The Magic Tower (2)
“The Magic Tower… you mean?”
Even though this was our first meeting, I had a mountain of questions. How had I ended up here? How did he know I was a student when I was wearing a black martial arts uniform? Who exactly was this old man? And where did he get his ideas from? Still, figuring out the current situation came first.
The old man nodded at my words.
“This is one of the many spaces within the Magic Tower.”
At the very least, it confirmed I was inside the tower. Let’s take this slow.
The elder didn’t seem to have any intention of harming me. On the contrary, he wore a kind smile that seemed to invite any question I might have. With my wariness toward him easing somewhat, I began to ask the things that had been bothering me.
“Who are you, sir?” I asked as politely as possible.
“I am one of the many mages of the Magic Tower. My name is Avalin, and I serve as a sort of examiner.”
“…Examiner?”
When I muttered to myself, Avalin continued his explanation.
“I test the qualifications of those who come to this space.”
“…And if they don’t have the qualifications?”
“They cannot enter the true Magic Tower.”
Since I absolutely needed to get inside the tower, I felt a slight sense of crisis.
“What is the test?”
“My test isn’t that difficult. All you have to do is have a conversation with me.”
“……”
It sounded like both the easiest and hardest test imaginable. If I say something he doesn’t like, won’t I fail? It might be an automatic pass, but I doubted the Magic Tower’s trials would be that simple. …Let’s just think positively. I decided to assume it was an automatic pass.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“How did I end up here?” I asked comfortably, voicing what had been on my mind.
“Didn’t you pick up five stones with marks on them? When you activate all five at once, you get transported to a space like this.”
Avalin suddenly looked puzzled.
“Now that I think about it, aren’t you a martial artist who has never touched magic before? How did you activate all five simultaneously?”
“…It just worked?”
“……”
He stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter like someone who had accepted reality.
“Hehe. You really are a genius.”
“…It’s not that impressive.”
“It is. Infusing mana into five marks at the same time is something even mages just starting out find difficult. Someone like you is definitely a genius.”
“……”
Despite Avalin praising me, it hadn’t felt particularly difficult. It was like slipping five fingers into five holes. That was about the level of difficulty.
“…By the way, how did you know I was a martial artist?”
He had called me a student from the start, and even though I hadn’t brought my sword today, he was certain I was a martial artist. The black uniform might have given it away, but mages wore similar clothes quite often. Since Vincent had mentioned it, I supposed it was believable. Probably.
“All the new students at Heiden Academy will one day become heroes, knights, or mages. It makes my job easier if I memorize the characteristics of the students. Like right now. Adel Ifrit.”
Avalin had recognized me from my distinctive black uniform and long dark red hair. At first he probably couldn’t be sure, which was why he had simply called me a student. Understanding this, I nodded and prepared to ask something else.
“You were about to ask what the Magic Tower does, weren’t you?”
“…! How did you know?”
“Hehe. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you can tell everything just by reading someone’s reaction.”
Avalin chuckled as if my reaction amused him and continued.
“The countless mages registered at the Magic Tower conduct experiments and research related to magic every single day.”
He looked at me with an expressionless face.
“So, for what reason have you come here?”
“……”
It was true that someone who wasn’t even a mage would have no reason to visit the Magic Tower. I spoke calmly.
“I had an idea regarding magic tools.”
“Magic tools?”
“Yes.”
Apparently my answer was somewhat unexpected, because Avalin looked slightly surprised.
“What kind of idea?”
“Do you… happen to know about science?”
Even as I spoke, I wondered if this was a long shot. If it’s the Magic Tower… Maybe there were people here who knew about the underdeveloped science of this continent and were researching it separately.
“Science, you say…”
Avalin remained composed, as if he already knew what I was talking about.
“What is it?”
His question gave me a strange feeling. Is he pretending not to know? Avalin’s reaction didn’t seem like genuine ignorance. It felt more like he was acting like he didn’t know. I decided I’d find out as we talked and opened my mouth.
“It is the principle behind all things.”
“The principle behind all things?”
“Yes. Everything—breathing, moving, living—can be explained through science.”
There would probably be things that couldn’t be explained. Situations where the people of this continent lacked the knowledge, or phenomena that modern science couldn’t account for. For example, flying through the sky would probably require a fusion of mana and scientific theory.
“…Do you have any representative theories?”
Avalin finally showed interest—something he hadn’t displayed until now. Theories? There were plenty of famous theories and laws. No matter which one I mentioned, Avalin would probably open his eyes wide and drop his jaw.
“Do you know about the theory of relativity?”
I began explaining the theory that had fascinated me the most.
“……”
After listening to me, Avalin lowered his head and fell into deep thought, remaining silent.
“To explain it simply—”
“It was you.”
Having finished his thoughts, Avalin cut me off decisively.
“It was you.”
He repeated the same words again.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Woooong.
He reached out and drew something with mana, creating a gate in midair.
“Would you go through here?”
“……”
I didn’t step through immediately. It could be a trap, and the situation felt precarious in many ways.
“Please trust me. I swear it on my mana.”
Avalin began writing something in the air with both hands. An invisible, intangible energy swirled around him. It looked solemn and important at first glance, so I nodded.
“I’ll go in.”
Avalin stopped drawing and looked at me.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
I walked forward until I stood before the gate. Avalin followed behind me.
Wooooong.
This is my first time entering a gate created by a person. The feeling would probably be similar. I stepped into the gate with a relaxed mind.
The place I entered through the gate Avalin had opened was a long corridor with a strange patterned door far in the distance.
Step.
He walked down the path without saying a word. I followed him.
What is this? Suddenly falling into thought, then cutting off mid-sentence and opening a gate. He’ll explain eventually. I waited for Avalin to speak.
He said calmly, “Did you know that the Magic Tower was actually built to oppose the Jakshin Cult?”
“……”
They say when people hear something too shocking, they lose the ability to speak. This was exactly that kind of moment.
“Of course you didn’t. Only a very small number of people within the Magic Tower know this fact.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
“There are two reasons. First, you already know, don’t you? That they use science. On top of that, you understand science far too well.”
“……”
How did he know I had detailed knowledge of science? I learned the answer from Avalin’s next words.
“Have you ever heard of the Sage?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Then I’ll explain. He is a being who…”
He began explaining without pause. To summarize, it was this:
The owner of divine eyes that know the past, present, and future.
The Sage was someone who knew everything.
“One day he came to the Magic Tower and told us that someone like you—someone who knows about science—would appear.”
“…Couldn’t I have been someone who doesn’t know science?”
“Hehe. Ordinary people on this continent don’t even know the name ‘theory of relativity.’”
“……”
I was at a loss for words at Avalin’s statement. It felt like I finally understood everything that had happened at the Magic Tower so far.
“Furthermore, the Sage prepared an arrangement for the person who would appear.”
Thud.
As I walked while listening, we arrived before a door engraved with strange patterns.
“That arrangement is inside this door.”
I pointed at the door with one hand.
“…What is inside?”
Avalin answered with a simplicity that was almost absurd.
“I don’t know.”
“…Pardon?”
“Since this space was created by the Sage himself, I have never entered it. I know nothing about it. My only role was to guide you here.”
“……”
“At the very least, I can guarantee it will not harm you.”
Woooong.
The mana flowing from Avalin’s body seeped into the door.
Click.
With the sound of a lock releasing, the door opened slightly. He gestured.
“Go on inside.”
It somehow felt like he was urging me.
“…Yes. I’ll see you later.”
Creak.
After offering a modest farewell, I opened the door and stepped into the space beyond.