Chapter 650. The One Who Left But Hasn’t Left (3)
Practical Magic Guidance and Instruction.
According to the rules of the Magic Tower, only the parties involved are allowed to observe. As mentioned earlier, this is combat magic that embodies the essence of each school or magic.
No one else has the justification to interfere unless they are part of the mutual agreement.
However…
“If not now, when will I ever get the chance to wield this?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Of course, if Chief Lee finds out, he might scold us.”
“That… might be a bit troublesome.”
“I’m just joking.”
If it’s the Tower Master, who holds all the authority in the Magic Tower?
The story changes.
Marcelo entered Amber Hall, where Practical Magic Guidance was about to begin.
“I should be able to see things better from the upper floors.”
Someone, however, was glaring at Marcelo with distaste. It wasn’t Jessie, who had been worrying about Hoyeol’s back, but the former Tower Master, now perched on top of Jessie’s pointy hat.
-Marcelo, you’re getting so reckless now.
It was clear just by the comfortable expression on his face.
-So, you knew everything, didn’t you?
When Hoyeol first announced he would step down from the Chief’s position, Marcelo should have looked pale, but his face remained eerily calm.
-What schemes are you two working behind the scenes?
The former Tower Master was itching to leap out of the hat and grab Marcelo by the robe collar to ask him—of course, in the form of a cat, not a person.
Jessie was also puzzled.
“Excuse me, Tower Master Marcelo.”
“You must be just as confused as the other seniors, right, Jessie?”
“…What? I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You can’t possibly understand why Chief Lee is trying to leave the Magic Tower, can you? The position of Chief is one that no one wants to give up.”
Jessie nodded unconsciously.
‘I was just happy to be recognized as an Adept Mage.’
But what if, beyond just being an Adept Mage, she could rise to the position of Chief Mage? She couldn’t even imagine the sense of accomplishment she would feel. However…
“…Chief Lee doesn’t lay down his burdens easily.”
Jessie hadn’t forgotten the weight of that position.
That’s why, without hesitation, she had approached Marcelo.
Thanks to her courage, she was able to enter Amber Hall with him.
Of course.
-You’re in my palm, little Simuard.
It was largely due to the help of the pointed hat.
Marcelo nodded at Jessie’s words. He knew well. Chief Lee had never easily given up the burdens he carried since before even entering the Magic Tower.
This situation was the result of his stubbornness.
“That’s right, Jessie. Chief Lee hasn’t laid down the burdens he carried even before entering the Magic Tower.”
“…I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“Akshan.”
“!”
Akshan.
The word made Jessie’s mind race. Thinking from a player’s perspective,
Why would Hoyeol, a player, suddenly step down from the position of Chief Mage?
‘Akshan, what if it’s a Demon Hunter class quest?’
Perhaps it was the emotions showing on her face that made Marcelo speak.
“You’re probably right about what you’re thinking, Jessie.”
“Even so, there’s no need for him to step down from the Chief position…”
“Don’t you know Chief Lee’s personality?”
Marcelo wasn’t unaware, but there was a vast difference between being affiliated with the Magic Tower or not, even if he continued his interactions with the Tower.
But Marcelo could feel the weight of Chief Lee’s words.
-“This is the only choice given to me, Marcelo.”
Your decision.
Though I didn’t expect it to be quite so respectful.
Marcelo looked down at Amber Hall and gave Jessie a piece of advice.
“Jessie, I’m not sure if you know this, but…”
“…?”
“There’s a saying among mages.”
Marcelo was about to continue, but his words were interrupted by someone who had been observing him for a long time.
“Mages speak through their magic traces.”
“…Bellier?”
“You’ve forgotten my title, Tower Master Marcelo.”
“That’s not important right now, is it? What do you want to do in this condition? You should be focusing on getting rest.”
Jessie, though, quickly understood.
‘Of course, you two aren’t just ordinary partners!’
It was clear that Bellier, the senior mage of the Healing School, wasn’t in a good condition. She was trying to hide it, but her usually vibrant green hair was lacking its usual luster.
Did she notice Jessie’s gaze?
“I must’ve shown a bad side to you, Jessie.”
“No, no! Senior Bellier!”
“How’s it, Tower Master? Even Jessie says I’m not doing so well, right?”
It was a playful exchange.
Jessie held back her words, while Marcelo made an effort to respond.
“You should rest, Senior Bellier.”
“Of course.”
Bellier lightly nodded.
“I have no intention of stepping up. With this state of Chief Lee, even if I’m injured, I doubt he’ll go easy on me. Look at him, standing so straight.”
It was then that the three of them looked up at Chief Lee, who stood tall in the center of Amber Hall.
At the exact time they had agreed upon, the nineteen seniors—excluding Bellier—stepped into Amber Hall.
And then it fell.
“If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”
Chief Lee’s declaration of war.
“Oh, no.”
Marcelo forgot his usual dignified demeanor, muttering to himself as things began to unfold in a way he hadn’t anticipated.
Bellier asked Marcelo.
“Did you not know?”
“Just because I’m the Tower Master doesn’t mean I know everything, Bellier.”
“Still, you must know. As the Tower Master.”
“…”
“Do you know how we, the seniors, feel right now?”
Creak.
Chief Lee’s 『Architectural Magic』 surged forward with immense power.
Indeed, it was Chief Lee.
His neutral nature allowed him to perfectly analyze and manifest the structure and properties of the complex amber stone. At the sight, Marcelo quietly muttered.
“I suspected as much.”
Then it happened.
Kwakakakakwang!
A wave of radiant amber stones engulfed the seniors.
Jessie flinched, startled.
Though he declared his challenge, wasn’t this a bit too much from the start?
In contrast, the pointed hat maintained a calm reaction.
-Now, Jessie, don’t be surprised. It’s just beginning.
Marcelo also muttered similar words.
“I’m sure your pride is wounded more than ever.”
Boom!
The shards of the amber wave shattered and scattered into the air.
At the same time, the magic of the top-tier senior mages, known as the pinnacle of their respective schools, began to unfurl within Amber Hall.
Spirit Magic School Feiyan Lot.
Her contracted spirit, the high-level Fire Spirit.
The Fire Drake shattered the silence of Amber Hall.
“What’s going on that’s making Feiyan so angry?”
Her blazing gaze turned toward Chief Lee.
“I’m surprised, but this isn’t too bad.”
In that brief exchange, Marcelo understood.
‘It seems that rumors related to Chief Lee have spread even in the spirit realm.’
Perhaps the spirits, too, were questioning Chief Lee, who was divided into ‘light’ and ‘darkness.’ It wasn’t just Feiyan. Each of the senior mages had perfectly countered Hoyeol’s architectural magic with their own magic.
But that wasn’t where it stopped.
The uncontrollably surging magic power. Since Jessie had begun to handle the magic of twilight, she had been able to witness the flow of magic. In her vision, it was clearly visible.
“…The Circles of the senior mages are reacting!”
The Circles of the senior mages began to emit a faint glow.
Marcelo nodded.
The senior mages, who had never neglected the study of [『Anomaly』] since realizing its importance, had reached this level.
‘Just like I unlocked the Circle.’
The seniors must have been qualified to step into the realm of Anomaly. In fact, the manifestation abilities of the senior mages, on the verge of unlocking their Circles, were now far higher than before.
“I don’t think Jessie will be able to understand this situation.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden, Tower Master?”
“Senior Bellier and I, along with the mages of the Magic Tower, possess extremely twisted sensibilities. They say we couldn’t help but fall for Chief Lee’s obvious provocation.”
“Ah.”
Jessie nodded unconsciously.
It certainly seemed like they had fallen for the provocation.
She probably thought Chief Lee could handle it.
After all, each of them had manifested terrifying practical magic.
Marcelo added.
“Even so, please understand the feelings of the senior mages.”
Why did the Tower Master permit the practical magic guidance and instruction?
If they didn’t clear up the misunderstanding now, it seemed like the lingering resentment in the senior mages’ hearts would never be resolved. Suddenly, a trembling voice was heard from Amber Hall.
“…I promised that I would repay you someday.”
The voice belonged to the senior mage of Pure Magic,
Vangrit Tom.
“Of course, this isn’t Chief Lee’s fault. Perhaps the fault lies with me? You showed me so much kindness, and yet, I failed to meet your expectations. But…!!”
The highest-level magic of Pure Magic.
‘Magical Unity’
Vangrit’s body was engulfed by magic.
“I wanted to show you this.”
A more brilliant light emanated.
“Thanks to you, I was able to grow this much.”
Mages speak through their magic traces.
“Now I understand what you meant.”
At last, Jessie fully understood the meaning. It wasn’t just Vangrit; all the senior mages were expressing their feelings toward Chief Lee through their magic manifestations.
And then…
“Maintain this momentum and feeling, Vangrit.”
“…?”
“I will still stand tall.”
“…!”
Chief Lee didn’t retreat even an inch before the heartfelt magic of the senior mages. Soon, the powerful magic unleashed by the seniors filled Amber Hall, enveloping the space in dense magic.
Boom.
The shockwave reached the upper levels where the three were standing.
Marcelo cast a light barrier to absorb the shockwave.
Bellier, who was watching the scene, commented.
“They all put their hearts into it, just like me.”
“Bellier…”
“Without trust in Chief Lee, no one would freely manifest such magic. Nineteen high-level spells, strangely intertwined and manifested together, right? No one but Chief Lee could handle this.”
Jessie carefully nodded.
– Surely, it’s only Chief Lee’s reversal magic that can handle this.
At this point, the only person capable of manifesting reversal magic was Marcelo, aside from Hoyeol.
However, Marcelo knew better.
‘Reversing magic is never easy.’
The more complicated the process of manifestation, the exponentially harder it becomes to manifest reversal magic. The reason Marcelo had only been able to reverse basic magic was because of this difficulty.
Nevertheless, Marcelo didn’t doubt it.
‘But Chief Lee is the creator of reversal magic.’
He could grasp the structure of any magic just by witnessing it, and could manifest it freely. He had even been able to control otherworldly black magic better than Senior Matisse.
So, even amidst the aftermath…
“…Wait a minute.”
Marcelo had thought Chief Lee would simply reverse it with his usual reversal magic.
Something felt off.
He recalled the usual reversal magic.
It seemed as though this was an even more elegant form of reversal magic, almost too refined to be real.
Jessie spoke urgently.
“There’s never been such a violent reaction to reversal magic before…!!”
The senior mages also sensed the strange power.
The senior mage of Black Magic,
Matisse Dean Karl.
He suddenly regained his focus.
‘The control of the suitable magic power just faltered for a moment.’
But more importantly, Chief Lee’s magic was no longer detectable. Mages speak through their magic traces, and this meant something was wrong. He could immediately understand what it meant.
“This… this is Chief Lee…?”
It seemed Chief Lee had reversed their magic back at them.
.
.
.
[※Warning: Life force is rapidly decreasing.]
[Set item effect is applied.]
[Awakening.]
.
.
.
A voice echoed in his mind.
– My name is…
It was as if he were desperately whispering to make sure he didn’t forget.
– …Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
Grandfell, your voice.