[693] The Place of Reunion (2)
The king and the high officials had expected the Ivory Tower's arrival, but when the verdict and the evidence were shoved in front of them, the pressure was crushing.
King Adolf broke the silence, which felt heavier than iron.
"Why did the Ivory Tower come to the Kingdom of Tormia? Our kingdom has never harmed humanity."
Tsuoi's mouth curled into a cold smile.
"You know how messy things get when I hear it straight from the source, right? You'd be wise to confess willingly."
The System Oversight Department was the Ivory Tower's division most closely tied to international affairs.
They handled diplomatic quagmires, famine and refugees, wars—meeting monarchs was routine, and they knew how to deal with them.
"Of course there was a major incident recently, but we only dealt with the terrorist organization that threatened the kingdom," Tsuoi said.
She lifted her skirt.
"How rude. Peeking at a lady's underwear."
King Adolf did not look away.
"This is your last chance. Mock me again and I'll grab you by the collar, king or no king."
The king's pupils trembled even as he kept his mouth shut.
What were they supposed to do?
The senior mages and guards beside the king felt their blood boil just the same.
Damn it—did they think they were putting up with this out of fear? No matter how powerful an Ivory Tower mage was, if a fight broke out they could die. No one had to endure this humiliation.
But this wasn't an individual issue—it was the whole kingdom's.
One wrong word could mean losses worth billions of gold, and if the Ivory Tower residents backing the verdict rejected the Kingdom of Tormia itself, everything would collapse.
Adolf softened his tone a little.
"We have nothing to hide."
Tsuoi's eyes went cold.
"You really won't drop the act. Fine—let's see if you can keep that up even if I kneel before you."
At that moment the Grand Hall doors burst open and a group hurried in.
"Sorry for being late, Your Majesty."
Lupist, Head of the Magic Association, gave a brief salute. Shirone Arian's party followed, faces tense as they took in the scene.
That woman—
The first thing Shirone saw was Tsuoi.
A dark-skinned woman whose curly hair was bound with hundreds of rubber bands into horn-like spikes. Her presence was overwhelming enough to take one's breath away anywhere, palace or not.
"Who are you?" Tsuoi asked.
"I'm Lupist, Head of the Magic Association. I led the response to the Radum incident. If you have anything to say, say it to me," Lupist replied.
Tsuoi snorted.
"There are idiots everywhere. The Ivory Tower is not a party to be bargained with. Confess willingly and I won't make you endure humiliation."
"What do you want us to confess?"
"Anyway, the kingdom—"
Tsuoi flicked up her skirt, and Iruki, Kido, and Rian froze.
"What is that—those polka-dot underpants? What is she doing?"
Kido pointed openly, but Tsuoi ignored him and fixed her gaze on Lupist's face.
Then she turned and waved her hand toward the officials.
"See? Just confess. It's that simple."
The officials, who could see no difference from King Adolf's response, scowled in annoyance.
What was the point? Were they being looked down on?
Tsuoi turned back and pointed at Shirone.
"And who are you?"
Of all the people in the Grand Hall, only Lupist and this boy had not seen her underwear.
"I'm Shirone Arian."
"Shirone? Ah, so you're Shirone."
That made sense if he was an Ivory Tower candidate.
They said his combat ability was decent; he'd come pretty deep into this matter.
Not looking at something is harder than it seems. Not seeing is merely another way of looking, and to truly not see you have to forget completely—like not knowing there's a coin under a tree until someone tells you.
"Shirone Arian, is it?"
The officials murmured, and even King Adolf looked at Shirone with a curious expression.
That boy—
He'd graduated the Magic Academy with the highest score in the kingdom's history—an able talent Adolf had let slip away.
It stung that Tsuoi, who even scolded the king, tamed her tone for Shirone.
An Ivory Tower resident. He'd assumed they were all bullies, but some of them could give credit where it was due.
There was probably some realm of judgement beyond Adolf's grasp, but ruling was his job—pride could be set aside.
"All right. I'll treat you like a human—just this once," Tsuoi said, turning fully to Lupist.
"Bring me the seed of the living flower right now. I'll destroy it myself."
Lupist shook his head.
"That? The Kingdom of Tormia doesn't have it. We never collected it in the first place."
Shirone's thoughts tangled.
They didn't collect it?
After Ra Enemi was destroyed, Lupist had surely gone to the fallen living flower to collect the seeds, hadn't he?
"Then where is the seed now?"
"I don't know. Either it never was here, or if it was, it's with whoever took it."
Tsuoi chewed her lip and considered.
Were these people mad?
Lupist was telling the truth, of course, but that kind of psychological trap was exactly the sort of deception the Ivory Tower would set.
"You won't regret this, will you? Know that dodging the storm now won't make it go away."
"Of course," Lupist bowed.
This was not something the king could be told.
After Chief Justice Terapos annihilated Ra Enemi, many people lost memory of specific intervals. With the worldwide phenomenon called the Forgetting Sickness, the Ivory Tower's attention would inevitably turn to Tormia.
So Lupist planned to give up ownership of the living flower and ride out the storm—at least for now.
"You've thought it through. I pray today's decision won't become a disaster."
"It shouldn't."
Tsuoi suspected there was a way to retrieve it, but from here on it was a political problem.
"Let's go, Musso."
Tsuoi left the Grand Hall with Musso at her side. Iruki reported to the king.
"Sorry for the fuss, Your Majesty. We'll withdraw as well."
The officials—seemingly unafraid of anything now—shouted.
"What is this? Is the palace your playground? How dare you barge in like this!"
"Apologies. But the Association Head—"
"If the Ivory Tower hadn't handed us over safely, we could have suffered major losses! And what was that goblin?"
Tsuoi's presence had clearly been stressful for them.
"That's enough."
Adolf raised his hand.
"Weren't you all here to assist our guest?"
Iruki chimed in.
"Exactly, Your Majesty. As they say, it's better to be beaten by many than by one—there's strength in numbers."
Blood drained from Shirone's face.
Please stop, idiot.
It might have sounded like an impudent joke, but Adolf laughed warmly. Following Albino, this was the sort of talent who might one day lead the Dragon Thunder.
There would come a time when the nation's fate would rest on this young man's shoulders.
"Right. You and Shirone are schoolmates, aren't you?"
"Yes, we're inseparable friends. He came to me with an urgent request today. On that note, may we step back?"
Adolf looked between Iruki and Shirone.
Friends, huh—
He hoped Shirone would become a star of the Ivory Tower.
"You may withdraw."
"Thank you."
As Iruki turned to leave, Adolf added, "Oh—before you go, there's something I want to tell Shirone."
Shirone bowed politely.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak."
"It's regrettable that I failed to recognize your true worth earlier."
He'd been frustrated by barriers of rank before, but that had been his own choice. Still, hearing it from the king made him flinch inwardly.
"Your Majesty, I—"
Adolf continued, "On behalf of all the people of Tormia, I sincerely apologize for the hurt we caused you."
A murmur ran through the Grand Hall.
It was political rhetoric, certainly, but something warm rose inside Shirone nonetheless.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Iruki and Rian, who had watched over Shirone, felt even greater joy.
Finally—recognition.
Of course this wasn't the end for Shirone; Rian knew that better than anyone.
Shirone's party sprinted down the corridor, afraid Tsuoi might already have left the palace.
They saw the two moving away in the distance.
"Wait! Please wait!"
"What is it?"
Tsuoi turned, annoyed, and Shirone ran faster.
"I wanted to ask—about the Ivory Tower's test passing criteria."
"The Ivory Tower test? Ah, Ra Enemi? Why ask me? You should ask the Human Safety Enforcement Department or the Balance Department."
Even with the world nearly undone, the Ivory Tower still kept its departments separate.
"Still—I thought maybe there were special rules, since I was likely the only candidate who encountered Ra Enemi."
Tsuoi hesitated. "I really don't know. The criteria fall within the domain affected by the Star Lord's kar. But since you asked—word is the other two competitors are already close to passing."
"Already?" Less than a month had passed since the test began.
"What are you so surprised about? It's not that hard. Find the Ra Enemi and come to the Ivory Tower—done."
I can't let my guard down.
Because the Radum incident was so large, perhaps they assumed progress had been made.
But the surface task was simply to meet whatever standard the Ivory Tower set.
"I think you'll get the title of a star," Tsuoi said bluntly. Shirone's chest tightened.
"Why do you think that?"
"For one, your combat ability is overwhelming, and your judgement is devastating. Some residents pointed to Jinseongeum, but I think his kar is lacking—too rigid, and a bit too fast."
From that remark about kar, Shirone could guess who they meant.
"Do residents actually vote on who will pass?"
"Of course. We even surveyed the stars recently. We're swamped."
"A survey? What were the results?"
Tsuoi pursed her lips. "Do you really want to hear?"
"Yes. I want to know."
Unease gnawed at him, but having come this far he couldn't turn away.
"Twenty-seven people voted. You came in first—seventeen votes."
"I see."
"Second was Jinseongeum—nine votes."
Shirone's eyes hollowed.
"So I only got one vote?"
Tsuoi patted his shoulder like it was someone else's problem. "Don't worry. We're not prophets; it's just who people think will be chosen. Kar's about imposing yourself, right?"
He wasn't exactly hurt, but the distribution felt odd.
"So one of the stars thought I'd be the one?"
"That's right. But they didn't say who. It was anonymous. Although—" there was a rumor.
They said the person who voted for Shirone was the Ivory Tower's greatest star, the Star Lord.
Really? But he almost never disagreed with the Five Great Stars.
"It's not certain," Tsuoi said, shaking her head. "Anyway, work hard. I kind of like you."
She hated anyone who ogled underwear.
"I'll be rooting for you. Though the vote's over."
Tsuoi and Musso teleported away. Iruki scratched his head and approached.
"Looks like you win the award for the toughest job among us."
"It's fine. I gained as much as I lost."
Although his progress lagged behind the others, Shirone's kar value had risen.
Rian clapped him on the shoulder.
"We'll win, Shirone."
Tsuoi's words no longer lingered in Shirone's mind.
"Of course."