Chương 77: (B2.13)

13) Leona Vinton The chair was just not comfortable. Why couldn't it be comfortable? It had a cushion, and every chair in the room was elaborate and richly decorated. Who spent this much money on the chairs and didn't make sure they supported the butt? Leona pushed those thoughts away with a light sigh as Gaspar finally entered the room. Of the thirteen Grand Mages, seven were now present. It was enough for quorum, though Leona had a sneaking suspicion she'd been brought in just to fill a seat.

As the youngest of the Grand Mages in the Thallis Royal Magic Academy she was often ignored. As the only woman in the group of old men, she was only slightly less often ridiculed. It was ironic that the very advances the Academy had brought about in the last century had indirectly led to near equality between the sexes in Thallis… yet the Academy itself was still very much a men-only club.

If Leona's thesis had not completely revolutionized the entire discipline of Spatial Magic, she was sure she would still be struggling to prove herself to the academics. Or, more likely, she would have given up in disgust like so many others and moved to the private sector. Gaspar settled into his chair with a groan, dropping several scroll tubes upon the table. A flick of his fingers began unrolling them, revealing old maps, records, and a few more recent missives and notes.

It was more than Leona had expected, but then she hadn't been told why this emergency meeting had been called.

"Gentlemen," he began, pointedly ignoring Leona's frown.

"I have spent much of this winter monitoring and investigating the recent appearance of the Greylan's Legacy dungeon. I am sure you have all heard of this momentous new event." Theodore let out a quiet snort.

"Unfortunately." The man with the healthy but almost fully grey beard muttered. He kept the beard trimmed nicely, unlike many of his fellow mages, and despite his age he still looked very fit. That was unusual for a mage his age, as most let their physical attributes lag. He was also a huge jerk. Gaspar ignored him.

"As most of you likely know, dungeons form to deal with mana instabilities. Since one formed, I have been observing the local mana levels." Leona had not known that, but it made sense so she said nothing. The old mage slid his finger up to tap at the location of the dungeon, Mount Onroc.

"Unsurprisingly, this area is now teeming with mana. What is surprising is that the amount rises in short bursts at irregular intervals. Since I have started monitoring, I have counted no less than seven bursts that further contributed to the rise in the local mana." Eranor, one of the eldest, lifted a bushy eyebrow.

"Are you quite certain? Growth events are sometimes in bursts, but never more than two to three…" His quavery voice cracked with age, and his hair was completely white. Leona was glad he didn't bother growing out the stereotypical long beard, or he would look like the common myth of the wizard. Sadly, as pleasant as he was, Leona was reasonably certain that the old man had few years left even with his life-extending magic. Gaspar thumped his hand on the map he'd laid out." Very certain.

And that isn't the most worrying part." His finger lifted to point at Mount Onroc… then traced it down the road to the nearby city. Merriweather, the frontier city… the last true civilization before the Untamed Woods and then the Theocracy's lands.

"Here," he announced.

"Most recently, three more bursts, much closer together to one another, appeared here. It should be close enough that the nearby dungeon can siphon off the power, but the level of mana in Merriweather will be almost uncomfortably high for months, and above the norm for years or decades… especially if this continues to happen."

"How close together are you saying, Gaspar?" Theodore's firm voice cut in. The mage was staring at the map, his brow creased in a frown that was even deeper than his usual scowl. A frown of thought. Gaspar shook his head.

"So close together that at first I thought they were one event. All three happened within minutes of one another, at most. It is possible some of the earlier bursts were also double or triple bursts and I was simply unable to detect it. At this distance it can be very difficult to get precise measurements."

"Concerning," Eranor murmured, though said nothing further about it. Leona was not sure if he was deep in thought or had simply zoned out.

"Should we inform the King?" Luther, a normally quiet mage that preferred observation to joining in the conversation, asked the pointed question.

"He has declared that the current owner of the land is sufficient so long as they pay their taxes, and has been very blunt about viewing any attempt to maneuver the owner into surrendering their land will be viewed as treason." Leona flinched.

"Treason? Really? With such an important resource, surely they would want to control it themselves."

"There are likely political concerns," Theodore pointed out.

"That region does border the Theocracy, and immediately moving a large contingent of royals or even loyal nobles into the area could be seen as threatening. The Theocracy has had some trouble of late, and relations may be strained if they see a threat." He stroked his beard and looked at the map.

"Yet this does complicate matters. We may wish to suggest it be handled by the Academy with minor royal support. Perhaps the king would be more amenable to that arrangement." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Gaspar frowned and clasped his hands together.

"Perhaps. Or you and Miss Vinton could seek out the owner and see if they would allow some study of the matter." Leona had to stop and review what she'd just heard.

"Me, sir?" Not that she wasn't willing, but she'd never been asked to handle something like this before.

"I am told the owner is a young woman, and we both know that Theodore's attitude can be… less likely to bring cooperation," Gaspar explained with a chuckle. Theodore grimaced, but did not contest the statement.

"Let us be honest… the rest of us are old men that she would feel no rapport with at all."

"While I don't disagree there, shouldn't we send an actual negotiator?" Leona argued, now aware that for once, every eye in the room was focused on her.

"Does this need the attention of not just one but two full Grand Mages?"

"Yes," Gaspar countered bluntly.

"If the explosive growth continues, this dungeon could quickly become one of the largest in the world. While that has many advantages, it also means any dungeon break would be that much more catastrophic… and since people are still learning how to get to the dungeon in the first place, it is doubtful they have the throughput to cull the dungeon enough." Theodore spoke up in a surprising defense of Leona's point.

"Surely the Adventurer's Guild would be the place to start? It sounds as if they should be directing traffic toward the dungeon more aggressively. What are they doing?" With a glare, Gaspar silenced the two.

"I am not a fool. While you are speaking to the owner about our concerns, I shall make my way to the Guild and speak with them about their current plans. I believe they are trying to control access to allow younger, less experienced teams time to try the dungeon while it is still new, and to prevent a rush into the sparsely-inhabited town. They will need to change this policy to prevent a dungeon break." Leona sighed to herself.

If not for Theodore being sent with her, she might have taken this as an attempt to just get rid of her for a while. Gaspar truly did seem to appreciate her insights, but she was also well aware of the complicated politics he had to follow. For him to send not just her but another decorated Grand Mage to speak to this person… he must really believe these surges were dangerous.

"You leave tomorrow morning. Please study the papers I've prepared, as you will be using a Swift Carriage." Very dangerous. Kaluk It was a different girl… but it was the same girl. He was sure of it. The moment Kaluk had seen her, he'd ducked aside and pulled his hood up. It made him more conspicuous, so he did not usually use that, but with his distinct appearance he knew that the redheaded street performer would identify him if she looked his way. That is, provided they really were the same girl.

He'd been unprofessional and panicked. True, it looked like the same girl that had walked into the inn that night, but her attitude was different. He could immediately tell it was not the one that had confronted him, as her body was lighter and not as fair-skinned, plus other subtle differences. But the resemblance to the owner of the dungeon—who had supposedly been run down in the street a few days ago—was uncanny. Now the merchant girl was juggling in the street and laughing with the passing citizens.

He knew she'd claimed to be the sister of the dead girl, but he'd seen the girl's sister, and she didn't look like this. He'd considered the idea that the one that had confronted him had been the one killed… but though he hadn't seen the body, something about that felt off, as well. His gut was telling him this was all wrong. He activated Analyze Person and dared to look out at the juggling girl again.

None of his Perks told him anything was off, and at this angle she would have to turn and look directly at him to see him. The expensive Ability should pass undetected and give him some information, even if the Class would still be unknown. Except it wasn't unknown. Not to him. CLASS: Blade Orchestra TIER: Low Journeyman THREAT: Low As soon as the information came through, Kaluk stopped staring and turned his eyes away. He knew that Class.

He only knew one person who had ever qualified for it, and they had eventually become the world's most feared assassin, with the Hybrid Class of Smiling Executioner. And now this girl who was identical to the merchant with the "Unknown" Class claimed the same root. Not a threat to him, of course… not yet. The mere fact that she had pursued such an exotic collection of Tier 1 Classes to manage to get that Tier 2 Class was worrying, though.

He had no idea where she had gotten the information on how to unlock the Class, nor how she had rushed a half dozen Levels repeatedly at such a young age. Even with the banked experience, that should have taken longer. Kaluk dove into his memory to recall what sorts of Perks and Abilities that Class had. It was a Performer base, he knew that. Her juggling also spoke to that. It had Perks to show off, or to draw attention. It had Perks to aid in getting the first strike in battle, or to… He pulled his thoughts back.

Perks to draw attention. With great effort, he pulled himself away and looked into the alleyway, using every trick he knew to scan it. He needn't have bothered, because the girl that was waiting there was barely hiding. She had a cloak on her that roughly matched the color of the stone each building's first floor was made of, but she wasn't slinking through the shadows.

"Oh, you actually looked away, you're better than I thought," the redhead chuckled. She was identical to the other one, but unarmed… or at least wasn't holding a weapon. Kaluk could see she carried one, but she made no move toward it.

"This was a trap?" He asked warily.

"Don't be so full of yourself," the girl replied, clucking her tongue.

"I saw you and recognized you, that's all. I presume you're looking into the murder that the Theocracy was framed for?" Kaluk narrowed his eyes, but didn't reply, reaching instead for his Ability once more. CLASS: Porter TIER: Low Journeyman THREAT: Minor"Don't look at me like that, I'm offering to work with you." The girl tilted her head to the side.

"So, do you want to clear your boss's name or not?" He had doubts this girl was a simple Porter. Perhaps that was her Class, but she had Cross Class Abilities and Skill Enhancers. He couldn't take anything for granted with these girls. With a deep sigh, Kaluk muttered a reply.

"Tell me what you know."