LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 192
The aftermath of the large-scale battle was far from light. The collapsed abandoned mine and the vanished forest; the recent attempts of Raoum to restore its energy and nurture green life were dealt a significant blow by this incident.
Rain and I had to move busily without even a moment’s break. Returning to the Mage Tower, reporting the mission results, and coordinating support for dispatching additional wizards to manage the situation. Countless tasks sped past us.
After handling multiple missions in a short time, Rain and I were granted a lengthy vacation. If it were up to me, I would have liked to travel all over the country on an airship, but my strained body demanded rest.
All the equipment deemed a bright future for the Mage Tower had perished. Not a single one remained. The consequences were anything but light.
The elder wizards of the Mage Tower expressed their rage, and the usually reclusive tower leaders began to show themselves.
The appearance of those tower leaders, considered the very embodiment of the Mage Tower, caused the mana of nature to violently stir.
A long meeting ensued. A seemingly endless meeting. I could attend the meeting thanks to my position as a disciple of Haiven, though I had no right to speak. I was merely given the chance to be present.
Once the meeting began, the first to speak, naturally, were the leaders of each tower.
“This is not a matter to be taken lightly. This is the greatest and most horrific incident since the sealing of Grimshade Kingdom.”
“I believe we must reinforce the sealing magic.”
“The sealing magic is already perfect. There’s no way to enhance it further unless we start over from scratch.”
“You say the sealing is perfect? Then how do you explain what just happened?”
“That would… be due to the advancements in the demons’ magic…”
“Could it be that the sealing magic failed to advance?”
“That is…”
A quiet voice dripped with sarcasm, criticizing its counterpart. Despite the potential for emotions to run high, it seemed the tower leaders were accustomed to such exchanges and merely shook their heads.
How much time had passed? It was the leader of the Tower of Dawn, wearing robes similar to Haiven’s, who opened his mouth.
“Are we done passing the blame?”
At the words of the Tower of Dawn leader, two tower leaders who had been arguing coughed awkwardly and turned their heads. Observing them in silence, the leader of the Tower of Dawn let out a small sigh and continued.
“The idea of reinforcing the sealing magic is not bad. However, it is not a fundamental solution; it only buys us time. Such an incident will occur again someday.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Naturally, we must eliminate the source of this problem.”
“Are you suggesting we go after the demons in Grimshade Kingdom…?”
“I hear the name of that demon is Skasha.”
“Have you lost your mind? You wish to set foot in that land?”
I deemed the suggestion brought forth by the Tower of Dawn leader to be valid. To decisively solve this problem, addressing the source of the issue was the correct course of action.
However, it seemed the other tower leaders had different opinions. They all grimaced, turning their heads as if they found the suggestion troublesome.
At that moment, the leader of the Blue Tower spoke up.
“Alright. Let’s say we do go there as you suggest. What are we supposed to do next? There are countless undead roaming that land… Well, at least if it were just undead, we could breathe a sigh of relief. We mustn’t forget the other demons and the fallen dark mages apart from Skasha as well.”
“Can’t we just deal with all of them?”
“Deal with all of them? With that massive number? Us? Get a grip. To push back that many undead, we would need to use magic, right? And afterward?”
The leader of the Tower of Dawn cocked his head at the Blue Tower’s words.
“When did I ever say the Mage Tower should act alone?”
“You don’t mean… are you suggesting we request support from other factions?”
The Blue Tower leader’s inquiry was met with a nod from the Tower of Dawn leader. At that, the Blue Tower leader’s expression hardened.
“The wizard seeks help from another faction? That’s simply unheard of. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Why mages affiliated with the Mage Tower receive treatment akin to that of high-ranking nobles, and why they are mostly exempt from the laws?”
“But we can’t just sit idle either, right?”
“Mages… A Mage of the Tower should never know impossibility. The essence of magic is manifesting mysteries that do not exist in this world. The authority of a mage can only be maintained if there’s an underpinning belief that mages can achieve what others cannot.”
“But that mage’s authority cannot exist without other countries, can it?”
“That…”
Ultimately, a vote ensued. All participants in the meeting had the right to vote, so I found myself participating as well.
Eleven participants from the five towers of Red, Blue, White, Dawn, and Twilight cast their votes. Seven in favor and four against. Had the mages of the Pentagon not perished, the number of mages present would have been much larger.
After the meeting concluded, the Mage Tower began to move swiftly. Small airships with the Mage Tower’s seal spread out across the nation carrying support requests, starting to select mages to head toward Grimshade Kingdom.
The next day, after such a busy day had ended, replies poured in from various countries. Only three nations happily pledged to lend their troops: the Kingdom of Oblain, Aben Kingdom, and Karma Empire.
The support forces were far less than expected, prompting the Mage Tower’s leadership to hold another meeting.
“It seems other nations are unaware of the severity of the situation.”
“Is it because of the contents written in the support request? It surely frightened them when they read we cannot promise victory and safe return.”
“But we can’t give a false promise, can we?”
“Sigh…”
I glanced at the letters laid out on the meeting room table. The correspondence, filled with unnecessarily grand expressions, contained a refusal to the support request.
Burning Road, Greenfall, and Raoum; all were countries that had benefitted from me in big and small ways. I revisited the contents of the letters and contemplated. How about I visit them directly and request assistance?
Each had aided me in the past. They wouldn’t easily refuse.
I cautiously tugged at the hem of Haiven’s robe sitting next to me.
“What is it?”
“Um, should I go try visiting them?”
“You…?”
Haiven’s eyebrows twitched as if he was momentarily pondering my question. He then seemed to recall the stories I had shared and stared blankly at me.
“I see… you mean to say…!”
“Yes. Just perhaps, if I visit them in person…”
“Good. Go right away.”
“But the meeting is still…”
“If you can resolve it, then what purpose does this meeting serve?”
In the end, I had no choice but to leave the meeting hall. A strange silence enveloped the normally bustling halls of the Mage Tower.
It was likely due to the tension among the mages preparing for the upcoming battle. Leaving the quiet corridor behind, I exited the Mage Tower.
The only airship I could operate, the Gold Return Ship, was my first destination: Greenfall. They were in the midst of reconstructing the fallen capital city.
Within a short period, the capital had collapsed twice. Each time, it was against the same adversary. The resentment the orcs held towards dark magic would undoubtedly be much greater than that of humans.
As I stared at the mighty warrior insignia etched on my palm, I leaped from the airship.
Riding the wind as I descended from the sky, eyes slowly began to focus on me. The orcish features were too similar for me to distinguish who was who, but they seemed to recognize me.
“Bakeng!”
Cheers began to spread slowly. I still couldn’t comprehend the orcish language.
As the workers at the construction site halted their actions, the leaders started to reveal themselves one by one. Among them was the half-orc Agul.
There was no need for lengthy conversation. I directly stated what was needed.
“I need the help of the orcs.”
Agul furrowed his brow at my request, scanning the crowd of orcs. Just before he could respond…
Thud-!
A sudden stomping erupted. Orcs carrying construction equipment began to stomp their feet and chant a single word.
“Bakeng sa bahlabani!”
Thud-!
“Bakeng sa bahlabani!”
Thud-!
The orcs’ fervor grew stronger. They bared their sharp teeth, exhaling hot breaths. Their massively bulging muscles showed no signs of deflating, clearly ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
After receiving the orcs’ promise of support, I headed to the land of artisans, Raoum. The land, which had just started sprouting with fresh life, was now covered with lush sprouts.
Due to the time constraints, I skipped all formal procedures. I recalled the vague memory of finding the country’s king, Santos.
Santos was outside on the terrace of his room, basking in the breeze.
“Hello?”
“Ugh, oh my…!”
Santos responded with an exaggerated startle at my greeting. I lightly stepped onto the wind and sat down next to him.
“Y-you…!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Seris…?”
“How have you been all this time?”
“Well… wait, how on earth did you come all the way here?”
Is that really the pressing issue? I tilted my head, stepping into thin air. A small gust gathered at my feet, lifting me into the air.
“I flew here. Anyway, I heard that you rejected the Mage Tower’s support request. Can you reconsider?”
“Support for troops, you mean…?”
“Yes.”
Santos took a step back at the question, eyes glinting.
“That’s rather difficult…”
“Um… even if it is my request?”
I tilted my head in response to Santos’ answer. Wasn’t the revival of trees and grass in this land thanks to me? A person who knows gratitude wouldn’t refuse a request so easily.
“Hmm…”
Santos wore a contemplative expression, seemingly lost in thought. It looked like he was recalling past events.
“If you promise one thing, then I’ll lend you troops.”
“What promise is that?”
“My son. Do you remember Alfredo?”
I nodded at Santos’ question. How could I forget? The memories of exploring the underground dungeon with Alfredo and other companions surged vividly in my mind.
“Please share a meal with Alfredo.”
“A meal…?”
Are you saying all I need to do is dine with an old companion, and you will provide the troops? That sounds doable.
I nodded at Santos.
“Okay.”
Upon my agreeable confirmation, Santos immediately drafted a support request with his seal on it.
The next destination after Raoum was Burning Road. Upon arriving at Burning Road, I directly sought out Kasin and secured a promise from him to lend a portion of the kingdom’s forces along with his personal guard.
Though I garnered promises for troop support from everyone I sought, I didn’t return to the Mage Tower just yet. I left Burning Road, heading next to the land of the Beastmen, Janghon.
The more support troops, the better. I intended to solicit assistance from all those I knew.