Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

Brimdal’s cabin.

I did my best to soothe Elysia, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

“Uwaaa… uwaaaah…”

“…I’m sorry. She gets extremely anxious when she’s at the mansion…”

“This much is fine.”

“Wueuuaek…”

Elysia buried her face in her knees and mumbled something, but I couldn’t make out a single word. As I gently stroked her head, Ruhanin lowered his head with a sorrowful expression.

“Once again, we’ve had to rely on your kindness.”

“I’ve received a lot of help myself. That’s not a problem, but what exactly happened?”

“Well-”

Ruhanin began speaking with difficulty.

“This recent charge of rebellion wasn’t just applied to the family head. Several nobles in the Capital were simultaneously suspected and had their residences searched.”

I’d heard it earlier, but it was still a ridiculous notion.

I narrowed my brow and asked again.

“Is that even possible?”

“If it’s rebellion, then yes. But no matter how powerful the royal family may be, they can’t suppress so many nobles at once. Still, since the word rebellion has been raised, it’s best to keep our heads down and wait for the storm to pass rather than stir things up needlessly.”

“Hmmm. I had a feeling.”

“It’s a fair suspicion. But it isn’t the case. I can say this on my honor. There are few people as loyal to the Empire and His Majesty as the family head.”

Several nobles in the Capital had been placed under house arrest on charges of rebellion.

There was no evidence, and they were innocent, but the word itself carried such weight that even if they were being wronged, the proper course of action was to remain at home and comply with the investigation for now… That was the judgment Alletus seemed to have made.

A wise decision, fitting of a seasoned noble. I tapped the table lightly and asked.

“Is there any commonality among the nobles accused of rebellion?”

“None. Other than being nobles, not at all.”

“Any close ties or relationships?”

“Some of the families are even at odds with each other, yet they’re facing the same charges.”

“Hmmm…”

Even if it was the royal family, Lumia wouldn’t have had the power to cause such a catastrophe. She was still too young.

The Emperor didn’t seem like someone who would do this either. Alletus was undoubtedly a loyalist, and accusing him of treason would be like putting handcuffs on one’s right hand.

Then, could it be the First Princess?

I’d never met her, but she had helped expand the Orphanage and had resolved issues concerning the Fallen quite well.

The person who had strangely been so helpful to me?

…Why?

I frowned as I thought about it for a long time.

“I don’t know.”

“Indeed.”

There wasn’t even a visible goal.

Whether it was the Princess or the Emperor behind it, if they had ensnared even nobles loyal to the royal family, there had to be something they were after.

It was difficult to understand why they would target such completely different nobles all at once.

“Is Alletus-nim safe?”

“Yes. It’s just that things are a bit chaotic at the mansion right now as he’s firmly asserting his innocence. So, the young lady…”

Ruhanin trailed off, and Elysia suddenly looked up and clutched my neck with her tear-streaked face. Why was she choking me?

“Je, Jern. Daddy…”

“You don’t have to worry too much. Alletus-nim is an exceptional person. He won’t be shaken by something like this.”

“…Right?”

Elysia’s expression softened slightly, and she let go of her tiny hands. Seizing the moment, Ruhanin declared to me.

“I may not be much, but I will do everything I can. And Sir Brimdal is also here.”

Brimdal, who had been sharpening his sword in the corner, frowned deeply.

“Hey, why am I being roped into this?”

“Out of chivalry, we must protect a child in such circumstances.”

“Chivalry? Ha, there’s only one guideline a knight should follow. Kill whoever you want, whenever you want.”

That heartless comment, treating knights like butchers, had become familiar by now. I explained to the slightly confused Ruhanin.

“Despite what he says, he’ll protect Elysia more diligently than any knight would. This hut is probably safer than a stronghold guarded by a thousand knights, so you can rest easy.”

“That’s reassuring. Thank you truly.”

Ruhanin bowed repeatedly and departed.

Watching him, I quietly sank into my thoughts.

If it were under normal circumstances, no matter how much Elysia trusted me or even with Brimdal around, he wouldn’t have left her in a hut like this. It seemed quite a few nobles had been questioned.

“Jern, I…”

“Yeah. Just get some good rest today.”

Once Ruhanin left and the tension lifted, Elysia fell asleep right away. I laid her on the bed.

Then Brimdal drew his sword.

“Are we doing this here?”

“It won’t be noisy enough to wake her.”

Thanks to the unexpected guest, our schedule had been delayed, but I still had to do what needed to be done.

As I slowly circled around Brimdal, he threw out a question.

“Was this the work of the Crimson Circle?”

“If they were capable of that, all we could do is wash our necks and wait to be executed.”

Nobles had been accused of treason.

If the Crimson Circle could manage that, it meant they were controlling the royal family. If that were possible, there would be no point in resisting. We’d just have to die.

“Is that so.”

Brimdal gave a gruff reply as his sword caught the torchlight and gleamed like a mirror.

“Today, we’ll split it into four rounds.”

“…That’s way too intense.”

Despite my whining, Brimdal replied without the slightest concern.

“Then blame your own growth for it.”

The pressure Brimdal gave off as he stood was overwhelming.

Just standing in front of a knight whose build was at least two and a half times larger than mine, especially with my small frame, was incredibly stressful.

That was exactly what he was aiming for. Brimdal, having revealed his sword, took his stance.

Under the orange glow of the lantern, he placed the sword, then stepped forward.

It flashed.

“Gasp-!”

A slicing sound followed. I twisted my head with such force my neck almost snapped, but still, a few strands of hair were cut.

Had I been even 0.1 seconds slower, or less, my scalp would’ve been sliced off.

Brimdal, who had swung the sword filled with murderous intent, smirked.

“You dodge well. I’ll go 3 times in a row.”

“…”

I clenched my teeth and drew up my current sense.

When he said four rounds, he meant one second.

He would tilt the sword, polished until it gleamed like a mirror, to reflect the torchlight, show the shining blade, and then within 0.25 seconds, the killing strike would come.

For a normal human, reacting would be nearly impossible.

“Make predicting the trajectory into a single motion. Then predict that motion.”

During the 0.25-second flash, I had to include the sword’s movement in my calculations and find the trajectory.

Otherwise, I’d die.

This wasn’t training. Brimdal’s attacks were seriously aiming to kill me without holding back at all.

–Slice! My cheek was cut, and blood trickled down.

I could feel the burning heat. Brimdal, watching me with disdain, once again brought his sword under the lantern.

“Don’t consider your ability as just an ability. If you do, you’ll consciously use it. The act of being conscious is itself a process. When you unknowingly grab hot iron, do you release it because you think, ‘I should let go’? Act first. Think after.”

This was our daily training.

As the level of Enhanced Mana Body training increased, just getting beaten wasn’t enough to maintain the sensation of standing on the edge.

So Brimdal brought something far more certain than any kind of violence. A sense of overwhelming peril that could never be gotten used to.

A dwarf with murderous intent. A psychopath.

It was training I did every day, but each day, I felt the presence of death multiple times.

Because.

“If you die, I’ll just send that young lady back as well.”

“…You really have a sick sense of humor.”

We’d made one promise before starting this training.

He would strike to truly kill, so I couldn’t resent him even if I died.

And I said yes to that. That was my mistake too. I thought it was just a metaphor.

For Elysia’s sake, at least today, I couldn’t afford to die.

I stared at the sword glinting beneath the torchlight.

Again and again.

After about an hour of training, my body was covered in minor wounds.

But I was soaked in sweat to the point where the pain didn’t even register.

But the growth was certain.

“Feels like only my current sense is improving, not my Enhanced Mana Body…”

As I sat in a chair, gasping heavily, Brimdal asked with curiosity.

“Does that grow too?”

“It does.”

“Aw, what a waste. Pearls before swine.”

While I was actually putting my life on the line using it, the precision of my current sense had drastically improved.

It was a world of difference compared to the sluggish progress of Enhanced Mana Body training. Letting out a sigh, I picked up a towel and opened the door of the hut.

“I’m going to wash up.”

“Go ahead. But how long are you planning to keep that kid here?”

“I’ll send her back once this is resolved. It won’t take that long.”

“So, you’ve got something in mind, huh?”

“It’s not that.”

Princess, Emperor. Those were matters far too distant from someone like me right now.

I chewed on the thought bitterly and said,

“…No matter how much I think about it, there just aren’t enough clues. I can’t figure anything out.”

“Is that so? Then let me give you a piece of advice.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t waste time on things you can’t do. Do what you can.”

“…”

That was exactly the kind of advice I expected from Brimdal. I murmured to myself, looking at the sleeping Elysia.

“You’re right.”

For now, there was nothing I could do.

The best I could do was prepare, so that if the opportunity came, I wouldn’t miss it.

That was much better than sitting around dwelling on my own helplessness.

*

It was hard to procure food ingredients at the cabin, so we had to go up to the Capital once a week.

We could just buy preserved goods in bulk and be done with it, but Brimdal had his own strict principles.

“Aren’t you buying too much meat?”

“When you grow up, you’ll be thankful. Training strengthens the mind, but meat builds the body.”

He said that as he loaded nearly 100KG of meat onto the cart.

Of all that, I probably wouldn’t even eat 2KG. Seeing him pack all kinds of alcohol and side dishes too, it looked like this was going to take a while.

“I’ll go take care of something real quick.”

“Go ahead.”

Letting out a deep sigh, I made my way to Dersia’s mansion.

When she woke up, she would surely send news, but I was getting anxious.

She’d been asleep so long, I began wondering if she’d ever wake up again.

This couldn’t be normal. Training the body helped resist the burden, but that was just a temporary measure in the end.

I needed to learn magic.

“Um, Sir Jern?”

“?”

Just as I was walking along, worrying about the future,

A blond boy around my age who had been lingering by the fountain in the plaza spotted me and ran over.

His walk, the sword strapped to his back, and his constant awareness of his surroundings.

He wasn’t quite a knight. A squire, most likely.

Someone who deserved a degree of courtesy. I asked cautiously.

“Yes, who are you?”

“I, uh, I’m Marlton. We fought in the last match.”

“Ah. Sir Marlton!”

“You remembered me. I figured you wouldn’t, since we met for such a short time…” 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“How could I forget someone I crossed swords with?”

Of course, I didn’t remember him at all.

Still, I gave him a friendly smile. He must’ve fought with sincerity and remembered my name, so if I said “Who are you?” it would’ve crushed him.

“What brings you here?”

“Would it be possible for me to borrow a moment of your time?”

“Well…”

I had to go meet Dersia.

As I scratched my head and began to indicate hesitation with a slightly awkward expression,

“Please!”

Marlton bowed his head at a sharp 100-degree angle right in the middle of the street.

“I’ll keep it short! There’s something I really need to talk to you about!”

“Ah, yes… Alright, but please raise your head.”

If he was bowing this low, I couldn’t exactly refuse.

It was probably just a request to teach him some sword techniques. Thinking I could meet Dersia later, I followed the now-cheerful Marlton.

“Yes! This way, please!”

As if there was no time to lose, Marlton led me down an alley and arrived at an open lot.

“I brought him!”

In the open lot, several other squires were sitting around aside from Marlton.

But… they didn’t look all that friendly.

“Well done.”

The biggest one among them stared me down with burning eyes.

I glanced back.

Marlton was now among them, giving me the same hostile look.

Great. Trouble had arrived.

Escaping wasn’t going to be an issue since the area was wide open. The problem was that if this sort of thing kept happening, it would just be exhausting. Letting out a sigh, I decided to try talking first.

“What’s this about? I’m actually busier than you think, so if you could get to the point quickly, I’d appreciate it.”

“Look at you getting all arrogant.”

“Just because you won once, you think you’re some real knight now?”

The squires stepped in closer, surrounding me.

Their ages varied, most looked a year or two older than me, but as squires, they all had massive builds. It felt like I was surrounded by grown men.

“Seems like you have a problem with me.”

“Damn right we do!”

As expected, this was probably about my background.

Honestly, the fact that nothing like this had happened so far was what was strange.

No matter how well someone does, or perhaps especially because they’re doing well, people hate seeing someone of low birth surpass them.

In cases like this, fists tend to speak louder than words.

I sighed and was about to rest my hand on my sword hilt when.

“Choose right now. Are you a wizard or a knight?”

“…?”

The biggest squire pointed at me and shouted.

I had no idea what he was going on about, so I asked again.

“What choice? I’m both.”

“You can’t be both.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s obvious why a wizard would become a knight! Knights are just a refuge for inferior people who couldn’t become wizards, and you joined to step all over us! That’s what it is!”

Hmm.

So it wasn’t my orphan background they hated. They just couldn’t stand the idea of a wizard acting like a knight.

Maybe they had some kind of inferiority complex about wizards.

To guys like that, the idea of a “wizard squire who beats down other knight squires” was something they just couldn’t tolerate.

I frowned and refuted calmly.

“That’s not it. Don’t you think it’s strange to compare superiority and inferiority between knights and wizards in the first place? Their roles are completely different. It’s like comparing a baker to a lawyer just because they both end in ‘-er’.”

“Like hell it’s not! Then why’d you enter the tournament and beat us down?”

“I didn’t even want to participate. And I have no intention of becoming a knight and taking your jobs.”

It was just a kind of performance, to show that the squire trained by Brimdal wasn’t some weakling.

If there was a problem, it was that I hadn’t expected to win the whole thing.

“I won’t be entering again anyway, so don’t worry too much. Can I go now?”

The squire shook his head and held out his hand.

“Hmph, so you say you’re done being a knight? Then hand it over!”

“Hand over what?”

“The reward you got for beating us in that tournament!”

“?”

I hadn’t even known there was a reward.

“What reward?”

“Don’t play dumb! If you really have no intention of becoming a knight, then you don’t need it, right?”

“No, really, I didn’t get anyth… oh.”

Could it be that?

I rummaged through the pocket of my robe and pulled out a ball-shaped rolled-up parchment.

“I did get this certificate saying I won.”

“Whaaaaat…!!!”

The squire’s eyes went wide as he snatched it from my hand and carefully unrolled it like it was some delicate piece of foam art.

“You crazy bastard! How can you treat this like that?!”

“Hurry! Get a heavy book! We need to flatten it!”

The squires scrambled to unroll the certificate together.

Before I knew it, I had become completely irrelevant to them. The way they frantically handled the paper, you’d think they were trying to save someone’s life, not a scrap of parchment.

Watching them pathetically, I looked at Marlton, who looked like he was about to faint, and asked,

“I won the tournament anyway, so what are you going to do with that? What good is a trophy with someone else’s name on it?”

“Y-You idiot?! Then why’d you even enter the tournament in the first place?!”

To dispel suspicion, that’s why.

Marlton turned pale and clutched his head.

“I thought it was just a throwaway tournament that gave out a scrap of paper even if you won and didn’t have an award ceremony.”

“Award ceremony? That certificate gets you a speech of commendation from a royal knight!”

“Oh, I see. A speech. That’s important, of course.”

As expected, it really wasn’t a big deal. When I reacted indifferently, Marlton practically had a seizure.

“Not just any royal knight, I’m talking about the Imperial Guard! Do you have any idea what that means?!”

“I do not.”

“This means I could be recognized as the winning knight by the highest-ranking nobles! Not everyone who gets the certificate joins the Imperial Guard, but every single person in the Imperial Guard has received that certificate!!”

“…”

So, it was about making an impression as a promising rookie in the Imperial Guard.

If that was the case, it made sense that the squires were so desperate.

Of course, needless to say, I had absolutely no intention of joining the Imperial Guard.

Even if they offered it, I’d turn it down. I needed to protect my own life. Why would I protect someone from the Imperial family?

Still.

“Hmmm…”

It felt like I’d stumbled upon a small lead.

I weighed a few things on the scale. Balanced safety against danger.

Eventually, one side tipped and hit the ground.

“It’s done! It’s flat like brand new!”

“Sniff, so beautiful… just beautiful…”

Right at that moment, the squires had finished flattening out the winner’s certificate.

As they basked in their emotional triumph, I approached them.

“Everyone.”

“Ah, Jern. I think we may have misunderstood you.”

Not long ago, they were calling me a lunatic.

Now, wearing saintly expressions, the squires responded with the gentlest smiles.

“To hand over such a precious certificate without asking for anything… you’re not a wizard. You’re a true knight!”

“No. I’m definitely a wizard.”

“O-Oh, really?”

“Yes. And also-”

With a bright smile, I reached out my right hand.

“I’ll be needing that back now.”

They were clearly misunderstanding something, but, I never gave it to them.

I just showed it to them, and they took it on their own.

“That’s mine, after all.”