The Nightingale Does Not Sing (1)
The Nightingale Does Not Sing (1)
After repairing the mansion with magic, Raize was grabbed by Dojin and headed to his room. Noah followed behind her.
Dojin, who had arrived in the room while holding onto Raize, told her to explain why she had caused such a commotion. Raize hesitated for a moment before turning the question back on Dojin instead.
"Do you even know what kind of thing you made?"
"......Honestly?"
"Yeah."
"I have no clue."
"It's a device that kills all mages."
Modern magic, she explained, was an industry so stagnant that even a talented practitioner had to devote half their lifetime to it just to cast something barely resembling proper magic.
The item Noah had made was something that would blow away that rotten mage industry like a typhoon.
"Then isn't that a good thing? Why'd you try to stop it?"
"When muddy water's right in front of you and the wind starts blowing, you think you won't get splashed?"
But something too good often drew backlash from those in power. Just like how highway passes faced interference from big corporations when they first came out on Earth, or how telecom companies forced the removal of Wi-Fi features from early smartphones.
Humans act for their own benefit, not for humanity as a whole. If it went against their interests, they'd block it even if it harmed everyone else—that's what made them human.
"......Dojin, you have no idea the power of the Magic Tower. If you'd left it alone, someone would've found out, and if that person wasn't as mild-mannered as me, the Magic Tower's hunting dogs would've come flying in to rip you to shreds."
"The Magic Tower's hunting dogs......."
After hearing Raize's explanation, Dojin fell into thought for a moment before asking her back.
"Those hunting dogs—are they stronger than the Holy Kingdom?"
"Huh?"
"Could they beat the Holy Kingdom in a fight?"
"Of course not to the point of defeating the Holy Kingdom, but......."
"Then we're good."
Dojin had his connection to the Saintess. Worst case, he could flee to the Holy Kingdom and request protection. No doubt the Saintess would happily take him in.
That said, doing so would bring a slew of problems. The dungeon issue alone was a headache.
'The Holy Kingdom has a dungeon too...... but would my Dominion Authority work there?'
It was a question. If it did, he should've been able to exit a dungeon in Dungeon Territory to one in another country, but that had never happened even once, so it was probably impossible from the start.
"Anyway, Raize, you did it out of worry for us, right?"
"......Yeah."
"Thanks."
"......No, I'm sorry too. For not saying anything."
The only damage from the incident was Seoyun waking up in the middle of the night. The shattered roof had been fixed back up with Raize's staff magic anyway.
Recalling that, Dojin suddenly had a great idea and asked Raize.
"Then how about you take this?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, if the problem is non-mages using magic, wouldn't it be better for a mage to carry it around and use it?"
In fact, Raize had wielded far superior magic with this staff than Dojin ever could. He still wasn't confident he could replicate the spells she'd cast.
"No, that's......."
"What's the problem?"
"...It'd look suspicious if my skills suddenly shot up."
"So what? The emergence of a once-in-a-century genius mage sounds way better than a tool that lets every Tom, Dick, and Harry use magic."
Sure enough, Raize nodded in agreement at his words. Even mages would welcome a genius far beyond their comprehension.
But.
"You sure it's okay?"
This staff was a masterpiece Noah had poured her soul into—a one-of-a-kind item she might never replicate.
If Raize got any funny ideas and ran off with it, Dojin would lose something irreplaceable.
Hearing that, Dojin patted Raize's head. For someone so smart, she had her cute side.
"You gonna run away?"
"No, not that, but......."
"Then what's there to worry about?"
"...Right."
Being smart came with downsides like this. She'd fret over countless what-ifs that hadn't even happened.
It wasn't a bad thing. That caution had probably helped her ancestors survive dangers.
"Raize, take this back with you. Grab a spot in the Magic Tower."
"......Me?"
Raize looked down at the staff. The essence of alchemy, letting her wield magic beyond her own level.
With this, it was possible.
Magic Tower Lord. The greatest mage.
Becoming Magia Magnus.
"If it's for you......."
She'd make it happen.
For Dojin.
The next day, Raize transformed the staff into a thin sheet of gold foil. Then she swallowed it. The Intelligence Artifact she'd thus ingested roamed through her body.
It felt gruesome, like metal shredding her insides to pieces. But at the same time, Raize felt her magic control skyrocket beyond comparison to before.
Is this how High Mages see the world? How my master sees it?
With those thoughts, she stepped into the Magic Tower.
"Ah, Raize. Out all night again......."
"Kahu, sorry. No time for jokes."
"Uh, huh? Okay......."
Raize brushed past her friend and headed straight for her master's workshop. It had been quite a while since she'd seen her master's face, who welcomed her visit.
"Long time no see, Raize. So, how's teaching the newbies suiting you?"
"......Master, I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"I want to take the High Mage exam."
"......Raize, how old are you again?"
"Twenty-two."
"Twenty-two...... Full of youthful vigor, sure."
Her master, Meteor, recalled what he'd been up to at her age. He'd been arrogant about his genius too, acting recklessly just like her.
It's a master's duty to rein in such waywardness. Thinking that, Meteor tried to dissuade her.
"I became a Mid-level Mage at thirty, and even that got me hailed as a genius. Reaching Mid-level at your age is nothing to be ashamed of......."
"Master, since when did mages become all talk?"
"......Raize. Mind your tongue."
"You always said mages must prove truth through action."
"Hah, I won't hold this against you—get to your room—."
"Anti-Gravity."
As Raize said it and stomped the floor—kung—the workshop's gravity vanished in an instant, and all objects began floating.
Completely free of gravity's pull, Meteor gaped at Raize in shock.
"You...... No, how in the......."
"Master, I'll say it again. Mid-level Mage Raize formally requests the High Mage exam."
Tok, jjanggrang.
With her declaration, gravity returned, and the scattered items in the workshop crashed to the floor, shattering. But neither Raize nor Meteor reacted much.
"My apologies."
Raize said so and demonstrated another spell, gathering the spilled liquids and restoring the broken bottles.
Meteor felt a chill at the sight of advanced magic—even he couldn't cast so easily—performed without incantation.
"You, what is this—."
Unbelievable. Yet a mage's cool intellect told him she'd ascended to High Mage level, same as him.
History books everyone dismissed claimed the world's first mage reached High Mage in their twenties.
And Meteor was witnessing that history as fact with his own eyes.
"......Just wait a bit."
"I can't wait long."
"I'll wrap it up in five minutes."
Kuwoong-.
Meteor's magic spread through the entire Magic Tower, and soon the High Mage council began.
Shortly after, Raize's promotion to High Mage was unanimously approved.
'Don't worry about the Magic Tower.'
For Dojin, this ivory tower was nothing. She'd devour it whole, easy as pie.
With Raize stepping out of the party for her mage promotion, Dojin slotted Seoyun into the empty spot.
Seeing Seoyun—Level 3 like Dojin—massacre werewolves just by swinging her Ability around, Orion freaked out at the unbelievable sight.
'......That's a Skill Holder.'
A cheat user.
Not magic, not technique. Not some special ability from noble blood—just a random mutant born by chance.
The power that mutant wielded made Orion's legs tremble.
'What if her Ability made fire instead of ice?'
She'd be the ultimate elf-killer, more efficient than anyone. With Level 3 power alone unleashing that much, she could've burned the World Tree or the Great Forest to ash in one go.
"What's up?"
"......No, nothing."
Dojin leaned in close to the dazed Orion and asked. She couldn't bring herself to say she felt utterly useless.
She was the only one in the party who wasn't pulling her weight. Eunha was massacring werewolves with superhuman flair.
Even with weapons, Orion couldn't scratch a werewolf.
Raize—who wasn't here now—specialized in one-shotting monsters with magic.
All Orion could do was perk up her ears and warn about incoming monster groups.
The newcomer Seoyun was so overwhelmingly dominant, her moniker "one-woman army" came to mind.
......Even if matched against Seoyun, Orion had no confidence she could assassinate her.
'Useless.'
She was useless. For the first time, Orion realized it. If there was any use for her, it was as a big-breasted, pointy-eared onahole.
And yet Dojin wouldn't even hold her. Even when she tried seducing him, he brushed her off like she was nothing.
Why? I don't think my sexual appeal is lacking.
"Orion!"
"Ah, y-yes— Kyaaak!"
Lost in thought, Orion let her guard down big time. And in a dungeon, carelessness meant serious injury. A werewolf's claws from afar turned her arm into a tattered rag.
Dojin instantly slashed the werewolf with his sword and checked Orion's wound.
Blood gushing everywhere. No time to even use a potion. Seoyun quickly froze the wound with her Ability.
"You okay?"
"Y-yes...... Sorry...... I got careless."
"......No, it's fine. Let's head back for today."
"Sorry...... Sorry......."
Dojin led Orion out of the dungeon. Then they hurried straight to the mansion. The world's top healer was waiting there.
Aram, who'd been cooking lunch in the mansion, came running at Dojin's call and gasped at Orion's arm.
"What happened to your arm?"
"She got hurt."
"......I can see that much."
Aram placed her hand on Orion's forearm, and Seoyun promptly released her Ability. At the same time, Aram's power activated, restoring the arm to normal.
"...Thank you."
"Don't get hurt next time. Ugh...... I hate how this tastes awful."
Having taken Orion's injury onto herself to heal it, Aram downed a potion Noah had made to fix it.
She always begged for strawberry flavor, but this time she gulped down the potion with its indescribably bizarre taste. "Might as well eat now," she said, guiding the group to the dining room.
As they ate Aram's cooking, Dojin asked Orion.
"What happened all of a sudden?"
"Huh? Oh...... It's nothing. Just been a bit off lately......."
"Yeah? Then rest up. No rush anyway......."
"Okay......."
No rush? Hearing that made Orion's heart race even more. Dojin had plenty of time, but she didn't.
Other races might laugh if a near-immortal elf like her claimed a lack of time, but Orion resented her own kind.
'Long-lived species grow so slowly.......'
Orion was talented among elves. But there were limits. Without desperation, growth came slow no matter what.
'If only this were the Great Forest.......'
Near the spirit-filled World Tree, she could've been useful.
But this was Dungeon Territory—a city stripped bare of spirits by human development.
There was no way for her to help.
"I-I'll head out first, Leader."
"Take care."
"Yes."
Orion left the dining room like that. Trudging through the mansion, she heard singing from somewhere.
─♪♬♩
"......What's this?"
A stunningly beautiful soprano voice, paired with fitting lyrics. She didn't understand the foreign tongue, but to an elf like her, it sounded utterly mystical.
In the end, Orion stopped leaving the mansion and followed the voice to the backyard pond, where she spotted a singing woman.
Seeing the singer, Orion froze.
'......That's.'
"Lalala∼."
To the ornate melody, spirits danced along.