Chapter 176
Chapter 176
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: A Long Road
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On their long journey, Werner found it increasingly difficult to understand the being known as Loan.
In truth, he had brought it upon himself.
As he pulled his collar tight against the cool wind, he had casually spoken to Loan.
“We have a long way to go. I only received things in Schwerin, so I’d like to be of some help. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“Anything at all?”
And so it began.
Loan saw it as a golden opportunity.
While he was curious about the relationship between Magda and Werner, he set aside such personal matters.
He relentlessly unleashed a torrent of questions upon Werner—about Schwerin, international affairs, the past and present of the Magic Tower, and even the vast array of magical curiosities he had always harbored.
Among them, the topic that particularly piqued Loan’s interest was enchantment.
He was still focused on the problem of ‘essence.’
“Schwerin-style enchantment starts with extracting mana from a mana stone, doesn’t it? Is it also possible to extract mana from an enchanted magic tool?”
Allic, the dwarven artisan of the Union, had said that once a magic tool was complete, it could not be altered.
In Sheville’s case, he had been able to leave mana in the separated sword fragments by directly controlling it, but that was different from extraction.
“It is possible. That is what makes the Schwerin style special.”
“Then it must depend on whether you understand the essence of the magic tool—the object itself, right?”
“Correct. However, even with a magic tool one has personally enchanted, extraction is not easily accomplished.”
“The object’s essence might have changed when it was enchanted. Is that why?”
“Indeed. If you think of essence as an unchanging property, something fixed from the moment of creation, it is a difficult problem to solve.”
“You have to accept that essence changes.”
Unknowingly, it is influenced by everything in the world it has experienced and passed by, becoming the ‘something’ it is in the present.
Loan continued his line of thought.
“To put it another way, from the mana stone’s perspective, its mana has been extracted.”
“Mm. That’s right.”
“And if you can understand an object’s essence, you can also re-extract the mana imbued in a magic tool.”
“It is difficult, but yes.”
“Then what about humans?”
“Hm?”
At the unexpected word, Werner turned his head.
Loan’s gaze was fixed on the distance.
He reaffirmed his own words.
“I was asking how it works with humans.”
“What do you mean…?”
“In the end, a mana stone is just a stone that holds mana. If someone has mastered mana through training, couldn’t that person also be considered equivalent to a mana stone? A human is a vessel, after all.”
“…I suppose so. That makes sense.”
Considering the implications, it was a rather frightening thought.
But Loan quickly shook his head.
“No. It can’t be that simple. Just as understanding the essence of an object is more difficult than understanding the essence of a mineral… no, it would be even more impossible. Humans are just too complex.”
“Hmm…”
“I’m not even certain about my own essence yet. There’s no way I could possibly understand the essence of another person. That sounds like something only in the realm of the gods.”
“Yes. By common sense, that’s true…”
Werner’s voice trailed off.
The direction his thoughts were heading, the way he drew in unconventional ideas to form hypotheses, that very proactiveness—it was all something Werner had never experienced before.
On one hand, he felt a little afraid, a novel emotion for someone who had always been confident in facing the unknown.
*Clip-clop, clip-clop.*
As if he had created new homework for himself, Loan rode ahead alone, deep in thought.
And Werner stared blankly at his back.
Magda’s gaze shifted between the two before she spoke.
“It was said that mages outside the Tower would watch, record, and remember the path Loan walks to share it with the world.”
“It was.”
“I think I may have been fulfilling that role since the moment I first saw that boy.”
Magda had said that she had done nothing but learn since meeting Loan.
Werner had thought her words were empty humility or a pointless attempt to praise a junior.
Of course, his opinion had now changed.
It had actually been true.
“I’m ashamed for chiding you that an adult should be the one to teach.”
“I suppose it depends on who the subject is.”
One who could create a unique magic could deservedly be called a high-level mage.
Loan was beyond that scope.
He had to be seen as the founder, the creator of a new concept of magic.
Though they had never experienced it, Werner and Magda knew well that in such cases, age and experience were utterly useless.
Instead, they were curious to see how far Loan would go, to what level he would reach, and what he would create to surprise them next.
Werner spoke.
“I don’t even feel a hint of jealousy. I feel a pure desire to support him and help him move forward.”
“We will continue to watch that back. How wonderful. It’s so beautiful.”
The old mages were simply delighted to follow behind the young boy wizard.
And so, the days passed.
As they rode their horses relentlessly westward, the approach of winter also felt incredibly swift.
A rather cold wind brushed against their earlobes.
In that time, the three mages passed through the anarchic state of Ferrara, dealt with ruffians looking for trouble, annihilated a Nostra branch, and crossed northern Versa to reach the neutral territory where the Union was located.
Soon, the towering walls of the Union filled their entire field of vision.
Loan felt a wave of emotion. He was incredibly proud to have returned with Werner.
A smile touched his face, and seeing it, another person grew even more joyful.
“Haha, Sir Loan. Are you that happy to be back? Your smile is absolutely radiant.”
It was Lazaros, the Director of Administration. He had come out to the entrance with a few staff members to greet them.
“It’s good to see you, Director. I trust everything has been well?”
“Without seeing you, Sir Loan, every day was bleak, haha.”
Soon after, Werner dismounted and met Lazaros’s eyes.
“Lazaros.”
“Duke Werner. To have the Tower Master of Schwerin visit in person… I apologize for this reception on such a historic day. The Union is short-staffed.”
The city was as vibrant as ever, but the Union, situated in its center, was unprecedentedly quiet.
With most members away on missions in various regions, a significant number were absent.
Werner said, “A busy Union means the world is just as unstable.”
Coming from someone who had just experienced events close to all-out war, his words carried extra weight.
“It is because of these times that your visit is all the more welcome. Personally, I mean.”
“The feeling is mutual. It’s strange to think that I would one day be here, speaking with you face-to-face like this.”
For some reason, Loan sensed a subtle emotional exchange, a clash, between Director Lazaros, Werner, and Magda.
It seemed there was a past between the three that he did not know, one he should not intrude upon.
The trio maintained that feeling as they led the way forward.
Lazaros guided them to a clandestine meeting room inside the administration building.
He cut straight to the chase.
“You have all been through a great deal. According to the dispatches you sent and the information we’ve received through various channels, you’ve handled some truly major incidents. It may have been the largest-scale battle in recent memory.”
“Loan’s contribution was significant,” Magda replied.
Lazaros nodded emphatically, his forehead gleaming in the light.
“Yes. Of course. The Governor-General was also greatly pleased. However, while the incident was resolved, the reports were a bit lacking regarding the capture of Grave and so on.”
Werner answered.
“It is not their fault. In truth, it’s hard to say the matter in Schwerin was neatly concluded.”
“Is that so?”
“A ‘tool’ capable of destroying the city appeared, yet we let the ones who used it escape, failing to identify their whereabouts or identities.”
“Was that the case?”
“The only solace we took was in eliminating several of Grave’s executive-level members.”
“I heard Loan defeated Nostra’s Consigliere.”
“And one more thing. We identified a being that could be called the ‘mastermind’.”
“Mastermind?”
A brief silence followed Lazaros’s question.
Loan conveyed the answer to Lazaros through telepathy.
*Crown Prince Denian was involved in this incident.*
*What?*
The moment he heard the name, Lazaros’s third, tightly sewn eyelid twitched.
Not only was he surprised that Loan was using telepathy, but the news itself was far too shocking.
Loan continued his telepathic message, explaining the inner workings of the incident.
Lazaros was quickly convinced.
“Who else knows this fact right now?”
“Werner and the other Tower Masters, myself, Loan, the mages who took the Vow of Silence, and the Commander.”
Loan’s face brightened as he looked at Magda.
“Ah, so the Commander knows as well. Then what he said about meeting in Grafton was…”
“Yes. The Commander knows. But he won’t take any specific action for now. The same goes for us. We must not let on for the time being.”
Lazaros, with a rather benevolent expression, added to the explanation for Loan.
“Commander Magda is correct. It’s better if ‘that side’ misunderstands and thinks we don’t know. So there’s no need to stir things up and cause a commotion.”
Werner carefully interjected.
“I don’t know how this will sound, but it’s difficult to consider even the Union completely safe. For now, this information should be known only to the Governor-General and the Commander.”
“In that case, aren’t you trusting the Tower Masters too much?”
Lazaros retorted with a sharp-edged remark.
Magda answered in Werner’s stead.
“The Vow of Silence was later taken by the Tower Masters as well, in my presence. You can rest assured on that point.”
“…Is that so?”
Lazaros looked back and forth between Werner and Magda with a dubious expression.
Perhaps feeling awkward for having seemingly defended Werner, Magda changed the subject, pressing Lazaros.
“Now then. The reason you dragged us here as soon as we arrived, without even letting us rest.”
A short, low sigh.
Then Lazaros continued.
“The reason I’ve gathered you here is because of a special directive from the Governor-General. She has a plan concerning an alliance between the Union and each of the duchies.”
“An alliance?”
An explanation followed Werner’s question.
“It is to stand against the ever-growing Grave. She feels that the current friendly alliances between the Union and each nation are insufficient to resolve future crises.”
The three present immediately understood the Governor-General’s intent.
The recent incident in Schwerin was a perfect example.
No further explanation was needed for those who had been at the heart of the event.
Magda asked, “What is the Governor-General’s plan?”
“She believes a separate, independent organization is needed to act as a link between the duchies. Since the Seven Divisions are all combat units, the idea is to create an organization to focus on managing them and establish a permanent response system.”
“I understand the intent. But…”
Magda trailed off.
She tilted her head and asked Lazaros, “Isn’t this a matter the Governor-General could proceed with on her own? She could also raise it as an agenda item at a Commanders’ meeting. The fact that you’re bringing this up so urgently now seems to imply that something has already been decided that we need to be notified of.”
Lazaros wiped the sweat from his brow and replied.
“Yes. While we haven’t yet decided on a specific name, operational methods, or members, we have at least chosen a suitable person to lead it.”
And his gaze turned to one place. To a pair of bewildered, sea-blue eyes.
Magda stated it with certainty.
“It’s Loan.”
“What?”
Without taking his eyes off the startled Loan, Lazaros nodded.
“Yes, that is correct.”
“How could I possibly take on such a crucial role…”
“Who else in the entire continent is as qualified as you, Sir Loan, to undertake such a task?”
Lazaros pointed at Loan’s chest.
The badges were sparkling brightly.
Each and every one was a symbol of trust.
