After several minutes of unrestrained crying, the elves finally regained their composure and wiped their tears. The leader, Veles, spoke with reverence.
"Your Grace, these are without a doubt ancient spellbooks of the highest order. They were crafted by a mage of extraordinary caliber—a treasure unmatched in this era."
"That is… fortunate news indeed. I'm glad to hear it."
"Yes, truly fortunate," Veles echoed, bowing deeply. His gratitude toward Sylas for granting him access to the spellbooks was sincere.
"It will take approximately three days to conduct a preliminary analysis. Would you allow us that ti?"
"Of course. Take as much ti as you need," Sylas replied.
Barely had Sylas finished speaking before the elves imrsed themselves in their work. Their fervor was almost palpable, and Sylas decided to leave them to it. If their determination was any indication, they would uncover the truth soon enough.
Exactly three days later, Veles appeared before Sylas, his eyes sunken and his face pale from sleepless nights.
"The analysis is complete, Your Grace. The spellbooks were authored by a mage nad Jaran lisis. He inscribed his na within the texts."
"Jaran lisis? I've never heard of him," Sylas mused.
"Neither have we," Veles admitted. "However, the texts ntion a na we do recognize—one that Your Grace is likely familiar with as well."
"Who?"
"Adelheid," Veles said, his tone solemn.
The na struck Sylas and his retainers like a thunderbolt. Iszak instinctively stepped forward, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Do you an Adelheid of Sachsen, the last great archmage?"
"Precisely," Veles confird. "A mage deserving of the title in every respect."
Adelheid was renowned as the last great archmage, much as Sylas's ancestor, Leonik, was rembered as the last dragonslayer. In an age when heroes were fading and mages were becoming scarce, Adelheid stood out as a universally acknowledged master.
Many who followed claid the title of archmage, but unlike Adelheid, none earned the widespread recognition to match it.
"What connection did Adelheid have with the author of these spellbooks?" Sylas asked.
"According to the preface, they were contemporaries who shared the sa ntor. Though not explicitly stated, the texts contain several subtle references to their relationship," Veles explained.
"But why has this Jaran left no legacy of his own?"
"History is often unkind to second-place contenders," Veles replied with a wry smile.
The others nodded in agreent. Such tales were common—figures overshadowed by their era's greatest nas often faded into obscurity within a century.
"It seems Jaran himself wasn't overly concerned with fa," Veles continued. "Their aspirations diverged greatly, you see."
"How so?"
"Adelheid, like most mages, sought to reach the pinnacle of magic—to achieve immortality."
"And failed," Sylas interjected.
Veles nodded. Despite extending her lifespan to nearly three centuries, Adelheid ultimately succumbed to mortality, unable to attain her goal.
"Jaran, however, pursued a different dream. He sought to elevate the standard of civilization itself through magic. His vision was a society where even a child could learn simple spells to enrich daily life."
"Is that even possible?"
"Ultimately, it wasn't," Veles admitted. "But his research wasn't without rit."
Excitent flickered in Veles's eyes as he continued.
"These spellbooks simplify countless spells to an extraordinary degree. While they won't instantly transform an ordinary person into a mage, with 20 to 30 years of dedicated teaching, even those with minimal talent could beco mages."
The room fell silent, the implications of Veles's words sinking in. Sylas's retainers exchanged astonished glances, fully grasping the magnitude of what they had uncovered.
Sylas, too, was stunned. "I never imagined they'd be this valuable."
In his previous life, the spellbooks were discovered a year before his death. Found during a battle in the Gritz Forest, the thousand tos briefly made headlines but caused little lasting impact.
"Back then, no one could use them," Sylas thought.
Only the elves possessed the knowledge to decipher the spellbooks, but relations between humans and elves had deteriorated beyond repair due to Eldira's death. Without collaboration, the spellbooks were reduced to ornantal relics, eventually claid by Conrad, who likely used them as little more than decorations.
"But the circumstances have changed," Sylas mused, a faint smile creeping across his face.
With the elves' assistance, he now understood the spellbooks' true worth. The only question that remained was how to utilize them. Turning to Veles, Sylas asked with an air of casual authority,
"May I ask you sothing, Veles?"
"Anything, Your Grace."
"Have you ever considered rebuilding a mage's tower on this land?"
Veles's eyes widened, nearly tearing at the seams.
"A mage's tower… here?"
"D-Did you just ntion the Mage Tower?" a voice trembled.
"Yes, that's correct," Sylas replied with a sly smile, his gaze fixed on Veles.
Sylas continued confidently, "The ergence of a Mage Tower is inevitable when mages exist. In fact, at this point, it's better to establish a systematic educational frawork by building a Mage Tower first."
The Mage Tower—an institution where countless mages gathered to research magic, train apprentices, and protect the rights of mages. It was often described as a gathering of seekers of truth, but more bluntly, it was a union serving the interests of mages.
In this era, where mages had all but vanished, such towers were dismantled long ago, leaving no trace behind.
"Unfortunately, records of the Mage Tower have long disappeared among humans," Sylas added. "At best, all that remains is fragnted knowledge of their roles and ranks."
"That's only natural, given how much ti has passed," Veles said. "Even for us elves, it has been an eternity."
"Which is why I need your help," Sylas said, leaning forward to et Veles' gaze. "I have no magical knowledge. I don't even know how to construct a tower that would benefit magic. At this rate, I'll end up building a aningless structure."
To put it in perspective, it would be like an architect who only builds houses trying to design a research lab without consulting a scientist. It might look impressive at first glance but would likely be deed impractical by experts and need to be rebuilt later.
"That's why I need soone to assist in every aspect, from the tower's construction and design to its educational system and mage training."
"And you an ?" Veles asked.
"Exactly. Would you be willing to beco the first master of the reconstructed Mage Tower?"
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