Drag Him Down (4)
Even after all that, getting close to the tower was surprisingly simple. There was no one around it right now. The only obstacles were a few detection devices made with demonic engineering technology… Honestly, given the current situation, it didn’t seem like anyone would come even if we touched them. But Cryan was a true specialist when it came to dismantling tripwires like these, so there was no problem.
Didn’t everyone remember what happened in the Bruised City? After experiencing that incident and neutralizing the live ordnance in his stomach, Cryan had discovered he was surprisingly good at disabling these kinds of devices. Later on, he even studied them properly. And that habit continued even while he was bedridden. Since he couldn’t move his body at the time, I had watched him repeatedly disassemble and reassemble them like some kind of mad bomber suffering from an obsession. It was the manifestation of that single line in his setting: “He quite likes engineering technology.”
Engineering Expertise
“…Alright, I’m done. This should be enough to climb up safely.”
“You’re already finished…? Hey, if you keep doing this, you’ll never have to worry about making a living. Looks like you’ve found your calling.”
“You flatter me. If it weren’t for that bastard Montgomery, this damned isolation tower would never have been used in the first place. And dismantling these poorly maintained, outdated pieces of junk is nothing compared to what I did on my uncle’s warship, don’t you think?”
Even as he said that, he shamelessly flashed me a V-sign. At this point, there was nothing more to say. The tower had now become a perfectly prepared stage.
I turned to Lumein, who had been watching the whole thing in a daze from the side.
“Well then, Lady Lumein. Would you like to ride on my back, or shall we climb together?”
“I-I can climb on my own, of course…!”
“Yes, I know. But this magic tower is seventy-five meters tall. I only asked in case you wanted help. I’ll assist as much as I can.”
“Seventy-five meters…?! It did look tall, but it’s only a little shorter than the World Tree…?”
Lumein thought for a moment before accepting my offer.
“Then… I’ll ask for your help. Climbing is one thing, but it would be troublesome if I ran out of strength midway.”
“Understood.”
I began scaling the tower.
Tap. Tap.
The top of the isolation tower was submerged in darkness deeper than night itself. The moonlight streaming in from behind illuminated the interior, revealing that there was barely any space to move—just a bed and a tiny patch of floor beside it. The moment I saw it, I instinctively knew that being trapped here would drive anyone insane.
“Jurchen…”
And it seemed Lumein, who was clinging tightly to my back so she wouldn’t fall, felt the same way.
Clang!
“A-are you alright?!”
“…It’s vicious. They’re running an incredibly strong current through it. If I hadn’t frozen my hand for a split second, I would have been electrocuted.”
“You handled something like that in that short moment…?”
“It was worth carrying you on my back after all.”
Moreover, perhaps because it was meant for the ultra-tanky Jurchen, the iron bars were crackling with searing electricity. If anyone lost consciousness here, they would likely be roasted alive and die screaming. And even if one managed to get past that, the interior was layered with double and triple barriers that made it feel suffocating. It almost seemed as if whoever had designed this prison had gone out of their way to flaunt their malice toward our poor little dragon-kin.
But it was Lumein who helped us overcome this predicament.
“…Sir Yohan. It looks like that strange device at the very top of the tower is the one emitting the electric current flowing through this place.”
“I see. But I’m hanging on with both hands, so I can’t do anything. Could you take care of it…?”
“Just leave it to me. At this distance, I could hit it with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back.”
Whoosh— Crackle!
Lumein drew her bow with practiced ease from atop my back, as if performing mounted archery, and neutralized the confinement device in one shot.
“Good. Now I can see…”
The moment I cautiously poked my head between the iron bars—
Bang!
“I told you to fuck off! Did you come all the way out here again just to serve me more slop?! I’ve said it a thousand times—I’m not eating any of the shit you dogs give me—!”
“Whoa, shit. That scared me.”
“…A chamber pot?!”
Jurchen had apparently mistaken me for a warden. He charged at me with murderous intent, trying to knock me off, but froze the moment he saw my face. The guy looked utterly emaciated. From what I’d just overheard, it seemed he really hadn’t eaten for days. Hilken had spread rumors that he was being starved, but apparently she herself had been eating well… It looked like Jurchen was so furious about being locked up here that he had genuinely refused all food and water. What a stubborn bastard. He never changed.
Still, I snapped at him regardless of the fact that Lumein was on my back. He had nearly killed me, after all.
“What the hell are you doing, you crazy idiot?! I climbed all the way up here, and you try to kill me…?”
“C-climbed up here? How did our chamber pot big brother even get here? No—why—?”
“What do you mean how and why, dumbass? I came to visit. After you gave our side’s black knight such a cool performance, did you really think I wouldn’t show you this much kindness?”
When I said that, Jurchen’s eyes unexpectedly reddened.
“Damn it… Are you serious?”
“I don’t lie unless I have to.”
“Bullshit. You pulled off the ultimate scam on every single student at Sigmund and you’re telling me— Never mind. I can’t even put this feeling into words. I thought no one would remember I was locked up in here.”
I let out a long sigh.
“…Haa. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Anyway, forget it. Just seeing your face is enough to make me happy right now.”
“By the way, I didn’t come empty-handed today. I even brought you a present.”
“…Huh? A present?”
At my signal, Lumein crawled along my body and settled on my shoulder. Since she was one of the smaller elves, she could manage to sit on my large frame. It was a bit cramped, though.
“W-wait…! You—!”
The moment he saw her face, Jurchen’s expression filled with shock.
“How’s that? I brought the person you wanted to see most.”
“Hey, you son of a—! Get my Lumein’s ass off your shoulder right now—?!”
What? I hadn’t expected that to be his sore spot. Lumein, who had been quietly listening, took a deep breath first—then began furiously smacking Jurchen on the head through the bars, venting her frustration.
Thwack! Thwack!
The impacts sounded incredibly satisfying.
“Ugh— Ow—!”
“You, you idiot! After I helped clean up the mess you caused and even came all the way here, you still can’t watch your mouth?! You stupid, hopeless punk—! You’re beyond saving—!!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Lumein!”
“And what do you mean ‘my’ ass?! When have you ever owned my ass?!”
“Ah, ahaha… You know I didn’t mean it like that, right?”
“I don’t know, you stupid idiot!”
Well… this was what people called a lovers’ quarrel, I suppose. It was all well and good, but my body was shaking too much.
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry, Lord of Steel. I just… I couldn’t help myself when he acted so childish…”
“It’s fine… As long as you don’t shake too much, I don’t mind.”
“…I see. Then, could I ask for just a little more time? I’ll finish soon.”
“You can take until tomorrow if you want.”
Fortunately, she finished before I lost my balance.
“So, Jurchen. You—!”
“Hiek.”
What followed was a relentless barrage of facts. Even though Lumein had gone through the trouble of gathering information to help him and had even brought fruit because she was worried he might be starving… she was clearly still angry with him.
For fifteen minutes that felt like an eternity, Lumein sat on my shoulder and delivered one cutting remark after another.
“…So, do you think I’d feel at ease if you keep doing things like that?! Do you think I’d go around bragging about you if you keep acting like you’ve lost your mind?!”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
“Then why do you keep doing it?!”
“I’m sorry…”
Jurchen’s mind seemed to drift into the distance. However… most of what I heard sounded more like worry for Jurchen. Was that just my imagination? Seeing this, I could finally understand why he had gone so berserk at the thought of being NTR’d.
“…Haa. Fine. I’ve said enough. You get it now, right?”
“Y-yes, I get it, ma’am.”
“Who are you calling ma’am… Never mind. Here, take this. This is why I came today.”
Thud.
Having said everything she needed to say, Lumein handed Jurchen a wicker basket.
“This is…?”
“I put in some of your favorite fruits. They were sent from my homeland. Just eating one will fill you with energy, and you’ll feel so full you won’t need to eat for days.”
“L-Lumein—! Will you marry me?”
“…Shut up. No. Be quiet.”
Her face now thoroughly covered, Lumein climbed back down into my arms and spoke.
“N-now that we’re done here, shall we head down, Lord of Steel?”
“…Yeah, let’s do that.”
“W-wait a second! You’re not letting me out?! Wasn’t this whole thing supposed to be about freeing me?!”
“You still caused a riot. So stay here quietly and pay for your crimes, you stupid lizard.”
“Goddammit—!”
It seemed Lumein couldn’t be honest until the very end.
“Whoa, this is insane. An apple… In the elf forest, one of these would cost at least seven gold. And she just gave them to me—!”
Jurchen hadn’t managed to escape as he had originally hoped… But since our chamber pot big brother had destroyed the electric current before leaving, he could probably break out of this place whenever he wanted now.
So he thought:
‘This is actually perfect? I get to eat and escape.’
The moment that idea crossed his mind, Jurchen began to relax completely. Lumein had told him not to escape, but he had let those words go in one ear and out the other. For now, he simply devoured the fruits she had given him in the darkness.
However, when the basket was nearly empty—
“Huh.”
…He stopped when he noticed something carefully placed on one side.
“…What’s this?”
Clink.
What he held in his hand were dry, familiar pieces of wood. It was the necklace he had clumsily made and given to Lumein long ago.
“……This. I gave this to her. I thought she threw it away.”
And beneath it was a handwritten letter in Lumein’s elegant handwriting.
Don’t make me worry. I have feelings too, you know.
Enough to keep something like this that you gave me.
“………Ah, ahaha.”
Having seen all of this, he could only lean against the wall in a daze and look up at the sky outside the window.
“Fuck… What the hell am I doing?”
After listening to that whole lecture, he had only been thinking about escaping and had completely forgotten what Lumein said at the end. Now he finally understood.
If word got out that he had escaped even after receiving this, Lumein would be unbelievably furious.
“How could I do something like that…?”
No. Before that, he would die of embarrassment himself. And so, even though the exit was open, Jurchen came to realize why he had to stay here.
“…Yeah. I’ll just stay put. Our chamber pot big brother will probably come get me soon anyway.”
This was the first time in his life that the guy who had only ever done whatever he wanted finally stopped to consider someone else’s feelings.