Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

Dersia did not open the door.

To be precise, it was closer to being unable to.

“I am still capable of making the correct decision.”

Sitting upright inside the rattling carriage, she quietly lowered her gaze.

“What do you mean by ‘correct decision’?”

“It means I might do the same thing again. Because I believe your thoughts are foolish.”

“…”

Seeing my face twist grotesquely, Dersia hastily added,

“To be exact, that’s what I think in my current state.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There was a reason why the master deliberately kept herself in an exhausted state.”

Ciel added with a cough.

“Perhaps you saw it too, Jern nim, but the Elf race itself is not exactly a normal species.”

“…It seems so.”

In the past, Elves were the fierce rulers who conquered every corner of this continent, freely using their lifespan and talents.

Azrael chose to become the hunter himself and took hold of the memories of all Elves.

And the Elves accepted that. They mortgaged their memories of self and lived a life worse than death.

Dersia… goes without saying.

Elves are simply not in their right minds. That much I could deeply empathize with.

“But if you closely examine the underlying principles of their actions, isn’t there a word that commonly comes up?”

“Commonly?”

I recalled the above facts.

But aside from the thought that they were just a bunch of crazy bastards, nothing else really came to mind.

“…I’m not sure. If I had to say, maybe something like, ‘It’s an efficient barn, since the livestock all voluntarily wear nose rings’?”

“As expected, you are clever.”

“?”

Ciel nodded as if I had given the correct answer.

“Elves aren’t born that way. But as they live, they come to know more, and learn better ways. The years that accumulate like that eventually turn every Elf into a single entity.”

“A single… entity?”

“Yes. Every Elf who lives past a certain period will speak the same way, act the same, make the same choices in any situation. Whether they’ve studied magic or learned the sword. Because-”

“Because that’s the most efficient way… right.”

“Yes.”

Pondering over that meaning, I asked back in disbelief.

“…Wait, hold on. Isn’t that just saying that immortality is a curse for intelligent beings?”

“That’s a new way to approach it. But from that perspective, isn’t the only difference between curse and blessing the concept of majority and minority? If all intelligent beings were granted the same span of time as us, then actually, having a short life would be considered the curse.”

Looking at Dersia, who said that, with pity, I answered Ciel.

“…You’re right, we definitely can’t send her to the Capital like this.”

“Yes. Jern nim gave Master quite a solid beating, but even so, if she returns to the Capital in her dazed state, she might do something else again.”

“Aha. So the ‘savior’ that Azrael is waiting for.”

“Is an Elf born with a mind that doesn’t converge even after ages pass. That’s what he’s waiting for.”

That shaman must be waiting for a sun that will never rise.

A pitiful soul. As I was thinking that, Brimdal, with arms crossed, nodded in agreement.

“So there was that kind of backstory. But then, there’s one thing I don’t quite understand.”

“What is it?”

Dersia answered Brimdal in a slightly sulky tone.

Though she couldn’t say it out loud in this situation, it seemed she still had a bit of dissatisfaction about me becoming his disciple. Well, once she’s out of her right mind, she probably won’t care anymore.

“We Dwarves also live quite a long time, though not as much as you. Why don’t we suffer from that kind of madness?”

“Jern was assuming a normal intelligent being. Dwarves are a bit… different in that regard.”

“What do you mean?”

“You people are content to spend a thousand years hammering metal to make tools and then die satisfied. That is to say, you’re unique? Simple-minded? Primitive? You have that kind of aspect.”

“…”

“Unfortunately, we cannot do that. If we spent just ten years hammering iron, we’d go insane.”

Brimdal actually tried to draw his sword, so I did my best to stop him.

“Umm…”

Meanwhile, Linmel, who was sound asleep, stirred beside the carriage.

I carefully laid her on her side so she wouldn’t wake up. She’d been a huge help in this matter. Good thing I didn’t drive her away.

I stroked Linmel’s hair and used the moment to cool down the overheated atmosphere.

“So, is Azrael’s story credible?”

“…Hmph.”

“That’s difficult.”

Brimdal, Ciel, and even Dersia.

All of them took on serious expressions, deep in thought.

Looking back on what Azrael had told me, it was indeed beyond strange.

“I had maids serving me?”

“Not just maids. You looked like, like a prince of some nation.”

“What- A prince of some nation?”

“Yes. Not of the Empire, though. What’s this pattern? Hmm… I’ve seen it in the eastern regions… Ah, and the surroundings were desert.”

“??”

“One year old, two, three, four… Hmm, an uncle? He takes you away. And that’s the end.”

“What do you mean ‘end’?”

“I don’t know. Your memory cuts off. You probably died. Because once you die, I can’t connect to your memories anymore.”

“But I’m alive.”

“The next memory is the Orphanage. So it’s similar. I can’t see the memory of the torture you really want to know.”

That was roughly how the conversation went.

Even when I asked in detail, nothing much more came out.

Naturally, my suspicions leaned in another direction.

“Feels like Azrael just spouted random nonsense.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Let me ask you in reverse. Do you really think I’m a Noble?”

“That much is certain.”

Dersia stated it firmly, with a small cough.

“A natural-born wizard doesn’t appear so easily. They’re truly rare. Even if not royalty, that you carry noble blood is beyond doubt.”

“Still, it’s strange.”

This wasn’t something that could be brushed off with a hidden birth cliché.

I voiced the most obvious question.

“Then why didn’t anyone come looking for me?”

That, I simply couldn’t explain.

“Noble or royal, if they lost me, they should’ve contacted me somehow. It’s not like I was tucked away in some remote corner; I was in the Capital’s affiliated Orphanage. And if I wasn’t lost but abandoned, then they should’ve found and killed me to leave no loose ends. If not that, then they should’ve come to retrieve me.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Dersia nodded in agreement.

“Since you mentioned a desert, it’s clear it’s a very distant place, but if a prince of some country went missing, they wouldn’t have hesitated to reach into the Empire. Even if it were just the same hair color, they’d go around verifying. But from what I remember… I’ve never heard news of a prince going missing.”

“Hmm…”

The two of us put our heads together in thought.

“What if it’s not a prince, but just a delusional noble family pretending to be royalty?”

“Jern. I appreciate your imagination that always keeps every possibility open, but this isn’t really the moment where such a skill is needed.”

“Yes, master.”

The pondering continued. Still, my heart was at ease.

The fact that a 9-Star wizard was thinking deeply about my issue gave me a strong sense of reassurance.

Of course, Brimdal wasn’t lacking in power, but when it came to intellect, there were many areas where we had to rely on Dersia.

“…No, what are you two even worrying about?”

As if he’d learned mind-reading, Brimdal furrowed his brows and asked.

“Isn’t the answer already obvious?”

“The answer?”

At my puzzled expression, Brimdal held up a drawing.

The one given by the Princess, showing me as a baby with a woman presumed to be my mother.

“The Princess who gave you this picture must know, don’t you think?”

“…”

“…”

Dersia and I widened our eyes.

We hadn’t thought of that.

More accurately, we hadn’t wanted to think of it.

“Umm. How about we just stop caring about my past altogether?”

I cautiously made that suggestion.

Rather than getting involved with the Princess, it might not be such a bad thing to leave it all as just a MacGuffin.

“I don’t mind either way. However, it’s not that I’m deliberately trying to dig into your past. But surely, your past must be connected to the Crimson Circle.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

“However, when we met the Crimson Circle, they didn’t recognize you. Not even the executives.”

“…That’s right?”

Lump, Decay, and the others as well.

None of them had any idea that I was the result of their own work.

“Hmm, maybe I was just a failed experiment they threw away…”

“For that, your world is far too immense. It’s certain that some high-level work went into it.”

“…”

The more I heard, the less everything added up.

The completion and scale of my world as well.

It wasn’t the kind of world that could have been created by just tossing someone into the ocean on a whim.

My memories were cut off.

Though not certain, the possibility remained that I was some kind of prince from another kingdom.

But they didn’t know me.

“…Something about this is… vague.”

It felt like the facts were about to interlock into a complete picture, but each one remained slightly off.

Watching me, Dersia slowly opened her mouth.

“It’s your choice. However, if I may offer my thoughts, there is definitely a major secret in your past that connects to the Crimson Circle.”

“Seems that way.”

“What will you do?”

That short question carried a great deal of meaning.

Would I enter the maw of the Prophet who would read all of our movements the moment we became connected?

Or would I stop caring and just worry about the future while leaving an uncomfortable feeling behind?

The deliberation was long.

But the answer was short.

I let out a sigh and looked up at the top of the carriage.

“Are you watching?”

“Jern?”

I gently held Dersia back as she looked puzzled, then continued.

“Given the situation, I’ll be coming to see you soon.”

If she was watching, she should have heard my words.

If she wasn’t, well…

I was at least certain that she held some infromation about my identity.

*

Tap, tap…

“…?”

The palace’s hallways at dawn, leading to the storage room.

A maid walking across that marble floor suddenly suddenly froze.

It wasn’t because she saw an intruder, or an assassin, or a suspicious person.

It was because she realized something about herself.

“Why… am I here…?”

Muttering blankly as if possessed, the maid quickly shook her head to snap out of it.

This was, bad.

The path to the storage was guarded by soldiers. If she got caught here, she’d be mistaken for a thief, arrested, or even executed on the spot without a chance to explain.

She had no idea why she was even here.

“I-I need to leave quickly…”

She tried to step back, thinking she should leave quickly.

But her feet didn’t move as if they had been firmly planted into the ground.

It wasn’t because she hesitated. It was like they were literally stuck in the ground.

“…!”

Looking down, she saw her feet were frozen solid up to her ankles.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

She struggled with all her strength, but the block of ice as hard as steel wouldn’t budge.

As she continued to wrestle in futility for a while, a voice colder than the ice around her ankles entered her ears.

“What a disgusting hobby you have.”

“Ah.”

This time, it was unmistakably an intruder. An assassin. A suspicious person.

A man sat perched by the window, glaring at her with an unpleasant expression.

She had to scream. She opened her mouth for that very reason.

A voice came from her wide-open mouth.

“No, like, how is this supposed to be safe…”

The maid let out a deep sigh in a cynical tone and exaggeratedly scratched her head.

“Like, how would I know any of the rules the maids are supposed to follow? It’s way more convenient to just leave it to her and move unconsciously. Even if I try to learn other stuff, with my memory I’ll just forget it all anyway.”

“I see.”

“Of course, given what’s happened, I’ll have to throw this one away. I actually liked this one, what a shame. There’d better be a reason you made me waste her, and a reason for calling me in the first place.”

“There is. More than enough.”

Decay glared at the maid with a blade-sharp tone.

He glared at his colleague, who merely pretending to be maid.

“You acted alone.”

“…”

“And you did so against Void’s orders.”

“…Heh.”

The maid chuckled lightly.

“Sorry, I thought I could pull it off… and it went better than expected. I got carried away and-”

“No need for words. Hand it over.”

“…”

“No matter how poor your memory is, you should still remember the rules. If not, I can always help you remember.”

The maid’s hand twisted into a shape no human body should be able to make, and all traces of her smile vanished.

Decay didn’t even breathe. He just looked down in silence.

After several minutes of tense standoff, the one who sighed first was the maid.

“…Fine. I’ll give it to you. Seriously, isn’t it a bit harsh for just a little prank?”

“Remember, there is a big difference between what’s important and what’s necessary. There won’t be a next time.”

The moment he blinked, Decay was no longer there.

Neither was the ice. The Lump, who had taken the form of a maid, let out a sigh and climbed up to the rooftop.

It needed this world’s magic to dispose of the now-useless body.

“It can’t be helped, I guess…”

The Lump brushed it off with a light laugh.

It was unexpected. But from the beginning, he’d been prepared to pay this level of price.

Even knowing the cost, the reason he still did it.

Because it was fun.

It was worth it. The Lump felt his heart pounding for the first time in a long while.

That young Fallen, Decay had taken interest in.

Those cold, ocean-like eyes that had confidently declared he would kill him, and that unfathomable self-confidence.

There was no way he was only ten years old. He was truly fascinating.

It was more than worth the cost for something this entertaining.

“Heh, heheh…”

He knew he had to wait, but it was hard to contain himself.

As he climbed up, forcing down the smile forming on his lips, he encountered an unexpected person.

“Ah.”

“Hmm?”

A small, delicate boy.

The prince of this kingdom, escorted by two guards, was coming down from the spire.

“Ah, hello there. Hehe…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Even if the Lump didn’t know the laws of the kingdom, he still understood that in this situation, he had to bow his head.

The prince, who looked no more than ten years old, gave an awkward smile.

He was a naive, foolish-looking child who still held untainted innocence above all else.

As he glanced at that face, which looked like it would die within five minutes in the wild, a small question rose in the Lump’s mind.

‘That face…’

He was sure he had seen it somewhere before.

In the first place, since he had helped create this prince, he knew his face thoroughly.

‘Hmm, but…’

Neatly kept hair. Eyes always full of anxiety, shoulders constantly hunched, a face trembling in fear.

As he looked at that white hair, the Lump shrugged.

“I must have been mistaken.”

He had no memory of seeing such a fragile child.

The next day, a small incident occurred in the kingdom. A maid well known for her kindness toward everyone suddenly committed suicide.

For three days, the other maids of the kingdom expressed their theories and doubts .

But after that, she was completely forgotten.

*

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