NOVPUB
Chapter 46: 013: Tweet!
"What? Sounds like nothing but an excuse to me!"
"Exactly! We’ve been talking for so long and the Tower never stopped us—why is it that when it comes to him, he’s suddenly unable to speak because of ’Tower regulations’?"
"Maybe he’s hiding something..."
The apprentices’ whispers rippled through the crowd, filled with suspicion and conjecture growing ever more pervasive.
Carl furrowed his brows, rebuking with frustration, "What nonsense are you all spewing? How could Lynch ever do something to betray us?"
"Then why won’t he just tell us the truth?" an apprentice shot back.
Carl snapped angrily, "Haven’t you heard about the Tower’s rules?"
"Rules?"
The apprentice scoffed coldly, "Sounds like a convenient excuse. When has the Tower ever really stopped anyone?"
Carl was left speechless.
Truth be told, the Tower did announce that apprentices shouldn’t spread rumors in private, but discussions had never really ceased. Aside from Lynch, it seemed that no one had truly been abiding by the rule.
"What exactly is going on? Speak up! Are you just going to play dumb forever?"
"Why do you have Yuri’s sword?"
Lynch shook his head, remaining steadfast. "The Tower won’t let me say."
"Bullshit!"
The apprentices were utterly exasperated.
"Fine, fine!"
Adam laughed out of sheer anger, stepping forward and saying coldly, "Hiding behind the rules, are you?"
He unhooked the short magic wand at his waist, pointing it at Lynch. "If that’s how it is, then let’s settle this the traditional way. If I lose, I’ll let you do as you please. But if I win—"
He enunciated each word with force, "You will tell me everything, the entire truth!"
According to the ancient traditions between wizards, when irreconcilable conflicts arose, they could be resolved with a magic duel.
Lynch decisively replied, "I refuse!"
There was no way he would engage in a magic duel over such an absurd matter.
With that, he decided to ignore the surrounding apprentices and turned to leave, hoping to put an end to the escalating situation.
However, before he could take another step, Adam moved to block his way.
Then, a sharp sound rang out:
"Clang!"
Adam drew the Cross Sword, gripping it with both hands as he stood before Lynch.
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with veins that made him look like a furious beast on the edge of losing control, completely irrational.
"You’re not going anywhere until you explain clearly!"
The situation had escalated to such a degree that the apprentices surrounding them suddenly fell silent. Some quickly retreated and slipped away, while others hurriedly tried to mediate.
"Adam, calm down!"
"Yeah, Lynch... he’s a straight-up guy. He wouldn’t do anything to wrong Yuri."
"We were just speculating earlier; don’t act on impulse..."
But at this point, Adam was beyond reason. His bloodshot eyes were fixated on Lynch, and he snarled at anyone who approached to mediate, "Get lost."
Seeing this, no apprentice dared to intervene further. They could only turn to Lynch once again in desperate hopes of defusing the situation.
"Lynch, just tell him already!"
"Yeah, it’s no big deal. The Tower won’t say anything!"
"If there’s any punishment, we’ll help you bear it, OK?"
Truthfully, Lynch was utterly fed up with this lot.
The ones spreading baseless rumors in secret were them! The ones fanning the flames for a spectacle were also them! And now, the ones putting on a pretense of goodwill once the mess escalated were still them!
If he could, he’d like to split them open one by one, yank out their guts, and hang them from a tree by their necks!
"Fine."
Lynch took a step forward, lifting his right hand to grasp at the air. A faint gleam flickered on the ring he wore, causing the space before him to distort. In the next moment, the Glory Cross was in his hand.
He said coldly, "You asked for this."
Fighting a duel with the heavy and razor-sharp Cross Sword?
For someone who had barely been in a handful of scraps as an ordinary salaryman, it was something Lynch would never have imagined before. Even at a late-night food stall, his first instinct when a fight broke out had always been to get far away to avoid trouble.
Had the slaughter from the last time awakened some primal combat fervor buried within the ancient human genome?
Or was it the subtle influence of this savage world?
Maybe this was the real him, and the mild-mannered, refined persona he’d worn before had simply been the product of modern societal conditioning, while this wild side was his true nature?
Lynch wasn’t sure.
All he knew was that, this time, as he eyed Adam standing in his way with the Cross Sword’s sharp blade glinting coldly, his first response wasn’t fear but an inexplicable surge of combat desire. He was eager, itching for a challenge.
He’d trained with the sword for so long—here was the perfect chance to test his skills!
"Swish!"
"A fight’s breaking out—stand back!"
The apprentices scattered in a panicked flurry, leaving behind a wide-open circle.
Lynch’s two companions tried to mediate but were waved away by him. Left with no choice, one stayed behind while the other rushed off to call the Tower’s Law Enforcement Team. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
And so, a peculiar scene unfolded.
In a square teeming with wizards and drenched in the aura of magic, with a crowd of wizard apprentices looking on—
Two apprentices dressed in wizard robes were standing there with Cross Swords in their hands, dueling like knights.
It all seemed so incongruous, yet in that moment, no one found it strange. All eyes were fixed on the two figures standing at the center of the square.
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind swept across the square, conveniently stirring their cloaks and tousling their mid-length hair.
A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!
But just as the tension reached its peak, a gentle but authoritative voice rang out:
"That’s enough! All of you, stop!"
From the edge of the square, a figure slowly approached.
His steps were unhurried, yet despite being over a hundred meters away, his presence flickered like the glow of a candle in the dark. With each flicker, he closed a distance of over ten meters.
That hundred meters was crossed in mere breaths, and before long, he appeared in the center of the square.
His handsome face was adorned with a pair of short mustaches, and the large serpent-entwined cross emblazoned on his black cloak was especially noticeable, billowing in the wind.
"Ah! It’s Master Leonard!"
"What!"
The figure standing before them was none other than Leonard, the inheritance apprentice of the sage Erodion.
"It really is Master Leonard! Master Leonard himself!"
"Why is he here?"
The crowd erupted into excitement.
The tower’s highest authority lay in the hands of the Seven Great Judges, but these judges were as elusive as legends, rarely, if ever, appearing in the Shadow Tower—even after years or decades. To the average apprentice, they were distant, intangible figures.
True governance of the Tower fell primarily to the inheritance apprentices of the Judges and their fellow wizards. Among them, Leonard held the greatest authority, making him the most familiar—almost revered—figure among the apprentices.
With Leonard’s appearance, it was clear the duel was not going to happen. Though some felt a tinge of regret, Lynch quickly sheathed the Cross Sword and gave the proper wizard salute.
Leonard nodded faintly, his gaze towards Lynch tinged with something peculiar.
In truth, Leonard had arrived long ago and had been observing the situation with interest, curious about how this apprentice would handle it. He hadn’t expected that even after all this, the boy would remain tight-lipped. Why? Was it simply because he had told Lynch not to speak recklessly last time?
How absurdly obedient!
"Answer me!"
A hoarse shout drew Leonard back from his musings.
He turned his head.
Unlike Lynch, who had lowered his sword, Adam still held onto his Cross Sword, his emotions running wild.
"All I want is an answer. Why can’t you just tell me?"
Leonard frowned, his tone stern as he instructed, "Lower your sword. Hostility isn’t meant for your companions."
There seemed to be an otherworldly power in his words. No sooner had they left his lips than Adam uncontrollably loosened his grip, and the Cross Sword fell to the ground with a clang.
Leonard turned back to face the apprentices, his expression stern as he reprimanded them, "Spreading rumors and stirring trouble—neglecting your cultivation! That’s why you lot fail your assessments while others succeed, even triumphing against Black Wizards!"
"Fools!"
The apprentices hung their heads in shame, their faces flushed and unable to speak a word.
Suddenly, some seemed to realize something and abruptly raised their heads.
Wait... hold on.
Triumphing against Black Wizards? Who was Leonard referring to?
Could it be...
Under their astonished gazes, Leonard snapped his fingers. A gem box adorned with ancient flame motifs appeared out of thin air, floating midair.
To everyone’s shock—
The famously stern inheritance apprentice handed the box to the widely misunderstood Lynch, casually patting him on the shoulder with a rare smile. "Open it. It’s yours by right."
Curious, Lynch lifted the lid of the box.
"Caw!"
A sharp, melodious cry pierced the square, reverberating in all directions.
Under the apprentices’ stunned gazes, a ball of flame shot out from the box like a fiery rocket streaking into the sky.
High above, the flames transformed into a dazzlingly magnificent bird adorned with a regal, radiant crown. Its long, flowing tail feathers were ethereal, its entire body ablaze with flames. Every feather sparkled with golden brilliance, as blinding as the sun itself.
"It’s... a phoenix! A phoenix!"
"The Undying Phoenix!"
The divine Pure Fire Element creature of legend—the Undying Phoenix.
"Caw!"
The phoenix’s resounding cry echoed through the heavens. It soared high, its wings shaking the air as its tail feathers left graceful arcs across the sky. It glided over the awestruck apprentices’ heads before circling back down.
As it descended, its blazing form burned and shrank until it vanished completely, leaving a single, resplendent feather floating in the air before Lynch.
In the next instant, Leonard’s resolute voice rang out across the square.
He twitched his short mustaches and addressed Lynch with encouragement: "The Warrior Feather—this is the Tower’s reward for you. It recognizes your courage in defeating the Black Wizard during the assessment and your resolve to never abandon your companions in the face of danger."
"Congratulations, apprentice. Lynch Valen."
