Surviving The Fourth Calamity

”Leaving it here, that’s really okay?” Felis was a bit surprised.

”This kind of totally ordinary Spell, once you become an official mage, you can see it in the Great Library. As long as you register it so they’re sure you won’t leak it around at random, it’s fine.” Russell said calmly. ”Of course, even with my teacher’s face on the line, the Magic Tower won’t erase your name, but you’ll probably just be hanging onto that title in name only.

Unless Prutt plays himself to death, then you can come out... don’t look at me like that, hehe~

Don’t underestimate my teacher!”

Felis suddenly looked up. ”Over at Kamente Tower...”

”The Archmage Karmante has never been someone who cares about that kind of useless face. He has his own admirable qualities too.”

”You... you know him for only a few days, and you’re already talking about him in a different tone?”

”That’s exactly why, Felis, I let Carpenter, who just advanced, skip proper meditation and come over to see you~” Russell drawled. ”If the outside still made me feel dangerous, how could I possibly let her fool around?

If something happened and shook up her just-stabilized Mental Sea, then what?

The fact I let her come means it’s already calm outside.”

”How is that possible?” Felis really couldn’t figure it out. ”Even if Prutt is courting death himself, even daring to defy Kamente Tower’s will... someone still has to come out and clean up the mess, right?

Aislin...”

”Ah, Aislin has almost chopped Prutt’s power base down to a blank slate.” Russell said with a grin. ”Including Rolando.

Because of the potential relocation of the town, the Magic Tower has now sent out dozens of Low-rank Mages to Dark Enigma Town to register things, and to check past accounts along the way.

Those three under Rolando have all been temporarily stripped of their posts and sent back to the Magic Tower to wait for future assignments.

However... it’s said that among the Low-rank Mages Kamente Tower sent out, not a single one has anything to do with Prutt.”

”What... is that supposed to mean?” Felis’s brows were almost knotted together. ”Didn’t we say before that he wouldn’t really offend the person behind Prutt? Even if he doesn’t help him, he wouldn’t go this far... Isn’t this the same as telling everyone that even if Prutt dies, he won’t lift a finger?”

”It’s simple: Sia Tower has fallen into factional infighting.” Russell said in an odd tone. ”Whoever is behind Kamente Tower, it’s definitely not the same side backing Prutt.

Kamente Tower taking the chance to vent some anger is pretty normal.”

”Do you actually believe what you just said?” Felis rolled his eyes angrily. ”Before they even arrive at Sia Tower, who would go out of their way to offend colleagues who share the same backing?

Even if those two sides don’t get along, they’d still find each other more pleasing than outsiders!

Their interests are aligned; they absolutely wouldn’t fall out with their own people over some small fry from outside.

Isn’t the Tower of Dark Enigma the same?

There’s no shortage of conflict between Ruth and Nicholson either!

But when they were dealing with Kamente Tower, the two of them were united as hell!

If Kamente Tower had squatted in the Tower of Dark Enigma for so long without learning at least that much, he’d have been dead and buried ages ago.”

”Heh heh~” Russell chuckled softly. ”I also know there’s something else going on in there.

And it’s very likely tied to that Potion you took.

So that’s why I said, once Prutt dies, you’ll be able to come out.

That thing... is definitely going to blow up into something big.

When that happens, anyone associated with him, other than the victims, probably won’t have a way out.

Kamente Tower has probably realized this too, so he pulled out early... and he’s most likely already reported the whole matter to Sia Tower.

They’re busy tearing each other apart over there; who has the spare time to care about a Seventh Circle Mage who even managed to screw up something this small?”

”Your intel is so good it makes me think you’re an Archmage already.” Felis finally managed to grasp the meaning behind Russell’s words, and said in a somewhat baffled tone, ”Can you already act in Master Gilbert’s name?”

”Teacher has given me all the permissions for the Side Tower.” Russell replied with a beaming smile. ”That of course includes the authority to request information from Archmage Ruth’s side.

As long as it’s intel circulating within the upper levels of our faction, I can read it.”

”You don’t need to worry about your own future either, Felis.” Carpenter tilted her head. ”After all, the fact that you’re being hidden by us is basically just an open secret.

Right now, you only touch on that so‑called face issue... After all, so many mages actually failed to kill a single apprentice like you.

But since news of Russell having advanced to official mage long ago has already spread, even though it’s kind of embarrassing that a Seventh Circle Mage never properly played out even the lowest Level of mage, thanks to our Master Gilbert’s great reputation, it still just barely passes.

So as long as we keep hiding you, all the excitement in the Magic Tower right now has nothing to do with us, as long as we don’t intend to get involved.

And we really don’t have any such intention.

When the time comes, since you’re still on the Tower of Dark Enigma’s rolls at least, you’ll be able to read all the books our Side Tower copied from the Great Library.

With the stockpile our teacher left behind, by the time you’ve finished reading all of it, Prutt will probably have managed to screw himself over too.

Right, Brother Russell?

From how Aislin’s been acting these days, it’s obvious she has no intention of watching Prutt walk peacefully into Sia Tower.

”You two... do you have some news from Archmage Ruth?” Felis reacted sharply.

”Three years.” Russell shook his head. ”He didn’t say much more, but Archmage Ruth wants us not to be stingy with resources, and to make absolutely sure our strength hits its peak within three years.

He even made a point of stressing that we shouldn’t hoard too much. There’ll be plenty of time later to sort ourselves out again.

Those words...”

”Are also good news.” Carpenter added lightly. ”If Sia Tower hadn’t been in such turmoil lately, we’d definitely run into a lot of little ’problems’ once we went in.

Those big shots aside, the ones who are really troublesome are always those middle and lower ranks—the ones with just enough power to make things difficult exactly where we need something from them!

The big shots think in terms of big interests; the small fry only think about how to bring home another scrap of cloth for the family.

They couldn’t care less what grand vision the Tower Master has for the newcomers... all they’ll see is a flock of fat sheep walking in, and the sheep are even bringing their own green pasture.”

She didn’t finish, nor spell it out, but the two listening both understood what she truly meant: right now, Aislin’s seemingly brainless, berserk behavior, and the fact that not a single Tower Master, not even Prutt’s nominal faction leader, Archmage Karmante of Kamente Tower, has stepped out to stop her, is precisely to showcase their own strength and bottom line to Sia Tower.

They may have no choice but to leave home and move onto someone else’s turf, but they’re not going there to be second-class citizens.

Their previous silence was only because they didn’t understand the situation in Sia Tower... but the moment the opposite side’s internal discord became obvious—even if that discord might be staged—they weren’t going to let themselves look that cheap.

You’re the one who handed over this chance to establish prestige, aren’t you?

”But... is Sia Tower really in-fighting?” Felis murmured, dazed. ”All those people, all those years, it was almost enough to make you believe it was a mountain that would never crumble, pressing down on our heads... how could it?

Just because of a Dragon?

Why?”

”Who knows?” Russell said with a cheerful smile. ”Anyway, your main task right now is advancing to Mage. Why bother thinking about so much?

There are plenty of people above our heads to worry about that!”

”Do you realize that the confidence you’re carrying now is enough to scare people?” Felis fixed his gaze on him.

”Heh~” Russell shot him a look for him to interpret on his own. ”I’ve said everything I can.

Seeing you still full of energy, Carpenter can set her mind at ease and go study her Basic Spells.

Heh~ before our teacher comes out, if she hasn’t familiarized herself with even First Level Spells, the one suffering won’t just be her, it’ll be me too!”

Carpenter jerked her head up... had Brother Russell already figured out the reason for her gloom these days?

She really had been thinking about this problem all along.

Once Master Gilbert realized she lacked enough Talents, tended to overthink, and kept letting vanity crush her rationality, he clearly no longer planned to choose her as a Legitimate Line student.

Otherwise, her basic training wouldn’t have been completely handed over to Russell, and afterward he wouldn’t have so rarely called her over alone for discussion... Carpenter, who had always felt a bit insecure about her own Talents, belatedly realized that at the very beginning, Master Gilbert had not treated her and Russell any differently.

It was only because she was used to hiding behind her brother that it seemed like there was less interaction between her and the teacher.

It was later on that Gilbert gave up on her.

Not because of her Talents, but because she herself hadn’t fought for it... Carpenter didn’t really resent anyone for that. Everything was her own doing.

The fact that Master Gilbert gave her a fair environment at the start already deserved her deep gratitude.

Russell had also been dragging her along to study together. It was she herself who dove headfirst into the trap her vanity had set, clinging to the Illusion Technique as if it were a lifeline, refusing to let go.

It’s not like Master Gilbert hadn’t warned her... even if it hadn’t been obvious.

But being a Mage is inherently a Profession of self-realization and self-choice; if you can’t think things through yourself, nothing anyone says will help.

And even if it’s your own family, your own student, a proper Mage will rarely take the initiative to interfere in the other’s life choices... people like Rolando and the others only acted that way because they were certain they could suppress beings weaker than themselves.

Yet in the end, didn’t they still fail?

Thinking back on her own stupidity during this time, though each memory pricked like a needle, everything that had happened was her own responsibility.

So of course she alone could bear the consequences.

But even if all she’d done was restore her life to the path she’d originally envisioned, how could regret and sorrow possibly be avoided?

Her large eyes shimmered with a trace of tears as she smiled up at Russell. ”I understand now, brother.”