The Magic Tower's Invitation (1)
“I’m sorry I made you worry.”
Beside them, Sien gave Maria’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“What happened? Why didn’t you contact us until now?”
“There were circumstances. If I wasn’t careful, the two of you could have been in danger, so I asked Sir Ethan to look after you.”
“Well… at least we got to see your face. That’s enough.”
Ellen slipped free of Maria’s embrace.
“You look like a proper mage now,” Maria said, her eyes lingering on the robe and staff. The symbols of a mage draped over her son’s frame still felt unfamiliar.
“Yeah. This look is still strange, isn’t it?”
“No. Your mother is nothing but proud. So… does that mean you’re home for good?”
Ellen shook his head.
“I’m going to have to do some dangerous work for a while longer. For now, this place will be the safest for you.”
Worry flooded both their faces. No matter how much more imposing Ellen had become, in their eyes he was still their child.
“Be careful,” Sien said, speaking for Maria, who could not find the words.
“Sir Ethan—you’ve returned?”
Just then a man who had finished his training spotted Ethan and dropped to one knee in a crisp salute.
“Sir Ethan, is there anything you require?”
Maria hurriedly wiped her tears and rose as well.
“Ah, nothing in particular.”
Ethan dusted the dirt from his clothes in a rough swipe—then noticed Ellen standing beside Maria.
“And who is this?”
“Sir Ethan Gronlead. It’s been a long time. You may not remember, but I’m Ellen—from Enis.”
“El…len?”
A face flashed through his mind: the one who had pulled him from the brink of execution and broken him free of that prison. Six years had passed, yet he remembered it clearly.
“I didn’t recognize you at all. Then… it’s finished?”
“It is.”
“Hoh. At last. Then this wretched life of mine can finally end.”
When Ethan had escaped Enis, he had dreamed of a comeback. But he was already branded a black mage, and the crime of prison break had been piled on top of that. In truth, he had been doomed to live as a fugitive for the rest of his days.
That was when Ellen had made him a proposal—one that concerned the very disguise magic Ellen now used.
Unlike every disguise spell before it, this one did not alter the face. Because of that, it slipped past detection magic entirely. Only a mage far above one’s own level would even sense something amiss.
In exchange for teaching him the spell, Ellen had asked that Ethan expand support to the black mages of Enis and their organization. He had also set a condition: the magic was still incomplete, so he would return only after proving it himself.
To Ethan, that magic had been almost his only path forward. He had accepted. And just moments ago, he had felt its effects with his own eyes.
“So it’s complete now? Teach me at once.”
Once they moved inside the building, Ethan pressed him.
“Thank you for all the support you’ve given until now. This is it.”
Ellen handed over a magic treatise he had brought from Proveng’s laboratory.
“At last I can rise again. Hiding away in a place like this has been harder than I can say.”
“Congratulations. And Sir Ethan—be careful of mages roughly two circles above your own level. They may notice something odd.”
The Chedleton family, mortal enemies of House Gronlead, were themselves a prestigious mage lineage. If they caught wind of him, he would make excellent prey.
“Understood. So raising my own strength comes first, then? Well, I’ve gained at least a measure of freedom. I should be content with that.”
“I’ll leave Enis in your care from now on as well.”
“Leave it to me. House Gronlead has always supported every school of magic except blood magic—it won’t be any trouble. If they need anything more inside, tell them to contact me through you.”
Ellen had been keeping regular contact with Bredy through the secret passage in Enis.
“Understood. Thanks to you, Sir Ethan, the preparations are going far more smoothly.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. Now go on—you’ve just reunited with your parents after so long. I’m sure you have plenty to catch up on. I’ve kept you long enough.”
Anyone looking down on Harryford from the sky would notice exactly two things. The first was the royal palace where the king of Prode resided—vast and elegant even from a distance. The second was the Magic Tower that faced the palace across the city. The pure-white tower rose as if it meant to pierce the heavens.
The Magic Tower that governed every mage in the Prode Kingdom. On its highest floors lay the Tower Master’s chambers and the council hall.
“That violates the traditions of the Magic Tower.”
“And are we simply supposed to leave a mage like that alone? We don’t even know who his master is.”
“If he has not come through the proper examinations, the Tower cannot accept him.”
Debate was raging inside the council chamber.
“He defeated an Imperial Sword Master. What further qualifications do you propose we test in someone like that?”
“Hah. Do you think a mage’s worth is measured by combat power alone?”
The mages seated around the round table were discussing one particular mage—Ellen, the hero of the recent war.
“In this war he defeated Vermouth through meticulous strategy. The Magic Tower has already rejected talent like his more than once.”
“As a battle mage, he leaves nothing to be desired.”
“Hah…”
The mage who had raised the matter of qualifications found himself without a reply.
“On the front lines they’re already saying his talent rivals Hameron’s.”
Only mages of the 6th Circle or higher sat at that round table. Among them was Hameron himself, the one called the Talent of God. The moment his name was spoken, every gaze swung toward him.
“Even so—comparing him to Hameron?”
“That’s going too far.”
Hameron was the pride of the Prode Kingdom and of the Magic Tower. Overwhelming mana reserves and spells shortened to the extreme—he truly deserved the title of a talent bestowed by the gods. That a boy barely into his twenties could be set beside him was unthinkable.
Then the man upon whom every eye had fixed opened his mouth.
“In any case, we should see him for ourselves, shouldn’t we? Like it or not, he’s grown too large to ignore any longer.”
The mages around the table all nodded.
“A light sparring match to gauge his skill. We can decide after that—it won’t be too late.”
His tone was soft, almost gentle. Yet an unnameable pressure rode beneath the words.
“I’ll look for a suitable opponent among the mages currently in the Tower.”
The Tower Master raised a hand, cutting Hameron short.
“A moment. He defeated a Sword Master in the war against the Empire. Considering that level, shouldn’t he face someone from this table?”
The mages’ gazes flicked among themselves. If anything, the Tower Master’s suggestion pleased them.
This is our chance to flatten that brat’s nose.
I’ve never liked the idea of a mage who doesn’t even belong to the Tower.
His Majesty’s attention has been fixed solely on that boy. This is our chance to show him the Tower’s true strength.
The Tower Master watched their expressions and smiled. He had expected exactly this reaction. Ellen’s rise had planted doubts in the royal court about the Tower’s usefulness.
The longer that boy’s exploits continue, the deeper those doubts will grow.
They needed an occasion that would restore the Tower’s prestige—something that would remind everyone of the caliber of those gathered in this hall.
I’ll make sure they see it clearly, in public. Who would make the right opponent?
If the sparring partner were too famous a mage, the effect would be dulled. They needed someone not widely known, yet capable of demonstrating an unmistakable difference in skill.
“Titermir. You’ll take this match.”
Titermir was a mage who had only recently reached the 6th Circle.
“Understood.”
He had been hoping the role would fall to him. He, too, found a mutant who had skipped the Tower’s proper path distasteful.
In that case, I’ll crush him thoroughly.
Fighting spirit blazed in him. He intended to show the Magic Tower’s strength properly this time.
“Then this meeting is adjourned. Prepare the invitation and send it the moment you leave. That is all.”
The Tower Master closed the session. The mages around the table filed out—all except Hameron, who remained seated.
The old Tower Master is playing an interesting hand. This should be fun.
—You seem far more settled after seeing your parents.
Knowing the two of them can live in a manor instead of the mountains puts me more at ease.
Meanwhile Ellen had left House Gronlead and was heading for his own estate. His parents had been the greatest weight on his mind.
This is the safest place in the kingdom. I don’t need to worry anymore.
Only the royal palace or House Gronlead could keep them safe from the Chedleton family’s threats.
—Not a single day of rest even after the war ends.
There’s so much I want to do that the preparations never stop.
He had become a noble, even if only of single-generation status. Immediate funds had been covered by the merchants’ gifts. He had secured a trading company that would provide regular income. Handing over the treatise would expand the support flowing into Enis as well.
But even this much still isn’t enough.
Thanks to the Robe of Silence he could match a 6th Circle mage. By omitting chants he could contend with opponents far above that. Yet it still fell short of facing the entire Chedleton family.
I have to grow stronger.
Just as Ellen was renewing that resolve alone—
—Someone was here.
Proveng’s voice cut in, sharper than usual.
A mage?
The barrier magic he had laid had been dismantled. It was a simple ward; anyone better than a common thief could have slipped past it. But having it undone was another matter entirely.
Detect.
A pulse of mana rolled out from him and swept the entire estate.
No unusual reactions.
Ellen’s mood soured. Not only had someone walked in and out of an empty house—they had dismantled his magic. Whoever it was, this was a clear provocation.
Creak.
What’s this?
When he opened the manor door, a single letter lay waiting. It was sealed with mana.
—The Magic Tower bastards.
Seems so.
It was an invitation from the Magic Tower. In three days, they would receive him at the Tower.
You are hereby invited to present yourself at the Magic Tower in three days’ time.
Attendance is expected without fail.
Will this arrogant attitude of theirs never change?
In form it was an invitation. In substance it was no different from a summons. His own will had not been considered for a moment. From the way the letter had been delivered to its contents, there was not a shred of respect to be found no matter how hard one looked.
Master… with the Robe of Silence alone, could I use black magic without anyone noticing?
—That’s right. Even I failed to sense it. The current lot would never catch on.
Strength gathered in Ellen’s hand. Fury at the discourtesy boiled up together with the inferiority he had once felt in the past.
This time I’ll flatten those insolent noses of theirs.