Chapter 95

◈ Chapter 95: The Old Tower

When Rudger firmly declared that he would never go to the tower, Altego could only open his mouth, unable to utter a single word.

The same went for the five mages who had followed him.

Altego, the chairman, and his five direct disciples.

Indeed, when had they ever been spoken to so rudely in front of their faces?

Even though the Old Tower, now known as the Nine Tower, had declined significantly compared to its heyday when it wielded unparalleled power.

Still, the tower was a place where countless mages harbored dreams and aspirations, knocking on its doors.

Altego was one of the twelve elders who could only be chosen from the select few in the tower.

No matter how powerful a mage was, the reality was that they couldn't act arrogantly in front of him.

'But, what did he say?'

What exactly did this young brat in front of him just say?

That even if he were offered a seat in the tower's council, he wouldn't go?

Altego realized for the first time that day that when you're too angry, you can't even speak.

"You! How dare you speak so freely in front of me!"

The first to react was one of the five disciples Altego had brought.

"To think that the headmaster of Seorun would be so arrogant just because the chairman said something nice! Sir, the best thing to do is to ignore such a person."

He seemed unable to contain his anger and didn't want to stay in this place for even a second.

But just as he was about to suggest leaving, what he got was not Rudger's response but Elisa's giggling laughter.

"Ahahahaha!"

She burst into laughter, not the usual pretentious kind, but a genuine, 100% emotional laugh.

Even Altego, who knew her well, was taken aback by her outburst, and the same went for the five disciples.

After laughing for a while, Elisa wiped away the tears from her eyes with her fingertips.

"Ah. Really. It's been so long since I've laughed like this."

With that, she returned to her usual enigmatic smile.

"Is that so? Chairman? Since Mr. Rudger doesn't want to go, what can you do? You made a wasted trip here~."

This might be the only chance to humiliate the old man she detested.

Having been rejected by a much younger man, his pride must have been severely wounded.

Elisa smiled and continued to taunt Altego.

"That's what I said~. Since he would refuse anyway, why bother coming to the academy? Do you think the tower is still the same as it was in the old days?"

"You! Can't you watch your mouth?!"

One of Altego's five disciples stepped forward in anger.

Elisa's expression vanished instantly.

"If you don't like it?"

"What?"

"If you don't like it, what are you going to do about it?"

At the moment of the disciple's confusion, a chilling magical power emanated from Elisa, constricting his body.

"Kuh!"

He couldn't breathe properly.

He stared at Elisa in disbelief.

Elisa Willow.

A genius mage who achieved the 6th tier at a young age.

She left the New Tower suddenly and became the headmaster of Seorun.

When the world revered her as a genius, he was deeply dissatisfied.

If she were a true genius, she would have stayed in the tower and made a name for herself. Why did she go to a position like the headmaster of Seorun?

He could only think that she had fled.

He believed that she had gone to an academy where children played to avoid her true abilities being exposed.

He thought the rumors about her were overly exaggerated and nothing more than gossip people enjoyed.

If he ever met her, he believed he could prove that he was superior.

But now.

'The dimensions are different.'

He couldn't move a single finger. Breathing was a struggle, let alone using magic.

He felt like he had fallen into the deep sea, surrounded by endless darkness.

But the fact that he could still breathe was due to Elisa's minimal consideration.

'No match.'

This was the youngest 6th tier mage.

A [Rector] grade, the third highest among the existing 8th tier mages.

"Stop it."

Altego cut the tension with a single word.

Elisa clicked her tongue and withdrew her magical power.

Despite his character, Altego's abilities were genuine.

Since she was also a 6th tier mage, a conflict would only make things troublesome for her.

Altego calmed his voice and restrained his disciples.

"You should stop too."

"But, sir."

Altego silently looked at his disciples.

The moment they saw his expressionless face, they turned pale and shut their mouths.

"Let's go."

Before leaving, Altego glared at Elisa one last time, then turned to Rudger, who was looking at him expressionlessly over her shoulder.

"You will pay for this someday."

Although he was arrogant, he wasn't so unreasonable as to cause a scene here, so he just left.

Altego vowed in his heart that he would never forget this humiliation.

In such a situation, the other party would usually show some tension or embarrassment.

But Rudger didn't.

His only action was a simple one.

A slight nod.

It was as if he was challenging, "Try me if you can."

Grinding his teeth, Altego pushed his disciples away and left the banquet hall.

The five disciples, unsure of what to do, hurriedly followed Altego.

"Phew."

Once Altego was completely gone, Elisa relaxed her shoulders.

Then, with a slightly tired look, she smiled at Rudger.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rudger. I should have been more thorough."

"No, I actually benefited from your help."

"You don't have to say that. I only intervened because of that stubborn old man and our bad history."

Elisa suddenly asked.

"Do you also hate the tower, Mr. Rudger?"

Hate the tower.

If he had to answer, he was definitely closer to hating it.

The same went for Elisa.

"I was actually a mage from the tower."

"I know."

"Finding a mage who isn't from the tower is harder on the continent, but I was called a genius there... Ah, this is starting to sound like self-praise again."

"It's fine."

"I worked hard there. The tower is quite conservative, you know? While modern science and magic engineering are advancing, the old men in the back rooms just can't accept it. We fought a lot."

This is where the Old Tower and the New Tower diverge.

The Old Tower is a place where those who adhere to the authoritarian nature of mages gather.

They believe that magic should be great, that no one can use it casually, and that only the chosen few should wield it.

'On the other hand, the New Tower is a faction that has shed the authoritarian mask of magic and seeks to integrate it with modern science.'

A few hundred years ago, it might have been different, but human history has made significant progress in the last 200 years.

Cars replaced carriages, and firearms became the main weapons instead of just swords.

Despite this, mages and knights still played a significant role in the world, but they couldn't completely reject change.

Especially the mages.

Magic and science.

They seemed the same but were different, and they seemed different but were the same.

The Old Tower mages argued that such science should be rejected, while the New Tower mages believed it should be integrated.

The New Tower mages not only talked but also acted on their beliefs.

They combined magic and science to create magic engineering.

The birth of magic engineering.

It accelerated the world's development even further.

Steamships, magic engineering trains, steam golems, and flying ships.

All kinds of things were born and continue to appear.

In this rapidly changing world, the tower was torn into two factions.

'Altego and Headmaster Elisa's confrontation is a clear representation of the relationship between old and new era mages.'

If asked which side Rudger was on, he would be closer to the new era mages.

No, to be more precise.

'His mindset is that of a new era mage, but the main magic he uses is closer to the old era.'

The 'real magic' he didn't often show to others was much closer to the old era magic than the new era magic.

But since it wasn't something to boast about, Rudger nodded and only responded to Elisa's words.

"I talk too much, don't I? Still, it's a celebration, so you must be tired, Mr. Rudger."

"Not at all."

"I'll take my leave now. I have many people to deal with. Enjoy the party today, Mr. Rudger. Just, don't drink too much! Understand?"

"Of course."

Elisa, as when she first appeared, disappeared from his sight, her black dress fluttering.

Finally, it's over.

After the trouble with Ivan Luke, the mages from the tower came and bothered him.

It was quite mentally exhausting, but Rudger quickly corrected his thoughts.

He had come to this banquet with a purpose.

"Ah! Mr. Rudger!"

As Rudger approached, Selina, who was with other people, greeted him.

"Mr. Selina. Are you alright?"

"What? Yes, I'm fine. The president of Luke Corporation came and apologized. I'm not bothered by it."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

No matter how incompetent his son was, for the president to come and apologize in person.

He must have had some ulterior motive, but compared to his son, he was definitely a more reasonable person.

Rudger glanced at the people with Selina.

"You were having a conversation with others."

The people Selina talked to were limited in this banquet hall.

Besides Merilda, who often took care of her, there were others who were close to Selina.

"Oh, nice to meet you."

"You are the famous...?"

Three women and one man, looking surprised, stared at Rudger.

Some were new faces, but others were familiar.

They were the spirit mages of Seorun.

There were four of them, each teaching from 2nd year to 5th year, the graduating class.

Rudger bowed to them.

"I am Rudger Chellisi, in charge of the 2nd year specialized courses."

"I heard that a new teacher would be handling the 2nd year classes. I'm Sethluna, the 2nd year spirit mage teacher."

Sethluna had short red hair.

Rudger momentarily suspected that this woman might be Esmeralda of the First Order.

'No, it's too early to jump to conclusions.'

Rudger introduced himself to the other teachers.

"I'm Partonia, in charge of the 3rd year."

Partonia, who taught 3rd year students, was a large, pleasant-looking woman.

"I'm Vierano Dentes, in charge of the 4th year."

The 4th year teacher was the only male among the spirit mages, with a small build and a rather timid appearance.

Surprisingly, he was an elf with pointed ears.

'An elf.'

It wasn't unusual for various races to be in Seorun. Especially for an elf, who has a high affinity with nature, to teach spirit magic was not strange.

"I'm Angela Anderson."

The last one, the 5th year teacher, was a sharp-looking woman with glasses.

She was quite beautiful but had an image that made it hard to approach her.

'If I narrow it down, it would be one of these three, excluding the elf Vierano.'

The problem was, who among the three was the real one?

Esmeralda knew about Rudger's true identity.

If she were here, she should have shown some reaction from the moment they shook hands.

But none of the three showed any special reaction towards him.

'None of them?'

Rudger calculated the possibilities.

If Esmeralda had a calm enough mind to not react in such a situation.

But during their conversation, he felt that her personality was subtly fiery and picky.

She got annoyed when things didn't go her way.

'If I have to suspect someone, it would be Sethluna, the 2nd year teacher.'

Positions from 3rd year and above were only for experienced teachers.

But for 2nd year, it was more likely that a teacher with a shorter tenure would be in charge. If the Black Dawn sent someone, it would be more likely to be here.

'I should ask Hans to investigate Sethluna.'

As he pondered, his throat felt dry.

Rudger wanted to drink something, so he tried to call a server.

But he couldn't help but pause at the familiar figure.

"...Rine?"

A student in his class and a possessor of neutral magical power.

Rine, whom he was particularly watching, was here.

Wearing a waitress uniform with black and white contrasts, holding a silver tray in one hand.

Rine also froze when she saw Rudger.