[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 262: Days of the White Tower (3)
The next day, the White Tower’s regular meeting was held.
This time, there was an additional attendee who had never shown up before.
“...Lloyd Schultz.”
After a brief self-introduction, he sat down under a barrage of stares.
‘I heard he’s rude as hell. Is that true?’
‘Wow, still, that means the Tower now has another 8th-level mage? That’s insane.’
‘If they’ve got two 8th-levels, doesn’t that basically make the White Tower the strongest among all towers?’
Of course, there were still some who looked at him with suspicion.
But nobody was stupid enough to suggest sending him back to the Red Tower.
Letting go of an 8th-level mage would be the same as throwing away a priceless weapon.
‘Even the morning papers were in an uproar.’
‘They said he beat the Red Tower Master in the Proof of Colors.’
‘Sure, it wasn’t an actual life-or-death duel, so the result might differ in a real fight…’
‘Doesn’t matter. The important part is that the White Tower won.’
The White Tower had defeated the Red Tower in the Proof of Colors!
The same Red Tower that had always belittled them, claiming the White Tower tarnished the honor of the Four Great Towers.
And it wasn’t some random representative, but the Red Tower Master himself, Kudel Redmane.
This shocking news spread across the continent from dawn.
Even more sensational was the fact that an 8th-level mage had changed towers altogether—something that had never happened before.
“Tower Master, I have a question.”
When Fidelina lightly raised her hand, Sasha nodded.
“Yes, please.”
“Then what position will Lloyd Schultz hold?”
“He will be the Director of the Garden.”
“...The Garden?”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Fidelina voiced the question on their minds.
“Do you mean the garden on the 10th floor?”
“Yes. There’s only one garden in the White Tower, after all.”
“...”
That meant he was simply being put in charge of the 10th floor’s garden... but why?
Fidelina barely restrained herself from blurting out the question.
‘Why the garden all of a sudden? What’s even there?’
While everyone was busy imagining hidden treasures, Lloyd simply nodded with satisfaction.
He never cared for lofty titles to begin with.
* * *
“Tower Master.”
Deputy Tower Master, Hamel Grimwiz, spoke up.
“Yes, Deputy. What is it?”
“I believe that, just as you don’t use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, every tool and person has its proper place. So... why not appoint Lloyd Schultz as the Deputy Tower Master?”
“...!”
“Deputy Tower Master!”
Gasps echoed throughout the hall.
But Hamel calmly continued.
“The White Tower stands at a critical juncture. With the triumph of the White Night Festival and the upcoming commercialization of airships, our prestige has never been higher. On top of that, the Tower Master herself has ascended to the 8th level, greatly elevating our standing abroad.”
“Please, continue.”
“If Lloyd Schultz were to sit as Deputy Tower Master, then the world would see a tower whose master and deputy are both 8th-level mages. Internal strength matters, yes—but appearances in the eyes of outsiders matter just as much. With him as Deputy, no one would dare look down on the White Tower again.”
It was hard to argue with that logic.
Unconsciously, many mages shivered at the image.
A tower led by two 8th-levels—the strongest of them all.
“I object.”
The candidate himself, Lloyd Schultz, immediately spoke up.
Shaking his head, he firmly declared,
“I will never sit in that seat.”
His gaze flicked briefly toward Oscar—almost as if to insist that was the rightful person for the role.
But Hamel chuckled.
“Lloyd, with great power comes great responsibility. You must consider the weight of your influence.”
“Precisely why I must not take the post. I was a Red Tower mage until only recently. If I became Deputy right after joining, what would that do to the White Tower’s legitimacy and reputation?”
“Hmm.”
“So it comes.”
Heads nodded.
The day meant the arrival of academy graduates—the Tower’s new fledglings.
Every May 11th, the White Tower recruited its chicks.
“As expected, applications this year have increased nineteen-fold compared to last year.”
“Nineteen...?”
Last year, they had only taken in 32 recruits.
This year, 608 applicants.
Of course, they wouldn’t accept them all, but the competition would be fierce.
No more 100% guaranteed entry just by applying.
Fidelina’s jaw dropped.
“Hah! We’re finally in the spotlight!”
“We already were last year. Didn’t we get rich too?”
“Money isn’t everything. A magic tower is still a military power. Numbers of strong mages decide its weight class. And we’ve always lacked sheer numbers.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
But not anymore.
After winning the Night of Mages and excelling in the White Night Festival, the White Tower’s fame was soaring.
Even nobles in the capital were scrambling to send their children there.
Reports continued to roll in,
-The Wind Tribe’s growth rate had skyrocketed, with new Riders being recruited monthly.
-Potion sales in certain fields had overtaken even the Blue Tower’s market share.
-Airports were being designed for five major cities and the capital.
One boon after another!
When Oscar’s turn came, he raised his hand.
“About the training rooms on the 40th floor. I’d like to remodel a few.”
“The training rooms? But they’re already state-of-the-art. Oh—do you mean buying more Argos from the Yellow Tower to expand the Future Innovation Rooms?”
“No. A few are enough. What I mean is this.”
Snap!
Oscar snapped his fingers.
Space itself split open.
“Give me ten training rooms. I’d like to create dimensional training chambers.”
“Dimensional training chambers? How are those different?”
Elder Schwein couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“The flow of time is different.”
That one sentence was enough for unanimous approval.
“Approved.”
Sasha smiled as she looked around.
“With no pressing outside obligations, let us focus inward for a while.”
* * *
Eastern Continent, Luang – The Yellow Tower.
A unique cube-stacked structure.
Inside, an experiment was underway.
“Begin.”
On command from Tony Havertz, head of magical engineering, a small airship rose in the testing chamber.
At first, it floated smoothly—then BOOM!
The output went out of control, and it exploded.
“...”
Tony glared at the trembling researchers.
“Over twenty trials, millions of bels spent... and this is all you have to show?”
“B-But compared to the first attempt, flight time has increased by fourteen percent...”
“Fourteen percent? What good is that if it still blows up?”
His sharp tone made the team wilt.
Furious, he tore off his safety goggles.
“Oscar Crucian restored Ouroboros when he was only level 3! Yet you, with all your level-6 professors, haven’t even found a lead?!”
One of the researchers murmured,
“...Forgive us, but we are not Oscar Crucian.”
Tony fell silent.
The difference between them and that monstrous talent was more than numbers.
Oscar had jumped five levels in less than a year and produced results in every field he touched.
Taking a deep breath, Tony called his secretary.
“Any word on the White Tower’s airship?”
“Yes. The Imperial Family confirmed it, the White Tower has exclusive rights—100% over passengers, and 35% over cargo.”
“So the rest of us must fight over just 65%...”
It sounded like plenty, but when divided among the continent’s powers, it wasn’t much at all.
How enviable that 35% monopoly looked.
Tony barked new orders,
“Cut all unprofitable projects. Secure liquidity. Slash prices on engineering products to drive sales. We need as much cargo space reserved on those airships as possible.”
Of course, the Yellow Tower wasn’t abandoning railways.
Trains were still steady cash cows.
But Tony had more in mind.
“Once long-distance travel becomes easier, people will want to contact family and friends more often. Push forward with commercializing the portable communicators—now restricted to military and imperial use. And send more people to Sirin. I want news on the White Tower before anyone else.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once, the Yellow Tower had set the trends of the continent.
Now, all it could do was chase after the new tiger that was the White Tower.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]