The AI Archmage - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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AI Grand Mage Episode 62

“……What?”
Hayden went rigid.
He couldn’t begin to understand what this man was saying.
No—he refused to understand.
He didn’t want to understand.
“A betrothal ceremony? Lumia?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Barean nodded easily, a smile never wavering on his face.
In that moment, Hayden felt the word ‘nonsense’ rise to his throat and forced it down with visible effort.
He was arrogant, but not so foolish as to act without reading the situation first.
“What are you talking about? I haven’t heard any mention of an engagement involving Lumia.”
Even if such talk had surfaced, he would have blocked it entirely.
And to guard against any unforeseen complications, he’d scrutinized every detail of Lumia’s circumstances thoroughly.
But a betrothal ceremony?
More than that.
‘Sion Rostery?’
The very name left a sour taste in his mouth.
It was the name of the man his Master had mentioned, the one Lumia was growing close to.
“Ah, rather than a political marriage, it’s a betrothal founded on genuine romantic connection, so the news hasn’t spread——”
“That’s impossible——!”
Before Barean could finish, Hayden’s voice broke through, sharp and loud.
His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Barean as he spoke.
“Lumia would never make such a sudden decision! A betrothal ceremony? If she were entangled with a Great Family like Rostery, the rumors would spread regardless——!”
“Well, you see, since the Main Tower is rather isolated in the Frontier, news travels slowly, I’m afraid.”
“Absurd!”
Hayden clenched his teeth and began to stride past Barean.
“I need to speak with her directly. At the very least, when we were together last time, she never mentioned anything of the sort——!”
“Hayden.”
It was then.
With a measured tone, Barean looked quietly at Hayden and spoke.
“Even if you are a disciple of the Red Tower Master, you cannot simply meet with the Tower’s owner on a whim.”
“……What?”
“If you have come as a Messenger of the Council, there are proper courtesies to be observed, are there not?”
At Barean’s words, Hayden’s face twisted.
Proper courtesies?
For some mere Blue Tower mage to lecture him on propriety was beneath consideration.
But still.
“……Sigh.”
Hayden forced his anger down with visible effort.
The shock of the unexpected news had kindled his rage, but he hadn’t lost sight of his own position.
‘I don’t know what’s happening, but there’s no reason to let myself be drawn in.’
It was fine.
As the likely successor to the Red Tower Master, he wouldn’t fall for such a petty provocation.
“Forgive me—I was out of line just now.”
Hayden forced a smile, tugging at the corner of his mouth as he addressed Barean.
“Then would you escort me to Lumia? She must be waiting for me.”
“Ah, I’m afraid not.”
Barean smiled thinly and continued.
“I must ask that you wait until after the betrothal ceremony.”
“…….”
Hayden remained frozen in place, his forced smile still stretched across his face.

* * *

“Well, this is something.”
Sion stood by the window, observing the Red Tower mages beyond the glass with a faint smile playing at his lips.
He’d half expected more of a tantrum, but it seemed that particular fool knew when to exercise restraint.
And behind him sat Lumia, meditating quietly as she sipped her tea.
After finishing one round of meditation, she regarded Sion Rostery with a mind considerably more at peace and posed a question.
“Will it work?”
“It will. He’s managing to hold back this time, but that restraint won’t last long.”
At those words, Lumia fixed Sion Rostery with an expression she couldn’t quite name—something curious, something inexplicable.
“Don’t you feel… burdened by this?”
“Burdened? Why would I?”
“Well, from here on you’ll be facing the heir of the Red Tower. And Hayden Kaul—he’s someone who lacks nothing. His bloodline, his talent, his master—he has it all.”
Lumia pressed on.
“In most circumstances, people are overwhelmed first by such a disparity, crushed by it. Surely you must feel—”
“I’m not actually at a disadvantage there.”
“Hm?”
Lumia tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face, before she nodded as if understanding dawned on her.
“Ah.”
“To be frank, the only area where I fall short compared to Hayden Kaul right now is the Tower itself.”
Lumia’s head dipped at once.
“I’m sorry to belong to such a Tower.”
“No, that’s not what I meant to convey.”
At that, Lumia glanced sideways at him and asked:
If the only shortcoming was the Tower, then naturally curiosity stirred.
“But really—why did you come here in the first place?”
“Didn’t you ask me that very question a few days ago? I came because of the Turbulent Period.”
“Oh, yes.”
Sion Rostery shifted the conversation away with clear irritation.
“In any case, I don’t feel burdened by this, so you needn’t worry. What does the Red Tower matter?”
“That does put my mind at ease, though.”
It was strange.
That absolute confidence, that composure in any circumstance—it was something Lumia did not possess, and for that reason it fascinated her all the more.
No matter how much she observed, no matter how hard she tried to emulate it, it remained beyond her reach.
Perhaps it was only possible because Sion Rostery had built it atop years of accumulated experience and knowledge.
“What matters is what we gain the moment Hayden loses his composure.”
“But… I don’t see it. The Hayden Kaul I know is the typical sort of mage—he rarely loses his reason.”
“He might have been that way in front of the Tower Master.”
Sion Rostery nodded slightly.
“But from where I stand, Hayden Kaul is an immature mage. Rational and conventional as he may be, his youth means he remains profoundly underdeveloped as a human being.”
“…Underdeveloped because he’s young?”
Lumia regarded him in silence.
No, that doesn’t seem right.
She nearly said it aloud but held her tongue.
The living counterexample stood directly before her, which made the claim difficult to accept.
“Hayden Kaul is a man of considerable possessiveness. And he already regards the Tower Master as something that belongs to him.”
“That’s… distasteful.”
“Of course it is. But what can you do? A distasteful person does distasteful things, and so discomfort follows.”
Sion Rostery continued.
“Yet for that very reason, he’s surprisingly easy to manipulate. Men of that sort usually crumble the moment their authority or power—their one advantage—slips away.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Those who have never lost anything cannot maintain their composure when such a loss occurs.”
Lumia had never once regarded Hayden with romantic feeling.
But Hayden was different.
Beyond merely viewing her romantically, he was certain—absolutely certain—that he would come to possess her.
Otherwise, his rudeness, his intrusions… they made no sense.
Lumia’s face contorted with confusion.
“…It was never affection to begin with. The reason he wants me is because I’m a mage of exceptional talent.”
“It doesn’t matter which.”
With that, Sion Rostery rose to his feet.
“Whether it’s possessiveness toward a useful tool or romantic affection between two people, what matters is that we can make use of it.”
“Mm…”
“Does it trouble you? Using someone’s feelings toward you as leverage?”
Trouble enough, certainly.
But Lumia’s reply was resolute.
“No?”
“I see.”
“Besides, the Red Tower was one of the chief culprits that destroyed the Main Tower in the first place. We’ve come too far to let that concern us now, haven’t we?”
“True enough.”
It was a pointless worry anyway.
Sion confirmed Lumia’s resolve and made his decision.
“Then I’ll move forward. Don’t forget to act as we discussed beforehand, Tower Master.”
“Understood.”
Lumia nodded in agreement.
Sion pushed off from the wall and finished preparing to leave.
Before stepping out, he took one last look beyond the window.
Among the cluster of mages in red robes, a single ash-grey mage stood out.
‘The return of an old senior, then.’
Whether that senior possessed any real value would become clear soon enough.

* * *

Hayden couldn’t fathom what possessed him to enter the Blue Tower in the first place.
He wanted nothing more than to burn this cursed tower to ash and take Lumia to his side.
‘…Yes, it’s all because of this damned tower.’
Hayden was consumed by the urge to set the Blue Tower ablaze.
Lumia’s talent was far too precious to waste languishing in such a inferior institution.
For the future of the Magic World itself, she needed to be free.
And it was he who ought to stand at her side.
He ground his teeth and stepped into the corridor.
Compared to his quarters in the Red Tower, this room was cramped and spartan.
He hadn’t the slightest desire to linger.
‘…Sion Rostery. That wretch must be scheming something.’
He didn’t know much about Sion, but his instincts screamed it nonetheless.
Recently, that odious name kept reaching his ears in the most vexing ways.
It infuriated him.
“Hayden, what shall we do?”
At that moment, as he emerged from the chamber, Roteus—a mage of the Red Tower who had been waiting—approached him.
“The Blue Tower Master’s side has made it clear they have no intention of meeting immediately.”
“…Ha.”
Hayden let out a hollow laugh.
As a mage herself, Lumia too was bound to be drawn to superior stock.
Hierarchy existed among men, and history had always been driven forward by the superior leading the inferior.
That he should be the one to take Lumia as his companion was precisely what that history proclaimed.
Hayden believed this with absolute conviction.
So even if Lumia avoided him for now, she would eventually have no choice but to accept him.
“Fine. If I’ve waited this long, then I can wait a great deal longer.”
Hayden clenched his jaw.
He’d maintained courtesy thus far, unwilling to create unnecessary friction with Lumia.
But now he came not merely as the Red Tower’s heir, but as an emissary of the Magic Council itself.
No matter what justification Lumia possessed, she could not refuse a formal request for an audience made in the Council’s name.
“Roteus.”
“Yes, Hayden?”
“As the Council’s emissary, I have the right to receive a direct report on the Blue Tower’s circumstances from its Master, do I not?”
“You do.”
At those words, mana flared around Hayden’s body like living flame.
The heat radiating from him was palpable, fierce enough to distort the air.
“Then now I shall meet with the Blue Tower Master in the Council’s name.”
Lumia had chosen to turn what could have gone smoothly into a mess. She would have to pay the price for that decision.
‘Since she’s to be my companion, I need to imprint the hierarchy clearly upon her first.’
With a bloodless smile, Hayden turned toward Lumia’s office.
But then.
“Well, well.”
An unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
The moment he identified the speaker, Hayden’s face froze with a terror that was terrible to witness.
Because the owner’s identity was none other than the very source of his displeasure.
“……Sion Rostery.”
“Well now, if it isn’t the Red Tower’s successor. I never expected to meet you in such a ‘fortuitous’ manner.”
Sion smiled faintly and smoothly positioned himself between Hayden and his destination.
Hayden’s expression darkened further, and the heat radiating from his body intensified.
But Sion showed no sign of concern.
He opened his mouth, smiling with the ease of one who knew nothing at all.
“If you have a moment, might we speak? It seems rather likely…….”
Sion continued, holding Hayden’s gaze with unwavering confidence.
“That the two of us have much to discuss.”
“……Ha.”
And Hayden answered with a derisive laugh tinged with killing intent.

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