[V10C5] Current and Former Sages

Right as Monica swore to protect her disciple, a knock sounded at the door. This prompted Melissa to release Monica’s cheek and turn toward the source.

The first to enter was the Starseer Witch, Mary Harvey.

Following her were the remaining members of the current Seven Sages: Artillery Mage Bradford Firestone, Barrier Mage Louis Miller, Third Abyss Shaman Ray Albright, and Fifth Thorn Witch Raul Roseberg.

In addition, three people entered the room behind the Seven Sages: an elderly man in his eighties, a man in his fifties with ash-brown hair mixed with white, and a plump elderly woman with purple hair.

Monica recognized these three individuals.

The frail elderly man who advanced with an unsteady gait, leaning on a staff, was the Thunder Mage, Graham Sanders.

The man with ash-brown hair who supported the elderly man from the side was the Aquamancy Mage, Bertrand Verde.

The elderly woman with flamboyant makeup was the Second Abyss Shaman, Adeline Albright.

(The former Sages…!)

Regarding the Second Abyss Shaman, Monica knew little about her aside from her name, face, and the fact that she was Ray’s grandmother. However, she was a bit more knowledgeable about the other two.

Four years ago, when Monica and Louis joined the Seven Sages, it was the Thunder Mage and Aquamancy Mage who had retired to make way for them.

Graham Sanders the Thunder Mage was once said to be the strongest mage alive, and he still held the record for highest solo dragon subjugations. Many considered him to be a living legend.

Bertrand Verde the Aquamancy Mage was a pioneer in water management who made significant contributions to the sewer system and other waterworks. He was often praised as the man who elevated Ridill to its current status as the forefront country for water-related technologies.

Both were renowned mages whose names could be found in every history textbook.

(With Melissa-oneesan here, that makes four former Sages…)

If Starspear Witch Carla Maxwell had been here as well, then this room would contain everyone currently alive who once served as Sage.

Though slightly taken aback by the impressive lineup, Monica rose from the sofa and straightened her posture. Melissa seemed to feel similarly, as she also stood up.

The Starseer Witch took the lead in speaking.

“First of all, please have a seat, everyone.”

Immediately, Louis moved forward to place a few cushions on the best chair in the room. The elderly Thunder Mage mumbled a few words of gratitude, then seated himself in that chair.

After confirming that the other Sages had taken their seats, Monica sat back down on the sofa. And once everyone was seated, the Starseer Witch called out to the corridor.

“Please come in, Silas Page, the Dragon Slayer Mage.”

A tall man walked in from the corridor.

He was dressed in a worn-out robe and appeared to be in his early thirties. His golden blonde hair was neatly combed, and his facial features were sharp and stern.

The clothes beneath his robe seemed casual and easy to move in, and even under the layers of cloth, his well-defined muscles were clearly visible.

His body possessed a lean and supple strength rather than that of a bulky giant, as if he were made out of bundled threads of refined steel.

(So he is the Sage candidate…)

Silas did not possess an alias at the time of the previous meeting, so apparently, it had been decided rather recently.

Nevertheless, ‘Dragon Slayer Mage’ sounded like quite the violent title. It seemed fitting, however, considering how he ranked third in solo dragon subjugations. Perhaps he held a strong attachment to dragon slaying.

Silas surveyed the room with a sharp gaze, unflinching before the stares of the current and former Sages gathered in the room. Until eventually, his eyes locked onto Monica.

(…Eh?)

Monica flinched and froze on the sofa, as Silas narrowed his already sharp eyes even further. Deep wrinkles formed on his forehead.

(H-He’s glaring at me…? B-But why…?)

Meanwhile, the adjacent Melissa poked Monica’s side and whispered into her ear.

“Do you know him or something?”

Without a word, Monica vigorously shook her head.

She had no recollection of ever meeting Silas, and she had just learned his name at the previous meeting. Yet for some reason, Silas was clearly glaring at her.

As Monica turned pale and started to tremble, the Starseer Witch continued with the proceedings.

“We will now evaluate the Dragon Slayer Mage’s aptitude via magical battle. As for his opponent…”


“…I would like to designate the Silent Witch, Monica Everett.”

Monica desperately endured the urge to start wailing.

“M-Me…?”

“Yes, you’re the most suitable opponent for assessing his mastery of magical combat,” Mary continued.

“Hey Starseer, can I get a shot at him?” Bradford interjected. “Since we finally got another guy who looks like he has a backbone.”

“Sorry Bradford-chan, but your fighting style is not suitable for an assessment.”

Mary was correct. The Artillery Mage possessed the highest firepower in the entire nation, and his approach to battle essentially boiled down to “I win if it hits.”

Suppose they wanted to assess Silas’s skill at casting defensive barriers. How could they do that when Bradford would break a barrier of any quality the moment his spell lands?

On the other hand, Bradford’s main weakness was the length of his incantations. If his opponent managed to land an attack before he was finished chanting, the battle might be over before it could even start.

It was clear that his talents were simply not suited for assessing the skills of others.

The same could be said for Raul and Ray. Their talents were far too specialized, making them unsuitable for evaluating a broad range of skills, such as offensive, defensive, and flight magic.

Meanwhile, Mary wasn’t even an option since she lacked the ability to fight.

(So the most suitable candidate is probably Louis-san, but…)

Louis had once served as the commander of the Magic Corps, so he possessed a great deal of practical combat experience. Naturally, he was extremely skilled in magical combat as well.

However, he was also the one who recommended the Dragon Slayer Mage as a Sage candidate.

There was a clear conflict of interest if the referrer was the one to assess Silas in a mock battle. Thus, Monica was chosen through the process of elimination.

That said, whether or not Monica was a good pick was also up for debate. Her chantless magic boasted incredible speed and extremely high accuracy, which gave her an overwhelming advantage due to the rules of magical battles. Against most opponents, Monica could end the match as soon as it started.

Noticing Monica’s frown, Mary continued in a pleading tone.

“You’re the most suitable choice, you know. Come on, please?”

“Oi,” Silas interrupted Mary in a deep, guttural voice. “You better not be telling me to fight this little girl.”

His ferocious, beast-like growl caused Monica to shiver and hug her staff close to her chest.

Silas made no attempt to hide the rage and irritation radiating from his entire body. He was clearly a veteran in magical combat, so perhaps he took offense at being told to fight the seemingly inexperienced Monica.

However, Mary reprimanded Silas in her usual calm tone.

“The Silent Witch is a talented mage, renowned for driving away the Black Dragon of Worgan and slaying the Curse Dragon of Reinberg. Surely you understand that she is a formidable opponent?”

“Yeah, I know. This is the runt who took down two evil dragons…!”

Silas glared at Monica with fury in his eyes. His entire body was trembling, as if struggling to restrain his temper.

(Oh no, he’s really, really angry! But why!? What did I do…!?)

The veins on Silas’s forehead popped out, and he was grinding his teeth together. This was no regular anger, but intense outrage.

(C-Could it be…! Is it because he wanted to slay the Black Dragon and Curse Dragon himself, and I robbed him of that…!?)

Silas clearly possessed an extraordinary passion for dragon slaying, as indicated by his self-chosen alias of Dragon Slayer Mage.

Perhaps he perceived it as Monica stealing the prestige of slaying dragons from him. That might explain his anger towards her, but it was still unreasonable.

Monica continued trembling on the verge of tears, until an unexpected man broke into the conversation. It was the elderly Thunder Mage, Graham Sanders, who had remained completely silent up until now. Come to think of it, Silas was Graham’s disciple.

“Silas.”

The Thunder Mage spoke his name in a quiet tone, and that was all it took to grab Silas’s full attention.

“…Master. My bad, I just…”

Silas made a bitter frown, as if swallowing something unpleasant. Meanwhile, the venerable Thunder Mage nodded and continued in a solemn tone.

“Is it almost time for breakfast yet?”

The room was filled with a heavy silence.

As everyone else hesitated to open their mouths, Silas replied while scratching his golden blonde hair.

“…Master, it’s practically noon. I got you some bread and eggs for breakfast, remember?”

“By the way, why was I called here again?”

“…For my Sage candidacy.”

“Oh, this cushion is nice and soft. Can we bring it home?”

“…I’ll ask the person in charge later.”

The anticlimactic exchange between master and disciple brought an end to the tense atmosphere.

Silas let out a deep sigh, as the aura of fury he had been radiating dissipated. He turned to Mary and spoke with a grimace.

“…Just let me fight someone else. I don’t care if it’s that old guy or the redhead or whatever. Hell, make it two-on-one if you have to.”

The request from Silas caused Mary to turn to his referrer Louis, who shrugged as to say “good grief”.

“I don’t think you are in any position to be making such demands,” Louis began. “And are you really so arrogant as to believe you can take on multiple Sages at the same time?”

“Then why don’t you try me and find out, effeminate guy with the braids?” Silas replied.

In the next moment, Bradford grabbed Louis’s braids, Raul prepared a rose with calming effects, and Ray began chanting a curse to seal his movements.

With his braids firmly caught in Bradford’s hands, Louis objected with an expression of dissatisfaction.

“…Excuse me? Do you all believe me to be some sort of wild beast?”

“Well, why don’t you tell us what you were about to do just now?” Bradford retorted.

In response to Bradford’s question, Louis put on an elegant smile.

“I have gone through many pains to find this new Sage candidate, you know. As a respectable adult, I would never go as far as to cripple him for life. Perish the thought.”

Monica was taken aback by Louis’s calm response.

Calling Louis “effeminate” was one of the biggest mistakes a person could make. Monica knew of one person who had uttered that word to Louis, and they suffered pain beyond what words can describe.

“L-Louis-san seems nicer today…?” Monica murmured, causing Melissa to let out a sigh of exasperation.

“Because the Aquamancy Mage is right there, of course.”

“…? Ah…”

The Aquamancy Mage referred to the former Sage, Bertrand Verde, who was also Rosalie’s father. That made him Louis’s father-in-law.

“So he’s wearing a mask right now,” Melissa continued.

“I-I see…”

Apparently, Louis Miller was a devoted husband who could not defy his father-in-law.

Realizing this, Monica secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But just as she did, Louis put on another refreshing smile despite the fact that Bradford was still clutching his braids.

“However, I must say that impolite youngsters require education, wouldn’t you agree?”

Or perhaps not. Monica was now convinced that things were about to get violent.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do the magical battle!”

Monica shouted with determination. She was certain that allowing Louis to face Silas in a magical battle would end in disaster.

However, Louis merely nodded with a smile.

“In that case, Silent Witch-dono and I will face Dragon Slayer Mage-dono together. He did say he was fine with two-on-one, after all.”

Monica and Silas widened their eyes at these words.

“Eh!? Um, n-no! I mean, b-by myself…!”

“Oi! I said I’m not fighting a little girl…!”

Ignoring the protests from both Monica and Silas, Louis directed a friendly smile at Monica.

“Let’s do our best together, fellow Sage!”

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