The black magic zone’s towering spire, the conference hall.
“…!”
Everyone was still in shock.
They stared wide-eyed at the staircase that stretched down from the air and the giant teddy bear frozen like a star in the void. It felt like a realm beyond their comprehension.
A form of artistry that even radiated beauty.
Soon, all eyes turned to the Imperial Tower’s inspector.
Despite thousands of eyes on him, the inspector did not shy away at all. He simply chewed the sunweed calmly in his mouth.
The Imperial Magic Tower attended the exchange meeting?
Is that the inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower?
An inspector at such a level?
What on earth is happening?
Although many questions filled the heads of the mages…
“The mages, confirm the crimes of the Black Tower.”
With the inspector’s one statement, many questions were temporarily suppressed. Yes, what’s important now is the crimes of the Black Tower.
At the same time, Agnes unleashed her telekinesis.
Whoosh─! Whoosh─!
In the audience seats, representatives’ feet… Large amounts of scrolls were scattered all over the conference hall, and nearby mages naturally began to take in the contents.
“What?”
“Ugh…!”
And soon, everyone gasped and shouted.
“This is insane…!”
Even one alone was severe, but there were endless crimes of similar severity.
“Black Tower Master─!”
The first to shout was the Red Tower Master. His wide-open eyes were very characteristic of his passion.
“To dare delve into forbidden corpse research banned by the Empire, how could you do such a thing! Have you forsaken the way of the Magic Tower?”
Meanwhile, Teddy Divine wore a cold expression. She clicked her tongue and replied.
“The Red Tower never changes~ It’s so annoying.”
“The Black Tower has always complained about being oppressed by the Imperial Tower, right? But to think you were dabbling in the forbidden behind the scenes! How dare you!”
“Forbidden?”
Teddy Divine scoffed.
“The Red Tower Master’s words are quite fallacious. What is it that the Black Tower should do? It’s to research black magic as deeply as possible. Why is it a problem to handle some corpses?”
“This…!”
The Red Tower Master turned red, as if about to explode.
“You summoned thugs to create those corpses and killed innocent people, didn’t you! Don’t cover the sky with your palm! I thought the Black Tower was a Magic Tower that upheld justice!”
“We also really like the term ‘justice’~”
Teddy Divine smiled nonchalantly.
“Such a small justice, I’ll make sure to uphold it once the Black Tower stands tall. If we move forward only for that goal, isn’t that also a major principle? Right?”
“Can you excuse the innocent lives that turned into experiments for the Black Tower?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Those once ordinary lives were used for the Black Tower~ I think it’s even a little deserved to be considered family honor, don’t you think?”
“Are you out of your mind! Divine punishment will surely come!”
Teddy shrugged.
“I thought the Black Tower would be praised for working this hard~ but the reaction seems strange? Other Magic Towers must lack the ambition to stand tall?”
“No greed exists to grow stronger at the expense of innocent lives. We only burn ourselves!”
The Red Tower Master ground his teeth.
“Black Magic Tower, you are no longer a group of mages! You are a den of wretched demons and criminals!”
“Ah~ really, it’s been annoying from the start….”
Teddy started to dig in her ears.
“Other Magic Towers are adored no matter what they do~ Even just focusing on magical research earns them praise and support… But what about us? We are guilty just for breathing!”
Teddy let out a hollow laugh, as if in disbelief.
“Just because we have demons mixed in, we are discriminated against, and just for conducting magical research, we are suspected? How much suffering have we endured?”
“That’s sheer sophistry! Do you still not understand your own karma! You’re being suspected and discriminated against every time because you commit such acts! Today, I shall ensure your punishment!”
“Which side will face punishment….”
Teddy’s eyes gradually turned black.
“… That’ll be decided by me? You arrogant old man.”
Thud─ Thud─
Suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat resounded loudly through the space.
Thud─ Thud─
The ground and walls trembled, an unmistakable sound that couldn’t have come from a mage’s body. The mages finally realized the source.
“Black Tower Master…! You’ve finally revealed your true self…!”
“Yes~ This Black Tower is a massive corpse, after all?”
Teddy laughed with a chuckle.
“Why, did you think we were completely unprepared?”
Her small laughter turned into maniacal laughter.
“The corpse explosion research was completed long ago, and we filled the walls with more corpses than you could count. Just imagine how many corpses would be created if they all blew up!”
The Red Tower Master felt a chill.
Malice.
What Teddy currently held was purely malice.
“… Black Tower Master, what on earth are you doing this for?”
“Isn’t it obvious~? What better material is there than the corpses of mages? The more die here today, the better it is for the Black Tower!”
The representatives of the various Magic Towers remained silent.
They were those who feared no battle. They were confident in their own strength and were willing to embrace any necessary fight.
However….
The Red Tower Master’s gaze turned towards the audience seats.
The mages were packed tightly.
The grateful people who had gathered to witness the advancement of the magical academia were being held hostage. That was the real issue.
‘If the entire spire explodes, the scale of damage will….’
Unmeasurable. No matter what assumptions they make, it would be the minimum worst case.
The Red Tower Master spat out.
“Black Tower Master, you have defiled this sacred exchange meeting.”
“No? No one could be as committed to the exchange meeting as me.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s an exchange meeting designed to weed out weak magic and preserve only the strong. Hmm, so in simple terms….”
Teddy grinned with her black eyes.
“It’s a purification of the magic world? That’s what it is!”
The Tower Masters were left speechless.
‘What on earth do we do about such malice…?’
Each Magic Tower had spent the past ten years diligently.
But what the Black Tower had prepared was not advancement, but revenge. An ambition and greed to turn all Magic Towers into corpses and absorb them. That alone.
“Now, here’s the thing~”
Just then, Teddy raised a finger.
“I’ll present an opportunity to the Tower Masters. There’s a chance to save the mages in the audience!”
A chance to escape for the mages in the audience?
The representatives narrowed their eyes.
“While the Black Tower punishes that arrogant Imperial Tower, just stay quiet and watch. That’s all.”
“…!”
“Watch the power of the Black Tower as it stomps down on the Imperial Tower. They’ll end up licking my feet and begging to join forces!”
“….”
A shocking statement, a shocking proposal.
To put it simply, Teddy was planning to take away the position that the Imperial Tower had held during this exchange meeting. That very spot looking down at the other Magic Towers.
The other Magic Towers fell into thought.
The wrongs of the Black Tower were evident, but there were thousands of mages held hostage. Just then, as everyone was lost in thought and cautiously observing…
“That’s nonsense!”
The young elder of the Blue Tower stepped forward.
A woman with neatly braided white hair resting on her shoulders, the Ice Sorceress Seina.
“Allowing each request to be met will lead to endless demands. We can’t just stand by and watch.”
Teddy mocked her stance.
“Wow~ It’s the elder of the Blue Tower, and there are many Blue Tower mages in the audience too! Thanks to that judgment, many mages will survive today, don’t you think?”
“…Fear not death.”
Seina answered stoically.
“Elder Ice Ghost has decreed this. At least today, no Blue Mage will feel ashamed of their death.”
“Hmm~ So the Blue Tower ends up siding with the Imperial Tower?”
Seina bit her lower lip.
‘Who would have thought she would make such a proposal?’
It was an extremely petty method, but the problem was its extreme threat. Rationally speaking, Seina should have acted like the other Tower Masters.
Why? Even the Red Tower Master, who had been so enraged, was now silent. It was because, regardless of the situation, first and foremost, their mages were the most precious.
‘If the Black Tower gains the upper hand today, things won’t end well. If the Imperial Tower only compiles evidence, and the Blue Tower can help win….’
While Seina was busy connecting her thoughts.
“Black Tower Master, have you finished your dying words?”
A voice sharp as icicles cut through the air.
A voice filled with chill.
All eyes turned to the Black Tower Master.
Ezekiel.
The inspector of the Imperial Tower finally responded.
Beside him, the secretary, Agnes, suddenly recalled the understated words Ezekiel had hinted as he headed towards this place.
—Do not act hastily.
—Every Magic Tower must understand the necessity.
—Creating a supportive atmosphere for the Imperial Tower is the priority.
And now.
It had truly become just that.
All Tower Representatives were looking only at the Imperial Tower.
They were half curious about what attitude he would show, and half hoping for him to resolve the situation…. Agnes read the emotions etched on their faces.
At last, the moment had arrived for the inspector to step forward.
Had he rushed into execution, the place would have surely turned into chaos, as the mages, still unable to fully grasp the situation, would certainly create a chaotic scene.
However, Ezekiel was incredibly seasoned.
‘…The inspector must have known all this from the start?’
Agnes felt anew just how remarkable Ezekiel was.
Meanwhile, Teddy grinned.
“Does the inspector of the Imperial Tower seem overconfident?”
Ezekiel didn’t particularly respond to her remarks.
He simply sensed the chill he had let flow through his feet connected to the ground while standing still. He had just frozen all the corpses that had been inside the walls.
He had worked hard to subtly freeze only the insides of the corpses.
In other words, this spire would never explode.
He was finally ready to execute his judgment.
“You said the exchange meeting is a place where weak magic gets weeded out.”
“…?”
“You’re right.”
The ice spears began to rise around the man.
“Today.”
Finally, Ezekiel took a step forward.
“The Black Tower will be purged from the Empire’s magic world.”
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