Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Not a Battle of Auras, But a Warm Aura Feast (4)
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After the Magic Towers' presentations.
Two days flew by in the blink of an eye.
In truth, once the presentations wrapped up, the rest of the exchange meeting was typically a time for socializing. With so many young wizards around, it wasn't uncommon for sparks to fly and couples to form.
But the Imperial Magic Tower was the exception.
Hedera wasted no time issuing orders, summoning all the Imperial Magic Tower wizards to the Black Spire's lodging.
The inspector had jotted down quick notes during the other towers' presentations. Now they had to scrutinize every detail and turn what they could into scrolls.
The result? Total panic mode.
"Turn each Magic Tower's advanced techniques into scrolls?"
"The Green Tower's high-level spells? I doubt there's even a scroll that can handle that. What do we do?"
"What do we do? Record the combination formulas first, at least!"
"Isn't that the one I use?"
"Huh? Isn't this mine? Damn it, mixed up again!"
Perfectly scrollifying even one would bring massive gains to the Imperial Tower. But they were staring down dozens of them...
"Everyone, calm down."
Anes rallied the wizards.
"Precision matters more than speed here. Getting too worked up won't look good on us."
"No way! This is too exciting to stay calm!"
Knox, the Imperial Tower's Practical Faction scroll specialist, shoved his glasses up his nose, face flushed with thrill.
"Pulling advanced tech from every tower and scrollifying it? What could top that? It's never happened before!"
"...Yeah, you're right."
This wasn't about debating profits from sales. Preserving these would massively expand the Imperial Tower's research horizons.
Knox shouted, buzzing with excitement.
"In the extreme, if we research based on these and it pays off big? We could birth another tower's secret arts right here in the Imperial Tower!"
The other wizards couldn't hide their awe.
"How did something like this happen to the Imperial Tower?"
"First time ever! Incredible!"
Anes nodded quietly.
"Well, the inspector's been away from the tower lately."
"..."
The other Imperial wizards blinked in silence.
Anes openly praising the inspector?
The same Anes who always tacked on how much she disliked him?
"Even greater things might happen from now on. Let's all give it everything we've got."
They didn't know the full story, but good fortune had struck, hadn't it?
No reason not to pour their hearts into it.
At that moment, the door to the spire lodging swung open. One Imperial wizard had returned carrying what looked like a bundle.
"Lady Anes, here it is."
"Ah, good work."
Anes snatched the bundle in a hurry.
As it passed from hand to hand, glass vials clinked together, and flask necks poked out haphazardly.
"Lady Anes, what's that...?"
"It's all the elixirs each tower sent over—one or two apiece—during this exchange meeting. I figured we should deliver every last one to the inspector."
"One's like a Frost Decoction, and the other's a Lava Decoction... Aren't those total opposites?"
"I'm giving them all anyway."
"..."
...The inspector isn't a cauldron, is he?
...Even a cauldron probably couldn't take that.
...Is it okay to dump this on a human?
Still, no one objected in the end.
Teder, the Second Princess's secretary, was helping out from the sidelines. She watched the whole scene unfold with a warm smile.
'The atmosphere's really changed.'
Teder suddenly recalled the old days at the Imperial Tower.
Just thinking of Hedera's past expressions highlighted the drastic shift. The Second Princess used to sigh every time she reviewed tower documents.
Her visits were no different. The wizards always seemed utterly apathetic, their eyes sunken from stress.
"No, what the hell! I put it in right, so why won't it activate?"
"Huh? Whoa? I messed this one up, but why'd it work anyway?"
But now? Total liveliness.
Even if it looked a bit ridiculous, it didn't matter. Seeing everyone brimming with energy and working as one was heartwarming enough.
And the root of it all? A single person.
'Inspector Zekiel.'
Incredibly, he'd pulled it off alone.
So no one batted an eye at handing over all those precious elixirs to him.
They all knew it deep down.
Only Zekiel could make things like this happen, bringing huge windfalls to the tower.
The work dragged on for quite a while.
Unsurprisingly, roadblocks cropped up.
"Lady Anes, I have no clue."
"Can't figure out how to reproduce this one."
Anes turned to the blinking wizards.
"We still have to try. What choice do we have?"
"Shouldn't we just ask the inspector himself...?"
"No whining."
"It's not whining. Look at this..."
The wizards thrust forward a trembling scrap of paper.
[3, 4, 213. Easy, so skipping explanation.]
"..."
Anes scanned the note and went speechless.
'What even is this?'
It looked like Zekiel's memo from watching another tower's spell, but even she couldn't make heads or tails of it.
And the killer line at the end.
[Easy, so skipping explanation.]
"...Easy? What part?"
She mumbled blankly without thinking.
Anes took a fresh look around the lodging. Now the differences stood out starkly.
Wizards with her and Teder's notes were beavering away, while those clustered around Zekiel's were just clutching their heads.
"Let me see more of those notes."
Anes gathered up several scraps and examined them.
[Overview of Red Tower's 'Flowing Flame']
1. Gather mana as in the diagram, lock the circuit tight, and prepare to manifest the fire element.
2. Manifest the fire element, but keep water in mind. Reverse the mana flow slowly—
Anes's notes were like that overall.
She knew so little, she had to cram in every detail possible.
Zekiel's, on the other hand...
[324, 135, 1333. Weakly.]
"..."
[←↑→↓↗↙→→↑ Manifest]
"...?"
What was this now?
Total opposite of Anes's style.
Zekiel knew so much, he saw no need for lengthy explanations. The problem? Most tower wizards couldn't decipher it.
She finally pressed her temple.
"...I'll ask him later."
The inspector had recorded everything from the presentations, then muttered something like 'not satisfied yet' before heading to the social mixer. Meaning he wasn't here right now.
That was when it happened.
"Everyone's working hard, I see."
The distinctive, refined aura filled the air. In strode the Imperial Magic Tower's master—the Second Princess Hedera.
"Greetings to the Tower Lord, Second Princess!"
The wizards paused their work, shot to their feet, and bowed deeply. Hedera surveyed the chaotic lodging and nodded, as if she rather liked the mess.
"Looks like you're all deep in it. Did I barge in?"
"..."
Everyone averted their eyes at that.
...This was already her tenth-plus visit today.
She'd probably drop by plenty more. Hourly, almost.
'Why not just stay for good?'
The wizards couldn't help thinking it. Halting every hour to bow and greet was tougher than it sounded.
"Hmm."
Hedera glanced around casually.
Her eyes landed first on the elixir bundle.
"Those elixirs?"
"Yes."
Anes answered for the group.
"Hmm. Stashing them like that could cause issues. Might lose potency."
"Ah, we're delivering them right away anyway, so..."
"And scrolls can't have contaminants. The lodging could use some cleaning."
"Yes, we'll handle it."
"Has the inspector dropped by yet?"
Anes fiddled with her cube, looking troubled.
This was the tenth time today already.
She got that the Second Princess doted on the inspector, but the constant bowing and fielding questions every visit was slowing everything down.
In the end, Anes spoke up.
"Princess."
"Yes. I'm listening."
"I..."
Anes very carefully wet her lips.
"I'll take care of it."
The room fell deathly silent.
Teder, watching from nearby, gulped dryly.
This subtle clash of auras.
No—this subtle aura feast was far from over.