Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Ailment in Serenity - 5
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Visited the Mage Tower.
Floating orbs, wizards in tall hats wielding staves.
And adventurers crowding in to check their aptitudes.
As a tower built in the center of town, it was the most densely packed spot on the 6th floor.
A tower within a tower—saying it out loud, it was a pretty bizarre structure.
"Pria?"
"Amelia..."
"We've arrived at our Mage Tower! The entrance is this way!"
I barely nudged Pria—who was walking aimlessly toward the wall with unfocused eyes—toward the Mage Tower's entrance.
She'd been in this state ever since visiting the Crimson Flame Guild's branch.
The only words escaping her lips were four: 'Amelia,' 'Crimson Flame Guild,' 'scout,' and 'why.'
"Why... why...?"
"Pull yourself together a bit."
Pria might have grown prickly in personality, but she didn't strike me as the type to bluff.
It seemed the Guild Master's personal recruitment offer was real, but some unexpected snag had cropped up inside the guild.
The Crimson Flame Guild had flatly denied any official recruitment drive, and Amelia—the very person who could vouch for Pria's claim—hadn't shown her face on the 6th floor.
The top authority of the No. 1 ranked guild had promised to bring her into her own faction, yet all proof of it had suddenly evaporated.
Pria had demanded repeatedly to summon the Guild Master here, but a guild leader couldn't budge for the request of a single adventurer.
"The Guild Master must just be swamped with work. Hang in there a little longer, and you'll get your chance to meet."
"R-Really? Yeah, that makes sense?"
"Of course. She's not going to vanish overnight, and once her business wraps up, recruitment will start right back up."
"Right. She just has to say one word confirming she scouted me. A little more waiting, that's all."
I'd succeeded in snapping Pria back to her senses for now, but quelling her lingering anxiety was another story—she kept grimacing every so often.
For her, escaping the guards' arrest less than a day after causing a scene on the 1st floor was miraculous luck in itself, but the shattering of her dream to join a major guild was a whole different blow.
Honestly, it was hard to deny that her bold actions and attitude on the climb up here had been buoyed by the psychological safety net of Crimson Flame Guild affiliation.
"Sitting here fretting won't change a thing. We've got to do something."
"...Sorry. Can't keep my head straight. Just wasting your time."
"No, it's fine. We wouldn't have made it up here this fast without you."
It wouldn't be right to take all her help and then ditch her the moment she faltered.
Besides, her combat prowess was far too overwhelming to toss away a connection like that.
I had to wonder if she was really an adventurer who'd entered the tower at the same time as me.
Even if she didn't end up joining the Crimson Flame Guild, talent like hers would draw offers from anywhere, right?
Just the 6th floor, and already the pace was diverging this much?
Not even keeping up with the vanguard—falling behind everyone else—what did that make me...?
*Slap—!*
"Huh? W-Why'd you just slap your own cheek...?"
"It's nothing. Let's head in."
"O-Okay."
I steeled my resolve.
Even after saying it aloud, I'd nearly repeated the same mistake myself.
Nothing would change from sitting around worrying.
"Sword Saint..."
Once I'd resolved to enter the tower, I had to see it through to the end.
I couldn't just huddle in a room crying like an idiot back then.
· Floor 8
Still wielding just a single sword, even after passing the Mage Tower.
The magic aptitude test for a swordsman had been a disaster.
No high affinity with any element.
In other words, don't even dream of becoming a mage.
My magic swordsman aspirations crumbled too.
*Whoosh!*
"Whoa!"
"Ah! You okay?"
"I'm not hurt. Just startled by the heat."
"Sorry. The sword being wreathed in flames changes the feel—hard to get used to."
Pria had real talent for magic.
She was already incorporating it seamlessly into her swordplay.
The Sword Saint fought with sword alone, no magic.
Maybe it was just a genetic gift for swordsmanship.
So, can't use magic? No big deal.
Everything's fine.
"Not selling all the magic stones?"
"Eh, just holding onto a few."
"Hm, those look like the priciest ones."
I had intel no one else could match for valuation.
I had a weapon all my own.
So the current shortage shouldn't be an issue.
That's what I wanted to believe.
· Floor 11
Finally, the time had come to use the magic stone I'd held back from selling on the 8th floor.
First up: track down that enchanter my senior mentioned.
"Hm? You're gonna browse the shops alone?"
"Yeah. Planning to go a ways out."
"Guess I'll swing by the guild branch on the 11th floor then. Still no word from the Guild Master."
The Crimson Flame Guild still hadn't resumed recruitment.
"Scouted personally, and they treat me like an outsider. Talk about a guild that's all pie in the sky."
"The Guild Master might show up on the 11th floor right on cue this time. Hope it works out."
Before facing the demon sealed underground, we'd gotten time in town to resupply.
I'd stuck mostly with Pria, but on enchanter-hunting day, I peeled off from her.
For some reason, the lies flowed out naturally.
A greedy urge welled up from deep down—not to share such valuable info.
"But... where even is it?"
A spot not listed in the guide.
Of course I had no clue about the route.
I wandered into random shops along the way, bluntly asking the shopkeepers if they knew any enchanters.
"Enchanter? Oh~ you mean the enhancement shop? You're heading completely the wrong way."
"Wrong way?"
"It's a good trek from here to the enhancement shop. What brought you this direction?"
Luckily, the locals were friendly, so I got plenty of guidance en route.
My ankles went numb from all the walking, but arriving at the destination was what mattered.
The enhancement shop building we finally found bore clear signs of age, yet it was meticulously maintained.
"Uh... this is the enhancement shop, right?"
"It is. You found it."
Inside sat an elderly woman with white hair.
The workshop exuded a warm, cozy vibe.
"Then you must be the village enchanter, ma'am."
"Ma'am? Just call me Mariel, nice and easy."
I'd found the enchanter my senior mentioned.
Mariel?
Rang a bell.
Had I heard that name somewhere before?
"That's a fine magic stone. Excellent quality—did you procure it yourself?"
I'd appraised them all and cherry-picked the priciest, so of course it was top-tier.
Perfect material for enhancing a weapon.
"Which gear shall we use it on?"
"This sword, please."
"A weapon, then. Most folks prioritize attack power first—not a bad pick..."
The enchanter trailed off mid-sentence.
She took hold of the nameless sword and fiddled endlessly with the hilt.
That's when it hit me.
Where I'd heard the name Mariel.
From the master craftsman blacksmith, Harman.
"Mariel's prettiest feature was always those verdant green eyes, no matter when you saw her."
I looked up into Mariel's eyes.
Even on her wrinkled, aged face, the green gleam shone as vividly as ever.
"This sword... where'd you get it?"
My mind went blank.
Mariel rushed into the back storeroom.
Rustling ensued, and she returned clutching a sword.
It matched my nameless sword to the letter—the exact form I'd glimpsed in Harman's records and mimicked.
The blade I'd forged alongside my senior lay right there before me.
Original and replica, side by side.
"N-No way."
Mariel?
Harman had called her his wife—why was she here?
I didn't know their history, but hadn't they parted by death?
No, he'd only said she'd been forgotten—never specified anyone died.
Then why were they on different floors?
Shouldn't they both be on the 1st floor, or both on the 11th?
Non-adventurers couldn't switch floors—!
"You... you're an adventurer from Luden, aren't you? Got it there?"
"N-No, that's not... just a sec, I never lived in a place like..."
"Then did you stop by Luden before entering the tower? Otherwise, this makes no sense at all..."
Mariel lost her composure, words tumbling out.
I had no idea where Luden even was, let alone grasping the link between Harman and Mariel.
Amid the bewilderment, I held my tongue.
More like, I couldn't get the words out even if I tried.
"The one who made this sword... he's still alive, right?"
"W-Well..."
"Please... please, just tell me..."
Mariel finally broke into tears.
In slurred mumbles, she begged for word on whether the blacksmith in Luden lived or not.