Chapter 218: A Signature (2)

Chapter 218: A Signature (2)

Most wizards' biological clocks were broken, with the days and nights reversed. As such, most Towers of Magic, including the Red Tower of Magic, didn't impose any curfews. Of course, there was a strict security system for entering the tower, but Eugene, as a disciple of the Tower Master, wasn't impeded by this security system.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis.

While he was happy to reunite with his disciple after such a long time, Lovellian was still taken aback by the sight of Melkith standing beside Eugene without any apparent compunctions. Blatantly furrowing his brow, Lovellian scanned Melkith from head to toe.

"Did you drink too much during the night? But no matter how much you drank, you must have confused the Red Tower of Magic with the White Tower of Magic.... I'll immediately contact the White Tower of Magic and summon a wizard to take you home," Lovellian offered.

"Red Tower Master, why are you acting like that when it's just us?" Melkith said with a pout. "No way. Are you joking with me right now? Sorry, since it's so rare to see you joking around, it seems that I'm having trouble understanding—"

Lovellian quickly clarified, "I'm telling you to go back home."

"Oh, come on... not again. There's no need for such harsh words between friends, hm?" Melkith said in a cutesy tone as she shot Lovellian a playful wink.

At this wink, Lovellian staggered a few steps backward with a disgusted look on his face.

Still, the fact that he didn't deny the words 'between friends' was proof that Lovellian was also one of the few wizards with unusual personalities.

After clearing the disgust from his expression, he turned to Kristina and introduced himself with a welcoming smile, "Ah... I'm sorry for the late greeting. My name is Lovellian Sophis, the current Master of the Red Tower of Magic."

Then Kristina also replied to his greeting with a faint smile and a slight bow of her head, "My name is Kristina Rogeris."

Lovellian politely inquired, "How would you like me to address you? As far as I'm aware, you still hold the position of Auxiliary Bishop of the Alcarte Parish. So shall I call you by your title as the Auxiliary Bishop? Or else, would you prefer for me to call you the Saint Candidate?"

"It should be announced soon, but I have already stepped down from my position as the Auxiliary Bishop of Alcarte," Kristina informed him. "Also, the title of Saint Candidate sounds a bit overly polite for casual conversation."

"In that case, would it be alright with you if I called you Lady Kristina?"

"It would be my honor for the Red Tower Master of Aroth to address me by my name, and I would be very thankful for it."

Melkith, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, waved her hand in front of her face and tilted her head towards Eugene, "Phew, don't you think such a conversation is a bit too polite?"

"I think it might be that Lady Melkith is the one who's a bit too lacking in respect for others," Eugene opined.

"I am a person who prefers to show her respect through actions instead of words," Melkith defended herself as she threw her head back with a laugh.

There was no way that Lovellian wouldn't hear her mutters. He glared at Melkith with open irritation in his narrowed eyes, only for Melkith to pretend not to notice and point at the floor with her finger.

"Red Tower Master, I heard that your disciple is planning to start creating his own Signature? As a wizard and his senior, I also plan to provide some support, so let's head straight down to the labs right away," Melkith suggested.

"What are you saying now after coming here so early in the morning," Lovellian complained.

"In any case, it's not like we're going to sleep right now, is it? Is there any reason for us to procrastinate? The underground research laboratories of the Red Tower of Magic are said to be especially sturdy, so let's go take a look," Melkith proposed eagerly, but Eugene had no intention of granting her wishes.

Although he wouldn't be tired out even if he stayed up all night, Eugene felt that that wasn't any reason not to get some sleep. Melkith squawked in protest, but Eugene and Kristina just went to their allocated rooms and got some late rest.

"As I've always said, young people these days don't know how to cherish their time. They don't even need to rest, so why go and get some sleep? It's just a waste of time," Melkith scolded.

Eugene yawned, "You really do speak like an old-timer."

Melkith yelped, "An old—! As your senior wizard, I will give you some advice that you should make sure sticks in your head[1]."

"Talking like that just makes you sound even more of an old-timer."

When Eugene teased her like this, Melkith had to grit her teeth as her two fists trembled in anger.

'Who are you to call someone old-timer...?'

Mer, whose head was the only thing sticking out from a hole in Eugene's cloak, resisted the urge to roast Eugene with these words rolling around inside her head and could only pout her lips instead.

In Mer's view, the way Eugene looked during the times he regularly motivated Cyan back at the main estate more than qualified him to be called an old-timer, and the things that Anise would sometimes say after arbitrarily controlling Krisitna's mouth didn't leave her far behind.

"Do you have any preliminary ideas for your Signature?" Lovellian asked as he led them somewhere that wasn't deep underground.

As Melkith had said, the Red Tower of Magic's basement laboratories were extremely sturdy, and in the past, when Eugnee was still living in the Red Tower of Magic, he had also made use of them several times.

However, no matter how sturdy a Tower of Magic's research laboratories were, if Eugene decided to fully unleash his mana, they would be destroyed even if he didn't cast a spell or use any sword-force.

As Lovellian was also well aware of this fact, he instead led Eugene to the rooftop of the Red Tower of Magic instead of the underground research laboratories, which held the risk of collapsing. This open rooftop area served as Lovellian's research area and practice room.

"Truthfully speaking, I'm not sure where to even start thinking about it," Eugene admitted.

He had given it a lot of thought, but nothing, in particular, came to mind.

Lovellian grinned and pulled a staff out from within his robe. With a light swing of his staff, he raised something like a transparent curtain that encircled the rooftop. He had cast a spell so that no one would be able to observe what was happening on the rooftop from the outside.

"Sir Eugene, due to your special circumstances, I felt that it would be even more likely for you to face such a problem," Lovellian readily admitted.

"Special circumstances?" Eugene repeated.

Lovellian nodded, "Yes, there have been several warriors in this continent's history who could also use magic, but most of them have been pretty lackluster, both in their skills as a warrior and as a wizard. Although they got some use from mixing the two skill sets, even speaking generously, they could hardly be called first-class. That is, except for the ancestor of the Lionheart clan, the Great Vermouth."

Lovellian was telling the truth. All of the Archwizards who had existed throughout history had been people who had solely walked on the path of magic with a single-minded focus. Similarly, those who had made a name for themselves as knights or warriors were the ones who had devoted their whole lives to either combat or martial arts.

"The people of the world are currently pointing to you, Sir Eugene, and calling you the Second Coming of the Great Vermouth. I also agree with them. In fact, though you just reached the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula at this young age, this only means that you've reached the level of being able to freely cast the spells of the Seventh Circle, correct?" Lovellian accurately assessed.

"Well, yes...," Eugene humbly confirmed it.

Lovelian nodded, "That's why you're having such a hard time coming up with something, Sir Eugene."

Eugene tilted his head to the side, unable to understand what Lovellian meant by these words.

It was Lovellian who had taught Eugene the basics of magic and had broadened his foundation. While he couldn't be compared to Sienna, no one could deny that Lovellian was an exceptional wizard. So when such an Archwizard directly said that Eugene would have a 'hard time' with something like this, he couldn't just take those words lightly.

"Where would you say the difficulty comes from?" Eugene asked politely.

"The essence of magic is finding ways of doing things that you're unable to do," Lovellian replied with a smile. As he thrust his staff forward, a whirlwind of flames began to churn out of the end of his staff. "People can't just spray fire out of their hands without using a tool. However, if they use magic, they can start a fire all by themselves. In the end, that's what magic is all about. It's a skill that enables a person, no, enables you to do what you cannot do."

Eugene listened to Lovellian without interrupting him.

Ending the demonstration, Lovellian continued, "If I had to put it in simpler terms, I'm not able to fly in the sky. However, if I use magic, I am able to fly up into the sky. If I just run normally, I'll be slower than a dog, let alone a horse, but if I use magic, I can move faster than anyone else."

"I wondered what you were trying to say," Melkith, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up with a chuckle and raised a finger. "Now then, take a look at this, kid. I'm not a warrior, and I don't even have a Core. Although I'm able to manipulate the mana inside my body, I can't manifest a sword-force like warriors or knights can. However, if I use magic, I can make a blade of mana that's similar to sword-force even if it's based on slightly different principles, no?"

While her lips were moving, Melkith cast a spell, and her light blue mana coalesced according to the spell formula, becoming a sharp blade. That was definitely something different from sword-force, a blade made of magic.

"This isn't sword-force," Melkith unknowingly agreed. "However, it's as sharp and as strong as sword-force. While I might still lose to you, I'm sure I'd at least be able to fake a sword fight with an ordinary knight."

"...Ahah," Eugene understood what the two were trying to say.

Eugene wasn't an ordinary wizard. If he needed a sharp blade or a powerful attack, he didn't need to wring out a new formula and cast a spell. He could just manifest his sword-force. If he wanted to run fast, he didn't need to use any speed-related spells; he just needed to start operating the White Flame Formula and run.

His distinction between what could be done and what could not be done was different from ordinary wizards.

"That's why you're having such a hard time with it," Lovellian emphasized. "Sir Eugene, for an Archwizard, the Signature is the essence of all the magic they've accumulated over a lifetime of practice and research. Usually, after studying magic for decades, they specially tailor a spell that best suits themselves—"

Melkith interrupted him impatiently, "In conclusion, brat, it's true that you're a strong wizard, but as a wizard, you're also really flawed. So far, you've never once properly conceived your own spells, and you've never even felt the need to do so, right?"

The answer was undeniable.

Even in his previous life, Eugene had been a warrior. The same went for the life he had led after being reincarnated. He knew that magic was both convenient and strong, but his magic had never once been the main focus in the battles that Eugene had fought thus far. Seeing as this was the case, he had never researched any new spells, nor had he felt the need to do so.

"...Well, that's true," Eugene eventually admitted. "To be honest, I find it more comfortable to fight directly with my body than to use spells."

"However, it's not like you don't use any magic at all, right?" Melkith prompted him. "At the very least, it's overwhelmingly more efficient to use a spell when you need to fly through the air."

Eugene nodded thoughtfully, "Yes... and apart from that... um... when I need to attack my enemies from a distance... and I also often use Blink to mix up my movements. I also like to use spatial magic to create diversions...."

The more he talked, the more Eugene's expression twisted into a grimace.

No matter what angle he considered it from, Eugene thought that wasn't something that he should admit to in front of Lovellian, who had helped him a lot ever since he was young, who had accepted him as a disciple, taught him magic, and had always been on his side.

Although he couldn't tell what his master's inner thoughts were, didn't most teachers want their teachings to be valued by their disciples?

"That means to you, Sir Eugene, magic is only really used as an aid in battle," Lovellian assessed thoughtfully.

Eugene meekly responded, "Yes... I'm sorry...."

"Why are you apologizing?" Lovellian asked as he tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat and snuck a peek at Lovellian's reaction before replying, "Well, you're the one who taught me most of the magic I know, Master. But doesn't this feel like I'm neglecting the magic you taught me...?"

Anise, who was watching through Kristina's eyes, felt quite pleased by this current situation.

Hamel, who always seemed so violent and rambunctious, was filled with a curious concern in front of this neatly-trimmed wizard. On top of that, Hamel had even called him master? Though it was only natural for a disciple to be respectful towards his teacher, it was something that Anise couldn't imagine Hamel doing in his mercenary days.

[I'm the one who raised him into this,] Anise whispered to Kristina with a sense of pride and fulfillment.

She wasn't lying. From the moment that Hamel had joined them as a comrade, Anise had spent a long time correcting his behavior and thoughts. His dirty mouth, which was the most problematic, had always resisted being corrected in the end, but since it seemed like he was worried about insulting his master, this could be called a successful result.

"Sir Eugene, how one uses one's magic is entirely up to the wizard in question," Lovellian said with a grin after understanding what Eugene was trying to say. "While it's clear that I'm the one who taught you magic, that doesn't mean I need you to become a pure wizard, Sir Eugene. In fact, I would prefer it if you didn't become such an ordinary wizard. Because it would be a waste of your talents if you were to solely be a wizard, Sir Eugene."

Eugene coughed in embarrassment, "Ahem...."

Noticing his embarrassment, Lovellian changed the subject, "Sir Eugene, I've already said this earlier, but a Signature is the essence of all the magic that a wizard has accumulated through practice and research. What's most important is what 'type' of magic the wizard himself has mainly been dealing with."

In Eugene's case, that was spells that assisted him in combat.

"Sir Eugene, you don't need to use magic for your attacks. Because rather than needing to use spells to attack, you are capable of creating stronger attacks without them. If combat assistance is all that you require, that is more than enough. That's all you need to determine the direction of your Signature," Lovellian advised.

"Once you've decided on a direction, you just have to work out a basic technique and then build it up. Magic is used to create a phenomenon that doesn't happen naturally, like lighting a spark in heavy rain or causing a blizzard in midsummer. So all you need to do is come up with a technique that can create such unnatural phenomena," Melkith picked up the topic with a chuckle as she took off the coat that she was wearing. "Since you won't get a good understanding if we just keep talking about it, allow this Archwizard and Great Spirit Summoner, Lady Melkith El-Hayah, to show you my Signature. You should be honored to know that, of all the people who have seen my Signature, only a few have survived."

Lovellian punctured her pretense, "But it's not to the extent that it's all that rare. The other Tower Masters and Lord Trempel have also seen your Signature."

"Stop saying such useless things and ruining the atmosphere when I'm trying to show off!" Melkith shot a glare at Lovellian before firming up her expression. "Kid, as you may already know, I am the greatest Spirit Summoner in the history of this continent. I've made contracts with the Spirit King of Lightning and the Spirit King of Earth. So in my case, my Signature naturally has something to do with my spirits. The name of this technique is...."

As Lovellian already knew what Melkith's Signature was, he quickly withdrew backward. He also gestured to Eugene and Kristina to follow his example.

While Eugene followed the order and retreated, he kept looking at Melkith curiously as she stood proudly in the center of the tower's rooftop.

Melkith called out the name of her technique, "...Elemental Fusion, Trinity Force."

A light flashed from Melkith's eyes.

Boooom!

In an instant, black thunderclouds had formed in the skies above the Red Tower of Magic. Formidable amounts of mana engulfed Melkith's body. Then, the entire land surrounding the Red Tower of Magic began to rise.

Melkith's body rose up until she was standing high in the sky. The earth that rose up from below wrapped around Melkith's body and began to form a particular shape.

Boooom!

Sparks flew as lightning from the thunderclouds coiled around the shape being formed from the earth.

Eugene, Mer, and Kristina were all at a loss for words as they watched this scene. Melkith's figure could no longer be seen.

No, could it really be called unseen? The shape that appeared in the skies above the Red Tower of Magic... was a giant Melkith El-Hayah that had been made out of the soil. If someone had to describe it... it looked like someone had sculpted a giant doll of her out of clay. Although it was made up of earth, it didn't really have the color of dirt.

This was the Elemental Fusion, Trinity Force. It looked as if Melkith had just become a giant. Of course, this wasn't the body of the real Melkith. Melkith stayed in the center of this gigantic earthen doll, and by linking her mind to the earthen doll's body, she was able to control it perfectly.

Crouching in the air, Trinity Force, the giant Melkith, opened its mouth and asked... "Well, how is it?"

Its smile was exactly the same as that of the smaller, human version of Melkith.

"I'm talking about this voluptuous body made of dirt. It's a perfect recreation of my body's three sizes. I can also freely change its outfit to whatever I wish," Melkith revealed.

The three spectators on the rooftop couldn't say anything in response to Melkith's proud statements.

"Those aren't the only great things about my Signature!" Melkith continued excitedly. "This body is no different from an incarnation of the Earth Spirit King, so while in this state, I can control the earth to my heart's content. And all the energy required to move this gigantic body is supplied by the power of the Lightning Spirit King!"

Melkith stretched out one giant hand in a demonstration. As she snapped its index finger and thumb, a formidable force of lightning gathered at the fingertips.

"Fufufu! In the form of Trinity Force, I might be able to crush the Abram Royal Palace with just one gesture of my finger, no...?" Melkith trailed off thoughtfully.

"It's fortunate that Lord Trempel isn't here to hear that," Lovellian commented dryly.

Melkith defended herself, "Not even I would say something like that in front of the old man who's extremely loyal to the royal family, you know?"

"Then stop talking nonsense and get down here," Lovellian impatiently instructed. "White Tower Master, I've already said this in the past, but while it's undeniable that your Signature is outstanding and impressive... its outer appearance is disturbing."

"That's my face you're talking about!" Melkith roared back.

"But there's no need to make it in your own image, right?"

"I'm not afraid to love myself," Melkith declared.

The huge Melkith formed a cradle with her hands and rested her chin on it in a cute pose. Lovellian just made a disgusted expression and turned his gaze away from the sky.

"...Its outer appearance might be disturbing, but I think the White Tower Master's Signature will serve as a good example for you," Lovellian reluctantly admitted. "It is the essence of all the magic she has accumulated over the years and the embodiment of her ideals."

As Eugene scanned Trinity Force while holding Akasha, he found himself agreeing with Lovellian's words.

An Elemental Fusion, this definitely wasn't a wrong description. Melkith had used herself as the center of the fusion to combine the Spirit King of Earth with the Spirit King of Lightning. It was close to impossible to create such an existence with just mana, so she had formed a body out of soil with the power of the Earth Spirit King and then used the lightning of the Lightning Spirit King as its power source. With that, Melkith was able to fully deploy the strength of both Spirit Kings while also supplementing them with her own magic.

"It's unfair that I'm the only one showing off my secrets, Red Tower Master. Aren't you going to show yours as well?" Melkith goaded.

Lovellian huffed, "I was going to show them even without you pressing me."

After drawing a sufficient distance away from Eugene, he formed a hand sign with both hands.

"Pantheon," Lovellian called out.

There was no need for any long incantations of complex spell formulas with his Signature.

The Red Tower Master, Lovellian's specialty was summoning magic. So his Signature, Pantheon, wasn't a spell that caused any phenomena, like the Signatures of other Archwizards, but instead was a spell that summoned creatures.

Thanks to that, Lovellian's Pantheon had the advantage of overwhelming speed. In contrast, Melkith's Trinity Force couldn't help but require a lot more time for chanting and application.

The same went for the Signatures of other Archwizards as well. However, Lovellioan's Signature could summon a 'door' from a different dimension just by forming a hand sign and calling out the name Pantheon.

Booom!

A huge door fell from the sky. The door was covered in complex engravings. In the past, after Eugene's duel with Jeneric had ended, Jeneric, who had refused to accept the outcome of the duel, restrained his hostility the moment that Lovellian descended onto the scene with Pantheon.

That was just how unorthodox and terrifying Pantheon was. While overwhelming speed was one of its strengths, another strength that Pantheon had when compared to other Signatures was its randomness and unpredictability.

"This door itself is a Summoning Object that I've spent my whole life creating," Lovellian said as he stroked the iron gate posts of Pantheon, which was towering beside him. "And contained within the secondary dimension that's connected to this door are all the Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects that I've either collected or created throughout my life."

This included everything from an ancient monster that had been lurking in a dungeon deep underground to a supreme hybrid that was created by cross-breeding several different monsters — the chimera, or even a curse whose true form had been sealed away within a magic book, etcetera.

It wasn't just living things either. Summoning Objects, like the golems created by Lovellian and other wizards of the Red Tower of Magic, and other non-living monsters that could move on their own were also kept dormant within Pantheon.

"Only I know what Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects will emerge from this door. By opening this door, I can create a large army by freely summoning all of my Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects. However, that alone isn't enough to explain the pride I have in my Signature," Lovellian said with a bright smile as he turned to look at Eugene. "I'm able to freely combine the Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects stored within this door. To put it simply, I can create a chimera from any of the materials stored within the door. Depending on what combination I come up with, the purpose it's meant to be used for will change, along with the power of the Summoning Creature itself."

"That's why the Red Tower Master's Pantheon is so hard to deal with. You never know what might come out of that door, but the power of the synthesized creatures made by combining his existing Summons is completely unpredictable," Melkith said as she dispelled Trinity Force and leaped down from the sky. "The most terrible thing about it is that there are really no restrictions on the combination of the objects stored within Patheon. So, that means he could mix a hundred different Summoning Objects with a hundred different Summoning Creatures in order to create a single creature that has all of their combined strengths."

"I've never done something like that. I've never wanted to do so, nor have I ever desired an opportunity that would require me to do so," Lovellian said with a wry smile as he banished Pantheon back. "As you can see, my Pantheon is the pursuit of my heights as a Summoner. I hope my Signature will be of use to you, Sir Eugene."

"...Pantheon and Trinity Force...," Eugene mumbled to himself as he considered these spells. "...Um... do you have to come up with the name of our Signature yourself?"

"Huh?" Lovellian grunted.

Eugene elaborated, "I was wondering if you might be willing to come up with a name for me, Master—"

"What are you talking about, kid? The Signature is the crystallization of a wizard's knowledge and the realization of their ideals! Of course, it should be named by yourself!" Melkith fired off an objection with a confused expression.

That... that was something Eugene also understood. However, Eugene wasn't very confident in his ability to name things.

"Ignition," Mer whispered. "And Asura Rampage."

"I'll kill you," Eugene immediately threatened.

"Eclipse," Mer continued unabated.

Eugene's expression twisted into a scowl as he pinched Mer's cheeks.

"It hurts," Mer whined.

"Don't lie. You can't feel pain," Eugene pointed out.

"It hurts in my heart."

After saying something like that, how could anyone who called themselves a human, bear to keep pinching her? Eugene quietly let go of Mer's cheeks.

Mer continued to give her opinion, "However, Sir Eugene, I think that the name Eclipse is pretty cool. Didn't you come up with that name after giving it a lot of thought? It's also similar to the real thing. Dying the sun black like a solar eclipse—"

Unable to endure listening to any more of this, Eugene stuffed Mer's head back into his cloak.

"What's Eclipse?" Melkith tilted her head to the side and asked, but Eugene clamped his lips shut tightly.

'...Still, it seems that Eclipse is better than Asura Rampage or Dead End...,' Eugene admitted to himself in his heart of hearts.