There were, broadly speaking, five great mage towers in the Allied Kingdoms.

The Blue Mage Tower, with Selaim Mikardo as its tower master.

The Red Mage Tower, with Parkline as its tower master.

The Purple Mage Tower of Norton Mirage.

The Green Mage Tower of Sharan Poranu.

And the Brown Mage Tower led by Manram.

These five places were the pillars leading the magic world.

And because of that, their tower masters held a Grand Conference once every five years.

The Grand Conference.

In truth, the Grand Conference was not all that different from an ordinary magic conference.

The tower masters still taught the mages beneath them in the hierarchy, and each mage tower still presented the spells and theories they had developed in cooperation with one another.

Even so, there was only one reason this event was called the Grand Conference.

Namely, because every mage tower master gathered there.

Basically, attendance at a magic conference was not mandatory.

So if someone did not particularly want to participate, they did not have to come.

But at this Grand Conference, if no other mage absolutely had to attend, the tower masters certainly did.

And countless mages also flocked there to obtain fragments of the knowledge the tower masters possessed.

And.

At this point, with some time still remaining before the Grand Conference began.

All five tower masters had gathered in the Central Tower.

“I don’t even know how long it’s been since we all gathered like this.”

Selaim chuckled.

“Seriously. We haven’t all been together since the last cycle.”

“Right?”

At that, Parkline, the Red Mage Tower master, and Sharan Poranu, the Green Mage Tower master, nodded along.

However.

“......”

“......”

The Brown Mage Tower master and the Purple Mage Tower master were watching those three with sulky expressions.

“Why are you looking at us like that?”

When Selaim spoke at those gazes, the Red Mage Tower master and the Purple Mage Tower master frowned as if they ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had planned it.

“Tch, you’ve got some nerve talking like that.”

“Exactly.”

Manram, whose build hardly made him look like a mage despite his age.

And Norton Mirage, with purple hair befitting the Purple Mage Tower master.

Even at the sharp reaction from the two tower masters, the Blue Mage Tower master only shrugged.

And then—

“Don’t play dumb, Blue Mage Tower master! How many times did we ask you to introduce us to Marquis Palatio— no, the King of Palantia, only for you to ignore us!?”

Unable to hold it back anymore, Norton Mirage shouted.

Selaim played innocent again.

“Come on, sorry, but I told you that isn’t my territory.”

“Even so, couldn’t you at least have talked to him!?”

“Hm— could I?”

“Grrrk—!”

At the continued feigned innocence, Norton clenched his teeth and tried to continue, but Selaim cut in first.

“No, but when you were sneering at us for looking ridiculous, sitting around doing calculations, what was that?”

“......”

Struck right in the weak point, Norton faltered for a moment, then started making excuses belatedly.

“No, well, how do I put it...... it just seemed pathetic for people who are supposed to be mage tower masters to gather in the Central Tower and do nothing but basic calculations—”

“So why are you saying this now after saying you hated it before?”

“Urk—”

And at the criticism that followed, a groan slipped out.

It was exactly as he said.

Back when the Blue Mage Tower master, the Red Mage Tower master, and the Green Mage Tower master were all busily working with a ghost of the past and a calculation machine.

Norton had mocked the three of them.

Mage tower masters were supposed to be struggling to rise into the next tier, so to see them doing nothing more than basic calculations—

it had looked thoroughly pathetic.

The new methods and formulas born from helping with that calculation work had certainly been useful to the magic world.

Even so, that did not change the thought that it was pathetic.

On top of that, Alon had not looked particularly good in Norton’s eyes either.

Norton had not liked the situation itself, where mages who ought to be contributing to the advancement of magic were being made to help with nothing but mere calculations.

That had been only a few months ago.

The reason Norton, who until then had been clicking his tongue at the tower masters helping Palatio Alon, was acting like this now—

was none other than Divine blood.

Divine blood.

The disaster that had fallen to the surface after the war that destroyed Ashtalon, something no mere powerful individual could possibly stop.

From the moment that existence descended into the Allied Kingdoms and revealed itself.

And not only that— now that Norton knew Palatio Alon was in fact Divine blood.

And beyond that, that he had come to be able to handle Divine blood—

‘No matter what......!’

Norton had to forge a connection with Alon.

Naturally so.

At this point in time, the only one who could stop Divine blood was the marquis, and Norton was the master of the Purple Mage Tower.

In other words, if Norton did not establish a connection, there would be no way to hope for help when Divine blood came attacking.

So Norton had belatedly tried to build ties with Alon through Selaim.

At this point, a connection to Alon, and the depth of that connection, had become something that could function as power in its own right.

“No, well...... how should I put it...... perhaps I was mistaken last time......”

“Hm— and yet you said we were the pathetic ones.”

“That’s true. You sent me a letter saying exactly that.”

“Me too.”

The Red Mage Tower master and the Green Mage Tower master immediately agreed with the Blue Mage Tower master’s words.

Norton squeezed his eyes shut.

How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this!

How was I supposed to know he’d become someone this important!!

If I’d known he’d become this important, do you think I would’ve done that!!!

......That was what Norton wanted to scream.

Unfortunately, Norton had far too much to lose for that.

And while Norton still had not reopened those tightly shut eyes—

“Ahem— then...... would it perhaps be possible for me?”

Manram, the Brown Mage Tower master, asked cautiously.

But—

“Didn’t you say the same sort of thing?”

“Wh- what was it again? You called us a bunch of scrubs, didn’t you?”

“Wasn’t it the scrub trio who got beaten by a scrub noble......?”

At the three of them digging up even stronger things in reply, the Brown Mage Tower master also let out a “Ghk—” and squeezed his eyes shut.

......Since Manram really had used expressions like that while egging on the Purple Mage Tower master.

“......”

“......”

The Purple Mage Tower master and the Brown Mage Tower master, grieving for their past selves who had failed to foresee the future.

The two looked at each other.

If you hadn’t been the first one to tempt me into cursing him out!

If you hadn’t been right there beside me making a damn scene!

—for a moment, they glared at each other with those exact expressions.

Then Selaim, who had been observing the two of them, rubbed his chin and smiled strangely—

“To be honest, it’s not like there’s no way.”

That was what he said.

““......Not like there’s no way......?””

At those words, the two tower masters turned their heads at the same time.

Selaim was very pleased with that reaction.

“To be exact, if it’s carried out properly, it’s the sort of thing that could build an extremely solid connection with him. More so than gifting him any item you could possibly offer.”

He grinned leisurely.

“So then, what do you say? Want to hear it?”

And he threw out an offer they could not refuse.

####

A few weeks passed after that.

Traveling while continuing his magical research as usual, Alon arrived in Theria, the capital of Asteria.

“......Did Divine blood really invade this place?”

“Asking whether the Information Guild would lie, I suppose it must have, but......”

The moment they saw the outside of Theria, Penia asked in surprise, and Evan nodded in agreement.

The reason the two reacted that way.

Was because—

“......For a place that was invaded by Divine blood, it’s unbelievably intact.”

—Theria was far too whole for a city that had supposedly been attacked by Divine blood.

They stood there blankly for a moment, staring at Theria, spotless and showing no sign of repairs whatsoever, as though there had never been a Divine blood invasion in the first place.

“......Let’s go in first.”

“Right.”

Soon, the group entered the capital of Theria.

After lightly passing through the city gate, Alon looked over the inside of Theria and thought,

‘Did Divine blood never make it inside to begin with?’

Just like its exterior, the inside of Theria was also extremely clean.

As though it had never been attacked by Divine blood from the start.

But through the Information Guild, Alon knew Divine blood had invaded Theria.

......And that Siyan had stopped it.

“......”

Suddenly, Alon recalled the Divine blood he had encountered in Colony.

The Divine blood that had been so powerful it had been hard to face them practically alone.

......The Divine blood Alon had only managed to stop after Colony had already been completely wrecked, despite all his efforts.

‘What in the world...... is this?’

And yet Siyan appeared to have stopped them without a single trace of damage, and the questions in Alon’s head only deepened.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at Theria’s inner castle.

Then, once Alon entered the royal castle—

“Hello.”

“......”

“We heard you were coming, so she’s been waiting.”

As always, after briefly greeting her secretary, who bowed politely as ever, he headed toward where she was.

And then.

“Well, then,”

The secretary bowed and stepped back.

Behind that, the door came into view.

Standing before the door to the office rather than the audience chamber as usual, Alon quietly took hold of the handle.

At that moment, he felt a strangely ominous sensation.

Because something had suddenly come to mind.

The Wanderer, whom he had seen in Rosario, the one who claimed to be the true body of the Goddess Sironia.

“......”

Could it be, could it really be that Siyan had ended up in that kind of situation too?

The thought crossed his mind for a moment—

but he quickly shook his head.

He knew that no matter how much he worried right now, it would mean nothing.

After steadying his breathing, he quietly turned the handle.

And soon, there—

“It’s been a while, my dear.”

He found Kritenia Siyan.

Siyan, who looked little different from the one he knew.

“......It has.”

At that, Alon relaxed without realizing it.

When he greeted her, Siyan gave him the same calm smile as always.

“Sit.”

And she invited him to take the chair that looked as if it had been prepared in advance in front of her.

Alon naturally moved over and sat down.

And as though it had all been arranged beforehand, she set a sweet potato down in front of him.

“......This is.”

“Eat. Don’t you like it?”

For a moment, Alon was about to answer, but closed his mouth and began eating the sweet potato instead.

“......”

As always, Siyan rested her chin on her hand and watched Alon eat the sweet potato.

A relaxed smile hung at the corners of her lips.

And, at last, around the time Alon had finished the whole sweet potato—

“To be honest, after you arrived, I found myself wondering what I ought to speak to you about first.”

Siyan slowly began.

“There are truly many things I now have to tell you.”

“I... see?”

“Yes. To be honest, even while you were eating the sweet potato, I kept thinking about it. About what I should speak of first.”

“......So, have you decided?”

At Alon’s question, Siyan gave a faint smile, then nodded.

And lightly flicked her hand.

With that came a soft thunk.

When Alon looked at her in confusion,

“Ah, pay it no mind. Since this is a conversation between the two of us, I simply wanted to make sure no one could eavesdrop.”

Siyan waved her hand as if it were nothing.

Then, looking at the dim red brooch and green badge on Alon’s chest—

“My dear, what do you think it would mean if the world you are living in had already reached its ‘end’ once before?”

That was what she said.

“......What? What does that—”

“My, was that a little hard to explain?”

As Alon, momentarily blank, asked back—

“......Yes, in that case, perhaps it would be better to put it this way.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Siyan—

“If your life were not the first, but the ‘second,’ what would you think then?”

—threw out the words in an utterly calm voice.

The still lake rippled.