Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

That way of speaking, it was undoubtedly Azrael.

He staggered over and frowned as he looked at the roots wrapped around me.

“Tsk, tsk. She’s really modified everything. This is going to be tough.”

[Can you do such things to all Elves?]

Could it be that all Elves are actually Azrael, and he’s simply divided his personality among them? With that question in mind, I used Undercurrent to write the words on his back.

Azrael let out a hum and gave a half-confirming response.

“Then do you think they would’ve tried to burn me? If I plant an egg in their brain, I can borrow their bodies like this. Though, well… I did plant it in most of them.”

[You’ve truly lost your mind.]

“The one who’s really lost it is the one who just left. A liquefied world? I mean, I’ve heard she’s doing well in the human world, but… to that degree, it’s like she’s just barely stepped into the domain of gods. Tsk…!”

He pulled on the roots with all his strength. The Elf he possessed, or perhaps hijacked, looked like he had a decent build, but he couldn’t tear them off.

“Phew, this is difficult.”

[…How about trying something more fitting for a shaman?]

“Don’t confuse shamanism with magic. Without any materials or proper preparation, I can’t even lift a single leaf.”

I swallowed the urge to say he was useless.

Honestly, just seeing this scene showed how ridiculously versatile shamanism was.

If you plant an egg, you can hijack a body from long distance?

And even if you can do it, actually doing it is another matter entirely.

Does this shaman have no sense of guilt?

“What’s with that look? Didn’t you see them trying to burn me? They’re really dumb. I can’t just leave them without any safeguards.”

[No, I’m just genuinely impressed. You’d do anything for the preservation of your species. If the World Tree really exists, it must be you.]

“My, my. That’s some sarcasm.”

After trying for quite a while, Azrael finally sighed and shook his head.

“This is beyond my power. I’ll switch.”

“…?”

What is he talking about? I was still thinking that when.

Suddenly, Azrael’s presence changed entirely.

He blinked his eyes, then looked at me and widened them as if surprised.

“Jern?”

[Isn’t this Azrael?]

“It’s Ciel. So this is what it feels like. I’d heard the explanation, but…”

No way.

He can make others possess too?

Shamans are truly terrifying beings. As I silently reeled in shock, Ciel, who had been touching the roots with a serious gaze, suddenly began to stretch.

“The situation is urgent. Sir Brimdal is trying various methods to rescue you, but since Master is serious, it’s hard to predict the outcome. It seems best to escape first and then plan the next step.”

[Yes. I talked to Master, but she’s not exactly in his right mind.]

“-No. That’s not it.”

Ciel shook her head with a troubled expression.

“I was wrong. Forget what I said before I came here.”

[What do you mean by that?]

“Sia, Master is in her right mind. Very clearly.”

[?]

What is she talking about?

Dersia was definitely acting differently than usual. She’d gone pretty insane. No, just plain crazy.

As I was dazed, Ciel clenched her fist tightly.

“This won’t do. You need to be a bit less… aligned with normalcy… Huff!”

-KWA-AANG!

Ciel’s fist struck the root squarely.

It sounded less like a punch and more like a bomb going off. A faint smoke even rose from where she had hit.

“Tsk.”

Looking displeased, Ciel stared at the unscathed root and then delivered a second and third strike.

-KWAANG! BAM! Her kicks and punches all easily broke the sound barrier.

That Elf’s body clearly wasn’t built for martial arts. No, it was probably far different from Ciel’s own body as well… and yet, the destructive power was enough to give me chills.

I’d better not mess with her. As I swallowed dryly, recalling her sweetly smiling face, she sighed with her bloody fist hanging at her side.

“…I’m sorry. I can’t rescue you with this body.”

[It’s okay. More importantly, you’re incredibly strong.]

“Ahem, I used to do some physical work back in the day.”

Ciel, as if embarrassed, gave a small cough, then quickly adopted a serious expression and offered her advice.

“Anyway, normally Master acts in a state where she deliberately lowers her own thinking ability and condition to an extreme degree.”

[What do you mean by that?]

“Her eyes always look dark and tired underneath, her tone constantly jabs at you in an unpleasant way, and she’s gloomy and creepy, isn’t she?”

Ciel began badmouthing her as if it were only natural.

[Well, that’s true.]

“That’s all because she’s slightly detached from her right mind. In other words, it’s because she’s not sane. She chooses to be that way.”

[…Why would she do that?]

“Because she knows that her sane self is more dangerous than her insane self.”

Ciel narrowed her brows, glaring beyond the roots.

“I was wrong. I thought in this escape attempt, that state had worsened too much, and she’d become seriously unstable, something like that… Hah!”

Boom-! With a loud crash, she struck the root this time with the edge of her hand.

It left a scratch, but that was all. She let out a sigh and shook her head.

“It was the opposite. For some reason, Master chose to regain her sanity. That’s something that has never happened before.”

[Wait, why is being sane dangerous?]

“Being here means you spoke with her. What method did Master talk about?”

[A method that only someone completely insane would suggest.]

That much I could say with certainty. When I said that, Ciel calmly asked again.

“Did that insane method seem like it would work?”

[…]

I started to write something but stopped.

Ethics, humanity, if all those were set aside, Dersia’s method followed a path similar to that of the Crimson Circle.

She created a world. If she could perform such a miracle, falling would be even easier.

Putting aside my personal feelings.

[…It’s close to having already succeeded.]

I see.

I understood what Ciel was saying.

Dersia was aware that the things she did in her sane state were things she shouldn’t be doing.

That’s why she chose to live in that manner.

However, after hearing those words from me, she realized something and chose to return to her sanity. That’s what this was.

These fucking Crimson bastards are useless. While I was gritting my teeth, Ciel suddenly lifted her head.

“Oh no.”

[What’s wrong?]

“Master has started to throw a goddamn tantrum. This place will probably get dangerous soon. I’ll need to draw attention.”

I ignored the word choice and asked what I was really wondering about.

[Wait, is Linmel safe?]

“Aside from harboring extreme murderous intent toward Master, she’s safe. She’s also fighting well. But soon, she’ll need my help.”

[…What do you mean she’s fighting?]

“Don’t worry too much. Even if she’s in her right mind, she’s not trying to kill us. Even in the worst-case scenario, we’ll be safe, and Jern, you will improve somehow. Because that’s what Master wants. What do you think about that?”

[I don’t want to live a life like that.]

“Understood. Fortunately, Azrael said he has a method. Let’s struggle with all our might to give up on a happy future together.”

After saying that, Ciel paused for a moment, then added something.

“-Um, though I can guess your answer… do you hate Master for doing all of this?”

[No. How could I? If it weren’t for Master, I might’ve actually been kidnapped by the Crimson Circle.]

I truly owed Dersia a great deal.

Even if I could never repay her, I couldn’t choose her as someone to hate.

[Still, I do think I need to help her understand that disliking something is a separate matter.]

At that, Ciel opened her eyes wide in surprise.

After a moment of silence, she replied in a much softer tone.

“…Sia meeting you, Jern, may have been an even better thing for her than it was for you.”

[Huh?]

“Please take good care of Master.”

She gave a gentle smile and closed her eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, hmm. It was the same face, but I could feel the crankiness from it.

A bit annoyed, I began writing.

[I really feel how important a proper upbringing is.]

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

[My master is apparently in her right mind now.]

“So?”

[Doesn’t this method feel a bit familiar to you?]

The way Dersia, in her right mind, handled me.

Was exactly like how Azrael handled the Elves.

From the principles of action to the mode of thinking, everything.

But Azrael frowned and denied it.

“What… You think I’m that girl’s parent or something? She just looked smart, so I trained her as a shaman, that’s all.”

[That was a mistake.]

“Yeah. As soon as she learned what magic was, she threw away all the shamanism she’d learned her whole life, thinking it was outdated. Then she went crazy.”

[What are you talking about now?]

“I don’t know either. Maybe she lost it while learning magic, or maybe she had some kind of awakening, either way, she turned into a fanatic who worships the truth. She started believing that all truth must be recorded, and that Elves were born with long lifespans because they were destined for that purpose. What a shame.”

He clicked his tongue with a look of regret.

One way or another, that mindset of Dersia’s must have been instilled while she was learning shamanism under Azrael.

To me, he might be my great-grandmaster, but I had no intention of serving such a lunatic as my great-grandmaster.

[So, how do we get out of here?]

Regardless, I still needed help.

I had to get out first before I could ask for more help. I didn’t know what method this shaman, who couldn’t even use shamanism, had brought.

He looked distastefully at his bloodied fist, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Like I said, the means I can use are extremely limited. If I choose a physical method, I can’t even lift a single leaf.”

[Bring Linmel. She might be more helpful.]

“But look. Witness how great shamanism truly is.”

Azrael dipped a finger into the blood and began drawing across my forehead.

“Now that it’s come to this situation, you can no longer refuse either.”

Watching that disgusting sneer of his, I let out a sigh.

…This shaman apparently wanted to force the growth of my small world, no matter what.

I thought about it for a moment, but there really wasn’t another way.

[My safety must be guaranteed.]

“Listen well. Do you have any idea how furious that Dersia girl would be if you died here? She’d kill me and wipe out the Elves too. I don’t want any of that. I can’t afford to damage you even slightly.”

[You’re overreacting. No matter how she is, Master wouldn’t wipe out her own race just because I died.]

“You’re underestimating her pride.”

Azrael looked at me with a pitiful expression.

…Still, our original agreement had more of a tone like, “I want to see your last desperate struggle, so I’ll help you with everything until then.”

Now it felt like it had warped into something closer to, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you alive.” Probably because she’s not insane no, because she’s sane now. If she sleeps a bit less, she’ll likely revert to her usual self.

But it wasn’t wrong to say that if I died here, Azrael wouldn’t survive either.

[And about this world expansion thing, if we do that, I can definitely escape, right?]

“It’ll probably work. We’re not exactly in a position to be picky about methods right now.”

That was also true.

It was hard to imagine that Dersia, who had built such a solid position, would be repelled by Brimdal.

I knew how strong Brimdal was. But Dersia’s transcendent abilities far exceeded what could simply be called “strong.”

Ciel, Linmel, or even Azrael, they wouldn’t be useless, but at most, they could only buy time.

To change the situation, I had to act.

-No matter what method I used.

[…Fine. Let’s do it.]

I shot him a sideways glance, then closed my eyes.

Azrael, who had drawn a strange picture on my face with blood, nodded in satisfaction.

“Mm, good. Now, die.”

[Why are you saying ‘die’?]

“It means accept it.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Azrael’s fingers bent in a grotesque way.

“Abandon escape, and attain your enlightenment. Break through the shell as a human wizard, not as a lifeform of the Abyss Realm.”

[…]

He really doesn’t inspire any confidence.

I quietly steadied my mind.

“All enlightenment begins with a question to oneself. Hurry up and do it.”

[Please be quiet.]

I recall the question, the one I’ve deliberately avoided.

…Why does the flame go out?

Why does water pressure crush only my skin, even when I wear a diving suit?

Why, even in a sealed space, why.

Why?

Why can I not escape from the world?

“…Ohhh.”

Fwoosh.

A flame rose before my eyes. Watching it intensely, I reflected again on why it didn’t go out.

It’s impossible.

If I’m truly in the deep sea, how can fire ignite?

Fire cannot burn underwater.

…I had been thinking about it the wrong way.

I’m not in the ocean. I am inside the deep sea.

I’m in the fact of the deep sea.

“Heh, heh-haha-!”

Suddenly, the Elf possessed by Azrael began to grotesquely shrivel up.

Was the burden being split between us? As I tried to halt my thoughts, Azrael shook his head even in that state.

“I’m fine, just focus on your own task.”

“…”

I could understand by looking at what Crimson Circle does to create someone like me, a Fallen.

They submerge a person in seawater and drown them.

What would a drowning human come to know?

The pain of suffocation, the cold seawater, the helplessness of sinking no matter how hard one swims, and the resistance of water that makes movement sluggish.

Usually, people know the sea is a bit more beautiful than that.

Colorful coral reefs and fish, a sunlit emerald vacation spot, that too is under the sea.

But even if one were in such a sea, during the process of drowning, none of it can be seen.

Such scenery does not exist in the world of a Fallen.

A dying world, in order to survive, accepts all surrounding pain, hatred, fear, and inverts them to create a twisted hell.

–That becomes everything he knows of the sea.

“I didn’t think it would be to this extent…”

Watching the steadily shriveling Azrael, I hastened my thoughts.

My deep sea is the same.

As for the things that constitute the reality of the deep sea, well, sure.

There might be some beauty. There are probably people out there who like deep sea creatures.

But those things exist solely for the purpose of causing me pain.

Maybe, perhaps, they can be used like water to extinguish fire. Just like when I couldn’t use fire at first, or when I extinguished Lumia’s flame.

But unless I consciously focus on it, those are only secondary elements.

The place I am in is not the real deep sea. Because of that, I cannot avoid the burdens of water pressure, currents, or deep-sea creatures in any form. I cannot escape.

It’s not a world where burdens exist within the deep sea.

–It’s a world where only the burdens of the deep sea exist.

“…Ah.”

I had reached it.

Like scratching a place that’s been itching for ages.

My head cleared, and my body surged with exhilaration.

“…!”

But it wasn’t all pleasant.

Suddenly, it felt like boiling water had been poured into my eyes. At the same time, my body turned ice-cold.

The burden is intensifying, was the thought that followed.

As the pain subsided, my body felt light enough to fly. I was still bound by the roots, but I felt an omnipotence, as if I could easily rip through them if I wished.

Soon, warmth spread through my body, and my vision became vividly clear.

I sat there, dumbfounded, trying to process the situation.

It was the first time.

The burden, I actually felt it lessen.

“Cough, damn, just where the hell have you been living…no, I only experienced maybe one percent of it, and yet got almost crushed to death.”

Azrael, his whole body flushed red, grumbled as he met my gaze.

Then he lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Hmm. Looks like it worked.”

[…You can tell?]

I wasn’t sure.

It felt good, having realized something I hadn’t known before, and the burden had lessened, but I didn’t feel like my appearance had changed.

“See for yourself.”

Azrael brought the vessel containing the world and placed it under my face.

What am I supposed to see? As I looked at my face reflected in the mirror.

“…Ah.”

I saw the second star, swimming within my eyes.