The Legendary Mage's Convictions

From the moment he and Chalanona had met, they had rubbed each other the wrong way. There was no particular reason for it; their ideals simply differed. Osvid was one of the rare altruists among mages. He believed that this city had raised him, so he had to repay it. For that reason, he had always devoted himself wholeheartedly to considering what was best for the city.

As for Chalanona, she was a typical egoist. Do not let her current guilt toward her daughter fool you. If time were turned back, Chalanona would still leave her daughter, abandon her family, and betray her race. Her pursuit of magical truth had long since surpassed everything else.

Chalanona had always been that selfish Chalanona. She had never changed. But even selfish people had emotions, and they could give things of themselves—as long as it did not violate their bottom line.

"Hehehe, what do I want? After seeing all this, do you really still not know?" Osvid still wore that smile. This might have been the most sincere smile he had shown in years. His ambition finally had a chance of becoming reality.

Chalanona frowned as she looked at the screens above the room. Her face remained expressionless, but the gravity in her eyes grew ever more apparent.

"You're playing with fire! The others will never agree to this! Especially those two—don't forget where they stand!"

"Yes, I'm playing with fire, but I have to do this! Look at this city! Look what it has become! We've been growing weaker all this time! And what are those people doing? They only know how to fight among themselves. Even now, they have not seen the crisis surging through this city! They still fantasize about continuing their little games of balance!"

No one knew exactly