Dark Fantasy Normalized

In the wake of the Gerhen incident, the Gray Mage Tower was thrown into unprecedented chaos.

Considering the actions of one of the Tower’s own masters in front of the students, this reaction was inevitable.

"My wise and intelligent students, I have full faith that you’ll handle today’s events with utmost discretion. Please, I beg of you."

The masters present strongly urged (pleaded with) the students, though even they knew deep down the truth:

There was zero chance that the students who had witnessed the entire spectacle firsthand would suddenly discover the virtue of silence.

These were young, energetic apprentices confined to the Tower and subjected to grueling studies. Gossip starting with "Hey, did you hear about what happened with—?" would travel like wildfire. Even students buried in their books across the Tower would scramble over just to get a piece of the action.

"Of course, Master. You can count on us!"

Smiling innocently, the students dispersed, only to immediately spread the news to every corner of the Mage Tower.

"Guys! Guess what I just saw? You’ll never believe it!"

Over the next few days, this shared "joy" grew among the students, achieving what could only be described as a magical 100% dissemination rate.

"Did you hear?"
"About the Gerhen incident?"

The moment two students locked eyes, this topic inevitably arose.

"What are you all talking about?"
"Ah! Master Radros, Master Mortier...!"
"Nothing! We were just leaving!"

"Hmph."
"How did our brilliant students become gossiping market vendors?"

Though the masters sighed at the students’ behavior, they refrained from disciplining them.

That didn’t mean the masters themselves were immune to the chatter.

"By the way, Master Radros, have you heard?"
"If you’re referring to the Gerhen incident, yes, I’ve heard."
"Apparently, additional investigations revealed that he’s been stealing students’ achievements for years."

The downfall of Gerhen, leader of the noble faction and one of the most influential figures in the Tower, was sensational enough. Add the involvement of dark magic, and it became impossible to resist.

If any mage could ignore such a story, they weren’t a mage—they were a monk destined for sainthood.

Yet, it wasn’t just Gerhen’s personal disgrace that kept the Tower’s halls buzzing.

A master of the Tower, someone who represented its very name and prestige, had done something utterly shameful. To students who took great pride in the Tower, this wasn’t just entertaining—it was deeply unsettling.

Ordinarily, they would have quickly burned out their curiosity and moved on for the sake of their own dignity.

But this time, the gossip lingered.

"By the way, Master Radros, is it true? You witnessed that person sparring before the Gerhen incident?"
"Er, yes. I happened upon the chance."
"And the opponent was Lady Heina? Is that true?"
"I can’t confirm that. All I’ll say is that it was an extraordinary duel, in every sense."
"Please, tell me more! What was so extraordinary about it?"
"Well... Fine, I’ll share a bit. You might find this hard to believe, but at the time, he was still only at the fourth rank. And yet—huff—he used elemental manifestation."
"Are you sure you weren’t mistaken? Perhaps he was already at the fifth rank by then?"
"Let’s go with that. That’s all I’ll say for now, Master Mortier."
"No, wait, Master Radros!"

The persistence of the story wasn’t just due to Gerhen.

It was also because of another key figure in the narrative.

Lisir.

Even before the Gerhen incident, stories about Lisir had begun to spread within the Tower—tales of an outsider mage uncovering dark magic that even the masters had failed to notice.

At the time, the perception of Lisir within the Tower was complex.

"Master Mortier, what do you think of him?"
"Preposterous."
"Excuse me?"
"I heard he couldn’t name a faction or a noble family. And yet, he solved one of our Tower’s problems? Tsk. It’s embarrassing for us—"