Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

To be honest.

Brimdal was fully aware that he was a lunatic.

“All life is born, consumes its time, and dies. Those pointy-eared bastards are no different. Were we born only to die?”

“What matters is what you leave behind. The weapons you forge won’t disappear, so make a masterpiece!”

“…”

Create a legendary sword, so you won’t be forgotten.

Other dwarves chose that path.

But in Brimdal’s eyes, throwing yourself into molten lava to make such tools was the height of foolishness.

In the end, it’s still just a weapon. If it’s not used, you’ll never know its worth, and if it’s left in a warehouse, it loses its meaning.

Still, unable to find another path, he ended up forging swords like the others.

Then one day, he saw a human knight.

A complete fool who dared to barge into a dwarven cave and cause a commotion just to steal a legendary sword. He was beaten nearly to death and thrown into prison.

But Brimdal saw another possibility and went to visit the imprisoned man.

“Hey, human. How did you deflect the hammer I threw? That little body of yours shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“…? Anyone can do that with enough training, can’t they?”

He received an answer as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

After pondering for a long time, Brimdal locked himself away in his forge.

A whole month passed before he opened the door.

“Brimdal, what kind of weapon have you made… wait, are you insane?!”

“Huhhh…!”

The other dwarves were horrified, assuming he had shut himself in to forge a magnificent sword.

Brimdal had shaved off his beard completely.

“You, you…?”

“My friends, I don’t think I’m very interested in making swords. Instead, I’ll try making something else.”

“W-What did you say?”

“No matter how I look at it, things that can’t shine on their own have no value.”

“What nonsense is that?!”

“If I’m going to strike something, I want it to have life. I want to see the potential in something that breathes, not in mere steel.”

Brimdal confidently declared this and became the shame of the dwarves as he left for the Capital of the Empire.

About 100 years later.

After crippling 1,300 trainees.

He created the Empire’s greatest knight.

…And after that, he crippled 2,000 more.

But it wasn’t failure without reason.

Brimdal had learned a lot.

The limits of human willpower.

The minimum amount of hammering required for forging.

How to prevent breaking. How to prevent shattering.

He gave form to the vague concept of talent.

That’s why he understood to some extent. This hunk of stone was not fit for forging.

It would break easily. At best, it was a stone blade.

“Get up. Just getting closer to death isn’t enough. Make your body feel the need to gain a new sense!”

“Yes.”

“Cross the line of death, grip your sword! Never forget that there’s something in front of you trying to kill you. Don’t give up the will to survive!”

“Yes.”

“Don’t even dream of healing. You must feel the sensation of death even more deeply. It’s almost over, your breath is stopping, don’t stop thinking that.”

“Yes. I’ve understood everything, so you don’t have to keep talking.”

“…”

Training ground.

Brimdal looked strangely at the small boy struggling to lift a sword bigger than his own body.

His head was torn and bleeding, his whole body bruised, unable to even stand properly. He supported himself with his bones and dragged the sword, glaring at Brimdal.

Even with one eye closed due to the flowing blood, his aim was precise.

At Brimdal’s neck.

There was no killing intent in it. No anger either. Yet Brimdal instinctively rubbed his neck.

The will in those calm eyes had caused that reaction.

“…Hmm, at least you’ve got some guts.”

He should have broken long ago, by all expectations.

No matter how much training he’d had, a child is still a child. When death approaches, no matter how firmly you’ve set your goal, you tend to forget it.

Because it was a natural process, it was essential to repeatedly get used to it so that he wouldn’t forget it even while trembling.

In that regard, he was already at a completed level.

It was unfortunate for Brimdal. It meant the boy wouldn’t give up after just a day or two.

‘Come to think of it…’

He had endured inside the Great Realm for nearly a year.

His talent should have been far too lacking, and with that level, even facing death once a day wouldn’t be enough.

Which meant, every time he experienced it, he had undergone this same process with intense depth.

To not give up in the face of truly imminent death, and to strive to survive, fiercely, without rest.

What kind of situation had it been? Brimdal briefly pondered, then shook his head and gave a command.

“Attack as well. If you have the will, expressing it is also important.”

“Understood.”

Jern put down the sword.

Then, with his fists clenched, he charged forward and kicked Brimdal in the stomach.

Stunned, Brimdal asked.

“Why are you throwing away the sword?”

“I didn’t come here to learn swordsmanship. I came to learn the Enhanced Mana Body.”

“…”

He was so confident that it made Brimdal feel as if he had said something wrong.

‘At the very least, he won’t give up after a day or two.’

Brimdal sighed and brought the hammer down again.

Bang!

“What is this?”

“Medicine and bandages. Apply them.”

“Will this actually heal me? I mean, will I recover the same as before?”

“Of course not. It’ll hurt quite a bit, and you’ll have trouble moving.”

“Then what about tomorrow’s training?”

“It’ll go better. Because it’ll be easier to feel death.”

“…”

Brimdal watched Jern’s face twist and hoped the boy would say something he wanted to hear.

But seeing him apply the medicine and wrap the bandages, Brimdal was disappointed.

It meant this bothersome process would drag on a little more than a week.

“From now on, I’ll add lacerations. Understand more by watching your own blood flow. I’ll tell you in advance, from this training onward, you could die.”

In truth, he would control the amount of bleeding, so that wouldn’t happen.

Jern frowned and muttered.

“Are you going to do this crap to Linmel too?”

“If it’s that girl, she probably realized something during yesterday’s training.”

“Hm, true.”

After calmly nodding, Jern was torn apart before he could even scream.

That evening, Brimdal looked down at the blood-soaked Jern and asked, just in case.

“Are you thinking of giving up?”

“…Not yet.”

“Tsk.”

That meant the training would now stretch to two weeks.

By the third week.

“…Ah.”

“What is it?”

“I can see the flow.”

Cut, slashed, stabbed… Scar over wound, then scar again. Now closer to a living corpse than a human, Jern mumbled in a completely different tone than before as he looked up at the sky.

“Amazing. I can see the direction the ocean currents will move. Even if currents suddenly rush in, I’ll be able to avoid them.”

“…What nonsense are you spouting?”

Brimdal assumed Jern had lost his mind from the relentless training.

Until he saw him grasp and clutch something.

“I can… catch it now. Without even having to realize it.”

“…”

Brimdal saw Jern let go of what he had grasped and was certain.

It was the reaction typical of someone at the beginning stage of the Enhanced Mana Body.

Slow to learn, but… quick to acquire.

‘This is…’

Jern licked his split lips and smiled.

“Now things are finally getting interesting.”

Watching that horrifying smile, Brimdal realized he had been completely wrong.

This training, at the very least.

Would not end with that boy breaking.

“…Come here.”

“Yes.”

In the end, it was Brimdal who gave up, not Jern.

*

The advice from Crimson Circle was accurate.

I really had been in a situation where I could’ve died.

“…”

The dining table with bedding laid out to use as a bed in the cabin.

Lying on top of it, I waved my arms weakly through the air.

I can see the overall flow of the ocean currents. I have to focus to see it, and if I blink, it disappears.

“Interesting.”

I can sense the danger.

This was the true nature of the “seawater I swallowed” to replenish my mana. To put it metaphorically, I was chugging gasoline and using it as fuel.

So then…

That’s enough. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stood up.

It was about time for Brimdal’s lesson to begin. The first few weeks had been painful, but now it was fun.

I think being a knight suits me better than being a wizard. The feeling of moving my body and learning something through action is really satisfying.

The pain doesn’t get any easier, though. Hearing the door rattle open, I hopped down from my spot.

“You’re here. What are we doing today?”

“Rest today.”

“…?”

What was that supposed to mean?

I tilted my head in confusion. Brimdal, wearing a disgruntled expression, put on his coat and grabbed some swords from the storage.

“An old comrade called me. I have to go to the Capital for a while.”

“Hmm. Then can I come along too?”

“I don’t mind, but why?”

“There’s someone I’d like to check in on.”

I thought it would be good to ask Ciel if Dersia had woken up.

As I climbed into Brimdal’s carriage, I asked just in case.

“Is there no way to train on the way?”

“…Do you think training is that simple? I can strike you with just enough terror and pressure that you come close to death without actually dying. No one else can do that. It’s not something any other fool would even try.”

“So this method of throwing someone to the edge is unique to you, Brimdal-nim? What about other knights?”

“They just train nonstop until death comes for them. It’s a slow and foolish method.”

“…”

Even the knights’ method sounded awful.

Though it still couldn’t compare to Brimdal.

We rode for several hours and finally arrived in the Capital.

Though it had only been a few weeks, many things had changed already. First of all, the movement of people had increased more than expected.

And everyone was headed somewhere.

I asked with a puzzled face.

“Where is everyone going?”

“Hmm…”

Brimdal thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“Well, you’ve been stuck in training without seeing the state of the world, so I guess you wouldn’t know. Better to see it for yourself than explain it.”

“…Huh?”

What’s he talking about?

“Follow me.”

I followed Brimdal, who began walking with long strides, toward the center of the Capital.

There, five ordinary-looking children were being led away in handcuffs.

They were literally being escorted. They only had handcuffs on, but all the knights around them had drawn their swords. They looked ready to strike at the slightest movement.

“Who are they…”

I was about to ask in confusion.

But after scanning them with Current Sense, I realized something, and my expression hardened.

Wizards, but something felt off.

Brimdal, speaking as if checking whether I had noticed, said calmly,

“Hmm, so Fallens can recognize each other. They’re your friends. Their fate is to live in isolation for the rest of their lives in some countryside village.”

“That’s quite the cruel way to put it.”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

The ones being taken away were all wizards who had fallen into the Abyss.

Judging by their ages, it was more like it happened to them rather than them doing it willingly, but the reaction from the people around them was far from kind.

Everyone was either clicking their tongues or watching with smug satisfaction, so I tilted my head.

“Are they part of the Crimson Circle too?”

“No. Those ones are probably innocent victims that Crimson Circle pushed into falling.”

“…Then what did they do wrong?”

“They fell.”

“Ahh.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, people’s attitudes toward the Fallen weren’t good even before the Crimson Circle. My master told me that a hundred years ago, if someone was Fallen, they’d just kill them on the spot.”

“It couldn’t be helped. Their death is certain, and in exchange, they gain sudden, immense power they can’t even handle. What, you think we should leave those kinds of people alone? It’s tragic, yes, but knowing what must be done is separate from feeling pity. Do you have anything to say to that?”

There was nothing wrong with Brimdal’s words.

The Fallen are dangerous. Even without considering their potential to join the Crimson Circle, they are ticking time bombs.

Eliminate them the moment they appear. That’s what a proper nation should do for its people, and of course, it was something they had to do.

So I shook my head.

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you still alive?”

“You really hate me, don’t you.”

Even after several weeks of enduring the grind, it seemed I still didn’t sit well with the insane dwarf who judged humans like raw gemstones.

“Hmph. Finish whatever you have to do by 3 in the afternoon and be at the carriage. If you’re late, I’ll leave you behind.”

“Yes.”

Having arrived early in the morning, there was plenty of time.

Since there was not even a trace of a mentor-student bond between us, I turned to leave without saying goodbye, intending to go about my business. But Brimdal called out, sounding mildly annoyed.

“…Also, stop for a moment.”

He pointed toward the front of the cavalry escorting the prisoners.

“Do you see that knight?”

“Yes.”

Black armor, sharp eyes, a gaze flashing with killing intent.

Altogether, he looked far more dangerous than the other knights.

“He’s part of a newly established unit created to capture and eliminate the Fallen. They always wear black armor, so don’t get caught by them. I have no intention of shielding you.”

“He looks way more terrifying than the other knights.”

“Of course. They’re all Heaven’s Judgement Knights. If you run into them, you’ll be spending quite a long time with your friends.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Do that.”

Brimdal finished his warning and turned around abruptly, as if his business was done.

I stood for a moment, watching the line of people no, prisoners.

It was horrific, but compared to before, this was somewhat more humane. Previously, Alletus had said that, from the Empire’s standpoint, it was policy to immediately execute any wizard found to be fallen in Abyss.

The fact that they weren’t doing that now, maybe Alletus had pulled some strings? I was thinking along those lines when murmurs from nearby caught my attention.

“My little sister died in the city because of scum like them…!”

“Tsk, lifetime isolation? Why not just kill them already?”

“I heard the Princess intervened…”

“…Ahem.”

The Princess?

Lumia? Or her sister?

It seemed more likely to be the sister. Based on Lumia’s personality, she struck me as someone who lived off her own pride, with no reason to go out of her way to save the Fallen.

I’d never met her before, but she kept helping me. That was what I was thinking when.

My eyes met those of a Heaven’s Judgement Knight escorting the prisoners.

That fierce gaze locked onto me. Not anyone else, me.

I didn’t want to draw attention at a time like this. Acting like any other child my age, I bounced around and waved my hands wildly.

“…Hmph.”

The knight scoffed and looked away.

It works everytime.