Hilbert knew it, and Oliva naturally understood it even better.
So he quickly asked for confirmation. "Does the same apply here?"
"Of course." Rute suddenly sneered. "Tell your students and subordinates that until the date of our move to Sia Tower is settled, no one is allowed to leave the Black Mystery Tower. Ideally, they shouldn't even go to the Outer Ring.
"I have no interest in their difficulties, nor will I concern myself with them.
"There is nothing that requires anyone from our Mage Tower to go outside... If something really is that serious, have them come straight to the main tower.
"I will be sure to hear them out very carefully."
He glanced at Oliva. "When you deal with trouble, you don't need to concern yourself with who started it.
"Nicholson and Kament Tower have promised to stand with me on this matter.
"Of course, if you're certain the troublemaker belongs to either of the other two factions, you may notify them and ask whether they want to take over.
"They must decide within ten minutes. If they don't respond, you have to go.
"The same applies to both of them.
"Still, I think... you probably wouldn't abandon your own people.
"Don't concern yourself with anyone else's affairs. Just follow the rules."
"What?" Aislin, who had kept her head lowered all this time, couldn't help exclaiming. "Archmage Nicholson agreed to this too?"
As the person in the Rute Faction specifically responsible for internal affairs and relations with the other two factions, she knew better than anyone just how tangled the relationships among the Nicholson Faction's mages were.
Probably half the people in the Outer Ring had some connection to them... Even she, who had watched those people appear over the years, had to put considerable effort into figuring