The Dignity of the Chief Mage (2)
……Let me think again. Was there something in the lines I spouted?
"I understand thy hardships."
That was just polite small talk. Yeah, considering the Mage Tower's leadership might be involved in this incident. And to think they'd have to bear that enormous burden alone…… Day after day must have been nothing but anguish and stress. No wonder Marcelo had been wasting away.
"At last, I truly feel the weight of the chief mage."
Indeed, not just anyone could be chief mage.
The next line had been said in that vein too.
But then.
"It's been a while since I've gone out."
Marcelo was following me.
The mages of the Mage Tower, who never stirred from their posts. And among them, the chief mage Marcelo himself…… was accompanying me……!
For real?
This was on another level from the Lion Heart Knights or the Shadow Mercenaries. Unlike them, the mages of the Mage Tower had been reclusive even back when Arcana was just a game. Even the empire's emperor had been content merely maintaining friendly relations with the tower.
……Not the first player, but the first in history, maybe?
For a fleeting moment, my inner self thrilled at the thought.
But I quickly grasped the gravity of the situation.
Right, there must be a reason Marcelo is moving.
In other words.
A contradiction exists in the Mage Tower.
Uncover the contradiction.
And set the Mage Tower and truth aright.
📍 Secure Banggrit Tom, entangled with the Mage Tower leadership.
(In Progress)
This quest was no walk in the park. It was obvious at a glance. The objective was securing Banggrit Tom, after all.
Who was Banggrit Tom? None other than a senior mage of the Mage Tower.
Suppose he proved uncooperative.
I could never handle him alone.
Setting aside talent or knowledge in magic. My level was a measly 296. My absolute mana reserves were pathetic as a result. No Predator-Prey Relationship would trigger either.
I'd be crushed by the sheer class difference in mana.
Once I grasped my place, memories flashed by like a montage. Me, dismissing Banggrit at the door while lecturing on etiquette……!
I couldn't even complain if resentment piled on top.
That said.
In that sense, it was fortunate. No sturdier ally than Marcelo existed for me.
"There are still spectators remaining."
As we descended to the lobby, players came into view. They whispered, clearly shocked.
No wonder. I'd been stunned too. Though I hadn't shown it, of course.
"Art thou well?"
I didn't care about others' stares or judgments, but Marcelo might.
Apparently, my worry was unfounded.
"The moment I descended here, it was as expected."
Indeed. Marcelo was now the Mage Tower's leadership. This was tantamount to confronting them head-on. He'd hardly fret over players' gazes.
Well, neither do I.
I'd been clueless about these complications. Caught between the Mage Tower leadership and Marcelo, I'd sided with Marcelo's faction.
……Damn, society—no, Mage Tower life is tough.
Moreover.
Wasn't this a matter of pride as the regular conference organizer? Even without Marcelo stepping in, my damn pride would've insisted on dragging Banggrit to the podium.
As those thoughts swirled, Marcelo added,
"Moreover, I cannot forever remain in thy debt."
Debt? Owed to me?
What, had he run a tab at the floating garden behind my back? It was free anyway. For senior mages and above. Plus, how much more could I squeeze from the tower going forward……
Any debt I didn't know about? Fine by me. It let me use whatever I needed without guilt over integrity.
"Pay it no mind."
"……?"
"All things follow due process."
That process, naturally, meant give and take in all matters. A declaration of war, essentially, to uproot a pillar of the tower.
As if grasping my intent, Marcelo flinched and replied,
"……I shall remember."
We reached the portal. Idle chat naturally ceased.
Now, secure Banggrit. Focus solely on that.
So where'd you bolt to, Banggrit Tom?
Marcelo provided the answer.
A ripple of mana emanated from him.
……A vast scale that sent chills down my spine!
Immense mana spread instantly. Not for attack, yet goosebumps rose.
Thus, I felt anew. Thank goodness Marcelo was on my side.
Man, my luck with people ain't half bad.
As that realization dawned, Marcelo withdrew his mana.
"Banggrit does not exist in this world."
Thanks to Grandfell's talent for dissecting magic structures on sight, I'd grasped the spell.
Right—in that instant, he'd tracked Banggrit's location on Earth. More precisely, searched for his mana signature. Interfering across the globe. A tracking spell.
……Beyond imagination.
I knew he was a monster, but this extent? Global interference. How massive were his mana reserves?
Of course, I replied without missing a beat.
"Then the answer is clear."
Not in reality.
"……An answer? What the hell. Seriously."
"Did we waste our time? That's no code or anything!"
"If not in this world, where is he?"
Unlike the players, I knew full well.
Banggrit was in a space of [『Strange』]. Inside a rift.
*
A voice echoed in Marcelo's mind.
-"Pay it no mind. All things follow due process."
Lee Hoyeol's voice. No matter how he pondered, Marcelo couldn't comprehend.
How can he not mind?
The Mage Tower owed an irredeemable debt to the demon hunter, to Akshan. Yet Hoyeol dismissed repaying it, calling it mere process.
……I cannot fathom it.
How far ahead did Hoyeol see to deem such a past mere process?
Marcelo could only admire purely.
And with it, desire stirred.
I wish to witness that future too.
Whether possible, he knew not……
Thus, he hurried. That was why he'd accompanied Hoyeol.
This move was clearly a blunder.
A murmur toward the elder mages. Their purpose unknown. But they'd shoved Banggrit Tom out of the tower.
Not Banggrit's will. Tower mages couldn't leave without leadership approval.
The Banggrit I know wouldn't.
Yes, certainty about a comrade. A man whose self-esteem lagged his ability wouldn't defy tower rules. Unthinkable.
Thus, he could assert.
This blunder will strangle you all.
To that end, secure Banggrit first. His testimony was essential.
Yet Marcelo knew the elders well.
They won't let him live.
Marcelo didn't hesitate. Cast the tracking spell. Pinpointed Banggrit.
As expected.
Calculated.
In Seoul—no, adventurers' world, Earth. No trace of Banggrit's mana.
Moreover, a senior pure mana mage. Famous for delicate mana control. No residual traces left.
Only one answer.
Banggrit was in a rift.
"Then the answer is clear."
As expected, no need to explain to Hoyeol.
But separately.
If in a rift, delay is inevitable.
Rifts. Spaces of [『Strange』] even Marcelo had just stepped into.
Finding Banggrit there? Impossible, even by magic……
"So that's where you were. Banggrit Tom."
……What?
Had Sir Hoyeol located him?!
Even Hoyeol couldn't detect inside a rift by magic. How did he know Banggrit's position?
Stunned, Marcelo heard Hoyeol's calm voice.
"One counters the strange with the strange."
.
.
.
Enter the portal. Landscape shifts.
I stifled a sigh.
……Man, he talks a big game. All bravado too.
All I did was get a text.
How I'd pinpointed Banggrit? Simple.
Nam Taemin passed it on. Precisely, AAU intel via him.
The message included new update details and rift location.
One thing they're swift at, at least.
Post-cataclysm, humanity hounded by rifts.
Finding them? Faster than magic, naturally.
Hell, satellites capture faces now. Spotting rifts? Piece of cake.
In a word, the power of science.
Counter strange with strange…… Well, not entirely wrong, right? This?
Of course, delivering it with full gravitas helped.
"A manifestation different from the one you mentioned last time……!"
Marcelo reacted intensely.
"Truly remarkable. I was indeed a frog in a well."
Last time was teatime, probably. Wiggle a finger, goods arrive at the tower. Preaching rocket delivery's glory.
I'd just used another app. To Marcelo, a new "manifestation."
I brazenly declared,
"If doubts arise, ask anytime."
Good no one's listening. Just smartphone basics, yet I hog the credit. Shamelessly.
Truly.
Of course, not the time for chummy talk.
View shifts. Rift emerges.
Marcelo murmured lowly,
"So that is the space of the strange, the rift."
Yes, Marcelo was inside that rift. Easy to confirm.
New update details. And the message upon approach.
Any player could've guessed.
*
Aside from Hoyeol, only Jessie Haynes grasped the severity.
Quest irrelevant.
Senior mage Banggrit Tom. If he snapped……!
"No one could handle it."
Couldn't let players provoke him.
Jessie planned to relay via Shining.
But no need.
"New update? What, it's not even Thursday?"
Unexpected update popped up.
Unscheduled, perhaps. Content straightforward.
"……What the fuck. What is this?!"
But impact beyond imagination.
"……Recommended level 900?!"
"Glitch? Typo?"
"Y-yeah! Maybe flipped 9 and 6?"
Players yet to grasp severity thought so.
But those knowing the tower incident couldn't ignore it.
"Wait, this isn't what I'm thinking, right?"
"A senior Mage Tower mage. That monster's in there?"
"Recommended 900 makes sense now……?"
900. Overwhelming. Even quest-obsessed players would balk. Guilds too risky.
Natural conclusion.
"……So what do we do with that rift?"
Worse, if it collapsed.
Then news spread.
"Hoyeol?"
Lee Hoyeol. With chief mage Marcelo.
Nam Taemin intuited. Hoyeol aimed for that rift.
So he texted.
"Dunno if I'll help, but."
Offering cooperation.
Nam Taemin clenched his fist.
Life precious? Without Hoyeol, dead in Frost or worse. Further back, without saving his brother…… sane no more.
"I'll do what I can."
As he rose resolutely, buzz.
"?!"
……Déjà vu reply.
Troubling. Two letters more than before, but same meaning.
"……Internal circumstances?"
Question marks on Nam Taemin's face.
.
.
.
This was Mage Tower internal affairs. Family feud, sort of.
Reinforcements nice, but not now.
Recommended 900? So what. Senior mage inside? And?
Chief mage Marcelo beside me.
Yes, ironclad confidence. Hoisting sails nobly.
I straightened my attire and spoke.
Utterly shamelessly.
"Let us end this swiftly."