I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 78

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 78

 

The Magic Tower exchange came quickly.

 

Perhaps thinking to get even one more person to participate, the Tower Master scattered all sorts of proposals. He even publicly declared that he would personally give magic lectures to those who wanted them until the day of the exchange.

 

Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the Magic Tower changed rapidly.

 

With the Tower Master’s public declaration to open the Treasury, many people temporarily set aside their ongoing research. The Green Magic Tower, which had been like a Dungeon full of Undead, began to show signs of life. Of course, that was only temporary, as the Tower Master’s lectures were more intense than most research, quickly turning it into a hellish place.

 

Not everyone took the Tower Master’s lectures.

 

There were a few people like Jude who found even being around the Tower Master burdensome, and there were those who thought it would be better to complete and present their own research.

 

Time passed quickly to the day of the exchange.

 

Jude, who had decided to participate because the Tower Master had even promised to grant one wish if he won even one event, looked around with an anxious expression.

 

The exchange between Magic Towers became quite a topic in the Empire.

 

Though it was called an exchange, perhaps because no one was unaware of its true nature. The Imperial Palace even provided the venue, and various Nobles flocked to watch.

 

Most of them were even Mages. If he got hit by even a stray Dispel, wouldn’t his identity as a Dark Mage be exposed? A place with so many people gathered couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

 

-Don’t worry about that. Though you know few spells, your Mana Manipulation ability is at a considerable level. Unless someone specifically targets you, most people won’t be able to dispel your Deception.

 

The Demon Lord spoke as if to reassure him, but conversely, didn’t that mean if someone exceeded that ordinary level, they could dispel the Deception?

 

Without thinking deeply, there were three such Mages in this place.

 

The Tower Masters of each tower.

 

He glanced at where the Tower Masters were gathered. Even at a glance, the atmosphere was ominous. Even the Nobles who had approached to offer greetings hesitated.

 

‘Well.’

 

For a Tower Master who had lost most of his personnel to other Magic Towers, this moment of being gathered together must be torture.

 

Realizing that he wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable, Jude’s expression became a little more relaxed.

 

‘Once today passes, I’ll be able to find out why Master became a Dark Mage.’

 

Jude had secretly decided to ask about Sevian as his wish. Since he had sworn an oath on Mana, he expected that even if his identity as Sevian’s disciple was discovered, the Tower Master wouldn’t immediately try to kill him.

 

If he came at him prepared to lose all his Mana, well.

 

No matter how much of an Archmage he had been, by then he would just be a dying Elder.

 

“Hey, newcomer. Focus.”

 

A Magic Tower Senior beside him nudged him with his elbow.

 

Jude nodded and looked ahead. The Magic Circle Creation competition was just beginning.

 

“The magic circles you will create today are three types in total. The time limit is two hours. The evaluation criteria are speed, accuracy and stability. Finally, the power when the magic circle is activated.”

“My goodness. Draw three magic circles in two hours?”

“…This is crazy.”

 

The Mages who chose Magic Circle Creation murmured. Jude also nodded.

 

What did they need so much time for just drawing three magic circles?

 

At most ten-odd seconds each. It would be finished well within a generous minute. Thinking about having to wait during the remaining time was already torture.

 

“Look at this draft here, and create the magic circles at your designated positions. Yes, there. Do you have a question?”

 

The Examiner with dark circles under his eyes pointed to a Mage who had raised his hand.

 

“There are empty parts in the magic circle you showed us. If we draw it as is, it doesn’t seem like it would work.”

“Didn’t I say it? It’s a draft. You can fill in the empty parts yourselves.”

“…!”

 

The Mages began murmuring again.

 

“It’ll be hard to complete even one.”

“Should we focus on at least making it work somehow…”

“This is really crazy.”

 

Jude quietly adjusted the time to complete each magic circle upward to 5 minutes.

 

“You can choose materials from what our Blue Tower has provided. If you’re caught using personally brought catalysts, it will be considered cheating.”

“Oh, that’s fortunate. The Blue Tower really spends well.”

“It’s not entirely good news. We have to think about compatibility between catalysts and harmony with the completed magic circles too. …Still, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

 

Among the people sighing in relief, Jude suddenly thought.

 

‘Wait, I can’t draw with Mana either, can I?’

 

Come to think of it, drawing magic circles with Mana was something Jude had never even thought of until he heard it from the Demon Lord.

 

He needed to get good results, but if he used it in a place like this, he would stand out more than necessary.

 

“….”

 

Jude adjusted the time to complete each magic circle upward once more.

 

* * *

 

In a spot where the Exchange Hall could be seen at a glance, Tower Masters and high-ranking Nobles had gathered to observe the proceedings.

 

Whatever the pretext might be, this was a place where young mages who could be called the future of each Magic Tower showed off their skills. For the nobles, it was a place to scout future investment opportunities.

 

The sight of mages who wouldn’t easily bow even before nobles now struggling desperately, and the spectacular magic demonstrations. The nobles were captivated by this scene that was completely different from academic conferences where only a few people came out to present research results and that was it.

 

But the Tower Masters were different.

 

With cognitive abilities several times superior to ordinary people, they surveyed the entire conference hall situation and assessed the capabilities. And.

 

“He has a habit of consuming too much mana. If he’s not careful later, he’ll likely become a cripple.”

“His mental calculations are fast, but his personality is impatient. He skips intermediate steps, so mistakes come out.”

“To fill that position like that. Does he not understand the examiner’s intention? He’ll be embarrassed the moment it activates.”

 

They tore down the disciples of rival Magic Towers.

 

Even if they were outstanding seedlings, as long as they belonged to rival Magic Towers, they were future competitors. Even if they tried to view them favorably, they couldn’t.

 

Among them, the one most eagerly searching for flaws was the Green Tower Master. This was because among the mages participating in the exchange meeting, many were included who had abandoned the Green Magic Tower and left.

 

It seemed they had prepared quite a bit knowing this would happen, but still. How could they compare to the Green Magic Tower, which had opened its treasury and even had the Tower Master personally come out to give lectures?

 

Then at some moment.

 

The Tower Masters’ gazes began to converge on one place.

 

“That one, the depth of the magic circle isn’t uniform. Quite impressive.”

 

Carving magic circles with uniform depth was the most common mistake novice mages made. They mistakenly thought it was a flat surface when looking down from above.

 

But doing so reduced efficiency. It was also common for the balance to break just from placing one catalyst on top of a completed magic circle. To avoid such situations, each pattern had to be carved with different force to make it three-dimensional.

 

“No, wait. There in the lower right. That’s a pattern not in the problem… Ha, adding that would make the maximum temperature rise much higher, wouldn’t it?”

 

On top of that, independent interpretation and improvement of the magic circle had been achieved.

 

Increasing only the power while not harming the original purpose and maintaining stability – wasn’t this something that required complete understanding of the relevant magic?

 

“About two spans in size, I’d say. Incredibly small. I’d want to take that as is and put it in a textbook.”

 

Because it was precise work, it had to be carved by hand directly. That’s why there was actually a greater risk of it being ruined.

 

The more complex a magic circle was, the only option to draw it was to increase its size. Artifacts reduced to a portable size weren’t expensive for nothing.

 

What the young man had drawn couldn’t really be called very small either, but considering the time invested, anyone would shake their head.

 

“Time. How much time has passed?”

“Just now, 30 minutes have passed.”

“Ha, about 10 minutes per magic circle? Not drawn hastily either, but with that level of completion?”

“If he had used more time, it seems he could have drawn it much smaller than now. Considering his age… He has the qualities to become an artifact creator who will remain in history.”

 

The Red Tower Master and Blue Tower Master simultaneously turned their gazes.

 

“Green Tower Master. Where did you find such talent?”

“His name is Jude, I believe. He wasn’t on last year’s Academy graduate list. Did you find him overseas?”

“Ah, no…”

 

The Green Tower Master felt bewilderment rising instead of the anger he had harbored toward them.

 

‘I didn’t know either…?’

 

Those who had been pouring greedy gazes soon began talking without rest.

 

“Looking at the magic circles completed now, he doesn’t seem accustomed to using various materials.”

“Send him to our Magic Tower. With sufficient investment, he’ll be able to develop his talent several times faster.”

“Ha, what nonsense. Our Blue Magic Tower is better than you…”

 

Watching the two Tower Masters who had begun arguing with each other, what came to mind was the face of a mage he had once considered the future of the Magic Tower long ago.

 

‘Just what did you raise, Sevian.’

 

Perhaps he had gifted them a new future. The Tower Master smiled bitterly.

 

Meanwhile, Shtidy, who had been standing at a slightly distant spot, also let out a sigh.

 

Right next to him were the Third Hero pretending to be composed while trembling, his sponsor, and Melissa together. Even if it was close to an excuse, since that excuse concerned the selection of the Hero’s companions, it was natural if you could call it natural.

 

Though four people were gathered together, the atmosphere was awkward beyond measure.

 

Only Dahaman, the Hero’s sponsor and owner of the Golden Star Trading Company, one of the top ten trading companies on the continent, was grinning and spouting jokes. They looked like they weren’t close at all and had no intention of becoming close.

 

Just how had things ended up this way? Where had it gone wrong?

 

A few days ago, while working at the reception desk. Had the problem been getting into an argument with Telon who had come to pick a fight for no reason?

 

Until suddenly this guy called the Hero showed up and made a request bordering on coercion to become his companion. It was a sudden flow that even Shtidy’s brain, which he had never considered lacking, couldn’t easily understand.

 

If only the Tower Master hadn’t accepted on his behalf, he would be continuing his research in the research room by now. This kind of exchange meeting wouldn’t have happened either.

 

But what could he do? In mage society, magic ability was everything. If not that, you had to have overwhelming research achievements at least. Though Shtidy was evaluated as a fairly promising mage, as long as he still couldn’t reach the Tower Master’s toes in either regard, when told to do something, he had no choice but to do it.

 

If later, as the Hero’s companion, he became an Archmage… He didn’t know if it would be possible, but if such a day came, Shtidy resolved to take revenge on the Tower Master as his gaze turned toward one corner of the conference hall.

 

The place for presenting research achievements.

 

Originally, this would have been the center of the academic conference, but the majority didn’t pay attention, saying it was a scene they could see every time.

 

A place where no one showed much interest.

 

There, Telon was trying to present his research results.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————