Chapter 128

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 128: Artificial Island, Ivemir (5)

Silence fell over the dining room.

Swallowing hard, Fran cautiously opened his mouth.

“This... looks like a journal written during the last Night of the Mages.”

“It does to me too,”

Veronica agreed.

“The part where it mentions the Red Tower elder experiencing the same event six times says as much.”

“Not to mention the part about someone dying supports that as well.”

“So, the journal might contain the exact reason why the Night of the Mages was abolished.”

The exact reason for the abolition of the Night of the Mages.

The imperial family stated it was because people died during it.

But the more I think about it, the less it makes sense.

That suspicion had solidified into certainty since arriving here.

The artificial island of Ivemir was too valuable a place to abandon just because a few people had died.

‘In other events where people die, countermeasures are usually devised to prevent future incidents. Canceling the event entirely is rare.’

In other words, there was an unspeakable secret the imperial family wanted to keep hidden on this island.

Oscar, his gaze somber, spoke.

“Let’s keep reading. That’s the only way to know for sure.”

Four pairs of eyes turned back to the book.

[March 28th, 10:20 AM]

Despite last night’s incident, the event continued as planned.

The chandelier where the horrific corpse had lain was cleaned up as if nothing had happened.

Everyone looked uneasy but kept their thoughts to themselves.

The imperial family and elders from each tower are collaborating on an investigation to catch the culprit.

I hope they’re caught soon.

[March 29th, 6:50 PM]

We had delicious steak for dinner tonight. The soup and salad that came with it were absolutely divine.

As expected from an event hosted by the imperial family, the food quality is outstanding.

But I heard a strange rumor in the dining hall.

They say the murdered mage was seen walking around alive...

Of course, it’s nonsense.

How could a dead person walk?

[March 30th, 2:44 AM]

I woke up to the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

Since I was awake, I decided to use the restroom. That’s when I saw... a ghost.

The mage who should’ve been murdered was walking the halls.

Wearing a grotesque grin that stretched to their earlobes.

Even now, my hands tremble as I write this. I’ll report it to the elders as soon as the sun rises.

[March 30th, 1:30 PM]

I couldn’t attend any events this morning.

Instead, I was dragged into a meeting with high-ranking members of each tower and imperial officials to recount what I’d seen in detail.

…That’s when I learned another mage in our dormitory died last night.

They didn’t tell me the name.

[March 30th, 11:21 PM]

It’s eerily quiet.

It feels as though a monster called Silence has descended upon the entire island.

Until the elders and imperial officials catch the culprit, all mages are forbidden from leaving their assigned dormitories.

With nothing else to do, I spent the entire day in the lab practicing magic.

I tested a mid-tier spell from the Red Tower, Sealing Spellbook, on this journal. Not sure if it worked.

It’s late, so I’ll head back to my room now.

Oh, a senior I’m friendly with just asked me to open the door and walk back together.

“......”

“......”

The journal ended there.

Fran blinked twice and frantically flipped through the remaining pages.

“What? Why does it end here?”

“They might have died,”

Oscar said, considering where the journal had been found.

“If the ‘senior they were friendly with’ was the Red Tower mage who was reported dead that night, that is.”

“...What? Are you serious?”

Fran visibly shuddered, clearly spooked.

Seeing this, Oscar gave him a disdainful look.

“Why are you scared? If a ghost appears, just kill it with magic.”

“T-that’s easier said than done. If it were that simple, no one would’ve died at the event.”

“Pathetic. Calling yourself a mage…”

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Oscar was interrupted by Killian.

“Hmm. If it’s a ghost, could it be a type of monster?”

“If it imitates a dead person, it could be something like a doppelgänger or mimic,”

Veronica replied in a flat tone.

Indeed, both monsters are known for mimicking others.

But…

Oscar shook his head.

“This is an event attended by hundreds of mages, including elders from each tower. There’s no way such a trivial monster could cause so much havoc without being dealt with.”

“...Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Damn it, then what is it?”

A creature capable of killing mid-tier mages while evading detection by so many…

Oscar couldn’t think of a plausible culprit.

Shaking his head, he made a suggestion.

“No idea. But since we know something’s off about this island, let’s start sharing rooms from tonight.”

“Whatever.”

“Great idea!”

“Absolutely not. Don’t even dream about it.”

The responses were mixed.

Killian didn’t care either way, Fran was all for it, and Veronica was vehemently opposed.

“Share a room? With you all?”

“Yeah. Got a problem with that?”

“Of course I do!”

Veronica raised her voice.

“I’m sensitive. I can’t sleep with someone next to me. And... I’m a woman, after all.”

“......”

“......”

“......”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Surprisingly, everyone’s reactions were identical.

Killian, raised in the forest tribes where gender distinctions weren’t emphasized, seemed indifferent.

Oscar, hardened by battlefield experience, didn’t see them as anything but comrades.

Fran... simply didn’t seem to see Veronica as a woman.

Seeing their expressions, Veronica’s gaze turned sharp.

“Why do I feel so offended right now?”

“Veronica, if you’re alone at night, you could be in danger.”

“There hasn’t been a problem in the past few days. Even if there’s some unknown monster, it’s over 200 years old. If it hasn’t died already, it should have by now.”

“Hmm…”

She had a point. Oscar decided to accept her reasoning.

"Alright. Then let’s make your room the one closest to ours, so we can respond immediately if anything happens. How’s that?"

"If it’s just that, I suppose…"

When Veronica agreed, they all moved to the 7th floor of the White Tower’s dormitory.

Since they didn’t have much luggage, the move was completed quickly.

"Veronica, you can use this room. We’ll take the one across the hall."

"Hmm. This is fine for a single person."

"And if anything happens, just scream or release your magic wildly or something."

"Nothing like that will happen, I’m telling you."

After exchanging a smirk with her, Oscar headed to the communications room.

[All areas up to the 8th floor have been cleaned. Day 5 activities concluded.]

The response came quickly.

[Report acknowledged. Report any unusual findings immediately.]

Though this was already the fifth day of their exchanges, the tone on the other end remained as rigid as it was on the first day.

Staring at the communication crystal for a moment, Oscar began to type quickly.

[I found a journal. It describes past events that took place here.]@@novelbin@@

The reply took some time.

After a long silence, the communication crystal displayed a message six minutes later.

[Report the details.]

[It contained accounts of a murder incident during the 7th Night of the Mages. The journal mentioned a being mimicking the appearance of the deceased mages.]

Another pause.

This time, the reply arrived a bit quicker—within three minutes.

[Does the entity currently exist on the artificial island?]

Oscar’s eyes narrowed.

[How would we know? It hasn’t been found so far. Monsters likely don’t live for 200 years, so it’s probably long dead. Let me ask you something. Is the real reason this artificial island has been sealed off for over 200 years solely because of that one monster?]

[Nineteen.]

The response was startlingly swift.

And strangely enough, the tone seemed different this time.

Oscar instinctively realized that someone else had taken over the communication crystal on the other side.

[Nineteen? What do you mean?]

[That’s the total number of mages and imperial family members who died during the 7th Night of the Mages.]

So many people had died?

Oscar’s eyes widened slightly in shock as new numbers appeared.

[Distrust among the towers on the island peaked, which was not what His Majesty desired. Ultimately, the event was forcibly canceled. Strictly speaking, the Night of the Mages wasn’t abolished after the 7th iteration—it was canceled during it.]

[So… in the end, they never caught the culprit.]

[Afterward, even the tower masters of each magic tower and high-ranking bishops of the Church visited the island to investigate, but no trace of monsters or ghosts could be found.]

It had escaped the scrutiny of both tower masters and bishops?

Then the reason the Night of the Mages was never held again was clear.

‘If they didn’t even know the cause, the tower masters must have refused to participate, fearing for their lives.’

At that time, it had been during the era of the Conquest Wars, when the towers were at their most powerful in history.

The Emperor, lacking justification, wouldn’t have even dreamed of hosting the 8th iteration.

[…Then why hasn’t this facility been used for over 200 years?]

The island of Ivemir wasn’t just suitable for the Night of the Mages—it had potential for various other uses.

If they wanted, they could’ve reopened it 100 or 150 years ago.

The crystal’s reply was concise.

[His Majesty decreed that the island should remain closed until the matter was resolved.]

[…Doesn’t that mean it shouldn’t have been reopened now, either?]

[Logically, it’s not impossible. As long as the issue is resolved before the 8th Night of the Mages begins, it’s fine.]

Bold and reckless.

Was there someone like this in the imperial family?

Oscar furrowed his brow as new numbers appeared on the crystal.

[I’ll be arriving there in two days anyway. We’ll discuss this face-to-face then.]

Two days?

That would be ten days before the Night of the Mages was scheduled to begin.

‘In other words, they’re confident they can resolve the problem within ten days.’

New numbers began to appear on the crystal.

[See you soon, Oscar Crucian.]

With that, the crystal’s light dimmed abruptly.

The other party had unilaterally ended the communication.

“…”

There’s a saying that day and night’s words all reach the imperial family.

It means the imperial family knows everything in this world.

‘But to know my name, which I’ve never once revealed through the communication crystal?’

Feeling uneasy, Oscar was heading back to his room when—

“Kyahhh!”

Veronica’s scream rang out from upstairs.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]