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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 146: Magic Tower Alliance (1)
As I got up from my seat following Vaph, the employee suddenly said,
"I'm Hote."
"I'm Ruin."
"Come by anytime, Brother Ruin. I won't charge you."
I looked at Hote, his face flushed red from the alcohol, and said,
"I have to pay. How much is it?"
"It's fine."
"Don't do anything you'll regret. You'll go bankrupt doing business like that."
I deliberately placed two gold bars on the table.
Hote said with a dumbfounded look,
"Are you an idiot? Two silver coins are enough."
I shook my head and pointed at the dilapidated tavern.
"Do some repairs. The building will collapse before it gets demolished. I might just demolish it myself."
Hote, with tears suddenly welling up in his eyes, said,
"You're a kind idiot, Brother Ruin."
"Don't cry, it's pissing me off."
Vaph, who was watching, said with a smile,
"You must be quite wealthy. No wonder."
I observed Vaph's expression closely, and he was nodding his head while looking at my front pocket where I had hidden the Vancle.
It seemed like he was misunderstanding something.
Suddenly, I heard a thud and looked at the table to see Hote slumped over with his head down.
"He's quite weak to alcohol."
Vaph and his subordinate led the way, and Arin and I followed behind.
As we were walking, Arin held out her hand.
"Give it to me."
"What?"
"The money."
"Why?"
"You gave two gold bars for just a few bottles of moonshine? You're a real pushover."
Arin was repeating the same words I had said to the Crazy Mage Squad members earlier.
I shook my head and said,
"It's different now."
"It is different. At least you had some expensive snacks earlier."
"That's not what I mean. A pushover is someone who doesn't know they've been taken advantage of. But I haven't been. There's a big difference between the two."
"Are you saying you're a different kind of pushover?"
I was about to say no, but I just shut my mouth.
It didn't seem like Arin said it without knowing.
The result was the same, two gold bars, but my feelings were different.
There are many strong people in the world, but not many with a strong heart.
Especially among the weak, there are few like Hote. This is because if ordinary people had a personality like Hote's, they usually end up living a dog's life.
In that sense, two gold bars are not a waste.
Actually, it was expensive. But doing whatever I want is just how I am.
"I'm not saying it's bad. You're a bit different from my first impression. Or rather, have you changed?"
Arin's sudden words felt out of the blue.
Changed?
...What was I like in the past?
"Alright, we're here."
It was then that I heard Vaph's voice from up ahead.
A towering clock tower came into view, and behind it, artificial beams of light extended from the sky, shimmering on the ground.
A cone-shaped building of overwhelming size floated in the air tens of meters above.
It was much larger than it appeared from afar.
Below the shimmering light, a long line of people waiting to enter formed, and mages in uniform were checking their identities one by one.
As Arin and I tried to join the back of the line, Vaph stopped us.
"Ah ah. Not that way."
Vaph said with a grin,
"Didn't I say I would escort you?"
Vaph bypassed the crowd and headed to the opposite side.
The other side was almost empty.
A mage in a different uniform was guarding the front, and when Vaph approached, he frowned slightly.
"Deputy Commander Vaph?"
"Returning from patrol."
"Who are they?"
"They are acquaintances of mine."
"Their identities?"
"I've verified them. Don't worry about it. We'll be entering."
Despite making a report, Vaph's attitude was quite rude.
The strange thing was that the other mage only frowned and didn't say anything to Vaph.
Vaph grinned and beckoned Arin and me.
"Let's go in."
As we reached the area illuminated by the light, our bodies felt like they were being lifted by levitation magic, and we soared upwards.
***
The inside was even more magnificent.
Splendid magic patterns were drawn all over the walls.
In the center, the banner of the White Magic Tower fluttered, and the banners of the Red, Blue, and Yellow Magic Towers surrounded it.
"There are fewer people than I expected."
I had expected it to be quite crowded, but it was more spacious than I thought.
However, among the people walking around, there were some who could not be underestimated.
Mages in high-grade uniforms, and occasionally knights.
I asked Vaph,
"Where do we get the entry pass?"
Arin answered instead,
"It's on the third floor."
Vaph looked at Arin and reacted excessively.
"Have you been to the Alliance before, miss?"
"I've already registered on the list."
"Oh? What is your rank, if I may ask?"
When Arin took out a white card from her pocket, Vaph's smile deepened.
"Haha, it's quite an achievement just to have obtained an entry pass."
I said to Vaph,
"Let's part ways here."
"I'll guide you to the third floor."
"We can go ourselves."
Suddenly, Vaph's tone changed.
"Ah ah. Didn't I say I would escort you?"
Looking into Vaph's eyes, I found them quite coercive.
Everything he did, his speech, his gaze, all felt natural, as if ingrained in him. This wasn't his first rodeo.
I had a rough idea of what he was aiming for.
Playing along, I said,
"Alright. Lead the way."
Vaph replied with a smile,
"I'll gladly escort you."
As I followed Vaph up to the third floor, I observed the people we encountered.
Even within the same Magic Tower Alliance, members wore slightly different uniforms depending on their affiliated tower.
Members wearing uniforms with a mix of red ignored Vaph as if they were strangers.
It seemed the rumors about the Blue and Red Magic Towers not getting along were true.
The strange thing was that even the mages in blue uniforms tried to avoid Vaph when they saw him.
Meanwhile, those who greeted Vaph enthusiastically seemed somewhat dimwitted.
"Birds of a feather flock together?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just something that came to mind."
"We're here."
As soon as we arrived on the third floor, I looked at a particular spot.
I saw an iron door swirling with considerable magical energy.
In front of it, people were waiting in a large hall, and my subordinates were gathered in one corner.
"...Commander, you're here?"
I asked Zion,
"How did the test go?"
"We all passed. We also registered on the list."
"And the entry pass?"
"We got them."
The atmosphere felt strange. I looked at each of the Morons and asked,
"But why do you all look so down?"
"...."
"Show me your entry passes."
As if they had been caught hiding something, the Morons' expressions changed, and they began to take small cards out of their pockets one by one.
Makan and Palge had light blue ones.
The rest were all white.
Suddenly, I heard a chuckle and turned to see Vaph looking at me with a smile.
Vaph said,
"Are these your friends?"
"They're my subordinates."
"You're quite impressive."
Judging from their reactions, it seemed that both light blue and white were the lowest ranks.
I looked at Zion and said,
"You're not qualified to be a temporary commander or anything."
Zion replied with frustration,
"It's not my fault! What kind of test is it to infuse magic into something? A fight would be more accurate. What a load of..."
As soon as I heard a "Ahem," Zion stopped talking and looked at Vaph.
"And who are you?"
Vaph seized on Zion's words and asked,
"What did you say just now? What?"
"What I mean is, why are you snickering around here? Who are you?"
I said to Zion,
"He's the man escorting me."
Zion made eye contact with me, then nodded and said,
"I see you've picked up another one. Good choice."
Vaph asked once again,
"What do you mean, good choice?"
I said to Zion,
"Go downstairs and get some rest for now."
Zion grinned at Vaph and went downstairs with the Morons.
Vaph, after staring at their retreating figures for a while, approached the low-ranking mage guarding the iron door.
"What brings you here, Deputy Commander Vaph?"
"How many people are on the waiting list?"
The mage replied with a slightly intimidated look,
"Twenty."
"I'll be going in first."
"Ah, I understand."
Vaph's expression completely changed as he turned to me with a bright face.
"Please enter."
As I approached, the iron door glowed white, and magic swirled around it.
Swoosh—
The iron door opened without a sound, and I stepped through.
***
A sealed space, white as if to induce obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In the center was an iron chair, and in front of it, a transparent magic sphere floated inside a square magic box.
"Go and sit in the chair."
Turning my head at the extremely business-like voice, I saw a man in the corner languidly crossing his arms.
Dressed in white, the man was unlike any mage I had ever seen.
'He's from the White Magic Tower.'
Just as Kant had said.
The Alliance's actual rules were managed by the White Magic Tower.
However, the man's demeanor seemed different from the old fogies I knew.
As I sat in the iron chair, the man said,
"Name and affiliation."
"Ruin, Samael clan."
"Specialty?"
"Magic."
"Put your hand in the box and infuse the magic sphere with all your might. To your maximum capacity."
I could see why the morons received low-grade cards.
This measurement method was completely geared towards the Mana Core.
It measured the magic stored in the core by infusing it into the magic sphere.
This structure was inevitably disadvantageous for the Mana Circle, which resonated with mana in the atmosphere to exert instantaneous magic.
"What are you doing? I told you to infuse the magic sphere with magic."
No further explanation was needed.
I immediately placed my hand on the transparent magic sphere and opened the Circle of my heart.
Whir—
One, two, three, four.
The color of the magic sphere instantly turned red, then slowly returned to white as the magic dispersed.
The White Magic Tower mage watched for a moment, then turned his head with a bored expression.
'Ah.'
A moment of hesitation arose.
If I opened five Circles, I might get a decent entry pass, but...
That wasn't my style.
Looking back at the mage, he now had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
My hesitation grew.
Unfortunately, one of my bad personality traits was surfacing at this moment.
This trivial side of me.
With my hand still on the magic sphere, I continued to ponder.
The magic sphere turned red, then white, then red, then white again. I even considered just shooting a fireball at the magic sphere, but somehow, that felt unsatisfying.
Then, suddenly, my thoughts drifted to Vaph, the 'birds of a feather' who was eagerly waiting for me outside.
Oh well, whatever.
A trivial man cannot resist his curiosity.
Whir—
Three Circles rotating in reverse.
The point of contact with the magic sphere was dyed in darkness.
Suddenly, an intense vibration ran through the magic sphere, and it momentarily turned black.
'Oh?'
At this, the White Magic Tower mage opened his eyes slightly and looked at the magic sphere. It had already returned to its white color.
"Are you still not done? Tell me when you're finished."
Those words ignited a fire in this trivial man's heart.
The moment the White Magic Tower mage closed his eyes again...
I opened four Circles and rotated them in reverse.
Whir—
The frantically vibrating magic sphere turned completely black and then exploded.
Crackle— Boom!
The White Magic Tower mage jumped up from his seat with a startled expression and shouted,
"What, what's going on!"
The magic sphere lost its form in an instant and shattered, like tempered glass breaking.
Even the magic box exploded, scattering fragments everywhere.
"Th-this, what is this..."
Feeling inexplicably exhilarated, I said,
"Was the magic sphere defective?"
The mage looked at me in disbelief.
"What... what in the world did you just do!"
"I didn't mean to do this, but it happened."
The mage looked around at the scattered fragments of the magic sphere, then slapped his own cheek and muttered in despair,
"The magic sphere broke? And during my shift..."
After watching the dazed mage for a while, I asked,
"What about my entry pass?"
"...."
Hmm.
Did I mistime my question?
I waited a bit longer, and when the mage still didn't say anything, I asked,
"Why the long face? Do I need to write an incident report or something?"
"...."
Suddenly getting annoyed, I said,
"Well, you should have been watching, why were you closing your eyes?"
"...."
"What about my entry pass?"
The mage finally looked at me.
"How did you even do that?"
"I applied a lot of force, and it broke?"
"...."
"Just hand over my entry pass."
After a long silence, the mage finally said,
"...This situation isn't covered in the regulations."
"Then what?"
"Well, the last color I saw was white, so I'll issue you a low-grade entry pass."
"That's it?"
The mage glared at me, then sighed and waved his hand.
"...What do you want me to do? That's all I'm authorized to do. Just leave for now."
Suddenly, the mage's sigh seemed so pathetic that I changed my mind.
Perhaps he was more of a low-ranking employee than I thought.
What could he do if it was beyond his authority?
Besides, I had another card up my sleeve, so it was fine.
As I opened the door and went out, I heard the mage muttering,
"Damn... I'm going to get chewed out when I report this."
***
As soon as I exited the iron door with no gains, my trump card, Vaph, appeared as if he had been waiting.
"How did it go?"
"Low-grade."
Vaph smiled broadly.
He was a strange guy.
Usually, when someone smiles, I smile too, but why did his broad smile make me feel so uncomfortable?
"Why are you smiling?"
"That's not important. I imagine you must be quite disappointed that you didn't get an entry pass. Am I right?"
"Are you trying to mock me?"
As I stared at Vaph, he cautiously whispered,
"I have a way. Would you like to hear it?"
"There's a way?"
"There's one more way to obtain an entry pass."
Vaph suddenly lifted his chin with an arrogant expression.
"There's a way to get an entry pass through recommendation."
I looked at Vaph and tilted my head.
"I've heard of that. But I heard the recommendation authority is quite strict."
"A recommendation from our Magic Tower would be possible."
"...Do you have that kind of authority in the Blue Magic Tower?"
"Of course. Didn't I say I would take care of you?"
"Then would you do that for me?"
When I showed interest, Vaph finally revealed his true colors.
"But I can't give a letter of recommendation to just anyone. I'm in a bit of a difficult position. I would appreciate it if you could show some sincerity."
Vaph, glancing at my front pocket, finally revealed his true intentions.
"Can you give me the Vancle?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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