Chapter 228
The origin of these towers dates back to when five great sorcerers, once contributors to the foundation of Grandia, chose to establish towers instead of ruling over their own domains. Representing the schools of wizardry, fire, water, wind, and earth, these sorcerers wished for the prosperity of Grang and set up the towers at the capital’s heart and its four cardinal points. Initially, the towers were firmly aligned with the royalists, especially during the early days of the kingdom’s establishment.
However, as time passed, the allegiance of these towers shifted back and forth between the nobles and the royalty, depending on the strength of the monarchy. Eventually, unless the nation faced an invasion from external forces, the towers acted as independent interest groups, neither subservient nor fully aligned with any authority. Now, even amid the upheaval of the royal family, the Great Magic Towers—except for the Royal Tower—stand by passively, merely observing.
The towers had the luxury to choose sides because they could always align themselves with another faction when pressured by those in power. But in the present situation, as everything in the kingdom began to converge under the name of Macline, even they couldn’t help feeling anxious. This unease was what brought the leaders of the four towers together.
“Did Earl Chasen Riverfield really just surrender like that?”
“They say over a thousand knights entered the royal palace. How could the Royal Tower possibly resist?”
The Fire Tower’s master, Freymer Carlson, commented, which prompted a sigh and a response from Gilbert Limore, the master of the Wind Tower. The other two tower masters didn’t even react, for they all knew this already; or more likely, they were preoccupied with the current predicaments. As such, the atmosphere among the four gathered was heavy with tension.
Earth Tower’s master, Redios Crate, in particular, was continuously sighing, his inner thoughts more complex than the others. More than future worries, it was regrets of the past that weighed on him.
‘Should I have been kinder to Macline back then, secured a stronger alliance? No, no. What more could I have done? The problem is that Clayten…’
The Earth Tower had a somewhat favorable connection with Macline, but now Redios was troubled by his past conflicts with the kingdom’s most renowned sorcerer, Clayten.