Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Original Has Returned (2)
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BOOOOM!!!
The ear-shattering explosion obliterated the Magic Tower's prized golden main gate, leaving not a trace behind.
The door, which was supposed to be protected by defensive magic, crumpled like wet paper and shot into the lobby like a cannonball. The gold-plated guards were swept up in the blast before they could even scream, slamming into the corners.
Crash! Shatter!
The shockwave shattered every glass window, and screams erupted.
"Gaaah?!"
"W-what is this?! We're under attack!"
"What lunatic casts a spell like that right at the front gate…?!"
A thick cloud of dust and acrid smoke enveloped the entrance. I brushed off my coat hem and clicked my tongue.
"Aigoo... That's gonna cost a fortune to fix. Could've melted that door down for some decent cash, though."
"Hmph."
Erendel snorted and strode boldly into the smoke.
"It's a door I made. I'll smash it if I want. We were gonna replace the whole thing anyway."
She thumped her staff on the ground, and the thick smoke cleared in an instant.
"Who the hell are you?! How dare you destroy the Magic Tower's gate!"
A middle-aged mage in flashy robes stormed out from the lobby depths, fuming. The badge on his chest marked him as a vice tower master or something similar.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! Are you insane? Do you even know where you are? Think you have ten lives to burn?!"
"Where do I think this is?"
Erendel looked up.
"My house, you parasites!!"
"W-what? Parasites? You crazy bitch…!"
"Sneaking in without the owner's permission and turning the interior into this cheap brothel? Are your eyes just for show?"
Vrrrrm-!
A storm of mana laced with murderous intent exploded from Erendel's body.
"Eek?!"
The vice tower master, who had been pointing accusingly, buckled to his knees under the pressure.
"Uh… uh…?"
Then his pupils shook like there was an earthquake.
His gaze landed on me, standing crookedly beside her, yawning. More precisely, on the demon sword at my waist, humming ominously with an eerie red glow.
Word of my return must have spread like wildfire through the palace and nobility. I'd crushed the rebels and repelled the elves in one day, then the next, I'd gone on a rampage against the nobles with this sword in hand. No way they hadn't heard.
"That sword... no way... Levatein…?"
His lips trembled. His eyes crawled back up to my face. Five hundred years had passed, but it perfectly matched the portrait on the first page of every history textbook.
"Lord Kasian?"
Then his gaze shifted to Erendel.
"And... the one beside you must be... the founding Tower Master…"
A silence like cold water poured over the room descended. The mages, now grasping the situation, went pale as sheets. Legends from history books were standing before them, alive and kicking.
And extremely pissed off.
"Oh, so you do recognize us? Good thing your eyes aren't just decorations."
Erendel snapped coldly.
"Since you know who we are, get on your knees. Aren't you gonna greet us?"
A short while later. Not in the tower master's office... but at a table set up in a corner of the half-destroyed lobby.
Vice Tower Master Gilliard placed tea before us with utmost courtesy. His attitude flip was light-speed.
Well, who wouldn't be polite with the empire's greatest heroes right in front of them?
"Please, have some tea! It's the finest leaves airlifted from the East!"
"Thanks. Half of it's dust, so it even has a gritty crunch. Perfect."
As I lifted the cup with sarcasm, Gilliard broke into an awkward smile, sweat pouring like rain.
"Aigoo... If you'd let us know you were coming, I would've rolled out the red carpet and lined up all the mages for a proper welcome…!"
He grinned through the cold sweat.
"You really blew through the front gate... haha, nice and breezy. I was just thinking of replacing it anyway. As expected of the founding tower master's eye for detail. Ventilation will be top-notch now."
"Put some spit on those lies. I can hear you cursing under your breath."
I scolded him, and Gilliard flinched.
"N-no! Absolutely not! How could we dream of such a thing when a hero like Lord Kasian graces us with his presence…?!"
"Enough."
I cut him off and tapped the table.
"Where's the tower master? With all this commotion, shouldn't he be rushing out barefoot?"
"Ah, the tower master is currently... away, drafted as the ballroom committee chairman…"
"...What?"
Erendel's eyebrow twitched beside me.
"Ballroom? The Magic Tower Master isn't doing magic research and is off playing at that crap?"
"Well... overseeing parties for noble ladies is one of the tower master's key duties…"
"Ha... they really do it all."
Erendel let out a deep sigh, gripping her staff tightly. The wooden shaft creaked as if it might snap.
"Magic... the noble pursuit of truth... reduced to parlor tricks for gawking noble girls?"
The mana pouring from her body made the glass windows rattle.
"Please calm down, Lady Erendel! It's the flow of the times…!"
"Flow of the times, huh? So you're saying I'm some outdated old hag from across the sea?"
"…."
"………"
"………………"
A heavy silence fell. No one denied it. Silence was affirmation.
'Honestly, given her age, isn't she kinda outdated?'
A 500-year-old elf was basically a fossil.
She was living history itself, though. Talking about the flow of times was like a Joseon dynasty founding merit riding a time machine here to nag—what's the difference?
But the longer the silence dragged, the messier it'd get, so I quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, so you're acting tower master now?"
"Yes! Anything you need, just say the word! Budget support? Or perhaps an honorary position…?"
Gilliard seemed to think we were here to squeeze money or titles out of them. The more rotten the place, the more they believe bribes and sinecures solve everything.
"I've got more money than you. Squeezing nobles is where the cash comes from—why would I need yours?"
I flatly refused and leaned forward.
"Straight to the point. We don't need money."
"Then…?"
"Hand over the Magic Tower."
"......Pardon?"
"We're here to take it over. As of today, the owner of this place reverts to the foul-tempered founding tower master beside me."
I patted his stunned shoulder with my scabbard.
"So shut up and cooperate. If you want to live."
"First things first, we need some basic renovations."
"Renovations, you say?"
"The empire's magitech is completely wiped out right now. Went to a smithy, and they were just hammering away by hand. Last time I checked, no one in the Magic Tower could even use gravity magic?"
Honestly, it wasn't even special magic. Back 500 years ago, it was basic basics every mage learned.
At the very least, crank out a press or something I remember and give the soldiers sturdy iron swords instead of that artisanal crap so they can actually train.
But Gilliard's face twisted subtly at my words, like he'd bitten into spoiled food.
"Um... begging your pardon, but that's a defunct school of thought. Kicked out of academia ages ago…"
"Kicked out?"
"Yes. In this refined, elegant era of magic, who uses such crude spells? Sweating and getting dusty is for servants, not noble mages."
He added slyly.
"Plus, it doesn't even look cool. Just floating boring rocks."
Vrrrrm-!
Suddenly, a menacing red light flashed from the tip of Erendel's staff.
"What? Crude? Boring?"
Erendel advanced step by step.
"Say that again. I'll fold your spine with that boring magic into a pretty, elegant ribbon."
Gilliard hurriedly backpedaled.
"N-no! It's a splendid classical school!"
"Watch your mouth. It's my specialty."
Gilliard swallowed his words, glancing at Erendel. I sank deep into the sofa, crossing my legs.
"Vice tower master."
"Yes! Speak!"
"Assemble every mage in the Magic Tower right now in the training grounds... no, out front. I want to check their skills."
"Everyone? Even those on vacation or in the middle of research…?"
"Tell them if they don't show, they're all fired. No, expelled. I'll snap their staves for firewood."
"…."
"And bring this year's budget ledgers and research logs. Gotta see how bad the mess is and what they've been researching."
"Those are restricted to outsiders…"
"Oh yeah? Outsiders?"
Erendel chuckled beside me.
"Do I need permission to open my own bedroom door? Who does this green kid under 100 think he is, lecturing me?"
Erendel raised her staff, pointing at the massive chandelier on the ceiling.
Vrrrrm-!
With a flick of her wrist, the chain holding the ornate chandelier snapped.
"Huh?"
BOOOOM-!!!!
A deafening roar echoed as the house-sized chandelier plummeted straight toward his nose.
Crash!
Glass shards flew everywhere, white dust billowing up.
"In here, I am the law. Got it?"
"Y-yes...! I'll fetch them right away!"
Gilliard bolted out in a panic, and I clicked my tongue at the chandelier wreckage.
"Hey, that looked expensive. Waste."
"Who cares. It's not like I bought it."
Erendel snorted and plopped onto the sofa.
"Let's start with cleaning. I'll gut the whole place."
Dozens of mages gathered in the courtyard before the wrecked Magic Tower.
"What the hell is going on? Calling us during teatime?"
"Did the tower master summon us?"
"Where are the guards, and why's the door smashed?"
I perched on the broken reception desk, looking down at them. Erendel stood beside me, not hiding her bloodlust.
"Quiet down."
I raised my hand, and the murmurs died.
"You don't seem to get it, so here's the short version. As of today, this Magic Tower is under new management. See the lady next to me? She's the one who wrote the Magic Tower's founding principles you recite every morning at assembly. The first tower master."
"What? What kind of bullshit…!"
"Shut your mouth."
BOOM-!
Erendel slammed her staff down, exploding the ground under the protesting mage's feet and singeing his shoes.
"Eek?!"
"Don't wanna believe it? Fine. But getting roasted for blasphemy is on you."
The hall went deathly quiet in an instant, like ice water had been dumped. Fear spread faster than complaints.
"Now, you're all gonna show us your best magic."
"What do you…?"
"Prove you're useful. Pass, and you keep your jobs. Research funds? I'll choke the royals and rob the nobles blind for unlimited support."
The mages' eyes wavered. Unlimited funding was sweet.
"But if you fail…"
I pointed at Erendel, who was tapping her staff on the ground, loosening up.
"You'll be in class with that witch over there."
"Class? Like secret techniques or…?"
"Wake up. It's wartime boot camp—knowledge hammered physically into your skull."
I grinned.
"No sleep. Doze off, staff flies. Wrong answer, physical therapy included. Survive, and your skills improve... but your sanity goes first?"
"……"
Clap. I clapped my hands.
"Time's up. Who's first?"
"Right now?!"
"Yeah. Giving you three seconds. No takers, all fail. 3, 2…."
"I'll do it! Watch this!"
A mage from the front row leaped forward with a yelp.
"But what spell do I use?"
"Doesn't matter. Your best shot. Magic, research demo, whatever proves your worth."
"Got it! Behold the pinnacle of my dark magic specialty!"
He raised his staff dramatically, closed his eyes, and began chanting with flair.
"Darker than black, deeper than shadow, pitch blackness descend…"
And a while later.
"How long's it been?"
"Two minutes."
"……"
The guy was still mumbling.
"...With my red blood offered... become formless chaos…!"
"Kasian."
"Yeah?"
"Should we just shut down the tower?"
"Seriously considering it right now."