Chapter 50: What’s going on with you and the Master? 

“It’s Rita.”  

“Blena, Seth, and the noble boy are here too.”  

A small murmur spread through the mages’ tents.  

The Mage Tower’s mages parted, whispering as they spotted Rita and her companions arriving unannounced.  

“What’s that? They said Seth was badly injured, but he looks fine.”  

“The Saint was there. His arm was definitely torn off earlier.”  

“Wasn’t it Rita who saved Seth from that monster?”  

“She used to be just an annoying peer, but now she’s the oracle’s chosen or whatever… can’t even badmouth her anymore.”  

“Who’s the guy behind Rita? He’s handsome.”  

“They say he came with the Lihanes Order’s knights. Some kind of foreigner.”  

“Kuyan? Weren’t they all wiped out?”  

As Rita paused to assess the situation at the Mage Tower’s tents, all sorts of comments flew around.  

Yan’s striking presence didn’t help matters.  

Just as she scanned the area and prepared to leave, Talos and Torgo emerged from the opposite tent.  

So, the Tower Master’s been tending to the mages.  

Catching Rita’s cold glance, Talos hurried over.  

Blena and Seth bowed respectfully, but Rita’s head remained stiff.  

Torgo shot a disapproving look.  

Talos elbowed Torgo lightly, forcing a smile.  

“Rita! What brings you here?”  

Talos welcomed her ostentatiously.  

Blena and Seth followed suit, but Alois, once fawned over as a high noble’s son, was ignored.  

Rita let out a hollow laugh.  

“I heard the mages took heavy losses, so we came to check on things.”  

“Really? Well, thankfully, there aren’t many serious injuries. Though some, shaken by what happened, want to return to the Tower.”  

Rita frowned at the unwelcome news.  

Losing mage manpower in an already dire situation would be problematic.  

But, like Sercia, Rita couldn’t condemn their choice.  

They were lives she had to protect too.  

“…Understood. Send back only those who wish to go.”  

“Got it.”  

Nodding, Talos suddenly tilted his head.  

He’d accepted Rita’s permission too naturally.  

Even Torgo, who often badmouthed Rita, glared as if to say, ‘What are you doing?’

Clearing his throat, Talos noticed Yan.  

“By the way, Rita, I haven’t seen this young man before.”  

“He’s newly joined the pursuit team. Don’t worry about him.”  

“…Is that so?”  

Talos’s cautious gaze landed on Yan.  

Rita’s cold words aside, Yan’s slight contemptuous stare made it impossible to ignore him.  

The clear hostility made Talos ponder.  

Given Rita’s tendency not to keep just anyone close, this stranger likely had her trust.  

She wasn’t one to gossip, but this youth’s reaction suggested he’d heard something about Talos.  

‘What was their relationship?’

Unable to curb his curiosity, Talos shifted topics, awkwardly mentioning Seth.  

“I heard Seth was badly hurt. If even he got injured, don’t you need more mages? He’s from the old pursuit team, but that was a while ago. He’s not on par with active members, is he?”  

His sleazy intent was to insert his own informants.  

Rita’s eyes sharpened at his attitude toward Seth.  

This trash. 

He knows Seth trusts and follows him, yet he can’t even offer concern or praise—just belittles him to his face?  

After Satan’s attack, Seth, already pale, bowed his head like a sinner.  

Blena, too, fidgeted uncomfortably.  

Noticing, Rita’s lips twitched.  

“No need. Blena and Seth have been performing admirably. We don’t need support.”  

“But with Seth getting hurt like that, a few more—”  

“If you’re so concerned for my safety, why not join us yourself? While we’re at it, the elders could come too. Aren’t you and the elders far more reliable than the pursuit team?”  

Torgo recoiled in shock at her jab.  

Talos was no different.  

Following Rita, who harbored resentment or hostility toward them, into that dangerous place? Absurd.  

They’d surely die—by monsters or Rita.  

“I’d love to, but I’m representing the Tower in your place, aren’t I?”  

“Exactly, Rita. You’re young and don’t understand. Fighting monsters on the frontlines is important, but so is coordinating with our allies! I’m negotiating with free mages using my connections as Tower Master.”  

Torgo supported Talos with pathetic enthusiasm.  

It wasn’t wrong, but they had a knack for making valid points sound weak.  

Rita swallowed a scoff.  

“Then once the negotiations are done, you’ll help me, right?”  

Her blunt summary drew everyone’s attention.  

Young mages were already eager for Talos’s feats.  

But as the Tower’s figurehead, Talos stayed at central headquarters.  

Even the elders sent to the frontlines merely hid behind, giving orders.  

It was natural for young mages to feel disappointed.  

They hung on Talos’s response with subtle anticipation.  

“Oh, we’ll finally see the Master in action?”  

“He could take down two or three adults easily, right?”  

“Free mages keep looking down on the Tower. This is our chance to show them.”  

Unsuspecting praise stirred quietly.  

Talos faltered at the expectations.  

Rita had already made a direct proposal, and most of the young mages were clueless.  

As always, Talos casually shifted his demeanor.  

“Alright, we’ll discuss it later.”  

Rita’s eyes narrowed.  

He was slithering out like a snake.  

Normally, she’d let it go, but angrier than usual, she pressed harder.  

“I need to plan our roster, so give me a clear answer now. It’s not ideal timing, but when else can I meet you to bring this up?”  

Her smile was polite, but her golden eyes didn’t laugh.  

Talos sweated under her intense gaze.  

In that brief moment, as he racked his brain, Blena and Seth exchanged puzzled looks.  

“Isn’t Rita being unusually aggressive? Seth, know anything?”  

“No clue.”  

“But the Master’s acting weird too. Why does it feel like he’s dodging joining?”  

Like Blena, Seth was suspicious.  

Rita’s forceful approach was odd, but Talos’s evasive attitude was equally strange.  

Other mages chimed in.  

“Guess the rumors about Rita and the Master splitting are true.”  

“Can’t he just say yes? Why are they staring each other down?”  

“Isn’t Rita just picking a fight because the Master’s busy?”  

“Isn’t it weird? The Master’s busy securing free mage support, but how many of them can actually fight? Most are research-obsessed weirdos. They don’t have supreme-ranks like Rita, so why bother…?”  

Questions bred more questions.  

A pointed doubt sparked whispers among the young mages.  

“More allies are always good, right?”  

“There’s maybe twenty free mages at most. Instead of wasting time negotiating, wouldn’t it be more efficient for the Master and elders to join Rita?”  

“Yeah, that makes sense.”  

“But he’s the Tower Master. It’s risky to go to the frontlines. What if something happens?”  

“What’s the issue? Rita would obviously…”  

The chatter spiraled, reaching a critical point.  

Talos’s safety, the Tower Master’s absence, and Rita.  

As it touched sensitive topics, the young mages quieted, glancing around.  

Older mages, watching silently, snickered.  

“All they do is chant ‘Talos, Talos’ without thinking…”  

“They’ve never smelled the fifth floor’s stench. Even the great Rita could only reach the fourth.”  

The Tower’s fourth floor required elder approval, and the fifth needed Talos’s.  

The fifth was a secretive space for the Tower’s elite, housing its inner workings.  

Few from the current generation had entered, but past generations had, with the elite’s approval.  

Thus, older mages knew the Tower’s dirty secrets.  

Yet, they stayed silent, as staying in the Tower was more profitable than leaving.  

“Damn it…”  

Talos and Torgo, with open ears, couldn’t miss the murmurs.  

As “why” questions surged, they panicked.  

Normally, Torgo would’ve berated Rita for insolence, but he read the room and held back, wary of her fierce gaze.  

Thankfully, Talos was seasoned.  

“Fine, I’ll do it.”  

“You’re promising?”  

Her dry, almost manic smile made Talos sweat again.  

With eyes watching, he agreed to end it but planned to find an excuse later.  

“I’d like to check more, but I feel I’ve dampened the mood. I’ll come back another time.”  

“Alright, take care.”  

Talos finally sighed in relief.  

His eyes met Blena, Seth, and Alois, who were flustered.  

The three mages, bowing reflexively, glanced at each other before hurrying after Rita.  

Talos’s deep green eyes wavered.  

Blena and Seth were one thing, but Alois following Rita?  

Fearing Alois might choose Rita, Talos, clinging to his ties with the Gradius Duchy, paled.  

  ***

“Rita, what’s going on with you and the Master?”  

After leaving the mages’ tents, Seth stopped Rita.  

Blena joined in.  

“Yeah, I thought it was just a small clash, but it seems more serious.”  

Unable to hold back, they pressed her. Rita glanced at Alois.  

It wasn’t a secret anymore since Talos knew, so there was no need to hide.  

“It’s nothing big. We just went our separate ways.”  

Rita kept it brief.  

As long as Talos wore his mask, there was little she could say.  

She wanted to shatter their naive trust, but they had to realize it themselves.  

He’ll help once the free mage negotiations are done?  

Recalling Talos’s flimsy excuse, Rita smirked.  

Then I’ll make sure those negotiations wrap up quickly.