NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
Two days before the Arcane War was scheduled.
Representatives from each tower gathered at the central building of the Trinity Council.
In the enormous central space of the donut-shaped Trinity Council.
It was large enough to accommodate more than 155 people.
“Yes, please write your tower’s name and the names of the representatives on this paper.”
I sat at the reception desk, handing out papers to the tower members.
Although I wasn’t the representative of the Illusion Tower, as a game developer, I had become involved in the overall progress of the Arcane War.
Meeting so many mages from other towers was a first for me.
Honestly, I was quite worried until this morning.
I was well aware of how other tower members viewed Illusion Mages.
I was concerned they might look down on us or voice complaints about the Arcane War’s management.
“…Are you the Riot who created COL?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“This is really fun! How did you come up with something like this?”
“To implement a whole world. I was amazed not just by the Illusion Magic but by the vastness of that thought.”
Surprisingly, there weren’t that many mages who were confrontational.
Jokingly chatting with light mages like those I was currently speaking with was quite common.
Was it because the game was fun, or had the disdain towards us lessened compared to the past?
“Ah, Master Electric Tower, you’ve arrived.”
Toward the end, the Electricity Mages, including Electra, came to register.
“You look happy.”
“Yes. It seems the mages enjoyed the game.”
“They should. COL is deserving of it.”
“Haha, thank you. You just need to write here.”
One of the Electricity Mages took the paper and started writing.
“By the way, you came out as a representative too, huh? You must be quite skilled.”
“Of course! Our tower had a fair selection tournament, unlike that Lina girl. It’s purely based on COL skills.”
Some of the five representatives included tower masters, while others did not.
Upon closer inspection, there were more without tower masters.
Since the Arcane War was a matter of pride between towers, it seemed they made a decision based solely on skill to ensure victory.
Even a tower master couldn’t represent if their COL skills weren’t up to par.
Truly, it was a group of humans who were the most intellectual and rational.
Though there were times when it didn’t seem so.
“…Oh?”
While conversing with Electra, I spotted a familiar face.
One that had drifted away from memory.
“Leah?”
A long time ago. A friend who lived in the same hometown.
Leah had gotten Electric (A) while I got Illusion (S), leading to a mix of fortune and misfortune.
“…Hmph. It’s been a while.”
“Ah, yeah… How have you been?”
Leah responded coolly, as if she already knew.
Well, she must have known that the Illusion Mage responsible for this was me.
“Did you enjoy the game? I can tell you participated as a representative, so you must have had quite a bit of fun.”
“…Ha! No, that’s not it! I just worked hard for the tower and the tower master! For the victory of our Electric Tower!”
“I-I see. Then, good luck.”
“…Hmph.”
Leah scribbled her name down before going off to her seat.
“…So you knew Leah.”
“Yes. We’re from the same hometown. She was a bit of a brat back then, but she’s gotten worse.”
“I see. She’s not usually like that, but it seems we’ve seen a new side of her.”
“Still, I doubt she’d act like that in front of a tower master…”
Electra was surprised by Leah’s attitude.
It seemed Leah behaved normally when in the tower.
“Anyway, thank you. I wouldn’t have made it here without you.”
“You’re receiving your reward based on skill, so there’s no need to say that. By the end of this Arcane War, I suppose there will be permission for mass production as well.”
“Yes. It’s all thanks to you. It seems other mages enjoyed it too. But I still thought there would be people looking down on the Illusion Tower.”
“Certainly, there will still be many. But everyone gathered here is hooked on COL, so they wouldn’t bear any grudge against you.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“You need to practice looking at more fundamental things.”
Right. Everyone must have come here because they liked COL.
So it was only natural that there were fewer people with negative feelings towards me.
There were still mages who looked down on us among those who weren’t here.
Even before, Electra always had a knack for breaking down situations to see their essence.
“Well then.”
Electra went back to her seat with the remaining apprentices.
It seemed that compared to when we last met, the atmosphere was a bit calmer.
It wasn’t that COL had corrupted their personalities. Truly, tower masters were enigmatic beings.
A little while later, the registration procedures for all the tower representatives ended.
Finally, it was time for the drawing of the matchups.
There were a total of 31 towers.
It would proceed to a Round of 32, and the last tower would start with a bye.
“Ah, has everyone gathered?”
The current chair of the council, the Space Tower Master, spoke into a voice amplification spell.
“Honestly, I didn’t really think the Arcane War would be recreated. But since everyone is participating, we couldn’t sit this one out. After all, our Space Tower has been the best across all schools since ancient times.”
The Space Tower Master’s provocation caused some tower masters to jeer.
The regular mages didn’t react, but some looked displeased.
“Now, before we determine the matchups, the Illusion Mage Riot will explain the rules.”
I hid my trembling hands and stepped up to the podium.
Once up there, I could see all the faces of the mages.
There were some discontented looks among them, but most wore expressions of expectation.
It reminded me of my past self, waiting for the COL Championships.
Only after seeing those faces did I realize my game had received their recognition.
When I first heard the plan from Electra, I had wondered if it would succeed.
Now, it seemed those worries were unnecessary.
Mages with strong competitive spirits wouldn’t allow themselves to lose, even if it was just a game.
And over the month of gameplay, they must have gotten hooked on COL as well.
Gaining confidence, I decided to stoke their competitive spirits and the excitement for COL further.
“Hello, I am the Illusion Mage Rai Ote. Before I explain the rules, I have something to share.”
I had prepared something for a more enjoyable Arcane War.
I had already obtained the agreement of the tower masters through the Trinity Council.
“This Arcane War will be ‘live-streamed’ before an audience.”
Murmurs began to rise—
The expressions of the mages shifted dramatically at my statement.
Some were surprised, while others regarded me with disdain.
However, the tower masters remained calm.
They already knew.
“This was decided through the council. Two days before the Arcane War, distinguished guests from around the world will gather here in the central space to be the audience of the match. Thus, this Arcane War will serve as a clear statement of which tower stands supreme in the world.”
For such a grand battle, it was natural to have an audience.
I recalled my memories of watching the COL Championships in my previous life.
“In the past, the Arcane War was a fight among ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, given the current supremacy of mages and the City of Trinity in this continent, don’t you wish to announce to the world which tower is the best?”
The murmurs grew louder.
It would determine who the greatest tower was among all humans.
Of course, it wouldn’t be decided through magic, but surely no mage would allow their pride to be tarnished by losing in front of so many people.
With the presence of an audience, the mages would certainly engage in the Arcane War with even more passion.
“Or would you prefer to show the world your defeat in front of all of humanity?”
Ultimately, mages jumped up, shouting.
It seemed my provocation had struck its mark.
They all looked like they couldn’t wait to start the Arcane War.
“Trinity. Let’s clearly show humanity our greatness. Let’s manifest the history of the Arcane War! Let common folks dare to look up to us!”
Whoaahhh—
Mages are driven by strong competitive spirits and love for superiority.
Having triggered that properly, this Arcane War would surely lead to an extraordinary contest.
“Let’s announce the revival of the Arcane War and once more declare the greatness of mages to the world!”
I opened my arms and declared like a cult leader.
The mages cheered, but at that moment, a sense of disillusionment hit me.
I thought to myself how easily these people got immersed in the moment.
Well, if I’m being honest, I was one who had cheered like crazy for the COL Championships in my past life.
It was only natural that people in this world, with fewer distractions, would get swept up in the moment more easily.
Regaining my composure, I began to explain the rules of this Arcane War.
The rules were identical to those of the previous COL Championships.
Great care was also taken to balance the champions for this Arcane War.
Once I finished explaining the rules, the drawing of matchups began.
“Water Tower. Number 31!”
“Kyaaa!”
The Water Tower Master, Lina, who would receive a bye, shouted in excitement.
“Ah, oh dear. What a pity, we would have won against anyone. Please tell me, Pireus, you’re not going to lose before even reaching the Round of 16, right?”
“Of course not! According to the matchup, we’ll meet in the Round of 16, so just wait.”
“…To reach the Round of 16, you’ll have to beat us first, Pireus.”
“Oh, come on, Ion. Of course, we won’t lose to a bunch of clods like you! We’ll melt you all down.”
“…I’ll kill you, Pireus.”
Tensions were already rising among the tower masters.
Even with the rivalry between the Fire Tower and Water Tower, the Metal Tower had joined in.
“Illusion Tower. Number 2.”
We were the second in line for the first match.
Our opponent was the Wind Tower, which had composed its team solely of regular mages without a tower master.
The Wind Tower Master was a particularly free-spirited individual.
Often spotted flying over Trinity on the wind.
Even now, he was looking down from above, and it seemed like he was serious about this fight.
“Guys, we can’t lose!”
True to his personality, it appeared the Wind Tower had chosen its members based strictly on skill.
Regardless, the matchups were decided.
News of the Arcane War spread across the world.
[The Revival of the Arcane War? Mages Starting to Fight Again.]
[Mages are fighting. Surrounding nations are terrified. But is the method of battle magic or COL?]
[The Illusion Tower’s next artifact, ‘Championship of Legends’. What could it be?]
[For the first time, outsiders have been invited to Trinity. The purpose is to observe the Arcane War.]
[A battle of mages that the world is paying attention to. Who will be the victor of the resurrected Arcane War?]
[Compilation of information about COL, the event of the Arcane War. Requests for formal release flood in.]
[Nobility invited to the Arcane War. Even royalty is expected to attend.]
[The unquenchable popularity of Zebit. They are expected to not attend the Arcane War due to health reasons.]
[Looking back at the history of past Arcane Wars ahead of the new Arcane War…]
As expected, the front pages of all the newspapers were plastered with related news.
With the eyes of the world watching which tower would be the best,
“Definitely, we have to win this…!”
“Everyone knows we absolutely cannot lose, right?”
“Guys, make sure to win~!”
“We’ll definitely triumph.”
“Hey, even if we can’t, we must crush those Water Tower folks. Got it?”
“We will surely win. Anyone who trolls us gets 24 hours of electric torture.”
“Let’s make sure to come out victorious. Especially against that wicked Darkness.”
“Hehehe… kiki.”
With the bursting competitive spirit of the towers, the Arcane War had begun.