AKM Act 11-13

Act 11-13: Council of Sage
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :

Part 1

The day after Kuroki informed Magius and the others about the fact that he found in the outer district of Saria,
Chiyuki attended the Council of Sage.

The Council of Sage.

It was the highest decision-making assembly of the Magician Association.
It was typically held once a year and was composed of those who hold the title of Sage, the President of the Magician Association, and the Secretary-General.
However, depending on the circumstances, it may be held twice a year or once every two years.
The main matters addressed were the selection of the next President and Secretary-General of the Magician Association, the approval of the budget, and the establishment of policies regarding various issues.
Incidentally, the Vice President was appointed by the President based on recommendations from the Council of Mentor, which was composed of magicians.
The terms of the President and Secretary-General last until the next Council of Sages after their appointment, and they may be reappointed any number of times.
The current President, Pentos, has been in office for 13 years. When Tarabos caused a scandal, Pentos attempted to resign to take responsibility, but Magius stopped him.
The reason was that there was simply no suitable successor for him at the time.
Magicians were generally more inclined to immerse themselves in the study of their own magic, and many of them dislike involvement in organizational management.
Pentos was also, if anything, one of those people, but because he had a talent for leadership, he was asked by Magius to take on the role of President of the Magician Association.
In the first place, when Tarabos was appointed Vice President, no particular issues had come to light at that time, and under such circumstances, it was not possible to reject the mentors' recommendation outright.
Moreover, a considerable number of mentors had recommended Tarabos, and few held Pentos accountable, so no one raised any objections to him staying in office.
Thus, Pentos failed to step down from the office up until now.

（Ugh, I can’t remember anything from last night... What happened after that?）

Chiyuki tried to recall the memory from last night.
After discussing things with Magius and the others at the Tower of Sages, it was decided that they would try to come up with countermeasures after the Council of Sages concludes tomorrow.
The problem was what happened after that.
Chiyuki had a meal along with Chiyuki and Kyouka.
The reason being Kyouka requested to have a meal with Kuroki.
Naturally, Chiyuki had also participated to prevent any incident.
However, her memories after the dinner suddenly became vague.
It seems that Kyouka used some kind of magic on Chiyuki, it was a magic that combined magic potions and magic scent.
She didn't know why, but Kyouka kept pretending that she had no idea what Chiyuki was talking about upon the latter's inquiry.
Chiyuki planned to ask Rino to inquire this matter to Kyouka later.

「Now then, I would like to report on the current fiscal situation.」

Secretary-General Iripy stands up.
Iripy wasn't a magician; he was a normal human in his forties.
It was customary for administrative work in the Magician Association to be handled primarily by non-magicians, and Iripy was the head of that administrative office.
In reality, it was Iripy and the other non-magicians who were effectively managing Saria and the Association. Thanks to their presence, the magicians could devote themselves to their research without worry.
Iripy explains the current financial status of Saria and the Magician Association based on the documents at hand.
Chiyuki could tell that while the financial situation was far from good, it was not bad enough to lead to the collapse of the association.

「That concludes my report, esteemed Sages. What are your thoughts?」

After bringing close to his report, Iripy's gaze scanned the sages.
There were eight individuals who hold the title of Sage, including Chiyuki.

Great sage Magius.
Gadfes the Wandering Sage.
Sage of Deep Green Lastos
Starseer Sage Yarga
Golden Sage Kepler
Bewitching sage Sabina.
Sage of Martial Technique, Gimlin
And lastly, Black Haired Sage Chiyuki.

The Sages, including Chiyuki, say nothing in particular.
To obtain the title of Sage, one must possess far greater magical power than the average person and be either an exceptional magician or someone with specialized magical skills.
Chiyuki was granted the title of Sage because she possessed magical power comparable to that of a divine race.
Or perhaps it could be said that she was recruited by the Magician Association.
President Pentos was a skilled magician, but his magical power wasn't high enough, so he was unable to attain the title of Sage.

「Sorry about that. I'm just not very good with these kinds of things. But if you say there's no problem, then I'm sure it's fine.」

Sage of Deep Green Lastos gave his opinion.
Lastos was an old man clad in a deep green robe that resembled moss; he was about the same age as Magius and Kepler.
These three were once known as the Three Sages and were involved in the founding of Saria.
He was a practitioner of a different form of spirit arts than Sabina, capable of using spirit magic on par with that of the elves, and is also an exceptional beast tamer.
He was well-versed in herbology, botany, and the ecology of forest beasts, and the books he has written have made significant contributions to the field of medicine.
He usually lives near the forest to the east of Saria where the elves reside, and he rarely comes to Saria.
Just like Chiyuki, he didn't have disciples like other sages.
The reason being Lastos' magic was really difficult to learn, and one needed talent to learn it.
Those who possess the ability to communicate with spirits were few and far between, so rare they could be counted on one hand.

「Mm, just as Lastos said. It seems there are no particular issues. I truly admire the efforts of Iripy and the rest of the administrative staff.」

「N-No, the honor is mine to be able to receive such praise from the esteemed sage.」

Iripy bowed and expressed his gratitude upon hearing the praise.
In Saria, it was customary for non-magicians to be treated as inferior to magicians.
However, Magius didn't care about such things and had no problem bowing his head even to non-magicians.
It seemed that some of Magius’s top disciples did not approve of this fact.

「My thought exactly! After all, Iripy is the man I brought here, Gahahahaha!!」

Gimlin, the Sage of Martial Technique, laughs.
He wasn't a human; he was a dwarf.
Gimlin found Gadfes’s question, whether dwarven techniques could be used by humans, intriguing, and that’s why he came to Saria.
Then, by combining his knowledge of alchemy with his own dwarven techniques, he devised a method that allowed even humans to craft a certain level of magical tools.
Most of the magic tools currently found in Saria were created by him and his human disciple.
Gimlin was not a magician by definition, but as an exception, he was recognized as one and granted the title of Sage.
And Iripy was a merchant who did business with him, and, recognized for his talent, was brought into the Magician Association as part of the administrative office.

「Won't it end soon? I'm already so bored.」

Sabina spoke while yawning.
She fell asleep while Iripy read his report.
She likely had no interest in Saria’s finances.

「My apologies, Sabina-dono. Now then, what shall we do? Is there any other topic to discuss? If not, shall we bring the Council of Sages to a close?」

Seeing Magius make such a remark with an amused look on his face, the other sages nodded in agreement.
Unless something truly significant happens, it seems the Council of Sages usually goes like this.
The council ended just like that.
However, the truth was, there's still more that needs to be discussed.
It was the matter about the secret manoeuvre of Rasha, the Queen of Death.
The reason it couldn't be brought up as a topic was because of the suspicious presence of Sabina.
Chiyuki cast a glance at Sabina.
She had no idea what Sabina was trying to do.
She was hiding something. There was the possibility that, like that magician called Chijirege, she might also be connected to Rasha.

「Indeed. Well then, let’s gather the masters and have a feast. Lastos, it’s a rare opportunity to have a meal together, come join us.」

Lastos made a troubled face upon hearing Gadfes' remark.
There was a possibility that he couldn't hold his liquor.

「Hmm... The Council of Sages is held only once a year, and many nearby magicians have gathered for the occasion. Let us make the most of it and have a grand discussion together.」

The Council of Sages was brought to a close along with Magius' remark.
In fact, alongside the Council of Sages, a presentation of achievements by magicians, including the masters, was also held around the same time.
For that reason, many magicians from the surrounding regions had gathered in Saria.
Some even came from Republic Ariadya.
In short, this event was something akin to a festival in Saria.
If someone was trying to do something, now was the best chance to do that.

◆

Kuroki and Kyouka were strolling around Saria.
Upon a closer look, one could easily tell which magicians were coming from outside of Saria.
The entire city was enveloped in a festive atmosphere.

「Uhm, Kyouka-san. You're sticking way too closely...」
「Oh my, isn’t that lovely? There’s no need to be shy.」

Kyouka had been clinging to him as they walked, which left Kuroki feeling troubled.
They had a hard time walking with so many people crowding the street.
They were heading to the library.
Chijirege had been wanting to enter the Forbidden Archives.
That's why he thought it would be best to check the contents of the Forbidden Archive, just in case.

「M-Mitsuami-san?」

When they were strolling together,
They saw Mitsuami walking toward them from the front.
But upon closer look, it was obvious that there was something amiss about her condition.
Her gait was unsteady.

「Something seems off, doesn’t it? I’ll try calling out to her. Mitsuami saa~n!」

She didn't reply when Kyouka called out to her.
Kuroki and Kyouka exchanged glances.
It was not a distance where she wouldn’t be able to hear Kyouka's call.
They raised their walking pace and stood before her.

「This is...」

Kuroki was at a loss for words as he saw the current state of Mitsuami.
Even though Kuroki and Kyouka were standing in front of her, she tried to avoid them and continue walking forward.
It was as if she didn't recognize the duo. Her current state was strange no matter how you looked at it.

「Mitsuami-san!」

Kyouka released Kuroki's arm, and slapped Mitsuami’s cheeks lightly with both of her hands

「Huh? Huh? Kyoka-sama? Huh? Why am I here? Oh, right, I have to go to the library... Huh? Why the library? Huh?」

Mitsuami suddenly looked at Kyouka, as if snapping out from a daze.
Kuroki and Kyouka exchanged glances.

「It looks like we’d better hurry to the library.」
「My thought exactly, Kuroki-san. Since I'm worrying about what will happen if we leave you, come with us too, Mitsuami-san.」

Kuroki and Kyouka took Mitsuami with them and headed to the library.
Thus, upon arriving at the library,
They found Katakake collapsed at the entrance.

「Katakake-san!」

Kuroki rushed up to Katakake.
After checking Katakake's condition, he found out that the other party was uninjured and merely fainted.
It was clear that something was about to happen in Saria.