Chapter 906: The Hearing (2)
“Van.”
In a dark bar with dim lighting.
Jenny, leaning against the bar counter, called out to Lennok with a serious expression.
“I honestly have no idea what you’re thinking anymore.”
“…”
“Before this all happened, I thought we had some kind of rapport, didn’t we?”
“Jenny.”
Lennok, who had just arrived at the bar, pulled up a chair and answered as he sat down.
“Don’t doubt it.”
“…”
“Trust yourself. Your memories are not wrong.”
“Do you think you can just toss out some cool-sounding line and I’ll just accept it and move on?”
[Hoo hoo hoo.]
At that moment, a captivating laugh came from beside Jenny.
A black veil covering her face and a pitch-black trench coat. Even the handle of the small parasol hanging from her wrist was black.
The woman, leaning languidly against a seat near the counter, spoke in a peculiar voice.
[Such a delightful conversation, even for me just listening. How adorable.]
“…Madam.”
The oldest broker in this city, and a long-lived vampire.
Madam was resting her chin on the bar counter, staring intently at Lennok.
[Adamant Thunder. You seem to be on very good terms with your broker.]
“…”
Despite his lack of response, Madam’s gaze remained fixed on Lennok’s face, refusing to leave.
Though only the direction of her gaze was faintly visible through the veil, it was harder not to notice its blatant intensity.
With a nostalgic air, Madam swirled the glass in her hand and murmured.
[How I envy you. I too had times like these, when I made a living by joining forces with my friends…]
“If this looks like joining forces to you, you should have visited an optometrist before coming to this bar.”
“Why are you here?” Lennok asked directly, ignoring Jenny’s grumbling.
Madam was one of the most influential brokers in the city, but she rarely made personal appearances.
She spent most of her time in her mansion, focusing on her pastimes.
She, who was only interested in managing talented freelancers and collecting the blood of powerful superhumans, had arrived at the bar even before Lennok.
[Why, because Jenny called me, of course.]
Madam waved her hand languidly in response to Lennok’s question.
[A cute junior was asking for help, and the matter was something I couldn’t refuse without losing face.]
“Help?”
“He said he’s going to attend the hearing,” Jenny replied with a reluctant look, arms crossed.
“Honestly, I’m still against it. This kind of hearing is just a formality, a yearly event that everyone’s expected to skip.”
“…”
“We’re preparing to force our way into a party no one wants us at. You could say we’re uninvited guests who received an invitation.”
“Not bad,” Lennok smiled.
“I’ve done that often enough.”
“…Right.”
Jenny sighed with a look of complete resignation.
There was no way Lennok didn’t know that this kind of hearing was just a superficial event.
In fact, Jenny had an inkling as to why Lennok suddenly wanted to attend.
“That’s why I called an expert. Madam is well-versed in old etiquette and ceremonies.”
“Ceremonies, you say…”
[It’s rare for a hearing to be held for a Level 8 archmage, and even rarer for the mage himself to attend.]
Madam grinned slyly.
[Hearings for superhumans of this level don’t follow the laws of the mundane world. A being who transcends the hierarchy requires rules and treatment befitting their station.]
“Is it to prevent them from killing all the attendees if things go south?”
[Oh my, were you planning such a terrible tragedy?]
“…”
When Lennok ignored her theatrics, Madam finally smiled and explained.
[Of course, there’s that, but it’s also because there’s a protocol established long ago for such cases.]
“A protocol.”
[The Judgment Edict, created in the central city of Ars Nova to manage high-level magic users.]
Madam said.
[It’s a binding known to be uniquely sophisticated and powerful among ancient oaths.]
“…”
A rule created in the central city of Ars Nova to manage high-level superhumans.
Was it a Geas, a process where documented procedures and regulations were crafted into a form of binding to forcibly ensure compliance?
[From the moment your attendance at the hearing was decided, they will, with high probability, make you promise to abide by the Judgment Edict.]
Madam said this, tracing the rim of her half-empty glass with a finger.
[There are three rules I remember. First, you must answer all questions faithfully. Second, you must not evade responsibility. Third, you must refrain from using your Mind Imprint until the hearing is over.]
“The definitions of the rules are ambiguous. Was the room for interpretation left intentionally?” Lennok muttered with a frown.
“For a powerful Geas that imposes a binding, the content is extremely vague. And that third rule…”
The very fact that a rule for superhumans at or above the Saint-Wizard level, who could use their Mind Imprint, was documented suggested just how powerful the civilization of Ars Nova must have been.
Did it mean that in the central city, the need to restrict and bind high-level superhumans was common enough to be codified into law?
As Lennok smirked at the thought, Madam spoke.
[What I can help you with is choosing one of the three rules of the hearing and loosening its binding.]
“…”
[Therefore, you can choose which binding to loosen.]
“So you were waiting for my decision.”
Lennok tilted his head.
“Loosening a Geas’s binding can’t be an easy task. Why are you helping me?”
According to Madam’s explanation, Ars Nova’s Judgment Edict was a binding created for high-level superhumans.
Adjusting its rules would be anything but easy, so why was she willing to help Lennok?
Saying it was at Jenny’s request wasn’t enough to understand her motive.
Madam smiled radiantly.
[To be honest, I think your decision to attend the hearing was an extremely wise one.]
“…”
[Whether positive or negative, your actions always have a tremendous consistency in moving in unexpected ways. And surprisingly, people…]
Madam paused for a moment, wetting her throat with her drink before continuing.
[…find that they can’t simply hate or despise such a person.]
“…”
[It might not have been a calculated decision. In fact, if it was an impulsive one, all the better. Either way, I wish to see the creation of a status in this city that no one can approach.]
Madam whispered in a delighted tone.
[Especially since it is something I once attempted and failed at.]
“An interesting answer. Was being a kingmaker your dream?”
Lennok laughed.
“However, I have no interest in becoming the king of the city. If you’re looking for a pawn to play with, you’d be better off finding someone else.”
[Something I’ve learned from living a long life is that.]
Madam smiled elegantly.
[A pawn that follows my will and advice will ultimately never surpass the limits I have set.]
“…”
[That is all.]
With that single statement summarizing her reason for cooperating with Lennok, Madam gave an elegant nod.
[So, which rule do you intend to adjust beforehand?]
“The third rule,” Lennok said.
“It might be meaningless, but let’s be certain about that part.”
[Excellent.]
Madam said as she rose from her seat.
[Adjusting the Judgment Edict will take some time. It won’t be long, so I ask that you wait here as well.]
With those words, Madam immediately followed Jordan’s guidance toward the company building behind the bar.
Jenny, who had been listening to their conversation with a bewildered expression, finally glanced back at Lennok.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
“I can’t empathize with Madam’s tastes or motives, but there’s one thing I agree with.”
Lennok said as he raised his glass.
The transparent, brown liquid shimmered beyond Lennok’s eyes.
“That a moment like this against the Vulcan City Government was necessary at some point.”
“…”
“If the justification and the benefits are in place, that’s all that matters. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Just by Lennok showing his intention to attend the hearing, the redevelopment of the outer district had already begun.
The proponents of the plan were pushing it through while the opposition’s arguments had temporarily lost their power.
They likely didn’t want to miss this opportunity, with wizards from the Magic Tower visiting Vulcan one after another.
Regardless of how the hearing ends, the construction of infrastructure in the outer district near the Tower is a certainty.
If he could expand the Tower’s influence in this city and gain benefits just by making a brief appearance on the stage the Central Council had set, that was enough.
“It’s a hassle, but it’s a public appearance before the media.”
Lennok smiled.
“I should use this chance to cut down on the useless rumors about me.”
“Somehow I don’t think it will turn out that way…”
Jenny asked with a grimace.
“The hearing might be broadcast all over Vulcan. Want to do a rehearsal beforehand?”
“If there’s time. But there’s something I need to do first.”
Lennok said, glancing at the time.
Madam had said she needed a little time, so Lennok also had things to take care of in the meantime.
With the recent battle at the Magic Tower, all tower personnel were absent for the first time in a long while.
“I plan to repair the damaged security system and teleportation spellcraft, and modify the Tower’s functions. Could you come with me for a moment?”
District 49, upper levels of Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower.
A few days had passed since the partner companies had temporarily evacuated after the chaos caused by Evan Martinez’s attack.
It had been a while since the Magic Tower, which had always been bustling since the Aitep business started, was this quiet.
Only a profound silence flowed through the round, spiraling corridors and stairwells.
“Oh, right, Van. Stop getting rid of the stairs.”
Jenny, who was walking behind Lennok, spoke up as if she had just remembered.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to move between floors when you just demolish them on sight without a word?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Does playing innocent make the facts disappear?” Jenny grumbled.
“I agree that ramps are necessary for the smooth transport of goods, but sometimes stairs are more convenient for walking. How many times do I have to tell you—”
“I’m afraid that’s not something I control consciously.”
“…What?”
“I’m not the one tampering with the physical stair structures within the Tower’s domain.”
Lennok explained as he walked up a ramp.
“I am merely reducing the Tower’s structure to the ideal form that exists in my subconscious.”
“I still don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”
Jenny said, pressing her temples with her index finger.
It was as if she were trying to suppress a throbbing vein that was about to pop.
“So, you’re saying your subconscious hatred of stairs is being naturally reflected in the Tower?”
“An excellent summary.”
“Don’t lie to me!”
Jenny shouted, pointing sharply to the other side of the ramp.
“That emergency staircase! It’s been right there for over two weeks since I had it installed!”
“…”
“You just demolish them whenever you see them and then make up some ridiculous excuse—whoa!?!”
Crack!!
The moment Lennok glanced at the emergency staircase, the stairs tilted diagonally and instantly transformed into a gentle ramp.
Leaving a speechless Jenny behind, Lennok muttered without batting an eye.
“Oops, my subconscious acted up.”
“…”
“When you’re too perceptive, you end up glimpsing too many truths.”
“…Fine, you win.”
Jenny let out a deep sigh with an air of complete defeat.
“Come to think of it, there’s no way an archmage can’t control his own subconscious. I should have realized that from the start.”
“That’s not necessarily true…”
Since most 8-level superhumans with ultimate abilities had mental issues, it was actually rare for them to have perfect control over their consciousness.
However, he didn’t bother to deny that Jenny’s misunderstanding had, in a way, touched upon a sliver of truth.
Jenny ran her hands through her hair in frustration and shouted.
“Ah, whatever. I’m going to keep installing stairs between the floors, so do whatever you want, destroy them or not! I’ll do as I please too!”
“It will be a good match.”
“…”
Thud!!
The top floor of the Magic Tower was littered with construction equipment and materials, as if it were still heavily under construction.
It wasn’t that it was incomplete, but rather that expansion work to add more floors was in full swing.
“Ugh, it’s a bit cold…”
A cold wind seeped through the sparsely placed openings in the walls, and Jenny shivered.
Lennok, blocking the incoming wind with a single gesture, leaned against the corridor and looked down.
Whoooosh!!!
The center of the Tower was wide open like a giant, circular void, offering a clear view of the first-floor lobby.
Jenny, who had come to stand beside Lennok, glanced at the ground and asked.
“So, what are you planning to do?”
“It’s an extension of what I was doing before.”
As Lennok raised his hand, the massive Magic Tower began to shake violently according to his will.
Kugugugugu!!!!
The entire structure, from the floors to the outer walls, vibrated intensely as if it would collapse at any moment, and the floor trembled.
Just as Jenny grabbed Lennok’s coat in alarm.
Paaaat!!
A massive, crimson-burning sphere erupted from the ground of the first-floor lobby.
Kwaaaang!!!
The intense heat source, which had shattered the lobby floor, shot upwards and instantly reached the top floor where Lennok stood.
Fwoosh!!
Lennok looked at the ball of fire, which blazed like a roaring sun, and said.
“The Phoenix Hall, a relic from the Blaiver Magic Tower. I’m going to grant new properties and add functions to the heat source that powers the Tower’s engine.”
“Is this about the lightning rod you mentioned before?”
“It would be difficult to attempt this at any other time, when the tower isn’t empty like this.”
The output and heat from the Phoenix Hall, which acted as the Magic Tower’s engine, were no ordinary mana core or energy source.
It was a semi-permanent power source that originated from the sacred relics of the Blaiver Magic Tower’s seven lords, burning with their will.
For mages who dealt with heat-based spellcraft, it was truly a supreme treasure.
‘If Evan had made the Phoenix Hall his seventh mana core, the fight could have unfolded differently…’
Tatiana probably knew this, which was why she had desperately tried to stop Evan from entering the Magic Tower.
But from the beginning, Lennok had no intention of making the Phoenix Hall Evan’s mana core.
Its output was too powerful to be a seventh core, and extracting the Tower’s engine would have been putting the cart before the horse.
With that thought, Lennok took out a strangely bent metal rod from inside his coat.
Click!!
He began to insert the prepared lightning rods one by one into the spots where the light from the Phoenix Hall, rotating in the air of the top floor, was particularly strong.
After inserting about a dozen lightning rods into the corridor wall, he connected their adhesion points with mana to draw a large magic circle.
The moment the massive polygon, with the lightning rods as its vertices, perfectly aligned and connected with the circular spell formation.
Tzzzzzzzz…!!!
The lightning rods, having absorbed the heat from the Phoenix Hall, immediately began to convert its properties to lightning and feed it into the magic circle.
Dazzling waves of electric current flashed from all sides of the top-floor corridor.
Jenny flinched at the sudden surge of lightning.
“Van, this is…”
“I’m forcibly amplifying the mana’s bias to compel a change in its properties.”
Lennok explained.
“It converts the mana of the Phoenix Hall into lightning-aspected mana, but only on this floor.”
“…”
“Think of it as reversing the process of mana-to-electricity conversion described in Evan Vylun’s first paper.”
Bzzzzzzzzzt!!!
The blue brilliance of the electricity crackling beneath their feet was more than enough to brightly illuminate Jenny and Lennok’s faces.
Lennok stepped forward, leaving the hesitant Jenny behind.
“I received these artifacts in exchange for notifying Gisusingung about the hearing. There were many useful parts to their spellcraft, which forcibly manipulates the magnetic bias of metal.”
Lennok took out a few more bent metal rods from his coat, inserted them into the magic circle as reinforcements, and finally raised his gaze.
“The power to force bias is easy to apply. With proper adjustment, it can be used not just in reality, but also in cyberspace like the Deep Web. That’s why Gisusingung must be watched.”
Paat!!
“So, by overloading the lightning-aspected mana and controlling the direction of will-thought—”
“Ah, right. Speaking of the Deep Web… Whaaa!!”
In that instant, Jenny’s form vanished and reappeared on the opposite side of the corridor.
Unable to balance in the suddenly changed view, Jenny collapsed on the spot.
As she looked this way with a shocked expression, Lennok flicked his fingers once more.
Paat!
This time, Lennok appeared next to Jenny.
Lennok nonchalantly took Jenny’s hand, helped her up, and smiled.
“Like this, free coordinate teleportation centered on the Magic Tower becomes possible. So, what was it you wanted to say?”
“…It’s about the Deep Web.”
Jenny said, pushing herself up with a sigh.
“The administrators of the Deep Web have contacted me. They want to meet in person about the bet placed on this recent fight.”