Spatial Magic Branch (Please Follow)

Ah!

No, this is...

"Correct!" The Tower Spirit's relief, which the five of them had cursed countless times, uttered a cold, forceful word.

It was the judge of the underworld, casually pronouncing the five of them dead or alive.

The five people in the passage all briefly froze.

Only a moment ago, they had been struggling in vain on the brink of death, feeling their souls about to slip through the gates of hell.

Now, they had escaped safely and cleared the trial?

The whiplash was so intense that every one of them wore the same look of disbelief.

Downs was the first to react. Suspicious, he tried to turn his rusted neck and look at the little owl perched on his shoulder.

By then, the illusion had faded. The owl was gone, revealing Laifu's true form as a Legendary Fire Bat.

Laifu beat his wings and flew up to the ceiling. His sharp claws easily pierced the floor above, and he hung upside down.

Downs could just make out his master's features in Laifu's face, which was a blight on the eyes. He knew his master was gazing at him through Laifu's eyes.

"Ma... master!?"

At those words, the other four understood at once. The supposedly invincible High-Level Mage's master had stepped in at the last moment to save his own disciple!

They'd passed even this supposedly deadly trial. The man really did have a Legendary Archmage backing him—and one who would actually step in when trouble arose!

Still shaken, the four came to their senses as if waking from a dream and bowed in unison to the Fire Bat.

Lein paid them no mind. Through his soul link, he stared straight at Downs through Laifu's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Master! My skills are inadequate! I've let you down!" Downs forgot everything around him and dropped to his knees without hesitation. Tears of remorse surged from his eyes.

He truly regretted it!

Ever since entering the Mage Tower, he had relied on his overwhelming strength—far beyond anything this place could match—to smash his way through.

Not a single monster had lasted one round against him.

Wasn't it satisfying to mow everything down with an unstoppable power?

Of course it was!

At least at first, the thrill had been impossible to resist.

He had never even wondered why his master hadn't stopped him, instead letting him lose himself in the intoxicating sweetness of unstoppable power.

The more recklessly you acted, the harder you fell.

A reckless gamble without the strength to back it up was bound to come at a price.

He had nearly become that price.

If his master hadn't saved him just now, he would have ended up like the adventurers who had dared to enter this Mage Tower before him—smashed against its walls and becoming part of its terrifying legend.

Only now did Downs understand what "the shortest distance between two points is a fold."

It was like an open book. If you simply measured the distance from the upper-left corner to the upper-right corner, then naturally, a straight line was shortest.

That was the shortest distance in ordinary physical terms.

But in a mage's world, the concept meant something else.

You could shorten the distance by folding space, just like closing the book. Then the upper-left and upper-right corners would be touching, wouldn't they?

Downs knew that perhaps some of the adventurers had figured out the answer in their final moments, but they had all realized it too late.

Before the situation became irreversible, his master had used his wisdom and his noble hand to prevent the tragedy.

He had saved not only Downs, but also the four companions who had followed him into the Mage Tower.

At the thought, Downs cried even harder. "Master! I was too naive! Too arrogant! I thought I could use my magic to force my way through everything. Waaaaah!"

Lein was also sighing inwardly. If not for this Tower Spirit and its absurd trap, Downs's outrageous strength would probably have let him brute-force his way through any other Mage Tower.

Who could have expected something like this?

The tower's former owner had been a Spatial Mage. The final trial had been sealed off not only on a physical and magical level, but also through space itself. Downs really couldn't brute-force his way through.

"It's not your fault. This place was beyond your level."

"Waaaaah!" Downs had gained a whole new, unforgettable understanding of the saying "knowledge is power." "Thank you for teaching me, Master!"

No! I wasn't trying to teach you a lesson.

Lein had the words on the tip of his tongue, but then realized he couldn't bring himself to say them.

The four onlookers said nothing, but their faces were filled with envy. Their own masters would never have had this kind of temper or patience.

Learn if you can. If you can't, get lost—or just die out there.

Who the hell was going to babysit you?

If you lacked talent, comprehension, or luck, you deserved to die out there.

They had no idea how Downs had gotten such incredible luck, landing a master who was both absurdly powerful and extraordinarily patient.

Waaaaah! They were so jealous!

Just then, the Tower Spirit Iron Face spoke. "As agreed, you are now the owner of this Mage Tower, respected Legendary Archmage."

Lein: ???

After a brief moment of shock, Lein answered candidly, "I cheated. I never placed my own life on the scales of fate."

"No! You did not use magic to force your way through the test left by my former master. That is the greatest fairness of all. And on the scales, you placed not only your disciple's life, but also the most important thing of all: knowledge!"

The Tower Spirit's explanation left Lein stunned once more.

Thinking it over, it seemed to have a point.

If a true Legendary Archmage wanted to deal with a High-Level Mage's tower, then even if the other side had home-field advantage and more magical reserves, the difference in rank was insurmountable. A two-rank gap was crushing, and even one rank higher would mean a one-sided fight.

Well, that was assuming the person in question was a genuine Legendary Archmage.

Lein's real face was etched with embarrassment. Fortunately, Laifu couldn't replicate every subtle expression. He was just a mouthpiece.

Lein instinctively wanted to refuse. Suddenly taking over a Mage Tower on another kingdom's territory made him feel like the king was leading him around by the nose.

Before he knew it, a system notification appeared:

[Tesla Magic Academy has detected that if the host accepts the integration of Madela Mage Tower, the (Primary Spatial Magic Branch) will be successfully established. Disciples under the host will learn Spatial Magic 50% faster, and the Academy will also establish a permanent spatial portal connecting the main campus and the branch.]

[After accepting the branch, given the special nature of the Spatial Magic Branch, it can be relocated to any land under the host's control as long as there is sufficient magical power.]

Lein's heart immediately burned with excitement.

On the map in his field of vision, he could clearly see that, in order to win Downs over, Earl of Ramanque had already given him the hereditary fief of the Quijote Family, along with a ring of surrounding lands.

The gesture practically said, "You may not want it, but I have to give it to you."

Lein could simply put the Spatial Magic Branch on Downs's territory.

With that thought, when Lein saw the system ask, "Do you accept Madela Mage Tower?" he no longer hesitated.

Accept!

Why wouldn't he?

I'm afraid of the cold, so I can't leave the Cold Pool. But now I can use a spatial portal to leave the valley, visit the branch, and take in the local customs of Ramanque City nearby. That's perfectly reasonable, right? It won't make me look less impressive, will it? With nothing else to do today, going to listen to music at a pleasure house is perfectly normal too, right?

The thought made Lein's heart stir.

Lein, wearing his most solemn expression, put on the airs of a Legendary Mage. "What would I need this Mage Tower for? It would be better to give it to Downs."

Before the Tower Spirit could speak, Downs cut in. "No! I know Master doesn't think much of it, but if you don't accept it, I'll feel even more uneasy. Please, Master, do me the favor of accepting it."

The other four chimed in as well. "Please accept it, Your Excellency Archmage. Do it for the people of the Cervantes Kingdom."

As if they were going to leave the tower as it was. It was a festering blight in the royal capital.

If this Archmage refused, who knew how long they would have to wait for the next person capable of solving the problem? And knowing the correct answer wouldn't be enough. The Tower Spirit was too intelligent, and if it had backup questions, the next one would be much harder.

"Ah! Since you insist, I'll accept it for now."

For once, the Tower Spirit showed what seemed to be joy. His voice still sounded just as mechanical, but the quickening of his speech was unmistakable. "Iron Face greets its master!"