Surprised, Maxi turned to see Anette rushing into the communal workshop.
She approached Maxi and leaned in close so she could hear her over the noise of the gears.
“Master Landon is looking for you!” Anette screamed as loud as she could.
“He wants you in his office now!”
As soon as the girl's deafening message sunk into her mind, Maxi felt her tears dry up instantly.
Standing up, she looked at Anette apprehensively.
“F-For what?”
All Anette could offer was a shrug.
Sighing, Maxi left the workshop.
What would be the reason for the chief wizard to want to see her this time?
She hurried down the hall to the huge steel cage.
After asking a passerby carrying firewood to activate the pulley for her, Maxi opened the door and entered.
Soon, the steel box creaked and made noise before slowly rising from the ground.
She straightened her rumpled dress and messy hair as she climbed to the upper levels.
As she would one day ask for a letter of recommendation impressive enough to warrant the approval of Urd's mages, she wanted to secure the chief mage's goodwill as much as possible.
She knew that Master Landon had a high opinion of her abilities, but it was still possible that he favored the mages of her tribe over her.
Maxi did his best to straighten any hair out of place.
It didn't take long for the pulley to stop.
She carefully opened the door and walked out.
As she knocked on the arched entrance, Landon's voice came from inside, inviting her inside.
“Good evening, Master Landon,” Maxi said as he slowly entered.
Inside, Landon sat across from a thin man.
Maxi's eyes widened.
She was hoping he was alone.
The stranger had his back to Maxi, but looked over his shoulder as she entered, staring at her with blue-gray eyes.
Maxi froze when he recognized him.
It was Calto Serbel, a wizard she had heard described as one of the Tower's elders.
His influence was considerable within Nornui.
Thinking she had arrived at an inappropriate time, she took a step back.
"I was informed...
that you wanted to see me.
I didn't mean to interrupt..."
“Come on, sit down,” Landon said, pointing to an empty chair.
Maxi studied Calto Serbel's face before hesitantly sitting down.
Seeing her nervousness, Landon smiled at her as if to lighten the mood.
"I didn't call you here to scold you, so there's no need to be so tense.
There's a proposal I'd like you to consider."
“A proposal?”
It was Calto Serbel who responded.
“Allow me to explain.”
Maxi jumped and turned to look at him.
His age was impossible to guess.
Although the wizard had the firm skin of a young man in his twenties, his neatly tied gray hair was flecked with white.
Barely visible age spots dotted the back of his bony hand that held the arm of the chair.
These were the only indicators that the man might be much older than he appeared.
Calto's watchful eyes watched her before continuing.
“The Tower of Mages intends to undertake an expedition to the Continent of Roviden in the near future, and we are currently in the process of recruiting suitable mages for the task.”
Maxi blinked vaguely.
After allowing the silence to stretch, Calto added, “We were hoping you would join us.”
"And me?"
He nodded slowly.
"Master Landon told me that you are proficient in the ancient language and quite skilled with runes.
I understand that you were interested in this field from an early age and have dedicated yourself to it ever since.
The expeditionary group needs mages like you."
“B-But… I haven’t finished my training yet…”
"It would indeed be a bit premature, but if you join the expedition, you will be bestowed with an elemental rune.
Under the condition that you carry out your task until the end, of course."
It was such a shocking offer that Maxi almost jumped out of his chair to shout that he would do whatever they wanted.
The problem she had been mulling over would be resolved if she joined the expeditionary group.
Not only would she receive her elemental rune and become a high-ranking mage, but she would also be able to leave the island much sooner.
Even so, it would not be wise to agree without knowing what the task involved.Trying hard to be as sensible as possible, she asked, "What...
is the purpose of the expedition?
What could the Mage Tower want with a newbie like me?"
With deep lines furrowing his brow, Calto stroked his beardless chin with a bony finger before saying darkly, “The subject of the expedition is known only among the few high-ranking mages who have already agreed to participate.”
“Are you saying you can’t tell me what the mission is… unless I agree first?”
"No, it is not my intention to coerce you without any knowledge of what you are getting yourself into.
However, until the Tower makes the official announcement… I ask that you keep what you are about to hear to yourself.
We do not want to cause unnecessary excitement."
This meant that the expedition involved matters of great importance.
Biting her lower lip, Maxi nodded slowly.
"I understand.
I won't...tell anyone."
Calto watched her closely, as if measuring how much he could trust her, before explaining in a monotone voice, "I'm sure you know about the monsters' invasion three years ago.
An army composed mainly of trolls wreaked havoc across the northwest region after forming an alliance with the monsters of the Ayin race, triggering a terrible war."
Maxi's face darkened at the unexpected topic.
She wondered how many of the Tower's wizards knew more about the war than she did.
Even now, the horrors of that time still haunted his dreams.
She nodded.
"Yes, I know it well.
Before I came here...
I served as a healer on the battlefield during the war."
“Ah yes, that’s true.”
Frowning, Calto swept his eyes over her as if he was seeing her in a new light.
The story of how she came to Nornui was something of a legendary tale among the few higher mages aware of it.
Calto wrinkled his nose thoughtfully.
"Many things about the war are quite dubious.
The monsters were well equipped and fully armed, and they had an army with a surprisingly organized chain of command.
Do you understand the implications of this?
It means that someone spent a lot of time turning thousands of monsters into soldiers.
It is likely that these monsters formed a highly advanced civilization in the regions beyond the Pamela Plateau.
Fearing that remnants of that civilization may still exist there, the church relentlessly pursued the scattered army, but it appears that the barren, rugged terrain of the region made reconnaissance difficult.
Hundreds of monsters disappeared like ghosts, while Osiriya's forces found themselves in a territory they knew nothing about.
As you can imagine, their mission was no different than finding a needle in a vast desert.
The unexpected revelation of this disconcerting news left Maxi stunned.
The idea that a vast civilization of monsters could exist in a mysterious region where humanity had never ventured made her shudder.
She swallowed and asked cautiously, “The Mage Tower… is sending the expedition group to investigate this lead?”
"Correct.
The church privately requested your assistance, and after much deliberation, the Wizards' Tower decided to cooperate with them in exploring the Pamela Plateau."
Maxi frowned when he remembered the five paladins who visited the Wizards' Tower last month.
Although both sides tolerated each other at the time, the church had a history of relentlessly persecuting mages.
The Tower itself was created to protect wizards from pagan hunters.
When the Age of Armistice began after the fall of the Roem Dynasty, the church and the Magus Tower implicitly entered into a peace agreement as well.
Even with this peace, however, the zealous adherents of the Orthodox Church still harbored ill will toward magic.
Why would Osiriya ask for the Tower's help, knowing full well that it would cause strong opposition?
“What exactly is this clue… that they discovered on the Pamela Plateau?”
For the first time since the conversation began, Calto looked hesitant.
When he continued to brood in silence, his face uncomfortable, Landon intervened.
"They discovered the ruins of a small city in the eastern part of the Plateau.
Written records in the ancient language were also found."Unable to grasp the full implications of the chief mage's words immediately, Maxi blinked.
When the meaning finally dawned on her, she shrugged as an ominous shiver ran down her spine.
“A-Are you saying… that they discovered traces of a human settlement?”
“Yes,” said Landon, his voice deep, “and we believe that the people who lived there were the dark wizards that the church banished to the north after their failed revolt.”