Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

Fortunately, Piercing Blood didn’t pick a fight with me after that.

“…”

Instead, his wariness grew significantly. He had shared what he had seen with his subordinates, and in the process, I was able to hear some rather interesting things.

[That guy, his World interferes with the mind. He made all the bandits commit suicide.]

[Is that true? If it’s a controlling type of World-]

[What I saw was him manipulating someone’s body from a distance… if he really can control others, then he’s practically invincible. It explains how he completed so many missions without a scratch. He must have controlled other strong ones.]

[Hmm, then aren’t we in danger too?]

[If he could control other Fallen that easily, he would’ve already done it. The problem is, it’s just too unusual. Have any of you ever heard of a World like that?]

[Could it be something like that bastard Lump’s World called Unity?]

[No. Unity is just mimicry. That was more like manipulation.]

[Then… don’t tell me, Puppet… isn’t it? From what you described, Puppet is the only thing that comes to mind.]

[…That’s it! Right, if it’s that, then everything makes sense. It was Puppet!]

[But doesn’t someone in Upper Tier already possess that?]

[There could be two of the same World. Huh, so that’s why he was confident. Since his World already exists in Upper Tier, he believed he could naturally rise up.]

[Maybe he really has a chance of rising to the Upper Tier…]

[We’ll have to see.]

From what they thought was a considerable distance, they couldn’t avoid my Current Sense.

Honestly, who would have expected it? No matter how I think about it, Current Sense is absurdly overpowered.

Listening like a radio while leading the horse, I asked Damyu, who was riding behind me (I had planned to leave her at the smithy because she was too slow, but ended up just putting her on the back).

“Damyu. Do you know of a World called Puppet?”

“Ah, yes. It’s the one Lady Dark Night possesses. She’s a member of the Upper Tier, and usually controls corpses.”

“…”

I frowned. So that was what that Dark Night bastard was doing.

“Have you seen it before?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to see it.”

“?”

Damyu shivered.

“I learned from Lady Dark Night that there are sufferings worse than death. That… I think it goes too far.”

In the tremble I felt from behind, there was fear and revulsion.

This girl had, for better or worse, once acted as a Keeper of Crimson Circle. She must’ve seen all kinds of horrors, and yet even she spoke as if it crossed the line, clearly, it wasn’t a normal World.

Just as I was walking with Current sense, thinking I should urge the horse faster.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly I felt something surging up and clenched my teeth.

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I breathed lightly, waiting for the abdominal pain to subside.

My vision blurred, and ringing in my ears kept repeating.

Only after barely regaining my senses did I realize that the pain from last time had returned, even worse than before.

‘Another one?’

This was different from the previous Current, Deep Sea Creature, Water Pressure… all those.

It was a different kind of Burden that had emerged through the process of enduring over the past year. I still didn’t know exactly what it was.

What on earth could it be? As I was mulling over the symptoms, Piercing Blood approached me and cleared his throat, bringing the horse to a stop.

“Ahem. Halt. We’ve arrived.”

Below the mid-hill slope, the Capital was faintly visible.

It hadn’t even been that long since I left, but I felt a slight wave of nostalgia. As I looked at it, Piercing Blood got off his horse and sat down with the other members.

“Now then, shall we start planning the operation?”

“Didn’t we already have a plan?”

“This is an operation you have to plan. The mission this time is to assassinate the princess’s knight guard… but strictly speaking, it’s nearly impossible.”

“?”

What is this about. I sat down and looked at him, and Piercing Blood replied as if it was nothing.

“This mission has already been removed from the mission list.”

“What?”

“The Upper Tier guys changed their strategy last time. From a full-scale assault on the Empire to more behind-the-scenes work. In other words, this mission to assassinate the princess’s knight guard used to exist, but now it’s no longer an official mission.”

Was that what Decay mentioned last time? That they’d focus all efforts on expanding their forces.

Certainly, most of Crimson Circle’s recent missions had been covert operations, with practically no full-scale assaults.

“Secondly, the princess’s knight guard is absurdly strong.”

“I already knew that.”

“It’s more than you think. The number of Fallen that knight has killed, even by a rough estimate, surpasses triple digits.”

Piercing Blood shook his head as he said that.

“For these reasons, we have no intention of fighting that person. Doing so would only cost me my members. However, we can help you achieve your objective. That’s why we came along.”

“When you say help, what exactly do you mean?”

“We’ll assist in luring the knight out. But we won’t take part in the battle.”

Piercing Blood said this with a friendly smile.

“As I said before, we also need some assurance, don’t we? If we’re to help you rebel against the Upper Tier, you have to show us that you’re powerful enough for us to back. Take revenge on the one who slaughtered our comrades and prove your strength.”

“…”

In the end, that was the gist of it.

Piercing Blood basically didn’t trust me. From the moment he learned I was a lunatic trying to challenge the Upper Tier, he must have decided I was better off dead.

The mission to assassinate Karos wasn’t just randomly picked. They had chosen the knight who was best at killing Fallen in direct combat, intending to use the Kill with a Borrowed Knife stratagem, that’s the story.

I had anticipated this. I nodded and asked again.

“Got it. But I want a clear answer to one thing.”

“What is it?”

“What do I have to do against that knight to pass your test?”

“Hmm, well…”

Piercing Blood pretended to think, then nodded.

“If you can make her retreat, I’ll acknowledge it and fully support your rise to the Upper Tier.”

From that answer, I realized.

This guy, he knows Karos.

He set that condition because he knows Karos would never retreat.

But I smiled and nodded.

“Is that so? Then it’s an easy task.”

“That confidence of yours is nice to see.”

With smiles, we hid our true intentions from each other.

To assassinate someone from the Upper Tier, Piercing Blood’s help was essential. Damyu was too clueless to be of any use, and Piercing Blood, having lived a long life, knew far more than the other members.

Right now, he’s trying to kill me, but when the time comes, he’ll change his mind.

Once he realizes that I really might be able to reach the Upper Tier.

“Now then, what’s the plan?”

“Hmm, alright…”

After thinking for a bit, I looked around the surrounding forest and nodded.

“Hide and wait here.”

“Alright, and then?”

“I’ll drag Karos out and beat her to death right in front of you.”

“…?”

“That’s all. If I don’t return in three days, assume I’m dead and head back.”

“W-Wait. What did you just say?”

I didn’t listen to the rest.

Because I had a lot to do in the Capital.

*

While I was gone, the Capital had changed a lot.

“Halt. State your ID, purpose of visit, and duration of stay.”

“…”

It didn’t used to be this much of a hassle to get in.

Of course, I had prepared for this.

“This is… I-I beg your pardon!”

The guard stiffened at once upon seeing the badge I presented and bowed his head deeply.

The Imperial Envoy status granted by the princess was proving useful in a place like this. It was worth Dersia grumbling that it would be a big problem if discovered while still carrying it in her mouth for me.

As soon as I entered the Capital, I headed straight for the Library, a familiar path.

Along the way, guards stood every ten meters with weapons drawn, watching over passersby. The citizens, however, walked around like it was nothing new.

This was… how should I put it? Surveillance at nearly wartime levels.

– Thump, thump, thump!

“I’m coming in.”

I entered the Library and habitually took off my mask.

I fully expected Dersia to be waiting inside.

But to my surprise, someone I couldn’t have imagined was there.

“…”

An old man with a full head of white hair sat quietly at the librarian’s desk, reading a book.

First, I was surprised by his massive frame. His face was full of wrinkles, and his body was a monster that easily exceeded 2 meters in height no matter how conservatively estimated.

Next, I noticed the attire decorated with patterns familiar from the Imperial family, and the oppressive aura unique to those who stand above others.

Lastly, when those intelligent green eyes looked at me, I was so bewildered that I instinctively knelt.

There were enough clues to deduce his identity.

“Jern Aspandil, messenger of Her Highness Sharmia, greets Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“…So you’re Jern.”

“Yes.”

A heavy, weighty voice echoed through the library.

It was my first time seeing the true ruler of this nation.

But I wasn’t that surprised. Nor was I nervous.

If Sharmia had been present, I would have been far more shocked and tense. But the Emperor had no prophetic powers or fanaticism, he was just the Emperor. To be honest, his daughter was far more frightening.

Most of his power had already been handed over. Calling him a puppet now wouldn’t be far off. Of course, even that puppet’s authority could easily kill someone like me, but from the moment the Emperor was alone in a place like this library, it was already beyond belief.

The purpose was clear. He was here to meet me.

“…”

The Emperor, silently stared at me for a while.

Still.

“?”

For nearly five minutes. The Emperor didn’t say a word.

An uncomfortable silence filled the space. I couldn’t dare to speak first.

As he continued to look down at me like that, the Emperor suddenly turned a ring he was wearing.

–Beep. In the next moment, I was the only one left in the library.

“…What was that.”

I stood up on my numb knees and approached the seat the Emperor had been in.

Was I hallucinating? No, it had definitely been a real event.

Could it have been something else impersonating the Emperor? I looked at the title of the book the impersonator had been reading.

[Imperial Etiquette Manual.]

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t a book that should be in the library.

Did he mark a page to deliver a message…? I skimmed through it a few times, but there were no folded pages.

Even after reading it, there wasn’t anything else. It was just dry, heavy content about etiquette.

What the hell was that? As I stood there baffled, clunk, the door of the library opened.

“It’s been a while, Jern. In this body, that is.”

“Ah, Master.”

Dersia hadn’t changed at all.

Still wore her usual sullen expression, dark circles like she hadn’t slept, and a languid tone.

But she seemed a little annoyed this time.

“Where on earth have you been?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I confirmed you entered the Capital, but then you suddenly disappeared.”

“?”

“I searched for quite a while, then suddenly detected a reaction here in the library. Did you perhaps discover a new way to use the Deep Sea?”

“No, actually… just now, I was with someone impersonating the Emperor.”

“What are you talking about now?”

Dersia tilted her head as if she truly couldn’t grasp the situation.

I had no way to explain it either, and as I hesitated, she sighed and came closer, grabbing my arm.

“We’ll talk about the details later. For now, dealing with that Burden is the top priority.”

“Ah, yes.”

Led by her, I was taken to the basement of the mansion, strapped to some kind of surgical table. Hearing the sound of metal grinding, I tried to suppress my anxiety and spoke up.

“I’ll say this while I still can, I’ve agreed to assassinate another member of the Upper Tier with people from the Lower Tier.”

“They accepted that proposal?”

“No. They told me to beat Sir Karos to a pulp in front of their eyes. They clearly see me as a dangerous lunatic who’s a threat to them, but since they couldn’t predict my full strength, they probably intend for Karos to kill me.”

“Hm, and you plan to turn that around to your advantage.”

“Yes.”

I nodded in affirmation.

“If I actually pull it off, their thinking will change. They won’t want to go up against someone who easily defeats Karos, and I seem like someone they can reason with, above all, what they fear most is an uncontrollable Upper Tier member cutting off the production of the World-Sealing Pill and toppling the kingdom they built.”

“If production begins again, we could use that to our benefit… go on.”

“Yes… urk.”

Dersia suddenly stuck a fist-sized syringe into my arm.

I winced slightly and continued speaking.

“My goal is firm, and this is a chance to reach into the Upper Tier. Once I prove myself, I’m sure they’ll help me. They won’t lend me strength directly, but in my current state, even indirect support is something I desperately need.”

From the moment I realized I had to kill the Upper Tier members, I never once imagined I could accomplish it alone.

In the end, I couldn’t even kill Lump completely. The idea of handling other Upper Tier members by myself was impossible.

The Lower Tier, Dersia, and the Empire, all of their combined power would barely be enough to grasp at a lead.

“The plan is perfect. The only potential issue is whether Sir Karos can act well enough. If she gets angry and kills me mid-way, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I see. I understand what you’re trying to do. Leave the pressure on the princess to me.”

“I don’t really know, though. Now that we’re at it, I have to ask, what exactly are you doing to me right now?”

As Dersia began lifting the scalpel through telekinesis, I couldn’t help but ask.

The moment she suddenly brought me to the basement and strapped me to the operating table, what prevented me from resisting was my trust in my mentor.

But the curiosity in her eyes, the spark of a mage eager to apply what she’s learned, was unmistakable, and seeing that made it impossible to just accept this quietly.

And to be honest, I don’t have unlimited trust in Dersia. It’s limited at best, and most of that was depleted during the elf incident last time.

“As I’ve told you before, this is a simple procedure to prevent your body from freezing.”

“Yes, but could you please explain what exactly the procedure is?”

“Jern, I’ve decided to slightly alter your physical structure.”

“Why do you get to decide that, Master? Isn’t this my body?”

Without a word, Dersia unfurled a long scroll, revealing a detailed anatomical diagram.

“It’s not just about preventing you from freezing. Your body is currently being overworked by constant exposure to water pressure, cold, and various other Burdens. Simply inserting a heat-generating device to resist the cold is a one-dimensional solution, it would only further consume your lifespan and body.”

Then she opened the next scroll.

“That’s why I’ve decided a very light, non-invasive procedure that enhances your ability to counter cold and water pressure is the most natural and least harmful method. Do you understand?”

“…”

The internal diagram on the scroll was quite different from the previous anatomical one.

Honestly, I don’t have much choice. Even if it’s a light Burden, it’s still one that could kill me, so I have to suppress it.

In the end, I reluctantly nodded.

“Ah, alright… Then at least give me anesthesia.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not.”

“A lot has changed in just a week. There’s a lot to tell you. If I put you under, the whole day would be wasted. There won’t be any pain, so just listen during the procedure.”

“…”

“Very well. First, I’ll begin by explaining the current understanding of Fallen.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

If she weren’t so famous, maybe Dersia would have been more suited than me for infiltrating Crimson Circle.