83
Chapter 83
"By any chance... where should I go?"
I was certain it was far away, but I couldn't get a grasp on the exact location at all.
I should ask as much as possible while I have his sympathy.
Marley fixed his gaze in the distance for a moment before casually tossing out a reply.
"Above the Sea of Pantirhab. It should be in the Land of Barbarians up there."
"......Where exactly is that?"
When I asked carefully, Marley let out a short sigh.
"Hah... seriously, is there something wrong with your brain?"
"...."
"Whatever. If you go straight north from here, you'll hit the Sea of Pantirhab. It's a vast, freezing sea that no sane person would visit. But the real problem comes after that."
"You mean that place called the Land of Barbarians?"
"Yeah. It has no official name, and no one treats it with respect. Everyone just calls it the 'Land of Barbarians'. Not that they're wrong, either."
Marley closed his mouth for a moment before continuing his explanation in a low tone.
"You have to leave the northern edge of the Ruendel Kingdom here. It's an island that supposedly appears when you cross that sea and head north. Officially, it's an 'Exploration Forbidden Zone'. It isn't even properly marked on the Map. You need a Permit to head out there, but most of the fools who took one and left never came back."
"......Did they go missing?"
"Yeah. Plenty of them set sail only to vanish without a trace, and there are rumors that the ones who barely made it back were no longer in any condition to be called human."
He tapped his wrinkled fingers against his Staff and added on.
"Besides, the Sea of Pantirhab itself is infamous for its narrow and twisted waterways. Just getting in is a chore, but even if you do, what comes next is far shittier."
The tap, tap sound of the tip of the Staff striking the dirt floor could be heard again.
"Since it's that kind of place, it's perfect for hiding. Those who can't step foot in the Kingdom and have been cast out by Noble society end up there. And the Vaikens had it even worse."
"Why? Did they make some huge mistake...?"
"The previous Vaiken screwed things up in a very spectacular way, so they haven't been allowed in official events since, and they've been completely erased from the records. It's basically like digging their own grave."
...Just what in the world did they do to make their descendants get treated so poorly all together?
I had obtained a single clue, but the place I had to go to follow that clue was far too treacherous.
Looks like there's no way I can go there right now.
It would be best to make my move after I get a little stronger.
Anyway, shouldn't my business here be done by now?
The Magic he cast had finished, and whatever I was expecting, the only conclusion left was that my body was flawed.
There was no way anyone would intentionally want such a defective body. I wondered if there was anything left to say.
"By the way, what exactly happened at the Blue Magic Tower?"
"......The Blue Magic Tower?"
"Yeah. Didn't I tell you? You have a wall blocking your growth. There's no way the Magic Tower would have taken in someone like that. That means the problem arose after you entered."
Ah, I suppose that makes sense.
At his words, I was reminded of the dream I had before.
Time had passed and my memories had faded, but the final scene from that day was still vivid.
Something I shouldn't have done, and a black entity with nothing left but its shape.
And....
"By any chance... do you know anything about a Pattern of a human eye and a cogwheel intertwined within an inverted triangle?"
Marley's fingertips froze.
"What?"
And then he gave a short, simple reply.
"I don't know."
That was the first time he ever said he didn't know something.
Along with a strange sense of relief that there were things even he didn't know, a chilling sensation seeped into my bones.
That Pattern was the last thing I saw.
At the very end of that bizarre dream.
At first glance, it was such a strange shape that it brought to mind the symbol of a Secret Society, and that complex and unfamiliar image was still clearly etched into my mind.
"Why? Does that have something to do with you getting kicked out of the Magic Tower?"
"Well... probably."
At my vague answer, he furrowed his brow.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
What was I supposed to do when I genuinely didn't know?
I wanted to make something up, but I needed to know something first to do that.
Besides, the person in front of me was a real Magician.
She wasn't someone I could easily fool with vague excuses.
"......Looks like some sort of Seal was placed on you."
"A Seal?"
"Yeah. A Seal."
She looked me up and down before twitching the corners of her mouth to add another remark.
"Even if you're an idiot, you're really... It feels like I'm looking at someone who hasn't lived in this world."
At those words, my heart instantly sank.
"......Perhaps Croy, that scheming Old Geezer, played some trick on you when he kicked you out."
"...."
Thanks to her interpreting and accepting the situation on her own, I didn't need to explain myself.
It was convenient, but... that actually made it feel even more terrifying.
Seeing as my head throbbed whenever that memory surfaced, maybe something really had been done to me.
Although, since I had become a 'different person' now, perhaps the Seal wasn't functioning properly anymore.
"......Do you know much about the Magic Tower?"
I threw the question out casually, but she wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Just a moment ago, she brought up the name 'Croy'.
Even in my hazy memories, Croy was the only person I had called my 'Master'.
If so, he was likely a high-ranking official in the Magic Tower, and knowing someone like that meant this woman also had a deep understanding of the Magic Tower.
Marley answered with a smirk, not quite laughing.
"Wouldn't you know better than me?"
"No, you just seemed to know a lot about it."
"......The Magic Tower, huh."
She fixed her gaze in the distance for a moment.
Like someone tracing back a distant memory.
"It's already been... over ten years since I last went."
With her eyes lingering somewhere in the empty air,
a low voice mixed with a small chuckle flowed out.
"Back then, there were a lot of hopeless kids like you."
"Hah..."
An awkward laugh leaked out of me.
Somehow, calling me 'hopeless' felt like an incredibly accurate read on my current state.
"Hmm."
She chose her words carefully for a moment before adding on.
"Actually, I can't say I know it well. I rarely ever had a reason to visit the Magic Tower. However—"
She tilted her head slightly and spoke.
"I just know the Owner of that Magic Tower. Though not in a good way."
To sum it up, she didn't know much about the place, just that she was on bad terms with the Innkeeper.
I wanted to ask what kind of relationship they had, but there was no reason to needlessly poke a hornet's nest.
She obviously didn't look like she wanted to talk about it.
"Then... do you only know about the Blue Magic Tower?"
"No, I'm acquainted with those Warmonger bastards too."
"Warmonger?"
"The Yellow ones. Is there anyone else but them?"
The Yellow Magic Tower is a Warmonger?
From the information I knew, there were Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, and Gray.
I heard these five made up the Five Great Magic Towers.
If Blue was water, then was Red fire, and Green wind? Or maybe nature? Poison? I wasn't too sure about Gray.
And Yellow... judging by the name alone, it was highly likely to be earth-attribute Magic.
But the earth-attribute Magicians I knew felt far removed from things like war.
Aren't those types usually portrayed as gentle in typical works of fiction?
"It was around the time those guys were expanding their war business. They even came to me. Of course, I rejected them."
In short, she received a scouting offer from the Yellow Magic Tower and turned it down.
......Why did she refuse? It seems like it would suit her perfectly.
"Anyway, why bring up the Magic Tower? Don't tell me you're planning to snoop around the other ones?"
"Huh? No, no, not at all!"
I waved both my hands and hastily denied it.
"Well, I can roughly understand how a moron like you feels after getting kicked out of the Magic Tower, but you'll seriously be ruined if you pull something like that."
"Huh? Why?"
I had no intention of doing so... but I was genuinely curious.
"What do you mean, 'why'? It's obviously because of the unwritten rules between the Magic Towers. Do you think they'd be happy if another Magic Tower just snatched up someone they kicked out?"
"If I was kicked out... shouldn't that be fine? They're actually doing them a favor by taking in a weirdo."
Shouldn't they be thankful, considering it's like disposing of garbage?
"Well, you could think of it that way, but you still have the knowledge you learned from the Magic Tower. Who would welcome you taking that and going to another Magic Tower?"
"Ah..."
Right.
They said each Magic Tower has its own unique Magic.
"Of course, in most cases they place a Seal on you when you're kicked out like you were, so there usually aren't any information leaks, but-"
Marley turned his head slightly and continued.
"An incident broke out in the past. Ever since then, it's been completely banned."
This damn world really...... Just what kind of incidents keep breaking out so often?
The real world is also full of accidents and incidents, so I suppose it might not be all that different when you think about it.
"Could I ask what kind of incident it was?"
Marley answered with an unimpressed expression.
"It's really nothing much. Just some guy learning at the Red Magic Tower who committed a taboo and got kicked out. But then he went to the Black Magic Tower, studied hard again, and later attacked the Red Magic Tower."
......And that's 'nothing much'?
More importantly, the Black Magic Tower.
I had definitely heard that name before.
I remember now.
The Black Magic Tower incident, Demon Worshippers, Taboo Magic.
Those kinds of words were tied to it.
"Are you sure that's not a big deal? Did it just end with an attack?"
"No. Around thirty Magicians from the Red Magic Tower died then, and even the Magic Tower Master was taken out and replaced."
I was left speechless.
She said it was nothing much, but wasn't something of that scale... basically a civil war?
"Ah. Good timing."
As if she suddenly remembered something, she swung her Staff and turned around.
"I should have you run an errand."
"......Huh?"
"I have something I need to deliver to those Yellow bastards, but it's a hassle for me to go."
She motioned toward the Cabin with the tip of her Staff.
Along with a heavy Clank from somewhere, the door swung open on its own.
"The earth-colored Box inside the Warehouse. Take that and hand it over to a guy named Bardo near the Western Transport Hub."
"Wait a minute. Didn't you say the Yellow Magic Tower was full of Warmongers?"
"Yeah. They're Warmongers all right."
Marley shrugged his shoulders lightly.
As if it was no big deal, truly.
"But they keep their promises. They were the ones who contacted me first. You just need to hand over what needs to be handed over. All you have to do is show your face, say the word, and you're done."
"......Really?"
"Well, you might die on the way. But the chances are low."
"......."
For some reason, I was getting more and more anxious.
"By any chance... could you also tell me what kind of Box it is?"
"Why, are you planning to intercept it halfway?"
"No... I need to know what it is so I can be careful with it."
Marley narrowed his hook-like eyes and glared at me.
And then, he tossed out a single remark.
"It's nothing much. It's just some Ore."
"......Ore?"
"Well, it's nothing amazing. Just some Ore that only appears in specific regions. I gathered them while wandering around before I settled down here."
That seemed to be the truth.
Because that small Box was heavy as hell.
I groaned as I pulled the Box out and set it down on the floor.
"But... are you sure it's okay to leave this kind of task to me?"
"Why not. Didn't you say you were curious about the Magic Tower too? You wouldn't even be able to set foot in there without an opportunity like this, right?"
......Damn it.
Now that I thought about it, he wasn't wrong.
I couldn't even enter the Blue Magic Tower, and I had absolutely no chance with the other Magic Towers, so this was an opportunity to at least cross the threshold once.
"By any chance, could you tell me the location of the Magic Tower..."
"Here."
He pulled out a rolled-up, old piece of Paper from inside his Robe and casually tossed it.
I reflexively caught it and unfolded it.
When I opened it, there was an intricately drawn Map, which was quite a rare sight in this world.
...If he's going this far for me, there's no reason I can't go.
His tone of voice made him easy to misunderstand, but I was definitely on the receiving end of his help anyway.
Since I didn't have any wealth to repay him with right now, I'd have to pay him back like this.
I tucked the Map into my belt and bowed my head.
"I'll be going, then. Thank you for your help."
"Tsk, I told you I wasn't helping you."
He was thoroughly consistent right up to the end.
Just as I was about to leave the Cabin.
Marley casually threw out a remark.
"Oh, right. It seems you brats have a tail following you around?"
"...A tail?"
Instead of answering, he took out something that looked like a shriveled human finger from his Robe.
"A few guys have been prowling around the Village for the past few days, so I caught one or two and had a 'chat' with them. Turns out they came to catch that Wench you're dragging around with you."
"...Ah."
Could it be the guys chasing after Eileen?
I knew they would come eventually, but I never expected them to follow us all the way here.
I thought about it for a moment, then gulped.
"By any chance... could you do me a favor?"
"A favor? How amusing. Let's hear it."
I spoke quietly.
"Could you... look after Eileen just until my errand is finished?"
It was the choice to leave Eileen behind.
It was too burdensome to bring her along on such a long journey, and the existence of Pursuers had just been confirmed.
Marley took care of them this time, but I might have to face them myself next time.
In a land where you don't know what might happen, having to take responsibility for someone else's life... honestly, I wasn't confident.
If that's the case, it would be better to leave her in a safe place like this.
Aside from that, I should go and have a talk with Baldic.
It would be a relief if he followed me, but even if he doesn't, he'll probably work as a Mercenary around here.
That would be helpful in its own way.
There was no need to even mention Silon.
Because when it came to long-distance travel, this guy was a Coachman, Porter, and Worker all rolled into one.
He's better than an average Mule.
He would hate it himself, but he has his own karma to pay off anyway.
"Hmm...."
He pondered while tapping the floor with the tip of his Staff, and finally opened his mouth after a long silence.
"......Bring her here."
"Pardon?"
"I said, bring her here. I'll make my judgment after seeing her for myself."
The result was neither a rejection nor an acceptance, but a postponement.
I didn't know what he was going to look at to make a judgment, but it was better than being turned away at the door right now.
"Heave-ho... I'll come back tomorrow, then."
"......Whatever, just get out of here already."
Leaving behind the grumbling voice, I carried the Box and stepped beyond the boundary.