Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

I slowly examined the two stars floating in my eyes.

It was certainly an amazing thing. After all, I was now a 2-Star wizard.

I would be suspected less, and perhaps even be called a magic prodigy.

But.

[So what am I supposed to do with this now?]

The situation hadn’t changed. It was good that the burden had lessened.

-Creak…

No matter how much I tightened it with water pressure or applied force with the currents, I couldn’t even scratch the root.

It wasn’t an ordinary root. It seemed to have undergone some kind of magical treatment. Its hardness was nothing like a typical root.

Azrael looked me over with curious eyes and said,

“It’s up to you.”

[?]

“I gave a sword to someone who was without. What more do you want? The rest, you handle on your own.”

Despite the irresponsible words, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

“You should be able to handle it just fine.”

[Me?]

“Yes. Truthfully, I’d like to take my time examining things and explaining it to you, but in this state, I can’t do that, and this isn’t the time either.”

Azrael looked around as if troubled.

He must have been surveying the situation above, not here.

[What’s going on up there?]

“Don’t worry about things here. After you escape, head upward. I’ll be there soon.”

-Thud. With that, Azrael collapsed head-first onto the ground.

I quickly checked with current sense, and he was still breathing. It seemed he had simply abandoned the body.

…It wasn’t his own body. If the ground hadn’t been moist soil, it could’ve been dangerous.

“Hmm…”

I laid the elf, whose entire body was swollen, down properly and checked my own condition.

-In the meantime, the method of handling the deep sea had become clear to me.

My burden had grown stronger, and I had become ‘capable’.

It was less of learning and more of awakening an instinct. Like how a duck, upon hatching from its egg, recognizes the first thing it sees as its mother, I too was now capable.

Magic is different.

Even if you gain enlightenment and increase your stars, that alone doesn’t accomplish anything.

Being 2-Star simply means you’ve obtained the tool of a 2-Star.

Handling it is entirely dependent on my own talent and knowledge.

‘…But I don’t know.’

And naturally, I didn’t know a thing about 2-Star magic.

The only magic I knew was elemental magic, and.

The high-level spells that Ciel had handed to me, which she assured I would one day learn completely.

Even if I was 2-Star now, I couldn’t even begin to approach them.

‘Still, should I give it a try?’

Of course, there were no other options. Aside from the elemental magic I already knew, these were the only things I had.

I used the currents to fumble through and pull out the book, searching for any usable magic.

I found one in the middle. Wind Thunder.

A pure offensive spell that compressed wind to its extreme and released it at will, forming a wind spear like lightning.

With this, maybe I could tear the roots. I flipped through the pages to check the casting requirements.

-Elemental magic: Wind, 2-Star or higher

-Compression-type magic, 4-Star or higher (any type)

-Telekinesis-type magic, 3-Star or higher (hard to use if constructed through wind)

?

What does this even mean?

After skimming through the book a bit more, I discovered what high-level magic really was.

Its output only reached the level of basic elemental magic.

Everything else was about combining elemental spells, and then combining those combinations again.

“Aha.”

…I see. Elemental magic isn’t really magic.

I had heard that at some point, and now I finally understood.

If I had to put it simply, elemental magic was nothing more than fuel. If 1-Star was sesame oil, then 2-Star would be like petroleum.

That second condition, 4-Star compression-type magic, could normally be achieved with a 3-Star spell and a 1-Star spell, where that 3-Star spell itself is a combination of a 2-Star and a 1-Star, and that 2-Star again splits into two 1-Star spells.

It’s absurd.

Even though Wind Thunder was a pure offensive spell and supposedly dozens of times simpler than other spells in structure, it still required casting that many spells simultaneously.

It made me realize just how insane high-level wizards truly were. They would cast one spell every time they blinked, but in that one second, they had to be combining hundreds or even thousands of spells.

I could never do that. I couldn’t even use this supposedly easiest spell, Wind Thunder.

I sighed, placed the book on the ground, and was about to look for another method, when suddenly, a spark flew in my mind.

…No, wait a minute.

Compression-type, telekinesis-type?

“…”

I carefully reviewed the process once more.

I drew out the maximum amount of wind I could manage and set it into rotation.

Done. A sharp gust howled through the once-silent cavity.

Certainly, becoming 2-Star had increased the total amount of wind I could use.

It must mean that my world had grown stronger by resisting the burden. With a slightly satisfied feeling, I moved on to the next step.

I used compression-type magic to compress the wind.

I didn’t have compression-type magic. So I used water pressure.

The wind that had filled the cavity was squeezed down to the size of a palm.

“Ugh…”

In the process, I too felt a pain like my body was being crushed.

But perhaps because my world had grown, it was bearable.

Final step. Using telekinesis-type magic, I created a path through which the compressed wind would be fired.

If I simply released it, it would just be a bomb that killed even the caster. By using the currents to pierce through the compressed wind and fire its power at a single point.

-Boom!!

“Keuk, ngh…!”

I made a mistake. The trajectory of Wind Thunder grazed my skin as it passed.

Just that was enough to lightly tear the skin on the back of my hand. I quickly used the current to stop the bleeding.

And looked at what I had done.

“Hmm…”

The root had, of course, been torn apart.

It went beyond that. The root fragment that had bound my hand was blown up and lodged in the ceiling, and the mark Wind Thunder had left on the ground stretched all the way to the end of the cavity.

This is…

I opened the book and checked the conditions listed for every spell written in it.

It was certain. Almost every condition included telekinesis-type or compression-type magic. It wasn’t just those, but still.

Now I could understand why Dersia had said I would be able to learn these kinds of spells.

This was a collection of high-level spells that could be cast using my Abyss Realm magic.

To cast high-level magic, combinations of upper-tier spells are required.

My deep sea magic can serve as a substitute for those upper-tier spells.

So, with just a small amount of fuel, I can awkwardly but still manage to cast them.

It’s not perfect. In the end, it’s like wrapping tape around a place that should be welded, casting a spell that shouldn’t be used so sloppily.

But.

-Boom!

-Boom, Kwang!

“This is usable…”

An increase in methods is always a good thing.

Especially in a situation as terrible as this.

Now freed, I stretched with a satisfied expression and looked up at the ceiling.

He said to head upward.

It seems the time to protest about his teaching methods has come.

*

Above the World Tree.

Linmel clenched her teeth and struck at the root, but only managed to cut through its black outer layer.

Shhhk! In that instant, other roots sprang up from the ground and stabbed toward her sharply.

“…Ugh!”

Linmel hurried to retrieve her sword, but that was her mistake.

The roots were far too fast to be considered plant-like.

When Linmel found herself surrounded in all directions by roots in an instant, she grit her teeth.

“Don’t be afraid to let go of your weapon.”

The shadow formed from the rising roots vanished in an instant.

What remained were logs of roots dripping sap like blood. Brimdal frowned as he sheathed his swung sword and looked at the still grotesquely root-filled plain.

“You can get a weapon again, but not your life.”

“I’m sure they don’t intend to kill us.”

Ciel, who had smashed an approaching root with a kick, murmured softly as she looked up at the World Tree.

“But I can feel a strong will not to let anyone approach.”

“Shaman, what did he say her intentions were?”

Brimdal asked Azrael with a slightly annoyed expression.

Azrael shrugged and replied.

“Said he’d turn all the Elves into Fallen just to save one disciple.”

It wasn’t entirely true, but close enough.

Brimdal let out a sigh and glared at the World Tree.

Thousands of roots had already sprung up like worms around it, writhing in a clear warning.

Take one more step, and they would attack immediately.

“What’s your reason for being beside such a lunatic?”

“Not everyone is perfect. Everyone feels the urge now and then to drive a species to extinction for no reason.”

“Other than you and your master, no one else ever feels that urge. Tsk.”

Brimdal clicked his tongue and glared at the roots of the World Tree.

Not one of the dull-witted Elves of this era, but an Elf with intelligence.

Brimdal knew.

What the Elves had done in the eras unknown to humans.

It wasn’t that he could approve of the shaman’s method of turning his kin into beasts, but there was also no way to outright deny it.

‘Surely they haven’t changed…’ 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A seed of unease sprouted in Brimdal’s chest.

It was unlikely, but if that were to happen, he would have no choice but to give up on Jern.

This was a subject that stirred his heart after a long time. Shaking his head, he made up his mind and took a step forward.

“Shaman.”

“What is it?”

“How long until we reach him?”

“Hmm…”

Azrael hesitated before shrugging his shoulders.

“About two hours, I’d say.”

“Utterly incompetent. That slow?”

“You stupid Dwarf… Do you even know how deep that Jern guy is? I can’t even imagine how many battles we’ll face on the way. Being able to say it’ll take no more than two hours proves how competent I am.”

“The incompetent ones are always the loudest.”

“You’re impossible to talk to. Fine. I’ll wrap it up in thirty minutes.”

Azrael shook his head and held up three fingers.

“In exchange, draw out Dersia’s true body. That should be doable at least.”

Even as he said it, Azrael knew it was impossible.

A wizard who has prepared for battle is stronger than one who hasn’t.

A wizard who has taken control of the area is twice as strong as a prepared one.

And the opponent was Dersia.

No matter how much of an advantage knights supposedly had over wizards, fighting a 9-Star wizard under such dire conditions was not something any sane person would attempt.

“Exactly.”

But Brimdal scoffed and rested his sword on his shoulder.

“Rescue him before I kill that one. Fighting while holding back is not an easy thing.”

“…Crazy bastard.”

Azrael was appalled, yet he understood that there was no bluff in Brimdal’s words.

With that level of confidence, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“Ciel, can you help?”

“Yes.”

Ciel clasped her hands neatly and replied.

But Brimdal asked again, in a more serious tone.

“When I ask if you can help, I mean, can you punch your master in the face even if she commands you not to?”

“Hmm…”

Ciel thought for a moment, then nodded with a vague expression.

“I just thought about it, and I had already beat my master until she fainted. Seems like I need to suppress my anger a little.”

“…That’s enough, then.”

There didn’t seem to be any concern about betrayal.

“We’re short on time, so let’s begin right away. If we give them any more time to prepare, it’ll only get harder.”

For now, Dersia had only seized control of the area, but hadn’t prepared for actual combat, so there was no intense resistance yet.

Ciel and Azrael also agreed and were about to move when.

“I-I’ll come too…!”

“Hmm?”

The left-out Linmel suddenly stepped forward with a plea.

“I want to go too! I’ll be helpful!”

“…”

The hand gripping her sword was trembling.

Not from fear, but from anger.

Her eyes were filled with the anguish of having failed to protect someone. That gaze was usually seen in knights who had broken their vows, not one a child her age should carry.

Brimdal asked with a frown.

“Why? This isn’t your place to step in.”

“Sir Brimdal… I’m still a child.”

“I’m not trying to scold you. I’m asking because I know you’re not so dull as to be unaware of the difference in power.”

She knew she couldn’t handle even one of those many roots.

So why did she insist on stepping in instead of leaving it to others?

It was a question filled with that meaning, unadorned and direct, but Linmel answered resolutely.

“This is the reason I became a knight!”

“…What?”

“Technically, a Heaven’s Judgement Knight.”

To protect a wizard.

To protect Jern, she became a Heaven’s Judgement Knight.

She knew she was weak. She understood that she wouldn’t be of much help.

But still.

“I can’t be left out of rescuing Jern.”

“…Hah.”

Brimdal let out a hollow breath, utterly dumbfounded.

A vow to an individual… That was the kind of thing knights used to make in the romantic era centuries ago, when they engaged in secret romances with princesses.

The gender had changed, the status too.

However, the blazing determination in her eyes was exactly the same.

‘Knights really never change.’

Brimdal furrowed his brow and patted Linmel’s head.

“Just forget about it for today. From tomorrow on, it’ll be that way.”

“…”

Linmel’s expression was full of dissatisfaction, but she couldn’t defy him.

Once Brimdal and Ciel had departed, Azrael cleared his throat to draw Linmel’s attention.

“Ahem. So what will you do now? I’m going to rescue your boyfriend.”

As expected of a shaman, he was sharp. Linmel didn’t deny it and looked firmly toward the World Tree.

“I’m going to rescue him, even if I have to go alone.”

“Get a grip on yourself. Don’t go getting caught and turning into baggage.”

“…Ugh!”

Being rejected again and again, anyone would get angry, even Linmel.

Swallowing the tears that were starting to rise, she stomped her foot, drew her sword, and made to charge toward the writhing roots.

“I’ll handle this myself, so please hurry and rescue Jern!”

“Ahem, ahem…”

Just as she was about to do something truly reckless.

Azrael called out to her in a subtle voice, stopping her in her tracks.

“Let’s say, what if, your help is actually needed to rescue that arrogant brat?”

“…What?”

It was like magic, words she had truly wanted to hear.

Azrael came to a sudden halt and put on a grave expression.

“If you help rescue Jern, we might be able to shorten the time significantly. Maybe down to twenty minutes?”

“B-But I’m… weak.”

Weak.

Only after she said the word did she truly realize.

She was weak.

At the Academy, she had always been the strongest. Since becoming a knight, she hadn’t lost a single sparring match.

But, those were all with people her own age, maybe a few years older at most.

She had been the strongest within that tiny well.

Out in the world, she was far too weak. She couldn’t protect Jern…

Before the strength could leave her hand gripping the sword, Azrael’s smooth voice reeled her back in.

“You might just be able to do it, hmm…”

“Do what?”

“Your talent, it’s something even that insane Dwarf knight acknowledges as a once-in-a-generation gift.”

“Talent alone isn’t enough…”

She’d heard it so many times, her talent was great, incredible, exceptional.

But what did it matter? No matter how brightly her future self might shine, what did it mean?

Right now, when it mattered most, it was useless.

“That’s not true.”

Azrael grinned slyly as he pulled out a black vial from his pocket, something that looked dangerous at a glance.

“Would you like to try, just maybe experience it?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

Linmel instinctively took a step back, but Azrael gave her a sinister smile and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“Your future self, one that can fully wield that talent.”