Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

One week later. Morning.

Unusually, Dersia and Ciel’s opinions aligned.

“Jern. I think this is going a bit too far.”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to reconsider?”

I had only one thing to say.

“No, how on earth did you even get in here?”

This place was a detention center exclusively for nobles, located in the heart of the Capital.

The facilities were quite nice, but in the end, it was a single-room cell, a detention center nonetheless. Which meant that unauthorized persons were not allowed in.

And while Dercia was my master, that alone shouldn’t have been enough to grant her access to here. It would have been close to impossible to get formal permission. Without a word, she opened the door of the detention center.

The mansion appeared.

“…You said that magic could only be used in places you’ve been.”

“Jern nim. Think logically, there’s no way my master hasn’t been confined in a detention center before.”

“Isn’t it impossible to lock up Master in a detention center in the first place?”

When I asked back with a dumbfounded expression, Dersia let out a snort.

“They begged me to at least stay in the detention facility. But this is not the time to be talking about such trivial matters.”

I was trying to think of what kind of insane thing she must’ve done when her expression grew impatient, and she spoke.

“There must be an easier way to approach this. When we know nothing about the enemy, I wonder whether we really need to take such a deadly route.”

“Didn’t we settle this discussion yesterday?”

“…I mean for you to reconsider. To be frank, this is madness.”

“Hmm.”

Clink. As I scratched my cheek, the chains on the handcuffs rattled with a metallic sound.

They were handcuffs wrapped around my wrists. I could release them whenever I wanted, but I hadn’t bothered.

Because this was my goal.

“Then just give me one clear answer, and I’ll stop.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think this method is irrational?”

“…”

Dersia didn’t answer.

It was more that she couldn’t. The persuasion had already ended with yesterday’s conversation.

It was just a matter of whether she could accept it or not.

“I know it’s dangerous. That’s why I’ll be getting some help with the safety part.”

“Jern.”

“I’ll bring back as many materials as possible that will pique Master’s interest.”

I met Dersia’s cloudy eyes.

Whether the worry mixed in was genuine… I wasn’t sure.

Did she not want to lose an experimental subject, or did she not want to lose a disciple?

I hoped it was the latter. Before long, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside.

At regular intervals. With a sigh, Dersia stepped back into the mansion.

“You have never once betrayed my expectations.”

“I won’t this time either.”

“That’s a relief. But still…”

With a slightly weary expression, she shook her head.

“Sometimes, I wish you’d just live up to my expectations, no more, no less.”

Thud.

As Dersia and a worried-looking Ciel closed the door.

It immediately opened again, and two government officials with tense expressions entered.

“Follow… us.”

“Yes.”

Even without using current sense, I could feel their confusion.

Well… that was understandable.

The detention center Sharmia had thrown me into was a place where nobles accused of treason or similar crimes would be locked up.

They must be wondering what in the world this was all about.

I was escorted under heavily guarded from the detention center, riding in a tightly secured carriage for about thirty minutes, until we arrived at a towering building that looked like it pierced the sky.

In front, as with most courthouses, there was a statue of a goddess.

Just like in Korea. Lost in nostalgia, I suddenly furrowed my brow when I realized what the statue was holding wasn’t scales, but a human head.

-Clank! The courtroom doors opened.

There were already numerous spectators present.

The first to catch my eye were Elysia, clutching a handkerchief with an anxious expression, and Alletus beside her, sighing.

“Jern…!”

As Elysia tried to speak to me, Alletus stopped her.

They must’ve been briefed on the situation.

Besides them, many nobles were seated in the gallery.

As soon as they saw me, they quietly began murmuring.

Curious about what they were saying, I activated current sense.

[That’s him… right? Jern?]

[Wow, I thought it was just a rumor, but he really exists?]

[I told you, he’s real! That boy saved my son, I tell you!]

[Then what’s going to happen with this trial?]

[If the rumors are true, of course he’ll be declared innocent. Isn’t this the Princess making a public declaration to us all?]

[What do you mean by that?]

[Just look. Despite committing such a crime, he’s going to be found innocent. It means the Her Highness has marked him as her subordinate. It’s like saying: don’t touch him lightly.]

[Hoho, makes sense. So by pardoning him completely, Her Highness is subtly letting us know she’s involved…]

They were weaving some kind of fantasy novel.

The courtroom grew noisy as those who had been drumming and dancing to their own tune stirred up the atmosphere, prompting the person seated in the judge’s position to bang the gavel to restore order.

“Order. The trial will now begin. Defendant, Jern Aspandil, step forward.”

I went to the defendant’s stand and looked at the judge.

“Age 11, Jern Aspandil. Apprentice of the Black Magic Tower, trainee of Brimdal, and direct disciple of Dersia. Is this correct?”

“Yes.”

Just hearing my background read aloud caused another ripple of murmurs to spread through the courtroom.

[What is that?]

[An apprentice at the Black Magic Tower at that age?]

[No, even putting the rest aside, what do they mean he’s a disciple of Brimdal?]

[I did some digging and apparently he won the knight cadet competition with overwhelming skill. Though the competitors were of a similar age, it still doesn’t mean much. But they say he did it all with sword skills, without using magic.]

[What kind of nonsense is that now.]

This time, the judge didn’t try to calm them. Instead, he sighed and continued speaking.

“Prosecutor, state the contents of the indictment.”

“Yes.”

The prosecutor, who stood beside me, read out the charges.

“The defendant traveled to the Elf Kingdom, designated as a protected zone, and committed acts of abduction, torture, and detention against innocent Elves.”

At that part, I used current sense to check the expression of Dersia, who was seated in the audience.

[…Just focus on the trial.]

Hmm.

Perhaps she stopped me because of this.

*

Rewinding time to the day after I heard the full story from Karos.

I immediately went to meet Sharmia.

“Princess. Karos has betrayed you. She whispered your most secret, hidden truths to me, truths you’d most want to conceal. Please punish her immediately.”

“…Huh?”

Sluuurp. The tea Sharmia was drinking overflowed from her teacup.

She stared at me in a daze, then turned around.

“Ka, Karos? What is he talking about?”

“…I told the truth…”

Karos, who had her hands behind her back, glared at me with eyes full of murderous intent and replied as if chewing her words.

She’s angry even though this was all prearranged. What a temper.

Sharmia, looking flustered, glanced back and forth between me and Karos before asking again.

“W-What is this? Karos, you were trying to betray me? I trusted you more than anyone in this world. How could you. At least strike me down swiftly out of the honor we shared as comrades-in-arms. Then I won’t hold a grudge.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness.”

Karos bowed deeply. Almost a full 110 degrees, not just 90.

“I judged it was for Your Highness’s sake and acted foolishly. I will accept any punishment. Please, end my life.”

“…Oh come on, I was joking. Don’t take it so seriously.”

Sharmia smiled brightly as she took Karos by the shoulders and raised him up.

“I know you’re not someone who would betray me. In any future, Karos never betrayed me. And if that ever happened, it would surely be for my sake.”

“No. It was for my own goals.”

“Jern?”

“Yes. Karos made the choice to betray you for Sharmia nim’s safety. I would be grateful if you could take that into consideration.”

“See, that’s what I mean?”

“…”

As Karos stood there wearing an expression blended perfectly with gratitude and guilt, she turned to look at me.

Those eyes, breathtakingly beautiful no matter when I see them, looked at me and asked.

“So, what’s this all about?”

This was the decisive moment. I answered with a serious face.

“To explain more precisely, the reason Karos betrayed you is because I refused to become the princess’s hunting dog.”

“That was really unfortunate. Have you changed your mind? If so, I’d rather praise the betrayal.”

“Not yet. But I think we can come to an agreement.”

I quietly placed a red necklace on the desk.

“I have a way to contact the Crimson Circle.”

“Really?? Where did you get something like that?”

I was stunned by how genuinely shocked she looked, and even more shocked at how convincing that performance was.

This was at the level of creating genuine emotions to deceive oneself. A level of technique far beyond my own poker face.

Resolving never to confront her through psychological warfare, I continued speaking.

“What Karos told me was that it was hard to believe I would someday become an executive of the Crimson Circle.”

“Ugh.”

Sharmia let out a small, dying gasp.

“Thanks to that, I understood. Just how cornered you are, Princess. To say you’ll handle someone destined to become a Crimson Circle executive without killing them, no sane person would do that. Karos’s judgment was right a hundred times over.”

But.

At the same time, this seemingly innocent Princess must have had confidence. That she could control me and turn me into a tool to reach the Crimson Circle.

She may have even laid out a plan spanning decades for that purpose.

“Whatever the case, I’m nothing more than a disposable piece in the end. In fact, I’ve lost any reason to side with Your Highness.”

“Th-That does seem to be the case… But! Now that you know that, you can choose not to join the Crimson Circle-”

“Karos also said that it’s a future that will inevitably come to pass and cannot be changed.”

“…Karos! This really is a betrayal!”

“I’m sorry…”

Karos bowed her head gloomily.

The truly good one is her. Without hiding or changing a thing, she honestly revealed the situation and asked for cooperation.

She said it was because she saw my character, but she seemed not to realize that being kind is different from being trustworthy.

I had thought about taking advantage of that, but for my plan, Sharmia’s help was essential.

The Princess sighed, and her gaze briefly landed on the dagger on the desk. I narrowed my eyes and continued.

“Now it seems we can negotiate a bit, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm, it actually feels like the negotiating table has been flipped over…”

“On the contrary. I don’t want to be cast aside after being used. And you want to use me, don’t you, Princess? Why not blend that together nicely?”

“Huh?”

I tapped the necklace lightly.

“I will become an executive of Crimson Circle under the princess’s command.”

Sharmia blinked twice.

“What…do you mean?”

“If the future where I become a Crimson Circle executive is bound to come, if it cannot be changed, then we include that very future within our plan.”

“…”

“Besides, there’s information I need to know from within the Crimson Circle. You probably can’t say that you don’t need it either, Princess. If things go well, I’ll no longer be a risk of betraying you as a Crimson Circle executive, and at that point, I can become a reliable ally instead of a hunting dog. You eliminate the danger I pose, and you gain intel from the Crimson Circle. How about it?”

“Hmm.”

Sharmia mulled something over, then slowly shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“Could you tell me why?”

“Being a member of the Crimson Circle and becoming one of their executives are on entirely different levels. You’ll have to do the kind of things they want, carry out the actions they expect. That will destroy you.”

“I have a few contingency plans.”

When I spoke of what I had in mind, the Princess’s mouth fell open.

“J-Jern…? No matter who I am, I don’t have that kind of power…”

“If you try, I’m sure you can manage.”

“Ahem. Even so, you’re my imperial envoy. The Crimson Circle is extremely wary of me. Just the fact that you were employed by me would make it hard to even carry out this plan.”

“Princess. I approached you under my master’s orders to gather information on you.”

“What? That’s not true though.”

She answered as if it were obvious.

…She once said she knew me better than I knew myself. I cleared my throat and continued.

“But since Your Highness was not quick to make use of me, I grew impatient and forced my way into the envoy position with my master’s help. Then Your Highness sent me into a place known to have ties to the Crimson Circle, to dispose of me. And thanks once again to my master’s help, I barely survived and attempted to resist you.”

“And then?”

“Your Highness imprisoned me and pinned my master’s crimes onto me.”

“…Hmm.”

“Of course, my master could easily deny such accusations, but in the process, secrets about the Elves would come to light. So, to conceal those secrets, she chooses to abandon me. Holding resentment toward both my master and Your Highness, I, locked away in prison, suddenly realize, there’s still a way to contact the Crimson Circle.”

As she pondered my words, she asked something else.

“If you go through with this, your public image could plummet to rock bottom.”

“I don’t care much about how others see me. And if later Your Highness brings me back, I’ll just say it was all an act and go along with it.”

“If you can really pull this off, it might change the entire game, but”

The faint smile on Sharmia’s face faded slightly.

“Why are you trying to do something like this? If the Crimson Circle learns of your Abyss Realm or your intentions, if they sense even a hint of it, you’ll be finished. You don’t know anything about them. Don’t you think it’s dangerous?”

“I don’t know anything, which is exactly why I want to find out. If I stay as I am, I’ll remain ignorant for the rest of my life.”

“I just don’t get why you’d go out of your way to do it yourself.”

“No, Princess.”

I replied, genuinely baffled.

“Forgive me, but I don’t think that’s something that should be said by someone who’s devoted her life to the Empire without reason since the age of ten.”

“…That’s because it’s something only I can do-”

“This is also something only I can do.”

Who is the Fallen?

Who is the Fallen of the Great World?

Who has already been scouted by the Crimson Circle?

Who is the only one who can become an executive and extract information from within?

It’s all me. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that I’m the only Fallen the Empire can currently utilize.

“And unlike Your Highness, I don’t act out of conviction. My goal is survival. I weighed infiltrating the Crimson Circle and gathering intel against simply staying alive, and made my decision based on that.”

“I don’t think that’s true…”

The Princess glared at me with a suspicious look.

“No matter how I look at it, it feels like there’s another reason besides just survival.”

“What other reason could there be?”

“Um, maybe… you fell for me?”

“…Huh?”

What kind of bullshit was that now?

Sharmia ran her fingers over the desk as if seriously considering the possibility.

“But it’s too one-sidedly beneficial for me, isn’t it? I mean, we’re talking about people who are nearly impossible to find, let alone approach. And here you are, suddenly showing up and saying you’ll risk your life to bring back all this secret intel. I’ve never heard of a deal this convenient in my life. Doesn’t it usually happen because of something like love, something you can’t just weigh on a scale?”

“Why are you killing me. And I have no particular interest in the princess.”

It’s a cliché, but I’m the type who values inner character over appearance.

“Anyway… yes, I understand what you’re saying.”

Sharmia nodded with a satisfied expression.

“But there’s still one thing left unresolved. And this might actually be the hardest part.”

“What is it now?”

Thinking again how much there still was to do, I asked, and the Princess frowned.

“Jern, convincing your master… That seems like the hardest thing to me.”

“…Hmm.”

As I let out a murmur, she seemed to take it as agreement and continued.

“She seems to care about you a great deal. If it looks like I’m sending you into a death trap, the whole picture might come out looking pretty bad, no? I might end up getting punished, and she’s a 9-Star wizard-”

“That was just resolved a moment ago.”

I took a small cube out of my pocket and placed it on the desk.

“Apologies, but… my master has been listening to this entire conversation.”

“…Huh?”

“Of course I informed her in advance. She was completely against it, but she said if I succeeded in convincing Your Highness, she would grant her permission.”

“…”

Sharmia blinked three times.

Then she cautiously asked,

“Am I being targeted now?”

“Of course not. My master’s not that petty.”

I said, then shrugged.

“But you never know, so from today onward, make sure to summon Karos every time you go out.”

“…”

It was a moment that confirmed even the Princess could feel the emotion called rage.