BXBX NOVEL Chapter 96: Fate (5)
Sigor was one of those central tower masters.
He was one of the best ice magic experts in the empire.
The world called him – Sigor of the North Wind.
He established the combat magic studies using ice magic, and was one of those who developed the empire’s combat magicians.
Sigor was enjoying his tea in his laboratory as usual.
“Hmm… The aroma is good.”
As Sigor sipped his steaming tea, someone opened the closed laboratory door roughly.
Bang!
The door that was opened forcefully hit the wall, making a dull collision sound.
Sigor frowned at the noise that shook his ears and looked at the unwelcome visitor who came to him.
What reflected in Sigor’s eyes was the appearance of an old sage who looked at him with an urgent face.
Elbon Claude.
The master of alchemy had visited Sigor’s office.
“Sigor! Where is your assistant?”
“I sent him out for an errand… Why do you ask so suddenly?”
“I have something to talk to you quietly! It’s good that no one is here!”
Elbon took out a staff from his waist and used magic toward the door he had opened.
Clang.
The laboratory door closed with a rough sound, just like when it opened.
Sigor shook his head as he watched his laboratory door being treated roughly.
He knew that the old man in front of him had a strange personality, but he felt like he was getting older by a year every time he faced him directly.
He sighed and put down his teacup and asked Elbon.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“I like your tea, but I don’t have time for that this time.”
“What is it that you came to see me so suddenly?”
Elbon was not someone who could be easily met for trivial matters.
If Elbon came to see him without an appointment, it meant that he had something very urgent.
Maybe he developed an amazing potion and wanted to show it to him first.
He thought so as he looked at Elbon while he was talking.
In the meantime, Elbon spoke to him with a dark face.
“Enia has been kidnapped.”
“Enia? No, who did such a thing…”
“I don’t know who kidnapped her. But they seem to have something to do with me.”
At the news that Enia had been kidnapped, Sigor finally understood Elbon’s attitude.
Enia was the only disciple that Elbon had taken care of.
She had talent in all kinds of magic, so Sigor also taught her combat magic studies.
She was a genius who could take over the next generation of sages if she had time.
And she was kidnapped by someone.
She either suffered an overwhelming surprise attack or a formidable expert entered the island.
There was no doubt about it.
“Enia is the one I taught combat magic. She wouldn’t be easy to deal with. Where was she when she was kidnapped?”
“I sent her to the market to buy some herbs. But she was kidnapped there.”
“…This is not a normal matter. How did you confirm that?”
“I received a letter from those who took her away.”
Thud.
Elbon took out a piece of paper from his pocket and threw it on the desk.
It was a long letter with a seal on it.
Sigor immediately reached for the letter.
And he picked up the unidentified letter and asked Elbon about it.
“Is this the letter they sent?”
“Yes. You’ll know when you read the content.”
“I’ll take a look.”
Sigor’s eyes scanned the kidnapper’s letter.
The content of the letter was a typical ransom demand.
They wanted to meet Elbon for personal reasons.
Except for the excessively rude requests and expressions, that is.
And the identity of the seal at the end was very shocking.
Enia Claude. It was a seal made by Elbon’s disciple herself with blood.
Elbon, who was a master of alchemy, would not have failed to verify the authenticity of the seal.
Sigor finished reading the letter and pointed to the seal on the paper and looked at Elbon.
“Is this really Enia’s blood?”
“Yes. I checked it myself.”
“If this content is true, then what they really want is you, Elbon.”
“That’s right. They must have kidnapped Enia to target me.”
Sigor fell into deep thought after hearing Elbon’s words.
He understood what Elbon wanted and why he came to see him.
But this matter was not a light one.
It would be better to find a solution through consultation with the upper tower if possible.
That would be the most rational way for Elbon’s own safety as well.
But he didn’t think Elbon would agree to that method.
That was the problem.
He sighed deeply and spoke to Elbon.
“I think it would be better to hold a meeting and discuss this matter as soon as possible.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Elbon. I’m sorry about Enia, but if we take some time and search the tower…”
“Sigor.”
Elbon looked at Sigor with a serious face.
Among the faces of Elbon that Sigor had seen so far, it was the most solemn and dangerous look.
Elbon, who faced Sigor, spoke to him in a dark voice.
“She is my only disciple who I poured everything into.”
“…I know that very well.”
“And they want me. If I sacrifice Enia and get over this, when will I have to hide in the tower?”
“…”
“It’s something that can’t be solved without moving myself. Either negotiate with them, or grab the root. In the end, it means that I need to meet them in person.”
It was as Sigor expected.
Elbon wanted to take charge of this matter himself.
Moreover, Elbon’s story was not entirely wrong.
To root out the cause of the situation, they needed to face the ones who kidnapped Enia directly.
It was a situation where he had a plausible reason to go along with his worry for his disciple.
That’s why it was highly likely that he couldn’t break Elbon’s stubbornness right now.
Sigor had to compromise with the reality in front of him.
As he was pondering, Elbon finally told him the purpose of his visit to the laboratory.
“That’s why I want you to help me.”
“Do you mean to escort you, sir?”
“I think it would be fine if I persuade one or two of them somehow. If possible, I’d like you to come with me after getting access to the tower’s defensive magic.”
Elbon was prepared for a clash with the enemies.
Sigh. Sigor sipped the tea he was holding again.
All he could get from the cold tea was a lukewarm temperature and an overly brewed scent.
Sigor finished the tea he was holding and nodded his head toward him.
He knew that if he didn’t agree, Elbon would eventually try to meet the other party alone.
Someone had to follow Elbon’s back.
“This is the only time I’ll join you in this reckless thing.”
“Don’t worry. When it’s over, I’ll give you a mountain of medicine that you like.”
“Receiving a mountain of medicine from you, sir. For a while, my assistants will be clinging to me for medicine.”
“That’s right. Who made the medicine?”
The conversation about this matter ended there.
After that, Elbon’s talk about giving him medicine as a reward continued.
The talk about medicine was not a bad thing, but Sigor’s heart was heavier than ever as he took on the job.
In the midst of the meaningless conversation, Elbon smiled emotionlessly.
The smile of the sage who lost his disciple was very cold.
***
A huge tower standing majestically in the center of the island.
In front of it, Eutenia and Evan were walking toward the entrance with their hoods pulled up.
Eutenia uttered a short exclamation as she faced the tower for the first time in her life.
She was born as a child of a knight who had a territory, but the place where Eutenia lived was nothing more than a small village in the countryside.
There was no situation where Eutenia, who lived in a rural village, could actually face such a huge tower.
The magnificent product of magic that she saw for the first time was very impressive to her.
“Is this the tower? It looks really high.”
“Is this your first time seeing the tower?”
“I learned magic by myself. So this is my first experience of facing a tower like this.”
Evan nodded his head as he heard Eutenia’s story.
It was just that she had never seen the tower before.
Eutenia finished her short admiration and hastened her steps toward the tower.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the crowded square.
Eutenia pushed through the crowd blocking her way and moved her steps to the front of the tower.
At the entrance of the tower, there were guards guarding it.
As Eutenia and Evan approached the entrance, the guards raised their spears at the same time.
“Stop. Only those who are related to the tower can enter.”
They were guards who were equipped with expensive magic tools at a glance.
It was natural for them to block suspicious people who came in wearing hoods.
Normally, they would have to show their identity cards or show their faces and pass through.
But Eutenia put her finger on the spearhead that blocked them.
And then she smiled at them and said,
“I came to see Elbon. He should have arranged to meet me at this time.”
“I heard about it in advance. I’m sorry for being rude.”
Did Elbon carry out his promise properly?
The two guards put down their spears without any doubt.
They thought there would be no problem if they had the guarantee of a sage.
The guards who opened their way let Eutenia and Evan enter the lobby of the tower.
Eutenia followed behind her and Evan quietly told her,
“It would be better to prepare some countermeasures soon.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been preparing from before.”
“Is that so? It would be better to be thorough if possible. We don’t want to disappoint him.”
“Of course.”
The conversation between the two stopped as they reached the elevator of the tower.
Elbon’s office was located on the seventh floor.
To get to Elbon’s office, they had to use the elevator.
As Eutenia and Evan got on the elevator, the staff who operated it looked at them.
And then he asked Eutenia where they wanted to go.
“Which floor do you want to go to?”
“I think the seventh floor would be fine.”
“The seventh floor. I see.”
The staff moved the lever and closed the elevator door after hearing Eutenia’s words.
Clang. Rumble.
The elevator door closed with a loud noise.
The staff used magic to move the elevator, and the elevator carrying people started to go up.
The elevator that transported people using magic was something that only existed in the tower.
It was natural for Eutenia’s eyes to sparkle with curiosity as she faced the elevator.
“The seventh floor.”
“Did we arrive already?”
“It’s a thing that the central tower’s magicians are proud of. It’s one of the fastest in the tower. You can get off here.”
It didn’t take long for the tower’s elevator to reach the seventh floor.
Eutenia got off at the seventh floor, amazed by the tower’s novelty.
The seventh floor was a place where magicians who studied alchemy gathered.
It was not difficult to find Elbon’s laboratory in such a place.
The laboratory of Elbon, who was called a sage, was the most conspicuous one on the seventh floor.
Evan pointed to the door of the laboratory with his bare hand that was not wearing a gauntlet.
“That’s where we should go.”
“It seems so.”
“He kept most of the demands we sent him. Do you think he followed everything to the end?”
“Usually, he would bring some guards to protect himself… but maybe he didn’t if he really cared about his disciple.”
The corridor on the seventh floor was relatively quiet compared to the lobby of the tower.
Eutenia and Evan walked past the quiet corridor and headed to Elbon’s laboratory.
Maybe it was because the owner of the laboratory had the title of a sage.
Elbon’s laboratory had a more splendid nameplate than anywhere else.
The door that had to be passed to enter the laboratory also had a luxurious appearance.
Eutenia’s hand was covered with magic as she reached the door of the laboratory.
Eutenia grabbed the door handle with her hand covered with magic and said,
“There’s no magical measure.”
“Is there any other problem?”
“Except that there are two magicians inside.”
Eutenia, who had sensed the situation in the laboratory with her aura, opened the door.
Creak.
The hinges squeaked and revealed the inside of the laboratory.
The laboratory of Elbon, the sage of gold and steel, was a very splendid and spacious place.
There was no one else in the large laboratory where equipment was scattered except for two magicians.
Only four people were there, including Eutenia and Evan who had just entered.
“…”
Eutenia’s eyes scanned the magicians in the laboratory.
One was an old sage.
And one was a relatively young magician with a cold face.
There was one more person than Eutenia and Evan had expected.
As Evan closed the door behind him, Elbon’s old eyes turned to Eutenia.
“Are you the ones who sent me the letter?”
There was a deep hatred in his eyes that looked at her.
Elbon’s fist on his knee was trembling with blood as he shook it.
It was natural for him to be angry.
Eutenia had forcibly taken away Elbon’s precious disciple.
But the one who had the upper hand in this situation was Eutenia.
Eutenia felt the cold touch of the brooch she held in her hand.
The brooch she held in her hand was what Enia had attached to her robe.
“It seems that the letter wasn’t delivered properly.”
A faint smile appeared on Eutenia’s lips.
A thin finger covered Eutenia’s lips.
Shh.
Eutenia closed one eye and asked them to be quiet quietly.
At the same time, she repeated what she had written in the letter to Elbon in her own voice.
“I told you not to tell anyone.”
“This guy is just…”
“It seems that your disciple wasn’t that important to you.”
Thump. Rattle.
The brooch that Eutenia held in her hand fell in front of Elbon.
Elbon, who was about to make an excuse to her, shut his mouth.