Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 11

1. Plundering the Magic Tower

1

Three days after the assassination attempt, Luke and his group arrived in Brenden, the central city of the Myers Marquisate.

Originally, the journey should have taken twice as long, but they were able to advance their schedule thanks to the captured trailer.

As the most prominent city in the south, Brenden boasted a much larger population than Lamer. Its commerce, industry, and culture were highly developed, with various magic towers, theaters, schools, and libraries scattered throughout the city.

‘Was this the capital of the old Milton Duchy?’ Luke asked, gazing at the statue of a saint that stood tall in the central square.

‘Yes, that’s correct. I believe it was called Warfort back then. That’s why some of the locals refer to the Myers Marquis as a Duke King,’ Rogers replied.

‘Indeed…’

Five hundred years ago, Luke had once occupied this city when it was known as Warfort.

Originally, he had no intention of attacking the Milton Duchy.

However, at the time, the Milton Duchy was allied with the Livia Kingdom, and the Duke, enticed by the Baroque Duke’s promise of land, attacked the Dark Legion.

But the Duchy’s attack was like provoking a sleeping dragon.

Luke marched into the Milton Duchy, leading his golems, and swiftly occupied the capital, Warfort.

*’Heh heh, I remember. Back then, the Duke’s family was trembling in the palace on that hill,’* Luke thought, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at the white marble palace, now used as the lord’s residence.

Rogers’ explanation reached his ears. ‘It is said that Saint Brenden drove out the Demon King Seymon with the divine power of the Earth Goddess Beliz and protected the city. After that, the city was renamed in the saint’s honor.’

*’Goddess’s divine power, my foot. He just couldn’t refuse a favor from a benefactor,’* Luke scoffed internally. He was well-acquainted with Brenden.

Brenden, who later became the Archbishop of Warfort, was the one who healed Luke when he was on the verge of death after being expelled from the Veritas Magic Tower with a shattered magic circle.

Because he had received a great favor in the past, Luke had accepted Brenden’s request to withdraw.

Moreover, since he had achieved his goal of subduing the Duchy, there was no reason to delay any further.

In other words, the city survived thanks to Brenden’s virtue, not the goddess’s divine power.

‘Anyway, although the Demon King’s army retreated, the Milton Duchy, weakened in national power, was eventually absorbed by the Baroque Empire,’ Rogers continued.

*’Tsk tsk, they tried to expand their territory and ended up losing their entire country,’* Luke thought, scoffing at Rogers’ story as he drove the trailer towards the Veritas Magic Tower branch near the square.

*’Actually, considering the old days, I don’t want to buy these guys’ Gigants [large, humanoid war machines], but…*’

There’s a saying that you should keep your enemies closer than your friends. It’s easier to win if you know your enemy well.

And he was also curious about how the magic tower had changed and developed over the past 500 years.

*’If the performance is good, I’ll gladly buy it. I’ll buy it, take it apart piece by piece to figure out its strengths and weaknesses, and then create a Gigant that surpasses it and bring you down!’* he thought, his determination firm.

However, his resolve was immediately challenged at the entrance.

‘This place is not open to just anyone. Only nobles of at least the rank of Baron are allowed to enter,’ a guard stated.

‘I am a descendant of a Baron,’ Luke replied coldly.

The mercenary knight, taken aback by Luke’s response, allowed them to enter.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The attitude of the mage they met, who was supposed to sell them a Gigant, was extremely arrogant.

‘The Rakan Barony, you say? I heard they’re poor there. Do you even have the money to buy a Gigant?’ the mage sneered.

Rogers and Philip trembled, their hands gripping their sword hilts at the contemptuous gaze that seemed to look at them like beggars.

If Luke hadn’t stopped them, they would have drawn their swords and attacked the mage.

‘We may not have money, but we haven’t thrown away our manners like you have,’ Luke retorted coldly, leading his knights out of the branch.

*’Damn it, the disgusting filth is the same as it was in the old days!’* he thought, his anger simmering.

Just by looking at the large buildings, walls, and number of workshops, one could tell how much the Veritas Magic Tower had grown over the years.

However, their habit of looking down on others and disregarding them remained unchanged.

In fact, it could be said that they had become even more arrogant as their scale had increased.

As Luke was barely suppressing his burning anger, Rogers said in a dejected voice, ‘I’m sorry, Young Lord. It’s my incompetence that has caused you to suffer such humiliation.’

‘It’s alright, it’s not the commander’s fault. I will repay this humiliation later!’ Luke said, comforting Rogers, who was clearly upset and resentful, before heading to the next magic tower.

2

The second place they visited was the branch of the Modern Magic Tower, which was founded 80 years ago.

It was said that the name of the magic tower was derived from the ancient word ‘Modern,’ meaning contemporary, with the intention of leading modern magical engineering.

Although the Modern Magic Tower had a relatively short history, it was so large that it was considered one of the top 10 magic towers on the continent.

In terms of the number of Gigants produced annually, it was said to be among the top five on the continent.

‘The Modern Magic Tower has the fastest Gigant production speed among the top 10 magic towers. They have even completed the assembly of three Gigants in one workshop in a single day,’ Rogers explained.

‘And the designs are cool too,’ Philip chimed in from the side.

Rogers ignored him and continued, ‘Moreover, they have numerous branches and workshops throughout the continent, so the supply of Gigants and parts is also quite fast. That’s why countries at war buy a lot of Gigants from the Modern Magic Tower.’

‘I see. To win a war, it’s important to deploy as many powerful weapons as possible,’ Luke mused.

The fast production and delivery speed played a significant role in the Modern Magic Tower’s growth into one of the top 10 magic towers on the continent, despite its short history.

‘But the quality must be lacking, right?’ Luke asked, always wary of potential downsides.

‘As you expected, Young Lord. But the price is also low, so if you value quantity, this might be a better option,’ Rogers replied.

‘Ah, the Gigant designs are cool too!’ Philip exclaimed, only to be ignored once again.

Luke and his group entered the Modern Magic Tower branch.

Perhaps because it was also one of the top 10 magic towers, the scale was similar to the Veritas Magic Tower branch.

The number of mages, mercenaries, and workers walking around was also almost the same.

*’Is it because they mainly produce large Gigants? They all have quite a large scale for a branch,’* Luke thought.

Fortunately, the Modern Magic Tower did not sell its manners, and they treated their guests very politely without discrimination.

They even served tea and simple snacks to the guests waiting in the waiting room, without being asked.

*’I like their kindness. If the performance is good, I’ll buy it here,’* Luke thought, looking at the list of Gigants on the table.

From Warrior-class to Hero-class, the Gigants produced by the Modern Magic Tower were listed with introductions and approximate performance, along with pictures.

*’Looking at this, the performance isn’t that bad. As Philip said, the shapes are sleek and cool… Especially this Avant, a Warrior-class, and Grainger, a Hero-class, look pretty good,’* Luke thought, his favor for the Modern Magic Tower growing.

Just as his opinion of the Modern Magic Tower was improving, a harsh shout erupted from one side.

‘What?! You won’t repair it! What are you talking about! You said you’d repair Gigants for free if they had defects!’ a customer yelled.

‘Ah, customer. Please calm down. I’m saying it’s not a defect,’ the mage in charge of receiving the noble customer tried to soothe him with a gentle tone.

‘What do you mean it’s not a defect! Other magic tower Gigants with the same armor thickness didn’t even get a scratch! But your Gigant is dented like tin!’ the customer retorted.

‘Well, that is… the defensive power of our armor may vary depending on the angle of the greatsword’s impact, customer,’ the mage explained.

‘What does that mean?’ the customer asked, confused.

‘It means that while it can block frontal impacts with the same performance as other magic tower armor, it may not be able to block impacts that are slightly off-angle,’ the mage clarified.

‘So, are you saying we have to block all attacks head-on?’ the customer exclaimed in disbelief.

While this commotion was happening on one side, another group was arguing over a core engine defect.

‘The core engine’s central magic stone fell out during a mobility training session. How did you make it?’ a customer demanded.

‘Well, customer. It seems that the clasp holding the magic stone in place has loosened… It doesn’t seem to be a defect in the core engine itself,’ the mage replied.

‘Don’t talk nonsense! How can it not be a defect when the central magic stone fell out!’ the customer yelled.

After that, complaints poured in from all sides, saying that the control crystal shattered even with a small impact, that the joints were stiff, and that they released only a tiny bit of Gigantic Aura [magical energy] even when they exerted themselves.

Thanks to this, the favor for the Modern Magic Tower that had been building up in Luke’s heart completely evaporated.

Even Philip, who had praised the Modern Magic Tower’s Gigant designs, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

‘No, are these guys making Gigants with their feet? How can there be so many defects?’ Philip asked, astonished.

‘It seems that problems have started to arise because they focused too much on production speed,’ Rogers observed.

But it turned out that the price wasn’t cheap either.

‘What? 31,000 pesos [currency]? That’s different from what’s written on this list?’ a noble protested.

At the noble’s protest, the mage in charge quickly explained, ‘Customer, that price includes the greatsword and spare armor.’

‘We don’t need those, so take them out,’ the noble demanded.

‘That’s not possible. If you want to buy our magic tower’s Gigant, you must purchase these as well,’ the mage replied.

*’Oh, for crying out loud,’* Luke thought, making an absurd expression.

‘It seems they’re not making Gigants, but rather making *’murder’* Gigants,’ Luke said, disgusted.

‘That statement seems very appropriate, Young Lord,’ Rogers agreed.

But there was something even more absurd. It was that the production and supply were not smooth because the Iron Mages and blacksmiths of each workshop were on strike for wage increases.

‘There’s no need to look any further,’ Luke declared, and he and his group left the Modern Magic Tower branch.

They had intended to at least look at the Gigants, but after hearing the complaints, they lost all interest.

‘It seems that not all of the top 10 magic towers on the continent are good at making them,’ Luke commented.

‘How about going to a small or medium-sized magic tower next? I know a good place even if it’s small,’ Rogers suggested.

‘That would be good,’ Luke agreed.

Disappointed with the large magic towers, Luke turned his steps towards a nearby small and medium-sized magic tower, guided by Rogers.

The third place Luke and his group visited was a small and medium-sized magic tower named Hallis.

‘The Hallis Magic Tower cannot be compared to the previous magic towers in terms of history or scale, but it is known among experts as a place that makes high-quality Gigants,’ Rogers explained.

At Rogers’ words, Luke had some expectations and entered the Hallis Magic Tower.

As Rogers had described, the scale and number of buildings were incomparably shabby compared to the previous two magic tower branches.

However, Luke already knew that scale was not the issue, so he was not disappointed.

As they passed through the main gate, a middle-aged female mage who came out to greet them bowed politely and welcomed them.

‘Welcome, Young Lord Luke!’ she said.

‘Wait, do you know me?’ Luke asked in bewilderment.

She smiled and explained, ‘The only place that uses an angel holding a sword of light as their family crest is the Rakan Barony. And I thought that the only person who would be escorted by knights wearing that crest on their chests would be you, the current Young Lord Luke.’

‘Heh heh, you saw correctly,’ Luke replied, pleased.

To recognize the family crest meant that they had paid a lot of attention and cared about them.

Perhaps that was why Luke, as well as Rogers and Philip, felt better.

‘I am Merrill, the general manager of the Hallis Magic Tower. What brings you to our magic tower?’ she asked.

‘Of course, I came to buy a Gigant,’ Luke replied.

At Luke’s words, Merrill looked slightly surprised.

As far as she knew, the Rakan Barony was in such poor financial condition that it was impossible for them to purchase a Gigant.

However, seeing them visit like this, she thought that the situation might have changed, and she soon put on a business smile.

‘I see. You’ve come at a good time. We just developed a new Warrior-class Gigant, and the Meister [master craftsman] has instructed us to sell the first few at a discounted price,’ she said.

The reason for the discount was probably for promotional purposes.

New models, especially those from small and medium-sized magic towers, are not often bought by noble families due to their lack of recognition.

Therefore, they must have come up with the idea of first selling them at a slightly lower price to increase sales, and then, if they receive excellent reviews in actual combat, they would charge the full price.

‘Can I see the actual thing first?’ Luke asked.

‘Hoho, of course. Please come this way,’ Merrill replied.

Guided by General Manager Merrill, the group headed to the magic tower’s main workshop.

More than a dozen Iron Mages and blacksmiths were working on several Gigants, and Merrill pointed to one that had just been completed.

“Wait, isn’t this…”

Philip’s face fell in disappointment at the sight of the familiar Gigant. It was ‘Sting,’ the one the female knight Karen had ridden in the Gigant Arena before.

Sting was a model developed nearly 30 years ago, an old design slowly being phased out of frontline service.

“Don’t be disappointed. This is Sting II. It’s a model that has compensated for Sting’s shortcomings as much as possible. The core engine output is 1050 fight [a unit of power], and the frame and armor, which use composite materials, have excellent elasticity and defense…”

General Manager Merrill rattled off the specifications and performance of the Sting II.

If what she said was true, it had quite decent performance.

“Sir Philip, it’s your Gigant, so test it yourself.”

At Luke’s words, Philip quickly climbed into the Sting II and went outside the hangar.

Outside the hangar was a training ground.

After a few simple movements to get acclimated, Philip began full-scale maneuvers.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Rogers exclaimed in admiration at the sight of the Gigant running around the training ground and swinging its greatsword.

“This is quite good. The output is stable, and the movements are quite smooth.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, young lord. It’s comparable to the new Warrior-class Gigants from the Veritas Magic Tower. If I had the money, I’d want to get a few more.”

Rogers was very interested, but Luke didn’t have enough funds to buy several at once, so he decided to postpone it.

Philip, who had finished the test run, approached with a bright face and bowed deeply.

“Thank you, young lord! It’s better than I expected.”

“I haven’t decided to buy it yet, you know?”

“Why are you doing this? I’ll be your eternal loyal servant, so please buy it.”

Philip whined like a child at Luke’s teasing.

It seemed that even the most skilled knights became weak in front of the Gigant they would ride.

Luke chuckled and looked at General Manager Merrill.

“I’ll buy this Gigant.”

“Hohoho, you’ve made a good choice. The Meister [master craftsman] also instructed us, and since this is the first transaction with the Rakan Territory, I’ll give it to you for 27,000 pesos [currency].”

“Oh, I’ll sign the contract right away.”

The price of a new Warrior-class Gigant was around 30,000 pesos on average. So, they were giving him a 3,000 peso discount.

Luke signed the purchase contract, paid with a promissory note, and loaded the Sting II onto the trailer he had arrived in.

“Um… young lord.”

After loading the Sting into the cargo hold, Philip spoke hesitantly.

“What is it?”

“Are you going to head back right away?”

“Is there something you want to do?”

“W-well, we’ve come all this way, so we should at least look around…”

Brendon was the best city in the South, so there were many tourist attractions.

There was the royal palace and the great temple built during the Milton Principality, and the lakeside that attracted young lovers.

Luke didn’t have any urgent business, so he readily nodded.

“Okay, let’s rest for a day.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

As the two military leaders made their decision, General Manager Merrill smiled and said,

“It will be difficult to find a place to park the trailer in the city. How about parking it at our magic tower until you leave?”

Luke was already worried about where to put the expensive and bulky vehicle.

So, he readily accepted the general manager’s offer and left the Hollis Magic Tower.

3

“The sun has set, and since we’ve come all this way, it would be a shame not to have a drink, right?”

After touring several tourist attractions in the afternoon, Luke said this.

Then Philip asked, his eyes sparkling.

“Are you buying, young lord?”

“Yes, I’m buying.”

When Luke nodded, the two men’s faces lit up.

The territory’s finances had been bad recently, so their salaries were meager, and even then, it was hard to drink without worry.

And another thing.

The Rakan Territory was a rural area, so the only pubs were cheap ones.

“Tonight, let’s loosen our belts and drink to our hearts’ content.”

The three went to a pub in the downtown area and talked and drank for the first time in a long time.

There were no knights who disliked alcohol, so Rogers and Philip emptied countless large beer mugs.

The drinking party continued until late at night, and Philip and Rogers got pleasantly drunk and fell asleep on the spot.

Luke called a waiter, gave him a generous tip, and said,

“There’s an inn in front of here, right? Please move them there.”

“Yes, sir.”

The waiter called his colleagues and helped the two knights to the inn.

After confirming that they had entered their rooms and were lying on their beds, Luke paid the innkeeper and went outside.

“Hehehe, we’ve come a long way, so we can’t skip the second round.”

But the place Luke went for the second round was not a pub.

It was the branch of the Veritas Magic Tower where he had been humiliated earlier that day.

“It’s only right to return what you’ve received. I’ll only take a portion today for the future.”

In fact, Luke wasn’t resting because of Philip’s request.

Philip’s request was just an excuse; his real intention was to raid the Veritas Magic Tower branch.

It wasn’t like a descendant of the Rakan family to hold a grudge, but Luke thought it was only right to repay what he had suffered.

Or rather, it was fortunate that he wasn’t going to destroy the branch.

Anyway, that’s why Luke had Philip and Rogers drink a lot of alcohol until they were drunk, and then secretly cast a *Sleep* spell on them to make them completely fall asleep.

If the two were awake, they would have definitely opposed this, saying it was dangerous.

Also, he couldn’t include them even if they offered to join.

He couldn’t show them that he was using dark magic yet.

“Dark Invisibility!”

Luke stepped into the shadow of the wall, chanted a spell, and snapped his fingers.

*Srrr!*

A faint purple light seemed to emanate from his body, and then his body merged with the darkness.

It was a perfect fusion that was worthy of admiration, but unfortunately, no one witnessed his transformation.

After surrounding himself with *Silence* and *Anti-Alarm* magic, Luke went to the Veritas Magic Tower and climbed over the branch’s wall.

“Haa! Damn bastards!”

The Brendon branch of the Veritas Magic Tower had 12 large and small buildings in addition to the Gigant workshop.

The northernmost building was a library, and even though it was late at night, a young man’s grumbling voice could be heard from there.

His name was Peter.

Born as the second son of a noble family, he was a 3rd Circle Medical Mage, and he was treated as a promising talent at the Magic Tower headquarters in the capital.

But that was because his family was well-connected and his father had paid a lot of bribes, not because Peter himself was outstanding.

Rather, he was a playboy who liked women and drinking.

But no one nagged him about his hobbies. Until a year ago, when he touched the vice-meister’s youngest daughter.

“Damn it, she was the one who seduced me, so why do I have to be in this state?”

Anyway, Peter, who had been properly targeted by the vice-meister, was transferred to the Brendon branch as if he had been kicked out.

And to make matters worse, his family had also gone bankrupt after investing in southern trade.

The mages used Peter, who had become a useless person, indiscriminately.

They often postponed night shifts or duty shifts, and tedious chores like cleaning the laboratory were always his job.

It was the same today.

There were five mages in charge of organizing and cleaning the library, but four of them had gone out to play, so he was working alone until late at night.

“Damn it, why does a magic tower with so much money make mages do such menial work? And it’s huge.”

As the Veritas Magic Tower was one of the two major magic towers on the continent, the branch was similar in size to a medium-sized magic tower, and the library was also quite large.

It had more than 5,000 books in its collection.

He had heard that there were more than 10,000 books if you included the research papers copied from the headquarters.

However, there were no important books among them.

Magic books of the 5th Circle or higher and valuable research papers were kept in the inner archive.

That was a place where only the branch manager and executives of the 5th Circle or higher were allowed to enter, a place that was like a dream for Peter.

“Damn it! If I had known I would end up like this, I should have practiced magic harder.”

If he had been good at it, he wouldn’t have been treated like this.

As a wave of regret washed over Peter, a stern voice fell.

“What are you grumbling about?”

“H-huh, Branch Manager Jameson!”

When the branch’s top manager suddenly appeared, Peter quickly bowed and gave a servile smile.

“Hahaha, what brings you here at this late hour?”

“Ahem, of course, because there’s still research to do.”

Branch Manager Jameson, stroking his mustache, pushed Peter aside and headed for the inner archive.

Standing in front of the inner archive door, he was about to make a hand seal to deactivate the security magic. Then, he inadvertently dropped the book and scroll he was holding under his arm.

“Oh!”

“Ah, I’ll pick them up for you.”

Wanting to make a good impression, Peter quickly ran over and picked up the book and scroll.

Then, he unintentionally saw the contents of the half-opened scroll.

They were complex mechanical drawings and formulas for magic circles.

He didn’t know exactly what it was because his magic skills were low and his field of study was different, but it looked like a Gigant blueprint.

“What are you peeking at!”

*Slap!*

Jameson, who had let out a stern shout, slapped Peter across the cheek.

“Ouch!”

Peter, clutching his cheek, looked at the branch manager with a wronged expression.

“Tsk, tsk, you don’t even know your place, trying to covet the magic tower’s secrets…”

Jameson, who had quickly snatched the book and scroll from Peter’s hand, clicked his tongue with a contemptuous look.

“No, I was just…”

“If you try to peek again, you’ll be kicked out of the magic tower!”

Jameson, who had given a warning, opened the inner archive door and went inside.

Peter’s face, with a wronged expression, crumpled like a piece of tissue paper.

“Ugh, damn it, this is so dirty…! I should just quit this magic tower!”

“Yes, that would be better.”

It was then. Suddenly, a strange voice was heard from behind.

Peter quickly turned his head.

He thought someone else had come, but there was no one there.

*’Did I hear wrong…? Eek!’*

At that moment, Peter’s heart sank.

From the shadows of the bookshelf, a pair of bright blue eyes were gleaming!

*’Gasp! A ghost…!’*

*Thud!*

Before he could even scream, Peter received a strong blow to the face and collapsed on the spot.

The black shadow that had knocked him down moved towards the inner archive and soon transformed into a platinum-blonde boy.

It was Luke, who had infiltrated the branch.

*’They put up five layers of security magic? Well, it might take a bit of time, but it’s nothing I can’t break.’*

As expected of an inner archive, a very high-level magic circle was installed. However, for Luke, a former 9th-circle black magician, it was nothing more than a slightly complex puzzle.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, all the security magic was dispelled, and the thick door opened.

Luke, who had once again melted into the shadows, quietly stepped into the inner archive.

4

“Whew, I almost got caught.”

Jameson, who had entered the inner archive, let out a sigh of relief.

“Surely, they didn’t notice? That guy is a medical mage, after all.”

As Peter had thought, the scroll contained the design for a Gigant [a large, powerful magical construct, often humanoid in shape].

It was the design for the latest Gigant, ‘Atlas,’ currently being developed at the main branch in the Imperial Capital.

How could the design for a new model, a hero-class Gigant, whose release was strictly forbidden outside the main branch, have been leaked?

It was the result of Branch Manager Jameson’s long efforts.

Thirty years ago, Jameson, then a vigorous mage in his mid-twenties, was considered a genius mage who, along with Albert, the current Meister [master craftsman or expert] of the Veritas Magic Tower, would lead the magical world in the future.

The two genius mages helped each other with their research and were as close as best friends.

Then, they participated together in the development of a new core engine.

*’That’s when Albert’s confidently applied magic circle caused problems.’*

The magic circle that Albert had strongly insisted on applying caused an error.

The core engine went berserk, and the laboratory was engulfed in a massive mana backflow [a surge of magical energy].

While many mages collapsed from the shock, Jameson managed to calm the berserk core engine and prevent a larger accident.

However, in the process, he suffered damage to his magic circle and brain, and his progress stopped at the 6th circle [a level of magical proficiency].

In contrast, Albert rose through the ranks and became a Meister in his time.

Of course, he did not take responsibility for the incident.

At the time, the Meister of the Magic Tower was his father, so it was covered up.

Jameson could not accept that treatment.

The accident at the time was clearly Albert’s fault.

Moreover, that bastard had abandoned the berserk core engine and ran away to save himself.

And yet, to put such a guy, even if he was his own son, in the position of Meister.

“Damn Magic Tower!”

Even now, thinking about what happened back then made his teeth grind.

After their friendship was broken, Albert blatantly ignored Jameson.

Even though he was a bit less skilled, considering his contribution to the Magic Tower, he should have been given at least a position as an elder, but instead, he was sent to a branch far from the Imperial Capital.

It was a kind of demotion.

At the time, Jameson had accepted it without a word, but inwardly, he sharpened the knife of resentment.

He wanted to somehow strike a blow against the Veritas Magic Tower and receive compensation for the poor treatment he had received.

So, after various connections and painstaking efforts, he succeeded in secretly smuggling out the design of the Atlas.

*’If I interpret the numerical values and magic circles applied to the design and hand them over to the other ten major magic towers, I’ll receive tremendous treatment. And of course, the Veritas Magic Tower will be left in the dust!’*

He was very curious about what kind of expression Albert would make then.

Jameson, thinking about the future, rekindled his desire for revenge and continued to work on interpreting the design.

But then…

*Crack, crack, crack!*

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening startled Jameson, and he quickly hid the design. Then, he asked in a solemn tone.

“Ahem, who’s there?”

But no answer came back.

Puzzled, he got up from his seat and approached the door of the inner archive.

He looked around, but no one was visible.

“That’s strange. It couldn’t have opened on its own, could it?”

The door had a simple mechanical opening and closing device along with security magic.

Therefore, it would not open on its own due to wind or anything like that.

“That’s really strange… Huh!”

Jameson, who was about to turn around and return to his seat, was startled.

Standing before him was a person who looked exactly like him.

Seeing him with a sly smile, Jameson quickly raised his magical power.

“W-Who are you!”

“Slow.”

A powerful magic bullet burst from the fingertips of the suspicious being.

The purple magic bullet, flying faster than an arrow, accurately struck Jameson’s solar plexus.

“Cough!”

He was breathless, but the greater shock was that his magic circle was shaken by the impact.

That was the same shock as a heart attack for a mage.

The suspicious being, no, Luke, looked down at Jameson, who had fainted with foam in his mouth, and scoffed.

“Hmph, a 6th-circle mage can’t even withstand a 3rd-circle Dark Bullet.”

In terms of destructive and offensive power, black magic is much stronger than ordinary magic.

However, even so, the difference in power is not so great that a 3rd-circle mage can subdue a 6th-circle mage in one blow.

The reason this result occurred was because the opponent was ridiculously weak.

“Tsk, tsk, I’ve heard that Iron Mages [mages who specialize in defensive magic] are out of touch with combat, but I didn’t know they were this weak.”

Mages of the past, even if they had a specialty, trained in various fields.

But it seemed that mages these days were not like that.

Anyway, Luke, who didn’t have to put in much effort, released the Reflect magic and returned to his original form.

Then, he began to examine the books in the inner archive.

“They’re all magic books of the 5th circle or higher. I’ve really hit the jackpot here?”

Luke’s lips stretched from ear to ear.

He had looked through a few, and the level of the magic books stored in the inner archive was higher than he had expected, and the fields were also diverse.

“Magic books and secrets from other magic towers and schools… They’ve gathered quite a lot in 500 years.”

No matter how well-versed he was in golem magic and how he had developed the original core devices of the early Gigants, he could not ignore the past 500 years.

*’In order to learn the essence of magical engineering accumulated during that time and to create a Gigant that meets the standards of the current era, I have to study and work hard.’*

Luke swept everything that looked even remotely useful into the subspace bracelet where the golems were stored.

As he passed Jameson’s designated seat, he found the books and scrolls that he had brought.

The book summarized and organized the core of magical engineering that the Veritas Magic Tower had accumulated over the years.

Moreover, Jameson had added annotations, making it much easier to understand.

“I could make a decent Gigant just by roughly looking at this.”

What was more surprising was the long scroll made of parchment.

Complex drawings, confusing magical formulas.

Surprisingly, it was the design of a Gigant.

Moreover, it seemed to be a Gigant with tremendous performance, with a power that would make one admire it at first glance.

“Atlas… This will be a great help to the magic tower that will be built in our territory in the future.”

Taking the design of the Atlas was the last thing he did, and Luke finished his shopping(?) in the inner archive.

He was about to leave unnoticed when he stopped in his tracks.

“It would be a shame to just leave, wouldn’t it?”

Flames erupted from Luke’s fingertips with a wicked smile.

5

“Ugh… Cough! Cough!”

Jameson, who had been unconscious, regained consciousness.

As he got up, touching his bruised chest, he was startled by the thick smoke and the red flames rising everywhere.

“W-What is this?”

“Fire! There’s a fire in the library!”

“Quickly, bring water!”

The outside was already in chaos, as if the entire library was on fire.

“A-Ice… No, Water Shower!”

Jameson desperately cast magic, taking the lead in putting out the fire.

However, the magic he hastily cast in his panic did not exert its proper power and was not of much help in extinguishing the fire.

It was enough to save his life, so he managed to get out of the library somehow.

“Whew, what on earth… Huh!”

He let out a sigh of relief, but his face turned pale.

There was something he had forgotten in his haste to get out.

*’My books! And my design!’*

The tools of revenge that would resolve his long-standing resentment.

He belatedly rushed back into the flames to retrieve them, but the surrounding mages and mercenaries blocked his way.

“You can’t, Branch Manager. Please step back!”

“Get out of my way, my things are in there… Aaaargh! What are you doing! Put out the fire quickly!”

Two hours later.

Thanks to the mercenaries diligently carrying water and the mages casting rain with magic, they succeeded in putting out the fire. They also prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent building.

However, more than half of the library had burned down, and the remaining books were soaked in water and rendered useless.

The state of the inner archive was even worse.

Since the ignition point was there, none of the high-quality materials could be salvaged.

“First, I will make a list of the lost materials and request copies from the headquarters. It will take some time, but…”

“Kaaaaaah!”

The secretary continued the report calmly.

However, Jameson’s shout cut off the report.

Whether the secretary was surprised or not, Jameson, unable to bear the injustice of losing his tools of revenge, roared in frustration.

“There was an intruder in the inner archive! What were the mercenaries on guard and the mages on duty doing, and what about the magic circles and security devices that I painstakingly installed!”

At the branch manager’s cry, the secretary, as well as the branch’s executives, were startled.

If the branch manager’s words were true, the cause of this fire was arson. Moreover, it meant that the branch’s security had been completely breached.

The security of the Brenden branch was not something to be taken lightly.

As one of the two major magic towers on the continent, the branch’s security and security system were so thorough that even famous assassins or mages could not pass through.

But an intruder broke through that?

Who on earth? And how?

Everyone was silent, with only questions in their minds, when Jameson, in a fit of rage, roared like a dragon.

“Bring the culprit right now! If you can’t do that, know that I will fire you all!”

Immediately, numerous mages and mercenaries from the branch scattered in all directions to catch the culprit.

The search for the arsonist continued for nearly a month.

However, they could not catch the culprit, nor could they even identify who it was.

The mages and mercenaries, who had to somehow calm the branch manager’s anger, arrested a mage who seemed to have colluded with the culprit.

“It wasn’t me! I don’t even know who the culprit is!”

The mage who was caught as an accomplice was Peter, who had been cleaning the library alone that day.

His usual bad behavior and the fact that he harbored resentment against the Magic Tower were revealed by the testimonies of several mages, and he was branded as an accomplice.

“All I saw that day was a ghost! Branch Manager, please believe me!”

Peter insisted on his innocence until the end, but no one believed him.

In the end, he was charged with arson and was sent to the Magic Tower headquarters.

And no one has seen him since.