〈 Chapter 244 〉 The Night of Mages (6)
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Master of the Blue Tower, Brick felt the weight of many gazes upon him. The mages who had once cheered for his augmented magic engineering were nowhere to be found.
A chilling silence.
Doubtful glances.
It was a look that could hardly be described as friendly, even as a mere courtesy.
Was that phrase about a prickling neck always used in situations like this? Brick wiped his forehead, deep in thought.
‘…What is this?’
Is this even reasonable?
The magic engineering that Brick had presented at the Magic Academy Conference contained the essence of the Blue Tower. It was indeed a remarkable result, and its performance was nothing short of shocking.
A painstakingly built achievement.
A tower that couldn’t easily be toppled.
‘But what about the result?’
It crumbled. Pathetically.
Brick stared at the girl descending from the platform. She still seemed mysterious, her inner thoughts unreadable.
That girl brought down Brick’s tower.
So easily, as if it were nothing… crushing the tower he had built.
It reminded Brick of the past. He recalled the face of a familiar young man in the form of the strange girl. The voice of a young master who had trampled the Blue Tower echoed in Brick’s ears.
“Isn’t it a matter of practically proving it?”
And then, the girl’s voice echoed as well.
“It seems it’s not the Ashen Tower that clings to the past.”
Brick gritted his teeth.
Anyone could clearly see the result of victory and defeat, and this loss meant one thing.
‘Once again, the Blue has lost to the Ashen.’
The impact this defeat would bring to the market, the burdens he would have to endure in the future… countless thoughts swirled in Brick’s head, but in the end, only one remained.
Humiliation.
The words he had thrown out with confidence now returned to him as arrows, piercing his pride and leaving wounds. It was an immensely humiliating affair.
“This time again.”
“For the second time.”
“How could someone like a Master of the Tower do this?”
The whispers of the gathered mages echoed in Brick’s ears. Here, there were those who cared little for the Master’s gaze, and they spoke freely without a shred of restraint.
Shudder.
Brick’s shoulders trembled.
However, unable to leave the stage, he gritted his teeth and continued to watch the girl come down.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, their eyes met.
She was leaving to a chorus of audience applause but paused to approach Brick. As she got closer, the murmurings of the crowd grew louder.
“…Is there something you want?”
Brick looked at the girl, feigning calmness.
She remained expressionless, making it impossible to read her thoughts. She stopped right in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch.
‘Is she trying to mock me?’
Even if she did, he had no retort.
Now that he had lost, he was in a position where he had to accept whatever the winner said.
“If you have something to say, go ahead. If you want to laugh, then laugh…”
“That was a nice remark, Master of the Blue Tower.”
However, what came back was entirely unexpected.
Brick narrowed his eyes.
“…Nice remark?”
“It’s about how a mage should not be bound by the past and must move toward the future.”
“That part… was ‘nice’?”
Wasn’t it you who seemed to deny it?
You were the one caught up in the past.
As Brick shot her a questioning look, Rania sweetly smiled as she replied.
“I found the mention of the Ashen Tower somewhat unpleasant and added a word, but I have no intention of denying everything you mentioned from the platform.”
There was no hint of a lie in her demeanor.
“A mage should seek the new. Do not be shackled by the past. It may be a common saying, but when results accompany it, it becomes something unusual.”
And you, Master of the Blue Tower, have proven that.
Rania stared directly into Brick’s eyes.
“I restored ancient magical engineering techniques to create augmented magic tools. However, you started from scratch and created magic tools.”
Still.
“Yet similar results were attained, weren’t they? Astoundingly so.”
The results produced by the two mages were indeed similar.
“Personally, I may not think highly of you, Master of the Blue Tower… but when it comes to the result itself, I think it’s impressive.”
Though you’ve been a bit caustic showing some sharp reactions, I will acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment. Saying this, the girl looked at Brick with a light smile.
“It was a good duel. I gained a lot from it.”
Then, suddenly, she extended her hand.
As if requesting a handshake.
“…”
Brick silently looked at Rania’s hand.
It was white and slender, still bearing the signs of youth.
Then Brick looked at Rania’s face.
Her expression was not feigned.
There were no mocking intentions either. Truly, her hand was extended out of a genuine feeling of having had a good duel.
‘…It’s different.’
There was a distinct attitude from this girl compared to the Ashen Mage.
Brick imagined what might have been said if the person standing before him had been the Ashen Mage.
“Just talking big, but there’s nothing substantial, huh?”
That’s the sort of mocking he would have expected.
However, this girl was different.
Rather than mocking, she was lifting him up.
…
The surrounding area fell into silence.
The winner praising the loser, showing admiration – such a sight left the audience with nothing to say. The once-silent spectators began to glance at each other and started clapping.
‘It’s different.’
Brick saw the image of Ashen Mage Raniel in the girl before him, but he had to admit that although they bore some resemblance, they were very much different.
Now, he felt even a tinge of shame.
Though it was an embarrassing defeat, with the opponent coming forth so refreshing like this… it was even hard to accept it as humiliation. Refusing that handshake would only make him look foolish.
After a moment of contemplation,
Brick finally opened his mouth.
“…I’m grateful to hear you felt that way.”
Brick accepted the girl’s handshake.
The applause from the audience grew louder.
“I shall apologize for the harsh words spoken. My remarks were excessive…”
“Indeed. Why did you speak so lightly when you were destined to lose?”
Just then, a heartwarming scene began to unfold.
The Master of the White Tower had approached and placed both hands on Rania’s shoulders. With their similar heights and hair colors, they looked like sisters at first glance.
Brick frowned.
“White. There are situations where you shouldn’t intrude…”
“Unworthy.”
“What?!”
The Blue Tower master glared.
The White Tower master chuckled and reiterated.
“You look ridiculous. Unworthy.”
Thus, the White Tower continued piling onto the Blue Tower.
2.
“Praise the loser, Raniel.”
“The victor doesn’t need to say anything to be a victor. If a victor mocks the loser, the joy may last a moment, but the value of victory becomes lighter.”
“Mocking is low class.”
“Silence is second rate.”
“A person who sends praises is first class.”
“By praising the loser, you elevate them, and by elevating them, the victory you gain becomes more valuable.”
These were the words my master had told me recently.
Honestly, I was about to forget those very words just before the duel ended… but as I observed the subtle ridicule directed at the Blue Tower master from the audience, my master’s words resurfaced in my mind.
‘So I tried it out.’
I wasn’t exactly lying.
Separating the incredible results from the inherently cranky personality of the Blue Tower master, I felt the result itself was impressive.
‘Does it work…?’
I glanced at the Blue Tower master from a distance.
Though he had maintained some distance, he wasn’t giving me the sharp response he had at the time of his loss.
And the reactions of those around were changing too.
The subtler mockery directed at the Blue Tower master was noticeably decreasing. Conversely, the conversations about me were on the rise.
“Such a young age already.”
“Future prospects look promising.”
“Not only her magical knowledge but her knowledge of magic engineering is… truly impressive.”
“Is she indeed from the Trias family? They said she would be the successor to that great Ashen Mage.”
I felt a little twitch at the corners of my mouth.
“…Why don’t you just listen openly instead of eavesdropping slyly, Rania?”
“I-I wasn’t!”
“Just hide your trembling smile.”
I subtly covered my mouth.
My master heaved a sigh and set down his teacup.
“So, why are you here?”
“Why? I came to congratulate your disciple.”
In reply to my master’s words, the Master of the White Tower added.
She had been sitting overly close to me for some time, wearing a carefree smile.
“Honestly, it was so refreshing. I wanted to say something to that old fool, but you just went ahead and did it for me…”
The White Tower master continued pouring out her subjective interpretations laden with misunderstanding.
‘It’s not that I haven’t made corrections.’
But any attempt to correct her only earned me warm yet oblivious gazes, so I had kind of given up.
“Right? I’m not sure either.”
“If you don’t know, who would…?”
“You’ve got a point…?”
Caught by my master’s inquiring eyes, I returned the gaze arrayed with doubts… and then looked around the plaza. It was still bustling with mages.
The Magic Academy Conference had come to an end.
Yet, the mages remained in the grand plaza, holding their ground. They awaited the arrival of the mage who hadn’t yet climbed onto the platform.
Blink.
And finally, it seemed the time had come.
The magic crystal lights illuminating the plaza began to flicker uncertainly. The ones on the platform flickered even more intensely.
The concentration of mana in the air was rising.
Unbound mana made the surrounding air feel heavy. Amidst this heaviness, footsteps began to echo softly.
Tap.
Amidst the silence, a mage stepped onto the platform. With bluish hair and golden eyes, he held an ancient gnarled staff.
Mage of Ancient Dragons, Yormun van Dragonik.
“Greetings, mages who lead this era.”
He opened his mouth from atop the platform.
“I found the results you’ve shown at the Magic Academy Conference quite intriguing. I imagine my visit may have hastened the schedule a bit, but… I saw many impressive outcomes.”
He was known as the God of Mages.
Each of his words was treated like a timeless quote; mages eagerly hung on, their eyes shining in anticipation.
“This Magic Academy Conference was…”
It was satisfying.
It was always delightful to observe the clever ideas of the mages of this era.
“And.”
After briefly exchanging the usual ceremonial phrases, the Mage of Ancient Dragons took a short breath.
Thus, an artificially created silence ensued.
In that silence, he slowly turned his gaze.
Following his gaze, those gathered in the plaza looked too. The line of sight from one end of the plaza to the other finally landed at…
“Rania van Trias.”
It was me.
“The protagonist of this Magic Academy Conference, and the young mage who has achieved remarkable results over the past year.”
He spoke while looking at me.
“You have delved deeply into the trade between stars and mages and produced meaningful outcomes. You observed the stars with a perspective different from countless mages.”
The golden eyes of the ancient dragon glimmered.
Vertical slit pupils bore platinic rings were engraved within.
“For this, I bestow upon you the title of Sage (？人).”
Even the mages who had been silent now could hardly remain so, as the plaza buzzed with surprise. For good reason; “Sage” was a title of immense prestige.
Recognition from the God of Mages.
A mage certified by the gods.
The significance of that title was anything but light. It was not merely honor… but it was also a title allowing one to hold the power that comes with it, should they desire it.
“To receive such a title at this age makes you the first. To receive it in company with a priest is also a first. A remarkable achievement in many ways.”
With a smile, the Mage of Ancient Dragons clapped his hands, generating applause that echoed. Once the sound subsided, he spoke again.
“Furthermore.”
Our gazes met in the air.
My blue eyes reflected in his golden ones.
“I feel you need a more special name. For one who walks a path of magic (？？) unlike any other sage, a name befitting that specialness is necessary.”
I narrowed my eyes.
It was the alternative name the Mage of Ancient Dragons had previously mentioned. An inexplicable sense of unease washed over me at what was about to be conferred.
“Mages live beneath the stars. They are bound by the stars. They cannot be free from them. However, you are different.”
The ancient dragon whispered.
“You do not worship the stars. You do not trust them. You harbor no goodwill towards them. That is why you have approached the truth.”
Distrust (？).
“You who do not walk beneath the stars.”
The ancient dragon gazed at me.
“You have the qualification of a Guide.”
It was a look dedicated to kin.
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