Water Magician

Chapter 0520 Sue Ku

Translator: Jay_Forestieri

Editor: Tseirp

Ryo had declared his resolve to practice horse riding, but the next day, he decided to step out for a while.

This was because a letter from an acquaintance arrived the evening before.

“We have found documents related to the administrative organization of Darwei, which Ryo-san had expressed interest in. With Sue Ku-sama as your guardian, my superior has approved providing you with of these materials. I will be at the Censorate tomorrow morning.”

It was that kind of letter.

A message from the person from the Censorate who had been in charge of Ryo’s recent inquiry.

“To go out of his way to write such a thoughtful letter— Boffo-san is a kind person.”

“Wait… what exactly did you talk about during the inquiry, Ryo?”

Ryo walked cheerfully after receiving the copied materials from Boffo at the Censorate.

While Abel, who had somehow tagged along, looked on in disbelief.

“Boffo-san was so approachable and easy to talk to. We ended up chatting during the inquiry, and I mentioned things I was interested in… The administrative organization of Darwei came up as one of those topics. After all, we can’t leave Darwei unless we pass through it to return to the Central Countries, right? And the naming conventions for administrative bodies here in Bosuntar differ quite a bit from the Central and Western Countries. For example, there was nothing like the Censorate back there.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that… But who chats like that during an inquiry…?”

Abel suddenly had a thought.

Perhaps Boffo’s line of questioning, even the casual parts, was deliberate.

Was he analyzing Ryo’s interests to infer potential vulnerabilities or motives for interference or information theft?

If so, Boffo might be exceptionally skilled.

After all, leaving a positive impression like ‘a really kind person’ on the subject of an inquiry…

Was no small feat.

Indeed, the man who had handed over the documents earlier had a kind and approachable demeanor…

“Appearances can be deceiving.”

Abel muttered.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Sue Ku was riding in a carriage on her way to the mansion of Duke Kang.

Since her arrival in the capital Jonjon, she had repeatedly requested an audience with Duke Kang, only to be met with dismissive responses.

He’s unwell and can’t meet… but she knew he went horseback riding that day. So clearly a lie.

He’s busy with palace matters… but there was no such schedule. Another lie.

It was clear he had a reason for avoiding her.

“I have no choice but to go directly.”

With a sigh, Sue Ku climbed into the carriage.

Duke Kang was the brother of the former king.

And the current king’s uncle.

His status in Bosuntar was extraordinarily high.

Arguably second only to the king himself.

Forcing an audience with such a person was something even Sue Ku would prefer to avoid…

However, there was no one else who could handle this task. In some ways, it had to be her.

Being his sister-in-law.

“Still… this carriage ride is unbearable.”

Sue Ku muttered for what felt like the hundredth time.

After all, she was barging in on the mansion of the current king’s uncle.

Riding a carriage was necessary.

To show proper respect.

Sue Ku, who usually traveled on foot or horseback even within Mifasoshi, found the uncomfortable ride irritating.

Besides, carriages offered no view of the outside.

Making them dull.

And slow to react in emergencies.

Traveling through the busy streets of Jonjon.

A broad thoroughfare bustling with activity.

Sue Ku dismissed the idea that anything untoward could happen… letting her guard down…

“Ugh!”

“Wha…?”

“Ah…!”

By the time Sue Ku noticed, her guards had already been incapacitated.

“An attack in broad daylight, here of all places?”

And worse…

“A magic-sealing charm formation…”

The attackers had placed multiple magic-sealing charms around the carriage, suppressing magic within it.

Of course, it didn’t entirely nullify magic, a magician of Sue Ku’s caliber could forcibly activate magic.

However, it would inevitably take longer, and the spell’s potency would be reduced.

A spell that normally took a second to cast might now require three seconds. With its power halved.

Against some opponents, that might not be an issue, but this time, there were many attackers.

Around twenty assailants had already surrounded the carriage, their swords at the ready.

“Sue Ku-dono, step out of the carriage!”

One of the attackers, likely their leader, shouted.

Although they were labeled as attackers, they all wore identical armor and wielded uniform weapons.

They were no mere bandits or brigands.

It was absurd to think such individuals could cause a commotion in the capital’s main thoroughfare without consequences.

Naturally, bystanders began to gather at a distance, gawking at the scene.

The city guards would surely arrive soon, but if these attackers were who Sue Ku suspected, the guards wouldn’t dare interfere.

(Should I probe them?)

“Will you take me to Duke Kang?”

Sue Ku asked loudly as she stepped out of the carriage, her voice deliberately audible to those around.

The leader’s expression remained unreadable, but several of the attackers visibly stiffened.

(Duke Kang’s men. Or perhaps his close aide, Dezai.)

Sue Ku nodded slightly to herself.

“Even if you were to guide me, there was no need to kill my guards.”

Of course, she knew the truth.

They had no intention of guiding her willingly.

Their plan was likely to imprison her in the dungeons of Duke Kang’s estate… or worse, kill her in secret.

As Sue Ku stepped down, she analyzed her situation.

(Walking into this as I am would be unwise. If I’m to confront Duke Kang, I must first regroup and prepare thoroughly… Still, to think they would go this far. Was my assessment too lenient? Perhaps I’ve grown complacent after staying too long in peaceful Mifasoshi.)

She chuckled faintly at her own self-deprecating thoughts.

Then, among the onlookers, she spotted two familiar faces.

A swordsman. And a magician.

Moreover, the magician, upon meeting Sue Ku’s gaze, appeared to silently ask a question.

Sue Ku nodded subtly in response.

The magician returned the gesture.

Raising her voice even further, Sue Ku declared:

“Since my guards have perished, I shall return to my residence for now. Please convey to Duke Kang that I will visit again at a later date.”

With those words, Sue Ku made it clear to the gathered crowd that she intended to leave the scene and return to her residence.

Naturally, this message was also understood by the two familiar individuals within the crowd.

“No, Sue Ku-dono, you will come with us now.”

The leader of the attackers declared firmly.

Signaling to his subordinates.

Two of the assailants stepped forward, attempting to seize Sue Ku as she descended from the carriage.

Slip. Slip.

Both of them lost their footing and fell.

“What?! Sue Ku-dono, do not resist!”

“I assure you, I am doing nothing. See for yourself.”

Sue Ku replied, spreading her arms to show she wasn’t responsible.

In truth, Sue Ku herself was surprised.

She had expected the magician in the crowd… Ryo, to take some action, but…

The two who had fallen attempted to stand again.

But, as expected…

Slip. Slip.

Once more, they slipped and fell.

“What are you doing?! Someone else, capture her!”

The leader barked, and other assailants stepped forward.

Slip.

The exact same scene played out again.

Merely stepping forward was enough to trigger it…

Those who had fallen the first time couldn’t stop slipping and were unable to rise.

The phenomenon quickly spread, rendering half of the attackers—ten in total— unable to get up.

The remaining ten, including the leader, froze in place, unwilling to move…

“What in the world is going on?”

The leader’s whispered question went unanswered, as none of them had an explanation.

Frustrated, the leader barked another order.

“Sorcerers! Immobilize her from a distance!”

Three sorcerers, who had been just as bewildered as everyone else, snapped out of their stupor.

They reached for their talismans, and hurled the talismans at Sue Ku.

Or at least, attempted to.

“T-They froze?”

Before they could even leave the casters’ hands, the talismans froze solid and dropped to the ground.

The unprecedented event left the sorcerers stunned.

Among the crowd, a water-attribute magician smirked. Only the swordsman standing next to him, Abel, noticed the expression.

And murmured.

“Looks like Ryo’s mischief worked.”

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

“The talismans froze.”

The leader roared, and the sorcerers answered meekly.

“Huh? What nonsense! How can talismans freeze…”

The leader started to retort but fell silent upon seeing the frozen talismans lying on the ground. He had no choice but to accept the reality.

“This is absurd… Talismans repel magic, don’t they?”

“Yes…”

The sorcerers could only offer weak replies to the leader’s voice, filled with anger and confusion.

“If talismans are useless, use your magic to trap her!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The sorcerers snapped back to focus on the leader’s order.

Indeed, the sorcerers could use not only talismans but also magic.

“”

From the hands of three sorcerers, a magic spell was unleashed.

The spell shot forward.

But only up to thirty centimeters in front of them.

Only to freeze and fall inert.

“Even our magic…?”

“Froze…”

“What’s happening?”

The sorcerers could sense something utterly incomprehensible taking place.

Their teeth began chattering.

That chattering spread through their entire bodies…

Until they trembled in fear.

In the end, all three collapsed, unable to remain standing.

The leader watched as all the sorcerers’ spells froze and their wielders fell to the ground.

“What’s going on…? Sue Ku uses wind-attribute magic. Could a water-attribute magician be hiding nearby? But this slipping phenomenon feels like earth-attribute magic. Two attributes? No… multiple magicians?”

He muttered to himself as he scanned the area.

But it didn’t take long for the leader to realize that too many inexplicable things were occurring for conventional magic to explain.

And the situation wasn’t waiting for him to figure it out.

“As I said earlier, please inform Duke Kang that I will visit at a later date. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, she began walking away.

“Hey, wait!”

The leader shouted.

Several subordinates instinctively stepped forward to capture Sue Ku…

Slip. Slip.

They slipped and fell.

The same chain of slips and falls repeated itself.

Now even more attackers, including the collapsed sorcerers, lay sprawled and unable to rise…

Only the leader remained standing.

Paralyzed with indecision.

If he moved even a step, he too would surely fall.

Sue Ku, now walking toward the crowd.

Seemed on the verge of escaping.

The leader had strict orders from Dezai: capture Su Ku.

Injuries were acceptable if necessary.

While Dezai had permitted minor injuries, the leader was acutely aware of Sue Ku’s status. She was the sister-in-law of Duke Kang.

The deputy governor of Mifasoshi, the second-largest city in Bosuntar. Her ties to the late king and trust from the current king made her a key figure in the kingdom.

In short, she was a pillar of the nation.

Harming her in public was far from ideal.

Killing her guards in an attempt to abduct her was already questionable, but injuring Sue Ku herself would be much harder to justify.

Still…

“I have no choice.”

The leader muttered as he drew two throwing knives from his belt and hurled them at Sue Ku’s legs as she walked away.

Clang.

The knives froze and fell to the ground just thirty centimeters away from him.

Just as the sorcerers’ magic had earlier.

“What in the world… is this…”

The captain murmured in disbelief.

Sue Ku calmly walked away, disappearing into the crowd.