Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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While it was certainly a welcome event, it was also quite bewildering.
Magda had clearly addressed those who appeared much older than her as “you guys.”
The wizards of Manifestation seemed accustomed to Magda’s attitude. Their reactions perfectly matched the way she addressed them.
They glanced around nervously and quickly created distance.
It felt less like they were making way for Magda and more like they wanted no part of whatever was happening.
“Loan, it’s only been a few days, but you seem to have gotten even more handsome. Have you had any trouble?”
Magda said as she approached.
She wore the same warm smile she always did.
It was a familiar sight to Loan, but an incredibly strange one to the others.
The Tower Masters and the wizards of Manifestation studied Magda’s expression, then contorted their faces as if they had seen a ghost.
*The more I learn about her, the more peculiar she is.*
Commander Adrian called her “ma’am,” while Archbishop Fabian of Sion called her “Miss Magda.”
She treated adults well over a hundred years old like children.
He offered a faint smile at the incomprehensible relationships and watched Magda approach.
What did her age matter?
She was simply a senior he trusted and followed.
Loan placed a fist over his chest, showing his respect to Magda.
“Commander Magda. It’s good to see you. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, it’s been delightful. I can’t recall this place ever being so comfortable.”
“I’m glad to hear it. As for me, I’ve been rather bewildered several times since coming to Schwerin, thanks to you, Commander.”
Loan grumbled slightly.
Commander Magda’s heart skipped a beat at Loan’s rare complaint.
Still, her amusement outweighed her surprise.
“Ahahaha, was I a bit too mischievous?”
“Even so, I think I understand your intentions now. Both in having me meet the senior wizards outside first, and in encouraging me to ascend the tower.”
“Oh? And what did you learn?”
Magda waited for Loan’s answer with an immensely pleased expression.
It seemed their conversation would continue uninterrupted, as no one dared to intervene.
From the others’ reactions, Loan realized that Commander Magda held considerable influence here.
“When you and Commander Hans suggested I go to Sion, I realized you already intended for me to come all the way to Schwerin.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because it’s the origin of magic. It was your way of giving me the chance to gain enlightenment by competing with various seniors and Tower Masters, exchanging theories, and engaging in debate.”
Loan was certain of it.
His seniors and the commanders always guided him so he could find his center and grow.
And indeed, he had gained a great deal here.
However, strictly speaking, Magda’s expectations had been the opposite.
She had believed that it would be the wizards of Schwerin who would gain enlightenment, grow, mature, and change their minds under his influence.
Since that had clearly happened, there was no need to deny it.
Furthermore, if Loan had also gained something, it was truly a reason to rejoice.
“So, I’m curious what kind of enlightenment you’ve gained. And how you managed to overcome the trials of each tower, which must not have been easy.”
Those above had only received fragmented results.
It wouldn’t be easy to explain and convey what Loan had shown and done in a way that was easy to understand.
“None of it is a simple story. It’s going to be quite long.”
“I thought as much. But there’s someone even more curious than I am. Since you’ve come this far, you must meet the pinnacle of Schwerin. It would be best to continue our talk there.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Magda had essentially come to pick Loan up. In her mind, the wizards of Manifestation were bound to bother Loan and waste his time.
She could have sent someone else, but her desire to see her junior, who had followed her words beyond expectation, was stronger.
It was also amusing to see the Tower Master of Manifestation tilt his head in confusion at her proactive behavior.
Only then did Loan realize Magda had come to greet him personally, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude.
“Shall we go?”
Magda turned and led the way, forcing the other wizards of Manifestation to let Loan go.
Loan nodded to them as he passed and approached the round, open shaft in the center of the building that ran vertically through the floors.
Magda looked back, gave Loan a bright smile, and stepped into the opening.
She should have plummeted through the hole, but nothing of the sort happened.
Instead, a transparent current of air seemed to envelop her body, holding her in place.
Intrigued, he glanced back at the Tower Masters, who all offered light, knowing smiles.
He took it as a sign to follow.
“Come.”
Just then, Magda extended her hand, and Loan did not hesitate.
Without a second thought, he took her hand and stepped into the current of mana.
*Whoosh…*
A rich, soft sensation enveloped his entire body, yet it supported him firmly.
A pleasant smile naturally formed on his lips.
He looked at Magda, and suddenly, his body began to rise smoothly.
It felt as if a gentle wind were lifting him up.
He felt no resistance or strain at all.
He simply entrusted his body to the flow.
The second, third, and fourth floors of the Tower of Manifestation passed before his eyes in succession.
“The Tower of Manifestation is more of a living space for high-ranking wizards who are considered to have completed their training. Usually, once they reach this level, they leave the tower on their own. Dean Artur and I were such cases.”
He ascended, listening to Magda’s explanation.
He met the eyes of several people looking up at him.
Finally, Loan reached a space where he no longer rose and was gently guided by the current to land on solid ground.
Following him, the four Tower Masters and the four external wizards also set foot on the floor.
The tenth floor.
It was the highest floor of the Tower of Manifestation, and considering the four pillar towers, it was effectively the 25th floor of Schwerin’s towers.
The sheer height was enough to make one feel a bit dizzy.
The word “dizzying” felt very real.
But the mana lift and his impressions of the building’s height did not linger in Loan’s mind for long.
An incredible concentration of mana awaited him from behind.
He turned to look.
The moment Loan did so, the others turned almost in unison.
It was no exaggeration to say they were pulled rather than turned of their own will.
That was the strength of the force drawing them in.
*That person must be the Tower Master of Manifestation.*
Loan walked toward the man and soon stood face to face with him.
Magda was at his side, while the four Tower Masters and the external wizards stood behind him as if forming a protective escort.
The man appeared to be in his middle years.
He had a robust build and strong facial features. His thick eyebrows and firm nose exuded a considerable sense of stubbornness and energy.
At first glance, he looked more like a warrior than a wizard. He introduced himself in a low voice.
“I am Werner von Schwerin, the Tower Master of Manifestation.”
Loan kept his eyes fixed on the Tower Master as he showed his respects.
“Loan, Runner of the Union’s Faith Division.”
“I have been watching you since you first set foot in Schwerin. I wanted to meet you sooner, but I could not leave my post due to an urgent matter.”
“I hope I haven’t taken you away from your duties by coming here while you are so busy.”
A pleased expression crossed Magda’s face at Loan’s words.
“Until a moment ago, you were this man’s most important matter. When I provoked him by asking if he had ever met a true genius, he became quite impatient. Of course, that was until a moment ago. Looking at his face now, it seems the situation has changed a bit.”
Could one really discern such things from facial expressions alone?
Watching their exchange of glances, Loan thought that Commander Magda and the Tower Master of Manifestation must have a rather close relationship.
Werner, the Tower Master of Manifestation, spoke.
“I won’t deny Commander Magda’s words. A rather serious, time-sensitive problem has arisen, and I was contemplating how to handle it, and have just reached a conclusion. That said, I cannot simply turn you away after you’ve come all this way, nor can I make you wait indefinitely.”
Werner’s gaze swept over the four Tower Masters and the four external wizards before returning to Loan.
“I will be heading out for a short while to attend to a matter. Would you like to come with me?”
“You go outside the tower as well?”
He asked out of pure curiosity.
Depending on how one took it, the question could be quite insulting, but the Tower Master did not take offense.
“I do, when an event occurs that I, as the Tower Master, cannot overlook.”
“An event you cannot overlook…”
“Something that threatens the very existence of Schwerin.”
Reading the startled look on Magda’s face, Werner added an explanation.
“The Union probably hasn’t received the information yet.”
He shared this weighty information without any particular concern for security.
With the four Tower Masters already present, it could very well be considered a meeting.
“Is that so.”
“There will be time to talk on the way.”
“I will accompany you.”
After Loan’s reply.
“Will the Tower Masters join us as well?”
“Understood.”
The four Tower Masters readily nodded their agreement.
Now, four remained.
“This will be a chance to assert your respective beliefs. You should all come. Go and make your thoughts known. However, that is only possible when you have the strength to back them up. If you can prove it, I will listen.”
The modernist wizards also nodded in agreement.
The only one who hadn’t responded was Magda, Commander of the Honor Division.
She looked a little displeased.
It wasn’t that she faulted Werner for asking Loan first.
What she disliked was that the matter was urgent enough to require the Tower Master himself to leave, and that Loan would be accompanying him.
Still, Loan had stated his own intentions, and she couldn’t stop him out of his own free will. Though she was his senior in the Union, their affiliations were different.
Magda resolved to act as Loan’s guardian.
“I’ll go too.”
Werner smirked and walked toward the open-air balcony.
Then, without any preliminary motion, he stepped into the void.
A building fifteen stories high.
It was no different from leaping off a rooftop.
But his body remained suspended in mid-air.
He appeared to be standing on the empty sky.
Loan could clearly see a highly condensed stream of mana extending from the tower, forming a staircase.
What happened next was even more interesting.
While floating in the air, Werner turned around and began to walk.
It didn't seem like he was seeing the mana stairs or consciously placing his feet on them; it was more like he was simply stepping where he wanted to go.
And the tower itself seemed to extend a railing to support him, ensuring his movements were unimpeded. In fact, the stairs flowed downward, accelerating his descent.
His eye level had already dropped considerably.
He gestured to Loan.
“Follow without worry.”
“Do you mean I should step forward without fear?”
“Are you not worthy enough? The four pillars, the four towers, have all offered you their support. You are fit to be protected.”
The tower’s protection.
Loan understood what Werner meant.
This Tower of Manifestation was a guardian in itself.
Without any separate devices or symbols, the building itself was like a living entity.
“Let’s go.”
Magda said, stepping forward beside him.
Loan walked alongside her.
This felt different from the lift earlier. A moving staircase descending. He felt a solid yet gentle sense of buoyancy.
Separate moving staircases flowed downward.
Loan and Magda, who had started later, quickly caught up to Werner.
Werner’s expression, as he gazed at Loan, was tinged with admiration.
“As I thought. You have a good affinity with the tower’s guardian. That’s a relief. A good start.”
Werner’s words made both Loan and Magda tilt their heads in confusion.
Magda asked first.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how this outing will end, but I have a good feeling about it. When the time is right, I intend to make a formal scouting offer.”
“Scouting? What are you talking about? Stop beating around the bush and speak plainly.”
Commander Magda’s voice sounded a little urgent.
Werner smiled gently and replied.
“I was just thinking about what it would be like if young Loan were to become the next Tower Master of Manifestation.”
Atop the sky stairs flowing down into the dizzying abyss.
A refreshing gust of wind swept through Loan’s hair.