Third-Rate Villain Of Fantasy Novel-Chapter 43: Meeting Of Tower Masters [1]

Surrounding a round table carved out of stone, seated upon seven chairs that seemed to have been carved at the same time as the table itself, were renowned wizards gathered from across the continent.

This place held history.

In the past, when the seven towers were first erected, the very first ’Tower Masters’ Meeting’ had been held here.

Because of its significance, reaching this place required one to attain the position of Tower Master and activate the unique teleportation system embedded within each tower.

Only the Tower Masters present knew where this place truly existed. Even if they wished to reveal it, doing so was impossible.

An oath bound to their very souls prevented the location from ever being spoken aloud, isolating this place completely from the outside world.

If the giants of the magical realm gathered like this, one might assume they were planning something earth-shaking or catastrophic.

However, that assumption would be wrong.

Of course, there had been moments in the past when decisions made here had rewritten the course of magical history.

Yet the original purpose of this place was far simpler. It was created to preserve harmony, cooperation, and exchange among the seven towers scattered across the continent.

Even now, generations later, the descendants of those founders continued to follow that intent without deviation.

Every individual seated at the table had reached the rank of Archmage—the pinnacle of wizardry. As a result, the mana saturating the air was naturally dense, almost tangible.

Still, the atmosphere itself was far from tense.

"Honestly," one of them spoke first, leaning back in his stone chair with an easy sigh. "Every time we gather, I expect someone to announce the end of the world."

A few quiet chuckles followed.

"You say that every time," replied the woman seated across from him, her silver hair flowing like liquid mercury over her shoulders. "And yet you still show up early."

"That’s because the snacks here are excellent," he said shamelessly. "Ancient location or not, priorities matter."

Another Tower Master tapped the table lightly with his finger, the sound echoing faintly through the chamber. "Jokes aside, this meeting was convened for a reason. Even if it isn’t a crisis, we wouldn’t have been summoned without cause."

"Relax," said the eldest among them, his voice calm and steady. "If it were urgent, the mana here would already be screaming at us. This is... a discussion. Nothing more."

"A discussion that required all of us," someone muttered.

"That alone makes it troublesome," another agreed, though there was a smile in her tone. "Still, it’s been years since we were all in the same room. Perhaps it’s good to remind ourselves that the towers are not rivals."

"Speak for yourself," the first man said lightly. "My apprentices insist on competing with yours at every opportunity."

"That’s not rivalry," she replied. "That’s poor discipline."

Laughter spread around the table, easing the lingering stiffness.

"Anyway, let’s save the small talk for later. From this moment on, we will begin the 7,836th monthly meeting of the Mage Tower."

The one who opened the proceedings was Theodor Aiolos, Archmage and Master of the Tower of Winds—widely acknowledged as the most accomplished among the current Tower Masters.

As a wizard’s rank increased, their aging slowed dramatically. Because of that, Theodor’s youthful appearance was not mere vanity but proof that he had long since overcome the so-called ’wall’ that trapped most mages at a certain level.

With Theodor’s declaration, the Tower Masters began retrieving the materials they had prepared in advance.

Officially, the purpose of the meeting was to promote friendship between the towers. In practice, however, they were Archmages—scholars who devoted their lives to the pursuit of magic.

Even when the topic lay outside their specialties, their curiosity toward magical theory far exceeded that of ordinary mages.

For them, ’friendship’ was simply another word for the exchange of knowledge. In that sense, the structure of the meeting was only natural.

The first presentation was claimed by the Tower Master of Scarlet Flame.

With a casual wave of her hand, several documents rose into the air, glowing faintly as they rearranged themselves so everyone could see. She cleared her throat and began.

"As part of our latest research into pyrotechnic refining, our team succeeded in completely eliminating the impurities generated during the refining process. In addition, we shortened the activation time by approximately 1.37 seconds compared to the previous standard."

Murmurs rippled through the hall.

"With a bit more fine-tuning," she continued, a faint note of pride in her voice, "we believe the refining speed can be reduced even further."

"Ohhh."

The Master of the Golden Tower, who had been silently reviewing the floating data, began to clap slowly.

"A refined formula, indeed. And one that hasn’t seen meaningful change in quite some time," he said, smiling faintly. "At this rate, won’t Scarlet Flame be claiming this year’s membership fee as well?"

At the mention of the membership fee, several Tower Masters who had been leaning back in their chairs straightened at once.

The membership fee.

No one knew exactly when it had first been introduced. Records suggested that during the very first Tower Master meetings, no such thing existed. It was likely implemented later—perhaps as a joke, perhaps as a challenge—but regardless of its origin, it had since become an integral part of the gathering.

The tower whose research was deemed the most outstanding that year gained the right to collect a hefty contribution from the others.

In other words, prestige backed by very real resources. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Hmph. You’re getting ahead of yourself," Scarlet Flame replied lightly, crossing her arms. "It’s only the first presentation."

"True," said the Golden Tower Master, unfazed. "But starting strong tends to leave an impression."

Theodor tapped the armrest of his chair, the sound sharp enough to cut through the growing chatter.

"Let’s refrain from turning this into a bidding war so early," he said calmly. "Scarlet Flame’s achievement is noteworthy, but we’ll evaluate everything after all presentations are complete."

"A pity," someone muttered under their breath.

From the opposite side of the table, the Master of the Azure Depths leaned forward, eyes glinting with interest.

"Still," he said, "completely removing refining impurities is no small feat. Did you stabilize the mana flow internally, or did you reinforce the external containment?"

Scarlet Flame smiled.

"Both," she replied. "Though the internal stabilization was the true breakthrough. I’d be happy to discuss the details—after the meeting."

A few Tower Masters exchanged looks.

That, too, was part of the ritual.

The meeting had only just begun, yet the undercurrent of competition—and anticipation—was already thick in the air.