Chapter 394
The Side Story of Iceline.
Six months after the coronation ceremony…
“Mmm…”
Iceline, the newest member of the Seven Mages, the Ice seat, was heading to a certain place with one goal: she had to revive the old Rebrecca Family in the new Avalon Empire. However, she couldn’t leave right away due to the Magic Tower’s old rule. The only way to be no longer part of the Magic Tower was to relinquish everything that the mage had received from the Magic Tower, including knowledge—but that was really unfair for Iceline as she had joined the Magic Tower when she was already a Class 6 mage.
Of course, she had a way to avoid the relinquishment, which was to make an achievement of undeniable importance. Right now, Iceline was about to accomplish such an achievement.
It was truly a bizarre sight. Aqua, the only primordial stone that was yet unknown to the world, was in the center of a frozen ocean.
“This is Aqua, the primordial stone…?” Iceline blankly murmured, captivated.
The primordial stone wasn’t even underwater. It was just floating in the air above the boundless ocean.
Iceline had heard about Aqua’s whereabouts by coincidence. A fisherman living by the vast ocean located on the southern outskirts of the Truke Kingdom witnessed the bizarre sight after going fishing further in than he usually did. When the report had come to the Magic Tower, Iceline had happened to be the only member of the Seven Mages that was always present in the Magic Tower, so she had come here immediately. However, even if the other Seven Mages had been present, they wouldn’t have come this far; dozens of reports like this came into the Magic Tower every day, after all.
Iceline stroked Aqua and beamed beautifully. “I got it!”
She was so happy that her arms shot up into the air.
* * *
Nevertheless, life wasn’t easy. She had returned to the Magic Tower after a month, but she was feeling very unpleasant.
“Where is the Tower Master?” Iceline asked.
“He went off on a journey again. As you already know, he really is like the wind.”
“His damned wind-like personality!” Iceline huffed.
No matter how great an achievement she made, she needed permission from the Tower Master since she was about to leave—but that very Master of the Magic Tower was gone now.
“On a side note, I’m his substitute. You know that, right?”
“Urghhh…” Iceline groaned.
On top of that, Marcus, the Earth, was substituting for the Tower Master—and he was famously inflexible. She needed to ask for an exception, but he was the last one who would make an exception. Things couldn’t get any worse.
“By the way, Miss Iceline.” A man appeared and interrupted the conversation. “If my information is correct, you found the last primordial stone?”
His name was Parma trun Ganjaebi, the new Lightning. He had been the royal chief mage of the Terra Kingdom, but he had joined the Magic Tower as soon as the kingdom had fallen.
“If it’s okay, why don’t you show us it?” Parma asked.
“Am I misunderstanding something here? I thought a mage is allowed to own an item they acquired in private.”
“Huh, how can that be the item you found in private? You located it based on a report that the Magic Tower received.”
“Another law of the Magic Tower states that an item that a mage found belongs to that mage if they pay the right fees for the information they received.”
The new Lightning flinched when Iceline mentioned another of the Magic Tower’s laws since he had joined the Magic Tower recently.
“…Hmph. It won’t do you any good to act that cold,” Parma grumbled.
“It’s the truth.”
“Isn’t your goal to leave the Magic Tower to revive your family?” Parma asked.
“Why are you mentioning that right now?” Iceline frowned slightly.
“I looked into the Magic Tower’s laws, which you mentioned, in detail. You would already know that even with the Master of the Magic Tower’s permission, you need the consent of at least three of the Seven Mages to leave the Magic Tower without relinquishing everything, right? But… would they do that for you right now, Miss Iceline? They already do not look at you in a good light because you’re trying to leave the Magic Tower out of greed,” Parma sneered.
“…Ugh.” Iceline’s frown deepened.
Although she had been determined to make an achievement, she became greedy after she saw Aqua, the primordial stone, because Joshua currently possessed the other four primordial stones. If he also got Aqua…
“…He’ll like it, right?” Iceline muttered to herself.
Parma wasn’t sure what she was imagining, but she was now lost in her own little world. Parma misunderstood why her face turned red.
“Don’t be angry,” Parma said, the corner of his mouth rising. “You’ll need to give that up in order to leave the Magic Tower, right? My terms are simple: lend me the stone just for a week, then you have my vote for you leaving the Tower.”
Iceline frowned. ‘He’s gotta be kidding me. There is no telling what he’ll do with the primordial stone for a week.’
“Don’t cut in line, Parma. I won’t allow it.”
Someone she hadn’t expected showed up and saved her. Two men opened the door to the highest floor of the Magic Tower and entered. One man was the owner of this room, but the other man shouldn’t have been there.
“Jo-Joshua?” Iceline’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
The reactions of Earth and Lightning were not that different from hers.
“Wh-why is the Emperor of Avalon here…?” Parma muttered in disbelief.
“He’s my guest.”
Thetapirion Whitesox, the Master of the Magic Tower, was the leader of all mages and the only human Class 8 mage. His words finally silenced Parma. By now, everyone in the continent knew that the current Master of the Magic Tower and the Emperor of Avalon were close friends.
“The primordial stones began howling, so I came right away,” Joshua stated.
Theta raised his hand. “I happened to be with him at the time.”
The veins on Marcus’s forehead bulged slightly. “When in the world did you get to Avalon?”
“Hehe, go easy on me, Uncle Earth. I really can’t be the type who quietly sits beside a desk.” Theta giggled mischievously.
“Are you aware of your position?” Marcus bemoaned, massaging his aching temples.
“Well, you’re substituting for my role perfectly, Uncle Earth. Won’t the other mages now think that the real Master of the Magic Tower is Marcus, the Earth…?”
Theta trailed off when he noticed Marcus huffing and puffing in fury.
Marcus gave up on talking any further and turned to Theta’s guest with a sigh. “…Phew. By the way… is everything okay for you, Joshua Sanders?”
“What do you mean?” Joshua asked.
“You and the Tower Master are the same. You must be the only emperor who travels freely around the continent. What are you going to do if someone plans—”
“Don’t bother,” Joshua bluntly replied. “Who in this continent would dare to challenge me?”
* * *
The Master of the Magic Tower summoned an emergency meeting of the Seven Mages, gathering its members in one room for the first time in a long time.
“Then let’s begin the discussion of Iceline zin Rebrecca, the Ice, leaving the Magic Tower, shall we?” Theta immediately began.
Parma had been preparing for this moment and immediately sprang up from his seat. “She can’t leave the Magic Tower without going through the relinquishment! Once we make an exception, it’s not even an exception anymore. Are you just going to say goodbye if a similar case occurs again?”
Parma’s face reddened in fury.
“It’s wrong!” he shouted. “What would the other mages think of the Magic Tower? Won’t the other mages think of the Magic Tower as a pushover? They’ll think they can suck the Tower dry and then just leave!”
“Come on, we’re talking about the?Iceline zin Rebrecca…” Theta protested.
“I’m talking about the rules here!”
Theta quietly smacked his lips and took a look around. All the members of the Seven Mages had changed, so it was his first time meeting all of them like this. Of course, all of them had started as ordinary members of the Magic Tower and had been working for the Tower for a very long time.
Theta quickly got to the point. “Who else consents to Iceline leaving the Tower? I’m in since I don’t really see a reason to make this a big problem.”
Despite the fact Theta raised his hand first, no one responded. But after a moment of silence…
“…I also consent.”
“Oh, Marcus.”
Two members of the Seven Mages now consented, but it wasn’t enough yet. However, no one else gave their consent.
“Mmm… so everyone is on the same page?” Theta tilted his head.
“Well, who knows? If she donates the primordial stone to the Magic Tower… she might have more consent for her contribution.”
Parma’s remark brought an undisguised look of greed to the eyes of some of the Seven Mages; the primordial stone was indeed tremendous.
“Gosh, your greed…” Theta clicked his tongue discontentedly for a very long time. He turned to look at Iceline. “What shall we do? I have no other methods in this case.”
Without answering, Iceline turned her head to Joshua, who was watching the meeting with the permission of the Master of the Magic Tower.
‘…I really wanted to give this to him as a present…’ Iceline sighed quietly and gave up.
Her priority right now was reviving her family, not gaining Joshua’s affection.
“Then the primordial stone…” Iceline began.
“There is a way, actually,” Joshua’s low, sonorous voice interrupted.
Iceline quickly stopped talking as Joshua walked toward the round table and grinned.
“A way to leave the Magic Tower without giving up the primordial stone.”
“…What…?”
“Don’t you remember that a precedent already exists?” Joshua said. All of the Seven Mages gave him a wide-eyed look.
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