✦ Chapter 86 – The Punishment (3) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
The exchange meeting hall, nestled within the spire at the heart of the Black Territory…
“……………….!”
The attendees were still reeling from the shock.
They stared in stunned silence at the staircase that had descended from the sky—at the giant teddy bear, frozen mid-air like a celestial sculpture; the sheer power displayed was awe-inspiring, almost beautiful in its execution.
All gazes eventually settled on the Inspector of the Imperial Magic Tower.
Despite having thousands of eyes on him, the Inspector showed no signs of being intimidated. He calmly chewed on the sunweed in his mouth.
The Imperial Magic Tower is actually attending the exchange meeting?
How can an Inspector possess such power?
What in the world is going on?
Countless questions filled their minds, but…
“Mages, bear witness to the Black Tower’s crimes.”
With a single command, the Inspector silenced their doubts. Indeed, the most pressing matter at hand was the Black Tower’s transgression.
Agnes, at a gesture from Ezekiel, unleashed her telekinetic powers.
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Scrolls, prepared in abundance, flew through the air, landing at the feet of attendees and representatives alike; their proximity allowed mages to easily peruse their contents.
“What?!”
“Goodness…!”
At the same time, cries of shock and disbelief filled the air.
“This is insane…!”
Each of the Black Tower’s documented crimes was egregious on its own, but to see so many listed, one after another, was truly appalling.
“Black Tower Master—!”
The Red Tower Master was the first to speak out, his eyes blazing with an intensity that reflected his fiery nature.
“To think you would dabble in forbidden necromancy, a practice outlawed by the Empire… How could you stoop so low?! You’ve betrayed the very principles of magic!”
Teddy Divine, however, remained impassive, her face an unreadable mask.
“Tsk. Typical Red Tower. So dramatic. You’re hurting my ears.”
“Didn’t the Black Tower constantly complain about being oppressed by the Imperial Magic Tower? But all this time, you were engaging in forbidden practices behind our backs?! How dare you!”
“Forbidden?”
Teddy Divine scoffed.
“Don’t be so naive, Red Tower Master. The Black Tower’s purpose is to explore the depths of black magic. Why should dabbling in necromancy be a problem?”
“You…!”
The Red Tower Master’s face flushed red with anger, his temper flaring.
“You used bandits to procure bodies for your research! Innocent lives were lost because of you! Don’t even try to deny it! I thought the Black Tower shared our commitment to upholding justice!”
“Justice is a word we’re rather fond of too, you know~”
Teddy Devine smiled leisurely.
“We’ll gladly uphold your precious ‘justice’ once the Black Tower reigns supreme. If that’s our goal, wouldn’t you call it a righteous cause? Or am I wrong?”
“Can you say the same to the souls who died unjustly, turned into lab rats for your twisted experiments?!”
“Of course! Their insignificant lives were used for something far greater—the advancement of the Black Tower! They should consider it an honor!”
“You’ve gone mad! You will face divine retribution for your sins!”
However, Teddy simply shrugged.
“I thought you’d applaud us for our dedication, but your reactions are rather… disappointing. Perhaps the other towers lack ambition?”
“We have no desire to gain strength by sacrificing innocent lives! We fuel our flames with our own passion!”
The Red Tower Master gritted his teeth, his voice laced with disdain.
“Black Tower… You’re no longer a collective of mages! You’re a den of depraved fiends and criminals!”
“Oh~ My ears are hurting from all this noise….”
Teddy yawned, picking at her ear with a bored expression..
“The other towers get praised for anything they do. If they focus on magical research, they receive accolades and support… But us? We can’t even breathe without being accused of wrongdoing!”
Teddy let out a hollow laugh.
“We get discriminated against just because demons are among us, and suspicion for merely studying magic? Do you know how gruesome a time we’ve endured?”
“Stop with your absurd justifications! Have you learned nothing about reaping what you sow?! You’re treated with suspicion and prejudice because of these very atrocities! You will be brought to justice this day!”
“Who gets punished….”
Teddy’s eyes darkened ominously.
“…I’ll decide. You insolent old man.”
Thump—
Thump—
Suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat echoed throughout the hall.
Thump—
Thump—
The ground and walls vibrated, the sound far too loud to have originated from a human body. The mages exchanged shocked glances, finally realizing what they were hearing.
“Black Tower Master…! Is finally showing her true form…!”
“That’s right~ This tower itself… is one gigantic corpse.”
Teddy grinned.
“What, did you think we made no preparations at all?”
Her small chuckle grew into maniacal laughter.
“We’ve perfected our corpse explosion research long ago! The walls of this tower are packed with uncountable corpses! Just imagine the carnage once they all detonate!”
The Red Tower Master felt a chill run down his spine.
This wasn’t just malice…
Teddy was consumed by pure, unadulterated evil.
“…Black Tower Master, why? What is the meaning of this?!”
“Such a silly question~ What better ingredient is there than the corpses of mages? The more of you who die here today, the better! It’ll only strengthen the Black Tower!”
The representatives of each magic tower fell silent.
They were not afraid of battle. Confident in their abilities, they were willing to welcome any necessary fight.
However…
The Red Tower Master’s gaze swept across the audience.
The hall was packed with mages.
These individuals, who’d gathered to witness the advancements in the world of magic, were now hostages. That was the real problem.
‘If the entire spire were to explode, the scale of the damage would be…’
Immeasurable. Any scenario, even the least devastating one, would still be catastrophic.
“Black Tower Master, you have desecrated this sacred exchange meeting,” the Red Tower Master growled.
“Nonsense. No one here embodies the spirit of the exchange meeting more than I do.”
“What?!”
“The exchange meeting was designed to weed out the weak and elevate the strong. Well, to put it simply…”
Teddy, her eyes pitch black, smirked.
“Consider this… a purification of the magical world!”
The Tower Masters were speechless.
‘How can someone harbor such profound malice…?’
Each tower had spent the last decade diligently pursuing progress.
But what the Black Tower had prepared was not progress but revenge. Their ambition and greed were solely to turn all towers into corpses and absorb them entirely.
“Now then~”
At that moment, Teddy raised a single finger.
“I have a proposition for you esteemed Tower Masters. An opportunity to save the mages in the audience!”
An opportunity to save the audience?
The Tower Master’s eyes narrowed.
“All you have to do is stay out of our way while the Black Tower punishes the arrogant Imperial Magic Tower. That’s it.”
“…………..…!”
“Witness the true power of the Black Tower! You’ll be begging to join us soon enough! You’ll come crawling on your knees, pleading for our alliance!”
“……….….”
A shocking declaration; a preposterous proposition.
Teddy, essentially, wanted to usurp the Imperial Magic Tower’s authority—to take their place as the dominant power in the magical world.
The Tower Masters fell into a tense silence, each weighing their options.
The Black Tower’s crimes were undeniable, but with nearly a thousand mages held hostage, the stakes were incredibly high.
As they hesitated, unsure of how to proceed…
“That’s preposterous!”
A young Elder from the Blue Tower stepped forward.
It was Seina, a skilled ice magic user, her white hair neatly braided and resting on her shoulder.
“If we give in to their demands, it’ll never end. We cannot stand idly by.”
Teddy scoffed at her defiance.
“Ooh~ our esteemed Blue Tower elder! I see we have many Blue Tower mages in the audience as well! I do hope your decision doesn’t lead to too many of them losing their lives today!”
“…Fear not death,” Seina replied calmly.
“It is by the will of Seolgwi that we stand. No Blue mage here today will die with shame.”
“Oh~ so the Blue Tower is the only one siding with the Imperial Magic Tower?”
Seina bit her lower lip tightly.
‘I never expected such a proposal.’
It was a blatant manipulation, but terrifyingly effective. Logically, she should follow the lead of the other Tower Masters and prioritize the safety of her own mages.
Even the Red Tower Master, who’d been so vocal just a moment ago, had fallen silent. No matter the circumstance, their own mages always came first.
‘If the Black Tower gains the upper hand today, it’ll only lead to disaster. The Imperial Magic Tower did a commendable job gathering evidence, so if the Blue Tower can help turn the tide…’
As Seina weighed her options…
“Black Tower Master, have you finished writing your will?”
The chilling voice cut through the tension like an icicle.
A voice laced with frost.
Every gaze in the hall swiveled away from the Black Tower Master.
Ezekiel.
The Imperial Magic Tower Inspector had finally spoken.
Agnes, standing by his side, recalled what Ezekiel had murmured to her on their way here.
—We cannot resort to force immediately.
—Every tower must understand the situation.
—We need to create an atmosphere of support for the Imperial Magic Tower first.
And…
…he’d done just that.
The representatives from each Magic Tower were now solely focused on the Imperial Magic Tower, their expressions a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
Half of them wanted to see what he would do, the other half desperately hoped he’d offer a solution. Agnes could read their emotions clearly.
The time for the Inspector to act had come.
Had he moved to punishment right away, chaos would have surely ensued, with mages who hadn’t fully grasped the situation causing disorder.
However, Ezekiel had been incredibly astute.
‘…Did the Inspector foresee all of this?’
Agnes was overcome with a new wave of respect for Ezekiel’s foresight.
Meanwhile, Teddy simply smirked.
“Imperial Magic Tower Inspector, you seem quite confident?”
Ezekiel didn’t respond to the taunt.
Instead, he focused on the chill he’d been subtly channeling through his feet into the ground. He’d managed to freeze all of the corpses hidden within the tower walls without anyone noticing.
It had been a meticulous task to freeze only the insides of the corpses without leaving any visible signs.
In other words, this spire wouldn’t be exploding today.
The preparations for punishment were complete.
“You said the exchange meeting weeds out weak magic.”
“……………?”
“You’re right.”
Ice spears began to materialize around him, their tips glittering menacingly.
“Today…”
Finally, Ezekiel took a step forward.
“We will be weeding out the Black Tower from the world of magic.”