, have you gone senile?!”
Linmel lost it. Bound by the roots, I flinched and spoke to Dersia.
“She’s just a child. Please don’t mind what she said. You understand, right?”
[…Yes.]
Her answer was a bit delayed.
The roots, just as they had emerged, plunged back into the ground.
Only with me.
“Jern…!!”
Linmel’s desperate voice gradually faded away.
“Kugh, ptuh, ptooey…!”
“I apologize. Transporting humans is not the intended purpose, after all.”
Spitting out the dirt that had gotten into my mouth, I looked around the pitch-black space.
I couldn’t see anything with my eyes, so I used current sense, and confirmed that I was inside a narrow, long earthen tunnel.
“Where is this… Actually, never mind. We’re under the World Tree, right?”
Brushing off my robe, I stood up and looked straight at Dersia.
To be precise, I scanned her with current sense. It had been a while since I’d seen her, but she hadn’t changed much.
She was just Dersia. Her behavior was insane as always, but that was nothing new.
Though this time, it was a bit extreme.
“Yes. Touching the World Tree was the most convenient way to control the Elves.”
She turned sharply and began walking down the tunnel.
It was a silent signal for me to follow, so I had no choice but to walk after her and check my surroundings.
The texture of the soil, slightly moist. Almost strangely stable, considering it should collapse.
Meaning, if I put my mind to it, I could escape. I didn’t even need to breathe, so digging my way out wouldn’t be an issue.
The problem was… I didn’t think she was going to give me the chance to make up my mind.
Dersia, walking ahead, muttered as usual.
“Jern. I was deeply shocked when I heard what you said.”
“What did I say?”
“That I had no intention of saving you.”
“…Wait, I never said that. That was just some bullshit from Crimson Circle.”
“I know. What matters is that it was true.”
For a moment, I widened my eyes without realizing.
“…What?”
“I didn’t do my best. I’m sure if I had just shifted my perspective slightly, I would’ve seen a way. I’m not that incompetent. So why? Why did I act that way? I couldn’t understand my own actions. I couldn’t accept them. It was clearly a mistake, but the scale and the fault were so great that I simply could not let it go.”
Hmm.
There is something different from usual. She’s talking too much.
“At some point, while I was struggling with it, I realized.”
“Realized what?”
“I was being greedy.”
Dersia, who had stopped in front of a tree root, turned her head and looked at me.
Her face was expressionless, showing no trace of emotion.
“I wanted you to survive while still being yourself. That was overambition.”
The roots split left and right, revealing a massive space.
In the circular chamber, about ten Elves were already unconscious, bound by tree roots. Small roots were embedded in their heads, injecting liquid, and it wasn’t only Elves going through this.
A few humans and beasts were in a similar state.
Thousands of books were scattered across tables, and the ceiling was covered with spell formulas etched in a language only she could understand, resembling a constellation.
“Uh, uhhh…eeeh…”
“Eh, hehe…uhhh…”
I take it all back.
Dersia was by no means in a normal state.
She hadn’t been normal to begin with, but now she was even more insane.
“I understand what you’re thinking. But all of these individuals are unharmed, and they will return to their daily lives with no memory of this, living without any problems.”
“…That’s not the issue here, I think.”
Even I could tell my voice had dropped low.
Dersia surely noticed as well, but didn’t point it out. Instead, she raised a finger.
-Crkkk…
A root pierced through the spell on the ceiling and descended.
It was as thick as my wrist. When Dersia lifted a bowl from somewhere, droplets began to drip from the root, filling the container.
“Ugh, urgh…”
At the same time, one Elf twisted in pain.
Dersia handed the filled bowl to me.
“Look. It’s a world.”
“What?”
I looked at the bowl, wondering what she meant.
I stared into the white liquid, and then, I saw it.
A single star was swimming inside the bowl.
I felt chills all over my body and looked up at Dersia.
“…What is this?”
“You worry too much. I didn’t kill them, I simply took back what I had given.”
Placing the bowl on the desk, Dersia quietly looked at the Elves.
“They were not wizards. So, I personally created worlds and granted it to them myself. What I’ve extracted is simply what I had given them.”
She said it lightly, but it was unimaginable how many trials she must have conducted to manifest something so close to a miracle. Even for a 9-Star, that couldn’t have been an easy task.
“Why would you do something like this?”
“In my battle with Decay, that being, I experienced a strange phenomenon.”
Dersia slowly took out more bowls, each containing a world.
“I felt my thoughts slowing down, and my limbs freezing. The Great World can project its Inner World into the Material Realm and allow all beings within it to experience the Burden.”
“…”
Even while listening to her, I couldn’t grasp what her goal was.
As I listened, I began using current sense to explore this labyrinthine tunnel. I wasn’t sure if it was necessary, but I felt I should at least check for an escape route.
“Do you understand what this means?”
“You’re telling me to extract my world and hand it over to someone else?”
“As if. Do you really think it’s possible to extract another person’s world in liquid form? These worlds exist only because I created them, this is a special case.”
Dersia gently stroked the bowls holding the worlds.
Then poured black liquid from a bottle she pulled from her robes.
Drip, drip… the reaction was violent. The liquefied worlds trembled and convulsed. The orbit of the stars inside began to stagger.
“Jern. My objective is to neutralize your Burden.”
“Neutralize…?”
“It’s simple. For example, if you’re freezing to death under your burdens, someone somewhere in the world, is burning up and dying from the heat should exist.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“You simply need to take on that world’s burdens. Then you’ll return to a normal state.”
“…?”
Dersia declared as if speaking a universal truth.
“Wait, that doesn’t make any sense though?”
I was dumbfounded. Had she gone completely off the rails after sleeping too long?
“If you combine the Burden of burning to death with that of freezing to death, you don’t become normal. You die from burns while frozen. Isn’t that just obvious?”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true. You’re doing well.”
“…”
Ah.
This is a topic I shouldn’t have brought up. I shook my head, erased the thought, and pointed out a different part.
“Alright, let’s say that’s fine. You’ve researched for a long time, so let’s assume that what you’re saying is even remotely possible. Then are you saying you plan to inject that world into me?”
“No. For a wizard who already has a world, it would be nothing but poison.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“…”
Dersia didn’t answer and just looked at me.
As if to say, ‘you already know.’
I shook my head, praying it wasn’t what I thought.
“Master.”
“I’ll need to run several experiments. But to begin with, I’ll have to inject it into a person.”
“Isn’t this exactly what Crimson Circle does?”
“They groped around for a way to survive over centuries. And in the end, they chose that method. Once things reach the extreme, it’s inevitable that similar methods will arise. However, I am far more efficient.”
“This isn’t a question of efficiency.”
“Jern, didn’t you vow that you’d struggle in every possible way to survive?”
“Yes. I did. But if I had wanted that kind of method, I would’ve put on the red necklace and gone to Crimson Circle a long time ago. My struggle isn’t about grabbing people and dragging them down with me.”
I’m not a saint. Absolutely not.
One day, I might end up consuming someone else’s life just to stay alive. Maybe I’m only able to have such ‘noble’ thoughts now because I’m not cornered yet.
But, this isn’t just about sacrifice someone.
“This isn’t just killing someone. You’re throwing them into a hell just like mine. Unlike me, who had no reason, you’re giving them a fucked-up reason like ‘to save me’. You’re giving them a life more miserable than death.”
It was the first time I’d protested against Dersia so fiercely.
Maybe it was because Ren’s face flashed through my mind.
“I don’t want to lose to my world. I absolutely refuse to. So I also don’t want to become a world that crushes someone else.”
I looked her straight in the eyes and clearly expressed my refusal.
“…”
Dersia quietly looked at me, then closed her eyes.
“I see. So you weren’t struggling just to survive, were you.”
“…You understand.”
As expected of Dersia. At her core, she wasn’t so different from me.
As I was feeling a warmth in my chest.
“But I still need to carry out the research. It’s probably the only way to save you.”
“No, Dersia. Are you seriously going senile-”
Before I could finish my sentence, roots wrapped around me and pinned me to the wall.
They handled me gently, so it didn’t hurt. But I couldn’t open my mouth.
I looked up with an expression that said, Are you seriously doing this?
“Jern, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“You may hate me. But refusing to reach for the most obvious solution, that’s not how I live. Let all the blame come after you’ve recovered.”
With those words, Dersia walked out.
The ground rumbled with heavy thuds, apparently, even she couldn’t ignore the fact that Brimdal wouldn’t stay put without some kind of preparation.
“Huu…”
Letting out a sigh with a root stuck in my mouth, I looked around.
Most of the space was touched by currents and pressure, but even so, there was nothing I could really do.
The root binding me was too sturdy to break free from.
Same for the other Elves bound here. From the start, Dersia, who knew me, wouldn’t have designed this with a way to escape using abyss magic.
Now then, what should I do?
If things keep going this way, Dersia is going to become a murderer.
I couldn’t let a teacher like the sky above me become a criminal. I had to escape, bring her to her senses, and convince her again.
“She’s really a terrifyingly scary woman… to think she was hiding that kind of intention.”
Just then.
One of the Elves that had been bound suddenly shook their head and regained consciousness.
“?”
“Ugh, what is this? What’s stuck in my head?”
The Elf, seeing the tree root embedded in their head, grimaced and took a deep breath.
-Crack!
Their body instantly shrank like they were in a starved state, allowing them to slip free of the root.
It was a deeply unpleasant sight. Like they’d become a withered corpse.
That Elf creaked toward me and stopped in front of where I was bound, then smiled in satisfaction.
“So, kid. Do you still feel you don’t need my help?”
“…”
As I looked at that disgusting smile, I realized something.
…Why Brimdal had been so wary of shamans.