An Offer That Could Not Be Refused

Sabins could not wield necromancy, nor could he blast down city walls with a single explosive shell, but to the apprentices, the Academy Disciplinary Chief was synonymous with terror.

Today, terror had come knocking.

Rorschach judged the rumor that the Discipline Chief was a retired soldier to be true. He was sitting at Rorschach's desk with immaculate posture, his back ramrod straight and his body perpetually tense. A stack of documents rested in his hands.

"Sir, I didn't expect you to appear here."

"You're Rorschach, correct? Please close the door." As soon as Rorschach did, he continued, "Have a seat." It was as though this were not Rorschach's dormitory, but the Discipline Chief's office.

"You must be wondering why I came to see you alone. I am here in accordance with the chairman's will." The Discipline Chief pulled at his facial muscles to form a smile, but it only made him look more terrifying.

The chairman's will.

Rorschach took note of that phrasing. The academy's highest authority was generally called the chairman, because the school's nominal principal was His Majesty the Emperor himself, its patron.

"There are no fools in this school, so I'll be direct—following His Majesty's expectations, we have been seeking out and recruiting reliable young people with magical talent." Sabins rose to his feet. He was truly sturdy and muscular, his clothes stretched taut over his body as he blocked half the light from the window.

"Ordinary teachers and apprentices know me as the Discipline Chief, but I have another identity: Agency Chief of the Imperial Military Special Powers Defense Agency. Only the academy chairman and a small number of professors know of the latter. Oh, and now you do too."

"You're recruiting me, and I can't refuse now, can I?"

"There's no need to be so confrontational, Rorschach. I know all about you. Your background is clean. Your parents farm in a mountain village. You received the Village Chief's sponsorship to take the magic test, and after coming here, His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire have funded your studies. Very good. Clean means reliable. We need you. The Empire needs you. His Majesty the Emperor needs young people like you."

"Please tell me first what you need me to do."

"We need you to continue studying and continue researching magic. You may draw a salary from the Defense Agency, and we can send your parents twelve Imperial Golden Eagle Coins every month in your name." Twelve Imperial gold coins a month was enough to live a respectable life even in the imperial capital.

???

This was beyond Rorschach's expectations. The boss of a suspected Intelligence Agency had come sneaking around to hand out a scholarship?

"However, the Magic Tower where you pursue further studies will be designated by our agency—the Tower of Stars, located in the capital of the Holy Kingdom."

The Thirteen Magic Towers were the most prestigious and powerful forces in the magical world. The mages recommended by each tower formed the Mage Guild's Senate.

Tower of First Flame, Tower of Origin Water, Tower of Atmosphere, Tower of Beginning Earth.

These were the Four Symbols Elemental Towers, the four oldest towers. The remaining nine each had their own special characteristics.

The Tower of Storms, Tower of Thunderstorms, and Tower of the Forest, which studied nature to inspire magic.

The Tower of the Void, Tower of Time, and Tower of Stars, which excelled in astronomy and explored space and time.

The Tower of Light, Tower of Darkness, and Tower of Arcane Arts, whose mysterious research was largely unknown.

In theory, graduates who became low-rank mages could freely submit applications to these Magic Towers in hopes of joining them. But studying at the Imperial Royal Magic Academy meant bearing a mark.

Among this world's great powers, the Empire, which occupied the center of the continent, was currently friendly with the island nation Kingdom of Istar, while it bordered and stood hostile toward the Holy Kingdom in the south.

Thus, graduates here generally chose Magic Towers within the Empire or the Kingdom of Istar for further study. Every year, only a few—if any—went to the Holy Kingdom's Magic Towers.

Rorschach guessed that those exceptions, like himself, had been selected and assigned by the Empire. He could also roughly guess what he would be doing in the Holy Kingdom.

"I can't refuse, but at least I have no reason to refuse right now."

"Excellent. The chairman will personally write you a letter of recommendation. You love your parents, so after arriving in the Holy Kingdom, it would be perfectly normal for your letters home to describe local customs and scenery."

"My parents aren't very literate. They'll need someone to read the letters to them."

"Very good, you understand. But do not give detailed introductions of the Tower of Stars or discuss other magical matters too extensively. Every Holy Praise Festival, you will have roughly Ten Days of leave. After returning to the Empire, you must write a detailed report."

The Holy Kingdom, formally known as the Holy Kingdom of Valois, was a kingdom steeped in religious fervor. Or rather, most regions south of the Empire were like that. Gods existed in this world, but divine miracles had long vanished from the land. Only priests and holy knights remained active as the gods' representatives.

The Empire and the federations north of it were lax in matters of faith. Humans either had no faith or worshipped many gods, and they were highly tolerant of other intelligent races. Dwarves and various demi-humans could be seen within their borders. In the maritime nation of Istar, humans and elves lived together, worshipping Ys, the god of sea and storms. He was also the god of water, ocean voyages, exploration, and expansion.

The Holy Kingdom and the nations of the southern continent, meanwhile, lay beneath the radiance of the Supreme God. He was the god of Light and Order, worshipped by believers as the creator of the world and its laws, the father of all gods, and a supreme, omnipotent, omniscient being.

It must be solemnly stated that the Empire, Istar, and the other intelligent races did not recognize any of the above. The Holy Kingdom was also a kingdom of pure human supremacism, and under normal circumstances did not permit other intelligent races to settle permanently. As for the father of all gods, the doctrine did not specify whose gods they were. The other gods only felt they had been taken advantage of, but they could not defeat him.

"Your file will be transferred from the academy to the military's confidential archives. For now, wait at the academy for notice. The moment the Tower of Stars agrees to admit you, you will depart immediately."

"Could they refuse to accept me?"

The Discipline Chief gave a far more natural smile than before. "Please have faith in the agency." With that, he finally left the dormitory.

Rorschach lay on his bed. The bedding, uniformly issued by the academy, was made of coarse linen—the sort that apprentices from merchant families and noble households threw away as soon as they enrolled. It could not compare to the cotton and silk quilts from his previous life. The sheets and covers at home had also been linen in his memories, but the academy's were much softer and warmer.

This world had magic. This world was rich, but for most people, it was not abundant.

After thinking aimlessly for a while, Rorschach summoned the panel. He had finally found time to test a very important idea.

Basic Decomposition (Blue)

Disintegration (Blue)

This was a spell made up of a single entry. Could the other entries also work when separated?

Fireball (Purple)

Mana Condensation (Purple) / Elemental Conversion (Purple) / Projectile (Purple)

Two of these entries had obvious effects and high proficiency, making them suitable for testing.

He dragged Mana Condensation alone into the box.

He once again felt a swelling pain in his temples. More than that, Rorschach was forced to recall everything he knew about mana, as though the panel had pressed his head down and made him relive it all in a rapid montage.

At last, it appeared—Rorschach's second self-created spell.