The White Tower's closed-door training room had been made by renovating a space used as an underground prison centuries ago.
If one stared at its abyss-dark entrance, it seemed as though the ghost of a dead prisoner might leap out at any moment.
"......So."
Fran asked with a deeply miserable expression.
"That's the entrance?"
"Yeah."
"And I have to go in there?"
"Yeah."
Indeed.
Having reached Level 4, Fran had been sentenced to a full 30 days of closed-door training.
And now he wondered how the situation had come to this.
"No, isn't something strange here? Normally, people only go into closed-door training when they request it themselves or when they're being disciplined for doing something wrong. I don't fall into either category!"
"The Vice Tower Master gave the order personally. That shows how much he expects from you."
"......Is that it?"
"That's it."
Oscar lied without batting an eye.
If he said he had secretly requested it from the Vice Tower Master, Fran would probably throw a fit and refuse to go inside.
"Think positively. You needed time to organize what you learned when you reached Level 4 anyway."
"That's...... true, but...... Damn it, fine. I'll go."
"Have a good time."
Oscar waved enthusiastically for a while, and Fran disappeared into the training room.
By the time they next met, he would probably have become a fairly convincing Level 4 mage.
'He'll thank me later.'
Smiling, Oscar immediately left the basement and visited the Vice Tower Master's office.
"I heard you called for me."
"That's right. I have a favor to ask. Did Mr. Fran go in without trouble?"
"He was horrified and didn't want to go in."
"Haha!"
As though imagining the scene, the Vice Tower Master laughed merrily.
After laughing for some time, he sipped his tea and continued.
"We received some good news this morning. A letter came from the Sirius Merchant Company saying that we may freely use their distribution network from now on. They even offered it for free."
"......They're providing that for free?"
The distribution network of Sirius, the finest merchant company on the continent, would naturally be of the highest caliber.
If they could use it, Oscar would have had no complaints even if it cost a fortune. He had not expected them to provide it for free.
Of course, Oscar was not naive enough to miss the hidden intent behind the favor.
'They must have finished their calculations. Sharing their network a little won't cost them anything.'
But if the White Tower truly revived as he had promised, the value of that investment would be immeasurable.
In other words, it was an investment with no downside for the Sirius Merchant Company.
'Their intent is obvious, but I don't mind.'
Considering that the White Tower would soon enter the potion market in earnest, it was as though they had gained a powerful pair of wings.
In short, it was a result that satisfied both parties.
"It certainly is good news. Does the favor you want to ask of me have something to do with this?"
"Ah, no. It doesn't."
The Vice Tower Master shook his head and spoke with his customary benevolent expression.
"Oscar, would you be interested in teaching a class?"
"......A class?"
Oscar blinked at the unexpected offer.
Realizing that his explanation had been insufficient, the Vice Tower Master elaborated.
"This wasn't a sudden decision. I've considered it for a long time. To be precise, I've thought about it ever since I read the paper you presented at the academy, Applications and Advanced Study of Basic Magic."
That was one of the papers Little Oscar had published in the past, and its contents formed the foundation of A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic.
"But I believed that understanding something well and teaching others well were entirely different matters, so I hadn't made the offer until now."
"Ah."
Oscar exclaimed as if he had realized something.
"Don't tell me that's why......."
"That's right. Recently, you've shown that you know how to embrace others and that you possess excellent teaching ability."
He was referring to Oscar persuading the tower's seniors to make potions and teaching Fran until he reached Level 4.
"A mage who understands the importance of basic magic better than anyone and possesses both generosity and teaching ability. If someone like that gave a lecture on basic magic, I believe it would greatly help improve our mages' skills. What do you think?"
"I certainly can do it, but......."
Oscar tilted his head.
'I don't understand. Shouldn't he want me to focus exclusively on the Potion Department for the time being?'
That would be the natural desire of the magic tower's administrator.
The highest priority should have been seizing this golden opportunity and securing a foothold in the potion market.
'The Vice Tower Master I've observed isn't a fool. If he's suddenly making this proposal.......'
There was a story behind it that Oscar did not know.
That was his conclusion.
"Forgive me for asking, but is there some particular reason the White Tower's mages need to become stronger?"
"......My, it can be troublesome when you're too perceptive."
The Vice Tower Master gave a helpless chuckle and asked.
"Oscar, have you ever heard of the Night of Mages?"
"Yes, I have."
The Night of Mages.
It was a day when the mages of every tower gathered in one place, created to improve their skills and promote harmony.
The emperor who had organized it centuries ago hoped the day would strengthen ties among the magic towers, but.......
'As if that could ever happen.'
They had fought one another so violently that the event had been abolished after only a few years.
'If he's suddenly bringing it up now.......'
Oscar's eyes gleamed.
"Don't tell me His Majesty intends to revive the Night of Mages?"
"That's right. It hasn't been announced publicly yet, but the imperial family will reveal the details after the new year."
Only then did the pieces of the puzzle click into place, allowing Oscar to understand the Vice Tower Master's proposal.
"I see. Now I understand why you suddenly asked me to teach a class."
"I hope it's merely an old man's needless worry, but the Black Tower has me rather wary."
The Black Tower.
It was a magic tower that had recorded remarkable achievements in recent years and constantly coveted a place among the Four Great Magic Towers.
'We must be a thorn in their side.'
Unlike them, the White Tower had ranked last in achievement for more than a decade.
Yet it held its place among the Four Great Magic Towers solely on the reputation it had accumulated in the past. How much must that irritate them?
Even Oscar thought that if the Night of Mages was held, they would deliberately come looking for trouble.
They would want to prove themselves superior to the White Tower and steal its title as one of the Four Great Magic Towers.
'That's why he wants to improve the mages' fundamentals.'
And Oscar was the person chosen for the task.
Now that he understood the entire situation, Oscar nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"I'll do it."
His reason for accepting was simple.
He would rather die than watch the White Tower lose to the likes of the Black Tower.
***
The next day, an official notice was posted on the White Tower's bulletin board.
[Special Lecture Opening Notice]
Eligibility: Mages affiliated with the White Tower
Lecture Content: A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic
Lecture Hours: Every Monday and Thursday, 09:00-15:00
Location: Main Building, Fourth Lecture Hall, 36th Floor
The mages gathered before the bulletin board began to murmur.
"A special lecture at a time like this? That's unusual."
"A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic...... It must be a class for Level 3 kids?"
"Well, the tower's finances finally have some room to breathe. They probably mean to begin training the next generation in earnest after neglecting it for so long."
"If that's really the purpose, they might have invited a renowned instructor from outside."
Most people who entered a magic tower after graduating from the academy were Level 3.
Their growth strengthened the tower's roots, so investing in beginner mages was not particularly strange.
Of course, the intermediate mages of Level 4 or higher quickly lost interest after reading the notice.
"If it's about basic magic, unfortunately it doesn't sound like a lecture at my level."
"Obviously. Once you're Level 4, there's no reason to learn basic magic again."
"We're already worked to death making potions and handling deliveries. Who has time for a lecture?"
"Won't they invest in the intermediate mages?"
Once they left the bulletin board, the Level 3 mages quietly took their place.
Those desperate to break through the wall that had stalled them and become intermediate mages reacted quite differently.
"A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic...... That means it'll teach us magic we can use right away, doesn't it?"
"Probably. The White Tower's fundamentals are weak anyway, so this is perfect."
"Whatever it is, it'll be better than training alone."
Several days passed as the beginner mages waited expectantly.
***
The White Tower's 36th floor was commonly called the 'campus'.
That was because the entire floor had been arranged like an academy.
It included a main building, an annex, and even an athletic field, along with a fairly impressive walking path, though not as grand as the one on the 10th floor.
With no windows on the floor, people distinguished day from night by the artificial sunlight, moon, and stars that appeared on the ceiling.
And today, a lecture was being held in the Fourth Lecture Hall of the campus's main building.
It was an abnormal lecture whose students were 100% Level 3 mages.
"Wow, I know every face here. I hadn't seen you in so long, I thought you were all dead."
"That's how mages are. Everyone's busy with personal research and training."
"Still, more people came than I expected."
"I counted 32. Every beginner mage in the White Tower except one is here."
At the mention that every beginner mage but one had gathered, they naturally thought of the same person.
Oscar Crucian.
That lofty genius had not even shown his face here.
"Why lump that senior in with us? He's still only Level 2."
"Calling him our senior is a waste of breath. Who cares whether that man with the filthy temper comes?"
"I heard the rumors say his personality's mellowed out a lot lately?"
"You believe that nonsense? Stop talking rubbish and let's guess who the instructor is."
"There's a rumor the Vice Tower Master invited the instructor personally. Think it's true?"
"Probably. The tower made a lot of money from the influenza treatment this time."
The mages, who rarely interacted due to the nature of their profession, chatted together for the first time in ages.
None of them said it aloud, but all felt equally frustrated by the wall blocking them from Level 4.
In that situation, the special lecture could only seem like welcome rain during a drought.
"Honestly, am I the only one who got excited when I saw today's lecture was being held in the main building?"
"Probably everyone here did? They say seminars attended by the imperial family were held here in the old days."
"......Then maybe they really did bring in an incredible instructor?"
Just as the excited mages whispered among themselves and created a heated atmosphere.
"What a joke."
The scoff came from the highest seat in the tiered lecture hall.
A blond boy so small that one might doubt he was the same age as the others.
He looked down at the conversing mages with contempt.
"They're only letting us use it because no one uses the building anymore, yet you're all making such a fuss......."
He was not wrong.
In the past, high-level mages had come and gone to present research and share academic materials, but after the White Tower's decline, almost no one visited the campus.
"......Damian. Aren't you being too negative? The tower finally invested in us."
"Ha! An investment? You're the one who needs to wake up. If they were serious about investing in us, they would've prepared an advanced lecture like 'Understanding Mana Control' or 'Design and Application of Mana Circuits' instead of something like 'A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic'. Just like the other Four Great Magic Towers do."
"Comparing us like that is crossing a line."
"Exactly. Anyone listening would think he belonged to another tower."
"It's a good day. Read the room, will you?"
"Ha......."
Damian shook his head and was about to deliver another stinging rebuke (in his own estimation).
"That's enough chatter."
An impassive voice filled the lecture hall with silence.
That was not merely a metaphor.
The wind tapping against the windows, the sounds of people preparing writing tools, even the subtle scrape of chairs.
Every sound vanished as if it had been a lie.
"......?"
"......!"
It was an exceedingly mysterious yet chilling experience.
It felt as though someone had carefully cut away only their sense of hearing with scissors.
Within that absolute silence, where not a single sound existed.
"It's good to meet you."
Only one person's voice rang clearly in their ears.
"Starting today, I'll be the instructor teaching A Reinterpretation of Basic Magic."
The man walked leisurely to the lectern, swept his gaze across the hall, and finished.
"I'm Oscar Crucian."