Tower of Knowledge (4)
Tower of Knowledge (4)
"Therefore, until you graduate from Siyoram, there is no need for the Savior to venture outside into danger."
I wondered if the Tower Master of Knowledge realized just how sweet those words sounded to me.
To someone who had once lacked the will to try, who had never put in effort—
To a guy who had simply holed up in his room playing games and scrolling through video platforms—
it was an unbearably sweet thing to hear.
I bit my lip hard and shook my head.
[...Plenty of incidents are going to happen from now on, and if I don't step forward, a lot of people will die.]
"I will not call it... an unavoidable sacrifice. However, if the still-inexperienced Savior were to suffer misfortune charging headlong into danger, this world would have no future. The Association and the Observation Bureau exist precisely to prepare against that."
[I didn't come away empty-handed in the process. I awakened my Unique Ability in Sipnaha, and I acquired the Proof of Protection in China.]
"I do not deny your accomplishments, but they are feats you would have someday achieved within Siyoram as well. Regarding the artifact especially, there are several usable items not only in the Siyoram Secret Vault but also here in the Tower of Knowledge."
[And you may not know this, but I also have a problem with my lifespan. If I stay still, I might just... drop dead in an instant...]
"As the Savior likely suspects, that curse consumes your future to bind you to the present the closer your life approaches a crisis. And because it draws upon your life to summon misfortune, remaining in Siyoram—which can suppress the curse—is the most advantageous path."
My body flinched rigidly at the word "curse."
The Tower Master had grasped the matter of the curse as well.
The Curse of Short Life.
As I grew accustomed to Observation and began deploying precise internal observation, I had been learning the curse's effects on my own.
But I had never heard that every time I went outside, it shaved away my life and summoned misfortune.
Abruptly, a sense of dissonance settled over me.
They had summoned me into this world.
Not simply out of goodwill—not by accident—but with a clear purpose.
To the point of sending me a terminal, even.
And that terminal was probably...
[...Tower Master, did you not wish for me to fight? Did you not summon me for that purpose?]
Clicking softly, the necklace spat out my voice.
At the sticky emotion seeping into the sound, I clenched the hands resting on my knees.
The Tower Master's mask-like face wavered.
"...Even if the Savior hears these words as abhorrent sophistry, I have no grounds for rebuttal. Yes—we are the rulers who accepted the Tower's duty. We hope that the Savior will stop the invading Tower Masters."
The Tower Master of Knowledge lowered her head.
"But by no means do we desire an outcome in which the Savior sacrifices himself at the end. The potential you hold overwhelms three of the Tower Masters, so once you have fully matured, you will be more than capable of repelling the invasion."
The corners of her eyes drooped gently as she spoke.
The temptation grew stronger in the face of her soft attitude, as if she were coaxing and soothing a child.
That Tower Master was telling me
that there was no need to stubbornly insist—no need to deliberately go outside and brave danger.
That I could just grow safely in the Cradle and fight only once I was completely ready.
Swallowing those words would surely be sweet.
[Yes... you're right.]
[If the curse summons misfortune, then my going outside might really just be a nuisance.]
"I do not think so."
[In the China region too... if I hadn't stubbornly gone, the Twin-headed Poison Dragon might never have appeared.]
"That is a consequentialist argument. The matter of the Twin-headed Poison Dragon was aided by the Tower Master of the Dead; it was a situation that would have erupted on a large scale someday regardless, which the Savior resolved beforehand."
[...Thank you for comforting me.]
A faint smile touched my lips as I watched the Tower Master of Knowledge refute my self-reproach without a moment's hesitation.
She abruptly checked a corner of her vision, then nodded toward me.
She was a rigid person whose emotions were difficult to read, but somehow, her comforting words felt remarkably sincere.
[Truthfully, I regretted not going to Sipnaha. That I had come outside for nothing, that I had only suffered without gaining anything, that I ended up caught in a dungeon rampage, that I nearly died because I stubbornly insisted...]
I had regretted it in the China region too.
That I had pointlessly stepped up and caused the Twin-headed Poison Dragon to rampage and people to be sacrificed—that I had only gotten myself hurt.
That a guy like me, in the end, didn't know how to do anything right.
How many times had I regretted it in Sipnaha, in that hospital room?
Even while handling the handwritten letters sent by the people I had saved, the place where my arm had been could not have felt colder.
I don't want to regret it.
Even though I had stepped forward clinging to that thought.
Even though I knew it was a bad thought, I had regretted it over and over and over again—that I should not have stubbornly insisted, that I should not have deliberately gone.
But...
[At that time, there was Ellia's younger sibling. A child who comforted me. If I hadn't gone there, if I had just run away... Ellia's little sibling would have died, too.]
"...Yes."
[Of course, unlike me, Ellia is a truly strong person, so she would have resolutely brushed herself off and stood back up... but she wouldn't have been able to do anything about the wound left in a corner of her heart. So, at that time, I didn't regret it.]
I'm glad I went there.
I was truly relieved that I didn't run away.
That I was glad I had stubbornly insisted, that I had deliberately gone...
[If I had realized it only belatedly—after witnessing Ellia grieving over losing her sibling—if I had regretted that I could have saved them if I hadn't run away... I would have hated myself so much I would have wanted to hang myself.]
I did not regret it.
I was glad that Ellia did not lose her family.
Back then, the emptiness where my left arm had been didn't feel cold.
I want it to be like that from now on, too.
[These thoughts may sound to you, Tower Master, like nothing more than a brat's stubbornness... but it's not impossible, and I don't want to run away from something that's perfectly possible. So that I won't regret it later, I want to try as much as I'm able.]
Silence settled after those words ended.
In the stillness where not even the ordinary sound of the wind could be heard,
I had spoken somewhat fluently in my own way, but I began to wonder—had I just said something incredibly thoughtless?
'...Was that too stupid a thing to say?'
To put it bluntly, hadn't I just babbled that I wanted to charge out because I disliked the Cradle they had poured their heart and soul into building?
To them—deliberating the fate of the world—it might have been infuriating.
Realizing my blunder belatedly, I carefully gauged her reaction.
"......"
The Tower Master of Knowledge stared at me fixedly.
Her emotions had noticeably fluctuated earlier, but now her serene, pure-white eyes blinked calmly again.
I swallowed hard at that gaze, and the Tower Master of Knowledge closed her eyes gently.
And then.
"...Yes, I will comply."
[Huh?]
She bowed her head to me.
I had not expected her to agree so immediately to words like those.
Feeling dazed, I fiddled with the necklace.
[...I thought it wasn't an efficient thought myself...]
To be honest, I still didn't have a concrete plan.
I was just as much at a loss about what to do regarding the Reverse Side incident that would happen around next year.
"In the end, we are merely in a position to impose burdens upon you while hoping for the Savior's aid. At this point, when we cannot resolve things ourselves, we would never dare commit the ungrateful act of forcing demands upon the Savior."
The Tower Master of Knowledge shook her head firmly.
"What I just said was only for persuasion. If the Savior's opinion is resolute, I will speak no further of persuading you. Instead..."
- Snap
The Tower Master of Knowledge abruptly snapped her fingers.
At that, from among the countless bookshelves spread overhead, several books floated gently down and descended.
"Though I may not force you, it is our duty to support you from behind. I will aid the Savior's growth so that you may return safely from anywhere."
Thump, thump— Her slender fingers tapped several books stacked on the shelves.
"My specialty is magic. Unlike that half-baked mage Neriel, whose specialty was Word Command and got silenced, or Harmonization, who is a mid-high-grade flame-type support specialist, or Space and Observation, who are entangled in powerful constraints—unlike them, I can pass on to you magic that will be sufficiently helpful."
From the moment the word magic was mentioned,
I could read a considerably distinct emotion—confidence—on the Tower Master of Knowledge's face.
"Even after secluding myself within the Tower, I have steadily worked toward mastery of magic. I shall wholeheartedly impart the knowledge I have accumulated over this lifetime to the Savior."
She puffed out her ample chest, letting her confidence show.
'...Ah, she really loves magic.'
From her demeanor, I felt she took considerable pride in magic, and I figured she had good reason to.
She was none other than the first mage who founded the Magic Council.
If the achievements accumulated by the founder of the Magic Council were, in truth, the achievements of the Tower Master of Knowledge, that pride was perfectly understandable.
[...Thank you for hearing out my stubbornness.]
"How could I possibly disparage the Savior's will as stubbornness? As one who wishes to be saved by that goodwill, I will do my utmost. As for the stories I could not yet finish... since they are so numerous, I will tell them to you as we learn magic."
[Still, thank you. I mean it.]
It wasn't just words—I felt truly grateful.
Honestly, it wasn't that I had no sticky, sulky feelings, but all the same, I knew that in their own way, they had tried to look out for me.
More than anything, I felt supported.
The huge incidents and disasters ahead—
the pressure of having to stop them somehow had felt like it would crush me, but realizing that the Tower Masters were helping me greatly eased that burden.
[Thank you.]
At that, a smile naturally appeared on my face.
It felt like the stiffly frozen expression I'd worn since coming to the Floating Island was melting.
"...Hmm, I have only offered the Savior meager hospitality, unworthy of receiving thanks."
The Tower Master of Knowledge let out a small, throat-clearing cough, then extended a hand layered with purification magic toward me.
I gently took her carefully offered hand.
[Tower Master... what should I call you?]
"...Ah."
At my question, the Tower Master of Knowledge let out a soft exclamation.
Her manner suggested she had not expected this question.
"...It does not matter what you call me... but if it is acceptable, please call me Ariel."
The Tower Master of Knowledge, who had been blinking vacantly, quietly parted her lips.
At her somewhat unfamiliar attitude, I tilted my head and fiddled with the necklace.
[Alright, I will be in your care for a while, Ariel.]
[Please call me Lee Ha-yul, too.]
[The word Savior is a bit embarrassing and shy-making.]
"Yes, Lee Ha-yul."
The Tower Master of Knowledge... Ariel nodded.
In response, I nodded firmly too, telling myself that this was the real beginning.
...
[Ah, right.]
[Was it intentional that I was placed under curses when I came to this world?]
- Flinch
At the topic I casually broached, Ariel's shoulders trembled hard.
It was only a fleeting glimpse, but this reaction—so unlike her—made my expression turn strange.
"That... I... had anticipated it."
[......]
"J-just a moment, will you permit me to offer an excuse?"
[Yes, I'll listen carefully.]
My voice hardened for some reason.
Her body, which had been radiating confidence, stiffened in an instant, too.
For a while, the Tower Master of Knowledge's excuses... no, explanations... continued.
Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Ariel Segnis Ternovsia
●●●●●○○○○○(33▷51/100)
｢Tower Master of Knowledge｣ ｢Head of the Magic Council｣ ｢Complicated｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Suspicion｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Normal Person?｣
...
Lee Ha-yul → Tower Master of Growth (?)
●●●○○○○○○○(30/100)
｢Complicated｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Frustration｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Feeling Slighted｣
▽Change▽
｢Faint Feeling of Betrayal?｣ ｢Frustration｣ ｢Complicated｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Suspicion｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Feeling Slighted｣ ｢Distrust｣ ｢Half-Baked Mage?｣
...
Lee Ha-yul → Tower Master of Harmonization (?)
●●●○○○○○○○(30/100)
｢Mid-High Grade｣ ｢Complicated｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Frustration｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Feeling Slighted｣
▽Change▽
｢Mid-High Grade｣ ｢Support Role｣ ｢Complicated｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Frustration｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Feeling Slighted｣
...
[The Tower Master of Growth opens her mouth.]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization grits her teeth.]