BEM: Chapter 30 – Catch the Genius #1

Catch the Genius #1

‘The Blue Tower Master!’ Theodore’s mind went blank as he realized what that short title meant .

The magic towers, which defended the Meltor Kingdom, divided their magicians into five stages . It wasn’t as strict as noble titles, but magicians did have to treat those higher than them with respect .

New members who had just entered the magic tower were Basic, while those with some experience were called Average .

People who built up fame and merits were Superior, whereas veterans recognized as pioneers of the magic tower were Prime .

Finally, the wise person praised as the master of the tower was Supreme .  The Supreme was the absolute magician and could be called more precious than the seven sword masters of the Andras Kingdom . They were also the backbone of the Meltor Kingdom .

The old man standing in front of him was the top magician of the Blue Tower, a Supreme rank!

“B-Bergen Academy’s third grade student, Theodore Miller greets Tower Master!” Theodore bowed belatedly as he realized the situation .

This caused Blundell to stroke his beard and laugh . “Huhu, there is no need to be so uptight! It is good to be polite, but don’t bow down too much . Isn’t that right, Vince?”

“Hah…that’s right . ” Vince immediately replied with a dour expression . It was a shameless approach to someone who seemed to dislike him . Either way, he was a difficult person for Vince to deal with .

Blundell was the master of a magic tower, yet he had approached under the pretense of a pleasant old man .  So, he might have approached with an ulterior motive . Vince thought like this and naturally covered for Theo .

“So, what happened?” Vince had a headache because he hadn’t thought the master of a magic tower would approach them, but his troubles didn’t end here .

As annoyance stiffened Vince’s face, Blundell took a step back . It seemed like he knew how disruptive he was . A personality which didn’t know how to quit was bad .  “Hmm, ahem . It isn’t anything big . It’s just that it has been a long time since you came to the capital, so I wanted to see what happened . Furthermore, I couldn’t believe the rumour that Vince brought a disciple . ”

“The rumour has already spread?”

“What else would be interesting in these narrow towers? They have no choice but to be curious about the people from outside . ” Blundell shrugged a few times, but it was more scary than charming .

Theodore was curious about how Blundell had exercised to get that type of body .

Just then, Blundell turned to face him again . “Huhu, the more I see, the more I like you . If I hadn’t met another child, then I might have tried to take your disciple . ”

“You can’t just say that… Wait . ” Vince’s eyes widened as he realized something strange .

It was a matter of grave importance if the Blue Tower Master had taken a disciple . No matter how indifferent Vince was to the news, it was a matter he would’ve definitely heard about .  He remembered that the Red Tower Master and Blue Tower Master didn’t have students yet, which was why he had tried to avoid them .

“…Does Blue Tower Master have a disciple?”

Blundell laughed at the expected reaction, “Huhuhu, don’t be surprised . ”

It was a laugh to show off his well-raised child . This was an expression which fit well with the phrase, ‘a stupid face . ’ Blundell puffed up his thick chest muscles with a face filled with pride .  It was obvious right away that he wanted to boast .

“Your pupil is good, but this year’s tournament winner has already been decided . ”

“What are you talking abo…”

As Vince spoke, a voice announcing the result of a match rang out in the waiting room .

 

[Stadium 4, the match between Marcus Giovanni and Sylvia has ended . With a time of 24 seconds, it is participant Sylvia’s victory . Marcus will exit the tournament with three tokens . ]

 

‘…24 seconds?’

The people in the waiting room doubted their ears . It was a difficult record to destroy three crystals in 24 seconds, even if magic was fired from the very start .  It would be impossible unless the opponent had stood still like a scarecrow or if they had minimal defense .

In other words, the winner of Stadium 4 had completely overwhelmed the opponent .  As dozens of gazes focused on the exit of Stadium 4, one person was stroking his beard with a pleased expression .

Kkiiik…

The door of the Magic Society facility opened and someone entered .  The pale magical lights in the room didn’t blind them like the sun, but people still rubbed their eyes as they gazed at the exit .

It was because ‘she’ had a brilliant presence around her .

‘Silver hair…?’

Theo’s eyes narrowed as he couldn’t help feeling in awe .  

Her hair was like white snow, and her skin underneath it was also fair .  The girl’s two eyes were as blue as a clear lake and blended with the blue robes she was wearing . Every time she blinked, there was a mysterious dazzle of magic power .

Dozens of tokens were hanging from a large staff which seemed disproportionate with her body .  While everyone was shocked by the presence of the gorgeous and strange girl, she headed toward the three people with a casual walk .

“Master . ”

“Ohh, good work!”

Blundell laughed and opened his arms, but the girl turned away from him without any hesitation .  The old man’s expression became grouchy at the girl’s cold response, but he soon returned to normal like this exchange was normal .

He patted her head and told the other two people, “The introduction was delayed . This is the child who I have been teaching secretly for a while, Sylvia . ”

“…Hello,” a calm voice entered their ears . It was a voice which showed no emotions, just like her eyes . Most young men would lose their composure if she spoke to them .

Indeed, Theo was astonished by her presence, but it was for a reason other than her beauty . It was due to Alfred’s sensitivity which allowed him to glimpse her reality .  It said that she was an opponent Theodore Miller couldn’t beat!

‘No way…! That girl is stronger than the hobgoblin chief?!’

He doubted it a few times, but his inner conviction never wavered . His intuition was telling him that the Blue Tower Master’s disciple, Sylvia, was much more formidable than the hobgoblin chief .

The strength of a magician couldn’t be judged just through common sense . However, when comparing the appearance and superiority between Theo and Sylvia, he couldn’t help feeling incompatible .

“Hrmm―? It seems like you are interested in Sylvia . ” Blundell saw Theo’s trembling eyes and sent him a wry smile . “Why don’t the two of you have a match? Isn’t this a chance to show Sylvia a wonderful appearance?”

The joke wasn’t funny . Theodore now realize why Vince had been sneaky regarding the magic towers .  There was no way a top magician wouldn’t be able to know Sylvia’s skill after seeing her . If he was stupid enough to nod here, he would lose five tokens and Vince’s reputation would take a hit .

Theo took his eyes off Sylvia and refused the invitation . “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to refuse . Right now, I can only show you an unsightly appearance . ”

Did her interest disappear? Sylvia’s gaze moved away from Theodore .

He felt some regret, but it would be stupid to compete with her right now . It was brave to challenge opponents who were hard to beat, but challenging opponents he couldn’t win was just foolishness .

Blundell also clicked his tongue at the answer . “…It is too bad . Then I hope you two will fight later . ”

With those words, Blundell turned around, and Sylvia bowed before following him .  As soon as the two people who boasted different types of presences disappeared, the tension in the room was released . The combination of a muscular old man and a girl with silver hair was truly strange .

However, Theo and Vince were still tense .

Vince was the one who opened his mouth first, “…What about the booked restaurant?”

“Unfortunately, it will have to be for later . ”

The certainty in victory after his first match had been blown away by an encounter with the strong .  Sylvia, the disciple of the Blue Tower Master, Blundell Adruncus…

She had the magician genius which Theo had been longing for since childhood . The fact that she was a disciple despite being younger than him proved this fact .  An unknown feeling which might be jealousy or longing exploded in his stomach .

“It is best to avoid her and aim for a high ranking . ”

“I know that is easy . ”

A genius like her wouldn’t appear that often . The majority of participants would fall victim to her and be eliminated from the tournament rankings .  It would be easy for Theo to find people to collect the tokens from and rise in the rankings .

Challenging Sylvia was a foolish act .

“Even so, I want to challenge her . ”

The genius recognized by the Blue Tower Master, an existence born with the talent Theo didn’t possess… However, Theo couldn’t regret his talent now . The grimoire he got his hands on was a genius like Sylvia, giving him a talent that might be comparable to her natural one .

Due to this, he wanted to compete against her even more .

“I think it is a ridiculous and foolish choice . But…” A crack appeared on Vince’s cold face .  It was the face of a beast which had been seen often during his days as a war magician, the Red Tower’s ‘Fire Killer Vince . ’

“My blood is boiling after a long time . I want shock to appear on the face of that old man . ”

“Oh, that is good . I want to see it too . ” Theo agreed .

“It really is a great relationship when hearts connect . I didn’t think you would be so motivated . ”

Vince pulled out his wallet from the space pocket and stared into it with narrowed eyes .  Then he muttered in a moderate tone, “Let’s go to the artifact stores and bookstores . Tell me if you want anything . ”

After 10 years of fighting on the battlefield, this was the moment that the thick wallet opened widely .