6 – Monument of the Battlefield (1)
Inside the magic tower, there are various administrative departments.
To operate the enormous tower, which is more than just a simple building but a living organism, a large workforce is required.
Given its deep history and the restricted areas owned by different factions on each floor, any incident in such places would inevitably result in a delayed response.
Therefore, all departments participate in the “Roundtable,” an early detection and information-sharing system for close cooperation among the departments, to identify any potential dangers within the tower.
As a member of the Student Affairs Department, the dormitory supervisor had the perfect position to quietly enjoy chatting in the corner of the meeting room without drawing attention.
“I heard that the lecture recently opened by the Glaesia faction has received rave reviews from the trainees.”
“Was it Vina Nethania? It seems like there’s a promising talent emerging from the Ice Palace.”
“Tsk tsk, to consider ice magic, which cannot descend below absolute zero, as the pinnacle. How embarrassing.”
“Isn’t the Meteor School the perfect superior counterpart to fire with magma?”
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“What did you say!? You…!”
Even before the start of the meeting, the bearded old men were engaged in heated arguments.
Perhaps because they were all magicians occupying positions in their respective schools, just gathering them together was enough to create a lively atmosphere.
“Let’s calm down a bit. How are you going to survive this summer without Glacia’s refrigerant?”
“It’s because of attitudes like yours that the average temperature of the continent rises every year! Those who can’t even power a turbine with magic don’t care about the ecosystem!”
“A turbine is not a big deal. If we succeed in commercializing the research on ‘time stop,’ the pinnacle of ice magic….”
“Oh my goodness! Alchemy aside, why is that your magic?!”
“Well, well, we can even turn the wind turbine….!”
After the prelude of the powerful elemental schools with the largest scale and strong opinions, the formal meeting began.
Chief of Security, Professor Stollen, came forward and explained the recent power outage incident.
“Some time ago, darkness spread throughout the entire First Floor due to an unknown magical reaction.”
“Is it due to an attack or intrusion by demons?”
“The cause has not yet been determined, and the Security Department is currently investigating whether it is primarily due to the aging of the facilities.”
The power outage they were referring to was the incident that occurred when the gallery’s dark mode was activated.
Even now, if I turn on the dark mode of my location note with the administrator account, the lights in the entire First Floor go out.
Of course, they couldn’t find the exact cause or a way to regain control of the lighting.
“Clark, we have nothing to do with this incident, right?”
“Yes, we have nothing to do with it.”
“Alright, let’s work hard.”
I calmly responded to the dormitory manager’s question about the inspection of the dormitory facilities.
“If a similar incident happens again, we will evacuate the first-floor trainees first. We can’t completely rule out the possibility of intrusion or attack from the outside.”
“Since the first floor is constantly open, it seems necessary to take precautions. Understood.”
“Now, let’s talk about the recent trends in the royal family’s support for research funding…”
The following topics were all unrelated and boring enough to make me yawn.
As I was about to turn on my phone again to kill time, I bumped into someone.
At first, I thought it was just a mistake in the small meeting room and ignored it, but a moment later, I was bumped again.
The protrusion created by the boots, stockings, and the shirt tucked into shorts revealed sharp green eyes.
A woman who was slightly taller than me and carried a sword that could be considered long for her height.
She was my roommate from the first day.
*
“Long time no see, Cien.”
“Don’t do something else during the meeting, Clark.”
“There’s nothing else to do.”
“If our conversation leaks through the notebook in such an important meeting, what’s the worst that could happen? Close it immediately…!”
Was she talking about that ice magic and fire magic from earlier? It didn’t seem to matter if it leaked.
I wondered how well the secrets would be kept in a meeting where even the dormitory supervisor was present.
Cien seemed displeased with my nonchalant attitude.
“So, how long are you going to stay on the starting floor?”
“Where are you right now?”
“On the 39th floor. I joined the Information Department two years ago and I’m taking a break from climbing.”
Even by the standards of a fifth-year, the 39th floor was an incredibly high level.
The Information Department was a branch where only highly skilled wizards were assigned, and the higher the floor, the more places one could access in the Matap Tower.
I remember she had achieved the highest grades among her peers.
It’s truly sentimental to see her face again at the Round Table.
“Do you want to see it too? There’s an interesting clue going around right now.”
“Don’t get too close to me!”
“Don’t you want to discuss which is stronger, a sword or a spear?”
“What? Of course, a sword… No! That’s not what’s important!”
Looking around, she quickly distanced herself from me and glanced at her location note.
Then she chuckled and said, “Hmph, anyway, that gallery you’ve been clinging to since you first entered the Matap Tower will soon be closed.”
“What?”
Just then, her superior, who seemed to be the head of the Information Department, was speaking at the Round Table.
His round belly and impressive mustache stood out.
“A few days ago, there was a fight in the gallery that resulted in severe injuries to the young sibling of Count Coupland. This is an issue that cannot be ignored, a clear case of assault…”
The gallery, which was somewhat tolerated within the Matap Tower and had many uses for trainees, was in full operation.
However, the official stance of the Information Department was that they couldn’t leave a community that they didn’t know who owned and hadn’t approved.
“Why would the gallery be closed?”
“We found a brilliant method in our intelligence department.”
“What is it?”
“Just keep listening.”
Indeed, this was a problem that even I couldn’t overlook.
The intelligence department is an organization where the most skilled individuals in Matap gather.
If I were to be subjected to their intense surveillance and tracking, there would undoubtedly be constraints on my activities.
In the worst case scenario, I could be dragged into a trial, so I have to be careful.
“After years of meticulous investigation, we have discovered one regular pattern.”
“What is it, Director Vernon?”
“It’s the announcement for selecting the gallery administrator that comes around this time every year!”
However, the methods devised by ordinary people who have no understanding of the gallery were embarrassingly inadequate.
“The administrators are the ones who can get closest to the mysterious magician who can be considered the backbone of the gallery. Once appointed, it would be a piece of cake to uncover their true identity.”
“What are the selection criteria?”
“Let me see… Although it hasn’t been clearly stated, it is said that the administrator’s approval and the comment-to-likes ratio are important. I’m not sure, but if it’s the ability of our agents, they should be able to pass.”
Selecting the administrator, or the “patap” as we call it, at this time is because it is the busiest period for incoming apprentices.
But since we already selected some last year, if it’s too burdensome, we can skip it this year.
And from the beginning, I have never directly shared my identity with anyone, including the current pataps.
It’s something that can be easily figured out just by glancing at the gallery, yet the level of the Matap intelligence department is so low.
Sienna, perhaps having similar thoughts, blushed slightly and made a defensive remark.
“Director Vernon, you haven’t been appointed for long, that’s probably why.”
“Really?”
“W-Well, yes! Actually, the Information Department has significantly reduced in size compared to a few years ago. It’s all because of those gallery administrators pretending to be Topjoo!”
I can confidently say that I’ve never pretended to be Topjoo. They all just call me that on their own.
“When the witches first started causing trouble, the Information Department poured a huge amount of manpower and money into trying to trace the gallery owner with tracking magic. We had high-ranking wizards of 6th degree or higher sticking around for months, receiving support from the Treasury and Research Departments.”
I do remember that in my first year, the server was unstable and the connection would occasionally cut off.
I had half a lifetime’s worth of curses because of you guys.
“So, did it work?”
“No, the spell was cast, but nothing changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“The pointer that was supposed to indicate the target’s location didn’t even budge.”
A large-scale magic that drains magical power and resources like a leaking bucket, just to maintain it for a few seconds, targeting the entire Ma-top.
But even after a week of testing and changing various parameters, the red dot remained in the same place.
In the end, the Information Department suffered massive losses, to the point of bankruptcy, as they poured in more resources than they could handle.
It was such a significant event that a major restructuring took place, and the head of the Information Department was dismissed.
“They intentionally falsified the coordinates by reversing the magic. Can you believe that the so-called gallery owner was on the first floor, or that someone could stay in a room for a whole week without coming out…?!”
“….”
“It was a case where the entire Information Department, which no one mentions now, was thoroughly manipulated and taken advantage of. By that bastard.”
Sien trembled, placing both hands on her knees, as if filled with anger.
I couldn’t bring myself to respond, saying it was just a normal everyday thing.