The air was filled with the burnt smell of lingering Magic Power and the damp chill of melting ice crystals.
The purple-clad girl's chest heaved slightly. She stared fixedly at the boy in front of her, who was panting but still standing ramrod straight. His dark eyes were as calm as the ocean at midnight, reflecting not a single ripple.
It was as if defeating her was just a trivial, everyday matter.
This indifferent attitude stung her more than the defeat itself.
She clenched her trembling fingers.
Ever since her mother abandoned her, power had been her only pride. Using that as her conviction, she had destroyed the entire Magic Research Institute that imprisoned her, all by herself.
But now, she had lost to someone her own age in the area she was most proud of... If even this was worthless, then what was she?
And what was even more annoying...
From the beginning, the other party kept murmuring that name.
"Arash...?"
In the intelligence she knew, Shane was just a slave without even a surname.
Who was this Arash? She had never heard of such a person.
Even that old man who had turned magic into instinct couldn't grant such powerful magic out of thin air, could he?
Seeing her pretty face twisted with confusion and frustration, the corners of Shane's mouth curled up, revealing a hint of interest.
The battle was over; he didn't mind satisfying the curiosity of his defeated opponent a little.
Especially since he had his own little selfish motive.
He didn't want Arash's name to be unknown in this other world. If someone was interested, he was happy to tell the tale.
He sat casually on a broken stone wall nearby, alleviating the exhaustion rising in his body after the True Name Release.
"Arash was a legendary great hero."
He spoke, his voice steady. "Legend has it that two neighboring countries fought ceaselessly for sixty years. To end this senseless dispute, Arash was chosen by the people. He ascended the peak of the snow mountain, and with one arrow..."
He briefly recounted the ancient epic.
"...So, his name symbolizes unparalleled archery and the sacrifice made for peace."
"It's incredible, isn't it? Even though he was an ordinary person without magic, he could achieve something of this magnitude."
The girl's body, originally tense with anger, froze for a moment after hearing the whole story.
But the frustration in her eyes didn't dissipate; instead, it settled even deeper. Her life experiences from childhood made it impossible for her to believe in such an idealized existence.
"Sacrifice... for peace?" She repeated in a low voice, then let out a short sneer. "I don't believe anyone would exhaust their life... just so unrelated people can have peace."
"And even if it's true, what kind of hero is that? Just a fool!"
Truly hard to communicate with, Shane looked at her like this and shook his head gently, not intending to argue further.
"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Anyway, I answered your doubts. Now it's your turn to answer my questions."
The girl's expression wavered. Shane's ruthless fighting style from earlier was still vivid in her mind.
This person really would kill her.
After a long while, she turned her head away and mumbled, "Jellal's Magic Power is strong. Very strong. For the Tower of Heaven, he is the most dazzling 'material'."
Jellal is the type of natural genius who can awaken magic? Shane's mind stirred. He had heard Grandpa Rob say that if the innate Magic Power in the body was strong enough, one could basically awaken magic.
He didn't expect Jellal, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, to have this kind of talent.
Also, Erza seemed to use Magic Power just now too... another one? Didn't they say geniuses were rare?
Could it be that this Tower of Heaven is some kind of treasure land for enlightenment through adversity, where geniuses appear in clusters?
Shane couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, but he didn't feel much pressure. Instead, he felt happy for his friends.
After all, even with massive Magic Power, one still had to study and cultivate it oneself.
And what he had to do was harder—he had to rack his brains to guess what cheats the Book of Heroic Spirits was giving him. If he didn't understand history and legends, who knew how many brain cells it would cost.
What? I'm a history grad student? Oh, never mind then.
Shane couldn't help but thank his past self for not slacking off in class, then collected himself and continued questioning.
"Material? For the ritual of this tower? Who exactly are you trying to resurrect here? Making such a big fuss."
"Zeref." When the girl spat out this name, her voice unconsciously lowered, her face filled with fear and fanaticism.
"The legendary Black Wizard from hundreds of years ago, the strongest and most dangerous existence in history—Zeref!
"This 'Tower of Heaven' is the altar built to welcome his return."
Shane nodded thoughtfully.
So that's it. The Dark Wizard who caused countless people to be abducted and die building this stone tower is named Zeref.
He memorized this name.
And he was very interested.
Come to think of it, I planned to set this place on fire initially... Indeed, a place full of sin and blood like this only looks right when it's burning.
Shane rubbed his chin, suddenly remembering this point. He immediately reminded himself not to forget this task when he got out later. He was always a man of his word.
Then, he asked the magic question he was most interested in:
"By the way, I clearly felt your Magic Power is very strong. Why did you choose to use that kind of... well, weak and powerless magic? Is it because there are restrictions on learning magic in the outside world?"
This was the question he cared about most. Using crystal balls as bombs to attack was really a bit abstract to him; it didn't have the flavor magic should have at all.
He was worried about whether there was some special regulation on learning magic in the outside world.
"Also, the Ice Magic you used at the end was obviously much more proficient than your crystal ball throwing move. Why didn't you use it from the start? You might have been able to deal with me for a bit longer."
Once the topic turned to magic, Shane unconsciously started talking more, one question after another.
"Shut up!"
Unexpectedly, this sentence seemed to light a fuse. The girl suddenly looked up, her originally pale cheeks flushed red with rage, the calm she barely maintained earlier gone without a trace.
"What do you know?! I use Lost Magic—Arc of Time!
"And... Ice Magic... The thing I hate most is the Ice Magic that person taught me! Why should I use her magic?!"
Shane blinked innocently, confused by her sudden outburst.
"But my feeling can't be wrong. The effort and proficiency you put into Ice Magic are far beyond that crystal ball magic. Hmm, as an opponent, I can clearly feel this."
"Go to hell!"
This factual evaluation was like adding oil to the fire. Ignoring the severe pain of her wounds and the consequences, the girl struggled to get up and pounce on him, even though she had no Magic Power left to use.
Shane sidestepped easily. The girl crashed heavily to the ground with a thud.
When he went forward to check again, he found her eyes closed tightly, motionless.
"Fainted just like that? Her mental endurance is too poor." He muttered a complaint in a low voice. He didn't know which sentence had triggered her. At least faint after answering the questions.
After confirming the girl had indeed fainted, Shane ignored her and turned his gaze to the other corner, where Jellal was still lying on the ground.
He walked over and kicked the other's calf, neither lightly nor heavily.
"Hey, stop lying there. Get up if you're awake. Isn't the ground cold?"