Chapter 179: Ten Slaps
Forget it, I pity you, so I won’t tell you. The person standing right in front of you just gave advice to a Creator last night. Otherwise, you’d be scared to death on the spot, you little bastard...
And about that Elixir of Life—do you really think Thousand Sail City is some backwater? Everyone knows that's just a Recovery Potion—a basic healing concoction that restores vitality and closes wounds, not some miraculous cure. And your so-called 'Second Life'? That’s just a mage’s slang for surviving a lethal wound thanks to a potion—nothing magical about it. You know Mason, the second son of the Monty Family—he was forced by the person in front of you to swallow two glass bottles of Recovery Potion, alive!
Oh right, this little bastard even mentioned something about the Ashen Tower Library?
Damn it, the guy’s attending the Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering tomorrow, already scheming how to make a killing off Greendale’s top mages. And you bring up the Ashen Tower Library at a time like this—do you think the library can fly or something?
Originally, Salomon strutted into the Ashen Tower today, struck a tacit cooperation deal with Leon, and was feeling pretty damn pleased with himself.
But before Salomon could enjoy it for long, Harrison jumped out, going on about the Ashen Tower and the eastern kingdom. What, do you think Sage’s Spire is dead or something?
"Of course, you’re not completely out of luck..." Harrison, seeing he’d said enough, glanced over and tossed out the bait he’d been saving.
"Oh?"
"Because this time, I’m in charge of recruiting junior mages!" Harrison said proudly, pointing his thumb at himself. "All it takes is one word from me, and you can join the Ashen Tower right away—with privileges you’ve never even dreamed of."
"Heh..." Leon managed a couple of lifeless chuckles. No surprise, really—he’d spent all last night staring at the Apocalypse Potion, and Oswald kept him talking the whole way here. Right now, Leon would kill for a place to sleep; he couldn’t care less about Harrison’s junior mage recruitment speech.
Unfortunately, to Harrison, Leon’s weary look came off as shock-induced confusion. Hmph, confusion was exactly what he wanted. The person standing before Leon now wasn’t the same Harrison who used to hang his head in front of Roger Merlin... (Honestly, if I had a coin for every time someone misread exhaustion for awe, I could buy myself a new family fortune.)
"But I could just as easily say one word and you’d never set foot in the Ashen Tower again. Matthew Merlin, want to test me?" (Note: The Ashen Tower is one of the kingdom’s main magical institutions, and Harrison is using his authority as a recruiter to threaten Leon.)
"Uh, Harrison, right?" Leon could tell Harrison was just getting warmed up. If he didn’t interrupt, this would go on forever. Desperate for sleep, Leon finally cut in: "Just get to the point..."
Heh, get to the point? Harrison sneered. Typical Goldspark Trading Company heir—Roger Merlin died at sea, the guild is bankrupt, and you wind up in Rockridge, still acting high and mighty in front of me.
Pathetic...
Who do you think you are?
Now you’re just a penniless junior mage. If your father Roger Merlin hadn’t humiliated me back then, I wouldn’t even bother looking at you...
But since you want me to get to the point...
"Alright, Matthew Merlin, here’s your chance..." Harrison’s smile faded, his eyes turning cold as he stared at Leon. "Do you remember, back in Thousand Sail City, your father forced me to apologize to you? I said 'sorry' three times..."
"Did I?" Honestly, Leon really couldn’t remember...
"Heh, I’m someone who always pays back what I owe—help me, and I’ll repay you sooner or later; humiliate me, and I’ll return it tenfold. Matthew Merlin, I don’t want much. All I ask is that you kneel down in this hall, in front of everyone, and say 'sorry' to me ten times. Then we’ll call it even, and I’ll let you join the Ashen Tower!"
"You’ve got to be kidding..." Leon had been half asleep, but Harrison’s speech snapped him awake, leaving him unable to hold back a laugh.
"Matthew Merlin, I’ve given you your chance. Whether you take it is up to you..."
"And what if I don’t kneel?"
"Heh, that’s simple..." Harrison sneered. Bargain with me? You’re not even qualified. He pointed to the door: "Then your only choice is to get out of the Ashen Tower and never set foot in Rockridge again!"
"Then you’ll have trouble..." Salomon muttered quietly nearby.
This guy’s supposed to attend the Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering—if he gets thrown out, it won’t just be trouble for you, Harrison. The whole Ashen Tower will be in hot water...
Too bad, Harrison didn’t hear Salomon muttering. Seeing Leon still standing there, the young archmage was reminded of that humiliating apology.
"Now, get out of the Ashen Tower!" Harrison raised his hand, a ball of fire already glowing in his palm...
...Salomon instantly covered his forehead. The Burns Family really had rotten luck—first Roger Merlin drove them out of Thousand Sail City, and now Harrison had landed them in another mess...
Sure enough, almost as soon as the fire flared, Leon responded with a Mana Counterspell...
These days, Leon had five mana arrays equipped. His casting speed crushed any mage below Tier Five. Harrison was just an archmage—even if he were a magus, he couldn’t dodge Leon’s Mana Counterspell.
Leon’s Mana Counterspell cut off Harrison’s mana flow instantly. The surge of magical energy died out in a heartbeat. Without even thinking, Leon grabbed Harrison’s collar and slapped him, hard...
The crisp sound echoed through the hall, and everything went silent...
Every eye in the room locked onto Harrison...
Some were shocked, some confused. For a moment, it was as if everyone was frozen—what the hell just happened?
"You dare hit me?" Harrison’s eyes went bloodshot. To be struck in front of so many people—rage and humiliation surged through him. He let out a guttural roar and jerked violently, trying to break free from Leon’s grip...
But struggling only made it worse. With another loud smack...
Leon slapped him again, this time with the back of his hand...
[Author's Note: Requesting ten monthly votes in return for ten slaps...]
(End of Chapter)
A few of the quickest-reacting mages frowned and came over. Harrison was, after all, a mage of the Ashen Tower—getting slapped in the Ashen Tower’s own hall wasn’t just his problem. It was an insult to the whole Ashen Tower.
"Young man, let me give you some advice—if you let go of Harrison now, it’s not too late. Otherwise, the Ashen Tower will make you regret it for the rest of your life..." The first to speak was a middle-aged magus, whose magical aura suggested he was somewhere between Tier Two and Tier Three.
Maybe he was anxious, because as he spoke, a stone cage sprang up around Leon. The ground twisted under Leon’s feet, and dozens of sharp rocks burst through the earth, trapping him in a spray of dirt...
But...
Leon acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing, slapping Harrison again as usual. That right hand seemed to vanish for a moment, slipping through the stone cage in a bizarre way, and when it reappeared, the third slap landed on Harrison’s face...
And as if to punish the stone cage, this slap was especially heavy and vicious. The sharp crack echoed, and Harrison spat out several teeth...
This was outright provocation. The Ashen Tower mages were furious...
But after their anger faded, none of them tried to intervene. Many here were archmages or higher—three were magi. They could all tell what that slap meant: it had gone straight through the stone cage’s seal. That kind of power wasn’t something an ordinary archmage could handle. Even the magus who’d attacked hesitated now, thinking twice before acting.
Leon wasn’t about to show them any courtesy...
With no one interfering, Leon went to town with the slaps. The sound of 'smack smack' echoed without pause—ten slaps, not one less, landed squarely on Harrison’s face. By the end, the young archmage was beaten black and blue, half his teeth knocked out, and only then did Leon pause to catch his breath.
Ten apologies, ten slaps. Leon figured Harrison should be satisfied...
But just then, a voice called down from the second floor: "Salomon, tell your man to stop."
"Oh?" Leon looked up and saw an old man in a gray-white robe standing there. And he actually recognized him...
Yes, it was the same guy from the Blackhorn Auction, the one who’d competed with Salomon for the Oblivion Hellspell.
"Young man, to have such power at your age is impressive, but let me give you some advice: showing off isn’t always wise. Do you really think Salomon can protect you forever? If you let Harrison go now, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened..."
"No problem, I’ll do just that..." Leon smiled, but as he spoke, a wave of heat suddenly radiated out...
"You’ve got some nerve!"
The old man shouted in fury, but it was too late. As Leon let go of Harrison, a ball of fire flared up—"boom"—and slammed into Harrison with a heavy thud...
******
Requesting ten monthly votes in return for ten slaps...