Chapter 501 – From the Past (2)
There is a saying, a competition of goodwill.
Literally, it means to compete in order to surpass the opponent, but without tearing each other down, instead helping one another, thereby fostering positive growth.
That is the very definition of an ideal contest.
If one were a Mage possessing only pure passion, they would welcome it wholeheartedly. Why waste time and resources on slander and schemes, when those could be spared and invested into oneself, who in their right mind would refuse that?
Of course, the opponent grows as well, but that is nothing more than a trivial factor.
'However, the affairs of the world are complex.'
So it is with humans.
Not everyone runs forward with nothing but trust in themselves.
At times, it is easier to drag others down than to climb the stairs oneself. In truth, that is often the case.
Greed is sweet.
Slander is impulsive, despair arrives without warning, and envy is instinct.
If one were to tie those together…
To win in competition, greed swells, which leads to defaming and suppressing the opponent, thus delivering despair. From there, envy is twisted into a sense of accomplishment—such is what the world calls competition.
This is not an extreme assumption.
It is ordinary enough that, if one looks closely around them, they will find it.
Cheating in an exam to get a better score.
Tampering with an opponent's weapon before a duel, or injuring them in advance to secure victory.
Arranging for an accident to eliminate a successful rival in the same industry, then seizing their position… the list of examples is endless.
If that is how the world works, then can a vast group like the magic tower truly engage in friendly competition where no one suffers losses?
'Of course not.'
Verden firmly denied it within himself.
The sheer amount of money the magic tower touches is astronomical, and the influence it exerts, founded on immense power, can shake the balance of the continent.
For such a scale, a competition of goodwill is unthinkable.
To say nothing of trust, simply dragging the other down with tenacity produces overwhelming profits.
So much so that it is worth the risk of being dragged down in turn.
'And the foremost example of such competition is the ranking of the magic towers, as established by the world of magic.'
Rank is macro in nature, and thus a real threat in practice.
For instance, when the 6th-ranked magic tower and the 8th-ranked magic tower of the same eastern continent both extend their hand, it is only natural to choose the former.
Should the 8th-ranked offer a more favorable contract, the result could change, but… considering that the 6th might bear a grudge and retaliate, one cannot help but sigh.
In the end, there are only two options.
Accept the offer from the 6th, or side with the 8th while appeasing the 6th with lavish bribes so their temper is not stirred.
The power of rank.
By virtue of holding a higher position without doing anything else, it becomes possible to compel the actions of others.
This is one of the many reasons the towers desire to climb in rank, a factor that, while contributing enormously to the progress of the magical world, also inevitably fuels malicious competition.
'In that sense, the Ostea Magic Tower was clearly lagging behind.'
Overall rank 10th, military rank 10th.
Undeniably the lowest of the towers.
In competition between towers, it was a position where nothing could even be attempted.
Though still a part of the towers, holding hidden strength such that outside forces dared not act carelessly against it… to its fellow towers, who had no need to tread lightly, it was nothing more than a dropout.
'Of course, it is not that Ostea did not try to avoid such treatment, but all efforts ended in vain.'
Even while in decline, it sought to hold onto its essence of exploration and research, but later, one of its newly inaugurated tower masters launched a sweeping reform to break free of reality.
He changed the policy to prioritize rank, just like the other towers.
Yet the gap had already widened beyond closure.
Not only did they fail to produce results, but discord also broke out among the tower's leadership, producing the opposite effect.
Unintentionally dealing itself a blow, the Ostea Tower had no choice but to return to its original form in order to quell internal strife, and that incident became a subject of ridicule for the other towers.
However.
'No one, without exception, ever dismissed Ostea's abilities.'
Particularly in the field of ancient magic, its expertise was so unmatched that even the 2nd-ranked Artison Magic Tower conceded a step.
Thus Ostea, wielding its unique techniques and knowledge accumulated over ages, took as its mainstay the business of receiving commissions from other towers and numerous powers alike.
For among those holding power on the continent, few were without interest in the ancient.
In truth, Ostea was not fond of this position, yet there was no helping it.
To be isolated in the current age was nothing short of self-destruction.
To persist as a magic tower, one had to yield to necessity.
This was the dilemma faced by the Ostea Magic Tower, past and present.
If so, then───
"To escape such unreasonable circumstances, was it decided to organize the Society and change the magical world?"
"That is but one of the reasons."
The Sage of Guardianship, Medrant, slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
Only, the right eye bearing an artificial eye had no eyelid, and so remained perpetually open.
Even when he slept.
"Shinseong, why do you think the magical world has turned out this way?"
"To put it briefly, because of selfishness."
"I, however, believe that endless selfishness arose because its direction went astray. The magical world's gaze is fixed upon a single point, blind to all else, such is my judgment."
Medrant recalled the ancient knowledge he had amassed over his lifetime.
"…The very first magic tower, the origin of them all, was built by Mages who gathered to overcome the hardships of their age. Each freely researched magic, and together they created a diverse magical world."
The master of Ostea Tower spoke softly.
"What I desire, is that free magical world."
By changing the present, where everyone is frantic to outpace one another on a narrow path, into a world where even those who walk a different road are respected—that is to say, a reform of the age.
Learning from the past, acting in the present, forging a better future.
This was one of the guiding principles Medrant Keden made the foundation of the Society.
***
When Medrant's story ended, Osgar took up the turn.
"Verden, do you perchance remember last year's affair, the one that involved us both?"
"You mean the autonomous territory of Midros."
A city where the Volcano Island Tower and the Larrian Tower conspired together to erase the influence of the Bohemirn Tower.
And where Bohemirn, in retaliation, sent an assassin brainwashed for the task.
And the land where Verden first encountered the Society and Adrian.
"At that time, the estimated number of deaths was one hundred thirty-two. That number alone, was the people killed by Volcano Island Tower and Larrian Tower, those who merely had ties to Bohemirn Tower. Though they may have received funding from Bohemirn, they were still common citizens."
Osgar knit his brows.
"Even ordinary folk with no relation whatsoever were slain. Silencing everyone was the simplest solution. The material damages were also considerable. Yet, no one was punished, nor even compensated."
"Punishment for a magic tower… hardly surprising. Unless they bring grievous harm to the magical world itself, it is impossible. You served long in the Empire, you must know it well?"
"To be honest, in those days I had no interest in the towers' implicit immunity. My knowledge of it was only academic. But, the difference between knowing and seeing firsthand, is immense… far greater than I had imagined."
Osgar pressed his fingernail hard into the skin of his finger.
"When I was appointed War Lord as one of the Arnak Empire's War Mages, it was a time when the towers were eager to expand their influence. By imperial order, I was dispatched to the central continent to prevent potential conflicts between towers."
For the towers, extending positive influence is directly tied to rank.
Just as the development of magic itself, ridding the world of negative elements builds reputation, which is then counted as achievement.
The side profits are not even worth mentioning.
"Thanks to that, a considerable number of criminal groups rampant in the central continent were eradicated. After all, destroying infamy is the fastest way to spread fame. But as is often the case… crime is always intertwined with the innocent."
In one baron's territory, there was a band of bandits too difficult to subjugate with the lord's forces alone.
Partly because a few of them wielded aura or magic, but mostly because they made heavy use of hostages.
Thus, they became the target of a Mage dispatched from the Volcano Island Tower, who happened to be nearby.
As expected, the bandits brandished hostages as ethical blackmail.
And what was the outcome?
"That Mage looked around, then without any warning, cast
Useless prisoners are a nuisance.
Persuading them is a bother, and even if one spends time and effort to save them, there is no connection to tangible benefit.
The tower chose to raise achievements with efficiency.
"Separately, there was the case where, while pursuing a criminal who had murdered a 3rd-circle Mage of the Gentir Tower, the tower's actions wiped out all the residents of a tiny village in the countryside. Perhaps it was an accident, but they never made any formal recompense. They erased the traces so neatly that, had one not grasped the circumstances, one might never have known. So then, what do you suppose they are hiding in earnest? None other than you would know well."
Osgar rubbed his forehead.
"Of course, not every Mage is so inhumane. There are plenty of decent people in the towers. But even so, can these issues simply be overlooked? I gathered all the evidence I could, and as War Lord of the Empire, I reported it to the magical world. Do you know what happened?"
"Well, they brushed it under the rug, I would think."
"Exactly, at first they made a fuss, but that was all. Some towers feigned ignorance, some admitted it as a mere mistake and handed down nothing more than a light warning. The towers, those sons of bitches, so damn arrogant it made my blood boil beyond endurance."
"Hrmm."
The master of the Ostea Tower cleared his throat, yet Osgar paid him no mind.
"So, just as I was about to act personally, the Empire stopped me. They did not wish the rift with the towers to deepen. The losses could not be ignored, and the Empire lacked the justification to intervene. With my head, I understood it well enough. But my heart, did not."
He kept nodding repeatedly.
"Indeed… yes, indeed, the towers have grown far too powerful. Ever since they came to possess the power source of the towers some one hundred and eighty years ago, they have become uncontrollable. Well, it has changed the age itself, so what more needs to be said. The Empire's stance was easy enough to accept. But as for me, with my nature, I could not remain still, and so I pondered long and deeply. And in the end, I concluded, that this rot was caused by the magical world itself being fixed into the system of the towers."
The eyes of the Sage of Might shone with intensity.
"To break the current system, and to establish a magical world where every Mage must take responsibility for their actions. That, became my purpose."
Osgar exhaled.
"Of course, there are few forces across the continent who could attempt such a thing… but the Arnak Empire can certainly be considered one of them. That is why I sought a reason, one to change the current magical world, to persuade the Empire."
"At that time, I approached you."
Though Osgar had acted with some caution, he was a man whose exterior and interior were much alike. He never hid his contempt for the towers.
Medrant, who had observed this, met Osgar in secret.
And so, in a shabby winter cabin, as snow fell outside and the fireplace lit the interior, the two Magi spoke at length.
"When Medrant revealed his true feelings, I did as well. When a tower master scorned the system of towers so, I could not help but side with him."
At any rate.
"To tell the conclusion, I thought that to change the magical world, mere decades would not suffice. I was certain it could not be achieved in our generation. So, we would form a group to carry on the ideal into the next generation, and the next after that."
That was the beginning of the anti-tower faction, founded on the ideal of the first tower… before the name Society was ever attached.
"And to bring forth such an organization, above all else, people were needed. Our foremost goal was to find talents, hidden somewhere across the continent, yet unknown to the magical world."
"Hoho, and thus you met me."
After escaping the Grand Hall of the Black Hour, and after witnessing even the death of her companion, Melard lived in some small city like a broken shell.
Her heart was filled with sorrow, despair, and hatred, and her lower body was crippled.
Time passed, until one day when rain poured down relentlessly, her wheelchair broke as she wandered the streets in a daze, and she abandoned life.
She simply collapsed.
Lacking even the strength to take her own life, she sat slumped in an alley, awaiting the end.
It was there, in the midst of days of ceaseless downpour, that Melard, dying slowly, was discovered… by none other than Osgar himself, War Lord of the Arnak Empire, traveling the continent on an extended leave.
"Hahaha. The infant Unia, and Cain, and the aged Melard, all were ones I picked up. It seems I had some talent for this sort of thing."
Medrant shook his head.
"Nothing more than luck."
"Would luck make a difference? At any rate, a bond was formed, and that is a good thing. And thus we three came together."
Osgar had instantly recognized Melard's caliber. He struck up a conversation.
Weakened in both body and spirit at the time, she unburdened her past in emptiness.
The Black Hour, famed for its magical research until Dahit Wethroel usurped it, and among its eight founding members, one was she.
Osgar made a decision.
He would persuade this ruined Magus to live on, give her reason, and make her his comrade in purpose.
"…And thus, we came to this point."
Osgar looked Verden in the eye.
"Verden, truly, as you said, what becomes of a land without a master is not an issue we must deeply involve ourselves in, at least not immediately. Even so, the reason we spoke of it to you was born purely of concern, so do not take offense."
And then.
"As for the ill-fated tie between you and the Bohemirn Tower… hah, to be an experimental subject. We have not lived it, so we will not dare claim to understand what that feels like. Nor will we presume to imagine lightly the life you have led."
"..."
"Only, we hope that one day, you will tell us of it yourself, as you are now, in this place."
***
The three sages of the Society.
Yes, they are good people.
In character, and in that they pursue the greater cause above their own desires…
To prepare the ground so that, if it could not be achieved in their era, it might be achieved in the generations to come—such resolve is not something ordinary.
They were altruistic Mages, whom Verden had not known in the past, but only came to meet after gaining power.
"..."
Verden did not answer, but straightened his posture.
Then he asked.
"What are the plans ahead?"
Though he changed the subject, none failed to perceive that it was a positive response.
The meeting resumed.
Leaning back in her wheelchair, Melard replied.
"The former Shinseong had expressed concern that, within the Black Hour, there was insufficient factor to make your presence acceptable. And I said that countermeasures were already prepared, but that a focal point was needed."
"So you did."
"The countermeasure I mentioned, are the people who once worked with us, the first members."
Melard closed her eyes.
"The day the Black Hour was taken… the Mages who had been closest to the original members, many of them were purged physically while aiding us. But there were survivors."
Dahit had captured them for the purpose of persuasion. They were too valuable in ability to kill off easily.
Some few never yielded, and were slain.
But the rest accepted his offer and remained in the new Black Hour, and among them, they divided into two groups within.
Those who truly submitted, and those who feigned submission.
Had Dahit possessed a perception akin to Verden's, he would have pierced their hearts in interrogation and culled them…
But as each person's features differ, so too do transcendents' insights.
Dahit was adept at grasping phenomena through intuition, but inept at discerning the hearts of others.
Thus Melard and her companions deceived him on the spot, and fled through the secret escape route left by the former head of the Black Hour.
"The Mages who still bore resentment toward Dahit lay hidden, waiting quietly, and when Dahit destroyed the Ailan Kingdom, they seized the moment to flee. Scattering at once, they escaped pursuit with dogged persistence, suffering casualties, but at last survived."
Melard's voice carried sorrow.
"After I founded the Society and stabilized it as an organization… I investigated the Black Hour. As a result, I obtained information on its fugitives, and at once set about searching for them."
"Mhm, but with information lacking, it took quite some time."
"Even so, thanks to Medrant, we at last traced them, one by one. The lives they met with… differed."
Some had perished over the years, others still lived.
Among the living, some had overcome their pain and led new lives, while others, like the Melard of old, lived as broken shells.
"I personally sought out those in the latter group. I could not leave them be. I thought they would heap resentment upon us, for our failings… but, they were sincerely glad. Now we keep in contact regularly, and they move separately, like Cayman."
"You mean to make them the foundation to support me?"
"If they were once of the Black Hour, even those still by Dahit's side cannot ignore them. Both as justification, and as strength. And not only them."
Melard gently moved her wheelchair.
"We will gather those who, though they dared not reach out, wished not to ruin even the new lives they had gained. I could not reclaim the Black Hour while ignoring my friends. Even if they refuse, I must at least ask them. And if they come… they will surely be of great help."
She smiled.
"Among them, there are even two former high executives of the Black Hour."
***
After concluding the grave meeting with the Society, Verden returned to the land without a master.
Until the Mages who had once belonged to the Black Hour were assembled, he would have to wait.
In the meantime, Verden had work to do.
"At last, the charging is complete."
[The Hourglass of Perpetuity.]
It was time to dig into what research Dahit had once conducted.
You can read more chapters in organised way on my website:- https://revengernovel.com