Chapter 239

The pulling away of elites from the Mage Tower is an act of tyranny that shatters the balance within the mage society. I shall formally protest to the royal family.

– Flametower Master Fraymer and the other four Great Mage Tower Masters

“They ran away because they were being suppressed and pressured, and now they resort to this?”

Clayton chuckled quietly to himself as he read the official correspondence in his hand.

If he thought back to the reaction of the Master of the Radios Mage Tower when he declared his independence, this document was nothing more than an excuse.

“They’re planning to use this as a pretext, aren’t they?”

The temporarily subdued Mage Tower Masters were clearly intending to use this opportunity to shake off even a little of the royal interference.

Of course, things wouldn’t go as easily as they wished.

It was when Clayton was smiling lightly, thinking of the greedy sovereign of the nation.

Knock, knock.

“Master. As you’ve instructed, the mages you’ve called for have all gathered.”

The voice of Grick, coming from beyond the door, woke him from his thoughts.

“Alright. I’ll be out shortly.”

Now was the time to begin anew.

And…

‘The people gathered here must also be ready for a new start.’

A mischievous smile briefly crossed his lips.

– A single Mage Tower may be satisfactory, but I favor something beyond the towers…

The anticipation of how the mages would react to the thoughts of the nation’s sovereign was thrilling.

* * *

“Have all the mages assembled?”

“Yes. They’re in the banquet hall. The Master is currently entertaining them.”

“Good, let’s go.”

Logan entered the mansion, which was once the Duke Douglas’ residence and, at one time, his own. Now it served as a temporary dwelling for the mages, with strict guards at the entrance.

“Halt!”

“Your Majesty…”

“Rest. It’s okay.”

Pushing past the throngs of knights, Logan immediately headed towards the banquet hall.

– Your Majesty, the King, arrives!

Mages in robes of various colors split to either side and bowed as one.

“We greet Your Majesty.”

“We greet Your Majesty.”

Logan, with a gentle smile, slowly walked amongst them.

Groups of similarly robed individuals sticking together somewhat bothered him, but these issues could be dealt with progressively.

For now, he only needed to instill the importance he placed on this matter.

These individuals were the essential resources that would become the core of the ‘Magic Corps’.

“Your Majesty, why have you come personally? We were to meet you tomorrow…”

“No, it’s not like that. When it comes to meeting talents who will shape the future of the kingdom, it’s better to do so sooner rather than later.”

With that, Logan approached and patted Clayton on the shoulder who had hurried down to greet him, and then ascended to the seat of honor, surveying the quiet hall.

Meanwhile, the gathered mages looked up at him with eyes filled with intense curiosity and a faint unease.

Logan pointed to one of the elder mages whose eyes shone with fervor.

“The intense fire mana that can be felt from here, you must be Elder Max from the Fire Mage Tower, correct?”

“Ah! Please, Your Majesty, lower your words. They are too great for me to bear.”

At his call, Max promptly knelt down, but, contrary to his words, a slight smile touched his lips.

The knowledge that the king knew his name hinted at a bright future ahead of him.

“I heard you were a candidate for the Tower Master of the Fire Tower, unjustly mistreated. As the king of this nation, I couldn’t bear to overlook such a regrettable situation and have thus called for you.”

“Your grace is immeasurable.”

“And you there, are you not Elder Gerald of the Royal Mage Tower?”

“Your, Your Majesty!”

Logan then proceeded to soothe and call by name each 5th circle mage present.

Gerald and Rowin of the Royal Mage Tower, Justin of the Water Mage Tower, Ephis of the Wind Mage Tower, Lagon and Aemon from the Earth Mage Tower.

The overlooked mage tower elders knelt in awe, their talents now recognized.

“I plan to unite talents such as yourselves to build a new strength for our nation. Will you support my intentions?”

“We shall follow you! Your Majesty!”

“Of course! Your Majesty!”

“Thank you for believing in us!”

The atmosphere in the banquet hall grew heated with their enthusiastic responses.

“Now, now. Enjoy to your heart’s content today. And starting tomorrow, let’s commence a new beginning for the kingdom!”

“We shall serve with all our hearts!”

The mages glowed with hope as they anticipated taking the lead in the new Mage Tower, and the gathering concluded in a warm atmosphere full of dreams for a bright future.

* * *

“The eyes of the mages shone brightly.”

After the banquet, in a quiet moment alone with Logan, Clayton spoke up cautiously.

“That they did. And they shall receive deserved treatment in the days to come.”

“But Your Majesty, you haven’t mentioned the most crucial part of it all. Not a Mage Tower, but a Magic Corps.”

“What’s the difference?”

Logan replied with a grin, but Clayton felt the onset of a slight headache.

“… Does that mean I will have to be the one to say it?”

“That would seem so.”

Logan’s smiling face was insufferably smug. Unable to contain a grimace, Clayton hesitantly touched his forehead.

‘A clever man like him surely understands…’

– We are researchers, not combat weapons!

He could already picture the high-ranking mages throwing fits of rage.

It was clear that the burden of quelling their backlash would be dumped entirely onto him.

Clayton could not help but smile bitterly as he raised a topic that he knew would discomfort Logan.

“Your Majesty, you must now truly understand the pressure of the budget, right?”

“… Well, as you know. But why do you ask…?”

“The fact is, besides the mages we’ve invited, there’s been a significant number of inquiries about joining the ‘McClain Mage Tower’. Just by the numbers, it seems more than twice the amount of the invited individuals. I fear the allocated budget might fall short…”

At this, Logan’s eyes wavered, and Clayton felt a small but potent sense of pleasure.

“Twice?”

“Yes. If you’d accept them, the numbers could grow even further. It seems the corruption of the Mage Towers accumulated over the years is worse than we thought.”

Such a situation would swiftly realize the Magic Corps they envisioned.

However, could the royal household, already stretching its finances, afford to welcome twice the number of mages, who would be no less than white elephants?

‘It would be difficult.’

Even Clayton found the challenge daunting.

Nevertheless…

“What will happen if we don’t accept them?”

“The formation of our Magic Corps could be delayed by many folds. Maybe forever…”

Clayton let his voice trail off, but Logan immediately caught his implicit warning.

“… The kingdom would be thought to discriminate based on influence?”

“Yes. Mages tend to have larger egos than you’d think.”

“Sigh…”

With a sigh, Logan clasped his head in his hands.

Mage farming techniques, dam construction, military expansion.

Just considering the projects he had initiated, there were already plenty of expenses.

– Turning your back on them could even cause your own homeland, McClain’s citizens, to abandon you.

Dwain’s solemn warning suddenly came to mind, and Logan let out a long sigh as he looked up at the sky in contemplation.

Yet…

“Invite them all.”

“What?!”

“The stronger the means we have at our disposal, the sooner we can avoid potential future losses. Since we started this, we must run as swiftly as we can.”

With no room for argument, Clayton had no choice but to bite his tongue and nod.

* * *

Before many days had passed, over 200 mages from all five Great Mage Towers came to McClain’s residence, seeking to dedicate themselves to the cause.

Mostly they were mid-level mages of the 3rd to 4th circles, along with younger practitioners.

Clayton greeted them with mixed feelings.

Of course, the path ahead for these supportive mages was not strewn only with roses.

A week later, once gathered at the palace, the mages were hit with the realization that they would not be joining McClain Mage Tower but instead the McClain Magic Corps, sending them into an initial state of shock.

“Corps?”

“Are we talking about a combat unit?”

“Us?”

The mages murmured uneasily among themselves until their employer, the king himself, struck the final blow.

– You will be part of the McClain Magic Corps, not the Mage Tower.

– Of course, you will need to complete basic military training.

This shocking revelation left the mages aghast.

Not one mage present had left their Mage Tower without expressing some discontent.

Now, to walk out at this moment?

That would mean a guaranteed life as a wandering mercenary mage.

In the end, they had no choice but to begrudgingly participate in the training of the Magic Corps.

Even mages approaching sixty, with white beards, were no exception.

As they trudged through the training ground, they became the subject of gossip and the butt of jokes among those who had not joined the corps.

However, despair was short-lived, and as time passed, smiles of contentment began to grace the faces of the Magic Corps mages.

Through combat training, mages who had long been stuck in lower circles were starting to break through their limits.

Physical training, thought inappropriate for mana users, employed in combination with magical applications, opened up fields previously unexplored by mages of this era. It sparked a growth that allowed them to grow and evolve.

“Did you foresee this happening?”

“Did you not say it yourself, dear Clayton? By focusing intensely on your studies and dedicating all your strength to it, both you and your students have grown.”

“Well, yes, but…”

While Logan credited Clayton, he had some inkling of the potential results.

‘The Magic Corps. The efficiency has been proven by the Empire.’

This military arm, created by the Empire to utilize the unique abilities of mages in combat, showed an odd trend: as the mages went through more and more battles and training, they rapidly advanced their skills, and after a decade of war, mages began to vie for positions in magic corps units.

However, Logan was not aware of the exact reasons or principles behind this.

It was merely an attempt to bolster the nation’s deficient military might.

Now that it was yielding results beyond expectations, his joy was even greater.

But there were side effects.

“Your Majesty. Now do you see how terrifying a budget can be?”

Dwain, with his sunken eyes, laughed ominously.

And seeing his fearsome retainer in such a state, Logan could only respond with a wry smile.

Before him was a meal far too modest to be served to a king: nothing more than a humble soup and bread.

“For the time being, until the farming and dam construction are complete, there will be no meat.”

“Is this really necessary, Dwain?”

“Should I reflect that question back at you, Your Majesty? Was all this truly necessary?”

Dwain’s wild gaze almost seemed ready to lash out at any further complaint from Logan.

“Ahem.”

Logan was acutely aware that he had brought this upon himself.

He could only sigh and force down the poor soup as he reflected on the consequences of his decisions.