[V9C17] A Late Father’s Conflict, The Guidance Office in Confusion
Translated by Jodas 9: Battle for the Tower“The Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ has activated, conducting an emergency restoration of the Wall. Headmaster Möbius will arrive shortly. All hands, hold out a little bit longer.”
He heard the voice of a sobbing woman. After that, the voice of Assistant Headmaster Miriam using voice projection magic.
Hearing those two things confirmed Julius’ suspicions. This was the truth of the ‘fourth’ that his father, Samuel Löwenich, had uncovered.
He had completely overlooked it before, how could anyone not have? Who could have guessed that the Wedge Tower itself was one giant Ancient Magical Artifact?
Just about every Ancient Magical Artifact he’d heard of were small things like weapons, accessories, or mirrors.
He wasn’t sure just how much of the Wedge Tower’s campus was included in the Ancient Magical Artifact ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower,’ but there was one thing he could say for certain:
—This was undoubtedly the largest Ancient Magical Artifact ever made.
Julius had been watching on as the battle between the Primordial Beast and Gerald raged on by razor-thin margins, but the Primordial Beast froze at the sound of the reverberating voices.
The silver wolf exhaled through its nose and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“This is the most fun I’ve had in a while, young one. If you had just a little more experience with real battles, I would have carved my mark into you.”
“…I have no plans to get that experience.”
The silver wolf’s massive body shook as he exhaled. That must have been its way of laughing.
“Well, that’s a shame.”
After speaking its regrets with a confident chuckle, the Primordial Beast dashed away from the scene. Most likely on its way to go fight someone stronger than Gerald — Headmaster Möbius.
Just as the Primordial Beast’s form disappeared completely from view, Gerald limply collapsed to his knees. That courage and power he showed when challenging the Primordial Beast was nowhere to be seen.
Regardless, they had made it through with their lives. Once he was sure of that fact, Julius spoke to his ring.
“Agniol, can you move?”
No response. Spirits were functionally clumps of mana. While they wouldn’t die from blood loss, if their body is totally sliced up, they would lose a significant amount of that mana.
While she hadn’t disappeared completely, it would take time before she was fully recovered.
Bird Monsters still circled overhead while other Monsters wandered about on the surface. This wasn’t the kind of situation where he could let his guard down.
(First, let’s see how the other Apprentices are doing, and regroup if possible…)
Rose, Sophie, and Finn… Finn’s face came to mind as if nothing had happened, and the feeling of loss caused Julius to clench his teeth.
He wanted to tell himself that he had tutored Finn on a simple whim… but he didn’t have the heart to make that excuse.
“Are you guys still up?”
It was Roswitha who called out to them. She had just woken up Ella, who had collapsed in the shadow of a bush.
Since they had both been rammed by the Primordial Beast, both Roswitha and Ella’s feet shook weakly.
Ella straightened her glasses and looked to the sky.
“That voice just now was Assistant Headmaster Miriam, wasn’t it? What in the world is going on…?”
Julius lifted his face, concealed his exhaustion, and lifted the corners of his mouth.
His father always taught him: ‘The worse things get, the more you smile.’ He wondered if he was doing a good job at it.
“…Ku, ku… It means that the Wedge Tower itself has been an Ancient Magical Artifact this whole time.”
The Wedge Tower’s ‘fourth’ that his Father mentioned on his deathbed.
At first, he thought it was referring to the names of the Spires. Named after crystals, there was ‘White Smoke,’ ‘Golden Needle,’ ‘Water Bubble,’ and the hidden ‘Garden.’
But behind that answer lied the true solution: it referred to the fourth Ancient Magical Artifact stored at the Wedge Tower.
Headmaster Möbius’ ‘Ignatius, the Severer.’
Director Linke’s ‘Despina, the Chain of Fools.’
Held by Helena from the Extermination Office: ‘Eurydice, the Cackling Foam.’
And the fourth was: ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower.’
As the arrival of Helena, carrying ‘Eurydice, the Cackling Foam,’ to the Wedge Tower coincided with his father Samuel’s tenure at the Wedge Tower, he had no doubt that this solution was correct.
(Is the girl locked in that room underground the contractor for ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’…?)
The effect of ‘Chariclea, the Wedge Tower’ was probably the ability to make a powerful Wall that prevented only Monsters from passing through.
Yet powerful Artifacts placed a profound burden on their contractors.
(An Ancient Magical Artifact in the form of an entire building… And if it’s constantly putting out a powerful barrier on top of that, of course it’s going to put a heavy burden on its contractor. I wouldn’t be surprised if it really drained her lifespan.)
It looked as if that girl was something close to a human sacrifice.
With the sacrifice of but one young girl, the Wedge Tower could continue protecting the peace for all of humanity.
What did Samuel do when he learned that truth?
Perhaps Samuel, the great villain he was, would have been willing to accept any sacrifices and tried to bring the entire Wedge Tower into his grasp — sacrificial girl and all.
Or perhaps he would have used her as a bargaining chip to make a deal with the Monsters.
But Samuel did neither of those things.
The girl locked in that room underground said this:
“Samuel… He was kind but unkind; not good or evil but somewhere in the middle. I’m sure you are the reason why he ended up so half-baked.”
“The most evil mage Samuel had a son. A talented, adorable little son. That was why… Samuel projected his feelings for his son on a little girl of a similar age. He couldn’t ignore a pitiable little girl like me.”
When Samuel looked at that sacrificial girl, he had seen his son Julius.
That was why he searched for a way to save the girl.
Yet freeing the girl meant losing the barrier that held the Monsters at bay. All of humanity would be exposed to the threat of Monsters. Julius included.
Was Samuel conflicted? …He probably was.
Thus, knowing the truth, Samuel was cursed by the higher-ups of the Wedge Tower and exiled.
Samuel accepted that fate.
(Dad…)
Finn’s betrayal, Agniol’s injury, and his father’s true intentions. All of these facts piled up on one another, making Julius’ head feel as if it were about to explode.
It had been a long time since he had last wanted to avoid thinking about something.
Ella, having only just opened her eyes, forced her aching body to stand. That silver wolf must have really held back. She didn’t feel like she had any broken bones. All she had were bruises all over.
(I might just be the least useful in a fight out of everyone here… That’s why I’ve got to pull my weight however I can.)
Both Julius and Roswitha were terribly forlorn. Honestly, Ella was on the verge of tears herself. She didn’t want to believe that Finn had betrayed them.
But they didn’t have the time to stand there crying and averting their eyes away from reality.
“Everyone, let’s regroup with Rose and Sophie! The two of them should be hiding somewhere near the garden.”
Julius, Roswitha, and Gerald all nodded to Ella’s suggestion.
Exhaustion was evident on all of their faces. They had all been pushed to the limit by the sudden Monster attack. And by Finn’s betrayal.
They didn’t know what was right or wrong. They didn’t know what was true or false. Yet nevertheless, they had to do everything in their power.
(I’ve got to at least keep everyone from getting separated…)
So, Ella worked up the courage to speak.
“I have a suggestion… for somewhere we can run.”
Sleeping slumped over on a desk in the Guidance Office, Director Hegelich awoke to the sound of Assistant Headmaster Miriam’s voice.
Due to sleeping in such an unnatural position, his body ached all over. Why in the world had he dozed off in a place like this?
The instruction had come down from the higher-ups that Julius Löwenich, imprisoned for the crime of treason, would have a curse placed upon him then exiled. Thus, he was busy working on a paper to criticize that decision… But he couldn’t recall anything after that.
Looking around at the rest of the room, Hegelich noticed that the other mages were in the same position. Some were still asleep, while others had just woken up and were trying to get a grasp on the situation.
A horrendous commotion could be heard from outside. He heard the cries of birds and beasts alongside screams and shouts of people.
“What in the world is going on!?”
Hegelich shouted, eliciting a response from Sombart, who was gazing out of the window.
“It’s terrible, Director Hegelich! Monsters have broken into the Wedge Tower…!”
“What did you just say!?”
Why had he been asleep at such a crucial moment? No… Someone had poisoned him.
The one who prepared something warm for them to drink had been a mage of the Guidance Office: Anneliese Röhm. But there was no sign of her anywhere in the room. He began to fear the worst.
Yet it was obvious what the Guidance Office Director should prioritize.
“Everyone, protect the civilians and the Apprentice Mages! If Monsters haven’t breached this Spire yet, then gather everyone who can move here! All of you who can fight, come with me! We’ll start by taking out the Monsters in front of the Spire!”
So Hegelich screamed as he dashed outside and began his incantation. He let out a blade of wind. He’d intended to shoot down one of the birds circling high in the air — but the moment his spell activated, an arrow of lightning came flying down with astounding velocity to destroy Hegelich’s magecraft.
(This is…!)
The ability to detect magecraft being cast and send out a counter the moment it activates. Wasn’t that the sort of magecraft that the Hundred Eyes Witch Anneliese Röhm specialized in?
Hegelich’s eyes were drawn in the direction where the arrow of lightning came from — up to the roof of the Guidance Office.
Röhm, standing on the Guidance Office’s roof, was having a magical shootout against Extermination Office Director Haydn, who was flying about in the skies above.
All of the lightning arrows Haydn fired were canceled out by Röhm’s magic.
Crystal shards were embedded into Röhm’s forehead and palm that glittered brightly as they reflected the light from the magic.
(Even if I make another attack, Röhm’s counter will just…)
As his attack options were sealed, the circling Eyeball Birds bore down on Hegelich from above.