Volume 7, Chapter 49 – Internal Conflict

Kelvin Killian, a high-ranking scholar of the Elf Tower and a magic caster, had barely touched the ground when his expression tightened. His stern demeanor and tightly pursed lips reminded one of a general marshaling troops for an imminent siege. The solemn atmosphere he exuded was so potent it affected those around him, making them hesitant to speak loudly.

This wasn’t without reason. As the leader of the Elf Tower’s dispatched combat and survey team, he was responsible for monitoring and engaging the undead and Chaos. Any mishap, even if he survived, would mean facing military discipline upon his return to Silvar.

Though the Elf Tower was an organization independent of the military, receiving orders directly from the King, it was still bound by military law. Even as a 6th-tier caster, he couldn’t defy orders from above; his future depended on it.

The Elf Tower housed many high-tier casters. Managing these individuals, who would be exceptionally troublesome if they rebelled, was a significant challenge.

To address this, the Elf Tower enforced an ironclad rule: any member wishing to hold an important position or gain access to its resources must receive a brand of loyalty to the Elven Royal Family. While not as severe as a slave brand—which inflicted agonizing death for disobedience—this brand ensured these casters would never contemplate harming the royal family. Even a fleeting thought of doing so would inflict pain enough to drive one mad.

Coupled with the Elf Tower’s preeminent reputation and resources in magical academia, joining it was nearly the fastest path for casters seeking advancement. With few alternatives, and other national organizations offering even harsher terms, casters naturally chose the Elf Tower, brand and all.

It was like a monopolistic corporation: even with unreasonable terms, if the fine print stated that rejecting them meant forfeiting access to their products, users would grit their teeth and agree, feeling their rights and privacy violated.

Protect Her Highness the Crown Princess’s safety as the top priority before monitoring the Chaos movements… Kelvin took a deep breath as his feet settled. If this were the past, he would have carried out the order without a second thought. The Crown Princess was one of the managers of the Three Main Towers, already at the quasi-7th tier at a young age. In terms of talent, no one else on the entire World Tree continent could compare. Even if Yelido hadn’t given the order, Kelvin would have protected Fia.

However, after viewing the recording crystal, Kelvin began to wonder what purpose this order served. Instant-casting 7th and even 8th-tier spells? What did that mean? If an enemy emerged that even the Crown Princess found troublesome, his presence would likely make no difference.

Thus, Kelvin harbored doubts. He had been pondering whether the scenes in the crystal were fabricated by the royal family to intimidate Elf Tower scholars.

After all, Master Mohr had long ago hinted he was approaching the threshold of the 8th tier. Once he broke through, the royal family’s ability to maintain control would become awkward. Having the exceptionally talented Crown Princess step forward, claiming she had gained tremendous power through a near-death miraculous encounter, could serve to awe outsiders and keep the Elf Tower’s casters in line.

On this foundation, first having the Crown Princess secure an 8th-tier fiancée to dominate the field and raise public acceptance, then spreading the claim that she could instant-cast 8th-tier spells, letting people guess her true tier… it was a cunning move.

Of course, while thinking this, Kelvin kept his thoughts well hidden. The royal family was not like the Witch Hall; he could look down on witches, but showing such an attitude towards royalty was a capital offense. Moreover, he had publicly lost to a 2nd-tier witch apprentice during the Witch Hall’s demonstration of Modern Magic, suffering a great humiliation. Remembering this made his face burn with shame; he wished he could go back and slap his past self, his complexion turning an unpleasant blue-green.

“…So this is the Land of Exile.”

“It stinks.”

“First time in a place like this. I hope I never come here again.”

“You should hope we don’t meet you here. I hear exiles eat rats and grubs. One bite, and dark green blood and guts spray on your face.”

“Stop it.”

Unlike the solemn Kelvin, the other casters behind him acted like bumpkins who had never seen the world, gawking the moment they landed. Most were 3rd to 5th-tier casters who had never been to the frontier. The bleak, deathly air and barren, exposed earth were novelties to them.

Kelvin frowned and turned to rebuke them. “Silence! Such clamor is unbecoming!”

At his words, the nearly one hundred magic chanters instantly straightened up, expressions taut. The Elf Tower operated on a mentor and student system. Though some among this group were older than Kelvin, without his approval, they could never graduate.

Satisfied with the quiet, Kelvin nodded and strode towards Fia at the front. Their mission was to proceed to the edge of The Abyss, assist non-combat personnel in constructing the [Confessional Hall], and explore as far down into The Abyss as possible.

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Kelvin bowed respectfully, not daring to look at Fia’s face.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, may I ask when we will arrive at the Land of Exile?”

“We are already here.”

“…Huh?”

A sound of shock escaped Kelvin. Just a moment ago, they were in Blossom. A mere minute of teleportation had brought them to the Land of Exile at the Kingdom’s southernmost border? No such teleportation magic existed in the world! He had assumed this was just some nameless corner in Blossom’s outskirts.

The Crown Princess’s temperament has truly changed.

Kelvin inwardly clicked his tongue. The former Crown Princess was quiet, steady, and unassuming, commanding genuine respect. Now, having lost her memory, she acted like a child eager to show off, even telling such an outlandish lie.

A true loss for the royal family.

Kelvin offered a subtle reminder.

“The Land of Exile is thousands of kilometers from the capital. Arriving in less than a quarter-hour is… quite humorous, Your Highness.”

“What? Do you think Her Highness would lie?”

“Uh, that’s not what I meant. I merely think Her Highness has become much more humorous since losing her memory.”

Anastasia’s words made Kelvin’s eyelids twitch. He barely suppressed the urge to snap, “What right does a mere guard have to question me?” Fortunately, he recalled the palace rumors: Anastasia had become a favorite of the Crown Princess. For his own future, he shouldn’t say anything to offend a potential future Elven Consort.

“Humorous? I recall you are a scholar of Master Mohr’s school. In the end, you still don’t believe in Her Highness’s power. Once you witness her magic, you will naturally bow before Her Highness’s great power.”

“Haha…”

Kelvin could only laugh awkwardly while inwardly cursing.

As if remembering something, Fia, walking ahead, stopped. She reached into her storage item and, using a [Spatial Hand], pulled out a viscous, wobbling gray-white gelatinous object, waving it before Kelvin’s eyes.

“Have you seen this, or know of anything similar?”

“ Gasp —”

The moment he saw the gelatinous object, Kelvin’s eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply. He could clearly feel the surrounding air grow turbulent—a sign of disturbed elements. Only something with an extraordinarily high mana content could cause such a disturbance.

The tall, slender man hurriedly put on a monocle and bent to examine the object Fia presented.

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“This is… an animal’s eyeball? But for a mere eyeball, the mana fluctuation it emits is far too intense. Ah, let me use a detection magic— Huh? How can a mere dead object possess mana of this level? Seventh tier? Eighth tier? How powerful must its original body have been! Your Highness, wh-what is this?!”

“By your reaction, you don’t know.”

“I have never seen it. But—but if we could take it back for research, we might create an earth-shattering magic weapon!”

Kelvin hastily tried to persuade her, even reaching out. Fia didn’t give him the chance. She only had two of these eyeballs herself. Besides, Kelvin had left a terrible impression on her; he was the caster who had picked a fight during the Witch Hall’s Modern Magic demonstration. She had shown him the antlered Chaos’s eye only because she thought the knowledgeable Elf Tower scholars might know something.

Clearly, that hope was in vain.

She turned away, answering coolly.

“There are plenty of these things down in The Abyss. If you want one, you can go get it yourself.”

“Ugh…”

Without further words, Fia walked straight towards the nearby Abyss. For convenience, she had also placed a teleportation point in the Land of Exile near the chasm, so they no longer needed to travel all the way from the Barony of Khesa, traverse the Land of Exile, and then reach the second chasm.

During this walk, Kelvin’s expression grew increasingly uncertain. He had fought undead in the Netherworld. The scenery here was remarkably similar, even the faint scent of death lingering in the air was identical, evoking painful memories from the war.

This was indeed the Netherworld.

A teleportation spell spanning thousands of kilometers! So the recording wasn’t fabricated by the royal family?!

Kelvin’s legs nearly went weak with panic at the thought that he had dared doubt a 9th-tier entity, practically a deity. But soon, he and his students were distracted by another bizarre sight.

Those bumpkins with no combat ability—a derogatory term combat-type magic chanters used for their non-combat peers—who should have fled at the sight of monsters, were engaged in a brawl with the undead. More accurately, it was a one-sided slaughter. Even from hundreds of meters away, Kelvin’s group could hear the bumpkins’ excited shouts.

They stood on a high platform made of large stone blocks, using a magic staff to spew flames at the massive sea of skeleton soldiers below. Although there were skeletons capable of using bows and magic, as these were all Nature and Earth element casters, simple vine nets and stone slabs easily blocked the attacks. They could then extend their staffs through gaps in the nets and slabs to continue incinerating skeletons below. Watching vast swaths of skeleton soldiers fall at once, their combat power was not much weaker than a regular army.

“Hey, are there any combat types among those bumpkins?”

“None, right? We’re the first batch.”

“Then how do they have such combat power? They usually do nothing but eat up resources, turn tail and run at the sight of monsters—a bunch of cowards!”

“They must have secretly hired adventurers.”

“Shh, look at their hands.”

Reminded by a companion, the casters behind Kelvin finally noticed the magic staves in their hands. The combination of staff and boxy devices made their faces turn grim.

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They remembered this thing. Their mentor, Kelvin, had been defeated by this Modern Magic, causing them to be mocked by other Elf Tower mentors and students.

Everyone fell silent in unison, especially the victim, Kelvin, whose face turned iron-blue. On one hand, he had been humiliated by Modern Magic; on the other, the non-combat members gaining such combat power made him, a combat type, feel his status was being challenged.

Current Modern Magic couldn’t touch the realm of 4th-tier spells, but given time, who knew if it would one day replace him? Elves lived long lives; he had no desire to see himself supplanted by a lifeless object.

Only when Fia’s surprised voice rang out did the spell break.

“Why are you all just watching?”

“Nuck, take some to assist them. I will stay here to protect Her Highness.”

“Yes.”

Watching his students charge into the skeleton soldiers like tigers and wolves, Kelvin felt slightly better. He turned, bowing slightly, carefully choosing his words.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, the weapons in their hands… they must be from the Witch Hall, correct? I have never heard of any cooperation between our Elf Tower and the Witch Hall.”

“I lent those to them for self-defense. This place is too close to the Netherworld; they need means to protect themselves.”

It seemed the worst-case scenario had occurred: the undead awakened due to the large commotion. Fortunately, with the mana furnace and the high platform, the casters constructing the [Confessional Hall] could safely output firepower without danger—in fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Surrounded by skeletons, yet fighting over the right to use the staff, rushing to the front line… I don’t know whether to call them self-sacrificing or lacking a sense of crisis. If it were Liti, she’d probably be shouting, “I’m tired! Need a break!”

Moreover, Fia couldn’t shake the feeling that upon seeing Kelvin’s group, the construction casters hadn’t been relieved but instead grew more tense, fighting the skeleton warriors with desperate fervor. They even stopped limiting themselves to Modern Magic, starting to create stone slabs, stone pillars, and large lumber to hurl at the skeletons. Some higher-tier individuals simply summoned rock golems to haul stones, having them wrestle with the skeletons below.

This went beyond mere enthusiasm…

A rather insulting thought popped up in Fia’s mind, but she couldn’t help it. She suspected these casters weren’t craving battle but simply thought it would be a waste not to experience the opportunity to use high-grade magic crystals at public expense.

As for why they desperately used magic upon seeing their companions arrive, it was probably out of fear that these newcomers would steal their magic potions.

“Using this for self-defense?” Kelvin frowned. “I recall this Modern Magic consumes high-grade magic crystals. Even at my level in the Elf Tower, using high-grade magic crystals requires approval from a high-ranking Tower Master. For you to give high-grade magic crystals to members of their level for self-defense… forgive my bluntness, it is too wasteful…”

“Ultimately, they possess no real combat ability. The battle likely hasn’t been going on long, so they still have energy left to deal with arrows and magic. Once their mana is depleted, even with high-grade magic crystals and Modern Magic, they’ll become sitting ducks for the undead. And if Modern Magic falls into undead hands, the trouble would be significant.”

This old fool is as stubborn as ever.

Impatience rose within Fia.

“These things can be produced in any quantity. Nor do I believe the undead could replicate them even if they got one. Now that you have engaged the undead, my task here is concluded. Someone will come to relieve you in three days. Food will be delivered regularly by the Baron of Khesa. I have my own matters to attend to—”

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“Master Kelvin! Master Kelvin!”

Before Fia could finish, a female apprentice rushed to Kelvin’s side. It was his niece. Kelvin frowned, about to reprimand her, when she exclaimed with pleasant surprise.

“They—they have two whole barrels of Intermediate Magic Potions !”

“Barrels?”

Kelvin’s frown deepened. Was his niece so lacking in common sense? His expression became grim. But the female student continued excitedly, even throwing a fawning wink towards Fia.

“They said it was bestowed by Her Highness. Whenever their mana is depleted, they can replenish it with Intermediate Magic Potions .”

Such a good deal could not exist!

Kelvin almost shouted. Two whole barrels of Intermediate Magic Potions ! That was enough not just for one person to advance from 3rd to 4th tier—even a dozen pigs, if they knew how to use magic, could cross the threshold from 3rd to 4th tier. It was true the Crown Princess had the financial power for such a quantity, but giving it to servants was unthinkable.

He cast a dubious look at Fia. She remained noncommittal, offering no direct answer. Seeing this, the female student stood on her toes and quietly whispered into Kelvin’s ear.

“Nuck asked me to ask you, Uncle, if we should also help build the Confessional Hall like they are. Then Her Highness might allow us to use the magic potion too. Weren’t you always worrying about when Nuck and I could reach the 5th tier? With this opportunity, it’s sure to happen!”

For combat-type magic chanters to do the work of servants… It’s preposterous.

Kelvin wanted to scold her just so. But the thought of two whole barrels of magic potion was intensely tempting, enough to move even him. At his niece’s plea, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, using two whole barrels of magic potion entirely for construction is too wasteful. Half a barrel, no, even a quarter would be sufficient for them…”

“You want a share? Her Highness’s decisions are not for you to criticize.”

“Lady Anastasia, I am speaking with Her Highness. For a maid to repeatedly interrupt our conversation is too presumptuous.”

“Anastasia’s meaning is my meaning.”

Before Kelvin could finish, Fia turned straight away.

“Those are supplies for constructing the [Confessional Hall]. No one besides those assigned may misappropriate them. Doing so would deliberately delay the project’s progress, ignoring the orders of myself and my father. I will return tomorrow. Until then, please fulfill your supervisory duties, Sir Kelvin. Additionally, I hope you can be more open-minded in the future. Narrow-mindedness and discrimination will only leave you further and further behind.”

Without another word, Fia left the frozen Kelvin behind, walking slowly towards a direction away from The Abyss.