Chapter 414: The Second (3) |
There were five major Mage Towers in the Allied Kingdom Alliance.
The Blue Mage Tower, led by Celaime Mikardo as its tower master.
The Red Mage Tower, led by Parkline as its tower master.
The Purple Mage Tower of Norton Mirage.
The Green Mage Tower of Sharan Foranu.
And the Brown Mage Tower led by Manram.
These five were the pillars that led the magical world, and for that reason, their tower masters held a grand convocation once every five years.
The grand convocation—truth be told, it was not very different from an ordinary magical conference.
The tower masters taught mages of lower and higher ranks alike, and the presentation of spells or theories jointly developed by each Mage Tower remained unchanged.
It was because all Mage Tower Masters gathered in one place.
Normally, attendance at magical conferences was not mandatory.
As such, if one did not wish to participate, it was perfectly acceptable not to attend.
However, at the grand convocation, while ordinary mages might be excused, Mage Tower Masters absolutely could not be absent, and countless mages also flocked together in hopes of obtaining fragments of the knowledge held by the tower masters.
And—
At this point in time, with some time remaining before the grand convocation began.
All five Mage Tower Masters had gathered at the Central Tower.
“It’s been so long since we’ve all gathered like this that I can’t even remember when it was.”
Celaime said with a chuckle.
“Indeed. We haven’t all met since the last cycle.”
“Right?”
At that, Parkline, the Red Mage Tower Master, and Sharan Foranu, the Green Mage Tower Master, nodded in agreement.
However—
The Brown Mage Tower Master and the Purple Mage Tower Master watched the three of them with sullen expressions.
“Why are you looking at us like that?”
When Celaime spoke up at their stares, the Red Mage Tower Master and the Purple Mage Tower Master frowned as if on cue.
“Tsk, you really say that so easily.”
“Exactly.”
Manram, whose imposing physique made him look nothing like a mage despite his advanced age.
And Norton Mirage, the Purple Mage Tower Master with unmistakably purple hair.
Despite the sharp reactions of the two tower masters, the Blue Mage Tower Master merely shrugged.
Then—
“Don’t play dumb, Blue Mage Tower Master! Didn’t we ask you several times to introduce us to Marquis Palatio—no, the King of Palantio—and you ignored us every single time?!”
Unable to hold back, Norton Mirage burst out angrily.
Celaime once again feigned ignorance.
“Hey, sorry, but that’s not really within my domain, you know?”
“Even so, couldn’t you at least have tried talking to him?!”
“Hmmm~ Is that so~?”
“Grrr~!”
As Celaime continued to play innocent, Norton ground his teeth and tried to retort, but Celaime beat him to it.
“Oh, but when was it that you were scoffing, saying we looked ridiculous doing nothing but calculations?”
Hit right where it hurt, Norton froze for a moment, then belatedly began making excuses.
“No, well, that’s…… how should I put it………… It just felt like Mage Tower Masters gathering at the Central Tower to do mere calculations looked rather unbecoming—”
“So why say you didn’t want to back then, only to ask now?”
“Ugh~”
At the follow-up jab, Norton let out a groan.
Because it was true.
Back when the Blue, Red, and Green Mage Tower Masters were diligently working with specter of the past as calculation machines.
Norton had mocked the three of them.
Mage Tower Masters who should have been struggling to advance to the next tier were instead doing nothing but basic calculations.
It had seemed utterly pathetic.
True, the new calculation methods and formulas that emerged from assisting with that work did help the magical world.
Even so, Norton’s sense of contempt hadn’t changed.
On top of that, Alon hadn’t looked particularly favorable in Norton’s eyes either.
She disliked the very situation in which mages who should have been contributing to the advancement of magic were made to assist with mere calculations.
That had only been a few months ago.
Up until then, Norton had been clicking her tongue while watching the Mage Tower Masters who helped Alon Palatio.
The reason she was acting like this now was—
None other than because of the divine-bloods.
Divine-bloods.
Calamities that descended upon the world after the War of Ashtalon’s Destruction, disasters that could not possibly be stopped by mere powerful individuals.
From the moment such an existence fell into the Allied Kingdom Alliance and revealed itself.
And now, knowing that Palatio Alon himself was in fact a divine-blood—
And moreover, that he had become capable of handling divine-bloods—
‘I absolutely must……!’
Norton had to establish a connection with Alon, no matter what.
It was only natural.
At present, the only one capable of stopping divine-bloods was the Marquis, and Norton was the Purple Mage Tower Master.
Which meant that if she failed to form a connection, she would have no one to rely on when divine-bloods attacked.
That was why Norton, belatedly, tried to build ties with Alon through Celaime.
At this point, the depth of one’s connection with Alon had grown enough to function as a form of power in itself.
“No, it’s just…… how should I say this………… maybe I was mistaken back then……”
“Hmmm—weren’t we supposedly that pathetic?”
“That’s right. You even sent me a letter saying so.”
“I received one too.”
At the Blue Mage Tower Master’s words, the Red and Green Mage Tower Masters agreed in succession.
Norton squeezed her eyes shut.
I didn’t know it would turn out like this!
I didn’t know he’d become this important!!
If I’d known he’d become this important, do you think I’d have done that?!
She wanted to scream that out in a fit.
But unfortunately, Norton was the one who stood to lose too much.
And just as she kept her eyes tightly shut—
“Uhm…… would it perhaps not work for me?”
The Brown Mage Tower Master, Manram, cautiously made his request.
But then—
“Didn’t you say much the same thing?”
“What was it again? That they were a bunch of nobodies, wasn’t it?”
“Something like a pathetic trio defeated by a pathetic noble……?”
At the trio’s even harsher excavation of the past—
The Brown Mage Tower Master also let out a “Ghk—” and shut his eyes tight.
He had definitely used such expressions in sync with the Purple Mage Tower Master.
The Purple and Brown Mage Tower Masters felt sorrow toward their past selves, who had failed to foresee the future.
The two looked at each other.
If you hadn’t been the one to suggest badmouthing them first!
If you hadn’t been spouting nonsense beside me!
—They glared at each other with such expressions, but only briefly.
Watching the two, Celaime rubbed his chin and formed a peculiar smile.
“Actually, it’s not like there’s no way.”
He spoke those words.
“Not like there’s no way……?”
At that, the two Mage Tower Masters turned their heads simultaneously.
Celaime was quite satisfied with their reaction.
“To be precise, if carried out properly, it’s something that could create a very solid connection with that person. Far more so than any artifact you might present to him as a gift.”
He leisurely grinned.
“Well? Care to hear it?”
He offered words they couldn’t possibly refuse.
***
Several weeks passed.
As he traveled while conducting magical research as usual, Alon arrived at Teria, the capital of Asteria.
“Is it really true that a divine-blood invaded here?”
“The information guild wouldn’t be lying, so it must be true……”
As soon as she saw Teria’s exterior, Penia asked in surprise, and Evan nodded in agreement.
The reason the two reacted that way—
“For a place that was invaded by a divine-blood, it’s unbelievably intact.”
—was because Teria was far too pristine to have suffered a divine-blood invasion.
For a moment, they stared blankly at Teria, which looked as though no invasion had ever taken place, without a single trace of repair.
Then—
“Let’s head in first.”
“Alright.”
Soon, the group entered the capital of Teria, and as Alon lightly passed through the gates, he looked around the city interior.
‘Did the divine-blood not even make it inside?’
Just like the exterior, the interior of Teria was remarkably clean.
As though it had never been invaded by a divine-blood at all.
Yet through the information guild, Alon knew that a divine-blood had indeed attacked Teria.
And that Siyan had stopped it.
Alon suddenly recalled the divine-bloods he had encountered in Colony.
Divine-bloods so powerful that facing them alone had been overwhelming.
Divine-bloods he had only been able to stop after Colony had been completely destroyed, despite all his efforts.
‘Just what…… is this?’
Yet Siyan seemed to have stopped them without any damage at all, and as questions piled up in Alon’s mind—
They arrived at Teria’s inner fortress.
After entering the royal castle—
“Greetings.”
“She has already been informed of your arrival and is waiting.”
After exchanging brief greetings with her secretary, who bowed politely as always, Alon headed to where she was.
And then—
“Well then,”
The secretary bowed and stepped back.
A door was revealed beyond her.
Standing before the door to the office rather than the audience chamber, as was usually the case, Alon quietly placed his hand on the doorknob.
At that moment, he felt an oddly ominous sensation.
Because something suddenly came to mind.
The ‘Wanderer’ in Rosario, who claimed to be the true body of the Goddess Sironia.
For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind—
Could it be, just maybe, that Siyan had ended up in a similar situation?
But he quickly shook his head.
Because he knew that no amount of worrying right now would mean anything.
Steadying his breath, he quietly turned the doorknob.
And there—
“It’s been a while. You.”
He found Cretinia Siyan.
Siyan, who looked no different from how he remembered her.
“It has been a while.”
At that, Alon felt his heart loosen without realizing it.
As he greeted her, Siyan formed her usual calm smile.
“Sit.”
She gestured to a chair in front of her, as if it had been prepared in advance.
Alon naturally moved and sat down.
And as if on cue, she placed a sweet potato in front of him.
“......This is.”
“Eat. You like them, don’t you?”
For a moment, Alon was about to say something, but instead closed his mouth and began eating the sweet potato.
As always, Siyan watched Alon eat, resting her chin on her hand.
A relaxed smile rested on her lips.
And finally, when Alon had finished eating the sweet potato—
“Truth be told, after you arrived, I wondered what I should speak about first.”
Siyan slowly began.
“There are so many things I have to tell you now.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes. In fact, even while you were eating the sweet potato, I kept thinking about it—what I should talk about first.”
“So, have you decided?”
At Alon’s question.
Siyan smiled faintly and nodded.
Then she lightly waved her hand.
Along with that, a soft thuk sound was heard.
As Alon looked at her with a puzzled expression—
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Since this is a conversation between the two of us, I wanted to make sure no one could eavesdrop.”
Siyan waved her hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.
Then, looking at the faded red brooch and green badge on Alon’s chest—
“If the world you live in had already reached an ‘end’ once, what do you think that would be like?”
She said that.
“......Pardon? What do you mean by—”
“Oh dear, was that explanation a bit difficult?”
As Alon, momentarily stunned, asked back—
“Yes, then perhaps it would be better to put it this way.”
Siyan said.
“If your life were not the first, but the ‘second,’ what would you think then?”
She spoke calmly.
The tranquil lake rippled.