Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Mage Tower (3)
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“Alright. You made it in fine.”
Glancing around at the onlookers, Letty spoke up.
“Now just head inside the workshop, make contact with the Orb of Truth, and come back out. That’s it.”
“⋯⋯So we can drop this ridiculous disguise and act now?”
“Once we’re out.”
Music to his ears.
Carlyle brightened and quietly followed behind Letty.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been inside the Mage Tower.’
Even through all his regressions, he’d collaborated with them plenty of times. He’d had occasions to enter the interior too.
And no matter how long it had been, the impression never changed.
⋯⋯This place was always astonishing.
In all sorts of ways.
“⋯⋯Whoa⋯⋯”
From beside him came Vespa’s exclamation, a mix of all sorts of emotions.
Humanoid exoskeletons made of rare metals lined up inside, automatons automatically delivering research materials and rare ingredients to the scholars within.
Enormous unidentified objects crammed everywhere, the room filled to bursting with complex holograms, diagrams, and equations.
‘The name’s Mage Tower, but this is basically⋯⋯’
A mechanized, futurized high-tech fortress.
Considering the average technological level in the Demon Hunter world, this place might as well be playing in an entirely different genre.
As the originators who first pioneered and developed the field of magitech, their technological prowess was unmatched.
Mechanical engineering, physics, biotechnology, mathematics—even medicine. The breadth of their knowledge was immense.
“⋯⋯Mages really are amazing. How did they even create all this?”
Vespa’s eyes sparkled as she said it.
But Carlyle, hearing her, wore only a wry smile on his face.
“They’re not exactly the role models you think they are.”
“⋯⋯?”
Vespa tilted her head in confusion at his firm tone.
It was the first time she’d seen him badmouth someone so bluntly.
But to Carlyle, it was the honest truth.
The sounds echoing around proved it.
From the various scholars’ ‘labs’ scattered about came ear-splitting booms and blasts.
⋯⋯And faint screams from within.
Screams filled with agony from living things.
“⋯⋯.”
Vespa flinched.
“What’s that⋯⋯?”
“Everything the imperial law doesn’t classify as ‘human.’”
Alive, but hardly human.
The Mage Tower experimented on them without a second thought.
Even legal animal testing was controversial enough—mages dealt with far more ‘radical’ subjects.
Vespa’s face drained of color.
Realization dawned on her about the significance of where she stood.
“⋯⋯Mages value books of rare knowledge more than gems of equal weight.”
Carlyle muttered flatly.
“Put another way, for truly rare knowledge, they’ll do ‘anything.’”
People who could easily sacrifice their humanity or morals on the scale against rare knowledge.
Their madness was tolerated only because of their utility as the fountainhead of all technology.
“⋯⋯.”
Vespa scurried over and clung tightly to his arm.
Like a frightened child. Carlyle gave a wry smile and let her be.
If it comforted her, fine.
She wasn’t used to combat yet. If trouble brewed with these mages, he’d have to protect her.
‘⋯⋯Well, still.’
If they just followed Letty, touched the Orb of Truth, and left the Mage Tower, they’d be golden.
What could possibly go wr-
“-Hey, who’s this? Letty Ingram?”
“⋯⋯.”
“The underachiever who got all her talent sucked dry by that genius big bro of yours?”
Letty’s steps halted abruptly ahead, and a sharp headache struck Carlyle.
⋯⋯That damn mouth always stirred up trouble.
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No matter where or when, there were always those with twisted personalities and ideologies.
And the Mage Tower was an environment perfect for them to thrive—a hard fact to deny.
Carlyle eyed the man grinning viciously with hands in his pockets.
Similar age to them. His nameplate on the research robes read ‘Caleb Valeria.’
[The Valeria family⋯⋯ Rings a bell.]
‘How so?’
[A magitech noble house on par with the Ingram family. Known for producing many outstanding researchers. This Caleb fellow’s abilities are quite impressive too.]
‘⋯⋯On par, huh. But they don’t get along?’
[They can’t stand anyone on their level.]
Carlyle studied the man named Caleb for a moment.
What to say.
‘Typical mage, then.’
[That classic case where talent and personality are inversely proportional?]
‘You get me.’
Maybe because of his own history. He picked up on it instantly.
And Caleb’s attitude validated Gray’s assessment perfectly.
“You enrolled as a plain old student, unlike your bro who became Cradle’s youngest department head?”
“Caleb. Get lost.”
Letty smiled sweetly in reply.
Acquainted, but she clearly wanted nothing to do with him.
She ignored him and tried to move deeper into the workshop.
-!
Thud.
A force field sprang up before Letty, shoving her back.
Caleb manipulated the device in his hand to cause it.
“Oh, sorry. Only authorized mages beyond this point.”
“⋯⋯.”
“Even Alistair might overlook it, but ‘you’ aren’t authorized.”
A worthless dropout who switched to magitech because she couldn’t measure up to her brother.
“⋯⋯.”
The mockery was blatant enough to sour even Carlyle’s expression, but Letty just sighed deeply.
She seemed accustomed to this level of provocation.
“Not something to hear from a poster boy tin can who barely scraped into the Mage Tower on family handouts.”
Caleb’s face went blank.
“The clan lord’s favorite mistress’s son gets special treatment just for that? You’re not even good enough to be a real scholar here. Hell, no one even includes you in their research—you’re a ghost. Not exactly in a position to look down on me—”
Everything that followed happened in an instant.
1 second.
Caleb manipulated his device, and the force field that repelled Letty warped, forming a sharp blade aimed at her.
2 seconds.
-Carlyle intervened in a flash, pulling her out of the blade’s path.
Probably.
Without that, she’d have been seriously hurt.
“⋯⋯What the hell was that?”
Carlyle growled, and Caleb chuckled lightly, replying nonchalantly.
“Oh, sorry. It’s a spell formula I’m researching. Malfunctions like this happen sometimes. Every mage’s familiar territory, right?”
He shrugged shamelessly, tapping the device.
“No way even Alistair would complain to the Tower over a ‘minor’ accident from an apprentice scholar inside. Not a mage of his stature.”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle glanced at Letty, who bit her lip and shook her head.
-⋯⋯Causing trouble inside the Mage Tower as an outsider risks blowback. If they spin it as harassing their apprentice, cleanup’s a nightmare.
The Mage Tower was insular and fiercely protective of their own.
Outsider mage or not, if you caused a scene on their turf, they’d pin the blame on you regardless of fault.
‘⋯⋯Still.’
It pissed him off.
“Dear me, Alistair. Lasers shooting from your eyes? Scary when you glare like that.”
“⋯⋯.”
“Get too scary, and I might have to call the clan lord?”
Letting this clueless punk skate without a lesson made his fists itch.
Better to think of a way to smash him smartly.
“Hey.”
⋯⋯That’s what he thought.
Until someone he never expected spoke up calmly.
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle stared wide-eyed at Vespa inserting herself between him and Caleb.
Not the face of the girl who’d been pale and trembling, clinging to his arm moments ago.
Instead, she beamed.
No trace of her usual timid hesitation—her posture radiated unwavering resolve.
And seeing her smile like that from the side.
“⋯⋯.”
A chill ran down Carlyle’s spine.
⋯⋯Not a face he saw often.
Even after all those cycles, Carlyle rarely witnessed it from her personality.
And whenever this woman wore that expression, trouble always followed.
Because.
“Do you have business with my man?”
⋯⋯She was pissed.
The face this sweet girl made when fury boiled over.
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