LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 52
Please read this.
Chapter 52
Underwater Work (3)
The reason Isabella looks so young is simple.
It must be thanks to the immortality spell that allows her to maintain her youth.
Of course, even setting that aside, there were still questions lingering.
But before I could even start thinking about that issue in detail, Isabella opened her mouth first.
“I am one of the Seven Elders of Irantes.”
“…….”
“I’m not saying this just because I belong to the Irantes Magic Tower, but if Miss Riley chooses our tower, you certainly won’t regret it.”
So she came here to appeal on behalf of her tower, huh?
Well, let’s hear her out.
I quietly listened as Isabella smoothly continued her explanation.
Five minutes passed.
Isabella’s explanation was uninterrupted.
How Irantes Magic Tower rose to become one of the Five Great Towers over 300 years.
How it maintains that reputation.
And what the nature and vision of Irantes Magic Tower are.
Isabella spoke as if she had memorized a prepared script.
Now I understand why she was chosen as the head administrator for this selection exam.
Her explanations were really easy to follow.
“It’s widely known that our tower has inherited the ‘Immortality Spell’ from the great magician Marta Parhellich.”
“…….”
[…….]
Of course, regardless of her fluent speech, the content was absolutely outrageous.
[What the…?]
What?
Yann Irantes is a disciple of Marta Parhellich?
Should I just sit here and listen to such ridiculous nonsense?
[Hah, if I weren’t just a piece of paper, I would’ve loved to give that guy a good smack right in the face.]
‘Shall I send him flying instead?’
[……No, don’t actually do it.]
If someone like Isabella, who’s at the level of an Elder, knows all the ins and outs of her tower.
She must certainly know that Yann Irantes is not a disciple of Marta Parhellich.
Yet there she was, wearing a poker face while spewing lies, which means that guy is in cahoots with Yann Irantes too.
“Moreover, our tower master has shown great interest in Miss Riley.”
“…….”
“Do you think you can understand if I say that he used his nomination power for Miss Riley without the slightest hesitation?”
Isabella continued softly yet clearly.
I struggled to suppress my rising anger and listened to her explanation.
“Oh, by the way. The tower master specifically asked me to convey this.”
“…….”
“If you join our tower, we will support Miss Riley in every possible way.”
Having said that, Isabella slowly stood up.
“Well, for the detailed discussions, you can talk directly to the tower master tomorrow.”
“…….”
Riley nodded lightly instead of giving an answer.
“I’m sorry. I took too much of your time just to give a brief explanation.”
Isabella smiled.
“Then have a pleasant banquet.”
Turbuck, turbuck─.
With those words, she turned her back and slowly walked away.
“…….”
“…….”
And at that moment, I was able to witness something.
[……Hmm?]
Becky and Garon Theobalt’s expressions slightly twisted.
*
Knock, knock─.
“Riley, it’s me! Open the door……. Ew! What are you doing, old man!”
“Get out of the way.”
That night.
About 30 minutes after the banquet ended, Becky and Garon Theobalt came to our room.
Hearing their voices, Riley turned to me and asked.
‘Why did they come?’
[It’s obvious.]
I answered Riley’s question.
[They probably have secrets they’ve been keeping hidden till now?]
“…….”
*
“…….”
Garon Theobalt entered the room and silently began to cast a magical curtain.
Woong──!
It was a complicated curtain filled with various spells: “Silence,” “Eavesdropping Detection,” “Magic Disruption,” and so forth……
[…….]
What kind of secret are they hiding that requires this much preparation?
I became curious.
“Well, this should be enough.”
Thud─.
After completing his preparations, Garon Theobalt took a seat on the sofa across from Riley.
“……Ugh! What the heck!”
Becky, who had been dozing off, jolted awake when someone sat beside her.
Could it be she’s still drunk?
[Well, that aside…….]
I shifted my gaze back to Garon Theobalt.
He sighed heavily and without the slightest hesitation began with the reason he came to see Riley.
“Don’t go to Irantes Magic Tower.”
“…….”
Now that’s direct.
“What’s the reason?”
“A war is going to break out.”
“……A war?”
“Yes. A war.”
Garon Theobalt nodded as he continued.
“It’s not a metaphorical expression.”
“…….”
“Literally, a real ‘war’ will occur.”
He declared in a solemn voice.
“And I can guarantee that…….”
“…….”
“……Once that war is over, Irantes Magic Tower will no longer exist on the map of the Empire.”
Upon hearing his words, Riley and I could only remain silent for a moment.
“…….”
[…….]
That Irantes Magic Tower will no longer exist on the map of the Empire?
That sounded rather unexpected.
Because that basically meant Irantes Magic Tower would be destroyed, right?
“What do you mean by that…….”
Knock, knock.
Right at that moment, Becky suddenly poked Garon Theobalt’s arm with her finger.
“Old man.”
“……What are you doing?”
“Isn’t Irantes Magic Tower already not on the map of the Empire? Hehe.”
“…….”
Garon Theobalt gritted his teeth.
Becky continued, regardless of him.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Let me explain it to you.”
“…….”
“The headquarters of Irantes Magic Tower is located at the eastern edge of the Empire.”
“…….”
“Essentially, that area is a no-man’s land, a magic realm, so Irantes Magic Tower is not indicated on the ‘standard map of the Empire’……”
“……Rebecca Duncan.”
Garon Theobalt called Becky’s name in a low voice. Upon hearing him, Becky tilted her head with a confused expression.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“If you’re drunk, please be quiet, seriously.”
“……What?!”
Becky yelled indignantly.
“No! I’m just correcting the wrong things you said!”
“…….”
“The Irantes Magic Tower won’t exist on the map of the Empire! But it already doesn’t exist on the map, right?”
“Haah…….”
Garon Theobalt sighed and looked at Becky with a look of disbelief.
“……Do you even know what a metaphor is?”
Becky exploded.
“A metaphor?! I don’t know! What’s that?!”
“…….”
[…….]
It seemed like it was going to be a rather chaotic night.
*
Woong──.
In the end, it wasn’t until Garon Theobalt cast “Mental Cleanse” on Becky that the situation settled down.
“Hah…….”
As the spell took effect, the drunkenness vanished.
Becky let out a deep sigh and muttered in a complicated voice.
“Ah, really. Saying this sober is torturous……”
“Duncan.”
Garon Theobalt stared deeply at Becky. Becky sighed again and grumbled.
“Fine……. I get it. I’ll do it. I’ll do it, you old man!”
With a deep breath, she lifted her head.
Her eyes, unlike usual, were filled with seriousness.
“Riley.”
Becky opened her mouth.
“What’s your impression of Irantes Magic Tower?”
“…….”
The impression of Irantes Magic Tower.
It couldn’t possibly be good.
The tower master, Yann Irantes.
He was a fraud posing as the disciple of the great magician Marta Parhellich, whom I had nurtured.
That damn guy is still using Marta Parhellich’s name to elevate his own status.
In such a situation, there was no way I could look favorably upon them.
Just a group of frauds, and one that I wanted to personally collapse with my own hands.
For me and Riley, Irantes Magic Tower was nothing more than that.
“Well, obviously it would be positive, right?”
“…….”
However, Becky wouldn’t know our feelings.
After all, Riley had never openly shown her animosity toward Irantes Magic Tower in front of others.
“With the nomination power from the tower master and the blatant proposal from the Elder at the banquet…….”
“…….”
“Yeah, I mean, honestly, I’d be tempted too.”
As I quietly listened to Becky’s words, Riley cautiously turned to me and asked.
‘Should I say I dislike Irantes Magic Tower even now?’
[No. Just wait a moment.]
I thought it would be better not to interrupt and to keep listening to Becky’s words.
Maybe we would learn about the inner workings of Irantes Magic Tower that we didn’t know about.
“Irantes has risen up as a magic tower within just 300 years. It’s a new force that brought fresh air to the stale magical community.”
As expected.
Becky began to elaborate on Irantes Magic Tower.
“You’ve met the Elders directly, so you must know that the overall mindset of the tower is very open.”
“…….”
“There are no stuffy old-timers who are insensitive to the changes of the times.”
I continued to listen to Becky’s explanation.
According to her, Irantes Magic Tower had the following traits.
Fluid and adaptable.
They don’t dismiss new opinions and continue to develop at an astonishing pace……
“Well, that’s the Irantes Magic Tower for you.”
“…….”
“That’s why it’s also the most preferred tower among wizards these days.”
Yeah.
That was the general perspective of ordinary wizards towards Irantes Magic Tower.
It was what Isabella had explained to us today.
“But contrary to the widely known image, the reality of Irantes Magic Tower is completely different.”
“…….”
[…….]
However, Becky had a viewpoint that was entirely different from those ‘ordinary wizards.’
“Riley.”
“……Yes?”
Becky asked Riley with a very serious voice.
“Do you know why Irantes Magic Tower was able to ascend to the position of one of the Five Great Towers in just 300 years?”
“Hmmm…….”
After a moment of contemplation, Riley soon provided her answer.
“Isn’t it thanks to the fact that the tower master, Yann Irantes, is a disciple of the great magician?”
“Well, that’s not wrong either.”
The position of Archmage, only granted to those who’ve dominated an era with magic, held significant symbolic meaning.
However, since Marta Parhellich died, that title had been vacant for 300 years.
In such a context, the title of ‘the only disciple of the great magician’ could have wielded considerable influence in the magical world.
Naturally, these elements would have positively impacted the growth of Irantes Magic Tower.
“But there’s an even greater reason behind the rise of Irantes Magic Tower.”
“…….”
But according to Becky, that was merely a secondary factor regarding the growth of Irantes Magic Tower.
Then what could it be?
What on earth was the core reason for the growth of Irantes Magic Tower?
Becky began to explain this quietly in a calm voice.
“The Immortality Spell.”
“…….”
“The reason Irantes was able to grow rapidly is all thanks to the Immortality Spell.”
The Immortality Spell.
The thing that both I and Marta Parhellich had dedicated our lives to researching but ultimately failed.
But in the end, Yann Irantes succeeded, or rather.
He is known to have ‘succeeded’…….
“It was thanks to that very Immortality Spell that Irantes was able to rise to the level of one of the Five Great Towers in just 300 years.”
“…….”
[…….]