To Ashida's surprise, before their lesson had even begun, Tails raised his right index finger and motioned for a question.

The magician raised an eyebrow and nodded at him.

"Six years ago, I asked you the same question: What is a magician," Tails cocked, observing the magician's expression carefully—though he knew that Ashda was rarely moved in conversation, "but at the time you said you couldn't tell me the answer to your question." ”

Ashida narrowed her eyes, "Go on." ”

"You also said that you can't tell me what you understand to be a magician," Tails wondered, "but you're ...... now"

The prince looked at the magician suspiciously.

Ashida stared at him for a long time, and finally nodded when Tails felt his scalp tingle: "Good memory." ”

Tails raised an eyebrow and subconsciously lowered his head.

Oh, yes.

Six years ago, on that thrilling day, everything was vivid in my mind, and I can't forget it.

But Tails, who was waiting with bated breath for an answer, ushered in an unexpected answer.

"So," Almost instantly, Ashida's hands were intertwined, ten slender fingers overlapped in unison, her expression was indifferent, and her voice was cold, as if she had changed back into the rational and ruthless Qi Magician, "I have to tell me today what a magician is." ”

Tails' eyes widened slightly, and he was a little surprised: "Me?"

"Yes," Ashida nodded, as unsettling as ever, "it's especially important—what do you think a magemaster is?"

Especially important?

Capturing the strangeness in the other party's words, Tails subconsciously asked, "Why is it especially important?"

Ashida's eyes moved slightly.

"It's too early to say that," he swept over Tails with calm eyes, his gaze vaguely scrutinizing and reminding, "but I need you to answer my question first." ”

The prince looked at the Qi Demon Master suspiciously.

But the other party still stared at him seriously and calmly.

Three seconds later, Tails finally suppressed the doubts in his heart and took a deep breath.

"Well, I had some thinking and reasoning, and I did some research. He recalls six years of reading and searching in the library – even though there are still many books he has yet to get a chance to read.

What is a magician......

"I've only met two magicians," Tails lowered his eyes, staring at the motionless chessboard, recalling as he organized his language, tentatively "You and Giza, you can control the air as you like, and Giza can manipulate flesh and even plants in an unbelievable way." ”

Ashida was noncommittal.

"So, I have a guess that your so-called threshold name explains the nature of your power, doesn't it?" Tails' expression became more and more serious: "Qi and blood?"

Ashida remained unresponsive, but continued to clasp her hands - reminding the prince of the bald Grand Duke of Leco in the Guarded City, who also liked to put his arms on the table and clasp his hands together.

"Magicians can fundamentally control things in a certain category, such as qi, blood, etc., as long as they are objectively covered by such categories," Tails cautiously continued his words: "For example, a blood magician can control tree roots and flesh, perhaps because the category of 'blood' includes ......"

But Tails' voice slowly became quieter, and at the same time there was a lot of confusion - he suddenly remembered the book "The End of War: Heaven Falls Apart" that he had read in the Mindis Hall a long time ago, and a certain page in it.

[The most famous record...... After the appearance of the Magician of Power, it was destroyed overnight. 】

But...... The Magician of Power?

Just as he was confused by his words, Ashida spoke softly.

"The ultimate form of objective existence. ”

The handsome man in the blue robe said in a gentle and pleasant voice: "A long time ago, when the first batch of magicians were born, many mages thought the same way, and the most famous of them was the 'Material School' of the Alchemy Tower. ”

Tails frowned slightly: "The first batch of mages?"

He even forgot to ask what the "materialistic school" was.

"Yes, electricity, water, blood, and many other examples, the liminal names of this group of magicians are very convincing," a faint blue light appeared in Ashida's eyes, "There are even mages who have come to the conclusion that 'demonic energy is the ultimate result of our understanding of the objective truth and the laws of all things, and the liminal name is the representative of it'. ”

"We thought this was the truth about mages. ”

Tails nodded, pursing his lips.

But in the next second, the light in Ashida's eyes disappeared.

His voice was cold again:

"Until those two people appeared. ”

"It shatters our initial and shallow understanding of magicians. ”

"Two people?" Tails was taken aback, "Who?"

Ashida turned to the street outside the terrace with a serious expression: "Two mage apprentices from the Tower of Ascetics. ”

"The Tower of Ascetics?"

Tails' heart moved.

On the way north from the Black Sand Territory to Longxiao City, he had heard Ramon introduce him in the camp.

"Hmm. ”

"The first of the three towers, the magic tower with the longest history, the most mysterious appearance, and the most transcendent status," the magician's eyes seemed to drift into the distance again: "Also known as the obelisk." ”

Tails was about to ask about the Ascetic's Tower, but Ashida seemed to know what he was trying to say: the magician held up a hand, signaling him to be quiet, suppressing his curiosity.

"Those two mage apprentices are orphans adopted by the Tower of Ascetics since childhood, and under those careless old mages, they don't even have normal names, each with only one letter as a pronoun. ”

"One of them, for example, is codenamed 'L'. ”

They even laughed at themselves for it: the name is like the truth, and there is no need to say more. ”

Tails frowned heavily.

L。

The magician slowly turned his head, his gaze met Tails's eyes, and his words slowly became solemn: "So, when the two apprentices who befriended each other found their names and became magicians, their peers gave them interesting nicknames. ”

"Brother Truth. ”

Brother Truth?

Tails wondered, "Why do you say they broke your understanding of the Magi?"

"Because one of the brothers of truth. Ashida looked at him silently and spat out a strange word, "His liminal name is called - Idea." ”

"Idea Magician, L. ”

In that second, Tails froze.

Reason......

In the card room, Wya, behind them, whispered something to Rolf, but Tails had no time to pay attention.

"Idea?" he subconsciously whispered the other man's words.

It's not the easy-to-understand existence of qi, it's not the far-reaching noun of blood......

But...... Idea.

What the hell is this?

Tails' eyes widened, and he immediately raised his right index finger for unknown reasons, trying to interrupt Ashida.

"It's hard to imagine, isn't it?" said Ashida, who had anticipated his reaction, curled the corners of her mouth slightly, signaling that he could ask questions.

"What kind of mage is he...... What can he do?" asked the prince eagerly.

"You are free to imagine what the Idea Mage looks like and what he is capable of," Ashida shook her head, "but even I, even my peers who have seen L himself countless times, can tell you in the most absolute and certain tone: even if you exhaust your brainpower, you can't imagine it." ”

Ashida said with a little meaning, "Because we are not L, and you are not L." ”

Tails froze slightly.

So what this means...... They don't know either?

The Demon Master who only listened to Qi said faintly: "If the Demon Master is the ultimate form of some objective existence, then how can the appearance of L and the appearance of the Concept Demon Master be explained?"

"Now, try to rethink my question. ”

"What is a magician?"

Tails let out a sigh, and his brain, which had just had an idea for the mage, turned into a mess again.

"If the mage is not limited to objectively existing things......"

"That is, a collection of related concepts?"

The worried Tails frowned: "Existence, qi, and blood can be said to be one concept...... But ......"

Ashida snorted again.

The prince was interrupted by this soft snort, and he couldn't help but look up.

"So, what the hell is a magician?" Tails, who didn't want to guess any more, asked a little eagerly, "Qi and blood, and ideas? ”

Ashida quietly made eye contact with the prince, and after three seconds, under the watchful eye of Tails, he spoke.

"The appearance of L shows that our understanding and imagination of the magician is still extremely superficial, and the explanation of the 'material school' has been completely struck. ”

"But he's not the only one. ”

"It is no exaggeration to say that the emergence of every new magician has more or less advanced our understanding of ourselves," at this moment, Ashida was like an account room carefully calculating numbers, patient and serious: "L is not the most surprising magician, until you know B, Jilai and Solovsky, and even the Fate Twins...... You'll be even more amazed at how interesting the world of mages is. ”

"Every magician is different, and even the world in the eyes of every magician is different," the next moment, Ashida reverted to his rational and indifferent expression: "The commonalities of magicians are pitiful. ”

"It is undoubtedly not enough to simply classify us as the same category of 'people' or 'beings' or even 'beings', to understand us in this category and to try to generalize what a magician is. ”

"And reality has overturned the models and theories we have established to explain magic and understand magicians again and again," he seems to sigh with emotion: "Historically, anyone who thinks they have mastered or understood the whole picture and truth of magicians, and who thinks that they can explain 'what magicians are', whether they are mages or ourselves, has proven to be naïve and ridiculous. ”

"If you think 'ask what a mage' is, you're going to be disappointed – L is an example. ”

The magician looked back at Tails, "Do you understand?"

The prince looked at the other party's appearance and couldn't help but grit his teeth.

The doubts in his heart only grew thicker.

"I don't understand. ”

Tails snapped with deep suspicion. "You didn't answer my question. ”

Ashida shook her head, "On the contrary, that's what I'm going to tell you. ”

Tails could only wonder.

"First of all, I'm not here to answer your questions, I'm here to answer your questions. ”

"Secondly, you still haven't thought about every word of mine as I said," Ashida's gaze tilted slightly, "I have shown you to the best what a magician is." ”

The prince opened his mouth to speak, but when the words came to his lips, there was no way to say them.

Seriously ponder every word of his?

What do you mean?

Eventually, the prince stared at the other for a full ten seconds, but gave up the idea of asking for an answer.

"Just like six years ago, you're not going to tell me what a magemaster is, are you?" Tails covered his forehead weakly, and said a little discouraged, "You want me to say what I think, I said, but you said it was wrong, and told me that you didn't answer correctly......"

Tails's words paused suddenly.

Wait a minute.

Ponder every word he ever makes......

The prince's pupils began to constrict slightly.

A thought rose in his heart.

"I seem to get some of it. ”

"You didn't tell me what a mage is," Tails put down the hand on his forehead, looked at Ashda blankly, and subconsciously said, "But you told me what a mage is." ”

The Qi Magician's eyes lit up.

"You're moving much faster than I thought," Ashida nodded with satisfaction, "and your understanding is good, too. ”

Encouraged to do so, Tails began to think again.

"You say, my opinion is important, and you also said that in the case of L, every magician is different, and even the world is different in the eyes of every magician......" he muttered and repeated the other's words, "So, Ashida. ”

"What does the world look like in your eyes?" the prince raised his head and looked at Ashda solemnly, "What's the difference between the world in my eyes?"

At that moment, Ashida's eyebrows lifted slightly, as if she couldn't hide her surprise: "Oh, it seems that the progress is still a little too fast." ”

Tails stared at him eagerly.

At that moment, Tails thought of nothing else, but the last moment when he faced Giza six years ago, facing the Blood Demon Master.

It was his "knocking" experience.

That......

That amazing feeling.

That...... He himself is the feeling of the whole world.

"I can't tell you," Ashida's tone suddenly became mysterious, "but this time, it's because of the first covenant of demonic energy. ”

At that moment, Tails's originally restless heart seemed to become silent in an instant.

Tails' eyes narrowed, feeling like he had heard it somewhere.

Wait a minute.

Tails looked at Ashida, who was obviously expressionless, but gave people a sense of solemnity, and began to think back to six years ago.

It was that night, after a thrilling duel at Valhalla, that Ashida paid an abrupt visit to him.

That night, he also learned of the existence of the First Covenant of Demonic Energy for the first time.

[There are three rules that must be followed by magicians, known as the Three Covenants...... Article 1, the first covenant of magic energy ......]

[Never, never, never ask another magician about their understanding of magical energy......]

[This is the ...... of 'not delving into each other']

So, Ashida can't tell me what he sees the world like......

It's because of the ban on the first covenant of magic energy, it's because of ......

It's because ......

"Ashida, you're a Qi Magician," Tails looked at each other solemnly like a drowning man who had grasped a life-saving straw, "I remember, six years ago, when we first met on Red Square Street, you said that you can sense all the air in the entire block, such as everyone's breath. ”

"Six years ago, you could even track our breath across an entire city ......"

Ashida narrowed slightly.

"Those people...... Their breathing, those air currents, if you can feel them clearly," Tails was a little incoherent at that moment, "is that the world you see it?"

He searched eagerly for words: "Like, like everybody is ...... It's like you're breathing air inside you?"

Ashida's face changed.

"As I said, metaphors and analogies are not welcome. "The Wizard of Qi said coldly.

Yes.

This child.

It's more than I expected.

Tails looked at Ashida in a daze, the other party's reaction had already given him some inspiration.

Other words......

Those who breathe...... Those people......

"Giza Trillman, Blood Magician," Tails continued, stunned, "what does the world look like in her eyes?"

Ashida frowned—it was a great move for him.

And during the time of the knock...... The world as he sees it......

"And," in that second, Tails suddenly remembered Giza's words before he was sealed, and asked softly, "She told me that becoming a magician is not a blessing, but a curse, why?"

This time, the magician was silent for a long time.

"Ashida?" the prince looked up, looking at Ashda with a strange expression.

"There is always a price to power, and the question is what you think of that cost. The blue-robed man said silently.

"The man with the sword, the man wielding the spear, and the man with the hammer are not the same weight, and the range of the sword, the spear and the hammer are not the same, and the enemies they face are also different, and the person who wears the crown and the scepter in his hand has to bear a different weight, and they are in a different environment......"

Ashida's eyes were a little dim, and the blue light in the depths of her eyes surged slightly:

"As for the weight that the mage will have to bear, you can imagine for yourself. ”

The ...... the Magician has to endure

The prince froze.

Tails took a deep breath: "You just said that metaphors and analogies are not welcome to illustrate problems. ”

"Oh, that rule," Ashida raised her eyebrows, snorting coldly, "only for you." ”

Tails was stunned.

"Now, you should have some idea, Tails," Ashida's gaze began to become oppressive, "Magician, this is not a precedent for you to refer to, as long as you ask 'what is a magician', you can 'learn' or 'teach' the knowledge and power." ”

"What is a magician," his tone was very light, but there was an inexplicable heaviness in the words he spoke: "This question can only be found by each magician himself, answered by himself, and finally confirmed by himself, what is the threshold name that belongs to you alone." ”

"I can only guide you cautiously. ”

"Because, when you really understand what a magician is," Ashida paused for a long time, but finally spoke, "you are already a magician." ”

Or almost a magician.

The magician looked at the young man in front of him and said silently in his heart.

The ends of the board fell silent again.

Tails lowered his head and began to ponder the words.

"In the process, don't let what you know to see and hear—like me and Giza, or even L's example—shackle your mind, Tails," Ashida said lightly, "and stay humble, don't let arrogance and self-righteousness drag you down like the mages of the Materialist School." ”

Right now.

"Ashida," Tails said with a soft breath and a puzzled and serious voice, "how did you become a magician?

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

"This question is beyond the scope of our discussion today," the Qi Magician said with a blank expression, "It's time to change the subject." ”

"The position and position of the magician. ”

Tails looked up in amazement and spread out his hands to express his puzzlement:

"But that's not the end of the conversation, is it?"

"We haven't even figured out what we are, and we're going to start looking for a position and a position?"

Ashida snorted.

"That's what this world is, isn't it?" said the magician coldly, "People tend to act presumptuously before they recognize their place. ”

"Whether it is human beings or other races, it is clear that we cannot even know ourselves very well, but we can distinguish between friend and foe without hesitation, and start confrontation and fighting. ”

"It's ironic and funny. ”

Tails frowned, "What you say is always so boring. ”

Ashda ignored his words.

"Why do you think we are called a scourge," the blue-robed man lowered his interlaced hands and leaned back into his seat, "Why are we hated by the whole world?"

Tails looked at Ashida's appearance and couldn't help but think of the first time he saw him.

"Because, six or seven hundred years ago, you almost destroyed the world?" the prince remembered what Gilbert had told him, and said softly, "Ring the death knell for the final empire?"

Ashida was silent for a few moments.

"Ah, the battle of the end, the topic that cannot be avoided," he said silently, "Speaking of which, I have to mention the other one among the Brothers of Truth. ”

"Brother Truth again?" Tails wondered, "Someone other than L?"

"If L breaks our perception of the Magi," Ashda nodded, and the speed of her voice began to slowly increase, "Then his brother has completely changed the status of the Magi." ”

"Nearly 700 years ago, it was he who led the other five magicians to set off the final battle. ”

At that moment, Tails breathed hard.

It was the first time he had heard of the End War from books and legends.

And......

"On that side of the Endgame, there are only six mages?"

"Who is it?" Seeing Ashda nodding slowly, Tails said in shock, "L's brother, who is it?"

Ashida's plain and indifferent face became serious for the third time today, his back off his seat, his hands folded together, his chin slightly twitched, and his eyes sharp—as if facing the most terrible enemy.

"He is the most powerful magician in history since Taurus. ”

"He was also the first magician to be given the name 'Calamity'. ”

"The destroyer of the three magic towers. ”

"The undertaker of the ultimate empire. ”

"The culprit of the 'Great Crack'. ”

"Enemy of the Holy Sun, nemesis of the gods. ”

Hearing the above titles, Tails involuntarily widened his eyes and opened his mouth.

Just listen to Ashida's extremely dignified words:

"There is a mage, B. ”

? The plot is written, the desire to step on the accelerator, to raise gears, to pull the handbrake, to drift through corners, and to throw everyone out can't be suppressed...... What to do......

? ? No way...... I want to restrain myself, Amitabha, control the rhythm, immeasurable celestial, control the rhythm......

?

????

(End of chapter)