165. Urban Legend(1)

Hong Biyeon and Aiselle.

The two, symbolizing the burning red flame and the icy blue chill, seemed completely opposite, but subtly shared commonalities that could be found if one looked closely enough.

Firstly, the point of elevating some self-esteem for self-preservation.

Secondly, the determination to uncover and investigate any curiosity no matter what.

Thirdly, the deep interest each had in a particular individual.

Their similarities overlapped in such a way that the contrasting nature and intense friction between them seemed to dissipate, making them surprisingly compatible. Seeing the two of them sitting in the library, heads together, engrossed in something left other students with a sense of wonder.

"Hey, look over there."

"The princess and the traitor... ."

"Shh. Who even calls her that these days? Blind to what's happening?"

"Oh, right... true."

Recently, due to Aiselle, perceptions of the Morph family had been gradually changing. Branded as the traitor's child, she faced scorn and ridicule, yet through persistent effort in the most villainous environment, she excelled and entered Stella with top rankings. Additionally, she raised new possibilities in elemental magic and reached Class 4 at the young age of seventeen. No matter what challenges arose, she faced them with a sense of justice, becoming an inspiration to many aspiring magic warriors.

In reality, among commoners and lower-class students who harbored no particular bias against the "Dark Mage Traitor," she enjoyed considerable popularity.

Teenagers, drawn into a life-changing story like a youth manga about a rising star who doesn't yield to extreme conditions, couldn't help but be captivated.

As a result.

Aiselle and Hong Biyeon were sitting at an 8-seater table, yet no one dared to approach their vicinity.

In fact, it would be best to not even try.

The two were engrossed in deep discussion, heads together, not over some ordinary assignment but meticulously taking notes while poring over thick tomes, discussing in hushed tones. Who would dare intrude into their domain?

"They're not studying just regular homework. They're researching something significant in magic."

"Exactly. They're different from us ordinary students."

"Shh. Let's pass by quietly."

...So, captivating the students with awe and respect, what subject were the two girls researching?

"[What is a Noble Soul?]"

This research was about souls, something that hadn't been properly proven yet and was considered useless in magical advancement. No magician had successfully unraveled the essence of the soul.

Due to necromancy being associated with dark mages, this field hadn't progressed adequately. Furthermore, the study of souls wasn't merely magical; it involved philosophical elements, earning it the disgraceful title of 'zero contribution to magical development,' resulting in no one daring to delve into it.

Only a few students hungry for academic success, dared to look into the subject, but winded up napping during class, leading to a decrease in overall grades, a poignant tale of desperation.

"[The human soul can never be noble.] [At the moment of birth, committing the unfilial act of causing pain to one's mother.] [To purify a tainted soul, it requires tremendous effort, but humans, burdened with sins even before self-awareness, cannot erase them despite lifelong struggles.] [Reversing a tainted soul is hard enough; is it even plausible to possess a noble soul?]"

The research on a Noble Soul was initially filled with negative content on the first page, but subsequent pages listed countless historical cases.

[However, astonishingly, there are a few individuals in history who came close to possessing noble souls. Their great and sublime achievements cleansed countless sins committed during their lifetime.]

So, to put it plainly:

"Although humans cannot be noble, if they contribute to the world or make sacrifices, they come close to possessing a noble soul."

That's a summary.

"...I'm having trouble grasping this."

As Hong Biyeon was new to this field of study, she furrowed her brows as if struggling to comprehend.

Aiselle, equally perplexed, let out a sigh but managed to explain the concept somewhat.

"When you look at the list of historical figures considered noble, most of them were called 'saints' or 'holy women.'"

These were individuals who selflessly gave of themselves, sacrificed for others, shed blood for a cause, and fought tirelessly to wipe away the tears of others.

Most of them didn't even use sacred magic. According to historical accounts, the unworthy were deemed unworthy to learn sacred magic.

Yet, without sacred magic, they developed medicine to heal others, led wars to victory to protect their people, researched alchemy to create potions, and some even became great magicians in the future.

Saints and holy women... truly manifested their justice in various ways in the world.

These were individuals who, unlike the arbitrarily designated saints and holy men in the current sacred kingdom, were revered by people for their actions and virtues.

These were the individuals who came closest to possessing noble souls.

But here lies the issue.

"Even these individuals, while coming close to possessing a noble soul, didn't fully possess one."

"...That's right."

Humans cannot possess a truly noble soul. This fundamental truth remains unbroken by anyone to this day.

However... the White Jade Doctrine shattered that belief. It was truly remarkable, but unfortunately, as no one cared about necromancy, they were unaware of how profound and magnificent it truly was.

Hong Biyeon closed the book.

There was no need for further lengthy research or contemplation.

The conclusion had been reached swiftly.

"I think I understand."

"That's right...

Baek Yuseol has truly undergone countless regressions... how many lives must he have harmed?

Even from the brief glimpse in the 'Star Archive,' it was clear that Baek Yuseol's life was stained with blood, with sins that could never be washed away.

The countless sins he committed were so profound that they tainted his soul the darkest shade of black, yet somehow, he possessed a soul so bright it almost blinded the eyes.

According to the book, the conclusion was simple.

Baek Yuseol had sacrificed countless lives not only to atone for his own sins but to save the world even more, ultimately attaining a noble soul.

The process leading up to this, the girls couldn't even dare to imagine.

They only painfully realized the fact that they were still young.

What was a genius magician? What was a talent blessed by magic?

The Adolebit royal family? The Morph family?

Those who praised such superficial shells... were ignorant fools.

The true greatness lies elsewhere.

The one who bears the most magnificent name in the world is quietly living on.

Hong Biyeon suddenly felt ashamed of the life she had lived.

The days she had spent pretending to be a princess of the Adolebit royal family.

All the deeds she had ignored, claiming everyone beneath her was equal, she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to erase them all if she could.

After organizing the book, Hong Biyeon silently stood up without a word, not even bothering to apologize. There was no exchange of greetings. Even though they had merely been sitting together to read the same book for a while, the atmosphere between her and Aiselle remained tense.

Aiselle, likewise, did not try to stop her from leaving or even look at her. She simply remained in place, carefully reading the remaining pages.

"This...

Even though it was now meaningless to continue reading, the girl's curiosity was strong. Curiosity about areas she did not know about.

Delving deep into it, Aiselle could find something quite intriguing.

['...Among those who have recently come close to a noble soul, there is a figure called 'Abelline Stauberg.'] [Although currently he has dedicated his soul to the netherworld, choosing to become a dark mage, he gained his fame as a graduate of the Stella Academy...]

Abelline Stauberg, a grand sorcerer from Stella and a dark mage.

Aiselle knew well about that name. Because when she was young, her father had talked about that author.

'He was quite eccentric. At one time, during his days at Stella, he banished a whole tower to the opposite side of the world.'

'Incredible....'

'If you think it's incredible, it is. That vanished tower couldn't even be found by the headmaster and now it's completely gone. They say back when he was studying, there was no 7th tower.'

It was a story from roughly more than half a century ago. Now, as a dark mage, all the history regarding Abelline Stauberg within Stella had been completely erased.

Due to his transformation into a dark mage, Eltmon Eldwin, who strongly disliked dark mages, had buried everything in secrecy.

Therefore, the existence of the '7th Tower' at present was nothing more than a ghost story circulating among students.

Aiselle knew the truth behind that ghost story to some extent. She had heard about it from her father, who had experienced a major event at Stella at that time.

'The 7th Tower...

That's it.'

She soon closed the book.

All her curiosity had been resolved.

✧ ✧ ✧✧ ✧ ✧

At Stella Academy, there were numerous ghost stories. With a history spanning over a hundred years and a diverse array of notable and peculiar sorcerers passing through, not to mention the fact that the school grounds were as vast as a decent-sized town, it was a structure that inevitably gave rise to ghost stories.

While some of these ghost stories could be dismissed as completely unrealistic and nonsense, there were a few that students believed to be true. Among them, the '7th Tower ghost story' could be considered one of the most prominent.

※ There is no 7th Tower on campus.

※ If you happen to pass through the corridor between the towers and accidentally enter a tower with the number '6' written on it, immediately turn back and leave at a normal pace.

[In this case, even if you hear a female student calling you from behind, ignore it.

※ If a student wearing a white school uniform leads the way in the corridor of the 4th Tower, do not follow. There are no white school uniforms in the school.

※ Do not cross from the 6th Tower to the 3rd Tower at midnight.

If at that moment, you happen to discover a stained mirror while passing through the corridor of the 3rd Tower, please avoid eye contact.

If you accidentally lock eyes with your reflection in the mirror, immediately close your eyes and count to 100 before passing through. Nothing will happen.

The ghost stories related to the 7th Tower alone numbered more than ten, showing how much interest students had in these tales.

Naturally, nothing had been truly confirmed. There were students who had grown up hearing about the 7th Tower ghost stories during their time at the academy, yet even after decades of study, some would claim they had never seen the 7th Tower.

However, every few years, there were students who would drop out after claiming to have entered the 7th Tower for no apparent reason, keeping the ghost stories alive and circulating annually.

"Does it really exist?"

"No way. The headmaster even publicly stated it doesn't exist, right?"

"True. But isn't it suspicious that the professors keep warning us not to mention it?"

"Yeah."

As with most ghost stories, without the truth ever being revealed, the topic quickly shifted and was soon forgotten.

But Flame, who had recently taken an interest in the resurging 7th Tower ghost stories, was investigating the truth behind those stories through the original source material.

"It's just a rumor, right...?"

Anella looked at Flame, who was investigating the 7th Tower, with a somewhat skeptical gaze. The initial sense of dread was nowhere to be found, and observing her chasing after such ghost stories and rumors made her seem like a hopeless girl.

...Sometimes when she manifested her dazzling magic, a shiver would run down her spine, but that was one thing, and this was another.

"Yeah. Just a rumor. But why is this rumor suddenly spreading so much recently?"

After the school competition ended, a week passed and within the school, there was a trend for special horror stories for the summer. So, it wouldn't be too surprising for Neapolitan ghost stories to become popular alongside that trend.

However, the rumors surrounding the 7th Tower were particularly vivid and the mysterious behavior only added to the strangeness.

Almost as if the students were eager to learn more about the 7th Tower.

Flame knew the reason behind it but she didn't explain it to Anella. Revealing the truth from the very start was like saying the 'end' before the 'beginning' of the unfolding event.

"Nevertheless, it's definitely there."

In the original novel, the rumors about the 7th Tower were deliberately spread by Professor Maizen Tyren.

Yet, even without her, the fact that the story of the 7th Tower was so lively, despite the absence of rumors, meant that there was a 100% chance of someone replacing Maizen Tyren.

So, all they had to do was find that person.

Fortunately, Anella, who could distinguish the same dark magic user, accompanied them, making it possible to identify someone as a dark magic user even if they did not appear in the original novel.

By deducing and selecting the ones who spread the rumors and confirming with Anella if they were dark magic users, the game would end there.

It would be possible to prevent the worst-case scenario, the '7th Tower Dark Magic Corruption Incident', before it even occurred.

"...So, do you really think someone among the professors is the culprit?"

"I'm not sure. But we should investigate first and then decide."

It was a common occurrence for students to approach professors.

As Flame is an exemplary student with knowledge from various fields, there was nothing wrong with her seeking out a professor for questions about a class she didn't attend.

There were many suspicious suspects.

Therefore, Flame planned to meet each of them to narrow down the suspect.

A highly primitive method, but the most reliable way possible as a student.

"Well then, let's go!"

As Flame confidently headed towards a professor's office, Anella followed behind with a worried expression.

And then.

On the other side of the corridor, someone who had been secretly watching Flame's back movements subtly shifted.

After staring at the office Flame entered for a while, the person with a lingering regret turned away.

Leaving behind no trace where they had stood, only a quiet sense of unease lingered.