Novel Will Be Taken Down on 17 May or Earlier Chapter 77 - Dignity of the Chief (1)

“We will suspend the regular conference.”

 

– Chief’s weight (Repeat) ▲

 

• Conduct verification at Topaz Hall. (Successful)

 

• Conduct the regular conference successfully. (In progress)

 

The goal of the quest was to conduct the regular conference successfully.

 

Skip the last presenter, Banglet, and end the conference?

 

That couldn’t be called a successful conclusion.

 

My pride was telling me.

 

“Banglet Tom. The moment he stands on the podium, we will resume the conference.”

 

I have to put Banglet in Crystal Hall!

 

Anyway, can I proceed with the conference on my own?

 

All of a sudden, I was worried about that.

 

I just thought again.

 

If you hate it, you shouldn’t have asked me to do it.

 

In that sense, Banglet Tom.

 

I didn’t know where he was hiding, but.

 

One thing was certain.

 

“Of course, before that, I will ask him to take responsibility for the current situation.”

 

Unless there was a proper reason.

 

Unless there was a reason worthy of this.

 

You’re going to have a hard time, Senior Mage Banglet Tom.

 

*

Silence–

 

Hoyeol rose to the podium without anyone else knowing.

 

That Hoyeol, who put the utmost importance on courtesy and formality.

 

Not only that, he even brought up the word ‘procedure’.

 

How could anyone dare to chat or not listen?

 

Whisper–

 

As Hoyeol got out of Crystal Hall.

 

Players carefully opened their mouths.

 

“…Hey, isn’t this a quest?”

 

“It looks like a quest, doesn’t it?”

 

“If we find ‘Banglet Tom’, will we get connected to the quest?”

 

It stank.

 

It stank of a big quest.

 

A mage of the Mage Tower, and a senior mage at that, was missing.

 

The players began to observe.

 

They were people who received an invitation to the regular conference.

 

In other words, their sense of observation was as great as their accumulated experience.

 

“For now, let’s watch. It might unexpectedly end in an anti-climatic way, right?”

 

The possibility that it might end in an anti-climatic way.

 

They were talking about the possibility that Banglet Tom was inside the tower.

 

For example.

 

“Well, he’s probably dozing off somewhere because he let his guard down.”

 

That kind of possibility.

 

However, it wasn’t easy to imagine.

 

“Can a senior mage do that?”

 

Since they were from a mage class.

 

Players were well aware of Mage Tower’s greatness.

 

It didn’t make sense that a senior mage would make such a mistake.

 

So they didn’t wait long.

 

Starting with Hoyeol.

 

The moment all the senior mages walked out of Crystal Hall.

 

The players also kicked off their seats and started moving.

 

“I’m certain. Banglet Tom is outside the Mage Tower!”

 

“Did you hear that? Banglet Tom, we have to find him!”

 

“…What does he look like? Wait, we’ve never seen him properly!”

 

Crystal Hall.

 

There was only one person left.

 

It was just Jessie Heinness.

 

Jessie opened her mouth.

 

“What do you think?”

 

The pointed hat answered unperturbed.

 

– This is definitely unprecedented.

 

Even if its reputation had faded now.

 

It was still the regular conference of the Mage Tower.

 

A mage who disappeared ahead of the regular conference’s presentation?

 

Looking back on his memories as an archmage, nothing like that ever happened.

 

Furthermore, Banglet Tom was a senior mage.

 

“I heard he’s done a lot for this study…”

 

Jessie frequently visited the Mage Tower and had a lot of conversations with apprentices and skilled mages. So she was also well aware of how Banglet was treated. Jessie murmured.

 

“…Something must have happened.”

 

– It’s probably because of the atmosphere. But, disciple.

 

“Yes?”

 

– Don’t come forward this time.

 

“…?”

 

It was not an old-fashioned mind of a teacher.

 

You would understand if you thought about it a little bit.

 

Jessie was taken aback when she realized the truth behind his words.

 

“…Could it be that something happened to Senior Banglet?”

 

Indeed.

 

Banglet Tom.

 

Apart from his position at the Mage Tower, he was a senior mage of the Mage Tower.

 

A being closer to a superhuman than a human.

 

Jessie knew it well because she had been watching closely.

 

What the senior mages of the Mage Tower were like.

 

What if there was something that caused a problem with Banglet’s safety?

 

Soon, Jessie jumped out of his seat and got up.

 

“…It’s not the time for everyone to think about quests!”

 

This truly wasn’t ordinary.

 

To the point that just getting involved was dangerous like her teacher said.

 

*

 

Mage Tower.

 

The disappearance of Senior Mage Banglet Tom.

 

The news was delivered to AAU as well.

 

“Sunbae! How did you get this content?”

 

“Oh, you’re here? There was a Nettuber streaming. The regular conference was broadcasted from the beginning. Aren’t they too gutsy? How are they going to handle it if they get caught?”

 

“Are there any replays left? Can I rewind it a bit?”

 

“Of course.”

 

He clicked the rewind button.

 

Then the chat window that popped up also started to go backward.

 

Sung Hyunjoon, who was looking at the chat window, was startled.

 

The chatroom was filled with the same word..?

 

“Homen. Homen. Homeeeen? Isn’t today’s comment board a joke?”

 

“It can’t be helped. It was no joke. Earlier.”

 

“How many hours have they plastered it? But instead of withdrawing, you joined the board? What the hell happened?”

 

It got longer.

 

Spread–

 

Yoon Sookyum drank Americano and preached today’s miracle.

 

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

 

What Hoyeol showed was a miracle.

 

Sung Hyunjoon, who was listening silently, was surprised and asked back.

 

“H-He taught skilled mages again?!”

 

“Yeah. He even suggested the direction of their research.”

 

“Does that make sense? No, I don’t understand.”

 

Hoyeol was just a player.

 

How could he teach the mages of Mage Tower?

 

Sung Hyunjoon still didn’t seem convinced.

 

Unfortunately.

 

“But that’s not the point.”

 

“…Right. There’s something more unconvincing.”

 

“Banglet Tom.”

 

A senior mage of the Mage Tower had gone missing.

 

That was the real reason for the AAU’s emergency.

 

Sung Hyunjoon tore off his hair.

 

“Where did he suddenly run to?”

 

“We’ll figure that out from now on.”

 

“No, seriously. Well, if it’s another NPC. No, if you say that another Arcanain has gone missing. It would be unfortunate, but we’ll just let it be…!”

 

Like he said.

 

What kind of beings were the mages of the Mage Tower?

 

And among them, Banglet Tom was a senior mage.

 

Having seen as much as they knew.

 

AAU was aware of the seriousness of the situation.

 

“They’re not NPCs that were originally set up to operate in the Arcana continent. The mages of the Mage Tower? Once they start moving properly. Forget the Empire, no one can stop them….”

 

Yoon Sookyum clicked his tongue.

 

“Don’t overreact. Who said the Mage Tower has moved as a group? Bangle Tom just disappeared on his own.”

 

“That’s not normal, sunbae! If. Really, if. Let’s say that a quest related to Banglet Tom appears as the players guess. Let’s just say that players are going to confront Banglet Tom.”

 

“Hey. I don’t even want to imagine that.”

 

He knew it to some extent, so he could guarantee it.

 

If Banglet Tom became the enemy of the players.

 

He might become a stronger enemy than the demon king, Decarabia.

 

“What’s wrong with this situation, what the hell?”

 

Uagh–

 

He couldn’t think of anything even as he groaned and tore his hair.

 

So Sung Hyunjoon couldn’t help but wonder.

 

Even though Yoon Sookyum knew the seriousness of the situation better than he was.

 

Yoon Sookyum didn’t seem to be worried.

 

“…Are you okay, sunbae?”

 

“Huh? What?”

 

“No, you who would have been more upset than me in the past…”

 

“Oh, I have faith.”

 

“Faith? Sunbae, did you start believing in a religion?”

 

“Religion?”

 

Yoon Sookyum smirked.

 

“Well, you can see it that way.”

 

He clicked the play button.

 

Then the video played again.

 

Hoyeol’s voice came out of the speaker.

 

– “Banglet Tom. The moment he stands on the podium, we will resume the conference.”

 

“!”

 

Yeah, Hoyeol was there.

 

Banglet Tom was missing.

 

With a higher position than the great senior mages.

 

Hoyeol was being treated on par with the chief mage.

 

“Remember the setting of the Mage Tower. Even if you were lucky enough to get a seat as a chief co-researcher, you would have been stripped of your position sooner if you hadn’t proven your abilities. The chief mage of the Mage Tower is that kind of position.”

 

Yoon Sookyum continued.

 

“So there’s no choice but to believe in him.”

 

Not only that, he had activated the decisive battle weapon, Qirnberg Machine Tower.

 

Wasn’t that the beginning of a full-fledged counterattack?

 

Sung Hyunjoon opened his mouth.

 

“Homen, Homen. I think I know why those plastering didn’t stop.”

 

Of course, the only one they could believe in was Hoyeol.

 

It would be like dereliction of duty.

 

The two people’s thoughts went hand in hand without communication.

 

‘Information that might be helpful to Hoyeol.’

 

They briefly exchanged glances.

 

Click clack–

 

Sung Hyunjoon and Yoon Sookyum began to diligently tap the keyboard.

 

“Because it’s no longer a game. It’s not a bug.”

 

“Then he must have some purpose in hiding, right?”

 

“That’s right. We need to know his purpose so that we can at least guess where he went. The question is, how can we find out the purpose… First of all, shall we look through the setting of the Mage Tower?”

 

*

 

Alright.

 

Every action has a purpose.

 

There must be a purpose behind Banglet’s unexpected action.

 

So what is Banglet’s purpose?

 

If you ask me.

 

“Even if toilet business is urgent. I could understand it if he had asked for understanding.”

 

…Wait, no matter how important manners are.

 

How can you bring up the word toilet in Crystal Hall?!

 

People have a thing called shame, Grandfel.

 

As you could see, no nutritious answer was forthcoming.

 

But unlike me who shamelessly spewed nonsense.

 

There was someone who could guess his purpose.

 

“Indeed, you have a point.”

 

It was Marcelo.

 

Marcelo opened his hollow eyes.

 

“I don’t know what Sir Hoyeol thinks of this. I think I know Banglet very well. His ability is outstanding, but his lack of confidence is blocking him from making progress.”

 

Indeed, then it was understandable why he had tried to bribe me under the guise of sincerity. He must have resorted to bribery because he lacked confidence.

 

Nod–

 

Marcelo continued as I nodded.

 

“But that’s just a personal matter. Someone suggested that Banglet, who was under psychological pressure due to his reduced position, disappeared ahead of the conference, but… I disagree.”

 

His voice was full of conviction.

 

“Because he is a senior mage of pure magic.”

 

What Marcelo meant was simple.

 

The senior mage of the Mage Tower wasn’t such an easy job.

 

That you could disappear under pressure.

 

I couldn’t agree more about that.

 

“So I’ll tell you.”

 

While I kept nodding my head because there was no room for refutation.

 

Marcelo said meaningfully.

 

“It’s about the roundtable meeting.”

 

…There’s a reason you were beating around the bush!

 

The roundtable meeting was a meeting of the leaders of the Mage Tower.

 

What kind of conversation did he have at that higher-ups’ meeting?

 

It was true that I was curious.

 

Of course, I didn’t express it.

 

At times like this, I was thankful for my poker face. Seriously.

 

“The scheduled roundtable meeting has been postponed.”

 

…But what? It was postponed?!

 

Wait a minute, then why did I have to suffer through that!?

 

In an instant, a feeling of resentment seethed inside.

 

‘I shouldn’t have been thankful for this poker face!’

 

I canceled my gratitude.

 

At this rate, I might die young due to repressed anger.

 

But, as expected, I asked back in an unmoving tone.

 

“When was the postponement of the roundtable meeting decided?”

 

“As you guessed. It was decided during the regular conference.”

 

“!”

 

“That’s right. Similar to when Banglet left Crystal Hall.”

 

The meaning of those words was simple.

 

This was regarding the disappearance of Banglet Tom, a leading figure of the Mage Tower.

 

Doesn’t that mean it’s related to the Tower Master or the elder mages?

 

‘…I’m not just misunderstanding this, right?’

 

Obviously, Marcelo brought it up with that meaning.

 

This wasn’t some conspiracy theory.

 

I couldn’t help but feel surprised when high-ranking people were suddenly mentioned.

 

But as I said, I didn’t express it.

 

Marcelo smiled lightly at my dull reaction.

 

“As expected, you’ve also guessed.”

 

“?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

What did I guess?

 

It seemed there were more surprises left in this story.

 

I made up my mind, but it was useless.

 

“This is the circumstances of the Mage Tower that couldn’t be said.”

 

At that moment, the quest window flashed.

 

[Quest: The Truth of the Mage Tower]

 

There is a contradiction in the Mage Tower.

 

Uncover the contradiction.

 

Straighten up the Mage Tower and the truth.

 

– Secure Banglet Tom, who is entangled with the head of the Mage Tower. (In progress)

 

…It was connected like this?

 

This was intricately twisted from the top.

 

I’d had a hunch since Marcelo couldn’t speak easily.

 

But the shock seemed to double as I found out the truth.

 

‘Not just a mage of the Mage Tower, but a leader.’

 

But contrary to what I felt.

 

I answered back.

 

In the most brazen voice.

 

“I understand your pain. Chief Mage Marcelo.”

 

*

 

“Are you fools!? You have to use your brain!”

 

In the lobby of the tower.

 

Some players were on standby.

 

“What are you going to do by running out of nowhere? Is he going to say ta-da, and then come to greet you?”

 

In order to find Banglet Tom.

 

They needed clues.

 

In that sense, everyone was struggling for nothing.

 

“Yes! If you don’t know, you have to be sensible. Just like us.”

 

What those players were waiting for was Hoyeol.

 

It was clear that Hoyeol would also go out looking for Banglet Tom.

 

Who was Hoyeol?

 

The chief co-researcher of the Mage Tower.

 

Of course, he must have more information about the Mage Tower than anyone else.

 

“If we follow Lee Hoyeol, we’ll find something.”

 

What if they followed him but found Banglet Tom before Lee Hoyeol?

 

The quests and rewards would be theirs.

 

That was the purpose of the waiting players.

 

Tap tap–

 

It was the end of their waiting.

 

They heard the sound of shoes.

 

“Lee Hoyeol…”

 

But their impure purpose.

 

“…Huuh?!”

 

It was miserably broken.

 

There wasn’t just one footstep.

 

Because Hoyeol wasn’t alone.

 

“What is that skeleton behind him? A skeleton?”

 

It wasn’t a skeleton.

 

It was just a skin-and-bone man.

 

It didn’t take long for them.

 

To recognize that man.

 

The mage players who recognized him were shocked.

 

“H-How did the Chief Mage Marcelo get here…?”

 

“Wait, they’re heading to the portal. Those two!”

 

“Have the Mage Tower started to move? No way, because of Lee Hoyeol?!”