Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

“You’ve won the bet. Congratulations.”

“…”

Rohimdal, who had been staring at the arena, hung his head low upon hearing Dersia’s congratulations.

He couldn’t even tell what kind of expression he was making right now.

“Just… how did he do it?”

Veins bulged on his hand gripping the head.

The Princess’s talent was real. Not fake gold certified by bloodline, but something so beautiful that any wizard would covet it.

However, the content of the match was utterly miserable. In the eyes of Rohimdal, a high-ranking wizard, everything was visible. The Princess went all out, and that disciple received it.

…Even though he didn’t have to.

Had he used that mysterious magic right at the beginning, the Princess would likely have been killed instantly.

The only reason he didn’t must have been his master’s order.

Even this bet had been nothing more than a play unfolding on her palm.

“Telling you that wasn’t part of the conditions.”

Dersia spoke flatly.

As if it were far more precious than some secret to reaching 8-Star.

Rohimdal lowered his head even further and let out a boiling voice.

“…I don’t need it.”

“Hmm, are you certain?”

“You knew I would say this. Please stop tormenting this old man any longer.”

Pride.

Even though he was a 7-Star wizard, and despite knowing he could never win, the only reason he challenged a 9-Star and picked a fight.

That collapsed so thoroughly it lost all meaning. If he accepted that secret, he would never be able to recover again.

Dersia furrowed her brow as if dumbfounded.

She had expected that decision. It was something else that puzzled her.

‘…Old man?’

She didn’t really care about things like self-loathing or inferiority complexes, but hearing someone call themselves an old man right in front of her- it was, somehow, just absurd.

Still… perhaps it’s fitting for a wizard who reached 7-Star on that inferiority complex alone.

He must have a tremendous desire to reach 8-Star, yet the way he declined didn’t look so bad.

Dersia gave a small smile, nodded slightly, and stepped back.

“In that case, I’ll respect your decision.”

“Wait-”

Rohimdal’s urgent voice called out to Dersia, who was heading to the stands to praise her student.

“What is it?”

“J-just tell me one thing.”

Rohimdal looked at Jern in the arena.

Wizards are beings who are made to seek answers when they encounter the incomprehensible.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep without an answer.

“Where on earth did you find that disciple?”

“…Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, Dersia answered as if it were nothing.

“I picked him up from the sea.”

“…?”

It was unfortunate for Rohimdal,

But that was all she could say.

After Dersia disappeared, Rohimdal let out a deep sigh and looked for the Princess.

“Princess Lumia.”

“…Ah, Ro-Rohimdal…”

Lumia, who had come up to the terrace, looked around with a tremble that was almost a spasm.

“Der-Dersia? Where is she?”

“She left. You need not worry.”

“…Whew, no, that’s not what I meant-”

Rohimdal had never seen the Princess like this before.

She was always confident, never losing her momentum no matter who she faced, now she looked like a puppy meeting a tiger.

“…What is that? Just- what is that thing and where did it come from…??”

Watching her trembling pupils, Rohimdal understood her feelings a hundred times over.

That child, not even the same age as the Princess- no, much younger than her, danced lightly above every known perception of magic.

It wasn’t simply about being strong.

He was the same. Witnessing an incomprehensible existence had made the Princess like this.

He wanted to relieve her anxiety, but he could only relay what he had been told.

“Dersia said she picked him up from the sea.”

“…? What does that even mean?”

“I… would like to know as well.”

Maybe it really was time to retire.

That thought kept creeping into his mind.

*

“It’s been a while since this…”

As soon as I returned to the waiting room, I stopped, feeling the floor ripple beneath me.

When I lightly waved my arm, I could distinctly feel the sensation of slicing through water.

It didn’t last long. After a few waves, the feeling shifted back to being in the air, but such a vivid sensation of “being underwater” hadn’t occurred since the time I bled heavily from my nose.

It felt like holding back had made the reaction even more sensitive upon returning.

More importantly, a new burden had appeared.

“Ah, aah. Mmm. Oh.”

After testing it out by speaking directly and throwing an empty water bottle on the floor nearby.

The sound echoed slightly. It had a muffled, resonating quality.

How fascinating. It felt like making sounds inside a bathroom.

But this probably wouldn’t cause any issues. Of course, I can’t say for sure, but even if it worsens, it would likely just feel like talking underwater.

Compared to other things, wasn’t that nothing?

As I was thinking that, I heard the door to the waiting room open.

“Ah, Master.”

“…?”

Dersia, who looked like she was about to say something, stopped and tilted her head curiously.

“Say that again.”

“Master.”

“It’s gotten a bit worse.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Your voice is different.”

“…Wait, you can hear this?”

Apparently, this echoing voice also sounded that way to others.

This was the first burden I had that affected other people. Or rather, it was more accurate to say it was the first burden others could perceive.

“A normal person wouldn’t notice. However, given my race.”

Dersia perked up her ears. I had forgotten, she was an Elf.

“What about the other burdens?”

“They’re intense. It’s cold, my vision narrows even more, and it crashes down harder.”

“Then, how do you feel?”

“…The best.”

I reached out into the air.

Maybe it felt that way because I had held it in and then released it.

But it definitely felt like I had regained my freedom.

“Something like… this seems possible too.”

–Click.

Opening and closing my hand, I grabbed the water bottle placed on the floor from a distance.

The combination of currents, water pressure, and the extremely heightened current sense all came together like a finely tuned clock, delivering the sensation as if I had really grasped it with my hand.

I let out a small laugh and answered.

“It works. It really feels like I’m holding it.”

“Shall we test it?”

“How?”

Dersia extended her hand.

“Try grabbing this from where you are.”

“Um, okay.”

I grabbed Dersia’s hand.

The sensation of her cool skin was transmitted. For the hand of an Archmage, it was quite small, nearly no different from mine.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes. I can feel an invisible hand grabbing mine. It’s cold and… something about it is unpleasant.”

“…”

“Then, would you like to try grabbing the inside?”

“The… inside?”

“Yes.”

Dersia said something bizarre.

“Imagine grabbing the inside of the skin, the flesh inside the hand.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“I wouldn’t know. But you might.”

“It’s not my fault if you get hurt.”

I attempted to pierce through Dersia’s skin and touch the bone.

But nothing really changed. It was too absurd, so I gave up. Then, Dersia touched her own hand and muttered. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Looks like that’s still too difficult.”

“Difficult or not, I don’t think that’s even possible.”

“I’ve seen a certain abyss wizard actually do it. Perhaps, Jern, you might be able to someday as well.”

“…Ah, right. By the way, what should I do about this voice? If it gets worse, won’t people find out?”

“As I said, unless someone has extremely sensitive hearing, they won’t notice. And information about abyss wizards is still very scarce. If it’s only enough to deduce from your voice, there are maybe two people in the Empire who could do that, myself included.”

“Is that so…”

“Don’t worry too much. You’re progressing at a fast enough pace. If you can maintain your breathing even while being burned, fainting won’t kill you. You could say you’ve already achieved your goal.”

“I gave the Princess a bit of a scare. I figured that’s what you wanted. Did you perhaps expect that?”

Dersia smiled lightly and opened the door connected to the library.

“I assumed that if you participated in the match, she would pick a fight in some way.”

“Ah, so you had prepared for it?”

“No. I didn’t do anything.”

“?”

“Whatever the Princess tried, I didn’t believe it would work on you. That was simply my judgment.”

I followed Dersia with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

If I think of it as her having trusted me, I’m grateful, but…

…Isn’t that just being irresponsible?

*

A few days after returning to the library, I spent some time confirming my new ability.

“Deep Fusion, let’s call it that.”

“Melting into? A bit creepy, but it fits.”

Dersia named the new ability I had obtained as such.

Combining current sense, water pressure, and ocean currents to create something akin to telekinesis.

To be honest, it felt more curious than useful, so I wasn’t sure it even needed a proper name.

Can’t I just grab with currents and sense with current sense?

“Deep Fusion is the first high-level magic you’ve created. It’s not something to treat lightly.”

“…Wait, is it that significant?”

High-level magic refers to spells that can only be learned by 3-Star wizards or higher. This light combination didn’t seem like something that deserved that label.

Dersia replied as if it were obvious.

“The mechanism is the same. It’s the act of combining multiple lower-tier spells to create a higher-tier one. The precision, too. There’s no doubt it’s the most advanced of all Deep Sea magic you’ve developed so far.”

“I… don’t really think it’s that difficult.”

“That’s natural. Have you never been amazed by how even the smallest spider can spin a delicate web in any situation? Before you are a human, you are a lifeform of the Deep Sea. You must not forget that.”

“I see. Then I’d better train it even more.”

As I used Deep Fusion to organize the books nearby, Dersia stopped me with telekinesis.

“You mustn’t. Ocean currents, water pressure, current sense, training all three at once would be overwhelming. The burden’s speed would increase exponentially.”

“But I’ve almost finished learning Remove:. I should be able to endure it to some extent now, right?”

“That’s a temporary fix. To begin with, Remove: alone isn’t enough to withstand the Deep Sea. That’s not even what it was meant for.”

“…Why not?”

After placing the book back on the shelf, Dersia calmly explained.

“Remove: is resistance based on your own lived experiences. In the end, it still has to be endured by a human body. Even with Body Reinforcement Art making you sturdier, a ten-year-old body can only withstand so much. For example, if you were thrown into lava, you’d die before you could heal, so you wouldn’t even gain the experience.”

“The Deep Sea is harsher than lava, so Remove: alone wouldn’t be enough… That’s what you’re saying. Hmm, sounds less useful than I thought.”

Maybe with water pressure, I could build up Remove: slowly.

As I thought about that, Dersia continued.

“That’s why Form: exists.”

“…You mean that horrible torture technique?”

“Think carefully. What could you do with that torture method?”

“Well, first, like you did, Master, I could cast it on someone…”

“That can’t be done with Form: alone.”

“Hmm…”

While thinking, a terrible idea came to mind.

“…Don’t tell me. You use it to surpass the human body’s limits?”

“Correct. With Form:, you can generate experiences too intense for the body to normally endure, without actually damaging it. Without Form:, Remove: is just a weaker version of a knight’s enhanced body. And Form: without Remove: can’t be more than torture. They’re steps that complement each other.”

“Sorry for interrupting, but this really sounds like an incredibly brutish method.”

Wasn’t magic training supposed to be something refined? Like learning from magic tomes, reading, writing, and discussing theory?

No, at the very least, shouldn’t it be unacceptable for training to involve torturing oneself? When I voiced that doubt, Dersia shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s a blind spot. In truth, the technique of Form: was originally perceived less as magic and more as a magical self-harm ritual practiced by a few obscure tribes. That was until a certain wizard, who saw its potential, added Growth: to both Form: and Remove: to complete it. After that, even the old geezers of that stubborn Magic Tower’s Elder Council had no choice but to acknowledge it.”

“What’s Growth:?”

“I’ll tell you once you’ve learned everything.”

“…”

There was no choice.

Well, it’s all for the sake of growth anyway. I let out a sigh and stood up, only for Dersia to glare at me.

“So, when are you sending her back?”

“Soon.”

I roughly ruffled Elysia’s head, who was dozing off beside me.

“Wake up. Come on, get up. Hey.”

“Mm… just a little longer…”

Lately, I’d been working hard in my role as Elysia’s teacher.

Even while attending Dersia’s lectures, I kept her with me to make the most of our time, but perhaps the content had been a bit too difficult for a child to understand.

Dersia, watching her with disdain, furrowed her brows.

“So… how’s that insane plan to raise a wizard who rejects magic coming along?”

“It’s going well. Just look at this.”

I quickly showed off. I conjured wind magic beside Elysia.

“How’s that? It works, right?”

“What exactly is working?”

“When Elysia’s not in her right mind like this, she can use magic.”

“She couldn’t before?”

“Right. And now, even when she’s conscious, in certain situations, she can control it. It seems to show more clearly during happy moments. Last time, when she ate some chocolate from a fancy cake shop, there was no sense of restriction at all.”

“Honestly, I don’t think the Deep Sea is such a pathetic world that it can be resolved with something like that.”

“At least I think if I raise her well, the Burden can be reduced, what do you think about that?”

“…I don’t have much knowledge about the Deep Sea myself, so I can’t give you a definitive answer. The possibility itself… of it being helpful does exist.”

“That’s good enough for me.”

I grabbed and shook Elysia’s silky silver hair as I smiled.

Even the smallest possibility was fine. If it could help, if I could reach it with my hands, I would.

Because I had decided to live that way.

…But seriously, she’s not waking up even with all this. I was trying to block her nose to cut off her breathing when someone began pounding on the library door.

“Dersia-nim! There’s a report!”

“Tsk, this is a library. No manners at all.”

“…”

Is that something someone who’s privatized the library should be saying?

Dersia, opening the door like it was her own house, asked while looking at the knight who was panting like his heart might burst.

“What is it?”

“The M-Magic Tower!”

“…What about the Magic Tower?”

“It was attacked! The Elders are dead! It’s an emergency, and a summons has been issued for you, Dersia-nim!”

“Which Magic Tower?”

“Eh? O-of course, the Black Magic Tower you belong to- now’s not the time for this! A dragon covered in giant masses of flesh from who knows where-”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a while.”

–Bang!

With a cold smile, Dersia shut the door.

“Let’s just continue the lesson.”

…No matter what, that was going too far.

*

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