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A blinding light flashed. Though Trudy held a low rank, she was still a priestess of Seiya, possessing some degree of resistance to magic. Yet, the lightning struck her directly, without the slightest hindrance.

“Aah!”

With a scream, Trudy fell dead. The event happened so suddenly that her face, in death, showed no sign of fear. There was only a hint of bewilderment in her expression.

The man nodded as he confirmed Trudy’s heart had stopped.

“Taken care of.”

He walked over to the desk and picked up one of Trudy’s manuscripts. From his coat, he pulled out a metal rod about 30 centimeters long.

Laying the rod horizontally, he placed it against the manuscript and muttered.

“Scanning.”

A veil of light emanated from the rod, scanning over the manuscript.

After a moment, he set the manuscript down and picked up a blank sheet of paper. He then dripped a few drops of ink onto it, moved the rod over the paper, and slowly moved it from top to bottom.

“Printing.”

The ink moved as if dancing, inscribing letters onto the blank paper. It perfectly replicated the handwriting of the manuscript, mimicking Trudy’s penmanship to create a new letter. The letter conveyed that, having suddenly felt Seiya’s calling, she had departed on a pilgrimage and should not be sought after.

Having crafted the fake letter flawlessly, the man packed the manuscripts into a bag. He thoroughly searched the house, ensuring there were no separate sheets with the manuscript’s content written on them.

After erasing all traces, the man hoisted Trudy’s corpse over his shoulder and silently walked out of the cabin.

* * *

The great circular hall was filled with countless magicians seated and watching the center. In the middle, a middle-aged man in his early fifties was speaking to the magicians, with a massive chart displayed beside him.

“…Thus, we discovered and researched various artifacts within Dungeon Pieta. And we were able to achieve some satisfactory results.”

This place was Maragrand Tower, the historic magical society of the Graim Kingdom. Along with the Mystical Council of Hallein and the Sun Tower of the Holy Basutalon Empire, it was one of the three major magical societies on the continent. Announcements of new magical theories or discoveries of relics from the Age of Silver often came through these magical societies.

The man currently giving the speech on the platform was named Atres, one of less than ten 9th-circle magicians on the continent.

Generally, those who surpassed the 8th circle were referred to as Archmages and were highly revered. Atres, known for his peculiar disposition, was no exception. Most archmages, upon reaching such a level, would establish a magic tower, nurture disciples, or serve as court magicians, enjoying a comfortable life. However, Atres, with his strong wanderlust, did not cease his activities as a dungeon explorer even after reaching the 9th circle. Even past fifty, he continued to explore and research dungeons across the continent.

“The things I discovered in Dungeon Pieta…”

Whenever Atres announced his findings from Dungeon Pieta, the magicians in the hall looked at him with envious eyes.

“He’s achieved another great feat…”

“As expected of a 9th-circle archmage, accomplishing such a feat alone…”

Dungeon exploration was perilous, even for Aura Users, who often risked their lives if they ventured with small groups. (The tale of Sir Altian, the foolish Aura User of the Vasily Kingdom, is quite famous.) However, Atres, after entering the 9th circle, did not assemble large exploration teams like other dungeon explorers.

He explored dungeons with just a few disciples, without warriors or priests, earning a reputation for eccentricity. But this approach had its advantages. Without incurring large costs, he could monopolize all the relics. Naturally, the benefits were immense.

Atres was not only a powerful magician but also one of the wealthiest individuals in the Graim Kingdom.

“From the performance and magical flow of these relics, I was able to conceive a concept of modifying several existing spells to be faster, consume less mana, and increase their power.”

Atres turned the chart with a smug smile. On the chart was a comprehensive description of a new magical theory.

A thousand years ago, magicians never shared their knowledge with others. However, times had changed significantly, and now new theories were being announced through the magical societies.

By sharing knowledge, the level of magical studies had greatly advanced, and the number of magicians had increased dramatically. One of the main contributors to humanity’s dominance over the continent was these three major magical societies.

Despite this, the societies remained exclusive. Only magicians of the 6th circle and above were allowed to attend these presentations. Additionally, magicians had to pay substantial annual fees to be part of the association. The theories presented were often broad overviews, with critical parts still kept secret.

The belief that knowledge equated to power, and only the qualified could possess it, remained unchanged among magicians, both past and present.

Atres raised his voice and began to calmly explain the new magical theory.

“The difference between this theory and the existing ones is…”

On the second-floor balcony of the hall, where many magicians were focused on the presentation, there were royal seats reserved for distinguished guests. These seats were for high-ranking nobles who had contributed—specifically, donated—significantly to the Maragrand Society, even if they weren’t magicians.

For non-magicians, listening to complex magical theories was usually boring, so the royal seats were often empty. However, today, for some reason, two men occupied the royal seats, looking down at the platform with serious expressions.

A young man with black hair looked around and murmured.

“At this time, Maragrand was quite prosperous.”

A middle-aged nobleman sitting next to him asked curiously.

“What are you talking about, Teslon? When did the Maragrand Society ever fall into decline?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way, Duke Iranad.”

Teslon shook his head.

In fact, in his previous life, the Maragrand Society had lost its reputation as one of the three major societies and had significantly declined. This was due to the worst magician in history emerging from Delphia, one of the towers under Maragrand’s authority.

The Emperor of the Dark Empire, Repenhardt.

After producing the Demon King, who had descended upon this world, the Maragrand Society was continually monitored and checked by other countries on the continent. They lost most of their authority to the Mystical Council and the Sun Tower, and the high-ranking members of the society were treated like criminals, under constant surveillance. This was due to the fear that another monster like him might be born.

‘Honestly, it must have been unfair for Maragrand,’ he thought.

Recalling the information from his past life, Teslon chuckled.

The fact that the Demon King Repenhardt had reached such legendary heights was purely due to his own talent, not because of the Maragrand Society.

‘Honestly, that guy would have reached that level no matter where he was placed.’

When Repenhardt left the magic tower at the age of twenty-seven, he was a late 6th-circle magician. Compared to his talent, this was actually a very low level. The magicians of Delphia, fearing his abilities, had almost ceased teaching him and restricted his access to knowledge after the 4th circle.

Once he was out in the world and properly exposed to magical knowledge, Repenhardt’s growth rate was terrifying. He broke records every year, rapidly advancing through the 7th and 8th circles, and eventually became a 9th-circle archmage at the age of thirty. If he hadn’t been restricted, he might have reached the pinnacle of magic in his early twenties.

‘So why am I progressing so slowly?’

Teslon glanced down at his hands with a dissatisfied expression.

Despite having the brain of the Demon King, he was still stuck at the late 6th circle. Thanks to the Sage of Silver, he had access to all the magical knowledge he desired, yet this was his situation. It felt like he was always on the verge of entering the 7th circle, but that final step was frustratingly elusive.

‘How can someone with the same brain easily advance without being taught, while I struggle even with all the answers laid out for me…?’

Considering that the Demon King couldn’t fully control his own body, it wasn’t something to be upset about, but Teslon still felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

As Teslon wore a sullen expression, Atres finished his presentation.

“…This concludes the presentation on the new magical theory.”

The magicians applauded. The new magical theory was named the “Atresian Mana Utilization Method,” officially recording his name in the annals of magical history.

For magicians, formally leaving their name in the history of magical studies was a great honor. Everyone looked at Atres with eyes full of envy.

Preparing for the next part of his presentation, Atres suddenly smiled. The main topic of the day was just beginning.

“Most of these artifacts are already known to the world. What I have achieved is not merely about these.”

He took out a small necklace from his chest. It was an ancient artifact known as the Necklace of Warmth, whose name he had deciphered from ancient texts.

“This is the Necklace of Warmth, an artifact that keeps its wearer at an optimal body temperature in any cold environment.”

The mages began to murmur in curiosity. Compared to previous presentations, this artifact seemed rather unimpressive. As if he had expected this, Atres continued speaking.

“This Necklace of Warmth does not merely protect the wearer from the cold.”

He turned the chart over.

“As you can see…”

The chart recorded the physical measurements of several samples wearing the necklace.

Before wearing, while wearing, and after wearing.

The more frequently the necklace was worn, the more visibly the wearer’s physical statistics changed, clearly shown in numbers.

“I discovered that even those who do not wear the Necklace of Warmth become more resilient to cold after improving their constitution this way.”

Only then did the mages’ eyes light up. There are many spells and magical tools that change the wearer’s state or conditions. However, those changes are always temporary.

All existing magic loses its effect once the mana dissipates, and the body returns to its original state. The only way to permanently alter the body is through the divine spells of priests.

“This artifact can permanently change the wearer’s body. While we don’t yet understand the principle behind this activation…”

Teslon frowned as he looked at the artifact in Atres’s hand. It was a rather familiar item, one he had personally used in Friesland.

“That, isn’t that a forbidden item?”

“Yes, it’s a forbidden item.”

“But can we just let him present it like that?”

“What can we do? If we had known in advance, we would have done something, but it’s already been presented.”

“Are we just going to leave it like this?”

“The author is a 9th-circle mage. It would be too unnatural for someone of that level to die suddenly. If we’re not careful, the existence of the Silver Sage could be exposed.”

Duke Iranad, who had been attentively listening to the presentation, quietly smiled. He mumbled to himself as he stroked his chest.

“With knowledge at that level, it’s within the permissible range. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario of having to assassinate the author here has been avoided.”

Duke Iranad looked down at his feet. Hidden by the balcony, there was a large crystal plate reflecting all the mages in the hall.

“Still, we must retrieve the other Necklaces of Warmth.”

Teslon also examined the true nature of that crystal plate. It was an artifact from the Age of Silver known as the ‘Window of Truth’. This artifact had the ability to discern the psychology of the person reflected in it by analyzing minute expressions and changes in the pupils.

Several of the mages reflected on the crystal surface were marked with a red light.

“Remember these individuals. They might possess another Necklace of Warmth.”

They were all mages who had shown specific reactions during Atres’s presentation. Simply put, they were identified by their facial expressions as those who thought, ‘Ah, I have that artifact too? Is that what it does?’

If someone tried to forcibly read their memories using mental magic like mind reading, the mages would likely notice something was amiss. However, observing and interpreting their expressions from a distance like this gave them no way to detect it.

Teslon clicked his tongue as he memorized their names.

“The Silver Sages handle things in such a troublesome manner.”

Just thinking about secretly monitoring these individuals and discreetly stealing the Necklace of Warmth made him feel exhausted. Couldn’t he just kill them all?

Duke Iranad shook his head.

“Remember this: It is easy to deceive everyone for a while or to deceive a few forever, but it is never easy to deceive everyone forever. It is because we have been so cautious that the world still does not know of the existence of the Silver Sages.”

As he packed the crystal plate, the Window of Truth, Duke Iranad continued in a serious tone.

“Humanity must remain unaware of the existence of the Silver Sages. If people knew that someone was looking after them, humanity would never achieve proper progress. The Silver Sages are guardians from the shadows, not leaders or rulers of humanity.”