#274. The Mage Tower and the Schools (1)
—
The buildings seen through the bus window resembled those of a bygone era, like the ruins Ray had once encountered in the wilderness.
They were tall, geometric, and exuded an aura of efficiency as well as sophistication.
“……”
It was a moment in which one could clearly recognize that they had entered a different world.
While driving the bus slowly, Ray kept his eyes on the passing scenery and asked,
“We’re currently in Sector 25, right?”
“Yes, for now. But unlike the outside of the wall, the sectors here aren’t divided by the wilderness.”
“Then how are they split?”
“Think of it as sectors divided within a massive area formed along the Elton River. Of course, there is some distance between this place and Sector 1, which lies far upstream.”
In other words, the sectors here were simply names for various districts within a large city.
‘If there are 25 sectors combined…’
Then the scale must be immense.
While estimating the city’s size, Ray shifted his gaze toward the people on the street.
Their clothing styles differed subtly from those outside the wall, but what really stood out was something else.
‘The circles.’
Just as Gerard had said, every person had a circle at their chest.
Most were second- or third-circle.
Even fourth-circle was fairly common.
“It’s fascinating. Even very young children all have circles.”
“…?”
Gerard tilted his head in puzzlement.
He had no idea what Ray was referring to.
Still, he answered earnestly.
“Constructing a circle isn’t particularly difficult. A sufficiently accomplished mage can inject mana to create a designated path and framework for the circle. We usually refer to that as ‘paving the way,’ and it’s typically the parents who perform that task.”
The third and fourth circles were considered average or gifted.
The fifth circle was regarded as genius-level.
“What about the sixth circle?”
“…I’ve never seen it, nor heard of it. There are records suggesting a sixth-circle mage existed at some point in history, but whether it’s true is unknown.”
Ray gave a small nod.
He was starting to understand.
He could see how the residents here might develop a sense of superiority toward the outside world.
In a society where magic was so natural and ingrained in daily life,
the outside world, where magical progress was painfully slow, must seem primitive.
“Ah! Over there! That tower you see is the mage tower of our Ristoa School.”
Following Gerard’s pointing finger, Ray lifted his gaze.
A tower rose majestically between the buildings.
No—there wasn’t just one.
There was one nearby as well.
And at the farthest point visible to the eye.
In every direction—front, back, left, right.
Dozens of towers, at a glance, all rose at various heights.
“That’s… a lot.”
“The one in front is the mage tower of the Pleiades School, and the one on the left belongs to the Icicle School. What you see from here is just a fraction. There are reportedly over 200 recognized schools inside the wall.”
Regardless of their influence, all schools operated a mage tower.
“After all, prestige and school pride are separate matters.”
“……”
Apparently, pride was a common trait among mages, whether inside or outside the wall.
As Ray silently observed the towers, he asked,
“Have you heard of the groups called the Azure Dawn Society or Murcred?”
“Hmm… no, I haven’t heard of either. Are they based inside the wall?”
“Most likely.”
“Then they must be underground organizations. There are countless groups beyond the officially registered schools. I can investigate them for you, if you wish.”
Ray nodded.
He planned to search personally as well.
After all, his goals hadn’t changed—he intended to completely avenge himself by taking Indiego’s life and find the Rainbow to fulfill his wish.
Screech. Clunk. Hiss—
After stepping off the bus, Ray looked up at the Ristoa School’s mage tower.
A cylindrical, grayish-white tower filled with windows—shorter than other mage towers, and clearly worn with age.
Gerard spoke awkwardly.
“Haha, to be honest, it’s not much to look at. The number of floors a tower can have is restricted by the school’s prestige. I heard our tower used to be taller in the past, but the height has dwindled as our influence waned.”
From Ray’s perspective, that didn’t matter.
Gerard placed his palm on the access panel, and mana flowed out to envelop his hand.
\[Pattern recognition complete.]
\[Deputy Director Gerard.]
\[Identity confirmed.]
Whirr───
The opaque glass doors slid open, and they stepped inside.
The structure had a ring of rooms along the curved wall, and in the center—open through all floors—were disc-shaped platforms that moved up and down the columns like elevators.
People approached from various directions upon seeing Gerard.
“Mr. Gerard? You’re already back from the expedition?”
“Thank goodness you’ve returned safely!”
“But… who’s the kid next to you…?”
Though they expressed joy and relief, their eyes turned wary and curious as they looked at Ray.
After taking a breath, Gerard spoke in the firmest tone he could muster.
“This person was brought from outside the wall. The story is long, but one thing is certain: he may be the one to bring salvation to our city.”
“Excuse me? Did you say…?”
“Someone from outside the wall?”
“What is this…?”
Confusion and disbelief.
Displeasure and contempt.
Ray could see the dark emotions swirling in their eyes.
Wherever they went, people gathered and reacted with the same expressions.
Several minutes later, Gerard finally managed to guide Ray to a guest room and spoke apologetically.
“I’m truly sorry. I don’t know what to say. It’s an emotion deeply rooted over generations. A sense of superiority, or perhaps entitlement… All those you passed are from the opposing faction, but I didn’t expect them to be so blatantly hostile.”
“I don’t care. But… opposing faction?”
Gerard nodded.
“Yes. The original philosophy of the Ristoa School was to tear down the wall separating inside and out, to build a world where all could thrive. That’s why we focused on healing the sick and restoring the environment. But over time, people skeptical of tearing down the wall began to emerge.”
They agreed with healing and environmental restoration—but believed aid should not extend beyond the wall.
That was the current opposition.
“…At any rate, thank you for your patience despite the rude behavior of our members. I’ll go report to the director. Would you mind waiting here a bit? It would be best to stay inside until I return, to avoid unnecessary conflict.”
Ray nodded in agreement.
Then—
*Creak—click.*
Three seconds after Gerard left the room, Ray cast an invisibility spell, opened the door, and stepped outside.
After confirming Gerard was out of sight, he began exploring the mage tower.
*Whirrrrrr—*
He rode the disc platforms up and down, observed people’s emotions, and examined the facilities.
He passed portraits of former directors hanging on the walls, doodling mustaches on them, when he spotted a room.
\[Deputy Director Gerard]
\[Laboratory – No Entry Except Authorized Personnel]
A sign that something interesting lay inside.
Ray recalled the mana pattern flowing through Gerard’s hand.
He drew up mana.
*Voom—!*
The mimicry was instantaneous.
He pressed the completed pattern against the panel.
*Beep.*
\[Pattern recognition complete.]
\[Deputy Director Gerard.]
\[Identity confirmed.]
After confirming no one was around, he stealthily entered.
“So this is the lab.”
Numerous elongated tables were covered with experimental equipment and files.
*Shuffle—*
The files contained research and analysis on the black clouds and black rain.
Though the complex symbols and graphs were a mental assault, Ray had grown accustomed to such data thanks to the Veronica’s research—so interpreting them wasn’t difficult.
After skimming the documents quickly, Ray drew a conclusion.
‘Gerard… you’re close to the truth.’
He hadn’t pinpointed the exact causal relationship, but Gerard believed the black clouds were caused by excessive magic use.
And he was right.
Ray looked out the window.
Black smoke rose like smog from various points in the city.
From the towering mage towers flaunting their power.
From the scattered magic devices installed throughout.
From the hands of passersby performing spells.
All due to mixing too many types of mana.
Mana that had lost the light of origin grew darker the more it was mixed.
The black smoke rose like a haze and gathered in the sky, forming thick, creeping clouds.
‘Those clouds must drift and reach the outer sectors beyond the wall.’
Currently, the artificial sun was burning away the encroaching black clouds.
But unless the root cause was dealt with, it would ultimately be meaningless.
The light’s reach was limited—and Veronica couldn’t power the artificial sun forever.
…How could this be resolved?
The most straightforward way was to stop producing the black smoke.
And the biggest source was the mage towers.
They must be conducting all kinds of magical experiments inside.
‘If the towers simply reduced the intensity of their experiments, the amount of smoke would drop significantly.’
But there was no way they would comply just because someone asked.
Developing powerful magic through experimentation was tied directly to their influence.
Without the intervention of a strong force, solving the problem would be difficult.
‘A strong force…’
Forcing every mage tower into submission was not only unrealistic, it was inefficient.
Just then, the door clicked open.
It was Gerard.
“Uh…”
“……”
“What are you doing here… No, how did you get in?”
“The door was open. I followed a cat inside.”
“Eh? You mean Nancy? But I don’t see her… and I never forget to lock this door… Anyway, let’s go. The director and board members are waiting.”
Looking puzzled, Gerard locked the door behind him and led Ray to the top floor of the tower via the disc platform.
As various layers of scenery flashed past his eyes in an instant, Ray asked,
“By the way, how are disputes between Magic Towers handled, or how are rules within the city established?”
“Rules… there aren’t really any to speak of. That’s because the word of the most influential Magic Tower effectively *is* the rule.”
A society where magic equaled power.
In other words, the hierarchy within the city was determined by the number of floors a Magic Tower had.
“When the top-ranked Magic Tower with the most floors issues a decree, all the other towers must obey. That’s how absolute their authority is. It’s the same with personal disputes. Upon reaching adulthood, a city resident is affiliated with a particular school, and the authority of that school becomes the individual’s authority…”
Gerard’s words no longer reached Ray’s ears.
He had come up with a way to halt all the Magic Towers’ experiments in a short time without a fight—and he was now fully immersed in that idea.
*‘There was an easy way all along.’*
It was to found a new school and build the tallest tower in the city.
