RMA 30

chapter 30

Iron Hanma, Lord of the Iron Mage Tower.

A wizard who places great importance on physical ability, an eccentric even among eccentrics.
An old man who researches and trains to carry on the legacy of the ancient Battle Mages.

His gaze on Lawrence had grown subtle.

“Ho-oh, what do we have here?”

Could this really be the body of an eleven-year-old?
Anyone unfamiliar would assume he was a teenager going through the second stage of adolescence.

Lawrence’s physique was that perfect, and his talent radiated just as strongly.
He inhaled slowly, examining him carefully.

“Has a wizard with a body like this appeared recently?”

The Iron Mage Tower was quite old, but newcomers had become rare.
The tower’s principle was that a wizard’s mind, body, and spirit must be evenly developed.
Nowadays, wizards couldn’t endure that; they insisted only on more powerful spells.

Why?
Because knights and soldiers would protect them anyway.

Perhaps because of this, the youngest member in the Iron Tower this year was already forty.

<When will a new recruit even arrive—!?>

The image of a desperate young man screaming that once a year came to mind.
Poor fellow.

So, it was only natural that the Tower Lord had strong expectations for Lawrence.
If such a prodigy joined the Iron Mage Tower…

“Ah, you’ve come, Lord of the Tower.”

“Hm? You knew I’d attend?”

Hanma asked, surprised at Lawrence’s words.
He had come here based solely on a single recommendation…

He studied Lawrence again with his enigmatic gaze.

“Could it be…”

“Oh my, isn’t this the Lord of the Iron Mage Tower?”

“Ah… Duchess, it’s been a while.”

As he tried to continue, a perfectly timed voice interrupted.
It was Medea, mistress of Montemer.
Surprise showed on her face because the Tower Lord had originally declared he would not participate in the selection.

Meanwhile, Lawrence bowed politely and entered the Tower of Wisdom.
The Tower Lord wanted to stop him but couldn’t ignore the smiling Medea before him.
He swallowed his disappointment.
He had wanted to talk a little more…

“I didn’t think you would participate, so I didn’t come to see you. It’s a surprise to meet you like this.”

“Haha, staying locked away in my room wouldn’t do. I came to broaden my rather limited perspective.”

“You should have told me beforehand. I would have visited you then…”

“No, a person of your status… Surely you don’t think you lack the qualification?”

Hanma’s question carried a sting.
Medea, however, shook her head without showing it.

“Of course not. We will prepare a seat for you, so please wait a moment, even if it’s inconvenient.”

“This old man, don’t worry about him. Besides being sturdy, there’s not much to see. Haha!”

Medea smiled gently and instructed those around her with both grace and charisma:

“Quickly, prepare a separate seat for the Tower Lord.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The maids moved briskly.
Medea requested permission to go ahead, saying she had preparations to make, and stepped forward.

‘Why would the Lord of the Iron Tower… meet with that Lawrence?’

Could it be a secret contact?
Already reading her every move…?

‘So cunning, just like her mother.’

The only saving grace was that it was the Iron Tower.
It was located on the frontier and was a very small tower.
The level of magic there was said to be far below the Seven-Colored Towers.
They emphasized raw destructive power, a type of magic no one could counter.

What about range?
The charm of magic was in striking from a distance with high power.
Yet, their spells had very short range.

Medea muttered, thinking of the maid accompanying Lawrence.

“Hmph, even if they try to escape, it’s only a pit. And… that child is right there too.”

Heading straight into a trap.
That maid must be Rachel, brainwashed by Ekel.
Ekel had reported his success and regularly reported Lawrence’s movements.
Those reports had always been accurate.

‘Struggle all you want. When you leave the Tower, there will be nowhere to stand but hell.’

She was confident.
Two years of primary foundational training.
By then, she would have prepared to completely erase Lawrence from this family.

#2

The Tower of Wisdom.
A place where all the knowledge and wisdom of Montemer gathered.
It stood above the Seven-Colored Towers and researched practical techniques and new magical systems.

Lawrence clenched his fist as he gazed inside.

‘In my previous life, this was my goal…’

A dream for researchers, but progress on artifact-related studies had been nil.
The tower had gradually downsized, and he had lived like a prisoner in the empire’s frontier.
Looking back, it made sense.
Artifacts were things only dragons could create.

‘So many things were unjustly handled.’

He realized how unfair his past life had been.
Even though the current researchers were no different from his past self, he recalled the harsh discrimination and disdain he had endured.

“…My lord?”

“Let’s go.”

“….”

Rachel watched Lawrence carefully, who had been staring at the tower’s interior.
At times, he seemed to carry immense pain.
It was strange. How could an eleven-year-old understand such deep suffering?

‘But what happened last night…’

Rachel recalled what she experienced last night.
Voices of other maids attending another young master and lady reached her ears.

“Oh my, Rachel, isn’t it?”
“Long time no see.”
“Ah, hello. It’s been a while.”

They bowed to Lawrence and immediately got to business.
Their behavior was rude, showing no courtesy.
Perhaps their pride stemmed from serving someone higher.
They were extremely disrespectful toward both Lawrence and Rachel.

“My lord, maids cannot enter the selection area. We will take care of Rachel.”
“Yes~. Isn’t it better for her to learn from us than to be scolded unnecessarily?”
“Rachel, go now.”

Surprisingly, Lawrence didn’t object.
Rachel nodded, and he spoke to the maids.

“Be careful.”
“Nothing will happen, my lord.”
“Good for you if nothing happens.”

The maids simply bowed.
They were experienced maids from the family, including those who had completed basic Tower education like Loras.
Perhaps they came to evaluate his magic.
He would see their faces again after the written test.

Lawrence watched Rachel disappear with the maids.

Perhaps they thought to enforce discipline.
But who would enforce it on whom… that remained to be seen.
He smiled slightly and entered for the written test.

Already present were children of other families, Tower officials, and prominent figures of Montemer.

“Lawrence Montemer, will you participate in this selection?”

“Yes.”

The selection was open to any wizard over eleven who had completed evaluation.
Even his elder brother Loras had completed his basic education through the selection at the Blue Tower.
Now, only Lawrence remained in Montemer.

All eyes turned to him.
Rumors had spread that he had gained the favor of the northern Duke Lansel.

Lawrence sat where guided and looked at the Tower officials.

‘So many have gathered. I never experienced this in my previous life.’

The Seven-Colored Tower Lords.
Other independent Tower Lords.
The sight of those who dominated the empire, continent, even the world gathered in one place was grand.
Their mana alone filled the space.

‘Oh, now I remember what I heard.’

<During the selection, even knights and wizards cannot fully use their powers. Do you know why?>

The boastful assassin had said it.
Lawrence now understood why he rambled.

<The Tower Lord’s mana disrupts concentration. Wizards and knights must focus to survive extreme situations. That’s why many sweat during the written test.>

The assassin had acted as if discovering a great truth.
Lawrence only nodded, engraving the magic circle in his mind.
The mana moved as if to crush the examinees.
It was meant to pressure them, but it was useless on Lawrence.

‘Even under this pressure…’
‘Why did that person say to exclude Lord Lawrence?’
‘The bastard son issue. Poor child.’

To the Tower Lords, Lawrence was a peculiar and pitiful young master.
They had already made a deal with Medea before the selection began.

<Lawrence Montemer must not enter the Tower.> <We offer full funding. The head of the family will approve.>

Simply preventing a bastard from entering the Tower was revolutionary.
Seeing him sit so composed, it was clear why Medea tried so hard to block Lawrence’s path.
The selection hadn’t started yet, but he was already halfway to victory.

‘Such a child, a bastard, hated by Montemer’s mistress…’
‘So the rumor of no mana rod was false.’
‘Yes, perhaps he awakened his innate ability. That would make sense.’

Now, things changed.
The Tower Lords watched Lawrence carefully, eyes gleaming.
Lawrence, meanwhile, only marveled at the dance of different manas.

The Lords’ minds were working at full speed.

‘Wait, we just need to prevent him from entering the Tower, right? There was no mention of making personal connections.’
‘Hmm, what should we do? Dangerous, dangerous…’

Skill came first.
Even with innate abilities, no one survived in the wizarding world without skill.

The exam papers to test basic knowledge were distributed.

“The time limit is two hours. Attempting cheating is ill-advised. The Tower Lord’s eyes are more precise than anyone’s…”

The examinees nodded and began solving the problems.
Lawrence picked up his pen and looked at the questions.

‘Easier than I expected.’

Again, Lawrence’s true specialty was research, meaning writing was his strong suit.