The AI Archmage - Chapter 17

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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 17

Money was an absolutely essential element for humans to survive in this harsh society.

And that was true for…

“Money!”

The poor owner of a certain Magic Tower who was desperately craving money.

She waddled like a duck while carrying a bundle of treasures she had found by searching through the workshop like a dog.

“This is the weight of life! It’s heavy, but it has meaning!”

As Sion had said, the workshop contained quite a substantial amount of treasures that Bash had accumulated.

While it wasn’t enough to completely resolve the Blue Tower’s debts, it was still a considerable amount that could solve a significant portion of them.

“S-Sion, can I really use all of these?”

“Of course you can.”

Sion said to Lumia with a gentle smile.

“You’re just taking back what was stolen from you all this time. I’m not so lacking in conscience that I’d steal even that from you.”

“Sion…”

Serentia, who was likewise carrying a bundle of treasures beside them, also looked at Sion with a moved expression.

“Why did we misunderstand someone like you all this time…”

“Haha.”

Sion let out a magnanimous laugh like a true gentleman.

Seeing this, Akasha asked in disbelief.

[Human, didn’t you just slip away that Secret Vault Key to the Capital Mansion that Bash had earlier?]

‘Shh, keep it down.’

Originally, you take what you can when it comes to things like this.

The secret key that Bash had been carefully keeping in his chest.

Sion had secretly taken that.

This was probably Bash’s real ‘secret stash’ that he had been hiding, but there was no need to mention that.

[Do you have any conscience, Human?]

‘Did you think I’d still have something so warm left in me?’

[I’m going crazy, really.]

‘It’s fine. I’ll use it for something good.’

Sion had a reason for secretly taking those treasures.

‘I need money I can use more freely. I also need to check on things regarding my workshop.’

[That’s true.]

Akasha immediately agreed with that reason.

[If I had to say, it’s true that we need funds that the Blue Tower’s ‘enemies’ don’t know about.]

‘Exactly.’

[…That’s right, isn’t it?]

‘Hmm.’

[Human?]

Akasha asked again, but Sion merely avoided answering.

Anyway, everyone returned to the Blue Tower with satisfied expressions.

* * *

As soon as they returned to the Blue Tower, Sion restored the mana flow to normal.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

Since he had already resolved the cause of the secret theft, all he needed to do was fix the Tower Core.

Then the Tower’s equipment, which hadn’t functioned for a long time, began operating normally again.

“Wh-what? Was the Tower always this bright?”

“No, more than that, the Library that was inaccessible all this time has opened too?”

“Th-the Golem is moving!”

Magic Tools and Golems that couldn’t be used due to their high power requirements became usable again.

Of course, some things needed repairs after being neglected for so long, but what mattered was that they could move again.

The Blue Tower was finally beginning to function properly as a Magic Tower.

“…I see.”

Eira muttered blankly as she watched the changes happening in the Tower.

“I wondered why the Tower’s equipment wasn’t functioning properly, but it was simply that mana wasn’t being supplied sufficiently.”

With her natural talent, she immediately grasped the cause of the Tower’s transformation.

“…Was mana being stolen by something external? Not equipment failure, but someone intentionally…”

If that’s the case…

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

At the voice she heard then, Eira’s gaze turned in that direction.

“Teacher.”

Sion Rostery.

He was looking at her with a gentle smile.

Her eyes shook rapidly at this.

‘He was this close? I didn’t even notice him approaching.’

But soon Eira quickly regained her composure and answered.

“Just something that occurred to me.”

“About why the Main Tower suddenly started functioning properly?”

“…”

“Or were you pondering the reason why it hadn’t been functioning all this time?”

“…!”

Eira frowned.

It was extremely unpleasant.

Because his eyes looked as if he understood all of her thoughts.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“I just thought that because you had an unusually serious expression.”

Sion said with a slight smile.

“Usually, openly pointing out my mistakes in class means you’re quite confident, doesn’t it?”

“I-I’m sorry about what happened back then.”

Eira immediately bowed her head.

Her feelings toward the human called Sion weren’t particularly favorable.

But regardless of that, it was certainly true that she had been rude to Sion.

“B-but no matter how much I think about it, back then… I didn’t think you could possibly do it, Professor.”

“I suppose so.”

“Magic tools with high-level calculation capabilities inevitably have to be sized according to their functions. And for chantless casting like that day to be possible…”

“It would need to be a magic tool at least the size of two grown men.”

Naturally, portability would be out of the question, and it would have almost no practical use.

Plans to utilize subspace had been proposed, but the conclusion was that the two couldn’t coexist due to mismatched mana wavelengths.

But Sion, as if mocking such thinking, had revealed a calculation magic tool of portable size.

That was something beyond common sense.

If an outstanding craftsman from the Workshop Alliance had announced such a thing, she would have somehow accepted it.

But… the fact that Sion had done it was hard to accept.

At a similar age to herself, he had succeeded in inventing a magic tool that even those excellent craftsmen couldn’t design?

This would only be possible if Sion, as an individual, was several generations ahead of the current craftsmen’s level.

“The building equipment working properly this time… did you do that too, Professor?”

“Well, yes.”

“It couldn’t have been as easy as you make it sound. Even if the Magic Tower’s core was intact, there must have been problems with the other equipment.”

“It wasn’t difficult for me.”

“…For you, I see.”

Eira could only let out a hollow laugh at Sion’s words.

That ‘Magic Tower.’

Identifying and solving problems in a building that was essentially the crystallization of current-generation Magic Engineering was by no means an easy task.

Seeing that matter-of-fact attitude, Eira couldn’t help but realize.

‘He’s completely different in kind.’

For the being before her eyes, such things would truly be easy tasks.

As she was thinking this, Sion’s voice reached her.

“What a waste.”

“Excuse me? A waste, what do you mean by…”

“Your talent. You understand what my accomplishments mean, don’t you?”

At those words, Eira gulped.

Seeing her reaction, Sion continued speaking.

“You have extensive knowledge about Magic Engineering. If not that, then you were born with natural talent.”

Or perhaps it might be both.

Sion said such words while looking at Eira.

Her clenched fists tightened slightly.

“I am…”

“My offer is still valid. If you’re interested, come.”

“…You mean as a teaching assistant?”

“You know well.”

Sion chuckled and walked past her.

Then, as if something had occurred to him, he suddenly stopped walking and said.

“Ah, come to think of it, Miss Eira, how is your relationship with your parents?”

“…!”

At that moment, Eira’s eyes wavered briefly.

Relationship with her parents.

Of course, that was….

– Daughter, please avenge your master’s injustice….

‘Damn it.’

She narrowed her eyes with displeasure and asked curtly.

“Relationship with my parents? Why are you suddenly asking such a question?”

“Well.”

Sion shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“I get the general idea.”

“What? What do you….”

Before Eira could properly respond to Sion’s words, he walked away casually.

“What, what was that….”

Eira stood there for a long time, not understanding.

Pondering for a while what Sion’s question could have meant.

* * *

“Ehehe.”

Lately, Lumia had been smiling foolishly more often.

This was because the money problem, which had been the most serious of her worries, seemed to be getting resolved.

That wasn’t all.

The Magic Tower, which hadn’t been functioning properly, was amazingly beginning to get back on track.

It felt like seeing the Blue Tower from when her master was still active, which was very satisfying.

And the person who brought about this change was, surprisingly, Sion Rostery, who had been the Tower’s troublemaker just a few weeks ago.

“Sister, no one could have known that a troublemaker would instantly turn into a treasure. Right?”

“A treasure, right?”

“Of course…!”

Lumia stopped mid-sentence as she was about to speak with conviction.

Treasure… a treasure….

He does seem to have a foul mouth, but still, you know.

“He’s a treasure! He brings in money!”

“Lumia, was the treasure in your head actually a treasure goblin?”

Serentia shook her head with an expression of disbelief.

But even she couldn’t completely deny Lumia’s words.

‘Come to think of it, he’s just a benefactor, isn’t he?’

It seems like there was a long period when he was somewhat of a ‘troublemaker’, but anyway, looking at the results, the helpful side weighs much more heavily.

To be honest, he might be much more suited to be Tower Master than Lumia.

“…Hmm.”

“Huh, sister? Why are you looking at me like that? Your eyes look strange?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Serentia decided to set aside the impious thought that had momentarily crossed her mind.

“Anyway, since we’ve paid off a considerable portion of the Tower’s debt, we can live with peace of mind for a while.”

“It’s not all resolved yet. You know that well, don’t you? The most concerning thing among them is….”

Serentia was about to warn her not to let her guard down.

But then.

Knock knock.

– Tower Master, may I come in?

With the knocking sound, the door opened and Sion entered.

Sion, who entered as naturally as if it were his own room, tilted his head and said.

“Were you in the middle of a conversation?”

“Ah, perfect timing.”

Serentia looked at Sion and said.

“We were just talking about something related to you, Sion.”

“Something related to me.”

Sion casually sat down in the remaining seat and said.

“There aren’t many things that come to mind immediately… Is it perhaps related to my family?”

“As expected, you noticed.”

“I can’t deny that my family is a problem.”

The Rostery Marquis Family.

One of the most prestigious families on the Continent, they continue to prosper in the current era by maintaining good relationships with both the Magic Council and the Workshop Alliance.

No one can deny that all of this is thanks to the Marquis Rostery’s capabilities.

Sion quietly looked back and forth between the two with complicated expressions and said.

“Well, the influence the Main Family has on the Blue Tower is beyond imagination. The support funds they’ve poured in so far are overwhelming.”

“…Yes, and they’ve been consistently demanding shares in the Main Tower using that as an excuse.”

The Blue Tower is steadily normalizing, but that doesn’t mean they can ignore the Rostery Marquis Family.

“Besides, it’s also Sion’s family. Whether Sion wants it or not.”

“That’s right.”

“What if the Rostery Marquis Family, having heard this news, tries to pressure Sion?”

It’s quite possible.

The Rostery Marquis Family uses everything they can use.

And if there’s usefulness, they reach out regardless of the past.

Either way, the Rostery Family will learn that Sion is at the center of the Blue Tower’s changes.

“If that happens, they’ll definitely try to exert influence over Sion somehow. If they pressure him using blood relations as justification, it won’t be easy to refuse.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, the Rostery Audit Office will be coming soon.”

Lumia continued with a cautious expression.

“As you know, Rostery periodically sends auditors to the Main Tower under the pretext of checking whether it’s worth investing in.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Sion nodded as he recalled her words.

Rostery periodically dispatched auditors to confirm that they were worth ‘investing’ in.

“Of course, the auditors are administrative bureaucrats from Rostery. But they tend to be more careful…”

That’s when it happened.

– How long are you going to keep this up?

Suddenly his head rang.

At the same time, a certain memory played in Sion’s mind.

An undigested memory of Sion Rostery.

– Even if you’re direct lineage, I can’t let a parasite like you tarnish the Family’s honor.

The cold eyes of a woman looking at Sion Rostery with piercing gaze.

And.

– See you soon, little brother.

The emotion of ‘Sion Rostery’ feeling fear at that look.

Sion felt that emotion completely and let out a hollow laugh.

“S-Sion?”

Sensing something was wrong, Lumia called out to him carefully.

“Ah, I’m fine.”

Sion shook his head and removed his hand from his forehead.

It seemed that the undigested memories would surface like this.

Sequentially like this whenever there was some kind of trigger.

After organizing his thoughts about the memory to some extent, Sion spoke.

“Now I remember.”

“…Excuse me?”

“About that auditor who’s coming this time. It might be a bit more special.”

“Special?”

“Do you know the name Cornelia Rostery?”

“Of course I do. She’s your sister and the eldest daughter of the Rostery Family. They say she’s cold-blooded…”

Lumia’s face stiffened as she spoke, then she looked at Sion with a creaking motion.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes.”

Sion grinned and continued.

“It seems that ‘sister’ will be visiting the Tower this time.”

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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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