The fortnight spent sparring against Veronica, one of the greatest magicians of the present day, was definitely worth it. She was a ferocious attacker and impenetrable defender who kept pushing Theo to his limit with sheer speed and power.

She’s coming. 

Theo had started to instinctively react to the warning of his senses. He took two steps to the right as a thunderbolt lashed the ground where he had just been standing. His body was moving with a fluidity that wasn’t present a fortnight ago. He could also read the movement of mana in the air much quicker, which allowed him to cast spells a step ahead of his thoughts.

A barrage of fire arrows started to rain down on him.

- Arrow Protection.

Theo took one step forward and triggered the water spell. He already had Battle Song active as he smoothly slipped through the rain of arrows while blocking a few with his fist. His movements seemed slightly unnatural, like clothes borrowed from someone else.

Battle Song. Rhapsody of Power. Mezzo Forte.

Theodore’s fist glowed with magic power as he punched a fireball.

Peeeong!

Some of the embers from the scattered fireballs hit his face, but Theo didn’t blink as he kept an eye on Veronica. He knew that losing her for even a single blink was enough to spell defeat.

However, Veronica surpassed even that level of concentration.

“Are you still admiring my illusion?” A chill ran down Theo’s spine as Veronica’s voice rang out behind him. He had missed the moment she had cast an illusion spell when he had been intercepting the fire arrows and fireballs. The figure in front of him shimmered and faded away like a heat mirage.

So I only got this far this time.

She had timed her fireball precisely, and Theo couldn’t see a way out.

Hwaruruk!

Heat washed over him as he felt the fireball near him. It wasn’t a conventional Blaze Shell, but there was no way to stop it at this distance. He had already used the Protection skill a long time ago, and even if he combined Battle Song and Shield, he couldn’t avoid the situation. As a last-ditch effort, he tried to cast Shield with a bitter smile.

Clink.

Something fell into place in his body, like a misaligned cog clicking back into place. The rough magic power slowed for an instant and then accelerated as the 5th Circle started rotating with the other four Circles. As his magic power moved more quickly and smoothly than ever before, Theo unconsciously completed the formula for the 5th Circle defense spell, Protection.

Peeeong!

The wall of blue magic power completely blocked the fireball.

Theo gaped at the shimmering blue wall. “... Eh?”

Theo was delighted at his smooth magic power, and Veronica landed next to him with a bright smile. She realized that Theodore had completely crossed the threshold to the 5th Circle after using Protection.

She grabbed him in a happy hug. “You succeeded! Well done, kid!”

“T-Tower Master. Please let go.” Veronica hadn’t put her robe back on, so Theo’s senses were filled by her scent and soft skin.

However, Veronica didn’t know what was going on in his head and smiled playfully. “When we’re in private, shouldn’t you call me ‘sister’? Hmph, it seems the disciple is just as stubborn as his master. But I’m a little sad. This is the last time I get to play with you.”

She had left her position for a fortnight to be Theodore’s opponent. In a sense, one of the greatest magicians in Meltor had acted as his private tutor. It was an absolutely ludicrous situation when he once couldn’t even afford a single bottle of magic reagent. Yet, right now, someone this great was asking him to call her ‘sister’?

Just as Theodore opened his mouth hesitantly to speak, Veronica looked at the entrance.

“Tsk, we have guests who can’t read the atmosphere.” Veronica sensed someone approaching and moved Theo behind her so that he wasn’t visible.

Kkiiik-

A white robed man from the White Tower hurriedly entered Pentarium and bowed to her.

“Tower Master! An urgent matter has come up!”

“The rating?”

“At least 4th grade in importance.”

She sighed. “Tch, that’s somewhat high. It can’t be helped then.”

She would’ve ignored it if it was the 5th grade, but Veronica was forced to release Theo. Theo was filled with some regret, but he was quickly taken aback by her next words.

Veronica looked serious as she pulled her robe back on. “Follow me. I may need your strength.”

***

The Red Tower’s missions were primarily militant in nature. If the mission involved battle, there would usually be a war magician dispatched from the Red Tower. They were often sent to face strong monsters, criminal gangs, or revolutionary forces. Therefore, the Red Tower had introduced a policy with two classifications for the missions: the degree of risk and the degree of importance.

Veronica walked ahead of him as she explained, “The Elder Lich that you dealt with was 3rd rank in terms of risk, but his importance was rather low, at the 4th or 5th rank. I could’ve handled it easily. At most, one or two territories would be lost. Oh, grimoires are an exception.”

Theo mumbled, “One or two...”

It was terrifying if you were in one of those territories, but it wasn’t such a big deal when looking at the whole country. Theo learned that 1st rank importance was assigned to situations like a massive rebellion, an invasion from a hostile nation, or the assassination of the king. 2nd rank was mostly assigned to large epidemics, natural disasters, and monster waves.

He asked, “Then what is 3rd and 4th rank importance assigned to?”

“Simple. They’re issues that might become the 1st or 2nd rank if left unattended. But most of these cases can be solved if we are strong enough to beat them down.”

Veronica kicked the doors of the tower master’s office. The door seemed to have been customized for her, so it swung open without a fuss. The door knob seemed almost decorative, but nobody cared.

She took a seat behind the desk and gestured to the intelligence operative. “Let's hear the report.”

The white-robed magician read the report immediately. “Three days ago, agents of Earl Bergen intercepted talks of slavery while they were surveilling some merchants. The name of the organization is Shackler. They’re mostly active in the Austen Kingdom.”

“Slaves? They didn’t hear wrong?” Veronica's expression seemed puzzled.

It had been a hundred years since the great powers of the north, the Andras Empire and the Meltor Kingdom, banned slavery. Knights and magicians had taken action together to drive out or otherwise starve the slave trade. Families associated with slavery were destroyed, and those who reaped slavery’s gains were corpses by the time the sun rose.

The policy had remained in place till date, so only a few idiots tried to use the Meltor or Andras countries as intermediaries.

The intelligence agent from the White Tower nodded firmly. “I have reviewed this a number of times before coming to Tower Master… They truly are slavers. I witnessed them smuggling several human sized barrels.”

“If they want to die this badly, then we’ll bury them extra deep.” Killing intent filled Veronica’s gold eyes.

Slavers were absolutely not allowed to step foot in Meltor. The role of the Red Tower was to annihilate any harmful existences to Meltor. Vermin slavers would not be tolerated within their borders. It was best to kill them right away, without bothering to capture or arrest them. If this information was accurate, then the importance was at least the 4th rank.

“The species of the slaves being traded?”

“Elves.”

Veronica snorted. “I knew it. If it was just human slaves, then it’d be 6th rank importance.”

The beautiful and long lived elves had been popular as pets for a long time. At one point in history, elves had been hunted to almost the point of extinction. The ensuing rage of the elementals had thrown several countries into disarray. Yet, human greed never faded. Eventually, elves managed to gather and form their own country, Elvenheim, deep in the northern mountains.

The environment that was so hostile to humans was paradise to them. Any human slavers who dared to infiltrate their borders were killed by elven warriors. From that moment on, the sale of elven slaves were a taboo across the entire continent. However, powerful people still wanted their desires met, so slavers continued to meet their demands in the shadows.

“... It is a long awaited chance to gain some favor with Elvenheim. You have a strength assessment for Shackler, right?”

“Of course.” The white robed magician respectfully placed the scrolls on the table.

It seemed he was hesitant to speak in front of Theo, who didn’t have the clearance for the mission.

Veronica opened the scroll with a quick chant. She frowned as she finished reading. “Are you serious? They brought five senior aura warriors? They’re staking a lot on this deal.”

The force the slavers were wielding could easily overthrow a small or medium-sized estate. Elven slaves were expensive, but were they worth that much? Frankly, Veronica was skeptical. But it also meant that if this force was destroyed, then Shackler would be completely hobbled.

Those guys don’t make moves that would lose them money. Something’s fishy.

Shackler didn’t need to deploy such a powerful force just to facilitate a simple elven slave sale. There was another purpose. The intelligence network of the White Tower didn’t seem to have an answer, but it had noted the inconsistency and unsustainability of this type of venture from Shackler.

It seemed like Veronica would have to deploy stronger magicians to compensate. She set the report aside and pressed the bell on her table.

Chaeng!

The bell rang through the tower, and a clerk of the Red Tower ran up from the bottom of the tower.

“Did you call, Tower Master?”

“I need at least two Superior magicians. Get everyone in the capital here right now.”

“I understand.” The clerk concentrated for a moment before his face suddenly turned pale.

Veronica saw his expression and frowned. She could tell she wasn’t about to get a good answer.

Unsurprisingly, the clerk spoke in a small voice, “T-Tower Master, there is only one Superior war magician left in the capital right now.”

“Who is it?”

“Vince Haidel.”

Theodore flinched as his teacher’s name suddenly came up. However, Veronica was concerned by something else. “What about our veterans?”

The clerk replied, “Only Herman is still here.”

Veronica sighed. “He’s too injured to fight. Damn, there’s just too much work these days, so my hands are tied. I can’t take people from the other towers.”

She might have been able to use magicians from other towers if this had been a monster subjugation, but a mission that involved killing people was different. War magicians were the only ones who would stay clear of any tricks and still maintain their composure in battle. Veteran magicians would be acceptable, but the request would take time to process. She needed to dispatch someone immediately.

She demanded, “Who’s left in our tower?"

The clerk responded, “There are twenty-three Average ranked magicians right now, but most of them have only recently increased their rank. The rest have started missions already.”

“I can’t use them. Don’t bother telling me.”

She bounced her fingers irritably on the desk for a moment before shaking her head and turning to look at Theo. Theodore stood awkwardly before her piercing golden gaze.

She glanced at the clerk. “Summon Superior Vince Haidel right now. Vince Haidel and Theodore Miller will be given this mission. Also go to Shugel and request a transfer with space magic.”

The magician didn’t dare hesitate as he ran out of the tower master’s office.