Just as Kaland, the vice tower master of the Purple Mage Tower, forgot even the message he had originally been supposed to deliver to Alon and ran back the way he had come—

“Boss, are you really sure we don’t need to come with you?”

“My lord, are you okay?”

“It’s fine.”

Alon nodded at Ryang-a and Historia’s concern.

The truth was, since there was no way of knowing what might happen at the Central Tower, it would have been best to take as much strength with him as possible.

The problem was that if he took those two with him, the Divine Land would be all but defenseless.

“Take care of the Divine Land while I’m gone.”

“Got it, Boss!”

“Mm.”

After entrusting things to them, he turned to Sili this time.

“Have a safe trip! I’ll make sure to produce results while you’re away!”

She made the vow with complete confidence.

Likewise, Seamus, standing behind her, was for some reason nodding at Alon with a deeply moved look on his face.

Alon nodded back.

“Then let’s go.”

The carriage set off.

Just as Penia had told him last time, Alon tore the letter apart.

Riiip—

The letter ripped with a tearing sound.

Before long, the pitifully torn paper began giving off violet mana, and then started glowing faintly as it floated ahead of the carriage.

As though telling them to use it as a guide and follow, that mana-like something hovered in front of them like a firefly.

“Oh......”

“That feels different from both mana and divine power.”

Seeing it, Evan and Penia each let out an admiring sound for different reasons.

That only lasted a moment before Penia let out a long sigh, and Alon asked,

“Are you tired?”

“Mmm... a little, yeah.”

“Because of the magic?”

“Yes.”

Letting out a strained groan, Penia pressed hard against her eyes.

“I didn’t realize it because you use it so casually, my Lord Alon, but this is harder to use than I expected.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“...Is that so?”

“It is. You have to do the image and the calculations in your head at the same time. Mmm... if I had to explain it simply, regular magic only needs the calculations done properly, but this feels like you have to imagine it too.”

“It seems it has a level of difficulty.”

“Exactly. Lower-tier mages wouldn’t be able to use it at all.”

Muttering that it would probably take at least someone around the fourth or fifth tier to manage it to some extent, Penia roughly came to a conclusion.

After watching her for a moment, Alon asked,

“...Is it really that demanding?”

“Yes, quite a lot. But if you keep practicing and get a little used to it, I think it’ll be very useful.”

After thinking for a moment, Alon added,

“...Then if I grant my power to mages, they would become fighting strength too.”

“Mmm... probably, yes?”

“It’s possible a mage stronger than me could even appear.”

That was not an impossible idea.

“Ah, no, that won’t happen.”

But Penia denied it at once.

“It won’t?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Penia chose her words, then answered.

“If you grant your power, my Lord Alon, most mages would probably become stronger. True Mage magic has a very high ceiling precisely because it’s so hard to learn.”

On top of that, they would be able to realize magic that had been impossible to realize at this point in time.

Penia continued her explanation.

“But even so, there won’t be any mage who can surpass you, my Lord Alon. We can’t use spell phrases.”

“Ah.”

A sound of realization slipped out of Alon naturally.

She was right.

The reason he had been able to use magic with such overwhelming firepower up to now was, in the end, because he could use magic without needing an image.

He realized it anew.

“That’s true.”

“But even just being able to use phrases would help tremendously.”

It was a moment when Alon faced his own ability once again.

####

While Alon’s group followed the fantastic violet light in order to reach the tower—

“......”

Norton, the master of the Purple Mage Tower, was staring with a dumbfounded expression at a man—no, at Vice Tower Master Kaland, the very one she had sent to do the job.

Silence flowed between them.

How much time passed like that?

“Haa...”

In the end, Norton let out a sigh.

A headache was coming on, and she pressed hard at her head.

“...So, let me get this straight. You met him, but because something urgent occurred to you, you turned back halfway?”

“That’s correct.”

“And whatever it was that suddenly came to mind was so important that even after spotting him way out there, you didn’t deliver the message?”

Kaland flinched slightly, but soon nodded with a resolute expression.

“...You’re not seriously expecting me to believe that, are you?”

“But it’s true.”

“......”

At Kaland’s steadfast demeanor, a strange look crossed Norton’s face.

Naturally, she knew what kind of person Kaland was.

By default, unless he was standing in front of her, he acted arrogantly, and his pride in himself was absolute.

In short, he had a terrible attitude.

But even if his overall personality was a complete disaster, he was not the type to lie.

“Go on, then. Let me at least hear what it was.”

She decided to hear out this thing he had come back to say, and Kaland began.

“...Penia Crysinne. You know her, of course.”

“There are few among mages who don’t know that eccentric one. She’s his right hand to begin with. So why her?”

“...She—”

Kaland swallowed once.

“—used King Palatio’s magic.”

“What...?”

Norton reflexively asked back.

Her tone remained the same, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) but her widened eyes trembled faintly, revealing just how startled she was.

And after silence fell,

“She used Palatio’s magic?”

Norton asked again.

“Yes. I saw it clearly.”

“...You’re sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

“That was my first thought too. The magic he uses can’t be replicated even by those who study primal magic, and we can’t reproduce it either. But—”

Kaland fell silent for a moment, then declared firmly,

“—what she used was definitely Palatio’s magic. The magic she showed then was outside ordinary principles.”

“......”

Norton fell speechless.

At the very least, there was no lie in Kaland’s eyes.

Could he have seen it wrong?

She asked herself that question one more time, but Norton had no choice except to shake her head.

Kaland.

He was inferior to her, yes, but he was still the vice tower master of the Purple Mage Tower.

And yet he had mistaken magic?

That was practically impossible.

Especially if he was reporting it this firmly to her, the tower master.

“...Certainly enough to make you come running back in a panic.”

So in the end, Norton acknowledged that Kaland’s agitation had been justified.

If someone other than Palatio could use magic that only Palatio had been able to use, then that meant there was a method by which others could use that magic.

‘Palatio’s magic...’

Norton swallowed reflexively.

Palatio’s magic.

It was so alluring that no mage could possibly resist coveting it.

Maybe—

if that magic could be learned—

then the tower might be able to defend itself independently against those things called Divine blood.

That thought held her dazed for only a moment.

“There is... one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”

“...Hm? What is it?”

“The truth is, I also heard the method for being able to use Marquis Palatio’s magic—”

“What!?”

She sprang to her feet in shock.

“Th-that’s real!?”

“Yes.”

“Then what in the world is the method!?”

Norton lunged at Kaland as if she might seize him by the collar that very instant.

In response, Kaland, with a face of utmost seriousness, repeated to her word for word what he had heard when he visited Alon several days ago.

After listening quietly to the whole thing, Norton said,

“...If you receive his blessing, you can use magic?”

“Yes. That is clearly what he said. That Penia Crysinne received his blessing directly and became able to use magic—he said it plainly.”

“...If all it takes is receiving his blessing... then that magic can be used...?”

She blankly repeated Kaland’s words over and over to herself.

“...Kaland.”

“Yes.”

“It seems we’ll need to build a somewhat deeper relationship with him from now on.”

“I think so as well.”

“...First, make sure that everything on the side under our jurisdiction is prepared at the absolute highest grade possible. More so than whatever the Brown Mage Tower master is preparing. And do it without letting that side know.”

“Yes.”

“And I’ll need to make some personal preparations as well.”

She burned with resolve as if she had just been handed the greatest mission on earth.

At that very moment—

“...If you receive his blessing, you can use it?”

Manram, the master of the Brown Mage Tower, who had come to speak with the master of the Purple Mage Tower...

stood frozen by the door, murmuring the same words again and again in apparent shock.

####

A week later.

Still on the way to the Central Tower, Alon encountered an unexpected person.

“...Yuman?”

“Greetings, Brother. Or perhaps I should be calling you Your Majesty now?”

It was Saint Yuman.

He greeted him as though genuinely pleased to see him.

“There’s no need for that.”

“As expected.”

Yuman smiled and nodded, and Alon asked,

“But why are you here?”

“I’m on my way for the same reason you are, Brother.”

“Then—”

“Yes.”

Yuman’s gaze shifted to one side, and Alon followed it.

There, the violet something was glowing a little brighter than before.

“We received a letter as well and are on the move because of it.”

“I see.”

“Since it’s turned out this way, would you like to travel together?”

At Yuman’s suggestion, Alon nodded.

“That would be fine.”

“Then please wait just a moment. We’ll be ready right away.”

Behind Yuman, holy knights were just in the middle of taking down their campsite.

“But did Yutia not come with you?”

“No, Cardinal Yutia is with us as well, but... hm? She was definitely here just a moment ago...”

Muttering, “Where did she go...?” Yuman looked around this way and that.

But Yutia was nowhere to be seen.

“...Hm, she was definitely here just a little while ago. It seems she stepped away for a moment.”

“Stepped away...?”

“She does disappear for a little while from time to time.”

Just as Alon tilted his head,

“I’m here.”

Yutia’s voice came from behind the carriage.

Alon naturally turned that way to greet her.

“Sorry about that. Something came up that I had to take care of, so I’m a little late, Teacher.”

Yutia walked toward them with the same gentle smile as always.

However, Alon found himself unable to open his mouth easily.

Because—

“...Teacher?”

Yutia’s hairstyle had changed.

And not to anything ordinary, either, but into twin tails.

...Which, considering her age, did not suit her very well.

And then—

“Hk.”

As Penia got down from the carriage and saw it, she sucked in a breath, and in an instant, everyone’s eyes turned toward Yutia.

““......””

...And soon, silence descended in all directions.

Somehow, it was an incredibly heavy silence.