Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Wandering Star Consults the Masters
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"We have plenty of those in our Magic Tower, you know?"
The Magic Tower masters had gathered in one place at the summons of the Tower Lord.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the venue.
It was an extremely rare occurrence for the Tower Lord to summon the masters like this.
The masters, wearing uneasy expressions, created a subdued murmur.
"What in the world could it be..."
"Isn't it related to the Tower Lord staying at the Magic Tower for an extended period?"
"Extended period... It's only been a few days—well, it is extended for her."
"The unit of time for the Tower Lord's stay at the Magic Tower is actually in days...!"
"I had a feeling something was off. For the Tower Lord to stay at the Magic Tower this long."
"Has something happened at the Magic Tower?"
"Only the Tower Lord knows, and it's some incident she knows about?"
"Hearing it like that makes the situation feel a bit serious."
"But—if it were that serious, wouldn't the Tower Lord have given us some hint?"
"You know the Tower Lord's personality. She probably planned to solve the problem we don't know about without us knowing and then leave again."
"...Then, the reason she's summoned us like this now is—"
"A problem has arisen at the Magic Tower that even the Tower Lord can't resolve with her abilities?"
Gulp.
Suddenly, the sound of someone swallowing dryly overlaid the abrupt silence.
In that way, the Tower Lord's actions, breaking from the usual custom that wasn't quite a custom, aroused great doubt among the masters.
It was then.
"Master Meltas, Marina. You've arrived? And—... Hm!? Duke Phalrag, what brings you here...!"
The masters expressed surprise at the identities of the late arrivals to the venue.
Masters Meltas and Marina, who had the Tower Lord's trust, were one thing, but even the outsider Duke Phalrag was attending!?
"Your Tower Lord called me here saying there's an urgent matter to discuss."
Phalrag's expression as he spoke was gravely serious.
Stubborn, perhaps.
Or full of a sense of responsibility.
The Remier he knew was not the type to readily share her worries or problems with others.
"For that stubborn and great mage to seek others' opinions... I hope it's not too serious a situation."
"..."
Phalrag's soliloquy.
Worry and tension began to color the masters' expressions in earnest.
The gray girl revealed herself at the venue a short while later.
"Remier. You've come."
"...Yeah."
Phalrag's greeting.
And Remier's response.
Even in that short exchange, Phalrag and everyone present felt a tremendous shock.
'Is that really Remier...!?'
Her bloated ego pierced even the girl's youthful aura effortlessly, asserting its presence.
A capricious, whimsical, utterly inscrutable and mysterious being.
That was the Remier they knew.
But look at her now.
Her voice lacked strength, evident even in that brief reply, and her expression didn't even try to hide the surging anguish.
How serious must the problem be...
To draw out such an appearance from the wandering star Remier?
Step.
Step.
The short moment it took for Remier to move to her seat with feeble steps felt like an eternity.
And finally.
"Since everyone's here, let's get straight to the point."
Remier began speaking.
"Fairly recently, I went through something utterly bewildering, and I can't make heads or tails of how to accept it—so I wanted to ask for your opinions."
"...Tower Lord, will our opinions even be of any help?"
Master Meltas spoke cautiously on behalf of the masters.
Though her appearance was that of a young girl, Remier was a figure with deeper mysteries and firmer convictions than anyone present.
Such a statement from Remier raised one question among them.
Could they...
Provide a proper answer to a problem even Remier couldn't solve?
"..."
Remier seemed to share the same thought, as the gray girl let out a skeptical laugh.
It was her usual transcendent demeanor, one that didn't seek understanding from mere mortals.
However, that lasted only a moment.
The skeptical smile soon turned into a bitter one.
"Well, whatever. It's better than me agonizing over it alone, right?"
"...!"
They felt an even greater shock than before.
For that capricious, stubborn wandering star to say such a thing?
The great mage who had wandered her entire life, bearing everything for incomprehensible reasons.
This was the moment she set some of it down.
She was no longer trying to shoulder everything alone.
It was the moment the wandering star, who had drifted aimlessly for half a lifetime, finally settled down.
Realizing this, they set aside their worries for the moment, feeling profound emotion.
The desire to help her, however slightly, took precedence over everything.
"Understood, Tower Lord. We will listen attentively."
As Meltas said, all the masters were giving her their full attention.
"..."
Ha.
Remier let out a small laugh.
Her expression was tinged with complex emotions.
Soon, she opened her mouth.
"As I mentioned earlier, I experienced an event I can't comprehend at all. If I just accept it at face value, my entire worldview built up over my life would be denied. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"
Remier divulged the details of that event.
The Giant of the Stars.
The Source of Regression.
The incident that reason and common sense could never accept.
When the story ended.
Remier looked at the group with a self-deprecating expression.
Knowing full well what reaction they would have.
Surely dismissing it as nonsense—
"Ah, is this related to Rishir by any chance?"
"...?"
The masters spoke as if they understood everything.
"How did you—"
Remier hadn't mentioned anything about Rishir.
She knew it would be pointless to say it.
However—
It became pointless in a different way than Remier had anticipated.
His name came up immediately from the masters' mouths.
"How... did you know...?"
"Heh heh."
Phalrag chuckled as he looked at the flustered Remier.
What.
I worried for nothing.
It was that kind of reaction.
The heavily sunken atmosphere of the venue lightened up as if it had never been.
Remier found the situation utterly bewildering.
"No, how did you know?"
Remier raised her voice in frustration.
In doing so, vitality returned to her previously feeble voice.
"How? Anyone can tell it's related to Rishir."
Meltas nodded vigorously at Phalrag's words.
"By the way, a Guardian Star, huh. Rishir's gone and mastered shamanism too."
He became a Guardian Star.
Was that something that could simply be summed up as mastering shamanism?
"Anyway, Remier. Why are you so surprised? From what you said, it doesn't sound like Rishir actually became that Giant of the Stars—it's just that the power encroaching on Rishir's energy showed another illusion, right?"
"...Isn't that missing the point of the story?"
"Hm? Then what's the point?"
"..."
Huh?
Wait.
Yeah.
What's the point?
A sudden brake was applied to the gray girl's train of thought.
And then.
When she came back to her senses—
"What, it was no big deal? Yeah, he turned a demon into a spirit, so becoming a Guardian Star is nothing."
"Heh heh! Exactly, exactly! Now your eyes are finally opening!!!"
Phalrag and the Magic Tower masters looked fondly at the gray girl.
Hahaha.
Their cheerful(?) laughter echoed together.
The Tower Lord's lightning return.
The Gray Magic Tower was swept up in a bustling atmosphere because of it.
Remier first held a meeting with the Magic Tower's mages.
It was to grasp the personnel as the Tower Lord.
Rishir was included among the interviewees, but—
"...Rishir, I'll postpone your interview for later."
"Pardon?"
"Unlike the others, it won't be a casual, impromptu thing. There are many things I need to think about and prepare for."
"Eh. I'm fine with it whenever."
"I'm not. More than that—..."
The gray girl looked at Rishir and rubbed her brow tiredly.
"I'm still... not ready to properly face you yet."
"...Sorry about something?"
"Anyway, that's how it is, so your interview is postponed—but I do have something to tell you."
"Something to tell me?"
"Yeah. You know those guys from the Yellow Magic Tower are in Bondales right now?"
Yellow Magic Tower.
Remier mentioned the name and let out a deep sigh.
The Gray Magic Tower, with its relatively short history and weak power, was often ignored by other towers—
And the Yellow Magic Tower's disposition made their discrimination particularly pronounced.
"Since you're saying 'those guys' plural—it must not be just one or two. For them to come to Bondales as a group, there must be some reason. Are they perhaps here on business with our tower?"
"I don't know. That's why our tower's representative has stepped up to find out. And the reason I'm bringing this up with you."
The gray girl pointed at Rishir with her small pinky finger.
"That person wants to proceed with the matter together with you, if possible?"
"Pardon? They specifically named me? Who—"
Master Didoa.
That was the name from Remier's mouth.
***
Right after talking with the Tower Lord, Rishir headed straight to find Master Didoa.
The destination was the mansion of a merchant house where the Yellow Magic Tower affiliates were staying.
It was none other than the Goose Mansion.
Rishir thought it was perfect timing.
He had been planning to visit Halona to check on Klana's condition anyway.
Recalling Halona's words that she might have good news soon—
He arrived at the Goose Mansion.
"Ah, Sir Rishir!"
The guard recognized him immediately and let him into the mansion.
Not only that, but he offered to guide him personally and asked about his business.
"Halona... no, wait. Is Master Didoa here right now, by any chance?"
"Ah! You're looking for Master Didoa! I'll guide you!"
The reception room of the mansion they arrived at following the guard.
There sat a woman with her characteristic emotionless impression.
"Didoa?"
"Oh? My dear friend Rishir?"
Didoa.
She expressed delight by pulling up the corners of her mouthless face with her fingers.
It was at that moment, while Rishir was greeting Didoa and catching up after so long.
Sensing a gaze suddenly, he looked at the seat opposite Didoa.
"..."
A woman draped in a golden cape proclaiming her affiliation with the Yellow Magic Tower was looking at Rishir and Didoa.
The woman, meeting Rishir's eyes, gave a light nod.
Very lightly.
To the point it was worse than nothing.
'What is it? A stare-down?'
Rishir inexplicably got that impression.
"Master Didoa? That person is—"
"Yerika, master of the Yellow Magic Tower. We're waiting for someone together."
"Ah, am I interrupting?"
"No. Actually, I'm glad you came. We had just run out of things to talk about, and an awkward silence was settling in."
"Uh... then that's a problem. Haven't we just about run out of things to talk about too?"
"Oh? In that case, Rishir. Mind if we talk about those spirit cores for a bit?"
"Spirit cores? Ah, Perrin's— what's going on?"
"Nothing major. Several apprentices and masters want to borrow them for research-related matters."
"Ah."
"But as my friend Rishir knows, the quantity of those spirit cores isn't that abundant, right? Moreover, they're not something to be borrowed lightly—"
Ahem.
The clearing of a throat at that moment.
Rishir and Didoa's gazes turned to one spot.
Yerika, master of the Yellow Magic Tower.
Before they knew it, a smug smile had appeared on her lips.
"Master Didoa? If you're facing such issues, why didn't you tell me?"
"Hm?"
"For a tower's apprentices and masters to be unable to conduct research due to material shortages. My goodness. Such a thing is unimaginable at our grand Yellow Magic Tower; I can't even fathom it."
If the Gray Magic Tower's defining trait was a vague, free-spirited ambiguity like its gray color—
The Yellow Magic Tower's was overflowing resources, like its gold.
Master Yerika filled her expression with that pride.
Looking down on the two Gray Magic Tower mages like that.
"Things like those spirit cores you mentioned overflow at the Yellow Magic Tower—how shall our noble Yellow Magic Tower assist your humble tower?"
"Oh. In that case, gladly—"
"W-Wait a second, Didoa!"
"?"
Didoa, who forgot everything from moments ago and latched on immediately.
Rishir, flustered, trying to restrain her.
At their reactions, so different from expected, one of Master Yerika's brows furrowed.