Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: Ariya Schpellen, the Magic Tower Master
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***
Tuesday.
From early in the morning, several people were already bustling about. The academy’s atmosphere was already somber due to the incident involving the students last week, and now, the internal staff were busier than ever.
As if to make matters worse, news had arrived that an unexpectedly influential figure would be visiting the academy. That was the main reason for the commotion.
And now, on the second floor of the academy instructor’s dormitory.
*Click.*
“…Hah.”
A woman stepped out of her room and let out a deep sigh.
Her silver hair rustled as she took what were, to any observer, exhausted steps.
Esia, an instructor for Class A4, blinked blankly and pressed her fingers against her throbbing forehead.
‘I really don’t want to go.’
Her heart felt heavy, uneasy, and awkward.
She never thought she would see her… why on earth was her master coming to the academy?
What’s more, she hadn’t even stated the reason for her visit. They had simply been informed that she would be arriving unannounced and that they should prepare to receive her.
“Ah, seriously, why…”
She ran a hand roughly through her hair, finding the silver strands that fell across her vision resentful.
Silver hair.
Yes, this silver hair was the root of the problem. The cause of this mysterious and rare hair color, the bond thicker than blood that tied them together… all of it justified why I had to go now.
The reason I had to go somewhere I so desperately wanted to avoid.
*
I arrived at the academy’s main gate to find a crowd of people. Most of them were high-ranking academy officials, dressed in formal attire and lined up neatly, preparing to greet someone.
“You’ve arrived, Instructor Esia!”
A middle-aged woman with fine wrinkles approached me at once. I gave her an awkward nod.
“…Yes, Chairwoman. Has my master not arrived yet?”
“No. I imagine she will be here shortly. Still, to think she would visit the academy during such a chaotic time… I could hardly believe it when I heard the news. And as flustered as I am… I also have a small hope.”
“A hope?”
“Yes. Perhaps she’s come because there’s an issue with the magic circles applied to the academy? Of course, the magitech engineering system didn't activate, but… don’t you think the magic circles could also use some reinforcement?”
In her subtle tone, which held both expectation and a hint of blame, I awkwardly nodded my head.
“I also certainly believe the magic circles require maintenance. I will be sure to properly suggest it to my master later.”
“Yes, please do~ Our Instructor Esia should have a good word with her. The imperial family and various high-ranking houses have been saying quite a lot, you know. For such a terrible incident to occur at the academy… it’s inevitable that questions would be raised about the Magic Tower that installed the magic circles.”
“…Yes, that’s true.”
I answered curtly, finding it awkward for another reason to be facing the chairwoman.
She acted as if she were welcoming me, yet she was subtly shifting the blame. And since she was entirely correct, I couldn’t even think of offering a rebuttal.
*Tap.*
As I carefully positioned myself at the end of the line of officials, a sigh escaped me.
‘If only Kalli were here, I’d feel a bit more at ease.’
Of all the chaotic times, Kalli had to be away from the academy for personal reasons. Her leave overlapped with the school’s closure, and though I knew she would be back tomorrow, a great sense of disappointment washed over me.
After about ten minutes of waiting, figures in pure white robes, impossible to miss, appeared in the distance.
“……!”
“Are those them?”
“Everyone, compose yourselves to greet the Magic Tower Master.”
I instantly understood why the high-ranking officials around me were drawing sharp breaths.
The presence of my master, no, the sheer pressure she exuded, was overwhelming enough to dominate most beings even from this distance.
The mana in the atmosphere shifted in an instant, making even the act of breathing feel foreign.
—The Master of All Mana.
A title given only to the current Magic Tower Master. The presence of a mage who could bring space itself under her dominion was just that overwhelming.
*Swoosh!*
As she approached, the hem of her white robe fluttering, her appearance, that of a woman in her early twenties, hadn't changed a bit from years ago.
‘Well, she did say she would maintain her youth until she died.’
Seeing my master’s face, which now looked even younger than my own, only intensified the awkwardness in my heart.
And the high-ranking attendant mages by her side each had an extraordinary presence of their own.
Then.
It was just for a moment.
—!
The moment my master’s gaze, which had been leisurely approaching the academy's main gate, fell upon me,
a faint glimmer of light burst forth, and her form instantly erased the very gap in space.
That wasn’t just a figure of speech….
“W-Welcome!”
“We greet you, Master Ariya of the Magic Tower.”
“To cast Blink without an incantation…”
Amidst the various greetings, I awkwardly met the gaze of my master, who now stood before me.
“Master Ariya……”
“Master, is it? It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it, Esia? You left the Magic Tower of your own accord, only to end up living like this?”
My master’s twisted smile was incredibly beautiful, yet utterly chilling.
A cold shiver ran through me, as if the very temperature of the air had plummeted.
My master completely ignored the high-ranking academy officials, her eyes fixed solely on me.
At that, I managed a stiff smile and met her gaze.
“Master Ariya. I am quite satisfied with my life as an instructor.”
“Really? For someone who’s satisfied, your attire is shabby, neither beautiful nor stylish. To think this is the treatment you receive after casting aside your pride and dignity as a high-ranking mage.”
*Touch.*
At the touch of my master’s hand lightly caressing the collar of my uniform… I couldn’t do anything.
As her white hand gently skimmed my uniform, I could only freeze.
The absolute presence of mana imbued in her touch.
Even through the fabric… it made me feel my master’s immense power.
“……”
I had expected this kind of reunion.
I had steeled myself for the awkwardness. But all of that was rendered useless the moment I stood before my master.
*Flick.*
My master lightly removed her hand from my clothes, dusted it off, then glanced around before giving a slight nod.
“Well, thank you for the welcome. However, Esia’s guidance will be sufficient. You all must be busy, so you may leave now.”
It was a polite statement, but it was anything but. It was an order of dismissal.
—!
Those light words became a trigger, pressing down intensely upon the atmosphere.
The level at which one could control the air with their will alone.
“……!”
I watched the chairwoman’s expression harden significantly and gave a slight shake of my head. My master’s unparalleled egocentrism was something no one could fix.
Even if the academy’s high-ranking officials held authority comparable to high nobility, before my master, they were no different from commoners.
My master, who didn’t even bow her head when meeting the emperor, was never going to treat academy officials with the respect they were due.
The Magic Tower’s influence over the empire was not just overwhelming; it was authoritarian.
…*Nod.*
“Then… we shall leave the academy tour entirely in Instructor Esia’s hands. Ariya Schpellen, Master of the Magic Tower… thank you once again for visiting the academy.”
“Of course.”
Even as the chairwoman reluctantly nodded and bowed before departing, my master’s reply was just that single, curt phrase.
*Clack, clack…*
As the high-ranking academy officials left, I swallowed a deep breath.
‘I have to endure this.’
I couldn’t run away, nor could I avoid facing her. In this atmosphere, which grew ever colder and more oppressive, I just had to confront her.
*Glance.*
My master’s unique purple eyes, filled with displeasure, seemed to freeze me in place.
The reality that those eyes, which had once shown me endless warmth, were now filled with complete disappointment and coldness… it only made my heart sink further.
“Hah.”
At the sight of my master shaking her head with a small sigh, I unconsciously bit my lip.
My resolve was already beginning to waver.
“Esia. Your magical achievements haven’t improved much either.”
“I am trying, but… it seems I’m not enough to meet your expectations, Master.”
I forced a smile as I replied, though her words cut into my heart like ice.
…I was once called the prodigy who received all the Magic Tower Master’s affection, but that was all past glory. Now, I was just an academy instructor.
“Is that so? Well… whatever. Talking to you any more will only hurt my heart. I’ll get straight to the point. There’s a student who was in an accident at the academy, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’d like you to guide me to him immediately. The purpose of my visit to the academy is to meet the injured student.”
Her next words left me confused, though I tried to compose myself.
‘The injured students would be Leonhardt and Han Cheon-seong.’
I didn't know why my master would show interest in them.
My master was famous for not giving a shred of attention to humans without magical talent.
But that question didn’t linger for long.
“I’ll guide you right away.”
“Good.”
I took my place before my master and carefully began to walk.
…As the oppressive weight in the air lifted, my gaze inadvertently drifted to the side.
The other attendant mages in their white robes. They were all familiar faces, accompanying my master to assist her.
“...”
“...”
As their eyes, which held a subtle pity, met mine, I quickly looked away.
More than my master’s cold and icy glare…
their looks of pity were what pained my heart the most.
***
*Clack.*
Leaving the dormitory, Cheon-seong felt a sense of stability from the weight of the spear on his back.
“……It’s really quiet.”
Seeing the deserted dormitory hallway due to the school’s closure, he muttered to himself. In truth, whether he was in the infirmary or back in his dorm, there wasn’t much difference in what he could do.
The wound on his side was now healed, but his left shoulder was still a bit stiff.
He couldn’t train until it was fully recovered, so he was heading out with the thought of checking on the latest news within the academy.
*Thud.*
Just as he made his way down to the first floor of the dormitory,
“...?”
I was met with a perplexing sight.
Why were there so many students on the first floor? What’s more, they were all looking in the same direction.
“…Is that her?”
“Wow… so she’s someone you can actually see in person.”
“When will we ever get a chance like this again?”
Hearing the students’ murmurs, I figured someone important must have arrived and casually turned my head.
“……!!”
My eyes shot open, and I couldn't help but doubt what I was seeing.
In my line of sight, Instructor Esia was walking, and behind her, three women in white robes followed. As I watched them, I felt a sensation I had never experienced before.
‘What in the world is this?’
An overwhelming sense of disbelief took firm root in my heart.
Their presence was so overpowering that it was as if their aura was visibly rippling through the very fabric of space.
And at the center of it all was a single woman.
She had silver hair, but of a different quality than Instructor Esia’s. She looked even younger, like someone who had just reached adulthood.
The arrogance etched onto her aloof and cold face seemed completely natural. But more than that… space itself seemed to shimmer and ripple around her.
The sheer range of it was unbelievable.
‘How can mana…’
How… how on earth could this be possible?
Moreover, it wasn’t that the woman was trying to show off; her naturally overflowing mana was distorting the surrounding atmosphere. As she drew closer, her presence became increasingly incomprehensible.
It was of a completely different nature than the fragments of immense power I had felt from Kalli or Anastasia.
There was a truly unfathomable difference in level.
“...!”
“How is the mana……”
When they slowly reached the dormitory, the students on the first floor gasped sharply. Their reaction felt profoundly strange to me.
‘Such immense power.’
And they were only sensing it now? How could they only feel it at this distance? As I was trying to make sense of it,
“Esia. That’s Han Cheon-seong, right?”
The mysterious being gestured toward me with her eyes and smirked. Only then did I feel a sensation of my body being released.
“Yes. That is correct, Master.”
“I see. He doesn’t seem to be as much of a piece of trash as I thought… No, should I say he’s decent? It’s quite fascinating that a Common-grade can be at the forefront of this year’s students.”
The woman’s voice spread out, loud enough for everyone to hear. At her words, my heart seemed to freeze solid.
Surely… this woman was not a threat to me.
She was with Instructor Esia, so that was a given.
My reason told me that this mysterious being would never harm me, and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to relax.
My body was reacting on its own.
—This being is dangerous.
An absolute existence that I should not dare to approach or face.
My instincts blared endless warnings, as if I had just encountered a natural predator.
And it was just for an instant.
*Flash!*
As I stared at her with great tension, a sudden light flickered, and I blinked involuntarily.
“Hmm…”
As I looked at the woman who had appeared right before my nose with a strange smile,
“……”
I couldn’t do anything at all.