Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

I didn’t bother to answer.

As I was organizing my thoughts, the Elder waved his hand dismissively, as if it were nothing important.

“Unless you’ve experienced it directly, you wouldn’t know. Don’t be anxious. If you were involved with the Crimson Circle, your master would never have taken you in. This old man isn’t such a fool that he can’t tell the difference.”

“…Master said that the number of people who could recognize abyss magic is extremely small.”

“Heh, did you think the Elder of the Black Magic Tower wouldn’t be part of that extremely small group? I see our reputation is fading.”

“Ah, I’m a commoner… an orphan at that, so I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

At those words, the Elder, who had been walking, opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“A commoner…? Then you’re a natural-born wizard?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk tsk, it seems you’ve borne all the misfortune of the world in your body alone.”

With a sympathetic expression, the Elder made the sign of the cross and began descending the underground stairs, passing through countless veils.

“…”

Even though I’ve only learned crude things like elemental magic and the Growth, Form, Remove when it comes to general magic… Even so, I could tell that the flow of mana here was abnormal.

The security was incredibly strict. Sticking close to the Elder’s back, we arrived at a bleak little room.

The Elder opened the door. Inside…

There was nothing. Literally, nothing.

It was a square gray box-like room with not even a window.

I asked in confusion.

“Is this my Workshop?”

“You need to choose now.”

“…?”

What is he talking about? As I was wondering, the Elder opened a box next to the door.

Inside were indeed an uncountable number, probably over several thousand, of keys in various forms. The material, the size, the color, they were all different.

“Hmm, what would be good… How about this one?”

After some consideration, the Elder handed me a key made of some unknown blue metal. The moment I grabbed it, I could feel its coldness.

Holding it in my hand, unsure of what to do, the Elder finally seemed to realize something and smacked his head in self-reproach.

“Ah, that’s right! You wouldn’t know if you’re a commoner. Try using that key to open the doorknob.”

“Yes.”

I closed the previously empty door, inserted the key into the doorknob, and turned it.

Click, with that sound, the door opened.

And instead of the gray box, a very spacious room filled with all sorts of tools came into view, including a cauldron, a desk, a makeshift bed, a table, and a bookshelf.

The Elder naturally stepped inside and began explaining.

“This is a Workshop used by those who study Alchemical Magic. It comes equipped with basic necessities. Apprentices who don’t have much to bring usually choose this type of Workshop.”

I followed him in and touched the cauldron. As expected, it was real.

…A slight shiver ran across my skin.

Yes, this is what magic is.

“So this is how it works. Is it unusable in rooms without doorknobs?”

“If the room has the form of an enclosed space and a closed door, you can open the Workshop just by mimicking turning the key in front of it. In places like inns, if you close all the windows, it opens, so that’s how it’s usually used.”

“What happens if someone else opens the door to the room where the Workshop is active?”

“It depends on the settings. If the person who opened the Workshop allows it, the Workshop appears. If not, it’s just a normal room.”

My own space. It has a romantic ring to it.

“Would you like to try opening them one by one?”

“Yes.”

As I opened the Workshops one by one with the key, I came across a very strange place.

Grass was growing from the floor. Not just a few inches, but tall enough to reach my knees.

“What is this?”

“A Workshop doesn’t merely serve as a room. Sometimes, people grow herbs or poisonous plants used in potions like this.”

“Hmm…”

I didn’t expect such variety.

After a brief moment of thought, I asked the Elder with a mindset that there was nothing to lose.

“Then, by any chance, is there a room related to healing?”

“Healing?”

“Yes. A place where, if your body is in pain or sick, you can recover quickly… Is there no such place?”

“Hmm, wait just a moment.”

The Elder handed over a rather pretty key made of white ivory from the box.

“This one isn’t used very often, but you should at least take a look.”

This Workshop, was closer to an infirmary than a Workshop.

A white bed, all sorts of medicine, bandages, and even surgical tools.

It felt like a small hospital combined with a pharmacy. There was even a desk in the middle with tools used for mixing medicine.

On the desk were several books about medicine, bottles, and treatment.

Skimming through the contents, the explanations were so clear that even severe injuries could be treated easily just by following along.

I liked it. I nodded and put the key in my pocket.

“I’ll go with this one.”

“That’s a unique choice. Are you really sure?”

“Yes.”

If I were to use a Workshop.

There was a higher chance I’d use it as a place to escape rather than one to refine magic.

In that case, painkillers would be more useful than a cauldron. It’s simply a matter of efficiency.

The Elder, who was watching my deeply satisfied smile, let out a sigh with a regretful expression.

“What is it?”

“…Does your master abuse you, by any chance?”

“?”

“Think from my point of view. If a ten-year-old boy chooses a Workshop that isn’t for magic but is an infirmary with medicine and surgical tools, what am I supposed to think?”

“…”

“If you’re being abused, tell me. Right now I have no choice but to borrow Dersia’s power, but after that, I’m willing to rescue you.”

“Well, I guess you could say I’m being used as a test subject. But I’m not being abused or tortured or anythi…”

I trailed off as I recalled wandering the library with muscle tears from the Form:.

“…Probably not.”

Unfortunately.

I couldn’t give a definitive answer.

*

Wearing the key as a necklace and heading back up, I found Dersia waiting for me.

“Have you chosen your Workshop?”

“Yes. I picked one that I liked… Should I change it with something else?”

“That will suffice. Our business here is done, so let’s leave as soon as possible.”

“Dersia.”

As Dersia, looking annoyed, tried to open a nearby door, the Elders called out to her with solemn expressions.

“Please take good care of him. And be careful. From what we’ve seen and felt directly, they are not normal.”

“Magic of the Abyss is bizarre by nature. Or did you think those who declared war against the world were sane?”

“No…”

One of the Elders shook his head, cold sweat running down his face.

“That’s… not what I meant. Even for an abyss, there are degrees. But they- they felt a little different.”

“Hmm.”

“Please, don’t be arrogant. It may sound presumptuous, but do it for the sake of your disciple.”

“I’ll handle that myself.”

Dersia curtly opened the door and walked in.

Inside was a library. As I was about to follow, I confirmed that Dersia couldn’t hear, and bowed my head instead.

“Allow me to apologize on her behalf. Master seems to have some unpleasant memories of the Black Magic Tower, so her words come out a bit harshly.”

“…That is partly our fault. Dersia sees us as cowards who chose complacency over progress.”

The Elders sighed and shook their heads.

“However, we are short-lived. Even if we live longer than the average person, that fact doesn’t change. One cannot live their entire life with the ambition of youth.”

“I believe Master chose magic, and you chose the Magic Tower. It’s not a matter of right or wrong.”

Just as I was about to follow her into the library, one of the Elders stopped me with a voice filled with curiosity.

“…You are quite peculiar.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t your master tell you that you’re terminally ill?”

“She did. I also understand that my actions are nothing but flailing, and that the result will be the same, only a more painful death.”

“…If you understand that, then why did you choose to move forward? I find it difficult to understand.”

“Hmm. I could tell you, but…”

After a moment of thought, I shrugged and answered.

“Just as my long-lived master doesn’t understand you short-lived people, you short-lived people probably won’t understand someone like me, who’s practically a mayfly.”

“…”

The Elders, wearing expressions of brief disbelief.

Soon let out hollow laughter and nodded.

“…Hahaha! I see now. That was a foolish question.”

“Now I understand why Dersia took you in as her disciple.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

As I crossed the final door, they greeted me with expressions much gentler than when we first met.

“If you survive, come back again. Next time, we’ll welcome you not just because of Dersia’s request, but as a member of the Magic Tower.”

Thud.

I glanced at the closed door and thought to myself.

They don’t seem like such bad people, after all.

…Could it be that Master is the one with the problem?

Dersia let out a sigh, unfolded a map, marked something on it, and asked,

“Jern.”

“Yes.”

“Did you choose your Workshop well?”

“I picked something that suited me reasonably well. You didn’t say to choose anything specific, so… Was that a mistake?”

“No. That’s enough. What’s important is the fact that you’ve been given a Workshop.”

“…Hmm, I still don’t quite get it… Is there a particular reason I even need a Workshop right now?”

“A wizard needs a Workshop… That’s the surface reason. The real reason is safety.”

“Safety?”

“Yes. This is classified information, but some facts about the Crimson Circle have come to light. At the bottom of the castles they occupied, along with waterlogged corpses, several research documents were found. For reference, every corpse was a natural-born wizard. The number was absurdly high, and investigation showed they all shared similar bloodlines. It seems they created some kind of breeding farm by kidnapping natural-born wizards.”

“What they’re doing is seriously… disgusting.”

“It also means they’ve been preparing for a very long time. But that’s not the important part. The key issue is that the liquid they used to drown the natural-born wizards was seawater, which is difficult to obtain. Why go out of their way to use ocean water?”

“…No way.”

“They are trying to create beings similar to you, Jern. That much is certain.”

The moment I heard Dersia’s firm tone, I recalled what Parse had said.

The Three Evils.

…No idea why they’re trying to create one, but that’s definitely their goal.

“I can’t be by your side forever. And you can’t spend your whole life hiding the fact that you’re born falling in abyss. At least until you build enough strength, it’s better to train your abyss magic within the Workshop. If you’re ever discovered and become a target of the Crimson Circle, you won’t be able to resist.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

I did defeat Parse, but it was a result of luck, leveraging elemental advantage and information disparity.

If those who attacked the Magic Tower started seriously targeting me, I’d be finished. If I step even slightly outside Dersia’s protection, I’ll be in serious danger.

As I fiddled with the key in my chest pocket, Dersia began busily packing her books.

“Where are you going?”

“Now that I’ve received what I needed, I have to take care of what I must do. It’s troublesome, but I’ll be out of town for a few days to retrieve the Tome of Celestial Reformation.”

“A few days? Can’t you just open a gate, teleport, beat up the guy who stole it, and bring it back?”

“The Gate of Myriad Worlds is not omnipotent. I can only travel to locations I’ve personally opened by hand and inscribed the technique into. And Jern, don’t speak like it doesn’t concern you. You’re coming with me.”

“Why?”

“Are you not going to train? You need to learn the Form:.”

“…Can’t I rest for a few days?”

“No.”

I was hoping for at least a bit of rest.

Letting out a sigh, I opened the library door and stepped out.

“Then I’ll go inform them I’m heading out for a while.”

“Be back by dinner.”

“Got it.”

Lately, Elysia’s growth was visible to the eye.

It greatly influenced the way I was treated as her master.

As soon as I arrived at Alletus’s estate, the butler rushed out in a panic to greet me.

“S-Sir! Isn’t today a day without lessons?”

“I just have something to tell Elysia.”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll escort you to the drawing room.”

Sitting in a drawing room far nicer than my own room and sipping tea, Elysia, now looking much healthier than before, came running in.

“Jern! What’s going on today? We don’t have a lesson!”

“Sorry if I interrupted anything. I just came to report something.”

“Mm, no! You didn’t interrupt anything! Actually, I was about to send someone to call you, it worked out perfectly!”

“…Call me? Why?”

Even though there was a seat across from me, Elysia deliberately sat next to me, eyes sparkling as she grabbed my shoulder and shook me.

“Dad said we’re going on a trip! He said you can come too, Jern!”

“When?”

“In two days!”

“Hmm, that overlaps with what I came to say.”

I gently detached myself from Elysia and explained the reason I came.

“I have somewhere to go with Master soon, so I wanted to let you know I won’t be able to hold lessons for a few days.”

“R-Really? That’s too bad…”

Elysia, true to her age, visibly pouted with a disappointed expression.

“If you want, I could go later…”

“No, don’t adjust your plans for me. It’s a family trip, and if I tag along, it’d just be weird. I appreciate the thought, though.”

“Okay…”

“But what’s this all of a sudden? A trip.”

“Ah, don’t be surprised!”

Elysia proudly held out her palm and.

With what she thought was a focused expression, began staring intensely at her hand.

“Hrrrng…!”

It was just like before.

The difference was, nothing had happened last time…

But this time, fwoosh, though small, a spark of flame appeared.

I was genuinely surprised and gave her a round of applause.

“Wow, that’s amazing! You’ve already gotten this far?”

“Ehehe…”

Though she was gasping for breath as if she’d used all her energy just for that, it was definite progress.

It meant she could now cancel her mana-rejecting ability at will.

Elysia beamed and said cheerfully,

“It’s all thanks to you, Jern! Now I can go back to the Academy next semester!”

“You’re the one who worked hard. I didn’t really do that much.”

In truth, I hadn’t taught her magic so much as guided her through things like mind control and meditation.

Because Elysia’s problem was that her Inner World was being dominated by negative thoughts.

“No, if you hadn’t been there, I could never have done it alone.”

“I’m glad I helped, but it wasn’t that much. Next time I come by, about that ability to reject magic…”

I was about to say, let’s try learning how to control it. And if possible, try using it on me.

But Elysia beat me to it.

“Today’s not a lesson day! Anyway, listen to this, do you know where we’re going?! It’s a city in the west called Azelin, and it’s super, super pretty, and you have to make a reservation months in advance, but since people haven’t been traveling lately, we managed to get tickets-”

“…”

I nodded with a bitter smile.

It looked like I was going to be stuck chatting with her until dinner.

*

Bright moonlight.

In a darkness so deep one couldn’t see an inch ahead.

A unit of knights cautiously approached a city glowing with lights.

Once they reached a high ridge overlooking the city, the unit halted and busily began setting up a base.

“Captain, we’ve arrived at the target location.”

“Mm, begin reconnaissance.”

It was a dark night, but the knights’ vision exceeded that of ordinary binoculars. There was no issue in surveying the city.

After observing for a while, the knights shook their heads.

“It doesn’t seem like the Crimson Circle has taken it over. It looks like some kind of festival is happening, people are dancing in the streets even at this hour.”

“Is that so? Then we can switch to an infiltration mission.”

The Knight Commander nodded, then looked around at the unit and gave a firm yet quiet order.

“Listen carefully, things may seem normal now, but don’t let your guard down. Once disguised and inside, observe your surroundings for three days without doing anything rash. Even if you notice something strange, report before you act! Remember, acting alone could cost your comrades their lives!”

“Yes, sir!”

The well-disciplined knights began changing into the clothes they had prepared for disguise.

Their swords and armor were to be smuggled in hidden within the wagons, so they gathered all the equipment in one place.

In the midst of it all, a rookie knight who had been observing the city with a suspicious gaze suddenly covered his own mouth.

“…Huh? Huh??”

“Hey, rookie. Keep it down! Are you trying to blow the mission?”

“S-Sorry, sir. But please, look at that!”

The knight, irritated, glanced at the city once more, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“What are we supposed to be looking at?”

“It’s the movements of the citizens… How should I put this… they’re too bizarre!”

“…What?”

At those words, the knights turned their attention back to the festival.

“…Wait. What is that?”

There was nothing inherently strange about the sight of citizens dancing in a festival.

Children and adults alike were clapping hands with bright, happy expressions, enjoying themselves.

However…

“They’re repeating it…?”

Like a drill.

They were precisely recreating a one-minute dance in reverse order, then dancing it forward again for one minute.

All of the citizens, without exception.

As the knights watched this one grand play unfold, chills ran down their spines.

“This is insane…”

“W-What is this, even…”

This festival was a massive trap, staged for someone.

And that “someone” was likely… them.

Panicked, the knights turned to their commander.

“Commander, I think our mission has been compromised.”

“There’s a traitor on the inside. We need to report this immediately!”

“This can’t be…!”

The shocked knight commander gripped the hilt of his sword, trembling, then suddenly shouted.

“Isn’t this too sloppy!?”

“…? Yes, it is.”

“You useless fools!”

-Slick!

The head of the speaking knight dropped to the ground.

“…Huh?”

The commander’s sword flared with fire.

His expression, once solemn, now twisted with irritation and annoyance, completely unlike before.

“I could’ve had at least a month of safety if I’d tricked these idiots and handed them over properly… Am I really the only one doing his job right?”

“C-Commander…?”

“Get a grip, rookie! That’s not the commander-!”

‘It’ charged at the knights, wielding the commander’s swordsmanship exactly as he would.

“Ugh… Aaaaaaah!”

“Tch… Seriously…”

There was resistance, but it wasn’t enough to fight back.

It didn’t take long for the imposter to butcher every knight while sighing in annoyance.

Once the slaughter was complete, ‘it’ sat atop the corpses, soaked in blood, and let out another sigh.

Tap, clink… The clasps of the armor it wore began to come undone.

The thing impersonating the knight commander began to stretch, grow, multiply…

And soon turned into an enormous, writhing mass of flesh too grotesque to describe with words.

The mass stared into the air and shouted.

“Hey, you bastard. If you can’t even handle that, what the hell are you good for?”

Squirm. The mass split open, and a second mouth formed.

“…You should’ve cut it off before they caught on. You think it’s easy to command that many people? That was my best effort.”

“Ugh… I’m wasting my breath. Now what? As soon as they realize the knights are dead, we’ll be marked as targets.”

“We’ll have to abandon the site. We need to lay low until Void finishes his part.”

“So where do we go once we abandon it?”

“Hmm…”

The second mouth muttered simply, as if picking a picnic spot.

“How about Azelin? That place is pretty.”