Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 274

#274. The Tower and the School (1)

The buildings visible outside the bus window resembled those of an ancient era that I had once seen at a ruin site in the wilderness.

It felt tall, geometric, efficient and sophisticated.

“… … .”

The moment when you can clearly recognize that you have entered another world.

Ray, who was behind the wheel, slowly drove the bus and asked while paying attention to the scenery flowing behind him.

“Are you currently in sector 25?”

“Yes, for the time being. However, the sectors are not separated by wilderness like outside the walls.”

"then?"

“You can think of it as a sector divided within a large space formed along the Elton River. Of course, there is some distance between this place and Sector 1, which is located the furthest upstream.”

In other words, the sector here was a name referring to several districts within a large city.

'If 25 sectors are combined.'

It must be huge.

Ray, who was briefly estimating the size of the city, turned his gaze towards the people passing by on the street.

The clothing style, which was subtly different from the outside, caught the eye, but there was something else that was noteworthy.

'ring.'

As Gerard said, there was a ring in everyone's heart.

Most are in circles 2 and 3.

The 4th circle also looked quite interesting.

“It’s amazing. Even very young children all have rings.”

“… … ?”

Gerard tilted his head.

Because I couldn't tell what Ray was seeing and talking about.

But I tried my best to answer.

“It’s not hard to build a ring. It’s just a matter of a certain level of wizards pouring mana into it to set the path for the ring to form, and set the frame. We usually call it clearing the way, and parents usually do that.”

Circles 3 and 4 are for the ordinary and gifted.

The 5th circle is said to be the realm of genius.

“What about the 6th circle?”

“… I have never seen or heard of it, so I can’t estimate it. There are records of a 6th Circle magician existing at some point in history, but I can’t confirm whether it is true.”

Ray nodded slightly.

Anyway, I thought I knew.

This is about the principle by which the sense of being chosen by the locals towards the outside world was expressed.

If the existence of magic is so natural and commonplace in a society.

In their eyes, the outside world might have seemed like an underdeveloped society where magic was extremely slow to develop.

“Ah! Over there! The tower you see over there is the magic tower of our school, the Listoa School.”

Ray looked up, following Gerard's fingers.

A tower rose between the buildings, showing off its majestic presence.

No, it wasn't one.

Even in the close distance right in front of you.

Even at the end of an unfathomable distant vision.

From all directions, front, back, left, and right.

At first glance, there seemed to be dozens of towers, each towering at different heights.

“There are so many.”

“The tower in front of you is the magic tower of the Playa School, and the tower on the left is the magic tower of the Icicle School. The towers that you can see from your current location are not all of them. There are approximately 200 known schools inside the walls.”

It was said that all schools, whether strong or weak, operated a magic tower.

“Being weak and establishing pride as a school are two separate issues.”

“… … .”

It seemed that the strong pride of wizards was a common trait, regardless of whether they were inside or outside the walls.

Ray, who had been staring at the towers for a moment, asked.

“Have you ever heard of the Southern Light Dawn Society and the group called Murkred?”

“Um… no. I’ve never heard of either of them. Are they groups based inside the walls?”

“With a high probability.”

“Then it seems that they are probably groups operating in the shadows. There are countless groups here other than the officially registered schools. I can investigate for you if you wish.”

Ray nodded.

I was thinking of doing a search myself.

Take full revenge by killing Indiago.

Because the goal of finding a rainbow and making a wish come true has not changed.

Squeak, clank, pusheeeeee──

Ray got off the bus and looked up at the tower of the Listoa School.

The cylindrical, gray-white tower, full of windows, was much shorter than the other towers and had signs of fading here and there.

Gerard said awkwardly.

“Haha, to be honest, it’s not worth seeing. The number of floors is limited depending on the prestige of the school. In the past, our school’s tower top was quite high, but I heard that as its prestige declined, the number of floors decreased.”

From Ray's perspective, it was a story that didn't really matter.

As Gerard placed his palm on the door panel, mana flowed out and surrounded his hand.

[Pattern recognition complete.]

[Vice President Gerard.]

[Identity confirmed.]

Wheein───

I went inside through the opaque glass doors that opened on both sides.

The rooms were connected along the round walls, and in the center, which was a straight line without any floor divisions, there were disc-shaped structures that went up and down like an elevator along the pillars.

People who discovered Gerard came from all over.

“Gerard? Are you back from your expedition already?”

“I’m so glad you came back safely!”

“But the kid next to me…?”

People who had been pouring out joy and happiness looked at Ray with questions and caution.

Gerard took a moment to catch his breath and spoke in the most resolute tone possible.

“He is someone we brought from outside. It would be a long story to explain, but what is certain is that he is someone who can bring salvation to our city.”

“Huh? What did you just say…?”

“Are you saying that you are a child outside the wall?”

“What is that…?”

Confusion and disbelief.

Disgust and contempt.

Ray could see the dark emotions swirling around him.

People flocked to every path they took, showing the same reactions and emotions.

A few minutes later, Gerard, who had barely guided Ray to his room, spoke at a loss.

“I’m really sorry. I have nothing to say. It’s probably feelings that have been deeply rooted over time. A sense of superiority, or a sense of being chosen, or something like that… Everyone I’ve met along the way has been an opponent, but I never thought you would express your displeasure so openly.”

“I don’t care. What about the opposition?”

Gerard nodded.

“Yes. The initial ideology of the Ristois school was to break down the walls that divide the inside and the outside and build a world where everyone can live well. That’s why they focused on healing the sick and restoring the environment. However, as time went by, some people began to become skeptical about breaking down the walls.”

We support healing the sick and restoring the environment, but helping hands do not need to extend beyond the walls.

That's what the current opposition is talking about.

“… Anyway, I appreciate your understanding of the rude language of the school members. I will report to the head of the department and come back, so could you please wait a moment? It would be best if you did not go out until I return, as unnecessary conflicts may arise.”

Ray nodded, indicating that he understood.

and.

Squeak─ bang.

Gerard left the room, cast a stealth spell in exactly three seconds, opened the door, and went outside.

After seeing Gerard disappearing into the distance, I searched all over the tower.

Wheeing──

I went up and down the disc, observed people's emotions, and looked at what facilities there were.

As I was passing by, drawing mustaches on the portraits of past office managers hanging on the wall, I came across a room.

[Vice President Gerard]

[Laboratory – No entry for non-authorized personnel]

It meant to tell you to hurry and come in because there was something fun inside.

Ray recalled the pattern of mana flowing through Gerard's hands.

I raised my mana.

Woof─!

The imitation happened in an instant.

I brought the finished product to the panel.

─Beep.

[Pattern recognition complete.]

[Vice President Gerard.]

[Identity confirmed.]

After making sure there was no one around, I went inside stealthily.

“This is a real laboratory.”

Many long tables were filled with all kinds of experimental equipment and files.

Chorrrrrp─

All the materials stuck in the file were research and analysis papers on black clouds and black rain.

Although the complex symbols and graphs were a mental assault, I had no major problems interpreting them since they were familiar to me as research materials from a practicing saint.

After quickly scanning the data, Ray was able to come to a conclusion.

'Gerard, you're getting close to the answer.'

Although he couldn't establish a precise causal connection, Gerard was convinced that the black clouds were caused by excessive use of magic.

That was correct.

Ray looked out the window.

Black smoke was rising like soot from all over the landscape.

On the towering towers that flaunt their power.

From magical devices installed everywhere.

From the hands of pedestrians walking down the street.

It was because too many different types of mana were mixed and used.

Mana that has lost its original light has the property of becoming darker in color as it is mixed.

Black smoke rose into the air like a mist, gathering in the sky and forming black clouds.

'Those clouds will flow and reach the sectors outside the wall.

Currently, the artificial sun is dissipating the dark clouds that have drifted in.

But in the end, it was of no use unless the root of the problem was addressed.

The light's sphere of influence is not that wide, at least for now, and Veronica could never breathe light into an artificial sun for the rest of her life.

… how should we solve this?

The most intuitive way was to stop producing black smoke.

And the places that are currently emitting the most smoke are the towers.

All sorts of magical experiments would be taking place inside.

'If the magic towers could just limit the intensity of their experiments, the amount of black smoke would be greatly reduced.'

But there was no way they would listen to my request.

Because developing powerful magic through experimentation would be directly related to their prestige.

Ultimately, the problem was difficult to solve without the intervention of a strong force.

'power….'

First of all, subduing all the magic towers by force would be highly inefficient, even if it was not feasible.

Then the door opened with a bang.

The one who appeared was Gerard.

"uh…."

“… … .”

“What are you doing here… No, but how did you get in here?”

“The door was open, and the cat followed me in.”

“Yes? You mean Nancy? She’s not here… I wouldn’t have forgotten to lock the door… Please go up first. The manager and the executives are waiting.”

Gerard came out and locked the door, tilting his head repeatedly.

And he guided Ray to the top floor of the tower by riding the disc.

Ray asked, looking at the multi-layered scenery passing before his eyes in an instant.

“How are conflicts between the magic towers regulated or rules within the city determined?”

“Rules… don’t really exist. That’s because the words of the powerful Magic Tower are the rules.”

A society where magic is power.

In other words, the hierarchy within the city was determined by the number of floors of the tower.

“When the highest-ranking tower of the highest floor issues an edict, all other towers must follow it. It is that absolute. The same goes for disputes between individuals. From the time a city resident becomes an adult, they belong to a particular school, and the authority of that school becomes the authority of the individual…”

Gerard's words fell on deaf ears.

This was because I had come up with a way to stop all the magic tower experiments in a short period of time without fighting, and I was absorbed in it.

'There was an easy way.'

That was to found a new school and build the tallest tower in the city.