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Episode 74
Remnants (1)
The next day.
A one-week training period has begun.
“Ah! Here it is, Wizard Riley!”
As we walked around the indoor plaza on the first floor with Tepi, we stopped in front of a familiar passageway.
A street with all four sides made of mirrors.
It was the mirrored hallway I had been to with Elder Isabella yesterday.
“The elder asked me to explain this place first.”
Tepi began to explain with a bright expression.
According to him, in the Irantes Tower, you move between floors using the mirrored hallway.
Of course, there were elevators and stairs in the Magic Tower, but most wizards seemed to prefer the Mirror Hallway, which took less time to travel.
“I’m sure you’ve already heard the gist of it from Elder Isabella, but from here on out, you must be careful where you walk.”
Jeokbuk─.
Tephi continued speaking as she stepped toward the mirrored hallway.
“There are ‘warp gates’ scattered throughout the hallways, so you could easily end up in a strange place.”
“… … What if it’s a strange place?”
“Like the abandoned laboratory, the magic stone management warehouse, the outer tower, etc. Well, there are other places as well.”
Chuck─.
Tepi raised one finger and added his explanation in a firm voice.
“So, in order to avoid falling into the wrong place, you must follow my footsteps. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“Hehe, good. Then, first, I’ll introduce you to the places that wizards visit the most.”
Tepi, with a bright expression, slowly walked down the mirrored hallway.
Riley, who had been watching him closely, followed him cautiously.
Did I walk about 10 steps like that?
Out of nowhere, one side of the mirror started to wiggle.
Knock knock─!
A landscape formed on the surface of a rippling mirror.
Beyond that, a bustling alley appeared.
“Okay, follow me!”
We walked towards the shimmering mirror with Tepee.
Then our bodies passed through the mirror as it was.
Swish─!
A view that changes in an instant.
Before we knew it, we had moved into the world inside the mirror.
Riley slowly looked around as if the situation was strange, and muttered quietly to herself.
“When I walked through the mirror hallway with Elder Isabella, it wasn’t like this warp method… … .”
“lol.”
Tephy smiled and answered Riley’s mutterings.
“I think it must have been because he moved to Elder Isabella’s private room yesterday.”
“A private room?”
“Yes, the wizards’ private rooms are different from the general public facilities in that the warp gates operate instantly.”
According to Tephi, the private room is a subspace planted inside the tower. It’s easier to cast “space expansion” magic that way, and security is tighter.
Anyway, because of that, the private rooms in the tower seemed to have a different approach from the general public facilities.
“Later, if Wizard Riley also completes her training period and all the appointment quests, she will be able to receive a private room.”
Nod.
After hearing that, Riley nodded and looked around.
“By the way, this place… … .”
Groan, groan, groan─.
A bustling street.
The alley was crowded with countless wizards.
Hehe, laughing, Tepi began to describe the place.
“This is the restaurant area on the second floor of the Magic Tower. It’s where wizards mainly eat.”
Restaurant street.
As the name suggests, the alley was lined with restaurants, and the mouth-watering smell of food wafted in the air.
Gulp─!
“Uh… … .”
“… … .”
[… … .]
At that moment, a rumbling sound was heard from Tepi’s stomach.
He gave a sheepish smile and muttered quietly to Riley.
“Ugh… …. Wizard, shall we eat first?”
“… … .”
[… … .]
I was curious as to why you came to the restaurant area first among the many facilities in Matap, but it turns out it was just because you were hungry.
Well, well.
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Even Mt. Geumgang looks better after a meal.
“Yeah.”
“Hehe, then I’ll tell you about some delicious restaurants while I’m at it.”
After finishing our simple meal, we continued to travel around Irantes with Tepi to learn the structure of the tower.
A workshop for creating artifacts, a public research lab, a library, etc… … .
Because the Irantes Tower itself is so large and has so many facilities, it took about four full days to tour the entire place and become familiar with the structure.
“Okay, so now that the tour of the Irantes Tower is over, let’s move on to the next step.”
“What’s the next step…?”
“It’s training time. You need to learn the rules you must follow while living in the Tower of Irantes.”
After exploring the pagoda to our heart’s content, we spent the remaining three days receiving education from Tepi about the pagoda of Irantes.
“I’ll just skip over explanations about the founding principles or history of the Tower! So please concentrate and listen carefully!”
Tephy skipped over all the useless stuff and just gave me the practical stuff.
For example, each elder’s personality, or things to be careful of when using the facilities of the tower.
“Things to keep in mind when assisting elders in their research… … .”
“If you ever find yourself alone in the second floor restaurant area, try Uncle Tom’s fried meat! Other recommended restaurants are… … .”
“At the Tower of Lantes, an annual event called the “Ritual” is held once a year, and on this day only the main auditorium is opened… … .”
“Oh, right! Let me explain one more thing… … .”
Time passed quickly, and it had already been a week since I first set foot on the Irantes Tower.
Smart─.
That evening, a knock was heard outside the guesthouse door.
“Oh, Riley Wizard!”
As we opened the door, we were greeted by Tepi with a bright expression on her face.
In both his hands he held a delicious cake.
“Congratulations on completing your training period at the Magic Tower, hehe!”
With a celebration marking the end of the training period, the first week of my extremely busy time at the Irantes Tower came to an end.
* * *
“Here you go, wizard! Follow me slowly!”
Thud, thud─.
After a simple celebration party, we followed Tepi somewhere.
Tepee, who moves forward without even telling you the destination.
Riley asked him this question with a dubious expression.
“Mr. Tepee.”
“yes!”
“Where are you going now?”
“Oh, I’m on my way to the auditorium!”
Grand auditorium.
It was a place I had heard a vague explanation of when I was exploring the rooftop, but had never been there in person.
That would be the case, as the auditorium is only open once a year.
“Didn’t you say that the main hall is only open when ceremonies are held?”
“Yes, that’s right. As expected, the wizard has a really good memory, hehe.”
“… … .”
“Actually, even now, we go to the main auditorium to perform the ceremony.”
The ceremony was an annual event held once a year in the great hall of the Irantes Tower.
It is said that every single magician and assistant belonging to the Irantes Tower participates in this event.
That’s all Riley and I know.
We didn’t know the details of the ceremony.
Whenever a story related to this came up, Tepi always gave an ambiguous explanation.
-Ah, ah. I’m sorry, wizard.
-I think it would be faster to just see the “ritual” yourself rather than listening to my explanation, hehe…
I found out later that in the Tower of Irantes, what happened during the ceremony was never to be revealed outside the main auditorium.
That’s one of the rules of the tower or something.
‘It’s clear from Mr. Tepi’s reaction that there’s something else to the ritual.’
[… … .]
‘I can finally find out the inside story.’
[huh.]
It was a moment when Riley and I were having that conversation.
“Oh, here it is!”
“… … .”
Tepi, who was walking down the mirrored hallway, suddenly stopped.
Then the surface of the mirror in front of us began to slowly ripple.
Knock knock─!
A huge hall seen beyond the mirror.
Dozens of magicians belonging to the Order of Irantes, including the Seven Elders, sat with stern expressions on their faces in the rows of seats. Next to them, assistants were taking their places.
“This way, wizard. You can sit here.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
After passing through the mirror and entering the auditorium, Tepi guided us to our designated seats.
Thud─.
Tepi, who was sitting on a seat not far from the stage, muttered with an expression of great amazement.
“Ugh… … . I’m shaking.”
Riley sat down next to him and answered in a quiet voice.
“I guess Mr. Tepi is really looking forward to the ceremony.”
“yes!”
Tepi nodded with a bright expression.
“I’m sure Wizard Riley will soon find out why, hehe.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
How much more time passed like that?
Finally, the lights that had been illuminating the auditorium began to go out, one by one.
The view darkened. Someone slowly began to walk out onto the only brightly lit stage.
Crunch, crunch─.
Thud, thud─.
The familiar sound of shoes.
And the feeble steps that follow.
Two wizards appeared on the stage.
The Lord of the Magic Tower, Jan Irantes.
And standing next to him is the elder, Isabella Mage Triwizard.
“… … .”
[… … .]
Gulp─.
From the side, I could hear Tepi swallowing dry saliva.
It wasn’t hard to tell from his face that the guy was excited.
I looked around cautiously.
Why is that?
Besides Tepi, all the other assistants looked excited.
The same was true for other magicians belonging to the Order of Irantes.
They also had a strange expression on their face, as if they were expecting something. They tried hard not to show it, but their inner feelings were clearly revealed on their faces.
‘What on earth is the ritual that people expect so much from it?’
After hearing Riley’s question, I fell into quiet thought.
ceremony.
An annual event anticipated by wizards and their assistants.
It is held only once a year, and security is maintained through rules to ensure that what happens in the auditorium is never leaked… … .
[… … .]
okay.
I guessed it.
No, actually I noticed it from the beginning.
What is the ritual of the Tower of Irantes? What happens here? And why does the Tower of Irantes do it?
Since these guys were the remnants of ‘those guys’, there could only be one answer to these questions.
After finishing my thoughts up to that point, I looked up at the stage again.
Jan Lantes continued his speech with a cane.
His muffled voice slowly permeated the auditorium.
“300 years, yes. 300 years. While the other five great magic towers enjoyed glory for thousands of years, our Irantes magic tower caught up with them in just 300 years. Of course, this was due to the hard work of the magic tower members… … .”
The formal words continued on and on. The speech was so boring.
There was nothing more to hear.
I just let Jan Lantes’ speech go in one ear and lost myself in my own thoughts.
It was a time when free time continued to flow like that.
“A new wizard has entered the tower this year as well.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Suddenly, something was said that got on Riley and me’s nerves.
“He is a truly outstanding wizard. He has already reached the intermediate level at the age of 15.”
Groan, groan, groan─.
As soon as Jan Lantes finished speaking, the room began to tremble.
15 years old.
There has never been a single wizard in the history of magic who reached the middle ranks at such a young age.
Even Martha Pargerich, who was considered the greatest archmage, reached the intermediate level at the age of 21, which speaks for itself.
“Some people are talking nonsense. The next big thing in the magic world is Arpel Stingwood.”
“… … .”
“Who else? Oh, yeah. There was Caitlin Greyyard, and Eric the Triwizard.”
“… … .”
“Yes. People call those children the future of the magical world. I believe that the three stars will rise and brighten up this magical world.”
Yann Lantes paused for a moment, snickered, and then mumbled.
“gibberish.”
“… … .”
“Those little bastards can’t even reach that kid’s toes.”
Swish─.
Jan Lantes casts a longing gaze at Riley.
Following his gaze, the other tower members also began to focus their gaze on us.
“Riley, that’s the child’s name. Based on the potential shown in the screening test, she could become one of the future elders of the Tower.”
“… … .”
“No, perhaps it is safe to say that the position of Elder has already been decided. That child has already achieved what the Master did at the age of 21.”
“… … .”
“Yes. Riley, that child will be a wizard who will go down in history. The next great tree, the future of the magical world, a rising star. All of those nicknames may be hers alone. No, maybe they have already been hers.”
He declared.
“Therefore, I would like to designate that child as the subject of this ceremony.”
There was a sudden commotion.
“… … !”
“… … What?”
“What just now… … .”
The tower guards looked back and forth between Riley and Yann Lantes with puzzled expressions.
Either way, Yann Lantes continued with a bitter smile.
“Riley, come up to the stage with your assistant.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Ppoduk─.
A sound of teeth grinding was heard from somewhere.
The anticipation on the wizards’ faces disappeared in an instant.
Before they knew it, people were starting to look at Riley and Teffi with jealous eyes.
The rumbling grew louder.
“What did the Lord just say?”
“her…….”
“You’re using that little girl as an object of ‘ritual’? Did I misunderstand?”
“You said it’s only been a day since you finished your training period, so why is the Lord Tower doing this to a kid like that… .”
“I don’t understand.”
Object of courtesy.
Those words kept coming up and down the wizards’ mouths.
Groan, groan, groan─.
As time passed, the confusion grew. The wizards looked at Riley and whispered among themselves.
Even though it was just a whisper, if dozens of people agreed, the whisper would grow uncontrollably loud.
The room was instantly filled with commotion.
Finally, Isabella, unable to bear to watch any longer, closed her eyes tightly and opened her mouth.
“Quiet.”
“… … … … … .”
The auditorium, which had been bustling with the sound of her voice mixed with magic, suddenly became quiet.
Isabella took a deep breath, looked at us, and continued speaking.
“Riley.”
“… … .”
“Just come up quickly.”
Upon hearing the urging, Riley stood up from her seat and began walking toward the stage.
With every step I took, people’s gazes clung to me like mud.
Thud, thud─.
Tephy, who followed Riley, was at a loss as to what to do with the attention pouring in.
His cheeks had suddenly turned red.
But I knew full well that the blush wasn’t from shame.
excitement.
Yeah, Tepi was extremely excited right now.
I’m so happy that I was chosen as the object of rite along with Riley.
“… … .”
Towering─.
Before we knew it, we had reached the center of the stage and stopped walking.
Isabella slowly opened her mouth, looking back and forth between Teffi and Riley with a soft smile on her face.
“Riley, and Teffi.”
“……yes.”
“yes!”
“Do you swear to keep strict security for the ‘ritual’ that will be held today?”
Nod─.
Upon hearing that, Riley and Tephy nodded simultaneously.
As for the ceremony, security must be maintained at all costs. What happens during the ceremony must never be leaked outside the auditorium.
This soon became one of the most important rules of the Irantes Matap.
“good.”
Isabella, after hearing Riley and Tephi’s answers, looked at Yann Lantes with a satisfied smile and said.
“All preparations are complete, Your Majesty.”
“Then let us perform the ceremony.”
“yes.”
As soon as Jan Lantes gave his permission, Isabella snapped her fingers.
Taaak─!
In an instant, the surroundings became quiet as if time and space had stopped. The air became cool and a heavy pressure seemed to weigh down my body.
Saaaa …
“… … .”
[… … .]
Why is that?
The people sitting in the seats were no longer looking at Riley.
Their gaze was turned elsewhere.
People stared as if entranced, next to Riley, that is… … exactly where Tephy was standing.
Iron Poke─.
Kuung──!
It was then that a heavy, resonating sound echoed across the stage, and a pungent, nose-piercing smell wafted in.
Suddenly feeling ominous, Riley slowly turned her gaze to the side.
“… … ?”
The tapestry was not visible.
Tephy, who had been standing right next to Riley just a moment ago, disappeared without a trace.
Only then did Riley realize.
That people’s gaze is looking a little lower.
Swish─.
Riley slowly lowered her gaze, following the crowd.
Down, and down further.
“… … .”
I saw something.
A red carpet was spread out over the stage.
no.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that it wasn’t a carpet.
Bloodstains.
As we carefully followed the crimson blood, we could see a headless corpse lying on the floor.
“… … .”
[… … .]
A terrible silence fell.
Only Tepee’s corpse, still warm, trembles intermittently.
