Vilheim Magic Tower (3)
“……”
“……”
Silence settled over the laboratory.
Even the empire’s greatest mages had lost the power of speech.
In their eyes were awe, disbelief, and an almost impossible curiosity, all of it warring at once.
“...Did he really succeed?”
Roimdel was the first to break the silence.
“...Are you telling me that that third-rate mage actually created a four-attribute fusion spell?”
Next came the acting chief of the Astral Magic Tower, Serena.
“He forced a fusion point into existence. And while controlling light and dark at the same time, no less. Theoretically, that should have been impossible.”
“What’s even more astonishing is the color of that bead.”
Valter, chief of the Crown Magic Tower, stared at the bead in my hand as if he meant to bore straight through it.
“I’ve never seen a mana crystal of that color before. It’s gray at the core, but other colors are somehow living in it too.”
“……”
Roimdel walked toward me without a word.
“Grace.”
“Yes?”
“Would you show me that bead?”
The usual weight in Roimdel’s voice was gone.
In its place remained only the curiosity of a pure magician.
I carefully handed him the Mana Amplification bead.
“...Roimdel! What kind of magic is it?”
“I’ll appraise it now.”
Roimdel’s mana flowed into the Mana Amplification bead.
And then his expression stiffened.
“……”
When Roimdel said nothing, the others grew impatient.
“Well? What is it?”
“What kind of magic is it?”
The other tower chiefs could no longer contain their curiosity.
“This is...”
“What? What is it?”
“This is... truly Mana Amplification...”
“What?”
“It really is Mana Amplification! The spell our tower studied for twenty years—he actually made it.”
When Roimdel spoke the name of the magic I had created,
“……”
“……”
silence fell over the laboratory once more.
But this time, it was a different kind of silence.
It was a hush steeped in shock and disbelief.
“Mana Amplification? Really?”
“The spell they couldn’t complete after twenty years of research? Seriously, Roimdel?”
Valter and Serena stared at Roimdel in utter disbelief.
“...I’m certain of it.”
Roimdel carefully examined the bead again before answering.
“It increases total mana capacity. Permanently. This is unquestionably the Mana Amplification spell we were searching for.”
Once Roimdel said it with such certainty,
“……”
“……”
the air in the laboratory sank heavy and still.
Even the empire’s finest mages were struggling to accept what they were seeing.
“You’re saying that some third-rate mage made the spell we’ve been hunting for twenty years?”
“...I can’t believe it.”
Silence returned to the laboratory, and this time I was the one who spoke.
“Chief Roimdel. I believe it’s time you honored your promise.”
“...Yes. Grace, you’ve won. I’ll keep my word and recognize us as equal allies.”
“……”
“……”
When Roimdel declared that he would keep the promise, Valter and Serena said nothing.
Equal? Don’t talk nonsense.
But my thoughts were different.
He might have called us equal allies, but I had no intention of leaving it at that.
I spoke carefully.
“Without me, it would be difficult to recreate this Mana Amplification spell.”
At my words, the atmosphere in the laboratory shifted yet again.
Roimdel’s gaze turned sharp.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. I’m the only one who can reproduce this spell.”
I wiped the dried blood from my face and slowly stood.
My legs were shaking, but at a moment like this, I couldn’t afford to look weak.
“Are you threatening us?” Valter asked in a dangerous voice.
But I ignored him and went on.
“It isn’t a threat. I’m simply stating a fact. You saw it just now—the process of fusing light and dark at the same time. Finding that balance point is something only I can do.”
“Don’t get arrogant. If you succeeded once, other mages will be able to follow your method.”
Serena’s voice was cold, but even she lacked conviction.
“Will they? Even Chief Roimdel spent twenty years researching and still failed.”
When I looked at Roimdel, he remained silent, his expression complicated.
“Besides, this Mana Amplification spell won’t just be needed once. The Vilheim Magic Tower—no, every mage in the empire will want it. It’s a spell that could let even a third-rate mage wield the power of the fourth circle.”
“And so? What do you want?”
Roimdel asked directly what I wanted.
I took a breath, then slowly swept my gaze across the chiefs standing in the laboratory.
“It’s simple. I don’t want an equal alliance. I want a cooperative relationship with me holding the advantage.”
“A relationship where you hold the advantage?”
Roimdel’s voice dropped.
“Yes. The Fusion Magic Tower will hold the exclusive supply rights to Mana Amplification, and trade it with the Five Great Magic Towers, including the Vilheim Magic Tower.”
“How dare you!”
Valter sprang to his feet. His mana roiled, pressing down on the laboratory like a slab of stone.
“You’re a third-rate mage, and you’re setting terms against the Five Great Magic Towers?”
But I didn’t back down.
Instead, I smiled through the blood staining my face.
“A third-rate mage, yes. But I’m also the only third-rate mage who can make this spell.”
“Grace.”
Roimdel’s voice was calm.
“Do you understand what you’re saying? This could shake the entire magical system of the empire.”
“I do understand. Which is exactly why we have to be careful, don’t you think?”
Taking the bead back into my hand, I continued.
“What happens if this magic spreads to the wrong place? What if enemy mages get hold of it? What happens to the empire’s security then?”
The chiefs’ expressions hardened, but I kept going.
“That’s why I’m proposing this: let the Fusion Magic Tower serve as the center, and establish a system in which the spell is supplied exclusively to the Five Great Magic Towers. Naturally, at the proper price.”
“And what would that proper price be?”
“First, recognize the Fusion Magic Tower as equal in status to the Five Great Magic Towers. Second, 1,000 gold coins per Mana Amplification bead. Third, priority purchasing rights for high-grade magical materials.”
“1,000 gold coins?!”
Lia gasped behind me, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Ridiculous.”
Valter gave a cold laugh.
“Really? A spell that can raise a third-rate mage to the power of the fourth circle is worth only 1,000 gold coins? How much did the Vilheim Magic Tower spend on twenty years of research?”
Roimdel fell silent. That silence was answer enough.
“Besides...”
I let the words hang for a moment.
“This is only the beginning.”
“The beginning?”
“Yes. If four-attribute fusion is possible, then why not five? Why not six? Who knows what other incredible spells could come out of it?”
Once again, a heavy silence settled over the laboratory.
The chiefs exchanged glances, clearly calculating.
“……”
“……”
After a long pause, Roimdel spoke first.
“Grace, could you give us a little time to discuss this among ourselves?”
“Of course. Will thirty minutes be enough?”
“That will do.”
I left the laboratory with Lia.
The moment we reached the corridor, the strength went out of my legs and I had to brace myself against the wall.
“Tower Master! Are you all right?”
Lia hurried over and supported me.
“I’m fine. Just a little drained.”
“Of course you are! You bled while performing a four-attribute fusion... But Tower Master, that was incredible! 1,000 gold coins! And equal status with the Five Great Magic Towers!”
Lia whispered excitedly.
“Nothing’s been decided yet.”
“But it shows how amazing the magic you made is. Mana Amplification... Tower Master, you created something the Five Great Magic Towers couldn’t make for twenty years...”
Then, from the far end of the corridor, I heard footsteps.
It was a mage from the Vilheim Magic Tower.
“Lord Grace, Chief Roimdel requests your presence.”
Already? It hadn’t even been thirty minutes.
When we returned to the laboratory, the three chiefs stood in solemn silence.
“Have you made a decision?”
Roimdel nodded.
“Yes. But I would like to revise the terms.”
“Go on.”
“First, recognizing the Fusion Magic Tower as equal to the Five Great Magic Towers is impossible. Instead, we will grant you the status of a ‘Special Cooperative Magic Tower.’ That places you just below the Five Great Magic Towers.”
That was acceptable enough.
I had spoken of equal status, but if I was honest, I hadn’t truly been after that anyway.
A sixth-ranked tower.
For now, that was more than enough.
“Continue.”
“Second, the price of Mana Amplification will be 700 gold coins per bead. However, if you use the high-grade materials we provide, we will lower that to 500 gold coins.”
“That’s an interesting offer.”
“Third, your priority purchasing rights for high-grade magical materials will be acknowledged.”
“Good. Not bad at all.”
“And one more thing.”
“...What is it?”
When I accepted the proposal, Roimdel added,
“We must be allowed to observe the production process of Mana Amplification. I’m not asking you to reveal every secret, but we need to verify its safety at the very least.”
“Observe it...”
Well, that seemed fine.
Even if they watched the process of magical fusion, it wasn’t the kind of thing they could reproduce just by seeing it.
“Then I’d like to add one condition of my own.”
“And what would that be?”
“If a dimensional rift occurs, the Fusion Magic Tower will have independent command authority.”
That was the real heart of this negotiation.
If a dimensional rift appeared... I needed guarantees of safety.
“A dimensional rift?”
The chiefs all looked puzzled at once.
“What are you talking about? A dimensional rift?”
“Well...”
I was still deciding how to say it when a mage from the Vilheim Magic Tower suddenly rushed through the door of the laboratory.
“Chief Roimdel! It’s urgent.”
“Aren’t you the head of the observation post? What is it?”
The head of the observation post? The chief of the mana monitoring station?
What was he doing here?
I found it strange too. Why had he rushed in at a moment like this?
“I’m sorry, Chief. But something has come up that requires immediate reporting...”
Meanwhile, the head of the observation post began his report with a pale face.
“An hour ago, an abnormal mana wave was detected on the empire’s eastern frontier.”
“An abnormal mana wave?”
“Yes. The mana reading exceeded 5,000 units. And...”
When the head of the observation post hesitated, Roimdel pressed him.
“And what? Speak.”
“A Prism Spectrum was observed. A color pattern never recorded before...”
In that instant, the air in the laboratory froze.
“A Prism Spectrum?”
Roimdel’s voice trembled.
“Yes. Fortunately, it has gone quiet for the moment, but I believe it may be a precursor to a dimensional rift.”
“...A dimensional rift!”
“Yes.”
“Is there any chance the observation was mistaken?”
“None. It was cross-checked by the Astral Magic Tower observation post.”
“……”
“……”
So it’s starting soon. The dimensional rift.
As expected, it was too fast.
“Grace. You just mentioned a dimensional rift, didn’t you? Is this related?”
Every gaze in the room turned to me.
“...I’ve seen mention of it in ancient texts.”
“Ancient texts?”
Roimdel’s eyes sharpened.
“Your third-rate tower has such valuable records?”
“They were left behind by the former tower master. It was a very old, worn book, and it contained warnings about dimensional rifts.”
It was a lie, but I had no other way to explain it.
“If a dimensional rift occurs... the entire empire will be in danger.”