Chapter 92.
The professor put down a wooden box about the size of a person’s head on the platform and spoke.
"There are 23 magic towers that have applied to receive probationary trainees this time, which is more than the last time. Among these are the magic towers that are so famous that you would’ve probably heard of them at least once in your life. But at the same time, there are others so small that you’ll wonder if a place like that even exists.."
I wasn’t sure of the exact number of magic towers, but there were approximately 150 in the empire. The reason I didn’t have an exact number was that each year, some would disappear or some new ones appear, depending on their productivity or research results. Therefore, there were often cases where a magic tower would disappear within a year of being sanctioned.
When magic towers disappeared, civil servants were reassigned to other magic towers and the magicians would just relocate to another since they were still valuable resources.Of the 23 towers that the professor mentioned, there were probably only two or three that anyone would have heard of, and the rest were likely small and medium-sized magic towers that no one would have heard of unless they were aware of them already.
The professor continued while tapping on the wooden box he had brought. "Since small magic towers often have environments that aren’t as good, there are often complaints about sending trainees in the order of academic ranks. So, our Magic Tower Alliance has agreed not to send the trainees in order of academic ranks, but instead by drawing lots."
At the professor’s words, the expressions of the top trainees became distorted and the faces of the bottom trainees brightened. However, their eventual job assignments were based on academic ranks so they would only be disappointed later. It seems the environment of the local offices they were assigned to was really bad.
"How come you look so calm? You’re not just at the top, but the very top of the ranks. Shouldn’t you express some kind of dissatisfaction?" Flam tilted his head at my overly relaxed face.
"I’m usually lucky.”
To be exact, rather than luck, my eyesight was good. Even if one were to peek inside that box, they wouldn’t be able to read the letters on the paper because the inside of the box was dark. But my eyes were good enough that I could read them even in the dark.
Magic tower training was the most anticipated part of the training schedule. It was one of the few opportunities to gain insight into what the empire’s magicians were researching and what kind of new cutting edge tools were being developed. It was said that a tool that’s too good would worsen your skill, but that was for people with mediocre skills. It had nothing to do with me, someone in his prime and confident. But still, it would be sad if I lost the chance to see such high-tech tools by getting sent to an out-dated magic tower from drawing lots.
It would be so sad that the professor who sent me to the small-medium magic tower might even shed tears. In that sense, I was relieved to know that I had magic to view inside the box and that my eyes were very good. I’ll be thankful for the fact that the professor won’t have to shed tears.
"Haha, I’m jealous. I’m usually unlucky," Flam said, getting up to go draw lots.
The order of drawing lots was in the order of seats, but since the seats were not assigned, choosing a seat was essentially drawing a lot. Thanks to Flam sitting in front, my turn was also early. Seeing this, neither Flam nor I seemed to be unlucky.
When Flam put his hand in the box and pulled out a note, I got up from my seat.
"Red Magic Tower. Here’s the magic tower pass for trainee use.”
The professor handed Flam a pass for staff to enter the Red Magic Tower.
The Red Magic Tower was one of the seven colored giant magic towers situated in the center of the capital, and was also one of the three that I was considering picking from the box.
It was attractive considering that other small and medium-sized magic towers were situated towards the outskirts of the capital and were barely three stories high, with some even being located in the satellite cities outside of the capital. Above all, there was the geographical advantage that it was not far from the boarding house that I was staying at. However, the usual magic and alchemic research at the Red Magic Tower consisted of chimeras, homunculus, and artificial magic life. Alchemy didn’t interest me, but I was interested in the life magic of the Red Magic Tower.
Since Flam just picked the Red Magic Tower, I’ll have to pick that one too.
Truthfully, I had just been thinking about picking the Green Magic Tower of the seven colored magic mowers. However, even though the fields were different, the Red and Green Towers shared a similar reputation. So, I decided to go where I knew someone.
It was my turn next, so I put my hand in the wooden box and drew lots.
"Red Magic Tower. Here’s your pass."
"Thank you."
Having received my pass from the professor, I went back to my seat.
"Oh, it seems we’re going to the same place." I smiled playfully at Flam’s awed face. "I told you. I’m lucky."
The drawing of lots continued. Once done, the professor gave us some points of caution when living as a probationary trainee in the Magic Tower.
Ah, I’m looking forward to it.
* * *
Lancelot stared blankly at the huge mansion before him.
"Is this really where Lord Bloody lives?" Mac asked as he came up rubbing his bruised left eye with an egg.
The bruise was the price of fooling around and jumping off a high place while carrying Leisha, who had a fear of heights.
"Yes. Wow~ it’s really big! I think it’s even bigger than the town hall or the Warrant branch of the Druval Market." Lancelot also couldn’t help but open his mouth in amazement.The house that Bloody lived in was the second largest building they had ever seen. The first was the Holy Palace Percival, which they had witnessed when they had traveled with Hillis. However, considering that the mansion in front was for Bloody’s use alone, it felt bigger than the Holy Palace Percival.
"Excuse me, Miss. I was wrong. Can you stop hitting me?" Mac said to Leisha, who kept hitting him in the back with mana infused strength.
"Get rid of your defensive barrier first then speak!" Leisha shouted in a venomous voice and continued to beat Mac, but a barrier naturally formed around the area she struck and blocked her.
What made her even angrier was that she couldn’t feel the recoil force that a defense barrier should have.The lack of recoil force meant that her striking force was being dispersed somewhere. The fact that he was being strangely considerate of her by using a technique that couldn’t be imitated at ordinary levels fueled her anger even further.
Mac became perplexed and tried to turn it around. “Now, now, what’s the use of just standing here? Let’s go in.”
"Wait a minute!" Lancelot tried to stop Mac, but Mac was quicker and grabbed the gate and opened it with some force.
Kang! Kagagagang!
The door opened wide as the lock on the gate cracked and broke.
"Huh?" Mac was flustered by the sound.
This disaster had occurred because Mac was born and raised in the rural Crow Tribe village where there were no thieves, so he did not consider that the door would be locked.
Mac was the one who forced the gate open, but Leisha was also shocked and stopped hitting Mac’s back. Then, they heard a loud siren go off.
Aaaaang~!
“What... What’s that?!” At the sudden sound, Mac instinctively gathered Lancelot and Leisha behind him and posed for battle. The only reason he hadn’t drawn his sword was because of Lancelot’s constant nagging that he shouldn’t act recklessly.
Dozens of armed soldiers jumped out of the mansion as soon as the loud siren sounded. They aimed their rifles (muzzle loading) at Lancelot and his party and attached a bayonet onto their rifles. "Who goes there?!"
Lancelot stepped forward and replied to the cry of the person who seemed to be the commander of the soldiers. "We have come from the Crow Tribe to see Lord Bloody!" Although he was afraid of the bayonets that were suddenly pressed towards him, he was more afraid that Mac was going to cause trouble.
The soldiers faltered at Lancelot’s reply, then the commander asked, "If you are from the Crow Tribe, then why didn’t you request an audience following the procedure instead of trying to force your way in?"
Lancelot had no reply for the commander’s suspicious gaze. Requesting an audience just meant if you pressed the doorbell and waited, a servant would come out and guide you to a reception room to wait. But this situation occurred because before they could do such a simple thing, Mac thoughtlessly tried to enter as though it was an acquaintance’s mansion. Hestia had assigned Lancelot to the party for fear of this happening, and it was his job to resolve issues like this. He wanted to cry. "There should have been communication from before. Could you check the name Leisha Blade?”
"Blade?" The commander’s eyes widened..
The fact that they identified themselves as the Crow Tribe and had the same last name as Bloody meant that they were the family of his superior. For a moment, he wanted to put away his weapon and salute, but he had to confirm if it was true first.
"Hey, go and confirm." The commander pointed at a soldier who quickly ran into the mansion.
The atmosphere fell into a strange silence where it was awkward to say anything on top of not knowing what to say. So everyone just stood and faced each other. Fortunately, the soldier’s feet were fast, and a butler dressed in a tailcoat came out running along him. The butler, who had c hurried over, swept back his disheveled salt and pepper hair and said, "May I ask which one of you is Leisha Blade?"
Leisha raised her hand. "It’s me."
"Hoo, I see.” The butler bowed his head and apologized after confirming that she matched the characteristics that he had heard from Bloody previously. "I’m sorry that the soldiers on guard were rude. Put down your weapons."
The commander swallowed dryly and ordered them to put away their weapons. Even though the butler did not have the authority to order the soldiers, there was no soldier bold enough to ignore the middle-aged butler, once a famous knight on the battlefields of the past.
"It’s been more than three months since we heard you were coming, so the soldiers seem to have forgotten by mistake and showed disrespect. Please forgive them with magnanimity as large as the rivers and sea.”, the butler said, giving the commander a slight side glance.
The commander received the sharp gaze and screamed inside, thinking that he surely was a goner now. But he didn’t show it on the outside, because he might really die if that happened.
"No, it was us who made the mistake first." Seeing the butler bow so politely, Lancelot felt pressured and waved his hands.
"Thank you for your words, Mister Lancelot."
"Huh? Did I introduce myself?” Lancelot tilted his head and the butler smiled gently.
"Of those that were supposed to come, the lady who knows how to use magic is Miss Leisha, the tall and very handsome, but weird... Hm! Unique way of speaking and long beard is Mister Mac, and the one who is very cautious and knows the empire’s etiquette well is Mister Lancelot. This is what I heard previously."
"I think you just tried to say it was a weird way of speaking and a beard,” Mac looked at the butler and said boisterously, but the butler acted like he didn’t know what he was talking about and led them into the mansion.
"His Excellency Bloody is waiting for you all. Please go inside."
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