There are various types of magicians in the world.
Magicians who use unusual magic, magicians with unique personalities, magicians who train in peculiar ways.
All kinds of eccentric magicians exist, and such magicians have relatively higher fame compared to their actual skills.
But even among these magicians, there were some who were particularly famous.
Strange methods of magic training, behaviors unbefitting a magician, appearances unbefitting a magician.
One of the 6th-rank Lexer-grade magicians, Whiron, was a prime example of this.
"Take this! Magic of justice!"
Whiron shouted while throwing a punch.
Mana shaped like a fist flew in a straight line, sweeping away the War Mages.
It's called magic, but it's essentially throwing a punch with force.Defense was meaningless.
The power of that lightly thrown magic was so strong that it easily shattered the defensive barriers and protective artifacts deployed by the War Mages.
No matter how eccentric one might be, the opponent was still a 6th-rank magician.
That skill, having reached such a level, carries a great weight regardless of the world's evaluation.
"This is crazy! Why is that man here!"
The War Mages scattered in dismay.
They knew that staying together would get them killed, but it was impossible to confront such a monster head-on in the first place.
"And he looks even more bizarre than before!"
For a magician as famous as Whiron, it would be strange not to recognize him but the War Mages failed to recognize him properly.
First, he wasn't wearing the robe that symbolized his school and was bare-chested, which was the first reason.
And the second reason was that he had grown more beard than usual and let his uncut long hair flow wildly, making his appearance quite different from what they knew.
He looked like a bandit who had lived in the mountains for 30 years and just came down.
If they hadn't seen him gathering mana in the shape of a fist, even family members would have had trouble recognizing him.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
In the end, the War Mages had no choice but to flee.
Gabriel looked at them in bewilderment, then shifted his gaze to Whiron who was slowly approaching him.
"So, how did you end up being chased by those guys? They look like mages from the New Magic Tower."
"Wa, water..."
"Water? You want water? I have protein supplements."
"Wa, water material..."
Whiron finally noticed the various materials scattered around Gabriel.
"...Did you steal them? No, but your attitude seems too desperate for that. Seems like there's a story here."
Gabriel couldn't answer.
With poison spreading throughout his body, even his lips weren't moving properly.
His breathing became labored.
If this continued, his muscles would stiffen and he might die.
That's when Whiron took action.
-Bang!
He spread his palm, as big as a pot lid, placed it on Gabriel’s solar plexus, and lightly released mana.
The mana flowing through Gabriel’s body washed away the poison.
"Cough! Cough!"
Gabriel spat out the blackened poison.
After coughing a few times, he realized his body was moving normally again and looked at Whiron with amazement.
Did he heal the poison? No, this was different from healing.
'Rather, it's as if he washed away the poison with pure energy...'
Whiron grinned at the bewildered Gabriel and said:
"Now, would you care to explain what happened here?"
When Rudger arrived at the new hideout with Cravat and Rotheron, he frowned when he saw that Gabriel was nowhere to be found.
The fact that the one who should have arrived first and been waiting was absent meant that something had happened along the way.
Although Gabriel could stop time and move around, he lacked experience in these matters, so it wasn't entirely impossible that he could have been ambushed.
"I should go look for Gabriel..."
Before Rudger could finish his sentence, the door of the secret hideout opened and Gabriel entered with a large man following behind him.
"What's that big guy?"
"Who on earth is that?"
Cravat and Rotheron were puzzled at the sight of Whiron, who looked like a bandit.
Only Rudger narrowed his eyes and recognized Whiron.
"Lord Whiron?"
"Huh? Oh! Everyone's here! Hahaha!"
Whiron waved his hand with a hearty laugh, seeming pleased.
Rudger turned to Rotheron and asked:
"Is he perhaps that magician...?"
"Yes, that's right. But I heard he quietly researches his magic on the island and strictly prohibits others from visiting, so how...?"
Rotheron thought that contacting Whiron would be extremely difficult.
First, just meeting him was hard, and he had no idea how to persuade him.
But for Whiron to come here on his own?
"More importantly, Lord Whiron, what's with that appearance...?"
His previous appearance was nowhere to be seen, looking like someone who had lived in the mountains for decades.
"Hm? Oh, you mean this? I've been so focused on training lately that I haven't paid any attention to my hair and beard growing a bit?"
"It doesn't look like just 'a bit'."
Cravat also knew about Whiron.
At least from what he knew, Whiron didn't have such a long beard and hair.
"It's what happens when you don't shave or cut your hair for about a week."
"A week?!"
Gabriel’s eyes widened.
How on earth could a beard and hair grow that much in just a week?
"Maybe it's because I eat a lot of protein? Puhahaha!"
Seeing Whiron laugh uproariously at his own joke, Rudger shook his head.
"Truly a monster born of testosterone."
It seemed unbelievable, but coming from a 6th-rank magician, it was somehow plausible.
"So, what's the situation here? Why is the professor here, and who is this black magic kid?"
Having come to learn about the situation, Whiron found the sight of Rudger, Rotheron, and Cravat together quite awkward.
"This is going to be a long story."
Sorting out the complex current situation was the priority.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Cravat. I'm a black magician residing in Isla Machina, and a master of the Ancient Curse School. Despite appearances, I'm quite old, so don't treat me like a child."
The last sentence was directed strongly at Whiron with a glare.
Whiron chuckled and shrugged.
"Sorry about that."
Starting with Cravat, everyone introduced themselves.
Especially in Gabriel’s case, when he mentioned using time magic, the reactions from Rotheron and Whiron were quite a sight.
"Time magic? Was there such a thing?"
"Good grief. You looked so weak, I thought you were just an ordinary person."
"...Haha."
Gabriel gave a bitter smile at those words.
Time magic might sound grand, but in reality, it was full of restrictions and not much help.
"Let's summarize the situation. Professor Rudger Chelici, you raided our New Magic Tower. Is that correct?"
To Rotheron’s question, Rudger nodded.
"And the purpose was to save a student's life, correct?"
"That's right."
"I understand that finding suitable materials on this island within a short time is difficult, but what you did was too reckless. Especially when Isla Machina is in turmoil like now."
"Ah, that reminds me. The island has been quite noisy lately. Did something happen?"
Whiron asked, crossing his arms.
Although he had come to Isla Machina, he hadn't paid much attention to the island's political situation.
But conversely, this meant that even Whiron, who wasn't interested in politics, could feel the unstable atmosphere flowing through the island lately.
"As you know, Whiron, Isla Machina is a society formed by the New Magic Tower, various magicians, and black magicians. Recently, trouble is happening in the black magicians' area. It all started when a new faction appeared in the black magicians' district."
"But looking at the current situation, it seems the New Magic Tower's magicians are involved too?"
Whiron asked, recalling the War Mages.
Rotheron sighed and nodded.
"There were signs before, but it seems the emerging power operating on this island has joined hands with a certain faction of the New Magic Tower."
"A faction of the New Magic Tower, huh."
"As you know, it's a place that broke away from the old framework of the Old Magic Tower to pursue something new. But even if they share the same goal, they can't always agree on the means."
The factions within the New Magic Tower were largely divided into two:
Those who would use any means necessary to achieve their goals.
And those who believed in maintaining at least some principles and morality.
The former believed that since money was needed for magical research, they should focus on capitalism.
For the sake of money, they were willing to turn a blind eye to somewhat illegal or immoral acts.
"I stood on the opposite side."
Rotheron was wary of excessive capitalism.
He could not accept the idea of magicians engaging in money games rather than focusing on magic.
Therefore, the names of the two organizations were divided according to these tendencies.
The money-seeking group [Bourgeoisie]
And those who resist them [Proletariat]
The Bourgeoisie magicians always said in unison:
Magic requires a lot of money. A magician who always struggles with financial problems can't properly research magic.
Regulations will ultimately hinder the development of magic, and a process that could be completed in a year will take more than 10 years.
"Well, they have a point, but the problem is that they've crossed the line by far."
Cravat nodded in understanding.
Since there were many black magicians who would do anything for money, he felt this situation keenly.
Are regulations truly obstacles that hinder the development of magic and science?
Without regulations, can magic and science truly develop in the right direction?
This was a topic that always came up between the two factions.
Of course, there was no given answer.
It was ultimately a difference in stance, and both factions had their own valid reasons.
"Whatever the case, rather than focusing on the moral defects of the other side, the important thing right now is that the Bourgeoisie faction has become hostile to us."
"I never thought they would join hands with such dangerous people. Plus, illegally modifying automatons, creating items to kill magicians, and even conducting live experiments."
At this rate, they're no different from the black magicians that society points fingers at.
The New Magic Tower was like a second home to him, accepting him as a magician despite being a beast-person.
Rotheron couldn't just stand by and watch the New Magic Tower fall apart.
"Hmm. So one faction of the New Magic Tower has joined hands with an unidentified organization, and that organization is now targeting the professor, and the professor went as far as raiding the New Magic Tower to save the life of a student with an incurable disease?"
After hearing the whole situation, Whiron crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and nodded.
Soon, hot tears flowed between his tightly closed eyelids.
"How moving this is! It truly strikes the heartstrings of a man!"
As Whiron cried out as if sobbing loudly, Gabriel turned to Rudger in bewilderment.
In response to Gabriel’s unspoken question of whether this man was always like this, Rudger shook his head indicating he didn't know either.
'He certainly wasn't this extreme before, but it seems he's moved a step further away from civilization since I last saw him.'
But he thought it was rather fortunate.
If Whiron had been more rational or cool-headed, it would have been difficult to gain his enthusiastic support even after hearing their story.
"Good! I'll help too! It stirs the blood and heartstrings of a man, and I can't just stand by and watch! In fact, I've always wanted to raid that steel tower!"
"...Hey."
Rotheron glared at Whiron, unable to let the last comment slide.
Fearing unnecessary commotion, Rudger quickly changed the subject.
"Lord Whiron, how did you happen to come to Isla Machina?"
At Rudger's question, everyone turned to Whiron, curious about the answer.
"Huh? For magic research, of course."
Whiron replied as if it were obvious.
At those words, everyone inwardly let out a small exclamation.
That's right.
This person was a magician, wasn't he?
"I heard there are various artifacts here. Like artifacts that are heavier than their actual weight. I thought it might give more stimulation to these muscles. Above all, this island has a lot of iron masses, so it's perfect for lifting heavy objects."
At those words, Gabriel recalled the open space where he had collapsed.
He had thought it was some kind of waste disposal site with all kinds of iron masses thrown away, but it seemed it was actually a training ground.
Gabriel whispered to Rudger.
'Is this person really a magician? A school that handles magic with the physical body? What kind of place is that? Is he crazy?'
'At least he wouldn't want to hear that from a magician who can stop time.'
'....'
Whatever the case, it was quite reassuring to have Whiron fighting alongside them.
Gabriel nodded while recalling Whiron's fighting style, then remembered something and spoke up.
"Uh, Magician Whiron. I have one question."
"A question? Go ahead and ask."
"When I was paralyzed by poison, how did you heal it so quickly?"
Gabriel was curious about that.
His first impression of Whiron was that of a combat magician who only knew how to use his fists.
In reality, he was a magician specialized in combat but healing poison was not something a simple War Mage could learn and to wash away the poison at once just by placing his palm on him.
"Oh, that?"
Whiron spoke as if it was nothing.
"It's a manual therapy magic I developed myself."
"...?"
Did I misunderstand the term ‘manual therapy'?