Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Heir of the Magic Tower (1)
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"Nazaru Monte has appeared. Let's pursue him."
Ray and Wellington had been sitting on a café bench, licking their ice cream, when Theo suddenly popped up. Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Nazaru Monte?"
"You mean the 'Magic Prodigy' of the Three Armies and Eight Stars?"
Those ranked among the Three Armies and Eight Stars each had another nickname attached with 'Army' or 'Star,' much like their moniker.
Wellington's other title was Sword Prodigy. Nazaru was the Magic Prodigy, following the usual pattern of adding 'Army' or 'Star' to the field they dominated.
"Yes. That's right."
"Why would the Magic Tower's heir...!"
Theo quickly clamped a hand over Wellington's mouth as he jumped up in shock.
Shh.
Thanks to that, the ice cream in Wellington's hand ended up a total mess, but he didn't notice.
Gulp. Wellington swallowed dryly before speaking again.
"He's here? Are you sure you didn't mistake him for someone else?"
"No. It's certain."
"...He must know that tipping the scales for Troyvan would draw the Ragnar family's ire. Why go out of his way to...?"
Wellington trailed off, his expression hardening.
"He's up to something here."
It seemed Wellington thought the Magic Tower had sneaked into Ragnar territory to stir up internal chaos.
Theo saw no reason to correct him, so he simply nodded.
"Naturally, they can't have come with good intentions, so we should capture them. That's my view."
"But a big shot like that won't be traveling with lightweight escorts. Why not wait until Master finishes his business and returns...!"
"No. If they slip out of the city in the meantime, tracking them will be impossible forever."
Only then did Wellington catch Theo's meaning.
"You're saying just the three of us should pursue them?"
"Is that okay?"
Ray voiced his concern as well.
After all, the current group leader and one with command authority was the Vice Dragon. Any unilateral action without his permission could easily turn into a political crisis.
But,
"Combat Examiners can make discretionary judgments and decisions based on the situation, and from Senior Examiner rank, solo missions are allowed. And I'll be recommended for Senior Examiner upon my return."
"...You're not one yet."
"Do you think I won't make it?"
"That's overstepping."
"If it's a burden, Ray and I will go alone."
Ray nodded, finished off his remaining ice cream, grabbed his sword, and stood up.
Theo figured there was no helping it, even if it was a shame.
Wellington, true to his 'Saint' nickname, clearly prioritized rules and principles.
"It's a burden, sure. But."
Wellington glanced back and forth between Theo and Ray, then smirked and stood up as well.
"I've been dying to test the Magic Prodigy's skills myself."
Wellington's eyes sharpened.
A thick fighting spirit gleamed in them.
The exact same gaze he'd shown when they first met.
No matter his 'Saint' reputation, he was still a warrior who lived and died by the sword.
"Then it's decided."
"But do you know exactly where they are right now?"
Theo smiled silently for a moment, then lightly kicked off the ground.
Flash!
Wellington and Ray's gazes followed the motion identically.
Theo soared casually over the heads of the bustling crowd, then landed in front of a beggar under a streetlamp.
"Where is the Magic Tower group now?"
"Aw, milord! Spare a coin!"
"No need to hide it from me."
"Just one coin, and I'll pray for your blessings forever...!"
"If not, I'll relay a message to the Intelligence Chief myself."
As Theo turned to leave, the beggar suddenly grabbed his ankle tight.
"How did you know?"
The beggar's eyes, peeking from under his deeply pulled-down cap, were quite sharp.
He was one of Black Snow's agents.
Theo gave a faint smile.
"Trade secret."
"Urgh. Just as Chief Klevé said, you've got a handsome face that hides an unfathomable depth."
A familiar name.
Theo's eyes lit up.
"You know Chief Klevé?"
"Of course. I'm her direct subordinate. And right now, she's tailing Nazaru Monte."
"...!"
Theo's eyes widened slightly.
* * *
Clop clop clop—
Inside a carriage heading toward the city outskirts.
"...Aren't you being too complacent? What if the Ragnars catch on like this!"
"It's fine, it's fine. They haven't noticed until now—why would they now? Jirima, you worry too much, that's your problem."
Jirima pondered for a brief moment.
Should he just punch that smug grinning face or not?
If he weren't the sole grandson of his esteemed lord, he'd have disciplined him on the spot.
'Or maybe he's aiming for something else?'
Jirima held his tongue, knowing full well how many sly foxes Nazaru hid beneath that brazen facade.
It was just frustrating that he never showed his true intentions.
But Nazaru ignored Jirima's gaze entirely, tenderly stroking the object in his hand.
"Aww, our cute little poop puppy. Were you super hungry?"
In Nazaru's hand was a black orb the size of a human head.
It looked unremarkable at first glance, but it changed when he pulled out pages from the grimoire he'd secretly stolen from the imperial secret vault.
Ziiip!
With a sound like a zipper opening, a long slit appeared in the center of the black orb, splitting wide from top to bottom.
Between its rounded lips lined with jagged teeth, it boasted a grotesque appearance.
'Never gets less jarring to look at.'
Jirima grimaced slightly at the sight.
The magical lifeform Paracelsus.
The crowning achievement of the Magic Tower's top-secret 'Homunculus Project' in collaboration with the Alchemy Guild—a growing homunculus that developed by consuming codes from grimoires.
The Magic Tower had high hopes for Paracelsus.
They believed it was the key to fulfilling their long-cherished wish.
That was why they'd raided the imperial secret vault.
To implant specific codes from the grimoire Belphegor into Paracelsus.
-Beep. Bzzt. Feed confirmed. Rated A-rank grimoire.
Paracelsus had no nose, yet it sniffed at the paper before gaping wide and chomping it down.
Munch munch!
-Code recognized. Analysis and decryption complete. Attempting new code array in drive. Uploading backup data to cloud.
Every exaggerated chew spat out incomprehensible messages.
Its form was too bizarre to behold.
Jirima furrowed his brow deeper, but Nazaru's eyes brimmed only with adoration.
"Hahaha. So cute, I tell you. That's right, eat up and grow big and strong."
"You call this cute?"
"Adorable. What, you disagree? You know what form it'll take once it's 'complete,' don't you, Jirima?"
"It'll become a monster."
"Psh. No need to put it like that. If that monster is 'mine,' that's a different story."
Nazaru continued with a pleased smile.
"I want this little guy to reach its full form soon. That way, I can become 'complete' too, right?"
Jirima pressed his lips tight.
Madness was already pooling in Nazaru's eyes.
"It'll open the door to the ideal paradise all mages dream of! A path out of this prison of flesh and world, straight to the lofty pantheon! Get it? Becoming a god in human form— a god! Something no one has achieved since the ancients!"
Nazaru lovingly stroked Paracelsus's head as it munched the final page.
"How could it not be precious? I want to rip up every other grimoire and feed them all to it."
"Extracting codes risks drawing the imperial gaze."
"I know. That's why we're moving so carefully."
No matter how chaotic and disgraced the imperial family was, it was still the imperial family.
If they bared their fangs, even the Magic Tower wouldn't emerge unscathed.
"I hate skulking around like this."
"......"
Jirima ignored Nazaru's complaints entirely.
They held no nutritional value anyway.
More importantly, it wasn't the time to worry about such things.
"Jirima."
"Yes. I sense it too."
Nazaru stopped petting Paracelsus and snapped his head up.
Jirima quietly scanned the surroundings.
The street was empty save for them, which only made the silence more ominously oppressive.
"See? I told you our trail was too long."
No sooner had Jirima spoken than two attendants swiftly pulled up their hoods.
These robes, exclusive to the Star of David, were artifacts each and every one.
They aided mana circulation and amplified efficiency—like magical gear.
They had detected presences encircling the carriage and were about to cast spells.
"I told you not to worry? Our boys will handle it. Right?"
The attendants nodded midway, then spotted a pebble dropping from above.
The one on the right quickly formed his right hand into a gun shape, firing an air bullet to shoot it down.
He smirked inwardly.
The Ragnars must have caught the scent and come chasing late, but true to muscle-headed brutes, their ambush was just brute force.
'I'll show them there's art to combat.'
Unlike sweaty, brutish swordsmen, mages pursued elegant art and noble truths.
He wanted to teach them their places from the start.
Bang!
An air bullet launched from his index finger.
With target designation magic, downing it was no issue.
But just before impact.
Jirima's detection spell analyzed the pebble's composition, and he froze.
"Wait—!"
The attendants had no time to question their superior's outburst.
Boom!
The pebble shattered, unleashing the hidden thunder orb within.
Rumble! Boom! Crash!
Roooar—
Kababoom!
Lightning bolts rained down everywhere.
Theo's miniaturized version of the Ruyi Pearl technique, inspired by the eclipse, was already a horrific weapon in itself.
The real problem came after the lightning barrage.
Four thunder dragons erupted from the ground, biting into each other to amplify the explosive power.
-Hydra Bolt.
As expected of Theo's fusion of thunder dragon breath and magic, the blast was immense.
Groooar—
Neigh!
In an instant, the horses charred to cinders, and the carriage flipped and shattered completely.
"M-Magic...!"
"Damn it! It's canceling!"
Worse, spotting the mana EMP spreading after Hydra Bolt turned the attendants' faces ashen.
For mages, unmoving mana was as good as a fatal weakness.
Pew pew pew!
In that moment, dark needles flew in, embedding in the attendants' napes and severing their breaths.
Shwaaa—
Frost settled where the lightning storm had swept, slightly slowing Jirima as he overcame the EMP aftereffects and tried to form hand seals.
At the same time,
Clink!
"Stop moving. Any funny business, and that neck flies."
A sharp blade hovered under Jirima's chin.
'How did they...!'
Jirima broke into cold sweat.
Lightning storm, followed by mana-disrupting electromagnetic waves, frost, and blade wind.
It was clearly planned by someone who knew exactly how to hunt mages.
Being subdued before unleashing his 7th-circle mage prowess was proof.
But the biggest issue was that the Magic Tower's sole heir was already pinned too.
And against an opponent he'd once sized up with fighting spirit.
"Nazaru Monte."
Nazaru glanced down at the two swords crossed before his Adam's apple, clamped tight around his neck like a pillory.
Telekinesis.
A technique even mages struggled with, wielded by a distant peer-aged youth.
"Sorry, but you'll have to come with us for a bit."
Black hair, crimson eyes.
It was Theo.