Chapter 34
Jain Teo was a typical Wizard who was born and raised in the Magic Tower.
The only difference between him and the other Wizards was that he possessed a ridiculous amount of talent.
From the moment he was born, a circle had already settled in his heart, and he learned Magic faster than he spoke.
He was a peerless genius who flew around using Levitation Magic before he even took his first steps.
He had an absurd talent that allowed him to use Magic through the surrounding mana even if his own mana reserves were small.
Perhaps thanks to such talent, Teo’s wits developed incredibly fast.
It was as if being able to handle the surrounding mana naturally allowed him to grasp its flow as well.
The Magic Tower was attacked first.
“…!”
From Teo’s instincts to the surrounding mana.
Everything warned Teo to absolutely never step outside.
He was feeling an overwhelming killing intent for the first time in his life.
In the face of it, there was nothing Teo could do.
All he could do was cast Presence-concealing Magic and crouch in the deepest corner possible.
To Teo, who had never even experienced a minor squabble, a life-or-death battle came as a vague terror.
It was an unknown that he couldn’t even fathom fighting against.
As his thoughts reached that point, Teo hugged his knees and buried his head between them.
[What in the world is out there?]
The only sounds he could hear were the spirited laughs of the wizards.
And because of that, Teo became even more drenched in fear.
In a situation where they should normally have an overwhelming advantage judging by the sounds alone.
Why on earth were his instincts and the mana telling him to absolutely never go outside?
This question was quickly answered.
Slash!
The Veil of Concealment, which he had guaranteed no one but the Magic Tower Lord could ever see through, was torn apart.
Because he clearly captured the eyes of the person who revealed themselves from within it.
[The Crown Prince…!]
Wizards operate on a highly contradictory algorithm that is both rational and subjective at the same time.
The Magic Tower Lord, Archbold, believed that all the personnel of the Magic Tower combined could easily defeat the Crown Prince.
He moved based on a rational deduction filled with subjectivity, and was defeated.
As for Teo.
“Begin the Staff-wielder making process.”
“Yes! Yes! Your Highness! Of course! I will immediately dismantle these bastards, leave them with only the minimum life functions, and make them into Bio-Staffs.”
Through a rational deduction infused with extremely subjective opinions.
He felt that he must absolutely never go against the Crown Prince.
Mirne? Of course he liked her.
But those feelings of affection wouldn’t prolong his life.
Right now, the Crown Prince is furious at the wizards.
While acting as parasites on the national treasury, they had even cast Perception-hindering Magic.
Since they had raised a rebellion in such a situation, it would be stranger if he wasn’t angry.
Therefore, he had to grovel flat on his face.
Until when?
[Until His Royal Highness the Crown Prince… forgives the wizards, I have to live groveling.]
Will there be an end to this anger? He didn’t entertain such stupid thoughts.
He only needed to look at what was right in front of him. There might not be a tomorrow.
The power of Sol Bellos that swallowed Magic.
He didn’t even know what principle it operated on.
Was it even Magic in the first place? Even if he learned it from a Magic, how was that level of Magic possible?
It was unknowable.
The unknown is fear.
Fear is an essential emotion for humans to survive.
That was why the fear Teo felt right now was terrifying, yet at the same time, incredibly welcome.
Look at the things scattered around that “used to be” his colleagues.
“Huuugh… Uuuugh…”
“S-Spare… Spare me…”
“S-Sin… Please, please… my life… I’ll do my best, as a s-slave…”
The price paid by those who forgot the emotion of fear and stood against him was agonizing.
The Magic Tower Lord was no different.
An independent Magic System that broke away from Dragon Magic? Magic that humans could use, solely for humans?
The optimal Magic Circle crafted through countless studies? Various research results that would fall short even if called the discovery of the century?
It was all meaningless.
The appearance of the Magic Tower, which had been like an ivory tower of knowledge just an hour ago, was now gone.
The resting place of the wizards, who researched knowledge while keeping the sky beneath their feet, no longer existed.
From now on, this place is the Empire’s land.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
The slowly realized reality was transmitted to his skin.
“…Is there even a need to make them into Bio-Staffs? Just placing a Restriction on their heads will do. The level of the Restriction will vary depending on the severity of their crimes, and those who truly knew nothing will be given a chance to live as imperial citizens.”
As if he had no intention of committing such a cruel act.
The Crown Prince said it would be enough if their heads simply exploded if they didn’t listen.
This was an incredibly positive sign for Teo.
[Ah! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a very humane person!]
At least later, when he fell out of the Crown Prince’s favor and died.
He would be able to meet his end rather than living forever in a painful state.
“Teo, you will assist Arveda. Listen to every word she says.”
“Yes, yessir!”
Furthermore, to be able to provide Magic Support next to a dragon, known as the Pinnacle of Magic?
This was an incredibly good opportunity.
“I will truly do my best! I will become a Wizard, no! A Staff-wielder who works hard so as not to offend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Haha, depending on how you do, I’ll use you as my First Staff.”
“It is truly, truly, truly an honor!!!”
Teo was sincere.
The people who had been laughing and chatting with him just a few days, no, a few minutes ago, were no longer there.
The seniors who were already walking the path he was supposed to take, were a clear example.
They were all dying, yet he hadn’t suffered any harm.
And if he just listened well, he could be active by his side as the #1 Staff-wielder.
Could there be any greater luck than this?
At that moment, a thought flashed through Teo’s mind.
[Ah! I’m a real lucky guy!]
I must absolutely never rebel!
+++++
Honestly, at first, I thought he would blindly rebel.
Because the Second Prince did, the Grand Duke of the East did, and the Northern Grand Duke did.
But what was this?
“May I ask what I should call you?”
“…Hmm, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince attached you as my assistant, you may call This Humble Woman your Master.”
“Yessir! Master!”
He listened well - too well.
His reactions were so big that it felt excessive.
I could roughly understand why.
The people he had been laughing and chatting with until recently had all been roasted like firewood and were on the verge of death.
He must have concluded that it was better for his health to just let go of his sanity a little rather than to maintain a clear mind.
It was truly a wisdom befitting a Wizard.
“Is he your son?”
“…He, he is a child who fell from the sky. Having received a blessing…”
“He naturally generated? As a baby?”
“Yes, y-yes…”
So that was why his mood shifted so quickly.
If they were real Family, he would have at least been angry out of blood ties.
I wondered why he groveled flat on his face right away without his eyes rolling back in anger like the current Grand Duke of the East.
I didn’t know what kind of setting it was, but one thing was certain: even within the Magic Tower, Teo seemed to be an anomalous existence.
[Is it natural because he’s a Male Lead? Being special is a given, after all.]
However,
“Te, Teo… Why, why are you doing this… We were close.”
“…How can a Staff-wielder who hasn’t even been assigned a number… speak Human words…?”
It seemed that specialness had been invested in a slightly crazy direction.
He listens well, but he listens way too well. Isn’t he too much of a lackey type?
[But it’s not like he’ll do anything weird behind my back, so I guess it doesn’t matter.]
Even if he did, it didn’t matter.
Arveda had directly embedded the strongest Restriction into Teo’s head.
The moment he tried to scheme anything weird, he would die instantly.
[There’s no need to go out of my way to talk to Teo right now; he’ll be going to the Imperial Palace anyway.]
Right now, I don’t have the time to pay attention to Teo.
“Archbold, you were hostile to the Empire… Were you perhaps planning to go to Maselin after sucking the Empire dry?”
It was time to have a proper talk with Archbold, the General Manager of the Magic Tower.
Since Arveda had healed him just enough to be able to converse.
Archbold stared at me intently before slowly opening his mouth.
“Yes, yes… That is correct.”
“What’s the reason? Why Maselin of all places after sucking the Imperial Treasury dry? Because there’s a woman Teo likes?”
Unlike the Second Prince and the two Grand Dukes.
In the Magic Tower Lord’s case, he didn’t blindly support the Maselin Kingdom.
In fact, the wizards were wearing expensive-looking ornaments.
Even in Teo’s case, unlike the other Male Leads, he didn’t feel a passionate love strongly.
[Changing their base because of that affection? That makes no sense.]
If they had sucked the Empire’s national treasury dry, they should have decided to migrate to a place that, even if not as good as the Empire, at least had some money.
But they suddenly wanted to go to Maselin? To a place they would absolutely have to support? This was incredibly strange.
That was why I asked the question.
“That is part of it, but…”
“But?”
“The fundamental reason is that I felt that the Maselin Kingdom is an Auspicious Location.”
“An Auspicious Location?”
The answer that returned spawned a question mark.
“Magic is a work that requires a foundation of meticulous calculation, but it requires strong intuition.”
“So you’re saying you were just blindly drawn to Maselin without any basis?”
“Yes, that is correct. I had an intuition that we would definitely benefit if we went there.”
“Not just you, but everyone?”
“Yes.”
Was there some Continent-wide “I love the Maselin Kingdom!” Hypnosis cast on them or something?
But come to think of it, it wasn’t that strange either.
It was the country where the Protagonist was, and even the title implied they should be prevented from revealing too much.
I felt that it had to be at least this much to perfectly fit the setting.
[Does that mean… the need to aid the Maselin Kingdom was laid at the base of their subconscious?]
After roughly finishing organizing my thoughts.
“I look forward to your dedication as you live as a staff member of the Empire from now on.”
“…Thank you truly for sparing my life.”
I ordered Archbold to gather the wizards who hadn’t arrived here yet.
“You will live not as humans, but as staff-wielders. If you don’t want to, speak up right now; I will let you die as humans.”
“…”
Was it thanks to everyone taking my words seriously?
The wizards humbly accepted their fate.
[But there are quite a lot of them.]
The wizards who had restrictions placed on them placed restrictions on the wizards who didn’t.
As this process repeated and they began to gather before me one by one.
I realized that their numbers easily exceeded a thousand.
It was at a level where, thinking simply, I could just divide them into thirds and scatter them across the Northern Region, The Center, and the Eastern Region.
[Come to think of it, didn’t they say a lot of manpower was needed recently for the Northern Front, as well as the Eastern Region?]
I recalled the conversation of some bastards at the banquet who said they were pulling tricks in the Eastern Region.
Dealing with piracy inevitably required manpower.
It seemed too difficult to make the Eastern Region, which was only just barely imitating Human functionality, do that job.
“This is perfect.”
“…?”
“Archbold.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I will use you specially as my Magic Drone #1.”
“W-What in the world does that…?”
I had just found the optimal talent to handle this job.
“For the time being, you will take on the role of a vacuum cleaner to clean up the Empire.”
Not only that, but even the Empire’s public order has recently been deteriorating.
I could just leave it all to these Staff-wielders.
Didn’t I hear that information units from other countries were creeping in?
“Wizards who have completed the Restriction process immediately go down to the Ground and live as Staff-wielders.”
It was time to fully utilize these unpaid slaves who would wander around and do their jobs well as long as they were fed.
“Come on, come on! Don’t look around! If you think it’s you, go down quickly! Do His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s words sound like a joke to you!”
“…”
Teo’s lackey act was a bonus.
Teo’s lackey act was a bonus just as the situation was all sorted out and I was about to head to the Imperial Palace.
[ Genius Wizard Teo joins you. ]
[ Destiny changes. ]
[ The Maselin Kingdom’s Magic Level drops significantly. ]
An incredibly welcome message greeted me.
Finally.
For the first time.
[Hah.]
I had dealt a direct blow to the Maselin Kingdom.
To think I could screw them over like this just by acquiring one obedient Staff-wielder?
[Kill them or make them slaves.]
From now on, when dealing with the Male Leads, I have another option besides killing them.
However.
[The Saint is an exception for now, of course.]
I plan to dispose of the Saint who raised a rebellion against the Empire unconditionally.