Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Confronting the Magic Tower
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Isel shot a glare at Aiden, who was barging his way in through sheer force of will.
He'd suddenly asked if she was good at acting hurt, then dragged her off somewhere... and it turned out to be the magic tower.
Sure, forcing their way in like this was rude enough to get them thrown out, but dealing with a master from an administrative position must have been too much pressure, because they immediately summoned the person in charge.
In fact, up to that point, there wouldn't have been any real issue.
Yeah, no problem at all.
—Isel, cry.
The sudden telepathic message left her momentarily dumbfounded, and she glared at Aiden's back.
W-what? Cry? Why?
Why...?
Isel asked in a daze, but there was no way he'd answer.
He couldn't use telepathy anyway, and it was beyond the scope of anything she could process.
She was that flustered.
‘What nonsense is that, Professor?'
She'd heard him, but her brain couldn't process it.
What? Had she gotten stupid?
Correction.
She wasn't the stupid one.
It was that professor.
Isel let out a faint gasp, her perception shattering in an instant.
He'd saved her from the nobles' tyranny lately, and from the training disaster, but aside from that, in everyday life, that professor was... an eccentric.
Isel, who had momentarily forgotten that fact, clutched her forehead.
'Right, that's right. That's how he was!'
Empire's Three Swords, youngest master, genius— all those titles were meaningless in the face of his eccentricity.
The kind of person utterly incomprehensible to ordinary folk.
That alone was enough to call him a genius, but honestly, geniuses were the type you applauded from afar, not the type you kept close.
Especially if it was a genius who casually pulled off bizarre stunts.
"S-Sir Aiden, please calm down..."
"I haven't officially received my medal yet. 'Sir' doesn't suit me."
"Professor Aiden... I beg you."
The high-ranking mage was floundering.
He didn't look low-ranking, so for him to be like this meant Professor Aiden was in a higher position than expected.
But Isel's eyes were still conflicted.
She knew the full story.
'If he'd been angry the whole time, that'd be one thing, but showing up out of nowhere and throwing his weight around like this... this is totally...'
Extortion, right...?
"Professor Aiden, we admit we were lax in handling that matter. We thought we'd covered it up well, but for you to notice so keenly..."
"Do you think I came here trudging through all this just to hear your excuses? How utterly foolish."
The mage speaking alone with Aiden grew increasingly woebegone.
He was flailing, caught between a rock and a hard place.
—What are you doing? Cry.
So, yeah.
'I want to cry too.'
Isel started sniffling, feeling a fresh wave of injustice.
The main reason was embarrassment.
She hadn't cried even when her life was threatened by the magic wolf, on the verge of death, but now she had to cry like this!
It was so unfair...
Everyone was staring at her.
Pity, sympathy, or sorrow.
Some couldn't bear to look and averted their eyes.
Her face burned hotter than ever, turning beet red, until a sob burst out.
This was totally, like...
The girlfriend who brings her idiot boyfriend to yell on her behalf.
Mortifying.
'For real, hng.'
She really hated the professor today.
Isel filled her eyes with glistening tears.
Seeing Isel cry, I nodded inwardly.
I didn't know exactly why, but a girl's tears really packed a punch.
Proof was how the other side was starting to choke up with guilt, unable to even speak.
I'll jot that down to use later, I thought, unleashing my anger without restraint.
Right now, I was a mentor protesting for his disciple—a female disciple, no less.
I had the moral high ground, my rage was justified, and this was clearly about demanding accountability.
No one would dare stop me for getting angry.
"Step aside. I'll handle it and be done with it. I can't comprehend you dawdling over something so trivial."
"Th-that's!"
His considerable distress made me smile inwardly.
'Gotcha.'
In this era, a master's existence wasn't just a fancy title.
Combat didn't flow like modern warfare, with massive tactical and strategic weapons or orbital strikes wiping out ground forces.
But if there was an asymmetric weapon in this context... it'd be a master.
A one-man legion, a strategic asset that could flip the battlefield in an instant.
The key to stabilizing the empire's vast territories.
They couldn't be treated lightly.
Which meant their deployment couldn't be taken lightly either.
The mage hurriedly shook his head.
"Absolutely not!"
"Why not?"
"That's obvious..."
His eyes screamed, *Why ask such an obvious question?*
Yeah, I knew.
That's why I was asking—to confirm it.
A master's power wasn't purely personal.
It was national power, something the state coveted fiercely, binding even their personal freedoms.
'Of course, they treat you well in return.'
But overseas travel raised defection concerns, some facilities were off-limits, surveillance was constant, and it was a hassle all around.
Even drawing a sword required endless scrutiny.
That was why Aiden hadn't officially received his honors yet.
They couldn't imprison a master by force, so they stuffed him with sweets until his teeth rotted.
"It's a political issue..."
The mage wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"Yeah, so I've been patient. Very patient."
*'The consideration nuance ends here.'*
"And what do I come back to? This idiotic mess. How much longer do I have to wait here? Or do I even need to wait?"
"Th-that's."
"I'll say it once more. Step aside. Dragging out a five-minute fix is beyond unbearable."
As I strode forward, the mage let out a shriek.
"Absolutely not!"
Behind him, Isel stopped crying and stared at the scene.
I held back a grin.
Yes, this was the reaction I wanted.
The mage cried out hysterically.
"Even if Professor Aiden hasn't received formal honors, you are the empire's sword! Drawing that blade may only be done by His Majesty's command, anything else is...!"
"I've already drawn it once to save my disciple."
At those words, the mage's face turned ashen.
From his expression, he looked like he wanted to ask if that's why the chairman hadn't resigned.
*'That guy was going to resign sooner or later anyway for failing to prevent the training incident. I just sped it up.'*
Thus, I was innocent.
"Please reconsider. If Professor Aiden draws his sword, the matter goes straight to His Majesty. It could put you in a difficult position..."
"Am *I* the one who'll be in trouble? No, it'll be *you*."
The mage fell silent, struck right in the gut.
*'Higher-ups don't handle this grunt work anyway.'*
There were only three masters in the empire.
One was on the verge of retirement due to old age.
They weren't replaceable, nor could you just train more.
If the empire's vast lands were upheld by masters, any shake in that foundation shook the empire.
So would they reprimand me, even if this reached the emperor's ears...?
*'You'll get an earful. I won't.'*
If anything, the magic tower would get an eyeful for not resolving it sooner.
Perfect logic.
I chuckled inwardly and took another step.
Realizing he couldn't stop me like this, the mage paled and trembled.
The moment he squeezed his eyes shut, accepting defeat—
"A distinguished guest has arrived."
A kindly voice, brimming with the warmth of late years, rang out.
I whipped my head around reflexively, and there stood an elderly woman.
The mage's eyes widened as he shouted.
"Tower Lord."
I knew she'd come.
Ignoring Isel's frightened look, I pressed forward aggressively.
"Your magic tower's gatekeepers are so slow, I had to come myself. What do you think of that, Tower Lord?"
The room grew icy, but I ignored it.
I also cleanly erased Isel's hesitant fidgeting from view—*what is he going to do?*
This was fine for Aiden.
For Aiden.
*'I have no intention of being a polite fool.'*
Perhaps because I was so overbearing, the Tower Lord smiled and bowed her head.
"My deepest apologies, Professor Aiden."
The Tower Lord took a humble stance.
That alone sent another shockwave through the room.
She didn't stop there, repeating her apologies.
"We deeply regret this matter. Due to our shortcomings, we diverted security personnel, leading to the training disaster and ultimately injuring your disciple. We are profoundly sorry."
"And you think that'll end it?"
The Tower Lord's eyes narrowed.
"We at the tower will offer fitting compensation. That young lady over there..."
Isel met the Tower Lord's gaze, startled, but stated her name.
"I'm Isel Trudy. Tower Lord."
"...Yes. Isel, is it? I'll compensate you to the best of my ability."
"There's also a student named Eones Elin. Make sure she's not left wanting."
"We shall do so."
I glanced at Isel once.
Confirming her satisfied look, I stated my business.
"But compensation is a given. You know that."
"I do."
Right. Yeah. So that's how it is?
"I simply can't bear the stench wafting from here any longer. In fact, I've been exceedingly patient up to now."
The Tower Lord pondered my underlying meaning, then bowed her head again.
"An appropriate... compensation for Professor Aiden as well..."
"No. No need to compensate me. The children might need it, but a few coins from you old folks won't help my poverty. Simply..."
As I said that, I glanced upward.
"I want the root cause resolved."
On that point, the Tower Lord drew a firm line.
"As my disciple here said earlier, we do not wish for Professor Aiden to draw his sword."
"Then I'll step back on that too."
Stepping back one foot was for the next leap.
Pretend it was nothing, plant the idea that I'd conceded a lot already.
Then reveal the true intent that couldn't be refused.
Basic negotiation.
"Then it should be fine for my disciples to handle it."
Elin's awakening was incomplete.
To develop it somehow, she needed plenty of practice.
In the original story, Elin's awakening came from breaking through via life-or-death combat, concentrated battle experience.
*'But real life-or-death is too much. Instead, lots of battle experience to fill that gap. That's what's needed.'*
To accumulate experience, suitable training materials were essential.
And right here were perfect ones.
Contaminated magic beasts—ones you could kill without issue.
The Tower Lord, grasping my intent, looked blank for a moment before smiling wryly.
"So the professor needs punching bags for combat training."
"I just want to clear the stinking things from in front of my lab."
"If that's the case, we'll gladly accept. Safety, however..."
"I'll oversee it."
The Tower Lord nodded in agreement.
"Then there's no issue."
Solving the tower's problem while completing Elin's awakening.
A single move satisfying both sides.
I nodded firmly.
"Consider the negotiation sealed."
The Tower Lord conveyed her assent without words.
Isel stared blankly, wondering how the conversation had turned out like this, but I ignored her.
This was adult negotiation... no, rhetoric.
Anyway, that was that.