---

The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

41. War with the Magic Tower (2)

One by one, the old nobles and those in similar circumstances began moving towards the newly established Magic Department.

Inquiries about the Royal Magic Tower and the nobles’ towers flooded in.

At the same time, due to the sanctions from the Magic Towers, the remaining raw materials and the workshops that had halted work flocked towards the Royal Magic Tower.

This left the existing Magic Towers in disarray.

“…They’ve really set their teeth on edge.”

“Well, it was to be expected. The Emperor wouldn’t just let the towers be.”

Watching the bewildered mages within the towers, two middle-aged wizards chuckled softly.

At least these two had anticipated it.

They were elders affiliated with the Central Magic Tower, the most powerful faction in the Empire, yet they held no real power or influence.

They had risen to the rank of elder purely through their own abilities, but due to their lack of connections and power, they were treated as pariahs within the towers.

Especially because their main fields of expertise were ones that were easily dismissed.

Elder Albert, who was obsessed with engineering.

Elder Madison, a specialist in everyday magic.

They both had talent, so they couldn’t be easily discarded.

However, since they walked a path opposite to that of the towers, they were ultimately thoroughly cast aside.

To be honest, if they had dedicated themselves to magic like the other wizards, they could have established their own tower by now.

Yet they remained in the tower because of their families.

No one would pay attention to their endeavours should they attempt to set up a tower in their fields.

Thus, they endured the humiliation of being surpassed by less capable juniors, staying put in the tower.

“This is quite the show, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. I wonder how it will play out.”

The two elders remarked with interest as they gazed into the uncertain future of the tower.

However, regardless of their speculations, the future of the tower seemed grim.

The Emperor had no intention of negotiating with the towers.

In their eyes, the towers had only two choices left.

Either relinquish their power and beg the Emperor for forgiveness or resist until their downfall.

“Whichever it is, it’s certain that the influence of the towers will diminish.”

“That seems likely.”

Despite having been in the tower for so long, they viewed its future with a cold detachment.

As the two elders exited the chaotic atmosphere of the tower, they wandered down an empty street. The scenery outside the tower, which they hadn’t seen in a long time, was quite tranquil.

“The Emperor seems determined.”

“True enough.”

It appeared the Emperor had decided to smash the tower, as the once bustling crowds were now almost nonexistent.

Banks had closed due to funding cuts, and the workshops lay empty as supplies ceased to flow in.

Additionally, most merchants who traded with the Central Tower had been caught, leaving only a few who traded on their own to visit the tower.

Even those were hesitant to come unless in dire circumstances.

“It’s almost time for our meeting. Let’s get moving.”

“Right.”

A former friend from their tower had invited them for a drink after quite a while.

Clint, who had fallen into a contract position at a small academy after being ousted while they became elders.

He had signed a contract with the promise of being made a professor when a position opened up, despite the department being full. Though not at the elder level, he was a rather capable wizard who was enduring this humiliation due to lack of connections.

Without connections or academic ties, most common wizards, despite their abilities, had to endure humiliation to survive.

“It’s been a while.”

The two middle-aged wizards smiled at the sight of Clint welcoming them from a distance.

“Let’s at least grab a beer first.”

“Right now, huh?”

“Oh, come on! We haven’t even eaten yet!”

“We can fill up on snacks.”

Despite not having met in a long time, they greeted each other as if they had seen each other yesterday and entered a nearby restaurant.

At that moment, the cheerful expressions of Albert and Madison suddenly stiffened.

“Wait….”

“Let’s just sit down first.”

The restaurant was dominated by powerful figures.

Although they pretended not to be paying attention to their meal, everyone was keeping an eye on the two elders.

Those at the 5th level immediately sensed the environment and turned their gazes towards their friend.

“Are you… in debt?”

“If you’re trying to use us to recommend nobles due to debts… you should have told us, we’re doing quite well!”

“It’s not that, so just sit down.”

As Clint barely calmed his two excited friends, a man wearing a mask walked out with a group.

At that sight, Albert and Madison felt a surge of energy.

How incredibly imposing the man who could afford such formidable guards from noble families was…

As the two elders wondered about this family, Clint stood up and bowed his head.

“Greetings.”

The masked man waved off his hood, greeting his friend lightly. At that instant, the sharp-witted two elders, Albert and Madison, hurriedly bowed their heads.

“I greet Your Majesty!”

There was no need to confirm the face. The moment they saw the red hair, they immediately grasped how the situation had spiraled…

“You’re quite perceptive.”

Kariel seemed impressed as he regarded the two elders.

The fact that such extraordinary individuals were present in the restaurant and that they had been discovered swiftly made the two elders feel uneasy.

“Please, take a seat.”

After Kariel motioned for them to sit comfortably, he observed them with a calm demeanor.

“I was told I could expect great things from the friends of someone I hold in high regard…”

Upon hearing Kariel’s words, Albert and Madison gulped.

Their friend Clint, who was anxiously shifting by the Emperor, also wore a disappointed expression.

“Quite impressive individuals, really.”

Kariel smiled, intentionally trying to stir the elders’ nerves.

“I can’t steal too much of your time since it’s been a while since I met a friend. Let me get to the point.”

As he said this, Kariel instructed his attendant to present two contracts.

“Come work at the Royal Magic Tower.”

“Excuse me?”

“Excuse me?”

The two of them stared blankly at Kariel.

“I personally looked into you two. It seems the treatment you received at the tower was less than satisfactory. Even with talent, you were overshadowed by those beneath you.”

The expressions of the two elders darkened at Kariel’s words.

“After all, neither of you holds any affection for the tower, am I right?”

“Well….”

“While that is true….”

The reason both stayed at the tower was for survival.

With their reputation already tarnished, the only place they could rely on was the Central Tower. The tower had thoroughly exploited that knowledge.

Even the honorary title of elder was largely to prevent them from leaving out of injured pride.

All the important positions were held by juniors who had far surpassed them, and those who had successfully established connections had even risen to high elder positions or opened their own towers or workshops.

“I’m aware of the significant financial burdens you both face caring for your families.”

As Kariel spoke, he had the attendant place two small boxes on the table. He then opened the boxes to reveal their contents to the two elders.

“Gold… bars!”

“Gasp!”

Seeing multiple gold bars instead of just one made the eyes of the two elders go wild.

“This is merely your recruitment cost. Your salary will be three times the previous amount. Plus, a percentage of the profits will be allocated to you once your developed methods become commercially viable. Well, it’ll be at most 1%, but…”

While it was only 1%, it could still amount to an enormous sum when dealing with projects on a national scale.

“Let me clarify, I intend to utilize you two greatly. I’m not looking to merely use you as tools to counterbalance the towers.”

With that said, as Kariel slightly gestured, a nearby person who sensed it began to explain.

Clint, who had been working in a contract position at the academy, was involved in an important project recently.

“Then why are you still in a temporary position?”

“Because it’s a contract…”

“Because he is carrying out a secret mission!”

Kariel spoke in Clint’s stead, who was having a hard time expressing it.

“I never thought the towers would crumble to this extent.”

As Kariel lectured, he revealed his plans to utilize the academy to significantly advance magic and engineering.

Clint was one of the key figures in this plan.

While he remained at level 4, his knowledge in arcane engineering and mana circuits far surpassed that of the two elders, making him a pivotal player in the Empire’s future development.

“You have a keen interest in everyday magic, and you… you too in engineering?”

“That… that’s correct!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Especially, Madison, I heard you have also secretly practiced alchemy.”

“That…”

“Oh! There’s nothing illegal about it now, so no need to worry. I just wanted to mention that if you join the Royal Magic Tower, you’ll likely have to pursue research in alchemy as well.”

As Kariel said this, he showed them a report outlining the major projects of the Royal Magic Tower.

Each project was substantial, with the core being the Royal Magic Tower.

“What do you think? Would you like to give it a try?”

Upon his question, the two elders nodded their heads vigorously as if they were starving dogs in front of food, eager to sign the contract.

“Ah! But, there’s the penalty for breaking the contract…”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, the two elders’ expressions turned worried.

Since they were not ordinary wizards, the penalty for breaking a contract at the elder level would hardly be trivial.

“Worried about that in front of me? That little sum is something I’ll cover entirely, so don’t fret and just come along.”

With an amused look after dismissing their concerns, Kariel left the restaurant, leaving Albert and Madison staring blankly in awe.

After a while, as he finally exited the restaurant, the guards in plain clothes followed suit, leaving together.

In the now empty restaurant, Clint explained to his friends how he had ended up there.

One day, it was shocking enough that the two princes had enrolled in the academy, but they approached him about reforming the academy and assigned him a secret mission.

He added that the money he received then was even double what the elders would get.

As Clint subtly boasted, Albert and Madison finally relaxed and retaliated.

“So… are you going?”

“You’d be foolish not to.”

“The Emperor likely already expects us to go.”

Smiling at both, Clint looked content as he held their hands.

“Let’s make it work.”

At Clint’s words, Albert and Madison nodded affirmatively.

*

Thus, Kariel, having extracted esteemed figures like the elders of the Central Tower, busied himself moving to gather additional talents from the Magic Workshop and passing mages who were job-hopping to bring them all to the Royal Magic Tower and Workshop.

“Mission accomplished in recruiting all our targeted personnel.”

Kariel smiled satisfyingly.

They had successfully gathered all the key individuals on their list. Additionally, they had exceeded their target by bringing along some secondary candidates, so there was no need for direct action anymore.

“Tomorrow is going to be entertaining.”

The secretly recruited talents had been arranged to relocate on the same day, so they would all report to the Royal residence instead of the tower or existing workshops.

*

With numerous personnel suddenly departing, even a large tower or workshop would naturally be thrown into confusion.

How would the situation unfold when news of major personnel departures reached them in the midst of being hammered by the government?

The results became immediately clear the following morning.

“What in the world is happening here?!”

As Central Tower Lord Gilemon bellowed, the surrounding elders hung their heads low.

The two elders who had been pushed out due to lacking connections.

Not only them, but many mages who had been demoted, had also switched affiliations to the Royal Magic Tower, along with a tremendous amount of penalties being directly delivered to the Tower Lord.

When the penalty was delivered by officials dispatched from the royal family, Gilemon fell into a state of panic.

“Our partners in the workshops that contracted with us also report that many have quit!”

“We’re in big trouble! Many of the key mages who contracted with us are quitting effective today!”

“Tower Lord!”

From a distance, distressing voices from the mages echoed.

Hearing this, Gilemon clutched his throbbing head, overwhelmed.

 

---