The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 139: The Night of the Mages (4)

"……."

"……."

At the Ninth Prince’s words, the atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.

The representatives of each magic tower wore expressions of deep contemplation.

‘The purpose of the event has changed?’

‘The original goal was unity and peace… so it probably hasn’t changed to something softer.’

‘Considering all the recent incidents, perhaps the imperial family is starting to prepare for something.’

The first to break the silence was Sasha Maestro, the White Tower Master.

She stared intently at Berkan and asked,

"What exactly is the new purpose?"

"You seem quite worried, but there’s no need for that at all."

Berkan smiled warmly at Sasha.

"In fact, the White Tower might even welcome this change."

"Stop beating around the bush and explain it clearly."

"Very well. Simply put, we are shifting the direction of the event while also elevating its status."

Berkan lightly tapped the round table, signaling an attendant to enter and distribute a stack of documents.

As the tower masters quickly skimmed through the papers, deep frowns formed on their brows.

"…Discovery and evaluation of next-generation mages?"

"They're significantly increasing the focus on practical combat?"

"That’s right. Starting from the eighth iteration, the Night of the Mages will become a place to showcase and enhance the participants’ real-world combat abilities. The previous emphasis on unity and peace… will be somewhat set aside. We’ve chosen practicality instead."

At those words, the expressions of the tower masters hardened.

It was as if they were silently reprimanding him—"As if anyone ever truly followed those slogans anyway?"

"Hmph."

As expected, the ill-tempered Red Tower Master pushed his sunglasses down slightly and asked,

"You were the Emperor’s fifteenth child, wasn’t it?"

The air in the conference room froze, and tension filled the space.

Despite having a more respectful title available, he had deliberately referred to Berkan as the "fifteenth child."

The implication was clear—Don’t think you can act high and mighty just because you're royalty.

The room fell into cautious silence as everyone warily glanced between Kudel and Berkan.

Then, with a gentle smile, Berkan finally spoke.

"That’s correct. I am Berkan de Calderan, the fifteenth child of His Majesty and the Ninth Prince. I believe we met a few times when I was younger, though I’m not sure if you recall."

"You think I only meet one or two brats a year? I don’t remember."@@novelbin@@

The underlying meaning was clear: You're not worth remembering.

Even when insulted right to his face, Berkan simply nodded as if unbothered.

"That’s understandable; it was a long time ago. I’ll make sure to greet you often in the future so you won’t forget."

"…Hmph."

Kudel, slightly appeased by Berkan’s polite attitude, adjusted his sunglasses and turned away.

Meanwhile, Tony Havertz of the Yellow Tower, unfazed by the awkward atmosphere, asked,

"What do you mean by elevating the status of the event?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. The Night of the Mages, which was merely a friendly event before, will now be a stage for magic towers to achieve notable accomplishments."

Notable accomplishments, huh…

The tower masters glanced briefly at Sasha.

This was likely the reason Berkan suggested that the White Tower would welcome the change.

"The specific modifications are detailed in the documents."

Rustle, rustle.

Silence filled the room as the tower masters turned the pages, reading carefully.

"Hmm. The curriculum is more structured than I expected."

"So, Level 6 mages will compete in intellectual depth?"

"Yes. Since direct combat at their level could lead to dangerous incidents."

Level 6 mages were on the verge of reaching the high ranks.

If they were to be harmed, it would be a significant loss for the empire.

Everyone nodded in agreement and turned the pages.

"Level 5 mages will… escape from a dungeon? What does this mean?"

"It’s exactly as stated. They will have to escape from a virtual dungeon within a limited time. This will test the teamwork and real-world combat skills of a ten-member Level 5 mage team."

"Teamwork, huh."

From that keyword alone, the tower representatives grasped what the imperial family was aiming for.

Behind Kudel’s sunglasses, his eyes narrowed.

"Sounds like you don’t need mere high-level fools."

"Precisely."

Berkan nodded.

"During the past war against the demonic forces, countless high-level mages perished meaninglessly. Most of them died because they acted alone. If such losses had been prevented, the course of the war might have been different—or so the imperial family believes."

In other words, they were implementing training to ensure that, if another war were to break out, the same mistakes wouldn’t be repeated.

Kudel frowned at the implication.

"So, in the end, you're turning our people into military trainees. And why should we agree to that?"

"This will greatly improve your mages' skills. And more importantly…"

Berkan’s gaze swept over the representatives.

"As I mentioned earlier, the imperial family intends to elevate this event’s prestige. Naturally, the tower that performs the best will gain widespread recognition, and the citizens of the empire will remember it."

In the end, the only real benefit the imperial family was offering was publicity.

"Hmm…"

Kudel crossed his arms, deep in thought.

At first glance, this event offered little merit to the Red Tower, Blue Tower, or Yellow Tower.

Even if they performed well, the best outcome would be breaking even, while failure would lead to public humiliation.

‘The real problem is that it’s difficult to refuse participation outright.’

If the Red Tower were to be the only one absent from the event, it would look strange.

It would seem as if they were running away out of fear of revealing their true abilities.

Thus, the only way to refuse would be if all four magic towers unanimously agreed to boycott it.

‘But the White Tower will likely participate, even if just to gain some extra achievements.’

As for the other two towers… he simply couldn’t trust them.

If they claimed they wouldn’t participate but later joined, the Red Tower would be the only one left looking foolish.

And this concern wasn’t exclusive to Kudel—it was a thought shared by all four tower masters.

"…Is this change His Majesty’s decision?"

At Sasha’s question, Berkan nodded.

"Yes. His Majesty has often spoken of how powerful mages can be when united. He frequently cites the White Tower as an example."

Everyone silently acknowledged this.

The elite mages under Oscar Sage had moved as one, and they had seemed invincible.

"One more question. If we’re talking about dungeon escapes, what kind of dungeons are we referring to?"

"I plan to create a different dungeon every year. For that, I received help from the Master of the Violet Tower."

He nodded politely toward a woman. Instantly, all eyes turned to her.

She was wearing a veil, concealing her face.

The Master of the Violet Tower always maintained an air of mystery, never revealing their name or face to the public.

The current Violet Moon was no exception—no information about her had ever been disclosed.

She let out a low chuckle, covering her mouth with one hand.

"I’m pleased to contribute to the advancement of magical academia."

The Violet Tower specialized in illusion and mirage magic.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

At its peak, those illusions were said to be indistinguishable from reality.

"Isn't this an overly favorable condition for the Violet Tower? I’m not doubting their integrity, but if they wanted to, they could offer various kinds of assistance to their own mages."

"His Majesty has secured an oath regarding that matter, so you needn’t worry."

If the Tower Master had personally sworn an oath, there was no room for further objections.

If anyone continued to raise issues, it would turn into a battle of pride between the towers.

"Moreover, it’s not just the Violet Tower—His Excellency of the Yellow Tower has also provided support. We calculated that combining illusion magic with magical engineering would yield the best results."

Hearing this for the first time, Tony was left speechless.

Seeing his reaction, Kudel smirked.

"Heh, look at you, all flustered. Seems like your master didn't tell you anything, huh?"

"…My master is busy. He has no obligation to inform me of every little detail."

Tony replied calmly, but beneath the table, he clenched his fist tightly.

Moments like this made it clear that his master didn’t fully trust him.

Without batting an eye, he turned the page of the document.

"Next, the 4th-level mages will undergo… a survival simulation?"

"Yes. They’ll spend ten days in a virtual space, carrying out various missions. Their rankings will be determined based on the points they accumulate. It should be a great experience for fostering teamwork."

This was likely another result of Violet Moon’s influence.

Kudel clicked his tongue.

"Just creating the terrain won’t count as an achievement for the Violet Tower, will it?"

"Of course not."

"Will we be able to monitor the progress?"

"Naturally. If any issues arise, the Royal Guards will intervene immediately, so you don’t need to worry about the safety of the mages."

Berkan looked around at the representatives.

"Those who agree with these changes, please raise your hand to confirm participation."

"……."

"……."

The representatives exchanged glances.

Surprisingly, the first to raise a hand was the representative of the Blue Tower, who had remained silent throughout the meeting.

"Tsk, these young ones…"

Kudel shot a glare at the Blue Tower Master’s apprentice, who didn’t hesitate to raise their hand.

Then, he raised his own as well.

In an instant, eight hands went up.

Berkan smiled.

"That concludes our meeting. Let’s all do our best for the next fifteen days."

* * *

"A… virtual battle simulation?"

Oscar widened his eyes at Sasha.

He hadn’t expected this when she called him aside to talk.

"Yes. They changed the event’s purpose to strengthen the mages' teamwork."

"Hmm."

Oscar stroked his chin, deep in thought.

‘Well, from the empire’s perspective, there’s no harm in preparing in advance.’

The empire wasn’t in a state of peace—it was in a state of truce.

At any moment, the demons could cross the Red Mountain Range and launch an invasion.

‘If that’s the case, it makes sense to look at the White Tower as a reference.’

From what he recalled, the magic towers that had suffered the least casualties in the war were the White Tower and the Red Tower.

Of course, the White Tower had ultimately lost everything due to its conflict with the Great Demon Emperor, rendering its survival rate meaningless.

But before that, its numbers had been very promising.

‘That’s because their sense of camaraderie was stronger than anyone else’s.’

The Red Tower operated under a strict military hierarchy, making it easier for its mages to adapt to war.

Meanwhile, the White Tower had a longstanding tradition: Never abandon a comrade.

Unlike mages from other towers, they had no hesitation in entrusting their backs to their allies.

‘Now, they want every magic tower to adopt that mindset.’

Honestly, he thought it was impossible.

Especially for the Yellow Tower and Blue Tower, which had a strong culture of individualism.

‘If anything, the Black Tower, which bands together in times of crisis, might have a chance.’

As Oscar pondered deeply, Sasha spoke up.

"Anyway, our goal is to perform well in all three level groups."

"So we don’t get expelled from the Four Great Towers, right?"

"Yes. To be honest, I think we’re barely holding on."

"Don’t worry."

Oscar chuckled and patted Sasha’s head before confidently declaring:

"Our White Tower members are quite capable."

"Do you really think so?"

"Form is temporary, but class is permanent. There’s a reason we’re still one of the Four Great Towers."

However, despite his confident words—

The next day, in the Level 6 Knowledge Competition, the White Tower placed sixth, an utterly lackluster result.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]