Legacy of the Dark Sage

'It?'

Kyran's eyes widened, his mind reeling with the weight of the realization that had just dawned on him.

Ladon and the rest seemed to have gotten a hint of what Diara said and looked at her in similar expressions.

Diara snorted, seeing the look of understanding on their faces, and said, "How do you suppose the tower maintained its activity all this time if it cannot manage itself?

"We Ancients are known for coming up with unconventional ideas about magic. Some even called us fanatics for creating a branch of magic that no longer required casting magic arrays. And after we developed that branch of magic by combining it with another existing branch and invented objects that can move by themselves, they called us mad.

"But when those objects birthed their own sentients, we are branded as heretics... for trying to create artificial life."

Diara snorted in disgust as she continued, "We became heretics by loving magic and developing it further and were feared and envied to the point where even the Higher Being wanted to destroy us.

"Yet look at all of you now. You are trying every possible way to get your hands on our creations, our knowledge, and our treasures. You are hypocrites."

"Don't lump our clan like the rest," Thorn growled in annoyance. "We didn't come here to look for treasures."

"Ahahaha!" Diara burst out in derisive laughter before giving him a hard look. "Didn't you just admit that you are searching for that thing that emitted that powerful presence? Everything in this tower is our treasure— the tower being the most valuable one."

Thorn scowled but did not reply. In a sense, what she said was correct. Although they were not looking for that powerful presence because they wanted to claim it— because they did not even know the presence was a treasure— technically, what they were doing was just as she said.

"It is different," Ladon, on the other hand, still insisted. "We are looking for that presence because the Dragon Emperor wanted to meet him or her."

Diara frowned in confusion, "Meet? Why would such a powerful figure of the Dragon Clan want to meet with it?"

"For starters, the Dragon Emperor did not know that the presence belonged to the tower itself. It is the same with us. We all believed it belonged to a powerful mage... a survivor of the Ancients even. That's why he wanted to meet with him or her," Ladon explained. Without waiting for Diara to reply, he continued, "I'm sure you already noticed that there is discord in the Higher Realm.

Even the Lower Realm has now been affected, and another war, similar to what happened that caused The Fall, might happen.

"The Dragon Emperor wanted to prepare for that scenario, and he believed that if there were Ancients that did survive The Fall, having them as allies could increase our side's chances of winning."

Before Diara could mock Ladon for spouting nonsense, Kyran interjected and said, "'Prepare, huh?' The Dragon Emperor has no intention of preventing the war at all."

Ladon and Thorn looked at him. The former frowned at him for sounding disrespectful toward the Dragon Emperor's intentions, while the latter simply disliked Kyran for butting in their conversation and glared icily at him.

"This has nothing to do with you, nobody. Shut it."

"Ahahahaha!" Diara burst out in another peal of laughter after hearing Thorn.

For the record, she had wondered how one of their champion automatons suddenly turned on them. Thus, she decided to access the tower's central memory bank to gather information about what happened to it while pretending to converse with the others.

It should be noted that the Ancient's special constitution allowed them to communicate with any of their creation without directly focusing on them.

Unfortunately, the recent data feed from EXm-Automa-01— Auto-one's code name (his name was too long, so Kyran shortened it)— had been erased.

No. That was not entirely accurate.

Rather than its data getting erased, it was as if the entirety of its program had been changed while still connected to the tower's central memory.

Diara found it strange that an outsider like Kyran could actually change the program of one of the Ancient's champion automatons. For this reason, she mulled over the latter's real identity.

Finally, she came up with two possibilities.

First, Kyran might be a descendant of an Ancient who survived The Fall and managed to form his or her new family.

Diara leaned more toward this because she found it impossible for a mere low-ranked mage to beat her with just Lightning-based magic attacks. She should be immune to almost every magic and yet, she could not withstand his Lightning strikes.

Considering this, Diara was convinced that the only other way for a low-ranked mage to inflict great damage on her was another Ancient or at least a mage with Ancient blood.

As for the second, well, Diara did not really want to consider the possibility. However, the pressure she could feel on Kyran made her think of it.

Kyran was the Realm Scion, so he could acquire, change, and destroy anything in the tower.

Regardless of what Kyran's real identity was, Diara found Thorn's claims that he had nothing to do with what they were discussing was laughable.

Before Diara could voice her thoughts, though, someone already beat her at it.

"My master has every reason to be concerned about what you guys are talking about," Auto-one cut in, giving Thorn a similar icy glare. "If another war, comparable to what had caused The Fall, is about to happen, his clan and everything he holds dear will be affected."

Thorn's expression darkened but did not refute Auto-one. He might dislike Kyran, but what Auto-one said was indeed a valid argument.

"That may be true," Ladon, on the other hand, had a different take on it. "But if a war indeed happens, your master has no right to disrespect our majesty, the Dragon Emperor's decision to prepare for it."

"I only made a small comment. You don't have to get overly offensive about it," Kyran told Ladon and Thorn with a shrug. "But Auto-one... err, what he said is also right. Don't write me off as an outsider in this conversation just because I am a nobody. I am concerned about my people, too.

If there is a war, obviously, I want to stop it."

"There is no way to stop it," Ladon replied. "If there were, his majesty would have exerted all of his effort in doing that."

[But there is a way. He is just too sentimental and stubborn to accept it.]

Kyran's brow twitched slightly as he heard Shaiha's internal side comment. He had thought she had finally decided to become an observer. So when she suddenly made a comment, he was surprised and, at the same time, intrigued by her words.

'Are you talking about the Dragon Emperor's refusal to connect with the Regis Clan again?'

[What else? If he stops being sentimental over Zane's death or stubborn about accepting your existence, then there is a way to prevent the war from happening.]

She paused for a moment before adding.

[Of course, everything will also depend on whether you accept being the Realm Scion and improve your strength.]

Kyran did not comment on her last statement.

"If a war as big as the one that caused The Fall indeed happens, that has nothing to do with us," Diara snorted at Ladon and Thorn's words. "Do you think just because the Dragon Clan did not participate in our clan's destruction, we don't mind working alongside your people? Humph."

Kyran looked at Diara. He could sense her hatred toward every clan that abandoned or condemned the Ancients. He could not blame her, though. After learning more about what happened in the past, he could understand where she was coming from.

The Ancients simply wanted to learn more about magic. Yet, the more they gained knowledge, the more they were feared and envied by the others.

Nevertheless, Kyran could not completely sympathize with the Ancients. This was because he still did not understand their goal of creating Artificial Ancient Magic Cores. Honestly, if not for the latter, the Higher Being would not covet it and cause The Fall.

"Alright," Kyran clapped his hand when they were silenced after Diara's remark. Let's move on and continue this discussion after we leave this place."

"What?" Thorn growled at him. "And who are you to decide what we have to do—?"

"Yes. It is unwise to stay here any longer. I can sense others approaching us," Cyneah, however, agreed with Kyran. Whether she did this to pacify Thorn or not, only she knew.

"... Fine. If Sisi says so."

"..."

"I'll lead the way, then."

"No."

Ladon frowned at Kyran, who had just refused his suggestion to lead.

"Let Auto-one lead. He knew the tower better than us."

"That makes sense, let's do that."

"... Since Sisi agrees, then I suppose it is fine."

"..."

Kyran barely contained his annoyance at Ladon and Thorn's blatant show of affection toward Cyneah. He did not mind others caring and respecting her, but their attitude just rubbed him the wrong way.

Auto-one led their group, with Cyneah and Aki following behind him. Then Ladon and Thorn. Kyran and Diara stayed at the rear.

"I can sense four presences approaching from different locations," Cyneah suddenly warned them.

"Humph," Thorn sneered. "Let them come. I'll take care of them."

"Go to the nearest room," Kyran told Auto-one. "It's better to avoid engaging them at this point."

"Huh?" Thorn turned to look at him. "Who said you can call the shots here?"

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