Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 240
>Chapter Title: The Magic Tower is Rich
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After confirming the young patriarch's sincerity, the meeting proceeded smoothly.
"Alright. Then if need be, Lortel will take them in."
"We'll accept the stray kids too. If any of them show real promise, we might even forge a deep bond with Lortel."
The knight commander said that and fell silent.
I turned my gaze to Myselrn-senior next.
Myselrn-senior's mouth opened right after.
"If there are kids who want to come my way, I can take in a fair number. I've got a decent nest egg saved up, so... around fifty should be no problem."
"You'll teach them spirit arts too?"
"Not my direct secrets, but if they've got talent, I could pass on the basics. And if we really hit it off, maybe more."
"Hmm."
"Is this the answer you were hoping for?"
Busted.
"Well... even if we're leaving this world someday, wouldn't it be nice to leave behind some teachings that benefit it?"
"As I said, there's no set order to departing."
"Yeah, fair enough. Next up, then..."
This time, my gaze fell on Shine.
But for some reason.
Shine had kept his mouth shut the entire meeting. His face was hidden behind the mask, but his demeanor was off.
"You got nothing to say?"
"It's a sensitive topic. But I do have a few kids in mind."
His unexpected words made me tilt my head.
"You've been eyeing some?"
It wasn't just me who perked up.
"Hmm, mind sharing who? If the liege has taken notice, they must have more than ordinary talent."
The knight commander openly lit up.
He seemed to think Shine was interested for their talent... but I suspected otherwise.
'What gives?'
Not to brag, but Shine was a genius.
His standards were leagues beyond normal, so kids—no, multiple kids—that met them?
I furrowed my brow in confusion, and Shine shook his head.
"They don't have exceptional talent. I'd like to discuss this privately with the tower lord later."
"Understood."
It was a polite way of saying not to pry, and the knight commander reined in his eagerness like it was nothing.
For all his wormy intentions, he knew when to back off.
I shelved my curiosity for now too.
"Then it's my turn."
Lortel, Myselrn-senior, and now Shine had all stated their positions on the trainees and strays.
So I had to chime in. My take?
"Anyone who wants to come, I won't stop them. All four hundred... it's a lot, but not impossible."
Why?
Because I had my capable worker, Evelyn.
And the orphanage going up in the second Black-White Slums would get support from Svetlana and the other cartels too.
'If they won't pitch in... I'll make them.'
Growing the Black-White Slums' dreamers? The promising upstarts better lend a hand.
But apparently, my response was surprising.
The knight commander twitched his eyebrow in astonishment.
"Hmm. Does the Magic Tower have the funds for that? I'm genuinely curious."
"The Magic Tower is rich."
"Really?"
Shine chimed in.
I nodded.
"Of course."
Sure, things might be a bit tight right now.
But if money ran short... fine. I'd sell off a few of those books from Baharmut.
Evelyn said relics were valuable, but books even more so. Selling them all, how could I not afford four hundred kids?
It wasn't like I'd support them forever—just till they could stand on their own.
'Those books, such a shame... such a shame...'
...It hurt like hell.
But what could I do?
Considering why I'd built the Magic Tower in the first place, a few books were a small price.
Worst case, they'd just drive me into demonic madness and kill me anyway.
That was when Myselrn-senior spoke up.
"You'll teach them magic too?"
Well, well, look at this guy.
Myselrn-senior tossed out the question with a mischievous grin—clearly throwing my earlier words back at me.
"Tch, magic. Magic, huh..."
Hadn't thought of that.
Truth be told, I wasn't in any shape to teach anyone.
My circles weren't even theoretically solid yet, and mana control needed innate sense or you hit a wall.
'And I sure as hell can't advance Troubleshooter secrets either.'
I could if I wanted, but no interest.
I was already itching to rip out everything I'd learned so far—now advance it for them?
As I mulled it over.
"Why fuss over a meaningful lesson when you might leave anytime... sheesh, tsk."
Myselrn-senior clicked his tongue and shook his head.
The knight commander piled on.
"The Magic Tower's stingy with its teachings. Not even asking you to take a final disciple."
"No, it's not... "
What? Stingy with teachings?
This from a guy whose prestigious house was so closed-off you couldn't tell who was better?
"Knight commander."
"Tower lord, speak."
"What does this look like to you?"
"Your palm."
"Right. But the moment it turns into a fist, you're a corpse. Watch yourself."
"Hmph."
Warning issued.
Whatever happened next was on him.
That was when Shine spoke.
"Tower lord."
"Speak."
"Teaching magic isn't a bad idea. Might even be time to take a final disciple."
"Suddenly?"
I tilted my head in confusion, but Shine nodded firmly.
And when his mouth opened again, I realized he wasn't joking—this was heavy stuff.
"To be frank, your life is a candle in the wind. No matter how strong you get, that's unchanged. Decullan won't go easy, and someday they'll tighten the noose. You wouldn't get cocky from this win, would you?"
Of course not.
But Shine turned to the knight commander, like he was driving the point home.
"Commander, suppose a transcendent knight—who's reached the pinnacle—turns against Lortel. Would Lortel falter?"
"No."
"Because Lortel has many transcendents?"
"If you're asking how many master knights the main house has, I can't say... but if it's how many Lortel can handle, it doesn't matter. Master knights can wipe out armies, but they're still individuals. And war isn't fought alone."
This felt... like hearing something massive.
I'd never thought I could take Decullan solo anyway.
But.
'The number of master knights the main house has... can't say?'
What did that mean?
Lortel officially acknowledged only the patriarch and one sword as master knights.
Were there transcendents among the other ten swords? Or some hidden forces?
As I pondered, Shine looked at me.
"Hear that? Prestigious houses have depths upon depths beyond what you imagine. So you need a final disciple."
"...Why?"
"You planning to let the tower end with your generation?"
"..."
On the surface, it sounded like preserve the tower's lineage...
But to me, it rang different.
- Even if you die, someone needs to carry on your will, right?
So Shine was saying not only that I might fail to complete the tower...
'...but that I don't have to do it all myself.'
That realization hit.
And that's when I grasped why Shine insisted on a final disciple.
It wasn't about someone learning my unique secrets. More like...
'The tower's purpose.'
A spiritual successor who inherited that.
The term "disciple" was just phrasing—whoever understood and could enact my vision for the tower would do.
"Get it now, tower lord? What I mean?"
"Yeah."
I nodded.
A thought crossed my mind.
...Maybe Shine was nearing his end.
How else could someone change this much?
* * *
Anyway, the meeting's final outcomes were these:
1. Lortel, Myselrn-senior, me. Trainees and strays choose freely.
2. Each group pledges proper support for their social adaptation.
3. Any group can inspect the others unannounced to ensure duties are met.
The last one was my addition.
I trusted Lortel's young patriarch, but the knight commander? No way.
So suddenly, Lortel, the Magic Tower, and Myselrn-senior formed a triangular alliance.
Shine agreed to join the pact once he settled his wards.
That wrapped things up.
I pulled Shine aside for a private word. We still had unfinished business.
"You said you had something to say?"
"Yeah. Good you remembered. Come with me somewhere first."
"...?"
Shine led the way without another word, and I followed silently.
He brought me to a tent.
"This is..."
"Come in."
I stepped into the plain tent.
Passing Shine, I stood beside him, and he asked.
"What do you think?"
"..."
I didn't answer.
I just took in the scene inside.
The tent could hold about a dozen.
Around a crackling campfire, several kids lay—none looking healthy.
One with a crushed arm, one missing a leg, one breathing raggedly with no visible wounds.
I looked at them, then at Shine.
"Don't tell me these are the ones you want to take..."
"I know you've mastered a pretty solid healing spell. So answer: can you fix them? If yes, I won't interfere. If not..."
Shine met my eyes.
"I'll make them my kin."
Then it clicked.
What kind of kids Shine had eyed. What "not much talent" meant.
I had to ask.
"...Why?"
Shine, who'd never made a clan till now.
I'd thought it was to cherry-pick talent later, but no?
Did making kin have special conditions?
As questions swirled, Shine glanced at the kids and murmured.
"What reason's needed?"
Simply...
"Fate brought us together."
One sentence, but I understood.
Shine was a lord.
Qualified—no, already a true sovereign—to lead a host.
I'd become a true tower lord, and Shine had become a king.