AI Archmage, Chapter 7
Shion walked down the corridor, praising himself.
“Akasha, remember this. Even with such a simple method, one can secure a teaching position at the Magic Tower.”
[Ah, yes…]
Akasha could have written a rebuttal of roughly 5,700 characters, but she didn’t voice it.
[By the way, what will you do? Earlier, there was a reaction among the students that seemed somewhat concerning.]
“It’s fine. They’ll handle themselves.”
[…Will that really be enough?]
“That will do.”
Shion chuckled softly.
“I’ve prepared a response either way.”
[Well, if the Human says so, I won’t argue further.]
As they walked, exchanging trivial remarks, a voice suddenly called from behind.
“Teacher Shion.”
Turning around, he saw the student Tult, who had clashed with him earlier.
“Oh, isn’t this student Tult?”
Shion greeted him warmly, but Tult seemed unfazed, asking with a determined expression:
“When does class start?”
“That, I don’t know.”
“When it does, please make sure I’m in it.”
Shion looked at Tult with interest.
“Earlier, weren’t you ready to tear me apart? You said I insulted the Tower Master.”
“You resolved it well, didn’t you?”
“That’s true.”
“So I assume it’s settled.”
Tult’s calm response impressed Shion.
“You’ve got potential. I rarely see someone brazen enough to completely change the board like that.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“You’ve seen what I’ve done so far. None of it disappears, yet you still want to learn from me?”
“Of course.”
Tult looked as if he couldn’t understand the question.
“No matter your past, your skills and knowledge don’t vanish, right?”
“That’s true.”
“If I can learn, I must. Isn’t that the spirit of a magician? Knowledge itself isn’t good or evil.”
Shion’s expression showed satisfaction. While the answer might seem risky to some, it was a deeply magicians’ mindset.
“I like it.”
“Really?”
“Have you considered becoming my assistant?”
“Well… that’s a bit…”
Tult’s unusual answer briefly seemed rational.
“I just want to learn.”
“Pity. You seemed like a perfect candidate for an assistant.”
With this level of audacity, he could probably handle tasks delegated by Shion, but that could wait.
“Remember it for now.”
“Thank you.”
Tult bowed to Shion without hesitation, showing no trace of resentment.
“This went more smoothly than expected. I thought I might have to knock some sense into him.”
“You considered actually knocking his head? You can still do it now if you want.”
“…Should I?”
Tult glanced at Shion cautiously. His previous fiery expression was gone—sharp and discerning, or perhaps decisive once made a choice. Either way, it didn’t matter. Shion was glad that Tult was on his side.
“All right. Not my hobby. But tell me—how are the students reacting?”
“About half and half. Some are impressed or intrigued by you, while others still resent you.”
“‘The rod of love’ might be needed for that second group.”
“It’s much better than before. Previously, the Tower was universally seen as a disgrace. Compared to then, it’s like night and day.”
Shion seemed satisfied with the gradual change.
“Still, you should stay alert. I got hit openly, but some might try to subtly disadvantage you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Shion nodded, then asked again, quietly:
“So, still no intention to be my assistant?”
“Have mercy…”
Tult ended up bowing his head to the floor, though not fully, in a half-hearted gesture.
The next day.
“Congratulations on becoming a three-month unpaid teacher, Teacher Shion.”
“There’s no need to emphasize the ‘unpaid,’ Tower Master.”
“Of course, Unpaid Teacher Shion.”
Lumia fixated again on the word “unpaid.” This meeting was only for the senior staff of the Magic Tower. Total attendees… three.
Shion glanced at the Tower Master and Deputy, clicking his tongue.
“The Tower’s really fallen apart. Only three of us in this huge conference room, including me.”
“Even so, I’m so relieved that you agreed to work for three months unpaid, Teacher Shion.”
“Stop emphasizing it.”
There was a certain desperation in Lumia’s repeated mention of “unpaid.”
“Oh, and one clarification. Shion isn’t the only teacher at the main tower.”
“Of course.”
“There’s one more. Including you, that makes two.”
“Damn.”
Shion realized how thoroughly the Tower had collapsed.
Seeing Shion, Lumia sniffled.
“You see why I’m obsessed with unpaid teachers, don’t you?”
“No mercy after three months, though.”
“Hng…”
Lumia pouted, bowing her head. Akasha, quietly observing, commented:
[This is worse than I thought.]
‘Indeed.’
[Though, considering being ostracized by the magical academia, it’s impressive they’ve endured this long.]
Then Lumia spoke:
“Now that you’re officially a teacher, Shion, I’ll explain the Tower’s situation.”
“You probably don’t need to. The facilities barely function, and the main family’s funding keeps it alive while interfering with the Tower’s internal affairs, right?”
“…You know well.”
Lumia flinched. Deputy Serenitia took over the explanation:
“As Shion said, the Tower is in a precarious state. It’s barely surviving, and even the next few months are uncertain.”
“Indeed. The finances are depleted, and the sponsors eyeing the Tower greedily. Also, the Tower lands aren’t particularly good.”
The Tower’s lands were unsuitable for farming, and not a trade hub either. Serenitia sighed:
“To be honest, I can’t think of a normal way to restore the Tower. All proper means are blocked by the Magic Council.”
“And you don’t want to break the law either.”
“Yes, that would leave a record, and I can’t guarantee we’d stay within limits.”
Shion considered Serenitia’s words. He already had a grasp of the situation. As she said, restoration by normal means was impossible.
Then Lumia added:
“…The Red Tower has offered conditional support.”
“That’s not good.”
“Yes. Their conditions are two: publicly deny Altair and his ideology, and I must become engaged to the Red Tower’s heir.”
“Bastards.”
Serenitia ground her teeth.
“They want to use the Tower as a pawn, demanding our obedience. And the Red Tower heir, Heiden, has an obsession with Lumia…”
“Sis.”
Lumia stopped Serenitia gently.
“That’s enough. I won’t accept him.”
“…Yes.”
Serenitia fell silent, though she couldn’t hide her feelings about the Red Tower, shaking her shoulders. Shion nodded.
“All right. I roughly understand the situation.”
“Even knowing, we can’t come up with a master plan. So first…”
“Tower Master,” Shion interrupted. “I have one question. What is the ultimate goal you want for the Magic Tower?”
“…Excuse me?”
Lumia’s eyes widened. The ultimate goal?
“That is… to continue my master’s vision. He wanted a society where everyone had equal access to magic.”
“An ideal goal.”
“Yes. And it could have been achieved—Altair nearly realized it.”
She smiled wryly.
“Ultimately, though, the magical community’s strong opposition defeated us.”
“Truly unfortunate.”
“That’s why you intrigue me, Shion. You certainly know the Grimoire, or even more…”
Her eyes sparkled.
“You know Altair’s new engineering theory, Altair Engineering, don’t you?”
Of course. Altair Engineering had immense potential. Any disciple of Belusian would know of it. Though the Magic Council eventually crushed it.
[As expected. Human has taken the bait perfectly.]
Shion nodded.
“I won’t deny it. There’s no reason to hide. For my purpose, revealing some about myself is necessary.”
“I can’t reveal all, but I have substantial knowledge of Altair Engineering.”
“Indeed…!”
“I can help the Tower—but there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
Shion smiled:
“You must trust me completely from now on.”
“…Completely?”
Lumia hesitated but eventually nodded; she had little choice.
“So, I trust you completely. What’s your plan?”
“First, we must strengthen the Tower internally. Your ideal goal requires stable production of Grimoires.”
“Right.”
“But can the Tower do that now?”
“No… impossible.”
Mass-producing magical tools requires elaborate systems, machinery, and trained staff. The Tower has none, and its very existence as a magical institution is threatened.
“Can internal strengthening fix this?”
“Yes, it can.” Shion grinned.
“It’s time to fulfill the promise I made with the Tower Master.”
“The promise?”
“Yes. The workshop of Grand Mage Belusian. Or perhaps ‘workshop’ is a better term than promise.”
Lumia and Serenitia’s eyes widened. Even Lumia didn’t know this.
“Are we… going now?”
“Yes. No reason to delay. Aren’t you curious about what secrets your master hid in that workshop?”
Lumia’s pupils trembled. Shion saw confusion, doubt, questions—and above all: curiosity.
“Good. Let’s depart.”
Shion nodded in satisfaction and rose.
