Chapter 226: The Arcangrove Tower contract

I frowned and stared at my mentor.

—A contract?

—What contract?

He crossed his arms and explained.

—First of all, you will not be allowed to reveal any information regarding how to advance from the Acolyte level to the Official Mage level.

—Furthermore, once you become an Official Mage, the contract you signed when you entered the Tower will no longer be able to impose any restrictions on you.

—Therefore, before advancing, you will have to swear upon your soul.

—Under the witness of the Presence of Royal Justice, you will be required to serve the Tower for one hundred years!

My heart sank.

One hundred years.

Those two words kept echoing inside my head.

—One hundred years...?

Totil nodded.

—After signing the contract, you will also be able to obtain a Level 1 Mage defensive spell model for free, as well as a standard amount of Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura.

For several seconds, I did not respond.

My mind immediately began analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of that agreement.

I had already seen an introduction to the Presence of Royal Justice in an ancient book.

It was an extremely peculiar existence, almost like a gigantic organism governed by the laws of an entirely different world. It possessed neither conventional consciousness nor emotions or desires. Mages simply used it as a witness for extremely important contracts.

And there was a reason for that.

Contracts witnessed by the Presence of Royal Justice were known to be among the most powerful contracts in the entire Magus World.

Once an agreement was established, its restrictions would be extremely difficult to break.

Even if, one day, the Tower decided to send me into a suicidal battle and ordered me to sacrifice my own life, I would not have the freedom to simply refuse.

I would have to obey.

It was practically a slavery contract.

Perhaps there were some differences compared to a conventional slave contract, but in certain aspects, it was even worse, as it could contain countless specific clauses and restrictions.

I did not want that. After all, I valued my freedom far too much.

After spending so much time surviving, calculating every move, and obtaining my own strength, I was not willing to hand over one hundred years of my existence to a Tower.

But outwardly, I could not show any of that.

I lowered my head slightly and put on a hesitant expression, as if I were extremely tempted by the proposal.

Then I raised my eyes again.

—So, Mentor... did you also sign a contract like this?

Totil answered without hesitation.

—Indeed!

—That was precisely why I joined Arcangrove Tower and became a member of the faculty.

—In fact, the treatment the Tower offers Mages like us, who came from outside, is not particularly generous.

—They also would not give us extremely difficult tasks.

I stared at him.

Something was wrong.

That explanation did not match the reason Totil had called me.

Signing contracts in exchange for resources was extremely common among Mages. And that situation had no direct connection to Arcangrove Tower's current precarious condition.

If Totil had merely wanted me to return in order to receive resources, he would not have gone through all that trouble to talk to me.

—Professor...

—If you're asking me to return to the Tower, I'm sure there must be another reason, right?

Totil remained silent for a few moments.

Then, to my surprise, a smile appeared on his face.

—You're still as intelligent as before.

—Your eyes are still filled with wisdom.

—It's a shame that your aptitude is only average.

—Otherwise, your future achievements could certainly surpass even those of Chory, my new pupil.

Totil took a deep breath and remained silent as he watched me. Then, without any ceremony, he said:

—The war of Arcangrove Tower is not over yet.

A shiver ran through my body.

—To be honest... I was expecting something like this.

My voice came out lower.

—But I still get a little nervous hearing it.

I immediately stood up.

—Shouldn't the war have ended after Sus Tower, led by a Level 3 Mage, intervened to stop the conflict between Black Blood Tower and Black Bull Tower?

Totil gave a bitter smile.

—That news is correct.

—But it is incomplete.

—The war between the Official Mages has ended. For the acolytes, however... it is far from over.

—Although Sus Tower is one of the most powerful guilds in the region, it is not the only one. Behind Black Blood Tower and Black Bull Tower, there are also powerful forces supporting them.

—Therefore, under the mediation of Sus Tower, although the conflict between the Official Mages has ended, a special clause was added to the agreement.

—What clause?

—The opposing factions demanded that all of our acolyte forces be recalled.

My breathing became heavy.

—And then?

—They will participate in a total massacre against the enemy acolytes inside a secret world.

My brain seemed to stop for a moment.

—A secret world...?

—A total massacre?

A secret world was a special dimension used by Mages to protect laboratories, hide resources, or conduct research.

Normally, these dimensions were created through specific spells and connected to certain regions of the outside world.

Because of the powerful barriers and laws established around these worlds, acolytes practically had no ability to invade them.

In even higher-level secret worlds, even Official Mages could die if they entered without adequate preparation.

Over the years, some magical guilds could also join forces to temporarily create a secret world.

As for the term total massacre, its meaning was even simpler. It was a brutal war to the death.

When two sides had a conflict so deep that no mediation could resolve it, they could agree to fight until one side was completely defeated.

Before the battle, both parties would sign an agreement.

After that, if someone died, their family, teachers, and friends could not simply seek direct revenge against the person responsible.

It was a way of preventing a conflict between two individuals from turning into an endless war between their respective organizations.

For many proud Mages, it was an acceptable solution.

—During the signing of the agreement, the other parties summoned the Presence of Royal Justice as a witness.

—Therefore, our Tower can only follow the established conditions.

Totil sighed and took another sip of the green liquid.

—Otherwise, all of us teachers, including the president, would have our souls condemned to a terrible fate.

—And this time, it won't be just you.

—Even the other exceptionally talented acolytes will have to participate.

—All the acolytes from the three Towers will be gathered in the same place.

—Wait.

I raised one hand.

—Are you saying that the acolytes from the other two Towers will join forces and attack ours?

I felt slightly dizzy. The situation was far worse than I had imagined.

—Unfortunately, yes, Totil replied.

—This is madness...

—Why would the Tower accept conditions like these?

Totil smiled bitterly.

—We had no choice.

His voice became heavy.

—Who told our Tower to end up in this state?

—Black Blood Tower and Black Bull Tower want to eliminate our acolytes in one fell swoop.

—They want to completely destroy the future generation of Arcangrove Tower and sever our legacy.

—Fortunately, neither our acolytes nor the enemies will be able to bring any item into the secret world whose power exceeds the level of an Official Mage.

—The secret world itself possesses a defensive spell that controls this.

—Any tool whose power exceeds the limit permitted for an acolyte will be immediately rejected upon entry.

That made sense.

Without this rule, a massacre between acolytes could easily turn into a war involving artifacts of a much higher level.

Even so...

It was not enough to make the situation favorable.

—So, are the bad news over?

—Now you should tell me some good news.

Totil burst into laughter.

—You cheeky brat!

He shook his head.

—Before the total massacre, the Tower will hold a competition. The rewards will be extremely generous.

—Furthermore, several remunerations will be doubled. Spell models and potions at the sales counter will also be available at heavily discounted prices.

They want to increase the strength of their own acolytes before the total massacre...

—None of this has anything to do with advancing to the Official Mage level.

—Previously, Mentor told me that there is a method to advance. Could that method be related to the total massacre?

Totil nodded.

—Indeed.

—The Tower has issued a mission to all Level 3 acolytes like you.

—A blood revenge mission.

—Your task will be to kill as many enemy acolytes as you can during the total massacre.

For the first time during that conversation, I noticed an almost insane glint appearing in Totil's eyes.

—The Tower will award contribution points based on the enemy defeated.

—A Level 1 acolyte is worth one point.

—A Level 2 acolyte is worth three points.

—And a Level 3 acolyte is worth ten points.

—For the most outstanding acolytes, special values will be established.

—The reward for this mission will be extremely generous. If you manage to accumulate enough contribution points...

His smile widened.

—You will be able to exchange those points for practically any resource you need.

—Including a Level 1 Mage defensive spell model and Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura.

—This is the only method that does not require you to sign that contract while still allowing you to obtain the resources necessary to attempt an advancement.

I stood up.

Then I gave Totil a slight bow.

—If there is nothing else...

My voice was calm.

—Please allow me to leave.

Totil blinked.

—Where are you going?

I looked at him.

—Obviously, I'm going to the Trading Post.

—I want to take a look at the sales counter.

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I finally arrived at the Trading Post.

There was slightly more activity there than in other areas of the Tower.

First, I decided to visit Marcos's old shop.

I walked to the place where his shop used to be.

But I did not find it. He must have died on his mission, or perhaps he was smart enough not to return to the Tower.

There was nothing I could do.

I passed by a few other shops and bought several ingredients that could be useful later.

Then, carrying my purchases, I walked toward the sales counter for spell models.

...

1740 Words