Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 17

17. Welcome. Is this your first time at the Magic Tower?

The distance to Ias was considerable, requiring us to pass through two cities along the way.

“Oh! It’s a young master of Delemma,” Drew said, his eyes sparkling at the respectful demeanor of the portal administrators each time.

“Indeed, being from Delemma makes a difference.”

“What do you mean?”

“Portal administrators are usually quite unfriendly. They look down on most nobles.”

In a way, it was a job that also managed borders. Accordingly, they worked with immense responsibility and tension.

“Have a pleasant journey!”

Of course, identity verification for portal users had to be thorough, but I was an exception.

[See? Delemma is really thriving these days, right?]

Rather, the administrators greeted us with smiles everywhere we went. It was the majesty of the red eyes.

‘It’s convenient.’

Some even gave me fruit, making me realize anew what kind of lineage I was born into.

“Ian, aren’t you nervous?” Drew suddenly asked.

“About what?”

“There’s a lot to do at the Magic Tower. I heard it’s very busy trying to manage performance points. You have to attend classes, do research, and build reputation. Ugh!”

“Performance points, huh…….”

Life at the Magic Tower was simple, operating on a point system called performance points.

To accumulate these performance points, one had to engage in various activities. The Magic Tower wasn’t just a simple educational institution; research and magic development couldn’t be neglected either.

[Oh, did they say you have to catch criminals too?]

‘They said that would be good for earning performance points.’

Moreover, one had to volunteer where wizards were needed, building reputation.

[Sounds fun.]

Unlike Drew, I was filled with anticipation.

“Don’t be too nervous. Everyone’s new, so it’ll be similar for everyone.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Let’s adapt well together once we get there.”

“Okay!”

With Drew’s bright smile, we crossed three portals.

“Welcome to Ias.”

A young man greeted us with a smile.

“Which way should we go to get to the Magic Tower?”

“Ah, it seems this is your first time here,” the administrator smiled slightly.

“You don’t necessarily have to ask me. You’ll know as soon as you go outside.”

With those words, the administrator opened the door. Following his escort outside, I immediately understood his intention.

‘……Huh?’

Drew and I craned our necks upwards endlessly, gazing at a building soaring so high it seemed to pierce the clouds.

“……That must be the Magic Tower.”

It boasted a terrifying majesty, unlike any building built by humans.

“T, that seems to be it.”

There were quite a few children around us craning their necks like we were. They must all be gathered here to enroll this time.

“Ahem.”

Suddenly feeling foolish at the sight of everyone looking up, I quickly lowered my head.

‘Are those kids seniors?’

There were those passing by who mocked us for doing so.

[Looks like it.]

‘Why are they staring like that?’

Attention was focused on me as I lowered my head.

“Oh, he has red eyes?”

“I saw one earlier too.”

“Pfft. Even someone from Delemma finds the Magic Tower amazing, huh.”

“He looks so young. He looks only about fifteen?”

The tone in their whispers was by no means welcoming.

Envy, jealousy.

It was a strange war of nerves.

‘Those young ones should be improving their skills.’

They were seniors not worth remembering. Those who would truly become great would be busy improving their own skills.

“Let’s go, Drew.”

“Huh? Okay!”

Drew, who was still looking up at the Magic Tower, quickly closed his mouth and followed behind me.

* * *

“Welcome to all new students!”

The first floor of the Magic Tower. There were no formalities like an entrance ceremony. Following the instructions of the guide, each of us was assigned a room.

“Oh! Luckily, it’s next door! We can stick together from now on!” Drew, who received the room key, wore a bright expression.

‘It’ll be easier to train him.’

We had different motives, but we were both filled with anticipation.

“Let’s just drop off our luggage and go straight to the classroom.”

Classes were said to be held on the first day of enrollment, so we hurried our steps. The dormitory was on the 10th floor. Naturally, we looked for the stairs when…

‘Oh, is there something like that?’

What caught my eye was a semi-transparent orb moving people up and down.

Woo-oong!

“I guess we can ride that.”

Drew was also gesturing.

“How do we ride it……?”

At that moment, someone tapped my shoulder.

“You guys are freshmen, right?” Turning my head, I saw a woman smiling. She seemed to be a couple of years older than us.

“Yes. Do you happen to know how to ride that? We need to get to the dormitory,” Drew approached with a friendly demeanor.

“You mean the moving orb? Let’s go together. I was going that way too.”

The kind-spoken woman took a few steps and stopped in front of a palm-sized pad.

“You inject mana here.”

As if demonstrating, she raised her hand, and an empty orb nearby approached.

Woo-oong!

The moving orb stopped in front of us, opening its doors.

“Just get in. You don’t need to manipulate mana.”

As we boarded a space that could accommodate about 10 people…

Woo-oong!

The door closed and began to move upwards.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s only natural to inform my juniors about this much.”

The woman, who was looking out of the orb, suddenly turned her head towards me.

“Ah, if other kids are mean, don’t be too disheartened. Not everyone is like that.”

“Mean?”

Then, her finger pointed to my eyes.

“Yes. Those red eyes. You may have benefited from them elsewhere, but it won’t be the same here. There will be even more kids jealous of Delemma. Everyone is equal inside the Magic Tower.”

As everyone was from families who were said to be quite something, their pride would be strong.

They had to bow their heads to Delemma outside, so they wanted to win at least in the Magic Tower.

‘Everyone is filled with envy at this age.’

[Especially if they are talented, their pride will be even stronger.]

I wanted to talk more, but…

Woo-oong…….

We couldn’t continue the conversation because the moving orb had already arrived on the 10th floor.

“I’ll go first. Good luck to you juniors!”

Drew, too, seemed to like the kind woman, shouting to her as she walked away.

“Senior! What’s your name?”

Then, the woman turned her head and smiled.

“Noah. Noah Grentel.”

I couldn’t help but freeze at that name.

“Ian. Let’s get off quickly!” I was barely able to get off the orb thanks to Drew’s urging.

‘Oberon. I didn’t mishear, did I?’

[I know. She had a rare likable personality for a wizard. Why did it have to be that name?]

Grentel.

That name I could never forget. It was one of the names of the hated Pentagram [a group of powerful, influential wizards].

* * *

“People often say that the Magic Tower has the nickname of a vertical city. Everyone has seen it directly, so you know why, right?” The voice of the old teacher standing at the podium barely registered.

‘The Pentagram…….’

I had only thought about revenge, but facing the descendants of the Pentagram made my head spin.

“The Magic Tower, consisting of 200 floors above ground, can truly be called a vertical city. Magic research facilities, educational facilities, even restaurants—there’s nothing missing. You don’t know how many wizards shed blood and sweat to build this place.”

I was confused. Who was the target of my revenge? The Pentagram? Or their descendants? I had vaguely thought about revenge, but a thousand years had already passed.

‘First, I need to find out what those snakes have been up to.’

The things those guys did. They brought down the knight families. They changed the empire. The reason they even created a new language. If I dig into those things, I will eventually reach them.

“……Ian?”

Being lost in thought, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

Tuk-tuk-.

Drew was hitting my knee. Looking around, I saw that all the children’s eyes were on me.

“What did I just say, Ian?” In front of me, the old professor was pushing up his glasses and glaring at me.

‘What did he just say?’

[Haa. Do I have to play the role of a babysitter?]

‘Quickly!’

[The reason for building the Magic Tower here is that an unusually large amount of pure energy flows out of this area.]

I quickly recited Oberon’s voice.

“The reason for building the Magic Tower here is that an unusually large amount of pure energy flows out of this area.”

[Research to uncover the cause has continued. About three years ago, a place where various artifacts were excavated was discovered.]

“Research to uncover the cause has continued. About three years ago, a place where various artifacts were excavated was discovered……?”

[That place is still undergoing excavation work, so do not approach it.]

“That place is still undergoing excavation work, so……. He said not to approach it….”

The old professor didn’t seem pleased that I had repeated his words without error, but I didn’t have the leisure to examine his reaction.

‘Could it be? No way?’

[Your thoughts might be right?]

‘Haa……. Those wicked bastards.’

I was concerned about the artifacts the old professor had mentioned.

‘If they touched my things, I won’t let them get away with it.’

A thousand years ago, when I had this area as my base, I had hidden many treasures here.

* * *

The first day of class felt like an orientation.

“For the next month, you will only be taking classes! After that, you will also be doing research and field practice, so know that you are happy now.” With the old professor, Andrei’s, last comment, the class ended.

“What kind of menu will be served for dinner? The lunch menu was really delicious too,” Drew said, full of anticipation. He seemed to really like the food provided at the Magic Tower’s cafeteria.

“Do you like eating that much?”

“There are many ingredients I’ve never seen before in the school meals here. My mom told me that I have to eat a balanced diet to grow well.”

His chubby cheeks held a pleasant smile.

[Of course, of course. If you’re a Gibson, you have to grow well!]

The knights of the Gibson family had the unique characteristic of being particularly tall and large. They also had hardware that was that much sturdier.

‘Was it because of this diet that such monstrous physiques were born?’

Naturally, I was reminded of a colleague who commanded the battlefield wielding a huge glaive [a polearm weapon with a single-edged blade].

‘This guy will become like that someday too.’

I grabbed Drew’s wrist as he smiled brightly and headed towards the cafeteria.

“Drew. Let’s not eat dinner here.”

“Huh? Then? You’re not saying we should train while starving, are you?” Despair briefly entered the boy’s eyes.

“Of course not. Just follow me. Let’s go out and eat something more delicious.”

Soon, Drew’s large mouth stretched to his ears.

“Really?”

“Of course. Have I ever been wrong when you listen to me?”

“Never!”

Shiraton, the old name of this place, was famous for its fresh seafood.

‘It’ll be the same these days, right.’

Although a thousand years had passed, this place was still a port city. The ingredients of Ias would be incomparable to those inland.

[The Pentagram wouldn’t have cursed the seafood too, would they.]

‘Yeah. Now that I’ve finally escaped from Delemma, I should smell the market for the first time in a while.’

It was definitely exciting for me, though not as much as it was for Drew. I was looking forward to the outing after a long time.

‘While I’m out, I should also find out about the place where they’re excavating the ruins.’

[The market is the best place to find out about those things.]

Nodding, I headed out of the Magic Tower.

“Hmm……. Where should I go to find a lot of restaurants?” Even if I looked around, I couldn’t know the way at a glance, because the roads and buildings were completely different from what they were a thousand years ago.

‘It’s changed a lot.’

While I was hesitating, Drew reacted first.

“I think I smell food over there!” The boy, sniffing his nose, pointed to one side. It was an alley where people were unusually crowded.

“Okay. Let’s go there for now.”

“Yeah! I’m so excited for the restaurant!” A voice full of conviction that there would be a restaurant there. The reason could be seen as soon as we entered the alley.

‘Was Gibson also famous for having a dog’s nose……?’

Inside the alley, merchants were displaying various seafood and soliciting customers.

[Well, is it something like absolute sense of smell.]

Drew’s senses related to food were incredibly developed.

However, the boy’s expression hardened after entering the alley. A serious look I had never seen before.

“Hmm…….”

The wrinkles on the boy’s forehead were so deep that his eyebrows seemed to disappear.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Then, still frowning, he shook his head.

“No. I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“Which restaurant to go to. It’s my first time eating out in Ias, so I can’t just go anywhere!”