Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Eloise Arin (3)
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Fourth-generation Magic Tower Lord.
Once called a dullard.
But from some point on, her talent exploded.
A once-in-a-generation mage who grew to the point where she could place even Gospelheim beneath her feet.
And.
The youngest to ever claim the title of Magic Tower Lord.
Her name: Eloise Arin.
Her inauguration ceremony was held outside the tower.
Everyone inside the tower, the four great families, and all the citizens outside gathered to honor her.
Gorgeous magical fireworks burst every hour.
As the entire city reveled in festival, feasting and drinking together.
Swoosh!
The hand of the woman floating in the air below the tower, her skin snow-white, rose up.
Whoooosh!
A gale-force wind howled fiercely.
"Huh?"
"This wind's getting too strong!"
"Eek!"
The wind was so fierce that the celebratory foods and decorations were shattering and flying away.
'At last, this moment has come.'
Arin channeled her mana.
Then.
Fwoosh!
Flames—the symbol of the Eloise family—bloomed from her slender fingertips.
Rumble!
The embers rode the gale.
Fwoosh, fwoom!
The roaring flames grew denser and fiercer, soon enveloping the tower.
The Magic Tower, said to have been built by primordial 'Ancient Magic', began to burn.
"What are you doing?! Magic Tower Lord?!"
"The tower! The tower's burning!"
"Stop this at once!"
The nobles were at a loss.
Among them were even the heads of the four great families.
"What is the meaning of this, Eloise? Isn't that girl one of your own? Do something!"
"...Truth be told, we've already cut ties with her a while back."
"What do you mean by that? And yet you recommended her for Magic Tower Lord?"
"Her skills are top-notch, aren't they?"
"You madman!"
When Arin came of age.
Her talent finally blossomed in full splendor.
Naturally, in Eloise—where talent equaled power—they had no choice but to accept her.
And that led to this.
"Stop at once! Magic Tower Lord!"
One family head, eyes bloodshot, launched an attack.
But.
Fwoosh!
It was nullified by a mere gesture from Arin.
Whatever they hurled turned to ash beneath the flames she conjured.
No one could stop the grown Arin.
"Patrick! What is the Patrick family doing? Water triumphs over fire—step up!"
"No, well. Even we can't handle that. You know it! Those spells—they're all from the forbidden tomes! Even Gospelheim said he'd never seen them before!"
"Damn it..."
The tower, symbol of the mage world, was burning.
And not just that.
Every noble house in the city was burning.
The descent of a true fire demon.
"Stop her!"
"The Magic Tower Lord is cursed!"
"The Magic Tower Lord sold her soul to a demon! Eliminate the Magic Tower Lord by any means!"
"......"
Arin gazed silently at the thrashing family heads.
Wasn't it laughable?
People who hadn't spared her a glance before.
Now they wanted her on the Magic Tower Lord's seat.
Said she was strong and talented, that they were so happy and congratulated her.
"......"
Honestly.
Thinking back to that time, all she could do was laugh.
"Arin is the treasure of our Eloise family!"
Her blood kin rushed forward, offering drinks, requesting dances.
"Oh dear, this mother of yours made you feel neglected all this time? My baby. How much you've suffered."
The one who'd coldly told her never to return.
Now claimed to be her mother.
"Hi, remember me? We were classmates. Your desk neighbor."
"Ah, hello. I'm... a library clerk. You remember me, right? We bumped into each other a few times."
"Heh heh. Arin. This family head was shortsighted. For all the pocket money I couldn't give you before, I'll return it tenfold—no, a hundredfold."
She couldn't understand it.
What was so special about talent?
Why did it change everything so drastically?
'But.'
Her own heart was already dyed pitch-black.
Like ash.
Nothing left after it all burned away.
"......"
Fwoosh!
Arin channeled even more mana.
The forbidden technique of 'Ancient Magic' that burned all as she discarded her own heart.
['Hell City' (SS Grade) activates.]
Kaboom!
The flames melted the nobles' houses.
They battered the Magic Tower, shielded in sturdy mana.
[Burn the 'city' in the target area.]
[The flames do not take lives.]
Even as buildings crumbled and mages unleashed attacks that burned away.
Arin did not stop.
Until the capital lay in rubble, reduced to ashes.
"You damned bitch!"
"Demon spawn!"
Arin squeezed her eyes shut.
Then raised her hand again.
['Mana Explosion' (SS Grade) activates.]
Whumm!
The pure white energy bursting from her hand split apart, piercing the mages' hearts.
[Seals the mana of the target entities.]
[No magic can be used until the seal is released.]
If talent brought misfortune to the world?
Wouldn't it all be fair if everyone was equal?
"Stop! Stop it!"
"I can't use magic!"
"Argh, what did you do to my body?!"
What happens when you strip magic from those who'd lived staring only at it their whole lives?
'You need to know too.'
Arin walked forward.
'The life without talent.'
Flash-flash-flash!
Wherever she passed, white light flickered continuously.
The light spread like spiderwebs, touching the mages' hearts.
'I'll make it for you.'
She'd read it in the library once.
In a world beyond this one, surely.
'A world existed where you could be happy without talent.'
Not just one—they were plentiful.
More numerous than the stars in the night sky.
'You too.'
Flames rose.
'Try understanding.'
Call it a curse if you like.
Let history name her the worst ever.
But.
Arin wanted to show the mage world's nobles.
No—more precisely.
She wanted to give a chance to those without 'magic' talent.
'But.'
Suddenly, Arin looked to the sky.
Not at the empty sky, but as if gazing at some being there.
'Sometimes, I think this.'
And astonishingly.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
Tears she'd never shed, not even upon becoming Magic Tower Lord.
Drip.
They trailed down her cheek.
'If even one person had reached out to me...'
Arin looked around.
Everyone screamed.
Everyone grieved.
They cursed her—Arin—who had taken everything from them.
'Would I have gone this far?'
Gazing at the empty sky, she spoke.
'I was.'
That voice.
Why did it.
'Just so lonely, it seems.'
Feel so sad.
'Maybe I hoped someone would reach out.'
It was as if.
Arin was speaking to me...
No—through the voice of my summon, Boneo.
Snapping to my senses, I jolted my eyes open.
[Skill, 'Memory Recreation' (S Grade), ends.]
The memory that manifested when we briefly collided with her.
Had now concluded.
* * *
[Ding!]
[You have found the magic dropout.]
[Stage cleared.]
I snapped out of blankly reading her memory.
And that's how I ended up grabbing the passing Arin's wrist.
I'd revealed myself as the new professor.
And asked for a meeting.
"A meeting...?"
She frowned, looking at me.
Snap!
She wrenched her hand away with all her might and kept walking.
Clear hostility.
"......"
I stared at her back.
I'd seen it clearly.
Her overwhelming talent, gloriously burning the Magic Tower itself.
So why.
Was she so shriveled up now?
"It's blocked."
The old man muttered.
'What?'
"Whether psychological or whatever, she can't fully unleash her latent potential. Just like you back then."
'Ah.'
"Tsk tsk, look at that scrawny frame. How starved must she have been to end up like that? And her mind's unstable too. She's been hurt too much."
'Yeah, probably.'
Even in the memory recreation, hadn't she said it?
That it would have been nice if even one person had reached out.
In her childhood.
Being scorned—that was her 'regret'.
And resolving that 'regret' was probably this dungeon's goal.
[Ding!]
[A new stage arrives.]
'New stage.'
[Stage: Eloise Arin's Regret]
[Difficulty: Immeasurable]
[Arin grieves over her childhood experiences.]
[Reach out to her and achieve the true awakening of 'Bone5'.]
[TIP / How about helping Arin and getting her to graduate from the Magic Tower safely?]
'Whoa.'
Immeasurable again.
An immeasurable stage inside an S Grade dungeon.
Even back when the sun awakened, it was immeasurable.
Was this one harder?
"You fool, what are you doing?"
'What?'
"Won't you chase after Boneo like that? Grab her quick and do something! You plan to just let that poor girl go?"
The old man rubbed his hands eagerly.
He seemed to be enjoying it like a drama...
Swoosh!
First things first, I dashed after her.
"The word 'meeting' didn't sit right? Or how about we just chat?"
"I have nothing to say."
"Not even for a moment?"
She looked up at me as I blocked her path.
An intensely cynical gaze.
'But I know.'
That behind that cold stare hides a fragile heart.
That she's surely lonely.
"Even if you're a professor and I'm a student, you can't treat me this rudely."
"I know. You're from the Eloise family."
At my bold words, Arin pursed her lips.
Was it because she knew I was Boneo?
Why did she look so cute?
Like a kitten abandoned by the roadside.
A wary little kitty facing a stranger.
Yeah, from now on, you're not Arin—you're Kitty.
"Hoo."
Finally, Arin let out a sigh.
"Trying to scam me won't work. I'm broke, you see."
Huh?
Suddenly scamming?
"You probably think the Eloise family is loaded, right? Far from it. Can't you see my body? Would I be this skinny if we had money?"
"...Wait, what are you talking about?"
"You think you're the first? People promising to teach new magic. Those offering meals and luring me to dark corners. Ah, even ones claiming to lift curses and boost talent—for a hefty price. Some peddled weird potions too. So, what do you want from me? Don't tell me it's something boring like one of those."
Whoa.
Boneo, this...
She's been hurt way more than I thought?
At this point, the wounds had festered and rotted.
"You know it too, don't you? That I'm the Eloise family's headache. New professor? Planning to reform me and snag a position? Or did that Patrick bastard put you up to it? Dangle false hope just to screw me over?"
"......"
After her tirade, Arin sighed again.
With an expression like [Who the hell am I even talking to right now?]
"I'll say it once more: I have no talent. And nothing to give you. So please."
Had she held back a lot?
Her cynical voice trembled slightly.
"Please, don't give me even a shred of false hope... Just go on your way. I beg you."
Swoosh.
She turned her head and resumed walking.
'For now...'
Rather than pushing.
It seemed she needed a bit more time.