The Eccentric Mage 2
At the heart of El Sion stood the main tower of Barte's Mage Tower, sprawling across a vast estate with dozens of towers piercing the sky. It was a city within the city itself.
Over a thousand mages resided here, and when you added those away on unavoidable errands or returned to their families, the number swelled to two thousand. The estates of the Brave and Verneck factions were enormous too, but Barte's eclipsed them.
On the top floor of the central tower, in an office far too spacious for one man, Schult Markersy clicked his tongue.
"Another failure. All that enthusiasm for nothing. Tch, what a pain."
Elders of the council each received their own tower, and Schult's was the finest—smack in the middle of the grounds, with the best facilities and view. Below the wide-open window, mages in robes of every color emblazoned with the Barte insignia bustled about.
Unlike Brave or Verneck, Barte's didn't enforce uniform robes. Their philosophy demanded mastery of all elements as extensions of the self, not specialization in one. Barte mages could tailor robes in their favorite colors. Despite complaints from Brave and Verneck overseers calling it chaotic, the Barte council held firm.
Master all elements. Arrogant words, but Barte made them ring true.
Yet Schult scowled deeply, displeased by something.
"The theory was flawless. What the hell's wrong? This makes thirteen times..."
He sighed heavily. The magic he pursued was none other than space magic.
Elders weren't strictly required to publish, but most did one paper a year. Schult hadn't managed one in over three.
Damnable space magic. His constant refrain.
Still, he couldn't quit. He'd come too far, and success would etch his name in history.
"Ignoring causality... impossible after all?"
The issue wasn't casting the spell itself. As a 7th Circle mage, he'd mastered Blink long ago.
"If only I could slash the mana cost..."
Schult targeted reducing the exorbitant mana drain of space magic. One of El Sion's two 7th Circle archmages alongside the Barte council head, yet even he topped out at three Blinks—with distance limits. Continuous casts? Impossible. Push further, and you'd pay with flesh or soul.
"Hoo... damnable stuff. What glory in my twilight years...?"
To twist the fundamental truth of distance between objects—what price? If space magic could sidestep causality—or even mitigate it.
...Space Sword.
It could work. Who could block a Swordmaster's strike ignoring distance?
To Schult, space magic suited swordsmen more than mages.
Swordsmen versus mages—the endless debate spanning centuries. Mages won in group fights, swordsmen one-on-one. Consensus after endless arguments.
But space magic could erase that gap.
Mages would be obsolete. At least on the battlefield. They'd die before the fight began.
No swordsman wielded such magic, though. A 7th Circle Swordmaster defying causality? Absurd.
"Heh, I've finally lost it."
Schult leaned back, chuckling wryly. Gazing out the window, he spotted a small bird flying straight toward him.
It hopped lightly onto his desk, crossing the sill. White feathers, blue eyes—a spirit beast by Schult's reckoning.
"So that's what my damn fool disciple's been up to..."
His disciple had named it Lepira. A tiny scroll bound to its leg—first word in three years since returning home.
"Hah..."
Unfurling it, Schult chuckled again.
"Back after three years without a word? Dragging some guy along?"
Absurd. Intriguing. If before Cherbito, maybe for the tournament. But Schult doubted it—his disciple had skipped the last two.
He rose slowly, heavy frame creaking, and shuffled to a corner. A personal teleportation circle he'd installed.
"This'll be fun. Let's see that face."
A pillar of pure white light swallowed him.
***
A 5th Circle annihilation spell. No ordinary one.
Even with five rings, a 5th Circle mage's output paled against a 7th Circle's.
The vivid crimson beam closed in. Licht slowly raised his Ascension Sword. Pure white radiance coiled along the blade.
Interference impossible.
Below 3rd Circle, he could disrupt directly. Not this. Mana density too high to scatter outright.
But slice it into fragments...
Possible.
The golden blade cleaved the red wave.
Shyrta, Third Form: Aquilo.
Sching!
The tip quivered minutely. In hyper-compressed time, sharp strikes etched afterimages everywhere.
Tingtingtingting!
Even against formless mana clumps, clear metallic rings echoed.
First strike bisected the beam; follow-ups shredded the fragments. The red mana crumbled to particles, bleached white, and dissolved into the air.
Like falling stars.
As white mana trails faded from the fulfilled blade, Licht saw him.
"Hah... you blocked that?"
A 7th Circle elder with long white hair and beard.
"Schult Markersy."
"Knew you weren't ordinary, but this exceeds expectations. Kid with no gray hairs, foul mouth and all—I like it. A young buck needs that grit."
Kekekeke.
Schult laughed in his raspy, bizarre voice matching his eccentric nature.
Licht instinctively furrowed his brow. Glancing back, Aila gaped at Schult. The others weren't much different.
No one imagined a annihilation spell fired at Barte's main gate—in central El Sion.
A beat later, they murmured.
"Did he... just shoot magic at us?"
"Who the hell is that guy? Sliced a annihilation spell... with a sword?"
"Schult Markersy! Barte's old monster!"
"Schult Markersy?!"
"Move! Let me see!"
Terror from the near-miss faded fast. El Sion's one-of-two 7th Circle archmages drew a mob surging for a glimpse.
"Calm down! You can't just enter!"
"Stay behind the line... Agh!"
"......"
Licht eyed Schult coldly. Behind him, muffled groans from the two guard mages and crowd murmurs swelled.
No need to look—Aila's eyes probably mirrored his. Then—
"Schult Markersy! Such rudeness!"
A redheaded girl pointed at the 7th Circle elder.
"Who's she?"
"Elia Ardi, isn't it? Even as Brave elder's direct disciple, that's..."
"Nah, he wouldn't kill her."
"Opponent's that eccentric mage. Not impossible."
"Yeah, fair point..."
The area hushed. Whispers spread.
A Brave direct disciple jabbing at Barte's 7th Circle elder? Prime spectacle.
Elia yelled at the still-chuckling Schult.
"You mad old coot! This is central El Sion! If word gets out, even you...!"
"Word gets out? What're you on about, Miss Elia? Still no manners, just like your master. Anyone'd think I tried slaughtering innocent El Sion citizens."
"Wh-what?!"
Elia's eyes bulged at Schult's shamelessness. He sneered on.
"My one disciple returns after three years—I got carried away. Right, folks?"
"Uh, y-yeah?"
"A prank..."
Schult addressed the guard mages blocking the crowd. Speechless, they froze. He tsked.
"Youngsters these days. Too damn serious—no fun. Tch."
Elia muttered blankly.
"A prank..."
"Even without that black-cloaked lad, no one'd get hurt. I swear on fifty years of magic. You think I'm some lunatic slaughtering the innocent?"
"...Everyone saw you cast that 5th Circle annihilation spell!"
"I'd have canceled it if needed."
"Ridiculous! How do you cancel a launched spell?!"
Possible. Common sense said no. But a 7th Circle archmage? One of the continent's elite few, near-superhuman. Not strange.
"Get it now, Miss Elia?"
"......"
"Look at you—off to tattle to that vixen."
"V-vixen?!"
Insulted for her master, Elia clenched her fists, trembling with rage.
"Such a contrary temper. Right?"
"You...!"
"Anyway. Business done—off you go."
Schult spoke calmly. Elia's face twisted in fury and shame. She whirled and shoved through the crowd.
"Can't wait for that vixen to come raging. Should've watched your disciple better. Kekeke."
Ignoring stares, Schult turned.
Glancing back, he added:
"What're you idiots standing around for? Follow."
He strode toward his tower. Licht watched his back, thinking:
What the hell.
Crazy mage.
***
"You... human?"
Schult's tower top floor. He'd dragged Licht and Aila straight there.
Two long sofas flanked a reception table. As guests, they got tea—fine leaves, but brewed terribly. He didn't drink much; skill showed it.
Or makes underlings do it.
Schult rummaged shelves, then sat opposite.
"Human? What do you mean?"
"Literal. Looks like a swordsman... Hmm, circles as aura substitute? 4th Circle? Nah, too off. Like... enlightenment?"
Licht was inwardly startled. At seventy, 7th Circle sharpness unmatched.
Schult grinned, pleased.
"Spot on? Half-doubted my fool disciple hauling some nameless guy, but now it clicks."
"Master—"
"Oi, disciple. Hush. Priorities. Stories later."
Gulping tea, he said:
"Here for business, I assume."
"......"
"Spit it out."
No beating around. Licht stated flatly:
"I want into the Sage's Tower top floor."
"What? Sage's Tower?"
Eyes wide, then he cackled.
"Sage's Tower, eh. No other reason?"
"None."
"Hmm... Might've heard from disciple, but top floor's elders-only from the three factions. Know that?"
Licht nodded slightly. Aila had told him.
"Non-elder needs council majority vote. Even then, Brave and Verneck overseer approval. Practically impossible. Even for me."
"No other way?"
"Other way... not none."
Here it came. Licht was sharp.
Atmosphere sobered; Schult nodded knowingly.
"Win Cherbito. Then it's possible."
"Cherbito?"
"Straight talk."
Pausing, he declared:
"Join under me. Swear I'll get you to the Sage's Tower top."