Chapter 325

Chapter 325. Dog (2)

“Of course I came, because of someone’s ridiculous lie.”

Sharan‘s gaze, loaded with open hostility, only confused Alon Palatio for a moment.

“Lie? Did someone tell you a lie?”

Selaim, asking as if he genuinely didn’t understand anything, made Sharan frown.

“Of course, didn’t they? The lie that 6th circle magic, or even a more complex formula, can be created from Light.”

“And why would that be a lie?”

“Ha—isn’t it a lie?”

“Sharan, you should know how many times the Marquis has demonstrated magic in front of countless mages.”

At Selaim‘s response, Sharan denied firmly.

“It must have been a trick.”

“A trick?”

“…………Do I really have to say it with my own mouth?”

With an incredulous expression, she looked at him with reluctance.

“Hmm…”

“If it’s you, you should know better than anyone that it makes no sense.”

“Well… if it’s about Marquis Palatio, I think it might be possible.”

“…….He’s more attached to his disciple than the disciple himself, unbelievable…”

“No, it’s just a matter of probability.”

She shook her head several times and then looked at Alon.

“If you really achieved the next step of Light magic—that is, reconstruction—I will enter as your disciple barking like a dog.”

Having said that, she turned around abruptly and disappeared, as if she had nothing more to say.

Alon watched Sharan walk away without waiting for an answer.

“Understand her. She has quite a lot of pride when it comes to magic.”

“…….Ah, yes.”

Nodding at Selaim‘s explanation, he thought:

…What the hell was that?

Of course, he understood that she was trying to blatantly belittle him.

But from Alon‘s perspective, what she said was so incoherent that he didn’t even know where to start.

“It must be out of pride, of course.”

Penia sighed beside him.

“Pride?”

“Yes, the Green Tower Master is famous for her pride. She is the youngest Tower Master, after all.”

“…Is that so?”

Alon tried to remember.

…Yes, something like that existed in the original story.

‘She certainly is younger than the other Tower Masters.’

While the others were over 50, even in the game, when she appeared late, she was in her twenties.

‘In the original story, Penia became a Tower Master, so she took that title. That’s why I didn’t think of it just now.’

While Alon organized his thoughts, Penia murmured with strangeness:

“But no matter how bad the Green Master’s temper is… she doesn’t usually charge in like that. What’s wrong with her today?”

“Is she different from usual?”

“Ah, well, she is usually like that… but today she is more aggressive, so to speak… Marquis, do you and the Green Master have something going on?”

“Impossible. As a mage, I barely have a relationship with a few people.”

“Well, that is true. Not that her reaction is impossible but… still, what could it be?”

Penia stood thinking for a moment.

But only for a moment.

“In any case, tomorrow, when the demonstration happens, everything will become clear.”

“That is true.”

With that comment from Selaim, Penia nodded.

“I would like to talk a bit, it’s been a while. What do you think, Marquis Palatio?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Alon moved to speak with Selaim.

The next day.

Although Marquis Palatio’s demonstration was announced suddenly, the amphitheater was more crowded than before.

The atmosphere was clearly divided in two.

“Light magic again?”

“Finally! Last time, the image-storing orb burned out completely and we couldn’t verify anything.”

“This time I brought one especially for recording.”

“What? You brought something so expensive?”

“It’s Tower property, obviously.”

That group consisted of those who had already seen the previous demonstration.

The other half—

“Hmm, what do you think of the Marquis’s magic?”

“Frankly, I don’t buy it.”

“But I don’t think the Marquis would lie either. There are even witnesses.”

“I can’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”

They were those who hadn’t seen the previous demonstration.

Everyone looked toward the center with some doubt.

And—

“Ah, here you were.”

Sharan Forinou was the same.

“You came, Selaim.”

She responded coldly, and Selaim nodded.

“Of course. How could I miss something so important?”

“………Do you really believe in that?”

“And why shouldn’t I believe?”

At the carefree response, Sharan sighed.

“I can understand other mages believing in Marquis Palatio’s magic. But you shouldn’t.”

“Well… we haven’t seen anything yet.”

“And because we haven’t seen anything, that is precisely why!”

“I really believe it is possible.”

“…I said it yesterday too, you are too biased toward him…”

“And why do you react so emotionally against the Marquis?”

The Green Master sighed again.

Sharan Forinou had always had a certain aversion towards Marquis Palatio.

But not because he had done anything to her.

In fact, they had never met properly, and the few rumors she heard actually favored the Marquis’s image.

Her aversion didn’t originate from Alon, but from * Selaim Mikardo*.

Selaim, Blue Tower Master, her equal.

Not because Selaim spoke ill of Alon. On the contrary, he praised him endlessly.

Although he didn’t mention the possibility of him being a Mage, he did say he had exceptional talent as a mage.

And that was precisely what irritated Sharan: ** Selaim‘s praises toward Alon **.

Why?

Simply because the one saying them was Selaim Mikardo.

‘…How absurd.’

Sharan looked at Selaim with a sour expression.

Nowadays, it was said that Sharan was closer to the 9th Circle than Selaim. But when she wasn’t a Tower Master yet, Selaim was considered the one closest to that level.

And Sharan, although she belonged to another tower, had always admired him as a mage.

In fact, one of the reasons she became a Tower Master so quickly was because she wanted to be recognized by him.

But Selaim never praised her. Not once. No matter how many achievements she obtained.

In other words, Sharan‘s aversion toward Alon was, put kindly, “pride.” Put crudely—

Inferiority complex.

“It’s not emotional. It’s just that it makes no sense.”

Although that wasn’t the only reason this time.

‘Does anyone really believe that the next phase of Light exists…?’

Circle magic is relatively free in its construction.

That is why some towers alter their own versions with their own patterns or structures.

But that has limits: only patterns and structures can be modified.

“And you know it too. No matter how easy it is to alter circle magic, a next step cannot exist. Our predecessors proved it over hundreds of years. And you think that suddenly it does exist? Does it make sense?”

Circle magic is knowledge transmitted to all mages and, at the same time, magic already completed.

It has spent centuries being perfected, researched, and closed.

That someone finds a “next phase”?

It would be equivalent to calling centuries of mages incompetent.

Thousands of them investigated it, including Tower Masters, and none found anything like that.

That was why many had that uncomfortable expression.

“Hmm…”

Selaim was going to say something after thinking a moment, but—

“Ah, he came out.”

He saw the Marquis appear and stopped.

“Well, we shall see.”

He averted his gaze.

And Sharan, with a disgusted expression, imitated him.

When she saw Marquis Palatio positioning himself in the center and starting to cast Light, she immediately focused all her attention.

It was Light.

Without any alteration.

And then—

The mages, who were still murmuring, fell silent abruptly.

‘Could it be…?’

The moment she felt a slight hope—

Crack!

The Light magic that was in front of Alon disappeared.

No, more accurately, it didn’t disappear.

Rather…

‘Failure…?’

The mana construct collapsed.

“…What was that?”

“Did he cancel it himself?”

“No, it’s a failure. Look at the structure breaking.”

“…It’s true.”

The mages began to murmur.

“Did he seriously fail? A Light?”

“Is he nervous?”

“How do you fail something so basic?”

The distrustful voices grew.

“I saw it last time…”

“Did we see it wrong?”

“It can’t be. The professor also said it was Light, I saw it clearly…”

“What is happening?”

Even those who believed in him started to doubt.

The atmosphere reversed in an instant.

“Ha.”

Sharan let out a hollow laugh and turned her gaze back toward Selaim.

But just as she did so—

Marquis Palatio, expressionless, raised both hands.

The gazes gathered on him.

Alon‘s hand—

“That is…”

Formed a hand seal.

And then—

Alon murmured something.

Everyone saw it.

The Light in front of Alon.

And something devouring that light.

And then—

“Bright Light.”

From Alon‘s lips, a Phrase came out.