Ch.261Chapter 261 – It’s Darkest Under the Lamp

The Top Floor of the Arkenium Magic Tower.

This was a place that only those with the proper “qualifications” could enter.

The qualification required to enter this place at the very top of the magic tower was “having been affiliated with the magic tower for over 20 years and having achieved the realm of 6th Circle or higher.”

Even within the magic tower, known for gathering those obsessed with magic, only 15 people met these qualifications.

That’s how incredibly difficult it was to cross the barrier of the 6th Circle.

Therefore, the seven magicians seated around the round table could be considered the actual leaders guiding this magic tower.

Within the tower, they were known as the Mages of the Round Table, and the one sitting at the center was Zern Meyer, a 6th Circle magician who served as the chairman for this session.

He was considered the person closest to reaching the 7th Circle among all the magicians gathered here.

“The reason I called this sudden meeting is because of this.”

The object Zern pulled from his breast pocket and placed on the round table was a letter.

Some wondered why he suddenly produced a letter, but with Zern’s subsequent explanation, everyone couldn’t help but nod in understanding.

“This letter was sent by someone we all know well. None other than Marquis Pathos Severio.”

“Marquis Severio?”

When Zern revealed that the letter was from Pathos, people were puzzled but seemed to understand why he had brought it out.

However, there was always someone tactless enough to ask why he had brought the letter.

“Isn’t it a rule of the magic tower not to read letters from people who know nothing about magic?”

“I intended to do just that. However, while this letter was written by Marquis Severio, it was sent by Lady Regina herself.”

“Oh… is that truly the case?”

When Regina’s name left Zern’s lips, everyone couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

That’s how significant the name Regina was to the people of the magic tower.

Regina Blasteria.

Once known as Regina of the Crimson Flame, and one of the heroes who sealed the evil dragon Neberander.

However, due to certain circumstances, she had been in seclusion for a while, though recently she was said to have resumed her activities.

“I’ve heard that Lady Regina has resumed her activities, but what kind of relationship does she have with Marquis Severio that she would deliver a letter on his behalf?”

“It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know, being cooped up in the tower doing research. Currently, Lady Regina is engaged to Marquis Severio.”

After hearing Zern’s explanation about Regina’s current situation, all the Round Table magicians nodded in unison.

“Lady Regina is the only human to have reached the realm of the 8th Circle, a truly great magician. If he is to be her family… wouldn’t it be appropriate to recognize him as an honorary member?”

One of the Round Table magicians offered his opinion.

“I don’t see any harm in it. Hasn’t Marquis Severio accomplished many things that would be impossible through magic? So when we need his help, we should actively request it…”

“Enough! Enough! Why is everyone being so noisy?”

When Zern slammed the round table as he spoke, the noise instantly disappeared, and silence fell around the table.

“Ahem, ahem. Now I finally have time to speak.”

Only after confirming that the surrounding magicians were silent did Zern continue his story.

“Even if someone is to become Lady Regina’s family, you all know there are limits to what our magic tower can allow. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“This time, Marquis Severio has made a proposal to us through his letter.”

“A proposal… you say?”

The Round Table magicians began to show interest when they heard that Pathos had made a proposal to the magic tower.

Zern was slightly hurt that they showed no interest in what he had brought up about the magic tower, but were interested in what Pathos had proposed through his letter.

“Yes. Marquis Severio has offered to help restore the magic tower with his abilities to resolve the recent tower trembling incident.”

“Oh, isn’t that a good thing?”

“The budget for repairing the damaged parts of the tower from this accident is one thing, but we also need a lot of materials. So if Marquis Severio helps us…”

“Enough! Enough! I have already politely declined what Marquis Severio requested through his letter.”

“What? What do you mean?”

The Round Table magicians expressed their confusion at Zern’s words.

What? He rejected Marquis Severio’s offer? Why?

They were curious about why Zern had declined Pathos’s help.

“With Marquis Severio’s abilities, couldn’t he restore the functions of the magic tower damaged in the accident during the improvement process of the Explosion magic?”

“If we can repair the building without spending a lot of money, that’s already a profitable deal!”

Contrary to Zern’s thoughts, the Round Table magicians were showing very positive reactions to Pathos helping them.

But Zern thought differently.

“What are you saying! Even if he is to become Lady Regina’s family, he has no right to say anything about the operation of the magic tower!”

“Is it because he’s not a 6th Circle magician and hasn’t served in the magic tower for more than 20 years?”

“Precisely. The operation of the magic tower can only be decided by us, the Mages of the Round Table. And when we entered the magic tower, didn’t we resolve in the tower’s articles that we would handle matters within the tower with our own hands, without outside help?”

The other Round Table magicians couldn’t say anything in response to Zern’s words.

There was nothing wrong with what he said.

It was written in the magic tower’s articles that the operation of the tower is carried out solely through the coordination of opinions among the Round Table magicians.

This was something all magicians entering the tower had to swear upon their mana.

But no one opposed this clause in the magic tower’s articles.

This was because the position of a Round Table magician, despite its grand name, was actually a position where it was extremely difficult to focus on personal training due to handling the tower’s affairs.

Simply put, the magic tower was a place where those who aspired to the ultimate in the discipline of magic gathered.

How many tasks would pour in daily to manage all the affairs that occur in such a place?

The Round Table magicians were the ones handling this enormous amount of work among just seven people.

They were the ones who spent most of their time resolving the tower’s issues, even reducing their own training time.

That’s why people within the tower respected the Round Table magicians.

What greater welfare could there be than having someone take care of the difficult, challenging, and annoying tasks they would otherwise have to do?

Although they might seem a bit old-fashioned due to their age, even that was attributed to their workload, so everyone tended to overlook it.

“Since the tower’s articles are sworn upon mana, if we bring in outside help to resolve tower issues, we would be violating the articles. If that happens… everything we’ve built up until now would collapse.”

With Zern’s words, the magicians could clearly understand why he couldn’t ask Pathos for help.

Busy dealing with the daily influx of work, they had completely forgotten about the articles they had agreed to when entering the magic tower.

“So… we cannot expect help from Marquis Severio?”

“Regrettably, that’s correct. We cannot seek his help. Even if we change the tower’s articles… the new content would only apply to matters after the change, so we cannot receive help for issues that occurred before.”

The Round Table magicians were troubled by this significant problem before them.

Just when it seemed like one issue might be resolved, they found themselves unable to solve an easily solvable problem because of a bigger issue.

At that moment, one of the Round Table magicians seemed to have an idea and looked at everyone as he spoke.

“Then, wouldn’t it work if we accept Marquis Severio as an honorary member?”

“What?”

“As I mentioned earlier, if Marquis Severio is to marry Lady Regina, wouldn’t he naturally qualify as an honorary member? Then he would naturally become a member of our magic tower… couldn’t we receive his help then?”

“Is that… how it works?”

Zern felt foolish for not having thought of this solution himself.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

Now that a solution had emerged, it would be more foolish to remain idle.

“Send a letter immediately. We will recognize Marquis Severio as an honorary member of our magic tower.”