By Zephyria 
This ‘graduation ceremony’ that Lennox was participating in was, so to speak, a certification ritual that he had satisfied all the basic qualifications as a wizard guaranteed by the Magic Tower. Wizards who completed the graduation ceremony would never have to worry about starving to death anywhere on the continent. Everyone would be clamoring to take them.
“What will you do? Will you attend?”
“Well… I was curious about the Magic Tower…”
What should I do about this? I didn’t answer Nicole immediately and weighed the pros and cons in my head.
I was still sponsoring Lennox as a distant relative of Seymour. Not for any other reason, but because once he entered the Magic Tower, it would still take quite some time before he could leave and operate independently. Rather than revealing my identity too early and slowly losing favor while we couldn’t meet, it would be more efficient to reveal the truth and focus my efforts all at once when he had completely settled in the capital.
In fact, even before entering the Magic Tower, Lennox had sent countless letters requesting, almost begging, to meet the ‘Seymour’ who was sponsoring him. My heart wasn’t entirely comfortable rejecting those letters, in which he asked to meet me even briefly, from afar, before entering the Magic Tower. How could I not feel sorry when the capture target I had been searching for so desperately wanted to see me first, but I had to refuse? I tried to reassure myself, saying it was a step back for a leap forward.
That’s because, even though he was about to graduate, this wasn’t the end. The graduation ceremony was merely a reporting procedure to officially use the title of ‘wizard,’ and there were still many years left before he could leave the Magic Tower.
What I was relying on was that, in the original story, all the characters would somehow gather around Allen, so at the very least, he would leave the Magic Tower around that time.
“How about Seymour? Isn’t it about time for her to come back?”
“Oh, no. It’s still a long way off, Young Master Hamilton. And they say you can’t appoint a proxy. You must come in person.”
Nicole was subtly fanning me, acting affectionately. It seemed like he wanted me to go to the Magic Tower this time. Well, since the Magic Tower is never open to the general public unless there’s a special reason, he must be very curious about what it’s like inside.
Hmm. Now that things have come to this, should I go quietly without making a fuss? Since the Magic Tower is close to the south, where Frederick has gone on his knight errantry, I could stop by and see Frederick for a while.
“Okay. Let’s go. I have to go tell my father.”
“Yes, Young Master Hamilton! Don’t worry about the preparations! I’ll take care of everything meticulously!”
And so, I decided on a short trip to the Magic Tower.
“Welcome. We have been waiting for you. Thank you so much for taking the precious time to visit.”
Waiting for me when I arrived at the Magic Tower was none other than the Master of the Magic Tower, Elias himself. Judging by his appearance, which consisted only of a shabby robe, no one would easily guess his identity, but having experienced this old man’s stubbornness countless times in the future, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“No, please get up quickly. Why would you go this far…!”
The old wizard, who glared at the Crown Prince and showed all sorts of bad temper, was bowing his head with the utmost politeness, which was simply shocking. Of course, the Master of the Magic Tower might know that I was not just a rural nobleman related to a wealthy merchant, but a member of Count Hamilton’s family.
But no matter how hard I thought about it, there was no reason for someone who hadn’t yielded to the Crown Prince, who was acting as regent, to show such a low posture to the son of a mere Count. I didn’t even have the presence of mind to return the greeting and hurriedly helped Elias up.
“I heard that you recognized Lennox and led him to the Magic Tower. How can this humble old man repay the benefactor who has given me such a precious talent that I cannot exchange for anything in the world?”
Ah. So that was it. He seemed to be moved by Lennox’s fraudulent talent. Well, Lennox seemed amazing even to my eyes, who didn’t know anything about magic. To someone who had devoted his life to magic, the scale and specialness of that talent must have been felt even more keenly.
“It’s not like I recognized Lennox’s magical talent from the beginning. Lennox himself is the amazing one.”
“Young Master Hamilton…”
“So you knew after all. But please just call me ‘Seymour’ here.”
“Yes, I will. The graduation ceremony is this way. Please follow me.”
I took care of Nicole, who was busy looking around with wide eyes, and diligently followed the Master of the Magic Tower. Perhaps it’s because highly developed magic is hard to distinguish from science, but compared to the old-fashioned name of ‘Magic Tower,’ the structure of the Magic Tower looked just like a modern shopping mall. Each floor was connected by automated rails that looked like escalators, and there was a large elevator in the center of the building.
“Wow, Young Master Hamilton. They say the inside of the Magic Tower is like another world, and it really is! What’s that over there?”
I took Nicole, who was busy making a fuss, and followed the Master of the Magic Tower to a circular auditorium on the top floor. The people inside the auditorium seemed to have finished all the preparations and were waiting for the Master of the Magic Tower to arrive. I checked the people inside, then immediately pulled the hood of my robe down low and took a seat in the guest seats as directed.
“Hear, you lambs who have finally taken the first step of exploration following the constellation of wisdom.”
The Master of the Magic Tower’s voice was solemn. There were a total of three graduates this time, including Lennox. The three wizards, wearing long, flowing white robes, bowed their heads deeply at the Master of the Magic Tower’s words and began chanting in unison. Then, complex patterns that were dizzying to look at quickly began to glow beneath each of their feet. It was difficult to distinguish who was who because of the flowing robes and deeply bowed heads, but it was easy to find Lennox.
“You must not be close to the cunning of the serpent, but only uphold the wisdom of the serpent. You must not resemble the ferocity of the lion, but only uphold the bravery of the lion. You must not emulate the deadly poison of the scorpion, but only uphold the patience of the scorpion.”
At Lennox’s feet, a magic circle emitting a powerful red light was formed, incomparable to those created by the other two wizards. I felt strange throughout the spectacle. The Lennox I knew was certainly a strong wizard, but how should I put it? This was the first time he looked so much like a ‘wizard.’ Until now, he had seemed more like a master of an information guild who knew how to use magic than a wizard.
“It’s really vulgar. Look at that ominous red color.”
“Ha, to think that our children have to graduate with such a commoner. This is a disgrace that I can’t even talk about!”
It was in the middle of the graduation ceremony. The sharp, pointed words of the enemy pricked my ears.
“What will you do, Lord Taylor? Are you just going to stand by and watch this outrageous sight?”
“That won’t do. Don’t worry. I’ll somehow drive that lowly commoner out.”
“Yes, yes. What is he that he can graduate with our children when he hasn’t even been here for a year?”
“How long has Randy been in the Magic Tower? Our Adolf is in his fourth year this year.”
“I envy you. Randy has already been here for a full five years.”
The annoying voices came from the same guest seats as me. I turned my eyes from Lennox to that side. There were two couples there who were clearly displeased, even puffing out their noses as they talked. The wives also seemed to have similar displeasure, but they were at least trying to save face, but the husbands were the problem.
“Anyway, I trust you. You’re a high-ranking nobleman, being the sixth cousin of the son-in-law of the Eagleton family!”
“Hahaha. Don’t be so modest. You’re also the son-in-law of Lady Catherine, the half-sister of Count Gordon.”
“Oh, did you hear? About that commoner’s sponsor. I looked into it, and he’s just a local nobleman! He must be someone insignificant. That’s why he hasn’t even thought of showing his face at the Magic Tower until now.”
…The more I listened, the more absurd it became. What? The sixth cousin of the son-in-law of the Eagleton family? The son-in-law of the half-sister of Count Gordon? Looking down on and belittling others based on their innate status was a situation I, with my 21st-century values, found truly unpleasant, but I couldn’t be such a pushover as to just take the beating when they were coming at me like that.
Only the families or sponsors of the graduates could sit in the guest seats. So, from the beginning, they knew that I, sitting in the guest seats besides them, was the sponsor of that arrogant commoner, and they deliberately raised their voices so that I could hear them.