The AI Archmage - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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AI Archmage Episode 10

After gathering the necessary items from the workshop, the three of them came back outside.

“Really… it feels like I’ve been possessed by a ghost.”

Serentia spoke with a dazed expression.

“To think we would discover Master Belusian’s Secret Workshop in this manner, when even its very existence couldn’t be grasped during the Tower’s decline.”

“That’s just how these things go, isn’t it.”

Sion answered with an indifferent expression and restored the workshop entrance to its original state.

Then the place returned to being an ordinary Waste Disposal Site, no different from usual.

But at that moment, Lumia, who had been quietly thinking about something, opened her mouth.

“Mr. Sion.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Just what… are you exactly?”

Lumia’s eyes wavered.

She had thought of all sorts of possibilities to somehow make sense of Sion’s existence.

So until now, she had somehow convinced herself.

That Sion Rostery was a genius who would go down in history, surpassing even herself.

That he had acted like a wastrel to escape the pressure from the Marquis Rostery Family, and was now revealing his true worth.

But this case was different.

This was clearly a matter of the Blue Tower.

Moreover, it was a secret related to her master, a great archmage.

“Mr. Sion, by any chance… do you know my master? Did my master perhaps tell you something…?”

“Well.”

Sion gave another vague answer this time as well.

Because he had expected Lumia to react this way.

Because even he thought this case had definitely crossed the line of what could be understood.

“Well, couldn’t it be that I happened to learn of this place’s existence by chance?”

“There’s no way it was by chance…!”

“Yes, I know. There isn’t.”

Sion chuckled and continued speaking.

“But do I have an obligation to tell you that? Everyone has their secrets. What’s important is that the Tower Master discovered her respected master’s workshop and gained much from it.”

“That’s…”

Lumia couldn’t continue her words and bit her lips.

She closed her eyes for a moment, took a calm deep breath, and spoke in a much more composed voice.

“…I was rude. It seems I got a little… excited because it was an unexpected situation.”

“I understand.”

Sion nodded and accepted Lumia’s apology.

[Even if you told them the truth, they wouldn’t believe it anyway.]

‘That’s right.’

Even if he said he was Altair, the situation would likely become even more complicated.

“Then let’s go back.”

“Yes.”

Though questions still remained, Lumia nodded at Sion’s words.

Because Sion was right.

Who he was didn’t matter.

What mattered was only the fact that a genius like Sion was helping her.

‘That’s right.’

Lumia steeled her resolve once more.

To push Sion away over suspicions would be foolish, considering how much she had already received from him and how much more she would receive.

She shook off her worries and moved forward, her shoulders lifting slightly with newfound lightness.

* * *

A few days later, a new lecture was established in the Blue Tower.

It was none other than a lecture by Sion Rostery, who had recently become an official instructor thanks to Lumia.

Naturally, as expected, the Blue Tower was thrown into an uproar.

“Do you think it makes sense to learn magic from that Sion Rostery, fellow students!”

“It doesn’t make sense!”

“Considering all the trouble he’s caused the Blue Tower until now, an instructor! This is absurd!”

“…But wasn’t the magic he showed back then pretty amazing?”

“Bury this bastard.”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

…Anyway, there was an uproar.

It was inevitable.

This was Sion Rostery, after all.

A scoundrel who had committed all sorts of misdeeds using his noble family background as a weapon.

The karma that the previous Sion had accumulated was far too great for public opinion to change over a few days’ events.

But while there were those who opposed him like this.

The rest of the students were…

“It was pretty amazing though. Right?”

“His past is a bit annoying, but if he teaches well, that’s what matters.”

“Listen! I just came up with a brilliant hypothesis – actually, there’s a forbidden love story with hidden circumstances between Sion Rostery and the Tower Master…”

“Hang this bastard.”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

This side had this kind of atmosphere.

If there was a common point, it was that either way, everyone was utterly confused.

In such a situation, the lecture that Sion had established revealed itself.

The name was.

“Magic Engineering?”

“In the Magic Tower… engineering?”

As the students said, the name of the lecture Sion established was simple.

Magic Engineering.

Its description was also concise.

– Come if you’re curious.

If they hadn’t witnessed that tremendous spectacle Sion displayed a few days ago, they would have simply laughed it off.

But having witnessed the chantless magic Sion performed, laughing it off was no longer possible.

Among such students, a red-haired female student approached the notice.

“…Magic Engineering, huh.”

The girl snorted and shook her head from side to side.

But even so, the girl couldn’t take her eyes off the notice either.

That’s when it happened.

“Are you curious?”

“What?”

When the girl frowned and turned her head, a familiar face was looking at her with arms crossed.

“…Tult.”

Tult Ryan.

Like the girl, he was a third-year student, and the guy who got thoroughly beaten by that ‘Sion Rostery’ recently.

“But why are you standing there so confidently?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be confident?”

“You got completely wrecked.”

The girl looked at Tult with an expression full of mockery.

Wasn’t the reason Sion Rostery gained attention recently because of this Tult anyway?

“You picked a fight and got completely wrecked, so why are you acting so confident?”

“Ah, Briella.”

Tult shook his head from side to side and continued speaking.

“Briella, daughter of Olcott, one of only five platinum mercenaries known on the Continent.”

“What’s this all of a sudden? Are you mocking me now?”

“And a runaway at that.”

“I asked if you’re mocking me.”

Briella’s lips twitched.

She couldn’t understand why this bastard had been getting on her nerves so much since earlier.

Platinum mercenary, Olcott of the Desert.

In an era where noble bloodlines monopolized the positions of high-ranking mages.

What happened to those who couldn’t join their ranks?

There were various routes, but the path most chose was becoming mercenaries.

Beings who escorted mages, protected merchant groups, and handled various other tasks.

Among such mercenaries, the one who reached the pinnacle was Briella’s father.

A platinum mercenary.

At first glance, one might wonder why such precious bloodline would be in this declining Magic Tower.

But in the end, it was still just mercenary blood.

And she’s not from a noble aristocratic family either.

In that case, unless she had overwhelming talent, it would be difficult to receive good treatment even if she entered other major Magic Towers.

Rather than that, she came with the thought of trying to do something at the Blue Tower.

Tult was one of the people who knew about her circumstances.

“It’s fine. Your father still thinks you’re carrying out a commission in the remote regions.”

“…Tsk.”

Briella scratched her head and returned to the main topic.

“So why are you looking at me with such an annoyed expression?”

“I want to give you some advice.”

“What.”

“Now is the low point. Buy in.”

Tult said with a grin.

“The merchant family blood flowing through me is telling me. That now is exactly the timing to buy in.”

“…”

Briella narrowed her eyes as she looked at Tult, who was suddenly spouting nonsense.

She didn’t usually trust Tult that much, but she never ignored that intuition of his.

But she was strangely irritated.

“No, the bastard who charged in first and got beaten up…”

“I know because I got beaten up.”

Tult continued speaking again.

“Conversely, don’t you think advice from the side that got beaten up like that is worth listening to?”

“…Tsk.”

It was an answer she couldn’t refute.

But from Briella’s perspective, there were still parts she couldn’t understand.

“Not learning magic, but engineering. Is this even useful?”

“I don’t know that either.”

Tult shrugged and continued speaking.

“But there’s nothing to lose by listening, right? It’s not like it costs money.”

“That’s…”

“I know that you don’t like Master Sion. There was that incident in the first place.”

“…”

“But separate from that, if it’s valuable teaching, then receiving it is the right thing to do. Isn’t that the proper attitude of a mage?”

She couldn’t refute those words either.

Automatically, the memory from that time surfaced in her mind.

– The smell of a filthy stray dog reaches all the way here.

A voice full of contempt.

Eyes steeped in elitism, as if looking at a sewer rat.

“…Tch.”

Briella soon clicked her tongue briefly and nodded her head.

“I’ll listen once, I guess.”

All while thinking that if he didn’t like it, he would humiliate them in front of everyone.

And there was a girl who had been quietly listening to Tult and Briella’s conversation from afar.

“….”

Her jet-black hair was so long and disheveled that it covered both her eyes.

The girl with sunken eyes quietly checked the lecture notice and frowned.

“…Magic Engineering.”

Then, as if disgusted, she shook her head back and forth.

“I didn’t want to see this kind of thing even after coming here.”

But even so, like the other students, the girl’s gaze didn’t leave the notice.

And a few days later, it became the first day of Sion Rostery’s lecture.

* * *

[It’s the first day of lectures, Human.]

“Alright.”

Sion got up with a languid expression at Akasha’s notification.

He had spent the past few days focusing on stabilizing his Mobius Circle with Akasha.

During that time, he had also crafted the necessary magic tools through the crafting table.

“It’s the first day of lectures.”

Lumia, who had been waiting in front, smiled brightly at Sion.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for a while now.”

At those words, Lumia nodded.

“I see. Then shall we go?”

“I don’t think there’s any need for the Tower Master to come along.”

“Why not?”

“What would you do at the place where I’m lecturing?”

“Well, I need to study, of course.”

“…?”

For a moment, an indescribable silence passed between Lumia and Sion.

It was Lumia who broke the silence first.

“You’re teaching about Magic Engineering, right? Even if I don’t know magic, when it comes to engineering, I’m also in a position where I need to learn.”

“Hmm.”

So the owner of the Magic Tower would become a student and listen to a teacher’s lecture?

“That’s good.”

There’s no reason to refuse when she’s willing to fill in the gaps herself.

Sion nodded and walked out, matching his pace with Lumia’s.

“On the way, there are a few things I need to explain to you. Things you should know about the Blue Tower students.”

“Is there something I need to know?”

“I’m talking about the existence of students who have strong influence among the students of the Main Tower. Since you were also a student, Sion, you might know about them, but you didn’t get along well with them.”

“Please tell me.”

To some extent, I’m aware of this through Sion’s memories and Akasha, but there’s nothing wrong with hearing it directly.

“Currently, you’re the only one from a high noble family in the Main Tower, Sion.”

“That would be the case.”

“In the first place, if you’re from a high noble family, there’s no reason to come to the Main Tower. But conversely, it also means there are other famous people who aren’t from noble families.”

“Hmm, for example?”

“There’s a student named Briella Aegis. She’s a commoner, but she’s the only daughter of Olcott, a platinum-ranked mercenary.”

“Oh.”

Sion also had memories of the mercenary named Olcott.

When he was Altair, Olcott was famous among mercenaries for his genius-level skills.

So he reached platinum rank, the highest grade among mercenaries, after about 20 years?

‘Not bad.’

“She’s certainly from the bloodline of a famous person among non-mages.”

“And there’s one more.”

Lumia continued carefully.

“This isn’t a well-known fact except to me and Sister Serentia, but in some ways, she could be considered a more famous figure than Briella.”

“Who is it?”

“Eira Kobella.”

“…Kobella?”

At those words, even Sion’s eyes, which had been listening calmly, wavered for a moment.

It was because it was a familiar surname.

And after a moment, Lumia revealed her identity.

“Following in Altair’s footsteps, she became the owner of the Workshop Alliance…”

At that moment, Sion spoke, taking over Lumia’s words.

“Casen Kobella’s daughter?”

“…Huh? You know?”

At those words, Sion shook his head with a bitter laugh.

“Well, I know him well.”

Casen Kobella.

Altair’s second disciple.

In short, it meant that his disciple’s daughter was a student in this tower.

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