Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Chapter 6. Langritsa Mage Tower
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He outright voiced his suspicions. At Chapelin's words, Judah put on an incredulous expression with remarkable composure.
"Huh. So what? What kind of answer are you looking for, exactly?"
"Nothing much. Just the truth. If hundreds of thousands of humans entered the forest and not a single one has come out to this day..."
Chaplain trailed off, narrowing his eyes and tapping the armrest of his chair with his fingers.
"...Fine. Let's assume everything you've said is true. The elves possess far greater power than humans imagine. In the end, the war Silan waged ended in a crushing defeat."
"It's not an assumption—it's the truth."
"Let's say it is. But even so, doesn't it seem too suspicious? Even a mere silver-badge adventurer shook off the elves in the forest, so why haven't any skilled mercenaries, adventurers, or knights emerged? Crossing the forest, traversing the plains, and reaching the mage tower in the snowfields in this dead of winter—what did they eat to arrive here looking so healthy? And bringing a companion along, no less."
His eyes narrowed further, as if the lack of wounds and their robust health itself fueled his doubt.
"Without elven aid, that would be impossible. Can you even procure proper water and food in this winter across those plains and forest?"
"......"
"That's what I think. No one survives that forest without elven help. If they could, other knights, mages, adventurers, and mercenaries would have. But there's one problem with that line of thinking."
He let out a sigh and continued.
"It's hard to believe they allied with the elves, who don't just hate humans—they despise, resent, and loathe them. That makes it even trickier. I can't tell truth from lies."
Which made it all the more tangled—just as Judah intended. Chapelin struggled to separate fact from fiction in Judah's tale. It was so cleverly woven.
It sounded perfectly natural and plausible, yet nothing stood out as definitively wrong. No one there had witnessed it firsthand, and no one could just waltz into the elven forest to verify.
Chaplain let out a bemused chuckle amid his confusion, setting the guild leader's badge from his hand down on the table.
"I'd love to make you swear a mana oath or something. But pulling that on someone who survived the forest and even brought back Cheriu's guild leader's badge would be rude."
"......"
"Even suspecting you like this feels ridiculous. Whatever the case, you clearly suffered to make it out of that forest alive."
He still seemed suspicious, though.
Judah quietly regarded Chapelin, the tower lord of Langritsa Mage Tower. That insolent gaze irked some of the tower lords present, their auras shifting ominously.
"Are you dismissing me?"
"I heard you loud and clear."
Chaplain rose from his seat. He walked to the desk, rifled through a stack of documents, and held one up. The fluttering paper had more blank space than writing.
"Do you know what this is? It's a list of quests you've completed at the adventurer's guild. Just two in total. One to find a person, one to deal with a rampaging necromancer... Surprising that the necromancer was Count Jinmu, but—no other quest records. No confirmation of your involvement in Silan's war, either. What exactly are you hiding?"
Judah fell silent for a moment, then feigned reaching into his pocket as he opened <Bag> and pulled out the emblem of Glory, the secret knight order led by Duke Iyes. He placed it on the table alongside the round guild leader's badge. As the angular emblem appeared, everyone took notice.
"You're so interested in me—guess I have no choice. The duke's dead anyway... No need to honor confidentiality now."
"?"
"I was commissioned by Duke Aquila Iyes of Glory. Unofficially, of course. No reason it'd be on guild records. Suspicious of the silver badge? Wary that I've only done two quests? Makes perfect sense. An adventurer's badge is just for proving identity."
Judah drew his dagger from its sheath on his belt. In the blink of an eye it took to draw with his left hand, a tower lord snapped his fingers, manifesting a spell. The blade separated from the hilt and clattered onto the table.
"......"
Judah, who had meant to show his spirit sword, stared dumbly at the bladeless hilt. Despite no hostile intent, the tower lord had reflexively reacted to the weapon drawn toward him.
"What was that?"
"Sorry. I, uh, panicked seeing the weapon."
"Restore it to normal. Now."
The tower lord scratched his head sheepishly and recast the spell to repair it. But the reassembly felt loose, the balance off.
'Guess I'll toss it.'
He had plenty of weapons anyway. Judah lifted the dagger. As the tip faced him, the uneasy tower lord furrowed his brow, ready to cast at any moment. Sensing the subtle flow of mana, Judah channeled his own into the dagger.
Vmmm!
The blade trembled violently. A mana blade overlaid it, hardening and turning transparent.
"Spirit sword!"
One of the watching tower lords cried out, eyes wide. If their eyes weren't deceiving them, that transparent blade coating the dagger was a spirit sword. But the dagger's original blade couldn't withstand Judah's mana—it cracked with a sharp snap and shattered into pieces. The mana blade dissipated along with the fragments as the flow disrupted.
Plink, plink!
Blade shards scattered like dust on the table. Judah set down the hilt and looked at Chapelin, who appeared somewhat shocked.
"You're insane."
His first words were a curse. The paper in his hand burst into flames, burning to nothing without even ash. He shook off the lingering fire from his hand and sat back down.
"A spirit sword user? Ha, I didn't notice until you channeled mana. I've gotten sloppy."
It meant Judah had hidden his mana well, but for Chapelin—the pinnacle among high mages and tower lord of Langritsa Mage Tower—it was a profound shock. He'd assumed a mere silver-badge adventurer couldn't possess such skill. No, he'd been too complacent from the start. He had to admit it.
Foolishly, he'd judged based on appearances and superficial factors alone—the worst mistake for any mage. Young, barely a silver badge, only two quests completed...
"......"
It must have hit him hard; he went silent for a long while. Then he shook his head, pressed his forehead, and sighed.
"Fine. If you're a spirit sword user... it makes your story click into place. Sorry for the needless suspicion."
He bowed his head in apology, and Judah said it was fine.
"Alright, let's drop this. You brought the guild leader's badge and explained the forest ordeal—time for some reward. Anything you want?"
"Anything at all?"
"Not anything. Some things are possible, some aren't."
Judah pretended to ponder before replying.
"In that case, I'd like to hire a skilled mage. Ideally one proficient in wide-area ice or water magic."
"A mage?"
Chaplain tilted his head curiously. He'd expected requests for gold or enchanted gear. But Judah needed neither—gold overflowed, and fragments covered magical items. Nor did he need to code or retrieve item codes.
Right now, he needed a mage above all else. Nothing more.
Chaplain pondered briefly at the request, then glanced at one tower lord: Lancel, who stood awkwardly off to the side after losing rock-paper-scissors and not getting a seat.
"Lancel."
"Yes, Lancel de Limonier, tower lord of the Snowfield Tower, present!"
He'd seemed like a gossipy old fart from afar, but when called, he stepped forward with polite, resounding response. Authority held firm—even amid complaints, no tower lord dared challenge Langritsa's leaders.
"Ice magic? Snowfield Tower's the best for that, right?"
"Tower Lord, if I may interject—our Waterdrop Clan has excellent mages too."
A seated tower lord raised a hand, objecting as if seeking permission. Though unsought, Chaplain acknowledged him with a glance, stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned to Judah.
"What'll it be? We have experts in water magic and ice magic. Their skills are top-tier, as fellow tower lords recommend. Both are the same element anyway—picking feels silly, but choose."
"Then I'll go with the ice magic expert. Heading to the desert next."
"Oh? I see. The scorching lands, then?"
"Yes."
Chaplain nodded slowly.
"The scorching lands aren't bad for adventurers. Site of the old Draconian Kingdom—plenty of relics. Some beasts, but they're intelligent, live in villages. As long as you don't provoke them first, they're quite helpful. Fine. Lancel will fetch one. Ice mages handle water magic decently too."
"Yes, understood."
"Make sure it's someone skilled."
At Chapelin's urging, Lancel thumped his chest reassuringly and nodded.
"Don't worry. I've got just the guy in mind."