Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
A dimly lit laboratory.
A man nervously opened the door and walked in.
“Why doesn’t anyone understand my theory?”
He was clearly angry.
For those who knew how emotionally numb he usually was, seeing him this way would have been quite astonishing.
He muttered to himself with an expression that radiated dissatisfaction as he gestured towards the fireplace.
Suddenly, sparks flew as if they had been ignited, and flickering light burst forth from the firewood in the fireplace.
Without a doubt, it was magic.
-Pat, Whirr-.
Before long, the now-lit fireplace began to burn the firewood, emitting a soft light and warmth.
The mage, who had cast the fire magic effortlessly, carelessly hung his hat and robe on a coat rack and leaned back in the rocking chair in front of the fireplace.
-Creak…
Sounding a little old, the rocking chair creaked, but he liked that sound.
Objects that had been maintained with care and time were attractive toys for both mages and magic alike.
This was why mages preferred old items and cherished old ideals.
However, this man held resentment against such mages at that moment.
Perhaps because of that, the creaking of the rocking chair, which would usually please him, now felt extremely unpleasant.
“Those old fogies.”
The mages at the tower were all arrogant and thoughtless.
Especially when it came to a young novice such as himself, they were even more dismissive.
They never listened to the words of the young adviser at all.
Even though he knew he was right.
“…”
He couldn’t help but feel angry thinking like that.
Indeed, he did not have a good relationship with the tower.
After all, he had grasped the fragments of the 6th Circle at the age of not even twenty, and at just twenty-two years old, he had positioned himself as a complete 6th Circle mage, quickly transforming them into old folks in the back room.
It was unlikely that there were many old mages who would take kindly to a young genius mage like him.
Furthermore, if the theories he proposed were all so radical and progressive that they overturned existing ones, it would be even more so.
He felt as if the words they had been throwing at him echoed in his ears.
‘Luke Irushi, I cannot understand at all what you claim. How could the fact that the speed of mana is constant be proof that spacetime coordinates are relative rather than absolute…?’
‘It seems there are errors in your astrological calculations as well. It is difficult to accept that this constellation is used here.’
‘Your theory is interesting, but… that’s all it is. You seem to lack experience.’
‘I acknowledge the fact that you graduated from the Academy as the youngest, but you are still not at the 6th Circle. Meanwhile, the elders here are all grand mages of the 7th Circle or above. They were all once hailed as geniuses like you. So don’t act arrogantly as if you are the only one who is right.’
‘At that age, everyone believes they are correct. Think back and reflect on why your theory was not accepted.’
Their laziness and arrogance, blaming their ignorance on theory.
He was already sufficiently fed up with such things.
The flames reflected in his golden eyes appeared to manifest the emotions swirling within his heart.
And shortly after, another voice seemed to echo in his ears.
“You should take a deep breath and get some sleep when your mind gets tangled up. A nap is especially good.”
Her voice, that of a long-time friend and priestess, had a calming effect on the heart.
“……”
A nap, huh…
———
-Knock, knock, knock.
A burly man lightly tapped on the door and called out.
“Hey, Luke! I heard you got kicked out of the Tower again!”
The owner of the voice was Kail Propston, Luke Irushi’s assistant, his swordsmanship master, a knight, a test subject, and, most importantly, his closest friend.
Just a few days ago, he had seen him looking quite excited about establishing a new theory.
But ultimately, Luke’s theory had been rejected by the Tower, and as a result, it seemed that Luke had locked himself in his room in great disappointment.
Intent on comforting his friend, the Swordmaster personally made his way over for a drink.
Kail discreetly glanced at the bottle of liquor he brought.
-Linphind Windwalker.
It was a premium fruit wine famed for being brewed directly by Elves.
This liquor, which he had come across while inspecting for smuggled goods at the border, was far too fine to drink alone.
It was much better to share it with someone who appreciated its value.
Moreover, Luke absolutely loved this fruit wine, making it the perfect consolation drink for a bad day.
And given Luke’s personality, he would surely not have emerged from the laboratory in just a few days after being turned down by the Tower.
He probably hadn’t gone anywhere.
If he suggested they have a drink together after such a long time, Luke would surely be pleased.
“……”
However, strangely, there was no reaction coming from inside.
‘What’s going on? Is he taking a nap, perhaps?’
Feeling puzzled by Luke’s silence, Kail knocked louder again.
-Thud, thud, thud.
“Hey! Are you asleep? Hey! I’m not here to tease you, open up! Let’s have a drink! It’s Elven fruit wine!”
-Jingle, jingle.
Kail shook the liquor bottle towards the door, as if to show off.
If Luke knew about this wine, he would surely open the door and welcome him in.
But the room remained quiet, and Kail felt confused.
‘What’s going on? If he were asleep, there’s no way that sensitive guy wouldn’t wake up to this noise.’
Or perhaps had he stepped out for a moment? Just as he was turning to leave.
-Bang!
The door finally opened, revealing a handsome man looking quite pristine.
Seeing this, Kail playfully admonished him.
“What’s up? Were you sleeping? Why did it take so long to open the door?”
“Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment.”
Luke scratched his jaw, appearing a bit troubled, then his gaze fixed on the object in Kail’s hand.
And noticing that Kail was turning the bottle to display the label, he smugly asked.
“So…? Interested?”
“……Of course. Come on in.”
Indeed, apart from other things, he really liked fruit wine.
———
Luke was actually not one to drink heavily.
Depending on the situation, he could handle beer or fruit wine without issue, but as a mage who valued rationality, he usually didn’t drink to the point of getting drunk, nor was he easily swayed by such temptations due to his stubbornness.
But this time was different.
“Ahh… This is nice. Truly delicious taste and aroma.”
“Right? It goes down smoothly, doesn’t it?”
“Really, it does. But…”
“Hmm?”
“I feel bad for drinking it all by myself. You should have some too.”
“Ah, don’t worry about me. I just came to console you.”
Kail was convinced that tonight he would finally witness Luke getting comfortably drunk.
He had been curious about what sort of drinking habits this saintly figure had for quite some time now.
Though Luke didn’t know much about the world of alcohol, the fruit wine Kail had brought tonight was known to be the strongest type among fruit wines, so strong that it was said that ‘even a half glass can make someone who is usually weak to alcohol start to sway.’
Of course, Luke was not referred to as a ‘lady.’
He certainly looked refined enough for it, though.
“Haha. Is that so…? You truly are a good friend.”
“Right?”
Kail felt a slight twinge of guilt but quickly plastered a smile on his face and thought to himself.
What exactly would Luke’s drinking habits turn out to be?
Would he be the type to grab someone and deliver a long speech?
Or would he quietly just pass out right there?
It might be fun to see him acting strangely and yelling, unlike his usual self.
As Kail contemplated these possibilities, Luke sighed before speaking up.
“Kail, do you know why my theory wasn’t accepted by the Tower?”
“Huh? How would I know that?”
Kail was not a mage but a swordsman.
For his whole life, he had only thought of magic as something strange that occasionally sparked with a “ping!” when smart folks were around, with no particular interest or insight on the matter.
Therefore, it was natural that he couldn’t answer Luke’s question.
Luke held Kail’s gaze as he continued.
“It’s because I expressed my thoughts in words and writing.”
“Hmm.”
Kail pondered as he looked into Luke’s eyes.
‘Ah, he’s drunk.’
The slight blush on his face, his dull, hazy eyes, and his awkward gesturing all pointed to a clear indication that Luke was indeed tipsy.
So his drinking habits must have been of the type that involved grabbing someone and delivering lengthy speeches?
Kail nodded satisfactorily.
In this way, he had found himself another topic to tease Luke about for a while.
Luke remained oblivious to Kail’s thoughts and continued seriously.
“Words and writings are always interpreted differently by the person reading them, right? Don’t you think? Everyone believes that others think as they do, but in reality, that isn’t necessarily so. Even hearing the same words and seeing the same text, people still think differently, don’t they? It’s simply the fact that words are interpreted variably by each individual that leads to countless misunderstandings. Hence, I thought that my means of expressing my theory through words and writings were inadequate. If only I could convey the thoughts of a person directly, there would be no misunderstandings.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Kail casually responded.
He didn’t see the need to deeply engage with a drunken lamentation.
However, Luke’s subsequent words made Kail stop breathing.
“And so, I connected the minds of the mages at the Tower to my own.”
“Huh? What?”
He connected the minds of the mages at the Tower?
It was a statement that was hard to grasp easily.
“Literally, as soon as I had the thought, I bound together the minds of the mages who didn’t understand my theory. In the form of a dream.”
“…Wait, did you just do that?”
Luke, with a cheerful expression, brought the wine glass to his lips.
“Since everyone looks at the stars at night and takes a nap around this time, it was the optimal time to connect dreams. My mind had been linked to theirs until just a moment ago. From there, I was able to convey my theory through the dream without any loss whatsoever. That’s what I meant when I said my mind had gone elsewhere earlier.”
“…”
Kail stared at Luke, mouth agape.
Seeing this reaction, Luke shook his head and muttered.
“You have a look as if you can’t comprehend at all. This is what happens when you express it in words, you see.”
“No, I understand, but how… in the world?”
Is it truly possible to link the minds of mages like that?
Most of the mages in the Tower were highly proficient talents of the higher circles.
Those mages possessed tremendous mental strength and were exceptionally well-versed in mind magic defenses.
Moreover, considering the magical defenses inherent to the Tower itself, there were several issues to consider.
Even he, who was not a mage, knew this much, but Luke was casually speaking as if it were the simplest thing imaginable.
“How? Well… I just did it. As a 6th Circle mage, I have plenty of authority, so I just had to know the method.”
“…”
This was similar to when he would discuss swordsmanship, claiming, “The path through which the opponent can move is predetermined, so if you just watch closely and react, it will work out,” as if it were all so simple.
Well, the fact remained that Luke was a genius who could merely follow along after observing a few actions; however, saying something like that would get him plenty of criticism from others.
Kail thought what kind of reactions the other mages might have if they heard Luke’s declaration.
“Yeah, you got it good.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“No, that’s not a compliment…”
“…? I don’t understand. If saying you are good isn’t a compliment, what is…?”
“……”
Kail slapped his forehead.
He could now somewhat empathize with Luke’s statement that ‘words lead to misunderstandings.’
“So… what was the outcome?”
“I just conveyed my theory, so the results have yet to come in.”
“Really?”
But that astonishing act of insanity hadn’t yielded results yet.
Kail rubbed his face in disbelief, but Luke answered with an unexpectedly optimistic voice.
“However, I’m positive. Now everyone will surely be able to understand my theory perfectly. They will finally grasp how much of a waste the existing theories were.”
“Is that so? I hope it works out well.”
Kail nodded vaguely.
——
A little while later.
Kail rose from his seat without hesitation.
The liquor bottle was empty, and he had also uncovered the original intention of his visit regarding Luke’s drunkenness.
“Well, I’m going to head out now. You’ve drunk it all and it seems you’ve relaxed a lot.”
“Are you leaving already?”
Kail firmly responded to Luke’s disappointed voice.
“Leaving already? It’s the middle of the night.”
To be honest, Luke’s drunken ramblings were more of a tiring experience than an entertaining one.
A tipsy Luke could go on for a long time about his magic, which was mostly only comprehensible to himself, making the weariness even more pronounced.
“I need to sleep too if I’m going to work tomorrow.”
As Kail stood up, Luke got up with him.
Luke smiled at Kail like a child and said,
“Thanks, really. Having a friend like you is an immense blessing for me. Truly, thank you.”
“…Wow, you’ve really become loquacious.”
That wasn’t how he usually spoke…
Perhaps when Luke was drunk, he found it easy to speak such words without hesitation.
Kail scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“……”
“……”
At that moment, a strange energy began to envelop the laboratory.
“What’s this?”
…Of course, that ‘strange energy’ did not refer to the subtle tension between the two men.
It was the aura given off by an amorphous creature blocking Kail’s path.
No, it was something that could hardly be classified as a living being at all, writhing and howling as if it sought to assume some form.
—–!!!!
A terrifying scream that could not even be described in words or writings.
That existence seemed to gather together negative emotions such as fear, despair, and disgust to scream like that.
Kail, overwhelmed by the sight, stared up in shock as he mumbled,
“A monster…?”
Kail seriously contemplated.
How it could have appeared in this laboratory without any forewarning.
And the answer came from Luke.
“Oh, this is very interesting. A thought form born from a massive amount of negative thoughts. Being visible to the naked eye makes it quite a powerful thought form.”
“A thought form…? That? Something like a ghost or a banshee? I’ve never seen anything like that in my life!”
“Right. Only the soul of a grand mage who died with immense resentment could have created such a thought.”
Kail was astonished by Luke’s words.
“What? The soul of a grand mage? You’re not saying that someone has died at the Tower right now, are you?”
“No, it isn’t that. Among the minds of the mages I connected, there’s no vanished signal. In other words, no one has died currently.”
“Then where on earth did that come from?”
At Kail’s question, Luke stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“Hmmm… Ah!”
Then, as if a realization dawned on him, Luke’s eyes widened.
“I see, the dream must have turned into a nightmare! That thought form is born from the dreams of the mages I connected their minds to. It’s a manifestation of the will of all the dozens of mages whose minds are linked.”
“What? So you’re saying that was created by your magic?”
At Kail’s astonished cry, Luke clapped his hands and laughed.
“Ha ha ha. This is fun. Using nightmares, one can create thought forms using just human will…”
Kail shot an exasperated look at the composed Luke.
“Are you seriously saying that right now? Hurry up and handle it with your magic!”
At Kail’s insistence, Luke nodded and replied.
“Ah, I got it. Just wait a moment.”
Then he closed his eyes and began murmuring something.
But the black thought form, created from the nightmares of dozens of grand mages, continued to twist and spread long, black tentacles before Kail.
Feeling anxious, Kail asked, ‘Are you almost done?’, and Luke opened his eyes with a puzzled expression.
“…Wait, the magic calculations aren’t working properly. Hmmm…”
“What?”
“Something feels off. My mind is all clogged… I can only think of one or two things at a time…”
“……”
Kail froze in shock.
With a perplexed look on his face, Luke rubbed his forehead and muttered.
“What is it…? Is it a side effect of mind magic…?”
Kail felt relieved, seeing that Luke, who was supposed to resolve the situation, was looking extremely confused, and spoke reassuringly.
“No, I think you’re just drunk.”
“Drunk…? Me? I’ve only had a few glasses of fruit wine…?”
“That stuff is pretty strong, so you might be tipsy.”
“…Really? Then it’s not that I’ve gotten dumber…? Thank goodness.”
Luke seemed relieved, wiping his chest.
However, that didn’t mean Luke had any effective means to handle the situation.
“Kail… what do we do now?”
“What do we do, indeed…?”
Kail drew his sword from his waist and shouted.
“While I hold it off, you go wake the mages you connected to at the Tower, you idiot!”
“Ah, got it!”
And that night, Luke, reeking of fruit wine, rambled through the Tower, slapping the faces of sleeping mages to wake them up. Thanks to that, rumors spread through the Tower for a time saying, ‘Luke’s drunken ramblings are so terrible that they can wake a sleeping person by slapping them awake.’
