magic tower (7)
“What are you?”
The cold silence that fell in an instant made the child’s body hard.
A bewildered Wilford tried to come over to clear things up, but I stopped him by raising my hand.
Of course, my eyes were still watching the child and hadn’t left.
“Wilford, butt.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I should have told them to send trained personnel… … .”
“From now on, answer only what I ask.”
I touched my right arm exposed through my uniform.
The voice that came out soon was surprisingly sharp.
“Who is this child?”
“That, that is, a training wizard who was recognized for his talent a long time ago and entered the Mage Tower.”
“You’re not asking for that?”
I could feel it instinctively the moment the child’s body touched it.
No, I would have been able to see it clearly without relying on anything like that. That’s why my nerves were sharpened more than ever.
“This child has broken my ‘enchantment’.”
“… … yes?”
… … mana?
He cautiously questioned the Zen dialogue that seemed like he was catching a cloud, but he subtly nodded as he recalled what had happened in the master’s room.
I realized that the magical power I was talking about was an artifact imprinted on my right arm.
“I’m sorry, but what you said was broken… … .”
“It is literally.”
I calmed myself down and handed the child over to Wilford. Then, looking at the figure, he continued talking lowly.
“The moment it touched the child, the emanating magic power was neutralized.”
“… … !”
In addition to the ability to scatter other people’s mana by consuming accumulated mana, magic imprints had several applications.
And, as an example of that, I can point to the copying of the magical energy that was shown earlier.
However, what was just broken was a ‘shape’ made with a different application method. A ‘barrier’ that forms a permanent protective shield by releasing the mana accumulated inside the mark.
Breaking it would be impossible unless more powerful magic is poured into it… … .
“majesty.”
Then, Wilford spoke cautiously.
As I shifted my gaze away from the child, Wilford’s face gave way to a troubled, awkward smile.
“In fact, it is Cromwell, Director of the Institute, who brought this child.”
“Cromwell?”
“That’s right.”
My eyebrows twitched when I heard his name. Seeing my reaction, Wilford immediately waved his hand and added:
“That doesn’t mean this kid has the same bad intentions as he did. It’s also common for a guardian-level wizard to bring in an attendant wizard in the first place. It’s just that Her Highness seems to have doubts about the child, so I just told her in advance.”
“… … .”
“If Your Highness orders it, I will investigate this child myself. If you do, will your Highness’ doubts be resolved?”
“… … Right.”
Due to the existence of the operative and the owner of the mage tower, which was revealed earlier, Wilford himself was more aware of this situation than anyone else.
Even so, the reason why I came up with an excuse in the first place was probably because I was worried that this child did not attract my attention.
He seems to have thought that it would be better to reveal and cover up the fact in advance than to have the fact further revealed in a situation that he considers suspicious.
“The only way to investigate is to ask about your relationship with the operatives… … .”
“Not required.”
“… … yes.”
I dismissed that and got up from my seat.
In the first place, such a child was not even on the line of suspicion. There must be a reason why the sub-top owner, who must have been alert, wrapped up.
So, I was just asking questions.
“Did you say that your talent was recognized and you came in as an ascetic wizard?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“If you do, what is that talent?”
It was the most fundamental question. Perhaps a more important question than Cromwell’s.
Wilford rummaged through his memory and, stroking his chin, muttered an answer.
“As far as I remember, it was probably ‘appearance’.”
“A manifestation?”
“It is the power to bring something out of your body based on the mana you have.”
Manifestation was the very foundation of magic. Making a magic circle or releasing mana was also part of it.
In terms of swordsmanship, gripping and correcting one’s posture were similar examples.
If there’s a problem… … .
“… … The talent the child had ended there.”
“What do you mean?”
The child was already in a state of panic and did not even know how to talk about himself. Seeing that figure showing no signs of calming down at all, Wilford continued talking while carefully stroking his hair.
“lang syne. Cromwell, who saw the child’s elaborate magic circle and judged it to be an overwhelming talent, brought it in as a training wizard, but unfortunately, no further progress was seen even after continuing training.”
“and?”
“Because of this, the child was often criticized for not having talent, and was often excluded from most of the study or training schedules.”
“… … Right.”
I nodded and agreed.
To put it simply, it meant that he had been abandoned by him and turned into a target for venting his anger.
Wilford had reasons to feel sorry for him and to convince him of his innocence.
However, it was just absurd to me.
‘This means I have no talent?’
No matter how much the magic field is a simple application concept, it is not easy to break the technology of magic imprinting that has not been revealed to the world in a situation where there is not even general knowledge.
It goes without saying that a higher level of magic power is needed to make this possible.
However, no matter how much I looked at it, I couldn’t see that level of magical power in this child’s body.
‘This means that the mana expressed by the child has been abnormally amplified.’
But even if that was the case, the defense was broken too futilely.
In the first place, the child could not even feel the movement of mana, and all he did was accidentally touch his body.
… … In other words, in the same way as unconsciously spreading feelings.
… …
“… … Spreading feelings?”
My eyes narrowed as I continued to think. Soon, the tightly closed lips began to curl slowly as if they had found an interesting toy.
Did you say that Cromwell brought you an ascetic wizard?
“Funny.”
“yes?”
The unexpected situation that came up again was enough to draw my interest.
“What is this child’s name?”
* * *
The mage tower owner, who came to me after taking care of herself, reacted calmly even though she was flustered by the situation at hand.
“Roel, are you saying you want to take this child?”
“okay.”
A child who is nothing more than an ascetic wizard without even a rank.
Where the Mage Tower lord’s gaze reached, there was Roel, who shrank and avoided his gaze.
He also knew the story of how this child came to the Mage Tower, so this situation was all the more surprising.
“Are you okay? Even if that doesn’t happen, this child is Cromwell, the wizard he brought.”
“Does not matter.”
The concern was in the same vein as Wilford’s.
But for me, who already knew the information about the future, it didn’t matter that much.
If such a talented person had been under Cromwell, who became the owner of the tower after Lord died, there would be no way I would have known about it.
Then there was only one remaining problem.
“You who have awakened as a great mage can understand it. This kid’s real talent.”
“… … yes.”
The mana flowing through Roel’s body could never be said to be too much or too little. Rather, compared to the achievements of wizards of his age who had received a good education, it would be less.
However, such an amount of mana was not a factor that would brighten the child’s talent.
“From the mana inside the body to the mana around the person unconsciously emitted. All naturally amplified and positioned as one sense. It’s not a wizard’s thing… … .”
“okay.”
I smiled contentedly and stroked my right wrist.
“It is similar to a knight’s aura or gigam.”
The difference between a wizard and a knight has been emphasized countless times, but the representative difference is in the way they handle their power.
Magicians who use the mana in their bodies as a medium to draw in the mana around them. On the contrary, knights who amplify the energy inside the body and radiate it to the outside.
In that sense, it could be said that the magic that Roel exudes is, surprisingly, a combination of the two characteristics.
‘A special talent that amplifies power based on mana and discharges it to the outside.’
The same goes for mutations that don’t belong anywhere.
To put it bluntly, even the branches were different, so success as a mage could undoubtedly be hopeless.
… … but. What if that talent was displayed as a knight?
“I vaguely felt it when my body touched it, but I understood after hearing Elder Wilford’s explanation. That this child is not a talented person who will rot in the Mage Tower.”
“Yes, this is a talent that is not in the world. I am ashamed of the past when I was practically blind to not recognizing such a talent in front of me.”
The Master of the Magic Tower smiled as if she was embarrassed, but what came to mind in that smile was a feeling of relief.
“If Your Highness would take it, I would be extremely grateful. This child was a pitiful lumber to be under Mr. Cromwell.”
“Right.”
“Moreover, Your Highness is someone with power that no one like me dares to judge. I have no doubt that you will be able to make use of that talent.”
“… … .”
It was embarrassing to say, but it was true, so I silently nodded.
Rather, since I fully understood that talent, there would be no one who could develop Roel better than me.
The Magic Tower Master decided how to treat the child like that.
“The Magic Tower will fully obey Your Highness’ will.”
“good.”
I moved my gaze to Roel, who was listening to the conversation.
The expression on the child’s face did not show gratitude for recognizing his talent, but something like anxiety about having to leave the mage tower he had become accustomed to.
It was exactly a childish idea. However, I was not obligated to take care of such circumstances.
‘It must be fun.’
The combined power of my special talent and my teaching.
What will it look like when it is revealed to the world? It was fun just imagining it.
That was the moment.
“But, Your Highness. Would you like to leave it to me here?”
The Magic Tower Master asked with a serious expression. After a while, he met my questioning gaze and added an explanation.
“I understand why Your Highness is taking this child. However, it will only cause trouble to His Highness.”
“Are you saying you want to develop your abilities as a wizard yourself?”
“That’s right.”
The Master of the Magic Tower raised his palm in response to the question. The fingers were fully exposed.
“Five months. If you give me five months, I will surely produce results that will surprise Your Highness.”
“Hoo.”
A surprising achievement… … .
I don’t know if that confidence was different, but he was a wizard who became Esteban’s only ‘lord’. Besides, he was a servant who bowed down to me and swore allegiance.
If so, the words were simple.
I shrugged and turned around. His gaze was directed to George, who had been tilting his head the whole time.
“The Mage Tower inspection is over. Let’s go back to the castle.”
“… … yes?”
But there was no answer. I didn’t even need to say that I was looking forward to it.
There was only a small smile lingering as he walked out the door.