EP.240 Night of the Mages (2)
Thud Old man bending over while acting tough.
No mage was unaware of what that incident meant, especially how humiliating it was for the Master of the Blue Tower.
It was a day when the six tower masters were gathered in one place.
The future Ashen Master, Rania van Trias.
The Blue Tower Master who had challenged that young mage, only to be knocked out without even having a chance to fight.
“Why?”
The girl who made the incident sound ridiculous tilted her head and added,
“It’s the truth.”
When they heard her words, the two tower masters present reacted differently.
Selly’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘…Did she just mention that in front of Brick?’
That feeling was pure astonishment.
She had known that the girl was the type to live freely, even in front of the tower masters. But she never expected it would be to this degree.
In front of the Blue Tower Master, she openly mocked the incident he most wanted to forget.
It was a blatant challenge to the authority of the Blue Tower—an act unbecoming of a mere academy professor. It was pointless, after all.
The girl did something fruitless.
For what reason?
It was not hard to deduce.
‘Could it be…?’
Selly bit her lip, widening her eyes even more.
‘Because she thinks I was humiliated?’
It seemed so, given the context.
This was the territory of the White Tower, and Selly had been insulted by the Blue Tower Master in her own domain. And right at that time, the girl had stepped forward.
‘Turning down all proposals and acting cold… all the while grumbling outwardly.’
Was she secretly concerned for her?
Maybe quite a lot?
‘How sneaky…!’
A smile spread across Selly’s face.
Suppressing the urge to hug the head-tilting Rania, she shifted her gaze back to the Blue Tower Master.
“W-what…!”
Brick Geobahn’s eyes bulged.
Selly had to stifle her laughter at that sight.
‘Well, that’s understandable.’
What was the name of the girl who had just insulted Brick, and what family did she belong to? Brick knew all too well.
Rania van Trias.
A member of the ‘Trias’ family, known as the Ashen Mage, rumored to be inheriting the legacy of the Ashen Mage.
A single word from that girl’s mouth was far more effective than any insult.
“What did she just say, uh…!”
Just seeing the Blue Tower Master’s red face, as if he were about to clutch his neck and collapse, was enough to gauge the impact of her words.
Pffft.
In the end, Selly couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Indeed. Acting tough only to get bent over, Brick. Do you want to get bent over by me too?”
“White, are you crazy? How can you insult me like that…!”
“What you did to me was just fine, right?”
Selly shrugged and turned to Rania, grabbing her wrist and casually throwing her arm over Rania’s shoulder.
“Mind leaving right now? This is the territory of the White Tower, and… I’m quite busy showing this girl around, you know?”
You’re not even worth my response.
That was the underlying message.
Brick felt his blood pressure rise, and darkness encroached upon him.
2.
Brick Geobahn felt the humiliation.
He had already recognized that the girl in front of him was Rania van Trias. He had heard all about her unique appearance.
‘She looks even better than the rumors, but…’
Don’t be fooled by that seemingly harmless appearance.
That’s why he had thrown out the challenge. To insult the White Tower Master, and then to insult that girl… he had planned to take both of them down in one fell swoop.
And now he watched the girl’s reaction.
If she brushed it off with a half-hearted smile, he could call her a coward, and if she responded equally defiantly… he would raise his voice to challenge her audacity against the Master’s authority.
She was just a young girl.
With little social experience, merely living as a professor in the closed space of Apuria.
There was no way she would grasp the bitter realities of society and the struggles between mages. That was the angle he aimed for, but…
‘How cheeky…’
He never expected her to respond like that.
Brick’s brows furrowed deeply.
“What’s the hold-up? Are you not leaving?”
The sight of the White Tower Master, embracing the girl and waving him off, only added fuel to Brick’s anger.
“Looks like you’re all getting along really well.”
Gnash Brick clenched his teeth.
“Hey, you.”
Brick’s wrinkled fingers pointed at Rania.
“I heard you accepted the duel.”
The duel that would take place at the Magic Academy Conference.
That girl would fight on behalf of the Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias.
He continued, mentioning it.
“Those who walk the path of magic prove their abilities and speak through their achievements.”
Brick narrowed his eyes.
“The disgraceful words that insulted the Blue Tower will be overlooked for now. But after the duel, I’ll hold you accountable.”
Revenge is all the sweeter the longer you wait.
He had been waiting for years, so a few more days wouldn’t hurt. Brick warned Rania in a cold voice.
“You’ll have to pay for what you said.”
“Oh, yes…”
In reality, Rania simply nodded indifferent.
Just as Brick turned to leave…
“By the way, you said you were going to partake in the duel. Are you well-prepared?”
“I completed it not long ago. And could you move your arm? It’s a bit suffocating. How long do you plan to keep that up?”
“Oh my, you must have been busy teaching students, yet you finished preparing? How admirable… Ah, ahhh! Alright, alright! I’ll let go, I’ll let go…!”
Hearing their conversation, Brick scoffed.
If she finished it recently, it had surely not been adequately tested.
‘Magical tools require time to be monitored.’
The ‘real problem’ with magical tools arises after completion.
Continuous errors.
Problems that occur in unexpected areas.
It’s in the process of fixing those issues that the depth of knowledge and skill in magic engineering reveals itself. Rushing completion yields only a half-baked result.
‘As expected, she’s inexperienced.’
This is where the difference in time shows.
Dreaming of a refreshing revenge to come in a few days, the Blue Tower Master walked away.
3.
On the day of the Magic Academy Conference.
I was nibbling on food while waiting for my turn. The conference took place in a large public square, and mages participating in the event were waiting in this place… there were quite a few.
“I’ll come get you when it’s your turn.”
My master had left me in the hall, saying he’d return for me when it was my turn.
“Look, that person is the Ashen Mage’s…”
“Rania van Trias.”
“She’s going to duel the Blue Tower Master this time.”
With so many people around, the overwhelming gazes felt uncomfortable. As I munched on snacks, two people approached me.
“Sit here. Right here!”
It was the Masters of the Black and White Towers.
Following them, I arrived at a separate room set up within the hall.
I thought, ‘At least without prying eyes, I could relax a bit before the conference,’ but it seemed that was not the case.
“Here, this dish is quite unique…”
The White Tower Master kept talking.
‘What is up with her?’
Since that day, the demeanor of the White Tower Master changed.
Her gaze toward me felt somewhat strange.
Maybe she had misinterpreted something, but her gaze was overwhelmingly burdensome.
‘It might be because of the exhibition…’
No matter how much I tried to clarify, it was futile.
“…So, that was just something I said thoughtlessly, you know?”
“Okay, got it. I’ll take that as such. No need to feel shy.”
“No, that…”
That was the only response I received.
No good. Communication just wasn’t happening.
The White Tower Master merely smiled brightly and nodded to whatever I said. In the end, I sighed and turned away.
“…What on earth is wrong with her?”
“I’ve never seen her like this before either. What on earth could have happened to make the White Tower act like this…?”
The Black Tower Master, Yetual, shook his head in disbelief.
“So, as we’re right about to have the Magic Conference, how are you feeling? Not nervous, I hope.”
The Black Tower Master looked at me and smiled wryly.
“The Blue Tower Master, Brick, is really gnashing his teeth. He’s determined to crush you. He claims he’ll return the same humiliation you dished out to him.”
He spoke without a trace of worry regarding me. When I blinked in surprise, Yetual responded as if to say it was obvious.
“It’s just an unnecessary worry.”
Yetual leaned closer and whispered in my ear, too quietly for the White Tower to hear.
“After all, you used to crush the pride of all tower masters. What could we possibly have to worry about now?”
“…That’s quite a biting response.”
“The Black Tower was no exception either.”
His words carried a subtle sting.
As we chatted, someone knocked on the door. Yetual set down his teacup and gestured toward the door.
“Keeping the main character of the conference waiting this long is rude. We should head out; the event is about to start.”
My master must be waiting. As I opened the door, I expected to see him, but…
“Ma-Master!”
A man, presumably a mage of the Black Tower, rushed in breathlessly, calling out to Yetual.
“Chloe has attempted to escape! It appears that Belnoa assisted her…!”
“…She just can’t help herself, can she?”
Yetual pinched the bridge of his nose.
Just as he was about to issue a command, a mana circuit etched in the hall echoed out in a loudspeaker.
『We ask the Mage of Ancient Dragons to come to the Grand Plaza. If you hear this announcement…』
The announcement repeated several times.
The gist was simple.
They needed to proceed with the event, but the Mage of Ancient Dragons was nowhere to be seen.
“…”
“…”
The Black Tower Master and I exchanged silent glances.
We probably shared the same thought.
“Don’t let Chloe meet that rambunctious lizard. It won’t end well.”
The voice of Cardi lingered in my ears.
“…This is driving me insane.”
The Black Tower Master wiped beneath his eyes.
*
“Did you know? When you try to hide something, you do it in a way that’s all too obvious. That works on your subordinates who are in a vertical relationship with you, but…”
The immortal mage smiled.
“It doesn’t work on me. You often forget that I’ve been with you since your lowest point.”
The Star was silent at the mage’s words.
“Don’t try to hide anything from me. I’m starting to get tired of indulging your requests.”
He walked with a frown.
Without hesitation, he moved forward, closing his eyes momentarily. Three rings of light appeared in his pupils.
A platinum ring twined with another.
The three rings pierced through the essence of all things, reading the flow, and predicting the near future. At the end of that foresight, the mage let out a smile.
“Indeed.”
The near future.
A possible meeting that would come with just a few more steps.
Reading that, the mage brushed his face, a gentle smile lingering at the corners of his lips.
“———Ah.”
The Mage of Ancient Dragons.
Yormun van Dragonik.
“How amusing.”
He glared at the Star.
“Seems you’re playing tricks again.”
His voice simmered with anger.
