He could move to the top floor of the Magic Tower.
Once he had confirmed that, there was no reason to hesitate.
「Magic Tower, 150th Floor—transferring to “Tower Master Abelard Pavlenko’s Room.”」
He moved straight to Abelard’s room.
And when he opened his eyes as the brilliant light faded, what he saw was—
- Th-this is the Tower Master’s room…….
A vast white space, exactly as he had seen it in memory.
- ……It is less impressive than I expected, no?
Perhaps he had been expecting some great secret, for Purnel’s voice was thick with disappointment.
- Ohhh…… This is the grimoire that was designated forbidden hundreds of years ago…… No, if counting from the present, a forbidden book designated over a thousand years ago…….
For all that, he did seem utterly absorbed in scurrying about and examining the magic books displayed along the walls.
- It is certainly interesting to see forbidden books, but is this all? If so, why did they block anyone from ascending to the Tower Master’s floor? How unjust, how unjust……!
“Ghost, be quiet. Hio says you’re being noisy.”
- Ahem! You say that because you do not know just how many rumors surrounded this place among mages…….
Leaving Purnel to make a fuss, Hio approached the desk placed in the center.
In Beltesia’s door of memories, Abelard had come here in his final moments.
After meeting Ren Hank and failing to persuade him, right before meeting Kreutzwald, he had been here alone, writing something down.
What had it been?
Would traces of it still remain?
With those thoughts, Hio arrived at the central desk.
And on top of it lay a single note.
〔The name of the God of Patience is “Kisses.” The name of the God of Magic is “Drisella.”〕
A thin smile settled on Hio’s lips as he lifted it before his eyes.
Wasn’t the information written there exactly what would help Hio most right now?
Among countless gods, precisely two names alone had been written down with perfect accuracy.
“This is, somehow……”
And so he was certain.
〔Pray, arrive there.〕
As he set the note down, he showed a smile tinged with hope.
〔Pavlenko.〕
For Kreutzwald had not been the only one to see the future.
* * *
- So, then, you became the god of patience and magic.
The three of them sat in a circle, heads together, talking.
- Kreutzwald became the master of the abyss.
Whenever Purnel said something, Hio nodded.
Then Airaitz nodded along as well.
- And you are currently preparing to go capture Kreutzwald?
“That’s right. You understood surprisingly well for once.”
- Damn you!
At Hio’s praise, Purnel flew far away with a shout.
- Are you telling me to believe that?
Then he quickly flew back and poured out words in a torrent.
- A god? Patience, well, let us set that aside, but the god of magic? Damn you, human. I may look like this, but I am a fearsome ghost who has lived over a thousand years. Do you think I would believe that?
“Didn’t you spend most of those thousand years out of your mind?”
- Bah! Is that important? The last time I saw you, your realm was the Fifth Circle. Of course, the Seventh Circle realm you have achieved now is truly remarkable. Even Abelard, who in my era was called an unprecedented genius, did not grow as you have.
“You’re embarrassing me, praising me like that.”
At the sight of Hio scratching his head, Purnel’s body swelled up like a balloon.
- Of course I praised you! If only you had not said nonsense about being the god of magic! Good heavens, if you had reached the Eighth Circle, I would not be saying this. But the Seventh Circle? It is impressive, yes, of course it is, but merely the Seventh Circle. And an empty shell of a Seventh Circle at that. Yet you call yourself the god of magic?
“……I know. But what can I do? It’s not as if I became one because I wanted to.”
Hio himself did not know why things had turned out this way.
Not the Eighth Circle, nor even the Ninth Circle, a realm whose very existence was uncertain, but the Seventh Circle.
And a Seventh Circle mage who was an empty shell, without a single sigil, was apparently the god of magic.
Who would believe such a thing?
It was simply that the divine status Ripue had left behind defined the person called Hio that way, and so it had become so.
- This is so absurd I hardly know what to say…… If you are a god, then what is that woman, a goddess?
“Uh, I was going to mention that too…… Yes.”
- ……Huh.
Purnel’s mouth finally fell wide open.
It was not as though Hio could not understand.
Though Hio often joked around with Purnel, he did not make jokes of this sort. Which meant, in the end, it was true.
If he stretched his understanding to the utmost, he could at least accept that Hio had obtained divine status.
After all, he knew that Hio had met Ripue and been granted authority by the goddess.
The fact that his identity was the god of magic was hard to comprehend, but if forced, he could at least more or less understand it.
But Airaitz was not like that.
From Purnel’s perspective, the Airaitz he had first met was merely a stalker, a villain, and after death, a pitiful human being.
After being revived through necromancy, she had simply been a human who appropriately stabilized Hio’s wavering mind.
And in the current era, though she possessed considerable strength through the power of skills, that was all.
A human whose limits of growth were clear.
And yet she was a goddess?
Of course it was hard to believe.
However, they could not wait forever for the stunned Purnel.
“We don’t know when or what Kreutzwald will do. That’s why we need to go to the abyss as quickly as possible, and before then, we need to gather as much strength as we can.”
- If you have obtained authority…… Are you saying even a god’s authority is not enough?
“It isn’t.”
He could say that with certainty because he had faced him directly.
Authority was a powerful force, but it could not be used often.
Perhaps it would be different if he stayed in Beltesia’s sacred space for a long time, further strengthening both soul and body.
But as Hio was now, he could not use authority as comfortably as magic.
“Kreutzwald, who has now taken the abyss, is a being whose very birth is bizarre.”
The abyss, born before even the gods.
A shadow created before light.
A being prepared with utmost deliberation, from far earlier than a thousand years ago.
With only the power of Hio and Airaitz, who had just been born, it would certainly be too much.
“For now, I’ll need to gather more authorities.”
Thanks to the note Abelard had left behind at the end, matters concerning authority had become far easier.
He no longer had to gamble; he only needed to gather the divine points that were accumulating quickly.
- Authority, is it…… I do not understand that. I do not know much about divinity, but I feel as though I have heard of the God of Patience somewhere. But the god of magic, “Drisella”? Were mages not beings who opposed gods to begin with? Were they not beings who twisted laws and challenged the ultimate magic? To think such mages had a god.
Purnel looked hollow, as though he no longer had the strength to be surprised.
It was the expression of one whose common sense, which he had trusted without doubt his entire life, had shattered.
“I didn’t know that either…… So once I collect enough points, I’m thinking of buying the authority of Drisella, the previous God of Magic.”
- ……When you use it, make sure you do so in front of me. I am curious.
“I will.”
Strictly speaking, the unique authority Hio possessed leaned toward patience.
It was a power that stored an abstract thing called splendor and unleashed it all at once.
And so, for now, the discussion regarding authority was settled with the decision to purchase the God of Magic’s authority first as soon as the divine points were gathered.
Then there was only one thing left.
“I need to learn more magic.”
He had to learn the half-finished Sixth Circle and the empty-shell Seventh Circle magic.
Even though he had become a god and learned authority, the powers he would ultimately use as his main force were magic and skills.
Authority would likely be used one at a time at decisive moments, while magic and skills would create the path to reach those decisive opportunities.
As he said that and looked at Purnel—
- I knew it would come to this.
Purnel, as if he had never been dazed at all, recovered his energy and began to move.
- Follow me to the 115th floor.
When they moved by portal as he said, about a dozen books lined up in a straight row appeared before their eyes.
- These are all Sixth Circle magic books. I knew that one day you would break through the wall of the Sixth Circle and return, so I prepared them in advance.
It was a scene that revealed the traces of much thought.
Though they had parted suddenly, Purnel had believed that Hio would return, believed that he would reach the Sixth Circle, and prepared them for him.
- I never imagined you would already have carved quite a few Sixth Circle sigils…… Then I suppose four or five of these will be unusable.
At the end of the world, Kreutzwald had told him to suspect Purnel.
Hio had not believed those words completely, but it was also not as if he had not suspected Purnel at all.
As Kreutzwald had said, there were indeed quite a few strange things about Purnel.
Judging by their conversations, his realm while alive seemed to have been somewhere near the Fifth Circle, yet he had never properly revealed his own realm. And with that level of ability, it was suspicious that he had been not even a branch head, but merely a vice branch head.
But now, Hio felt he more or less understood.
- And I truly never imagined you would have created seven rings. So I was unable to prepare Seventh Circle magic books and reference materials. My apologies.
To begin with, Purnel’s realm had not been all that high.
His claim that he had been a vice branch head was not a lie.
- While you learn these, I will visit the newly opened floors and search around. Since the personal laboratories of renowned mages have opened, they should be of great help.
Purnel had simply worked hard.
In order to be of help to Hio.
Without leaving the Magic Tower for even a moment, he had researched and studied alone, then taught Hio the knowledge he gained that way.
That was why he knew so much, and why he had so much useless knowledge.
- First, go ahead and learn them. I will look around, and if I find anything that may be helpful, I will come tell you.
Without even waiting for an answer, Purnel disappeared, wriggling his translucent white body.
The emotions he exuded were unmistakable joy and relief.
Joy that he could be of help.
Joy that he had met Hio again.
Relief that he no longer had to live alone in this vast Magic Tower where no one ever came.
“I’m receiving far too much……”
Then if only to repay them, didn’t he have to move forward even more diligently?
To do that, he had to learn everything lying neatly at his feet.
A dozen or so magic books prepared to suit Hio’s abilities and magical disposition.
〔Book of Silent Death〕
〔Memoirs of Frost〕
〔Book of Heavenly Punishment〕
〔Apostolic Book of Nature〕
〔Book of Time〕
〔True Words of Flame〕
〔Book of the Firmament〕
〔Sealing Book of the Earth〕
……
From the titles of the grimoires alone, it began to feel vividly real that he had entered the realm of high-ranking mages.
A Sixth Circle mage was one whose own magical system and path as a mage were firm enough that they could create an entire school of thought on their own.
Therefore, even in a simple grimoire, the mind and habits with which they approached magic would be steeped within.
However, learning them should not be difficult.
Hio was already one who had awakened intent as a mage.
Since he was handling intent, a higher concept, perhaps he could quickly learn magic, which was lower than that.
With that thought, he picked up the first grimoire.