Chapter 80

EP.80 The Tower of Oddities (1)

A brunch cafe on the main street.

Roselle was looking out the window with an expression that seemed a decade older. He was tired. Lately, life felt exhausting. His hair was also starting to thin.

'...I can understand Aaron’s feelings.'

He felt his hair thinning even more.

Roselle held back a sigh and looked straight ahead. His troublesome student was right in front of him.

As he watched Raniel spreading cheese on a bread, Roselle opened his mouth.

"...Was it good?"

"Huh? Yes, it was good."

I’m glad it was good.

Thanks to you, I can’t even swallow a sip of coffee properly.

Roselle swallowed the words that had risen to his throat. Raniel, unaware of Roselle’s thoughts, was savoring a cooled milk tea.

"...Sigh."

In the end, Roselle sighed.

Recently, a rumor has been circulating at Aphria Academy. It’s about a mad magician who tore the clothes of a saint and poured coffee on her.

-They say the saint’s clothes were torn.

-She was doused in coffee and reportedly got very angry, which is rare for such a benevolent saint...

The saint, Sara, a symbol of benevolence, had an incident where she got angry. The cafe owner, sweating coldly, testified that he saw nothing, and the saint herself remained silent.

No one knows anything about the mad magician.

Only rumors abound.

'No matter how I think about it...'

However, Roselle is certain.

'It was Raniel’s doing.'

Roselle pronounced the word 'saint.' Raniel lifted her head and looked at Roselle. At first, she frowned, but then her expression softened as she asked, "Why?"

That expression didn’t look particularly bad.

In fact, it even looked refreshing.

"...It’s nothing."

Yes, it’s fine as long as it wasn’t discovered.

Roselle decided to think positively and changed the subject.

"The ancient lich entered Aphria, didn’t it?"

"Yes, it did."

"Did you get hurt?"

It was a loaded question.

Raniel nodded while munching on her bread.

"I’ve caught it a few times before... I’m fine. I probably only got hurt the first time we met, right?"

Her voice didn’t carry outside. Within the temporary barrier, Raniel continued speaking.

"I got hurt when I tried to kill that thing and developed a magic system..."

Raniel stopped mid-sentence and closed her mouth. Putting down her bread, she averted her gaze and spoke in a shy voice.

"...I haven’t really been hurt since I developed the Battle Mage class."

Battle Mage.

At the mention of this, Roselle’s lips twitched.

'So, you’ve realized it, huh?'

Roselle smiled wryly while sipping his coffee.

"How does it feel to be the founder of a class without a solid foundation, Raniel?"

"Well, developing a class is indeed something to be proud of..."

"It’s something to be proud of."

"But, Master, why didn’t you tell me?"

It was a rather sudden question.

"Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t know?"

"Huh?"

"If you had asked anyone, they would have told you that the founder of the Battle Mage class is the great Ashen Mage..."

"Ahhhh!"

Raniel let out a scream and bowed her head. Roselle looked at her with a somewhat exasperated expression.

Her face was bright red.

It seemed the words she had spoken herself were coming back to her. Roselle chuckled and said,

"A class without a solid foundation."

Thud.

"A mage should cast spells, not engage in useless physical techniques. There’s no foundation more lacking than that."

Thud.

"I’m sure the founder, whoever it is, must be a crazy mage."

All of these were Raniel’s own words. Stopping his finger-tapping on the table, Roselle looked down at Raniel. She bowed her head and muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Please, Master, stop it..."

"It seems you’re embarrassed."

Roselle savored his coffee. Unlike before, it went down smoothly.

"When did you find out?"

"...While grading the midterm exam. I saw a passage about myself in another professor’s exam questions."

"It happens from time to time."

The Ashen Mage, Raniel.

The problems about her, who had become a significant figure in history, were often included in exams.

'You must have seen it there.'

Roselle stroked his chin and said,

"You took a long time to figure it out. I thought you would have realized it immediately when you saw the students who applied for the Battle Mage class."

"...But the crucial part was missing. I never thought it was a class I created..."

Raniel grumbled and explained. It was about the physical enhancement that forms the core of the Battle Mage class.

"...Replacing the physical strain caused by enhancement spells with mana consumption?"

"Yes, that’s how I could keep up with Kyle’s movements. Isn’t it strange to engage in close combat without such a system?"

It’s more surprising that this flaw wasn’t discovered. Watching Raniel mutter, Roselle smiled bitterly.

"Indeed, as you said, it is a flaw. But, Raniel, even with that flaw, the Battle Mage class is highly practical in combat. Its usefulness on the battlefield has been proven."

"Huh? Well, that’s fortunate..."

Seeing her somewhat unsatisfied expression, Roselle shrugged.

"If it bothers you so much, why don’t you teach it yourself?"

"Me?"

"You’re already teaching a related subject, aren’t you?"

The physical enhancement spell that goes beyond the strain.

The core of this lies in the subject Raniel is currently teaching, the study of mana transactions.

'Substitution of the cost.'

The exchange of mana through the balance with the stars.

Not just manifesting spells, but offering something in exchange to create phenomena.

'The ultimate goal of the study of mana transactions.'

A class that takes this as a prerequisite.

Roselle chuckled.

'Isn’t that a bit too much?'

One must master the concept of spell stock. One must know how to use physical enhancement spells and be skilled in physical techniques.

'And, on top of that, one must be able to handle the balance.'

Is there a more complex class?

"Well, it doesn’t seem like something that can be resolved in a day or two. Teach it slowly."

"Hmm... I learned by watching Kyle, so I think it would be easier with some examples."

As she grumbled, Raniel explained. It was about the physical enhancement that forms the core of the Battle Mage class.

"Replacing the physical strain caused by enhancement spells with mana consumption?"

"Yes, that’s how I could keep up with Kyle’s movements. Isn’t it strange to engage in close combat without such a system?"

Raniel stopped mid-sentence and closed her mouth. Putting down her bread, she averted her gaze and spoke in a shy voice.

"...I haven’t really been hurt since I developed the Battle Mage class."

Battle Mage.

At the mention of this, Roselle’s lips twitched.

'So, you’ve realized it, huh?'

Roselle smiled wryly while sipping his coffee.

"How does it feel to be the founder of a class without a solid foundation, Raniel?"

"Well, developing a class is indeed something to be proud of..."

"It’s something to be proud of."

"But, Master, why didn’t you tell me?"

It was a rather sudden question.

"Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t know?"

"Huh?"

"If you had asked anyone, they would have told you that the founder of the Battle Mage class is the great Ashen Mage..."

"Ahhhh!"

Raniel let out a scream and bowed her head. Roselle looked at her with a somewhat exasperated expression.

Her face was bright red.

It seemed the words she had spoken herself were coming back to her. Roselle chuckled and said,

"A class without a solid foundation."

Thud.

"A mage should cast spells, not engage in useless physical techniques. There’s no foundation more lacking than that."

Thud.

"I’m sure the founder, whoever it is, must be a crazy mage."

All of these were Raniel’s own words. Stopping his finger-tapping on the table, Roselle looked down at Raniel. She bowed her head and muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Please, Master, stop it..."

"It seems you’re embarrassed."

Roselle savored his coffee. Unlike before, it went down smoothly.

"When did you find out?"

"...While grading the midterm exam. I saw a passage about myself in another professor’s exam questions."

"It happens from time to time."

The Ashen Mage, Raniel.

The problems about her, who had become a significant figure in history, were often included in exams.

'You must have seen it there.'

Roselle stroked his chin and said,

"You took a long time to figure it out. I thought you would have realized it immediately when you saw the students who applied for the Battle Mage class."

"...But the crucial part was missing. I never thought it was a class I created..."

Raniel grumbled and explained. It was about the physical enhancement that forms the core of the Battle Mage class.

"Replacing the physical strain caused by enhancement spells with mana consumption?"

"Yes, that’s how I could keep up with Kyle’s movements. Isn’t it strange to engage in close combat without such a system?"

It’s more surprising that this flaw wasn’t discovered. Watching Raniel mutter, Roselle smiled bitterly.

"Indeed, as you said, it is a flaw. But, Raniel, even with that flaw, the Battle Mage class is highly practical in combat. Its usefulness on the battlefield has been proven."

"Huh? Well, that’s fortunate..."

Seeing her somewhat unsatisfied expression, Roselle shrugged.

"If it bothers you so much, why don’t you teach it yourself?"

"Me?"

"You’re already teaching a related subject, aren’t you?"

The physical enhancement spell that goes beyond the strain.

The core of this lies in the subject Raniel is currently teaching, the study of mana transactions.

'Substitution of the cost.'

The exchange of mana through the balance with the stars.

Not just manifesting spells, but offering something in exchange to create phenomena.

'The ultimate goal of the study of mana transactions.'

A class that takes this as a prerequisite.

Roselle chuckled.

'Isn’t that a bit too much?'

One must master the concept of spell stock. One must know how to use physical enhancement spells and be skilled in physical techniques.

'And, on top of that, one must be able to handle the balance.'

Is there a more complex class?

"Well, it doesn’t seem like something that can be resolved in a day or two. Teach it slowly."

"Hmm... I learned by watching Kyle, so I think it would be easier with some examples."

Maybe I need to find a hero or something.

As Raniel muttered, Roselle suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"By the way, Raniel."

"Yes?"

"An invitation arrived."

An invitation that had recently flown into his mansion.

Roselle placed the letter with the guild’s emblem in front of Raniel.

"Where did it come from?"

"The Mage Guild."

"Huh?"

Roselle pointed to the letter and said,

"The Mage Guild has sent an invitation to the Ivory Tower."

2.

There is a tower called the Ivory Tower.

The Ivory Tower is different from the Ashen Tower I belonged to, or the other towers with their representative colors.

The Ivory Tower is a tower where scholars of the Mage Guild reside.

They don’t research a specific topic. Instead, they interpret circuits found in ancient ruins, which are complex and require a lot of time.

'And, they create problems based on that.'

A place that solves difficult problems and creates difficult problems.

That is the Ivory Tower of the Mage Guild.

'...The Ivory Tower, at least on the surface.'

In the public eye, it’s a tower where refined scholars solve circuits, but my impression after arguing with these crazy guys is different.

'A tower full of nitpicky and pretentious brats.'

That’s the Ivory Tower I know. These guys’ way of thinking is a bit strange, always interpreting circuits.

They pursue art in circuits.

-This curve is a bit off.

-Can’t it be drawn more artistically? This mess! Circuits shouldn’t be this messy...

-Creating a new circuit is a challenge to the 300 circuits made by the ancient mage...

Every time I tried to register a signature spell, they would complain like this.

'Fuck, as long as the circuit works, that’s all that matters.'

Their way of thinking is incomprehensible.

Anyway, the Ivory Tower is different from the towers of mages who prioritize efficiency. The Ivory Tower is a tower of oddities who treat spell circuits as art.

'That’s why I didn’t want to come here...'

I sighed as I looked up at the Ivory Tower.

Normally, I wouldn’t have any reason to come here.

'If only the Master hadn’t asked...'

I recalled the words the Master had said while handing me the letter.

-You created the final exam questions, didn’t you?

-Aaron, the dean, recommended them to the Ivory Tower. It seems the Ivory Tower was interested in your questions from the start.

I initially planned to refuse.

I didn’t particularly want to mingle with these oddities. Of course, having my questions published in the Ivory Tower is a significant achievement for a professor, but I didn’t care much about that.

'So, I decided to refuse...'

But then the Master said,

-Do you know, Raniel?

-Most of the textbooks and manuals used in Aphria come from the Ivory Tower.

As I listened, I realized the situation was different from when I was in the tower.

The Ivory Tower was an obstacle to the tower, but it seems it’s not the case for Aphria.

'A mutually complementary relationship...'

Aphria receives academic journals and manuals for free from the Ivory Tower. In return, they recommend promising scholars among their graduates to the Ivory Tower.

For Aphria, it’s beneficial to receive free manuals, and for the Ivory Tower, it reduces the effort of finding talent...

-We need to maintain a good relationship.

Pushed by the Master’s straightforward words, I ended up standing in front of the Ivory Tower.

"Hmm."

There was no difference from the Ivory Tower in my memory.

'When was the last time I came here?'

It’s been about 6 to 7 years.

The last visit was when I threw a problem at those guys who kept rejecting my circuits.

Thud.

As I thought about this, someone approached me as I passed the entrance of the Ivory Tower.

"Ah, Professor Rania?"

I nodded, and the scholar smiled brightly.

He bowed deeply, his robe fluttering.

"I’m Brick, your guide. Nice to meet you, Professor Rania."

"Yes, nice to meet you."

"The pillars of the Ivory Tower are waiting for you upstairs. It would be good to explain the solution and the purpose of the problem to them."

The five pillars of the Ivory Tower.

I remember they are similar to the elders of the mage tower.

"Yes, sure."

I nodded and followed Brick. As I walked down the corridor, I suddenly noticed the frames hanging on the walls.

The 44 selected difficult problems of the Ivory Tower.

Inside the frames hung circuits, displayed like works of art. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I looked at them.

'These guys are still the same...'

As I walked down the corridor, I suddenly noticed a circuit in a more ornate frame.

"Huh?"

I stopped in front of the frame.

The circuit looked familiar. It seemed like one I had seen before. As I tilted my head, Brick approached me.

"Oh, you’re interested in that circuit?"

"Huh? No, it just looks familiar..."

"That circuit was donated to our Ivory Tower by the Ashen Mage, Raniel."

Ah, that’s why.

'This is that one.'

This was the problem I threw at the nitpicky guys in the Mage Guild, telling them to eat shit.

'A problem that mixed all kinds of circuits.'

A problem I deliberately made unsolvable and called shit.

It was a problem filled with malice.

'I didn’t expect it to be displayed like this...'

It felt strange.

I looked at Brick and asked,

"This... shit...?"

"It’s a truly beautiful problem."

"Huh?"

"Yes?"

Why is this shit problem displayed here?