Chapter 174: The Tin Knight and the Tower of Foresight
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: The Tin Knight and the Tower of Foresight
"A certain young man decided to leave his hometown and begin an adventure."
"The young man sought out the wisest old man in the vicinity and asked him a question."
"‘Old man, I beseech you, lend me your wisdom.’"
"The old man replied."
"‘Young man, with more nights ahead of you than you have seen behind, what is it you wish to ask of this old man?’"
"The young man said."
"‘My hometown has grown too small for me, so I have decided to venture out in search of a new home. Could you perhaps offer advice on where I should go?’"
"The old man replied."
"‘If noble and ancient blood flows through your veins, you would do well to head south. It is a place where nobility is valued, and people will pay respects to your bloodline.’"
"The young man, not wanting to admit his blood was ordinary, made an excuse."
"‘I wish to make a name for myself through my own abilities, not the glory of my ancestors. The south does not seem suitable.’"
"The old man replied."
"‘If your storehouses are filled with gold and treasure, you would do well to head west. It is a place where wealth is valued, and people will express their admiration for your fortune.’"
"The young man, not wanting to admit his family was poor, made another excuse."
"‘Wealth is a fleeting thing, here one moment and gone the next. How can prestige built on something so unstable last? The west does not seem suitable.’"
"The old man replied."
"‘If you have confidence in your own strength, you would do well to head east. It is a place where valor is valued, and people will show their fervor for your martial prowess.’"
"The young man, not wanting to admit his martial skills were pathetic, made yet another excuse."
"‘A person must value etiquette and law. How barbaric is it to determine superiority through violence? The east does not seem suitable.’"
"The old man replied."
"‘If you harbor a passion for exploring the truths of the world, you would do well to head north. It is a place where wisdom is valued, and people will show their respect for your intellect.’"
"After saying so, the old man added one more thing."
"‘If even the north does not suit your fancy, then the only place left for me to recommend is your own hometown.’"
"The young man, who did not want to return home, hastily nodded his head."
"‘The north seems the perfect destination for my journey. I thank you for your advice, wise old man.’"
"Having received the old man’s counsel, the young man walked north, and north, and ever northward."
"-Excerpt from a certain fable popular among storytellers-"
*
The Magic State Aeolia.
This was the impression the party had upon setting foot in its first city:
[The ‘Tin Knight’ assesses that it’s less impressive than he expected!]
“Hahaha… Well, it certainly is rather ordinary compared to the rumors.”
The rumors about the ‘Magic State’ that circulated in other regions were as follows:
Mages walking the streets accompanied by spirits or magic dolls. Convenient magic tools that aided people in their daily lives. Streets glittering with colorful magic.
But the streetscape the party saw with their own eyes was not so glamorous, and there wasn't even a trace of a spirit to be seen.
The Tin Knight and Adelaide, who had seen all sorts of things but had yet to see a spirit, looked a little disappointed.
“That’s because we’re not near one of the magic towers. The Magic State is a country that revolves around the four great towers,” Dorothea said, her condition seemingly much improved thanks to the rest she’d gotten just before they landed. “Well, the Tower of Protection is said to be generous with what it provides to its territories, but the others, not so much.”
At the mention of territories, Adelaide tilted her head.
“Are the magic towers institutions that act as lords?”
“Hmm, it’s closer to say they’re more like kings.”
“What?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks if the magic towers aren’t just places where a bunch of mages gather to do research!]
“That’s the basic gist of it. But they’re too worldly to be called a pure group of scholars.”
Chewing on a red fruit said to be effective against anemia like a snack, Dorothea continued her explanation.
“I told you about the Empire’s court mages and the Federation’s Alchemists’ Association before, right? The magic towers aren’t that different in that they’re groups that gather and train mages to act for the benefit of their organization. The difference is, while the others are subordinate to a nation, the magic towers are the opposite. The towers themselves are the leadership of Aeolia.”
Adelaide asked, “Does that mean there’s no separate royal or imperial family?”
“To be precise, there used to be, but it seems they were absorbed by the towers. I don’t know the specific history myself, but, hmm. Sophia?”
“Yes.”
As if she had been waiting, Sophia stepped forward.
Her smiling face was the same as always, but her pale skin had a bit more life to it, suggesting she quite enjoyed teaching others like this.
Inside the carriage moving through the port city’s streets, Sophia spread a large sheet of paper on a small table and began to move her pen.
“The Magic State Aeolia is a country run by a total of four magic towers.”
Foresight. Annihilation. Protection. Control.
“First is the ‘Tower of Foresight.’ It’s the progenitor of the towers and has the strongest academic atmosphere. It’s the place that best fits the public’s definition of a magic tower, exploring the fundamental principles of magic and the truths of the world, or collecting and classifying magic from all over the continent. As such, it’s traditional, but to put it negatively, it’s also quite stuffy.”
Scratch, scratch.
“Next is the ‘Tower of Annihilation.’ It’s one of the two towers founded by those who rebelled against the unique stuffiness of the Tower of Foresight, and it focuses more on increasing the individual power and skills of mages. Due to its nature, it mainly deals with magic specialized for combat, and in reality, it contributes the most to the Magic State’s military power. In that it’s a key power group that values military strength, you could compare it to the Lennart family in the Empire.”
Scratch, scratch.
“The ‘Tower of Protection’ broke away from the Tower of Foresight along with Annihilation, but it focuses more on magic that is helpful in daily life. The fact that the Magic State is known as a producer of fine magic tools is largely due to their influence, and they are a wealthy tower as a result. They are also the ones who pay the most attention to the livelihood of the people within the Magic State.”
Scratch, scratch.
“Finally, the ‘Tower of Control’ has a slightly more complex origin. To put it as simply as possible, when the influence and voice of the three towers grew so strong that the very survival of the royal family was at risk, the royal family established its own tower, mobilizing all its funds and connections to invite mages to create it. They probably wanted to use the tower they founded to rule over the others, but in reality, the royal family’s existence became a mere figurehead before they could achieve that.”
“That concludes my explanation,” Sophia said with a slight bow. The Tin Knight, Adelaide, and Rapunzel applauded in unison.
Dorothea cleared her throat with an ‘Ahem’ and took back the baton.
“Now you get it? In this country, knowledge, power, technology, and even legitimacy are all held by the magic towers. That’s why people struggle to learn even a single small spell to become a member of a tower, and why the mages here are arrogant as hell.”
“Uh, um, th-then, will it be difficult for me to enter a tower?”
Rapunzel, who had been listening to the story, cautiously raised her hand and asked.
Dorothea shook her head.
“The towers compete with each other, so accepting outstanding talent is beneficial for them too. With your level of aptitude, you won’t be turned away.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. That man, no, my brother, he taught me how to handle mana, but he never said a single word about magic itself. I haven’t learned anything.”
Rapunzel said, her voice tinged with gloom.
Dorothea could guess her brother’s intentions. As a necromancer herself, she knew better than anyone how necromancers were treated by those around them.
As if to change the subject, Dorothea said, “And Adel. I’ll make you a potion to change your hair and eye color, so make sure to take it with every meal. Normally, one dose would last a few days, but your resistance to drugs is so high you’ll have to take it often.”
“Huh? Change my color?”
“What, you plan on parading around boasting that you’re from the Lion Duke’s bloodline in the Magic State?”
“Ah, ahh. Right.”
Throughout their journey so far, Adelaide had never bothered to hide that she was of the Lion Duke’s bloodline. The influence and reputation of her family were so great that revealing it brought far more benefits than hiding it.
But in the Magic State, it was the opposite.
The Magic State and the Empire were clear rivals, and though things were in a lull now, they had crossed swords directly several times in the past.
Thanks to the atmosphere of reconciliation established during the Iron Blood Emperor’s reign, a Lennart dojo had been set up in the Magic State and relations were better than before, but revealing she was of the Lion Duke’s bloodline would still bring more harm than good in most places.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says you could just go around calling yourself the mysterious Lennart Mask!]
“No, because it’s embarrassing for me to be seen with you.”
“……”
Adelaide’s heart was wounded.
Ignoring Adelaide, who was squatting in a corner and doodling on the floor with her finger, Dorothea glanced toward the front of the carriage.
There, a mysterious horse shimmering with silver light was guiding the golem horse pulling the carriage.
“Anyway, if we continue in this direction, we’ll reach the Tower of Foresight. Whether you take the entrance exam right away or look around a bit more before deciding is up to you, but we won’t be staying in the Magic State forever, so—”
Just as Dorothea was about to launch into a long speech, there was a fluttering of wings, and a bird flew into the gap between the driver’s seat and the cargo bed.
The party reflexively took a defensive stance, but Dorothea stopped them.
“It’s fine. It’s a reply from my master.”
The bird, its eyes too unfocused for it to be a living creature, landed neatly on the table and, in the next moment, crumbled into black powder.
Dorothea glanced between the fist-sized skull of an unidentifiable species and a rolled-up parchment left amidst the powder, then reached for the parchment.
She tilted her head.
“The reply came pretty fast for my master. I was considering the worst-case scenario where she’d just ignore me. What’s with the sudden whim?”
Dorothea unrolled the parchment.
And upon seeing its contents, her face contorted in fury.
“This vicious witch…!”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ asks what it says!]
Dorothea didn’t answer.
She just ground her teeth, as if a major headache had just landed on her lap.
The Tin Knight plucked the parchment from Dorothea’s hand and held it out to Sophia.
The meaning was clear: read it for him.
Loud enough for everyone in the carriage to hear, Sophia read the contents of the parchment.
“「Seeing as you have time to worry about trivial matters, your graduation exam must be going quite peacefully. Perfect timing. I have an errand for you. Deliver the skull I sent with this to that flower-brained woman, the Witch of the North. She’s probably holed up in one of the four towers.」”
“「P.S. Know that if you fail to complete this errand within a month, I will place a curse on you that turns all your clothes to rags.」”
A deep silence fell.
Dorothea was now clutching her head with a groan of “Uggghhhh,” while the rest of the party could only blink, wondering what was going on.
Just then, the Tin Knight placed a hand on Dorothea’s bare shoulder.
He gave her a thumbs-up and said:
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that since your level of exposure won’t change much whether you’re cursed or not, you should relax!]
Kaaaaang!