Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: The Tower of Realization
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Loan’s fundamental feeling towards the Mages of Idea was respect.
They didn’t seek to remain stagnant.
They were trying to forge their own path for magic to advance.
This was something he had always pondered after vowing that the grimoires must be rewritten.
‘If they're this sincere, it's worth a shot.’
Besides, perhaps from constantly training while watching the hourglass, their bodies had unconsciously accepted the training of circulation.
Could that be why they were able to sense mana more keenly?
Could the secret to their delicate mana control lie there?
Though they couldn't see mana, weren't they at least striving to perceive it and struggling to handle it directly?
Thanks to the Mages of Idea, he could faintly grasp what and how he should teach.
That was the meaning behind his words.
In short, it was affection.
Fortunately, the Mages of Idea read that sentiment in Loan’s words.
“A contradiction. If you don't mind, would you enlighten us as to what part made you feel that way?”
Reinhold asked, his hands neatly clasped together.
It was not an attitude a Tower Master would normally take with a much younger junior.
It was a gesture possible only because he genuinely acknowledged Loan as a high-level mage.
And as if his character had already permeated his surroundings, the other mages were all prepared to listen intently to Loan’s words.
Before he knew it, many more had come to the 7th floor where Loan was.
Looking around now, he saw quite a few elderly mages.
Loan straightened his posture as well.
Loan’s voice carried over the soft *shhh* of the hourglass.
He took care to make his voice a little clearer and richer, so it would resonate in people's hearts.
“The fact that you can create such wonderful magic and have the skill to tune it so delicately is amazing in itself. That is why I believe the mages here are the ones who should go outside.”
“Thank you for calling it amazing.”
“I don't believe you reached such achievements simply because you focused on mental training. I believe it was your desperation to reach only the necessary conclusion, without getting distracted by side branches, that manifested as intention.”
“Hmm... one could see it that way. Indeed, cause and effect cannot be simplified like one plus one equals two. There were times when we too were surprised by our own achievements.”
The Tower Master and the mages had also vaguely sensed it.
It was just that they had found it difficult to put the exact reason for their success into words.
“Ultimately, while you pursue the primal mind, I believe what triggers it are personal experiences and desires. Therefore, if such hearts were to connect with the thoughts of the people of Schwerin, wouldn't more creative, more versatile, and more useful magic be created?”
“But in any case, it was possible because the Guardian of the Tower is here, and we always look upon it...”
Reinhold trailed off. He had realized the contradiction in his own words.
If that were the reason, they should have been able to defeat Loan.
Understanding the Tower Master’s thoughts, Loan smiled.
“Focus and desperation don't necessarily require a specific target.”
“Then what should we do? Perhaps you could tell us what you did?”
This was a crucial point.
The moment when people who had tried and acted with desperation began to ponder a better way.
This was when a teacher, a senior, could open a small channel for them.
Loan dared to take on that role. Because he had already experienced it himself.
“If you need a target for your focus, you must find it within yourself.”
Reinhold’s brow furrowed deeply. He mulled over the words a few times before asking again.
“Look inward?”
“You could see it that way.”
Loan did not deny it.
From his perspective, it was about directly observing the flow of mana within his body, but for those who couldn't see it, it was necessary to understand it through feeling.
It would probably be possible.
After all, they were people who had long focused on mental discipline.
“Yes. We can find a path of infinite circulation within ourselves, just like that Hourglass of Eternity.”
The people listening to Loan wore puzzled expressions.
“Haven't we all trained our mana? You have done it for longer than I, and you are still working hard at it. The process of unconsciously drawing in and expelling mana while watching that hourglass. We think of it as a process of gathering magical power in our core, but we must see the coming in and going out as one. In other words, circulation.”
“Circulation...”
“It's a word close to a definition, so I'm wary of adding more to it unnecessarily. If you keep it in mind, I believe it will certainly be of help.”
After closing his eyes and sinking into thought with intense concentration for a short while, Reinhold opened them again and slightly shifted the direction of his questions.
“The world's ridicule for mages has always been the same. That our terrible efficiency makes it hard to find any use for us. In such a situation, I don't know what kind of evaluation the things we try to do outside will receive.”
“Assisting on the battlefield with powerful magic is something everyone wished for, but that's not all there is. Aren't mages originally those who explore truth, understand phenomena, and display supernatural abilities?”
“That is true, but.”
“That is their true value. The truly amazing thing about magic is using magical power to influence the outside world. To change the world. A small change is still a change. When they gather, things become different.”
“Those are nice words to hear.”
“And one more thing. The spells shown by the Mages of Idea can be used as powerful attack magic depending on their application. Take the wrinkle-smoothing spell, for instance. If you increase the output and cast it on another target, as I did, it can become an excellent offensive spell.”
“Mmm... it's not that we haven't thought of that.”
“Since you are training, it will be perfectly possible. And to continue your training outside, you will need application skills and quick wits at every moment. All of which will become the foundation for excellent offensive magic.”
“Haha, it would be great if it could really be that way.”
“It will be. You can trust me.”
He answered resolutely.
The concept of Circles or how to see mana would be difficult to understand even if taught, but since these were people starting with sufficient potential, it didn't seem eternally impossible if they came to realize it on their own.
And then, suddenly.
As if inspired by Loan’s words, a movement akin to a vibration began to stir throughout the entire tower.
The mages on each floor had tried to move all at once to get a closer look at Loan.
To that, the Guardian of the Tower added a rich sound, almost like music.
It seemed to greatly enjoy Loan's words. His heart swelled with the feeling of being acknowledged.
“Let's go up.”
Reinhold, reading the atmosphere, suggested to Loan.
Loan asked.
“Are we going up?”
“Haven't you passed through all four towers? There is now only one place left for you to go—up there.”
The ceiling, which touched the top of the hourglass.
He was pointing above it.
Reinhold led the way, and Loan followed.
Those who had opened the path followed behind Loan.
Soon, they reached the top floor of the tower.
At the bottom of the open-topped staircase, Loan met the eyes of as many of the people who followed him as he could.
It was a sudden farewell.
“I will see you all outside.”
The people filling the stairs.
Those leaning against the railings of each floor and looking up all applauded at once.
A thunderous sound surged up from below.
It was more than he deserved.
“Let's go up. I will guide you.”
Reinhold once again took the lead, guiding Loan.
Stepping out into the open space, he found it was both a rooftop and the lowest floor of another building.
He asked to confirm.
“Have we entered the Tower of Realization directly?”
“Indeed.”
As it was a single tower supported by the four towers as pillars, its size was beyond imagination.
There, people were rushing toward Loan at high speed.
They were coming from where the other three towers served as pillars.
The Tower Master of Phenomenon, Elmar Waschke.
The Tower Master of Perception, Anke Evjen.
The Tower Master of Sensation, Ingrid Kling.
Watching them approach, Reinhold Dierck, the Tower Master of Idea, laughed loudly.
“Haha, look at this. All the Tower Masters in one place.”
The Tower Master of Sensation, who arrived first, replied.
“I'm just feeling a bit sad to see him go. I came to see his face one more time. But the Tower Master of Perception is a surprise, aren't you?”
“I just came out to cool my head. The problem young Loan has given us is no simple matter.”
The Tower Master of Phenomenon, arriving at the end of their conversation, also added a word.
“The Tower of Realization is a bit special, isn't it? I came to offer my support, in case any unpleasantries occur before he meets the Tower Master.”
“Then let's go together. I was also thinking of taking this opportunity to meet the Tower Master of Realization and personally inform them of the stance the Tower of Idea will take from now on.”
“I will do the same.”
“Me too.”
Having confirmed their intentions, the four Tower Masters looked at Loan simultaneously.
He could only bow his head in greeting and scratch his head.
They had only been together for a short time.
It was a moment that brought to mind the word 'family,' which he often felt from his school teachers, his seniors at the Union, and the Commanders.
Following the Tower Masters, he climbed the central staircase that stood alone.
The atmosphere he encountered after going up one floor was very unfamiliar.
“Oh, this is a bit different from what I expected.”
“I imagine so.”
Reinhold replied with a somewhat bitter smile.
The Tower of Realization is the pinnacle of the Schwerin Magic Tower.
The apex of Schwerin's mages, supported by the Towers of Phenomenon, Perception, Sensation, and Idea—the Tower of Realization.
He had heard that Schwerin's finest elites were right here.
That was why the Master of the Tower of Realization was the one who commanded the entire Magic Tower and held the title of Duke of Schwerin.
But this place had the atmosphere of a leisurely country village.
The appearance of the Mages of Realization, seen here and there, was also unexpected.
Like country folk.
Men and women alike, most of the mages had graying hair, were full of wrinkles, and had stooped backs.
However, that was just their outward appearance; in terms of magical power, they all seemed to be on par with the four Tower Masters.
There was no way they hadn't noticed the arrival of Loan and the Tower Masters.
In an instant, dozens of people approached Loan's group with lightning speed.
They didn't even spare a glance for the Tower Masters and the modernist mages.
“My, my, where did such a pretty child come from?”
Neatly combed, short white hair.
An old woman with a stooped back asked, leaning on her staff with both hands.
The impression created by her round-rimmed glasses was quite cute.
Seeing that quite a few others were also waiting for an answer, he spoke without hesitation.
“Greetings to my seniors in magic. I am Loan, a Runner from the Union's Faith Division. I have come to see the Tower Master.”
“Oh my, in my hundred-plus years, I've never seen such a fine child.”
“Even his voice is handsome. Well done. Truly well done. Who raised such a lovely child? What do your parents do?”
“He doesn't seem like an ordinary child. Union or whatever. Just look at how those four escorted him up here.”
“Come here, dear. Come tell me some stories about the outside world in my living room over there. Your personal stories are welcome too.”
It was mostly the grandmothers making a fuss, but that didn't mean the grandfathers were displeased.
They too were craning their necks, trying to get a good look at Loan's face.
Put in a difficult position right from the start, Loan was quickly relieved as he watched a familiar concentration of mana parting the crowd as it approached from a distance.
And then, a very welcome voice.
“Would you all stop your foolishness? You're making our Loan uncomfortable.”
It was Commander Magda of the Honor Division.