The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 343: Wind and Lightning (2)
There is a building one must see when coming to Rouen, known as the heart of the East.
It is the Yellow Magic Tower, called the Mountain of Cubes.
Kirik, kirik.
The Yellow Tower, composed of hundreds of cubes, has its cubes rotate and move at regular intervals.
Accordingly, the structure inside the building also changes drastically, so for novice mages of the Yellow Tower it is essential to memorize the building’s structure according to the passage of time.
However, even amid that dizzying transformation, the very top floors undergo no change at all.
“......”
The office used by the master of the Yellow Tower, Pentarion Ereus, was the same.
He sat stiffly in front of his desk, staring intently at a communication device that did not ring.
“......”
The airport terror attack itself had succeeded.
Even just looking at the photos printed in the newspaper, the place had become little different from ruins.
However, if one were to ask whether the operation had succeeded, that was something that required a moment’s thought.
‘There’s no contact.’
Isel Marcos, his long-time confidant.
Under normal circumstances, when an operation ended he would report back within three days at the latest.
But it had already been over a week, and there had been no contact from him whatsoever.
‘Something must have gone wrong.’
All sorts of possibilities surfaced in his mind.
Of course, there was nothing for him to worry about.
Even if Isel were captured, he would behave as though he were someone with no connection to him.
Considering the loyalty he had shown over the past several decades, there was no doubt about that.
“Hmm.”
Then why was the report so late?
Could he possibly be dead?
But there had been no article about the corpse of a high-ranking mage being discovered at the scene.
Besides, someone with Isel’s level of skill would not die easily.
For the moment, Pentarion leaned toward the conclusion that he was alive.
‘Alive, but unable to make contact.’
Perhaps it would have been better if he had died cleanly on the spot.
Because of Isel, he had felt uneasy for the past several days for no reason.
At that moment, a familiar mana passed down the corridor.
Knock, knock.
—Master, it’s me.
“Come in.”
The one who opened the door and entered was Tony Havertz.
Bending his waist at a ninety-degree angle, he approached in a disciplined manner and respectfully presented a file folder with both hands.
“These are the research results from last week.”
“......”
Receiving the documents without a word, Pentarion quickly scanned through their contents.
“I heard that quite a lot of the budget has recently been invested in airship development, yet there’s no progress.”
“......I’m sorry. We’ve reached the conclusion that independent development may be difficult without Ouroboros.”
“Then wouldn’t the problem be solved if you simply made Ouroboros?”
Pentarion said this as he tossed the documents onto the table with a flick.
As though asking with his eyes: Oscar Crucian managed it, so why can’t you?
Tony did not panic at this and simply bowed his head.
“We have also been proceeding with that separately, but since we did not obtain results you would find satisfactory, I refrained from reporting it. I will ensure that results are produced promptly.”
“How amusing.”
Pentarion chuckled.
“So in my magic tower, taking my money, you’ve been conducting research that you haven’t reported until now—is that how I should understand it?”
“I apologize. This incompetent disciple was short-sighted.”
“From now on, even if a single ballpoint pen is moved in the laboratory, report it.”
“I will remember that.”
It was an absurd demand, but Tony answered without showing it.
Watching him, Pentarion slowly rotated his chair halfway and looked out the window.
Sensing the unspoken dismissal that meant leave if your business is finished, Tony cautiously opened his mouth.
“Master, the anniversary of the previous tower master’s death is approaching soon.”
“......Has that much time already passed?”
As was the case with most magic towers, Pentarion too had someone he once called master.
An unfortunate mage who died after causing a mana rampage during a dangerous magical experiment.
Pentarion recalled the face of that person, now only vaguely remembered, and spoke.
“Indeed. As a disciple, I should observe my master’s death anniversary.”
“Understood. Then I will inform the mages—”
“No, you prepare it yourself.”
That was an excessive demand.
Tony already had so much work assigned to him that he barely slept two hours a day.
Knowing this full well, Tony politely made a request.
“Master, I worry that with the many duties recently assigned to this disciple, my magical training is becoming too neglected.”
“So you’re saying you can’t do it?”
“......No. I will do my best to prepare it.”
Tony was not unaware.
At some point, Pentarion had begun to dreadfully guard against him practicing magic.
At first he thought it was because of the master who died while practicing magic.
“......”
But honestly, now he was not so sure.
After Tony bowed deeply and left the room, Pentarion finally turned his chair back.
“Hmm.”
Tony Havertz.
His head had grown far too large.
Not only his position within the tower, but even in terms of ability there was nothing to belittle.
‘If this were the old days....’
He might have considered nipping the bud early.
Because this magic tower had to belong solely to himself.
The method would not be difficult.
Just stage an accidental death like with his master.
However, now many things were different from back then.
“Phew.”
Rising from his seat, Pentarion walked toward the window.
Through the spotless full-pane glass, the entire cityscape could be seen at a glance.
Streetlights illuminating the roads, cars running beneath them.
Even cleaning golems tidying the dirty streets were visible.
“......Truly a fragile age, and truly an easy one to live in.”
And he himself had created this era.
People could no longer live without the products of knowledge known as magitech.
Knowledge is convenient, and convenience is like poison.
Perhaps magitech is the strongest poison in the world.
‘And I too am addicted to that poison.’
The heaven that religious people cry about?
Nothing but a fleeting illusion that provokes empty laughter.
The most perfect city where every system is built upon magitech.
Rouen was the true earthly paradise in his mind.
“This convenience... it’s not something one can easily abandon.”
Not even if he had to suppress the desires within himself.
That was why he could not recklessly harm Tony.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
If he wished to strut about in the kingdom he had created, not even the smallest blemish could be allowed to appear.
Beeeep—beep—
Just then.
At the sudden sound ringing through the room, Pentarion looked around.
‘The communicator?’
No, the sound was not coming from there.
Looking around for a moment, he realized the sound was coming from a box that held old belongings.
“Surely not....”
Opening the box with a frown, his gaze fell upon a communication crystal sphere.
The sphere, which had gathered dust for decades, flickered and displayed numbers.
‘This crystal sphere is a personal one used during the war. Not many people know the access channel.’
No, among them, there were hardly any who were still alive.
Moreover, the mana code emanating from the crystal sphere was unmistakably Isel’s.
Pentarion carefully took the crystal sphere out and placed it on the desk.
He cautiously combined the repeatedly appearing numbers in his mind.
‘Terror, variable, lost, Heavenly Sword, southwest.’
Due to the nature of the crystal sphere, which completed words through numbers, forming smooth sentences was difficult.
However, even a mere listing of words was enough to understand what the other party wanted to convey.
‘To summarize, a variable occurred during the terror attack, and lost... did he lose the communicator? And Heavenly Sword.’
On the day the airport terror attack occurred, there had indeed been a report that the Heavenly Sword had left the family and headed north.
If so, it was understandable why Isel had been unable to contact him until now.
If he had been fleeing from the Heavenly Sword, he wouldn’t have had even ten minutes of peace.
‘If his current location is the southwest, did he go from the north toward the west and then reach there?’
In other words, he had circled the continent counterclockwise in a wide loop.
Unless he had been running for his life, even someone like Isel would find it difficult to achieve such speed.
Moreover, the subsequent response was very much like Isel.
Beep, beep.
As new numbers appeared, Pentarion watched them and combined the words.
—White Tower, dragon, pursuit, Yan Kingdom, financial support.
“......”
At the sequence of words that followed, Pentarion’s eyes narrowed.
He knew that recently the White Tower had assembled mages and dispatched them outside.
It seemed that group had been sent to capture Isel.
“Hm.”
But why was the word dragon included there?
There was only one reason.
‘Don’t tell me... that fellow had his secret exposed during battle.’
Unless the fact that he had shot down Edna Sol Laplace had been discovered, there was no reason for him to send the word dragon.
Moreover, considering that Yan Kingdom was mentioned, the pursuit must be quite intense, so it seemed he planned to hide in Yan Kingdom for the time being.
Even that response was very much like Isel.
‘Financial support.’
Pentarion pondered.
There were two major things he was considering right now.
First.
Is the one who contacted him truly Isel Marcos?
Second.
If it really is Isel, what should he do with him?
“......”
Pentarion thought carefully.
If someone was impersonating Isel, the most likely candidate would be a mage of the White Tower.
Then which mage of the White Tower could possibly do such a thing?
The moment the question arose, one person came to mind.
‘Oscar Crucian.’
If it were the skill he displayed during the Night of the Mages and the White Night Festival, stealing a mana code would be trivial.
However, he had recently seen an article about him in the newspaper.
‘They said he was in critical condition.’
If only that article had appeared, Pentarion would have suspected him as the culprit.
But the El Terra Order had stepped in.
They had even sent extraordinary support including an archbishop and the saintess.
‘If that were a lie, there would be no reason for the Order to dispatch even the saintess and an archbishop.’
In other words, there was a high possibility that it was true Oscar Crucian was hovering between life and death.
Which meant the one who sent the message was likely Isel himself.
“......”
Pentarion contemplated for a moment.
He could simply leave money at a hidden safehouse as it was.
If Isel took that money and crossed into Yan Kingdom, he could probably endure for years.
But a pure question arose in his mind.
‘What if he gets caught by the pursuit?’
Something like the airport terror attack could be connected to him, but he could simply deny it.
But Edna Sol Laplace.
Shooting down that dragon that had been returning to the White Tower was an entirely different story.
‘Even if Isel acted out of loyalty....’
How many people would believe that?
They would think it was something he himself had planned, blinded by greed.
If things grew to that extent, they would spiral out of control.
‘When that happens.’
He would also be separated from the convenience he enjoyed now.
After closing his eyes and pondering for a long time, Pentarion slowly opened them.
“......”
Soon, he manipulated the crystal sphere and sent a reply to the other side.
—Two days later at midnight. In the Valdes Forest of the southeastern continent.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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