“Gah!”
“Huh!”
The mages beside Baos recoiled in shock, stepping back.
Baos, now frozen, frantically activated his circle, trying to push back the biting cold and shatter the ice.
What…?
But he froze in panic.
The cold was too powerful—impossible to resist.
It seeped into every part of his body, and soon, Baos lost consciousness.
Silence fell.
No one spoke—couldn’t speak. Baos was a 6th Circle high mage, a master of ice magic.
Everyone expected him to break free effortlessly. Yet, against all odds, he didn’t.
He passed out, trapped in the ice.
To subdue Baos, a master of ice, with a single spell and no preparation?
Even a 7th Circle Archmage couldn’t do that.
Every mage present knew this, and fear kept their mouths shut.
Speaking out might land them in Baos’s fate.
But that wasn’t the only reason for their silence.
He said ‘Gaon’…
Is he talking about the first Tower Master?
Wasn’t he supposed to have died decades ago?
And that girl the Vice Tower Master is protecting… she’s Varta Kingdom’s princess…
Not even the Pope of the Holy Empire, its Saintess, or the Emperor of the Rios Empire—currently the continent’s strongest nation—could command such deference from Graxios.
Yet Graxios had bowed deeply, addressing this man as ‘Gaon.’
Every mage here knew that name—the first Tower Master, presumed missing or dead decades ago.
The connection to Luna, a Varta princess, only deepened their confusion.
The silence, seemingly endless, was broken.
“Rise,” Gaon commanded.
Graxios, still bowing, stood. He glanced at Baos, his smile deepening. Gaon’s power hasn’t waned.
Graxios didn’t know what Gaon had been through all these years, but it wasn’t a short time.
He’d worried Gaon’s strength might have diminished, but if anything, it seemed greater.
“Are these ones trustworthy?” Gaon asked.
Graxios replied, “Yes, at the very least, they have no direct ties to the demonic faction.”
“…!”
“!”
The faction mages gasped. Why mention the demonic faction out of nowhere?
And Graxios’s tone was that of a subordinate reporting to a superior.
No one dared comment, though—they just watched. If this was truly Gaon, Graxios’s deference was only natural.
“Hmm, so they’re entangled in human faction conflicts,” Gaon muttered, scanning the mages. Those who met his gaze instinctively looked away.
Not all, though—Luna flinched, hesitated, then lowered her head.
Gaon smiled.
“You carry Varta’s blood.”
Luna looked up cautiously. “Are… are you my great-grandfather Gaon?”
“Yes,” he confirmed.
Luna, startled, dropped to her knees. “Luna Varta, your fifth-generation descendant, greets you.”
“I told Piron to abolish those formalities, but it seems he kept them,” Gaon remarked.
“W-Well…” Luna stammered, unsure how to respond. Piron Varta, Gaon’s brother and the 18th Emperor of Varta, had evidently preserved the old customs.
Gaon laughed heartily. “Haha, it’s not a reprimand—just a thought.” He waved his hand, and Luna rose, not by her own will. She looked at him, flustered.
“It’s fine,” Gaon said, smiling. “I meant to abolish those customs anyway. So, fifth-generation… you’re Lepra’s grandchild?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Luna confirmed.
“How bad is the kingdom’s situation?”
“Well…” Luna hesitated.
Varta’s state was dire, and speaking the truth felt daunting.
In Gaon’s era, Varta Empire was the continent’s mightiest, its golden age.
Yet in mere decades, it had crumbled to near ruin. Admitting this felt like a personal failing.
“It’s alright,” Gaon reassured her. “I know the basics. I just want to know how far the royal family’s authority has fallen.”
Luna steeled herself. “I’ll tell you everything.” She couldn’t hide it forever, nor should she.
With a resolute expression, she detailed the royal family’s weakened authority, Varta’s internal politics, and all she knew.
“…Currently, aside from the Dale Duchy and a few houses, no one listens. At worst, a rebellion could erupt.”
When she finished, Gaon turned to Graxios, who spoke.
“From what I’ve gathered, Nail Kingdom will likely start a war in about three months.”
Luna’s eyes widened, and Graxios continued.
“The nobles undermining the royal family, as Princess Luna mentioned, have already made secret pacts with Nail Kingdom and neighboring nations.”
“Do you know the details of these pacts?” Gaon asked.
“I can find out, but it’ll take time,” Graxios replied.
“Do it. Every fact, every interest, thoroughly.”
“Yes, I obey,” Graxios answered.
Gaon looked at Luna, who was still reeling from the talk of war. Noticing his gaze, she composed herself.
Gaon smiled. “Don’t worry. Everything will return to how it should be.”
“Yes, Grandfather!” Luna replied.
Gaon surveyed the mages Graxios had brought, all visibly confused—a natural reaction. If they weren’t, he’d have been suspicious.
Extending his hand, he pulled the frozen Baos toward him.
“Graxios.”
“Yes.”
“Will his death cause any issues?”
“Are you planning to act openly?” Graxios asked. Gaon had already been overt, but would he continue or conceal his identity moving forward?
“Yes,” Gaon confirmed.
“Then there’s no issue,” Graxios said. If Gaon hid his identity, Baos’s death could complicate things—Baos was skilled and held significant status.
But if Gaon acted openly, any problems would be resolved as they arose.
“Then I’ll interrogate him. Explain things to them—they seem curious,” Gaon said.
“Yes, I obey,” Graxios replied.
Gaon glanced at Rotes, who looked deeply conflicted. “It’s not Graxios.”
“I see,” Rotes said, her expression showing she’d already suspected as much. Graxios hadn’t betrayed the tower.
“Talk with him. It’ll clear things up,” Gaon advised, creating a barrier that blocked sound and sight.
Crack!
Baos’s ice shattered, and Gaon infused Pacheongi to dismantle his seal and Painless Secret Art before waking him.
“…!”
Baos, regaining consciousness, stared at Gaon in shock and activated his circle—or tried to. Gaon had frozen it during the seal’s removal. Baos panicked.
“Three minutes,” Gaon said.
“…?”
Baos frowned, confused.
The confusion didn’t last. “Argh!” Unimaginable pain coursed through his body.
***
“Is it really the Gaon? The first Tower Master?” Rafael, a 6th Circle mage and Graxios’s third-in-command, stammered.
Graxios frowned. “That’s the sixth time you’ve asked.”
“I just… can’t believe it. I heard he died…” Rafael trailed off.
Graxios addressed the mages bombarding him with questions. “Anything else? Not about Gaon.”
“…Is it true Baos betrayed us? Without evidence, won’t that cause problems?” Beth asked cautiously.
All eyes turned to her.
Flinching, she clarified, “I’m not doubting it! I believe you, but others might not. They could make trouble…”
“No need to worry,” Graxios cut in. “There’s evidence.”
The mages sighed in relief.
“Not evidence everyone will accept, though,” Graxios added, and their relief turned back to concern. He smirked at their shifting reactions.
“Don’t worry. Make trouble?” He glanced at the barrier containing Gaon and Baos. “With Gaon? Who would?”
No one could respond.
Who could challenge Gaon?
Not just because he was the first Tower Master, but because he’d subdued a 6th Circle mage like Baos with one spell—an act beyond even a 7th Circle Archmage.
An 8th Circle Archmage.
Who could withstand the fallout of opposing him?
As the mages fell silent, Graxios turned to Rotes and Taylor in the distance.
Rotes’s face was heavy with emotion.
Graxios understood—she’d been the first he’d confided in, revealing everything about Sterun and the tower’s betrayers, backed by evidence. The shock to Rotes, who’d trusted Sterun, was immense.
Swish!
The barrier vanished. All eyes focused—not on Gaon, but on Baos, engulfed in flames.
“Graxios,” Gaon called.
“Yes.”
“Finished explaining?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s move.”
Before Graxios could fully respond, Gaon turned to Rotes. “Rotes, bring the rest slowly. Sort out your feelings.”
“Yes, understood!” Rotes replied.
Gaon took to the sky, flying toward Gardion. Graxios quickly cast Fly and followed.
As they distanced themselves, Graxios cautiously asked, “Is there a reason for moving so quickly?”
They were close—fifteen minutes at most, even with the group.
“I heard something dangerous,” Gaon replied. He’d learned something shocking from Baos’s interrogation, something requiring immediate action.
That’s why he took only Graxios.
“May I ask what?” Graxios pressed.
“The Ritual of Sacrifice,” Gaon answered.
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