Chapter 239
Chapter 239
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 239
Chapter Title: Night of the Mages (1)
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"Then we'll see you on the day of the festival."
After the uninvited guest left, I sat on a bench in the Aphria Academy garden and took a moment to sort through my thoughts.
"Something feels off."
It was a sense of unease.
...Did he really come all this way just for that?
I'd broken a taboo, and he had a duty to check on my mental state.
That's what the ancient dragon's mage had said.
That part didn't sit right with me somehow.
Of course, to an ancient dragon's mage, it might be a big deal. But if it was truly that important...
He should've come sooner.
The ancient dragon's mage should've visited me much earlier.
It was far too late to check now.
It had been years since I'd first sacrificed my lifespan. Facing the Demon King and fleeing, only for my soul and body to crumble from that taboo lifespan trade—it was all ancient history by now.
Bestowing the title of Sage upon me.
Looking forward to the Night of the Mages.
All of it felt like mere surface-level excuses.
"He's hiding something."
Something important.
Disguising it with playfulness and levity, deliberately concealing the real purpose.
He's a doddering old coot, but don't fall for it.
A sly lizard through and through.
A mage who'd lived for tens of thousands of years.
Not someone whose true intentions I could easily read.
"No, that's secondary."
What confused me most, though...
That seemed genuine.
The ancient dragon's mage had pestered me with words and actions that brimmed with intense sincerity. It didn't feel like mere pretense.
No?
If anything, I liked it.
Separate from whatever purpose he was hiding, that voice dripping with raw desire was too hard to dismiss as fake.
"What the hell is his deal..."
The more I thought about it, the harder he was to figure out.
I'd probably need to watch him a bit longer.
"Professor Lania?"
As I organized my thoughts, someone called out to me. Looking up toward the voice, I saw a student standing there.
Snow-white hair and green eyes.
The familiar face made my shoulders twitch briefly. I'd gotten used to it, but I still startled sometimes when I ran into her by chance.
"Chloe? What's up?"
"You told me to come to your office after class, but you weren't there. I looked around a bit."
"Oh, right."
I'd completely forgotten.
"Sorry. Some uninvited guest showed up."
"Ah, that one from the lecture hall earlier...?"
"Yeah. That."
Chloe gave an awkward, bitter smile.
"Word's already made the rounds among us students. They say you have to withstand two punches from your fist to confess your feelings to you..."
"What?"
I blinked.
Why would confessing feelings require enduring my punches?
"Why the hell...?"
As I tilted my head, I suddenly noticed the envelope in Chloe's arms. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted from it.
"Ah."
Noticing my gaze, Chloe beamed and plopped down beside me.
"I stopped by a café on the way."
The paper bag she held out was stuffed with freshly baked bread.
"Want some?"
As she pulled out a loaf and offered it, I rubbed my eyes.
To a girl like this...
The ancient dragon's mage was interested?
Even more than with me...?
"Chloe."
"Yes?"
"Watch out for a sleazy blue-haired guy with snake-slit eyes and a butter-slick voice whispering sweet nothings."
Should I make a warning poster or something?
With that thought, I let out a long sigh.
A millennium-old great sage who's a total boomer.
The god of mages, who's lived tens of thousands of years, chasing after young girls like a senile lizard spawn.
Do they all go nuts in the head pursuing magic's limits? Get nasty personalities...?
The future of mages looked bleak.
"Guess I'm the only normal one."
"...Pardon?"
"Huh? What?"
"Oh, nothing."
2.
The Night of the Mages had begun.
The streets brimmed with stalls catering to mages, frequented by wizards from far and wide.
"Selling White Mage Tower specialty, the Evernight Gemstones! Festival special price only during the Night of the Mages..."
"Black Mage Tower engraving robes..."
"New from the Blue Mage Tower! Amplifying research mana stones..."
The street vendors hawked their wares, each marked by their tower's signature color. Merchants who'd sourced goods from the various towers.
Amid the festive bustle, this wasn't a celebration just for mages.
Even ordinary folk far removed from magic got a taste during the Night of the Mages.
The capital divided into six districts.
Each color-coded Mage Tower decked out their district in their own style—some with exhibitions, others with casual magic duels—offering spectacles galore.
How many visitors came, how many enjoyed the festivities in their district: it fueled a subtle pride contest among the tower lords. An unspoken secret.
"And for our White Mage Tower!"
Maybe that's why.
"A mage's exhibition! And even if you're clueless about magic, it's flashy, dazzling, so stunning you'll lose your mind at first sight—a brilliant, perfect elemental spell performance...!"
This White Mage Tower wizard was giving an impassioned pitch to a girl about their events.
"And the most important part? Know what it is?"
"Not really interested."
"Hear me out...!"
White Mage Tower Lord, Celi Dvela.
She pleaded with the bored-looking girl before her, Lania van Trias.
"Know who's performing the elemental spell show? Me. Master of ice and fire spells, yours truly, Celi Dvela, taking the stage in 'Between Flame and Ice'—doesn't that pique your interest?"
"Yes. Not at all."
"Come on...!"
Her pride had been bruised long ago. Celi trembled with fists clenched, feeling the humiliation of a mere peddler.
Please, just bite...
Celi had her reasons.
She felt a mission to bring this girl, Lania van Trias, into the White Mage Tower district.
This was her chance.
Rumors swirled of a duel between the Blue Mage Tower Lord and this girl. Win or lose, she'd draw every mage's eyes.
So I have to show them.
That Celi Dvela was close to Lania van Trias. Close enough to stroll the White district hand in hand. Everyone had to know.
A girl who turned heads with skill and looks.
Potentially the star of this magic conference. Luring her to her district would be victory in the tower pride war.
No tangible rewards for winning, but...
It'd feel damn good...!
That was enough.
"Anything else?"
But she showed no sign of budging.
Lania just stared at Celi blankly. Finally, Celi muttered in defeat.
"...Can't you just come?"
"Why are you so desperate to drag me along?"
"I wanna be the star for once! Always overshadowed by the Ashen Tower—let me shine just this once...!"
Lania's eyes narrowed.
Her age, and she wants to be the protagonist?
A certain senile lizard popped into Lania's mind. She asked with half-lidded eyes.
"...Have you lost your marbles?"
"That's harsh!"
Celi slammed the table in outrage.
But only briefly. She slumped over it and sighed deeply.
"Fine. I'm the idiot for hoping. Don't come. Even if you do now, I won't let you in..."
"Not interested in the magic show, but the exhibition sounds intriguing. What's there?"
"......"
Celi peeked up.
"...Interested?"
"The White Mage Tower exhibitions have always been worth seeing. Mixing two elements into spell circuits—practicality aside, they're always so innovative."
As next Tower Lord candidate, Lania had visited the White Tower's circuit exhibits often.
Practicality second; the methods are fresh.
Fond memories of those novel circuits.
"You really coming?"
"I was planning to hit the exhibition anyway."
"...Want me to guide you?"
"Aren't you busy?"
Suddenly revitalized, Celi slammed the table and stood.
"I'm busy, sure! But I'll guide you specially. Shall we go now?"
She looked every bit the hawker.
3.
The White Mage Tower specialized in elemental spells.
They'd long pursued the pinnacle of elemental magic, and their events all revolved around it.
They've got roots.
Elemental magic was the foundation.
Wizards had roots, so their spells did too.
"This way. Behold the White Mage Tower's pride: the evolution of elemental spell development."
I followed the excited White Tower Lord, who chattered ahead. Mages at the exhibition kept glancing our way, but she seemed oblivious.
No, enjoying the attention...?
I decided to ignore it.
Half-listening to her explanations, I eyed the framed circuits lining the walls.
Ornate frames held circuits.
The corridor overflowed with White Tower creations, from basic to advanced spells.
And most bore the name 'Celi Dvela'.
...She's a bit odd.
But her spell development skills were legit.
That's why she led a tower.
"Behold my pride: a triple-element composite! 'Scattering Snowblossoms'!"
The White Tower Lord pointed to a massive frame.
Nearly my height, etched with an enormous circuit...
"Fire, water, and... wind?"
"Yes."
"Won't that just scatter harmlessly? No power, just... drifting?"
"Precisely controlled scatter direction."
...Controlled direction?
Looking closer, yes.
The oversized circuit, packed with lines... most controlled the spell's trajectory.
Using this...
Pure spectacle. Zero practicality.
"Festival spell. Utterly beautiful."
"I... see."
"No rule saying elementals are just for combat. We pursue variety. Need spells like this, right?"
The White Tower Lord smiled at the frame.
I nodded slowly.
"Fair enough."
They evolved toward art. I didn't get it, but she wasn't forcing ideals like an ivory tower type, so I'd respect her.
Impressive in its way.
Different path from mine, but pinnacle-level circuits nonetheless.
As I examined it...
"Flashy as ever, substance-less circuits. White."
A snide voice echoed.
The White Lord's brow furrowed deeply.
"What'd you say?"
"Am I wrong?"
A wizened mage stood where eyes turned.
His face rang a bell.
Where from?
Definitely seen him.
Not memorable enough for the name to stick.
"Magic's a practical discipline. No time for this while chasing utility... Tsk."
He clicked his tongue.
"Still fixated on appearances. Wasn't your own body enough?"
"You mad?"
The White Lord growled.
"This is White territory. Spouting that crap in my domain, to my face..."
"Oh, right."
Then it hit me.
"Brick Geovan."
I clapped and said it.
Brick Geovan. Blue Mage Tower Lord.
And...
"The old hag who snapped her back showboating."
"...What?"
The Blue Lord's eyes bulged, the White Lord's widened as she stared at me.
"What."
I tilted my head.
"It's true."
Author's Note
Eyes bulging!