◈ Chapter 77. A Senior’s Dignity (1)

“The regular conference will be temporarily suspended.”

─Weight of the Chief (Repeat)

“Proceed with the verification at Topaz Hall. (Success)

●Conduct the regular conference successfully. (Ongoing)

The quest objective is to successfully conduct a regular conference.

Ending the conference by skipping the last speaker, Vanguard?

I can hardly call that a success.

My pride was telling me.

” Vanguard Tom. The moment he steps to the podium, the conference resumes.”

I’m going to put Vanguard in Crystal Hall!

Would I be able to run the conference as I pleased?

Suddenly, I was worried.

I thought again.

I shouldn’t have made him do it.

In that sense, he’s Uncle Tom.

I don’t know where he disappeared to.

One thing was certain.

“Of course, before I do that, I will hold you accountable for the current situation.”

Unless there’s a good reason.

I mean, if you don’t have a good reason.

You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Senior Wizard Uncle Tom.

*https://pindangscans.com

Silence.

If anyone was watching, Ho Yeol had taken the podium.

He’s a man who values etiquette and formality.

As if that weren’t bad enough, he even mentioned the word “procedure”.

How dare anyone chatter or not listen.

Booming.

The group exited the Crystal Hall.

The players cautiously parted their lips.

“……Ya, isn’t this a quest?”

“It looks like a quest.”

“If we find Vanguard Tom, will it be a quest from then on?!”

I could smell it.

It smelled like a big quest.

A mage, a senior mage, had gone missing.

The players began to take notice.

An invitation to a regular conference?

That’s a sign of experience.

“Well, let’s wait and see. It could end up being a surprise, right?”

It could be a surprise.

He was referring to the possibility of Vanguard Tom being inside the tower.

As in.

“Well, maybe he’s just relaxed and dozing off somewhere.”

That was a possibility.

But it was still hard to imagine.

“How could a senior mage do that, let alone someone else?”

It’s a Mage class, after all.

Players who know the greatness of the Mage Tower.

It just didn’t make sense that a Senior Mage would make such a mistake.

So the wait wasn’t long.

First in line.

The moment all the senior mages left the Crystal Hall.

The players began to stir in their seats.

“It’s clear. Vanguard Tom’s on the outside of the Magic Tower!”

“Did you hear that? Vanguard Tom, we must find him!”

“……What does it look like? Wait, I’ve never seen it before!”

The Crystal Hall.

There was only one person left in the room.

It was Jesse Heinness.

Jesse opened his mouth.

“What do you think?”

Without missing a beat, the tin foil hat replied.

-This is certainly something unprecedented.

Even if its reputation has since faded.

It was a regular conference of the Magic Tower.

The mage who disappeared before the announcement?

I don’t recall any such thing in my memories as an archmage.

Moreover, Vanguard Tom was a senior wizard.

“I heard you put a lot of work into this research…….”

Jesse had been in and out of the tower often, talking to apprentices and adept mages alike, so he was familiar with Vanguard’s methods. Jesse muttered.

“……something must have happened to him.”

– In terms of the atmosphere, it must be so. However, disciple.

“What?”

-Don’t get me started on this one.

“……?”

It wasn’t an old man’s tone.

It was the kind that comes with a little thought.

Jesse’s eyes widened as he realized what she meant.

“Is it possible that something could happen to Mr. ……?”

It was.

Vanguard Tom.

Regardless of his position in the Magic Tower, he was the senior wizard of the Magic Tower.

More of a superhuman than a human.

Jesse knew him well, having seen him up close.

what the senior mages of the Magic Tower were like.

What could he possibly do that would get him in trouble?

Suddenly, Jesse jumped to his feet.

” ……This is not the time to be thinking about quests!”

This really wasn’t normal.

So much so that it was dangerous to even be associated with it, as the Master had said.

* https://pindangscans.com

Magic Tower.

Senior wizard Vanguard Tom is missing.

The news had reached the AAU.

“Senior, how did you get this rice cake?”

“Uh, I had a nettuber streaming it. It was broadcasting the regular meeting from the beginning. I’ve got a big appetite. I can’t handle it if I get caught.”

“Was there a replay? Can I go ahead and watch it?”

“Of course.”

Yoon clicked the replay button.

As he did, the chat window started to rewind.

Sung looked at the chat window and was stunned.

Why is the chat window full of the same words……?

“Ho Yeol. Ho Yeol. Ho Yeol? You’re all over the place today, aren’t you?”

“I couldn’t help it. It was serious. Earlier.”

“You’ve been plastering for hours anyway, and instead of dropping out, you’re joining in? What the hell happened?”

I could go on and on.

Aside.

Yoon sipped his Americano and preached the miracle of the day.

He wasn’t exaggerating.

Ho-yeol’s performance was nothing short of miraculous.

Sung Hyun-joon, who had been listening in silence, asked in astonishment.

“Su, you taught a bunch of adept mages?!”

“Yes. She even gave them research directions.”

“Does that make sense? No, I don’t understand.”

Ho Yeol, a mere player.

How could he possibly teach the mages of the Magic Tower?

Sung Hyun-joon was still not convinced.

Regrettably.

“But that’s not the point.”

“……Yes, because there’s something else that doesn’t make sense.”

” Vanguard Tom.”

The senior wizard of the tower had gone missing.

That was the real reason for the emergency at AAU.

Hyunjoon Sung racked his brain.

“Where did he suddenly go?”

“That’s something we’ll have to figure out.”

“No, really. Well, another NPC. No, you mean another Arcane has gone missing. That’s unfortunate. I’ll move on, but……!”

Like I said.

What do you think of the mages in the Magic Tower?

Even Vanguard Tom is a senior mage among them.

You only look as good as you know.

AAU realized the gravity of the situation.

“These NPCs aren’t supposed to be on the Arcana continent in the first place. What about the mages of the Tower? Once the Gennes get their act together. The Empire is the only thing that can stop them…….”

Yoon Soo-gyeom clicked his tongue.

“Don’t overdo it. No one said they were moving in groups, it’s just that Vanguard Tom disappeared on his own.”

“That’s not normal either, hyung! If the. really if Let’s say that as the players guess, a quest related to Vanguard Tom comes to mind. Let’s just say the players end up going up against him.”

“Dude. I don’t even want to think about that.”

Knowing what I know, I could guarantee it.

If Vanguard Tom became an enemy of the players.

He might even be a greater foe than the Demon King Decarabian.

“What the hell is going on here, man?”

Ugh.

I groaned and racked my brain, but nothing came to mind.

So Sung Hyun-joon could only wonder.

He knew the gravity of the situation better than I did.

Yoon Soo-gyeom didn’t seem to be worried.

” …… Is everything okay?”

“Huh? What?”

“No, in the past, you would have been more upset than me…….”

“Oh, I’ve got faith.”

“Faith? Where did you start believing in religion?”

“Religion?”

Yoon Soo-gyeom smirked.

“Well, you could look at it that way, right?”

He clicked the play button.

The video played again.

Ho-Yeol’s voice blared from the speakers.

-“Vanguard Tom. The moment he steps to the podium, the conference will resume.”

“!”

Yes, Ho Yeol was there.

The missing Vanguard Tom.

A position higher than that of the great Senior Wizard.

Ho-yeol, who was being treated as an equal to the senior mage.

“Imagine the setup of the Magic Tower. Even if you were lucky enough to get a position as a chief co-researcher, if you didn’t prove yourself, you’d quickly be stripped of your position, because that’s what a chief is.”

Yoon continued.

“So you have no choice but to trust him.”

As if that weren’t enough, he activated the Quernberg machine tower.

Wasn’t this a prelude to a full-scale counterattack?

Sung opened his mouth.

“Ho yeol, Ho Yeol. I think I know a little bit why the attacks started.”

Of course, trusting Ho-yeol alone.

It would be like dereliction of duty.

Their thoughts were unspoken.

“Information that might help Ho-yeol.”

They exchange a glance.

Tap, tap, tap!

Sung Hyun-joon and Yoon Soo-gyeom started tapping diligently on the keyboard.

“It’s not a game anymore, so it can’t be a bug.”

“Then there must be a purpose behind the disappearance, right?”

“That’s right. Knowing its purpose, we can at least guess where it might have gone. The question is how to find out the purpose… … . First of all, shall we look into the magic tower settings?”

* https://pindangscans.com

Indeed.

Every action has a purpose.

Even Vanguard’s spontaneous behavior has a purpose.

So what is the purpose of Vanguard?

If you ask me.

“Say you had to go to the toilet. I would have understood if you had asked for permission.”

……Wait a minute, no matter how important manners are.

How can you say the word “toilet” in the Crystal Hall?!

People have shame, Grandfell.

As you can see, I couldn’t come up with a nutritious answer.

But unlike me, who shamelessly spits out bullshit.

For there was one who could guess its purpose.

“Indeed, there is a point.”

It was Marcelo.

Marcelo narrowed his sunken eyes.

“I don’t know what the Lord will think. I think I know a person called Vanguard well. He has great talent, but even the problem that his lack of self-confidence is preventing him from progressing.”

Well, then, that explains your attempt to bribe me in the guise of good faith. You lack confidence, so you resort to bribery.

Nod.

I shake my head, and Marcelo continues.

“But that’s just a personal matter. Someone suggested that Vanguard, who was under psychological pressure due to his reduced position, disappeared ahead of the conference, but… … . I do not agree.”

His voice was full of conviction.

“Because he is a senior wizard of pure magic.”

Marcelo’s meaning was simple.

So simple, in fact, that it made him feel under the pressure.

The senior mage of the tower is not to be trifled with.

I couldn’t agree more.

“Which is why I’ll tell you.”

I nodded, unable to argue.

Marcelo said meaningfully.

“It’s about the roundtable.”

……There was a reason for the pause!

A round table conference is a meeting of the leaders of the Magic Tower.

I wondered what the hell they were talking about.

I couldn’t help but wonder.

Of course, they didn’t say.

It’s times like these that I’m grateful for poker faces. Really.

“The scheduled roundtable has been postponed.”

……But what? It was postponed?!

Wait, then why did I go through all that trouble!

Instantly, resentment bubbling up inside.

“Don’t thank me for my poker face!”

I take that back.

I might end up with a short life as a flower vase.

But still, I asked back in an unmoved tone.

“When was it decided to postpone the roundtable?”

“As you might have guessed. It was decided in the middle of the regular meeting.”

“!”

“That’s right. Similar to when Vanguard left the Crystal Hall.”

What he meant was simple.

It meant that Vanguard Tom’s disappearance was linked to the head of the Magic Tower.

Doesn’t that mean he’s connected to the tower lord or the elder mage?

” ……, surely I’m not misunderstanding?

Surely, that’s what Marcelo meant.

It’s not a conspiracy theory.

It’s just that all of a sudden there’s a lot of people in high places.

But as I said, there is no expression.

Marcelo chuckled softly at my tasteless reaction.

“So, you guessed that, too.”

“?”

“Yes.”

Guess what I had guessed?

As if there were any more surprises left.

I braced myself, but in vain.

“This is the matter of the unspeakable Magic Tower.”

At that moment, the quest window flashed.

[Quest: The Truth of the Magic Tower]

Contradictions exist in the Mage Tower.

Uncover the contradictions.

Set the Tower and the truth straight.

Secure the Vanguard Tom that is tangled up with the Lord of the Magic Tower. (in progress)

…… was connected like this?

How intricately twisted it is from the top, this thing.

I had a hunch when Marcelo couldn’t talk easily.

Now that I know the truth, I’m even more shocked.

He’s not just a mage, he’s the leader.

But it’s not what I think.

I replied.

with the most impudent voice.

“I understand your troubles. Marcelo Chief Mage.”

* https://pindangscans.com

“Fools, use your heads!”

The lobby of the Magic Tower.

Several players were waiting there.

“What are we going to do, just run up to him, and he’ll be like, “Boom,” and greet us?”

The search for Vanguard Tom.

You have to look for clues to find him.

In that sense, everyone was wasting their time.

“Yeah! If you don’t know, you should know. Like us.”

The players were waiting for Ho Yeol.

He was going to be looking for Vanguard Tom, too.

Who is Ho Yeol?

The chief co-researcher of Magic Tower.

Naturally, he would have more information than anyone else.

“If we follow him, we’ll find something.”

Follow him, but what if you find Vanguard Tom before he does?

The quest and the reward are ours.

That was the purpose of the waiting players.

And then.

The wait is over.

The sound of shoes.

“Lee Ho-yeol…….”

But for an impure purpose.

“……daaaat?!”

It was miserably broken.

The footsteps were not alone.

Ho-Yeol was not alone.

“What’s that behind you, a skeleton?”

It wasn’t a skeleton.

It was just a skeletonized man.

Until they realized who he was.

The mage players who recognized him were horrified.

“Hey, Marcelo, how did Chief Mage get here……?”

“Wait, he’s heading for the portal, those two!”

“Did the magic tower start moving because of Lee Ho-yeol?!”