Chapter 55: The Wall of Wutomaag
Standing by the wooden cabin's window, Charles watched in awe as the colossal curtain in the sky slowly descended.
His jaw dropped involuntarily, and just as he was about to cry out in shock, he turned his head—only to find that his usually unserious, perpetually unruly mentor was now wearing an uncharacteristically grave expression.
Baffled, Charles asked, "What's wrong with you?"
After years of being together, Charles had come to understand that although his mentor, Todd, often had a few screws loose, he was genuinely a decent person. So Charles sincerely regarded him as a respected teacher.
At Charles's question, Todd shot him an annoyed glance and said, "That's the Wall of Wutomaag, the World-Encircling Barrier, one of the wizarding world's most treasured artifacts. It was established in the earliest days of world exploration and has always served as one of our realm's most crucial defensive measures."
Seeing the look of confusion still plastered on Charles's face, Todd couldn't help but roll his eyes. Young people these days… they don't know a thing. It seemed he'd need to put Charles through another round of hellish education. So he added, "It also has another name—The Declaration of War. When it descends, it signifies that the entire wizarding world is now in a state of war."
Charles's eyes went wide as he exclaimed in horror, "A state of war?!"
Just hearing the term was enough for him to realize the gravity of what was coming.
There was typically only one reason for the wizarding world to declare war: confrontation with another world.
And this time, it had come without warning, without signs—an ambush, almost certainly provoked by the opposing realm. That meant Charles and the others could soon be facing a brutal, full-scale invasion.
For a mere apprentice like him, this was nothing short of a nightmare.
He wasn't even sure he could survive one second on a battlefield.
In similar events throughout history, apprentices like him—weak and untrained—were usually the first to fall, wiped out in droves without so much as a ripple in the bigger picture. At most, their names would just be added to the casualty count.
Looking at Charles's face turn ghostly pale, Todd—though deeply anxious himself—snorted in disdain. Perched higher on the competence ladder, he still found the boy's fear slightly contemptible.
He rubbed a few withering white strands of hair atop his head and said gruffly, "Don't be so scared. Unless it escalates into an all-out emergency, you apprentices will mostly be kept in support roles. You'd be useless on the front lines anyway—the shockwaves from the real fights would be enough to obliterate the lot of you."
Even as he said this, Todd understood deep down: in a true world war, nowhere was truly safe. History had plenty of periods when the wizarding population was pushed to the brink of extinction.
In his 400-plus years of life, this was the first time he'd faced something of this magnitude. He sighed inwardly. 'I thought even if I couldn't make it to Tier Two, I could at least retire in peace. Looks like that might've been wishful thinking…'
But that thought didn't last long. A new one struck him, and suddenly, his entire mood flipped. His face lit up with excitement.
'To be part of something this big at the end of my life? That's not a loss—it's a bonus! I've already enjoyed everything I could in life. Who would've thought I'd get to witness a real world war before I die!'
He was positively gleeful now, feeling like he'd just hit the jackpot. Utterly satisfied with himself.
The speed of his emotional swing was staggering—a textbook example of a dramatic mood reversal!
From doom to delight, all it took was a change in perspective.
Charles, watching all this from the side, was completely bewildered. Why's he so happy? It's like he just found a sack of gold or something.
---
[Hawthorne, Fifth-Tier Wizard of the Academy of Silent Hearts, has been awarded 1,500,000 Contribution Points by the High Council of the Wizarding World for reporting a matter of critical importance.]
Standing on the grass, Hawthorne ignored the message flashing on his communicator.
His eyes remained fixed on the sky, where the Wall of Wutomaag continued its slow descent.
Though surprised, he wasn't unprepared. Deep down, he had already suspected something like this might happen.
'Seems like the Council thinks this situation is even worse than I imagined…'
After acquiring the Memory Crystal from Orsaga, despite the chaotic content, he'd still been able to piece together enough from the fragmented data to realize this was far more serious than a simple intelligence leak. The implications were beyond his own capabilities to handle, so he didn't hesitate—he immediately handed over the information, along with his own analysis, to the High Council.
As for everything else—that was beyond him now.
Watching the sky, Hawthorne now understood the Council's stance clearly.
And he was immensely relieved he had made the right choice. Discoveries important enough to warrant such a formal response could mean the difference between survival and annihilation. Reporting it even one day earlier could potentially save the world untold damage—or even change its fate entirely.
A few moments later, another directive came through.
After reading it carefully, Hawthorne stood in silence, deep in thought.
Then, without hesitation, he activated the Heart of Silence's barrier and issued a command summoning all faculty and students to assemble.
---
From the high platform, Hawthorne swept his gaze over the vast crowd—hundreds of thousands of students and instructors, all watching him intently.
He had no idea how many of them would survive the coming storm.
In truth, even he couldn't guarantee his own survival.
Though a Fifth-Tier Wizard was considered a mainstay of the wizarding world, in a full-scale world war, even someone like him could be wiped out with little more than a splash.
He took a breath and began to speak. His voice echoed into the mind of every person present:
"You've likely already heard the basics. The wizarding world has officially entered a state of total war. This is not like the academic skirmishes between academies. Anyone with a grasp of history knows that a world war is an extinction-level threat."
"I won't offer false hope. I can't promise anything. All I can say is: do your best. This is both your crisis—and your opportunity."
"This marks the first world war in over 100,000 years. Resources and materials once considered unattainable will now be distributed under Council directive. Access to all forms of knowledge will also become significantly easier."
"Now, I will read the decree from the Council."
"Wizarding Era 4,578,454, July 11.
We have confirmed the Presence of infiltrators from a civilization known as Gaiensar, who used unknown methods to breach the core regions of the wizarding world. All agents were equipped with advanced disguise technology.
Council prophecy magic has confirmed that their intentions are of extreme hostility. Based on available intelligence, full-scale contact with their world is expected within two years. Therefore, as of now, the wizarding world is entering a state of war. All operational priorities are to be adjusted to support the global war effort.
—Wizarding Council, Wizarding Era 4,578,454, July 12."
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