Disciple to Master, Master to Disciple (5)
Disciple to Master, Master to Disciple (5)
Imperial Calendar 987. The Gold Magic Tower.
In the conference hall of the Gold Magic Tower, whose occupant had never once stepped down as Pinnacle of Magic since the Empire's founding, an old man spoke in a voice filled with fury.
"...Vanished?"
The Red Tower Lord, Galdur.
Strictly speaking, he was an outsider, but no one in the current situation was so bereft of sense as to quibble over that.
With Melina gone, Galdur was the only Archmage remaining in the Empire.
"The Gold Tower Lord has been missing for over three days, and not a single person knew until now—are you telling me that makes any sense?!"
"...We have no excuse."
Killing intent flickered in Galdur's eyes.
"Do you not know how the situation in the East is developing right now?"
"..."
The elders of the Gold Tower could not raise their heads. They too understood the gravity of the situation perfectly well.
The reason the Empire had reigned as hegemon of the continent for hundreds of years was that it possessed far more transcendent powerhouses—individuals who could single-handedly overturn the course of a battlefield—than any other nation.
The Gold Tower Lord Melina and the Sword Saint Kiel.
But at this very moment, both of those critical military assets were absent.
If the Eastern Coalition were to learn of this, it would not end with merely handing over control of trade.
Commander Calliope of the Shadow Knights, who had been standing to the side observing the situation, spoke in a level voice.
"His Majesty is also keeping a close watch on the present circumstances. We will find Duke Kiel ourselves, by whatever means."
The elders, having read Calliope's true intent, flinched.
At a glance, it seemed like a gesture of goodwill, but what she really meant was, Leave the search for the mage to you mages.
Galdur looked down on those elders with a pitiless gaze.
"You must locate the Gold Tower Lord within one week."
"..."
"If you stand around in a daze, we may lose the Aden Plains as well."
It was no ordinary plain. The Aden Plains held a granary region that accounted for a full thirty percent of the Empire's total production.
‘If we lose that place, it's over.’
That was not an exaggerated assumption. The mountain of documents piled up in the conference hall attested to it.
If that happened, Galdur—the official responsible for the eastern border—would be the first to lose his head.
"What are you all doing?"
Under Galdur's terrifying pressure, the elders trembled and hurried outside.
He did not actually believe that this would make them find Melina within a week. But the situation was so desperate that they had to stake even that faint possibility.
Galdur addressed Calliope.
"Apologies, but I'll need you to put in some effort as well."
"I understand."
"That was not a hollow pleasantry. I mean it."
"..."
Calliope's eyes narrowed slightly.
The fact that Galdur, the de facto head of the Second Prince Faction, had said such a thing was essentially the same as proposing a temporary truce in the succession struggle.
In that case, she had no particular reason to refuse.
Settling external affairs before fighting over the throne was simple common sense.
"I will convey as much to the Commander of the Central Knights. May I take that to mean until the East stabilizes?"
Galdur nodded.
What the Eastern Coalition wanted was to exploit the power differential to seize the initiative—not a war.
If only Duke Kiel were present, they could suppress the Coalition's ambitions to some degree.
Galdur clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘How in the world did it come to this?’
It was far too soon. According to Imperial intelligence forecasts, the Eastern Coalition would not openly bare its fangs for at least another three years.
And now, that timetable had been pulled forward so drastically.
As if someone had been prodding them from behind.
"Then, if you will excuse me..."
Calliope bowed her head and was about to step out the door.
Galdur spoke again.
"You."
"Yes?"
Concealing his parched lips, Galdur asked with caution.
"Was there truly no one?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"...I am speaking of the disciple the Gold Tower Lord was searching for."
Only then did Calliope understand why Galdur had been so agitated.
Mages are, at their core, a breed that runs on pride. Even among mages, Galdur's pride was particularly formidable.
The fact that Galdur had once been stripped of his qualification as Melina's disciple was an open secret. But the reason Galdur had never hidden it was that it was not purely a disgrace.
Public opinion also contributed to that. He only became a disciple at all because it was Galdur. The other Tower Lords had never even been appointed as disciples in the first place.
The fact that he was once Melina's disciple was both his shame and his pride.
But if Melina had taken still another disciple besides Galdur—
And if she was searching for that disciple so desperately—
Then the fact that he had once been Melina's disciple became nothing but shame.
Calliope spoke.
"There is no one."
"...No one?"
"This is the result of examining the personal information of every mage currently—or ever—registered in the Empire over the past seventy years. We also requested separate cooperation from other kingdoms and obtained the same answer."
Galdur furrowed his brow.
"...That is impossible. They must be somewhere. Search once more, if you would."
"I will say it again: there is no one. Since your excommunication, Galdur, a total of four hundred and seventy-two mages named 'Libi' have existed. Of them, all but eight have died of old age. The remaining eight also possess magical aptitude of no consequence..."
"The investigation is wrong!"
Galdur's voice thundered.
The two of them glared at each other for a long moment. It was Galdur who backed down first.
"...My apologies. I lost my composure for a moment."
"What was that about?"
Calliope's eyes demanded an explanation. No matter how strong Galdur's pride was, he was not the sort of man to lose his reason so easily.
If he had been incapable of controlling his emotions from the start, he could never have become the head of the Second Prince Faction.
"...You do not understand what kind of person the Gold Tower Lord is."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I am already aware that you spread malicious rumors behind the scenes."
"..."
Calliope closed her mouth.
Because the rumor that Melina had gone senile was indeed one that Calliope had spread.
Why had she spread it?
Because the Gold Tower Lord was a mage.
Mages and knights had been locked in a power struggle of mutual denigration since long before the Empire's founding. This was by no means a story limited to the Empire.
Every kingdom did it, and every race besides dragons and elves did it.
Galdur looked down at Calliope.
"Do you know why we learned of this incident yet remained silent?"
"Why... was that?"
"Because you did not cross the line. Do you think we are entirely clean ourselves? Dark gray or pitch black—if you think about it, there is not much difference."
"..."
The line he spoke of was likely the border.
What he meant was that if the rumor had spread beyond the border, they would have risen up at once.
"But that is the opinion of the other mages. I, personally, am the sort who charges in regardless of whether you cross the line or not."
"...Then why did you endure it?"
Galdur's face filled with utter conviction.
"Because the Gold Tower Lord I know is someone who would bite off her own tongue and end her life before she ever went senile! Senility? Dementia? Impossible. If someone who has never uttered a single lie in her entire life mentioned a disciple, then a disciple exists!"
"But..."
"I am certain! It might not be a name—it could be a pet name or an alias!"
"A pet name, you say?"
Calliope narrowed her eyes.
No matter how she thought about it, the word pet name simply did not suit the Gold Tower Lord.
Galdur, too, seemed to realize his blunder and cleared his throat.
"...I retract 'pet name.' In any case, whether it is an alias, a title, a shortened form of a name, whatever! The Gold Tower Lord definitely had another disciple besides me!"
"Then would that not be all the more reason not to search for them?"
Galdur's face hardened coldly.
"That is precisely why I must find them."
"Excuse me?"
"I shall track down that so-called disciple and kill them before the Gold Tower Lord's eyes. Then the Gold Tower Lord will realize as well. That she was wrong, and that I was right."
A chilling smile bloomed on Galdur's face.
"So, I ask that you find them."
*****
A flash of light blazed across the snowfield.
A moment later, a familiar message window rose before Olivia's eyes.
[Regressor, 'Melina Diviae', has been subdued!]
[Clue #2 acquired!]
With this, she had already subdued her four times.
Olivia sighed in relief as she looked at Melina, who lay unconscious with steam rising from her entire body.
That damned regressor perk was the problem.
Perhaps because Kiel had taught her a brutal lesson once, she absolutely could not permit that accursed perk to activate against Melina.
That was why she had practically been living in front of the 'Melina ice' for the past four days. If Melina were to wake even a little early, the entire North would turn into utter chaos that very day.
The moment Melina showed even the slightest sign of waking, Olivia knocked her out again on the spot. Because of this, Melina's memory was probably cut off at four days ago.
"Haaah..."
Olivia slowly reached her hand toward Melina's head.
A moment later, her consciousness flickered.
[Remaining Time: 40:00]
When she opened her eyes next, she was in Olivia's personal training grounds.
"...there, you twist the mana like this to..."
Melina was at the front, pouring her heart and soul into explaining the magic. Then, suddenly, she whipped her head around.
"..."
"Wh-what is the matter?"
Melina tilted her head.
"Hm... It is nothing. Let us continue, child."
Olivia secretly sighed in relief.