Letter
Letter
"Koooh..."
I pried my eyes open to the sound of steady, rhythmic breathing.
A face was buried against my chest. When I rolled my barely open eyes downward, I saw Ellia's sleeping face, soft breaths tinged with color slipping from her lips.
'She's asleep now.'
The moment we'd finished what we'd been doing and lay down together in the sleeping bag, she'd dropped off right away.
Well, it made sense.
Not even a full day had passed since the battle ended.
It had been a front-line-scale battle, so even Ellia, who'd been positioned relatively in the rear, had been healing the wounded without a moment's rest.
Especially since the fighting earlier had been so fierce that monsters had breached the barrier, the rear personnel must have had to come forward and assist.
Even in the middle of all that chaos, she'd kept a close eye on me, Yeon-hwa, and Baek A-rin—who had faced the Giant head-on—and managed every single injury we'd taken, no matter how minor.
After the battle, she'd healed the wounded all over again, and then, during a brief lull, she'd come into the tent with me right after I got back from getting chewed out.
On top of that, we'd done some things in the tent that were... physically strenuous, so it would've been stranger if she hadn't fallen asleep.
[Alright then...]
Her breathing was calm, her expression peaceful—no bad dreams, it seemed. Relieved, I wriggled free of her embrace.
"Mmm..."
Ellia's brow furrowed as her now-empty arms groped around. I rolled my blanket into a bundle and tucked it into her arms.
"...Ha-yul...?"
Her brow gradually smoothed out. Normally she would've chucked the blanket into a corner, but I'd cast a spell to help her sleep deeply just then.
Ellia's twitching eyelids slowly grew heavy.
[Sleep well.]
Smack— I pressed a brief, light kiss to her lips, and Ellia's hazy expression melted into one of pure bliss. Seeing that, I smiled faintly as I rose to my feet.
I'd tidied up the scattered mess around us a while ago. I threw on some clothes roughly and stepped outside.
'If it were up to me, I'd be dying to sleep too...'
But when I thought about how much time I had left in the Tower of Growth, sleeping felt like a waste. If it weren't for the Sacred Flame wrapped around me, I wouldn't have slept a wink.
- ...Did you cough?
When I lifted the tent flap and stepped out, Terramor, who had been standing near the entrance, bowed his head deeply. I'd known he was there, and I drew my eyes into a slight smile.
[I didn't exactly fall asleep. Anyway, you've been standing guard for me? You didn't have to...]
- It is my duty to protect your Majesty's dwelling. I volunteered myself and take pride in it, so please, do not trouble yourself.
Terramor shook his head. And yet, he didn't once direct his gaze inside the tent. I smiled faintly, stroking the Purification Flame in my hand.
[I'm grateful you'd say that. You were a tremendous help in the last battle, too.]
- You flatter me.
[It's not flattery. What you said was really true, wasn't it? Now that your strength and spirit have returned, you fought much better than when you were trapped in that place.]
Terramor had fought well even when he was trapped in the dungeon. His Earth Manipulation had been flawless, and he'd managed the alpha monster that ruled the dungeon well, too.
But the skill he'd displayed on this battlefield easily surpassed that by several orders of magnitude.
'He was just a doppelganger, but stalling a 3rd-Rank Alpha is no easy feat at all.'
Terramor hadn't dealt critical damage to the Giant.
But he'd persistently harassed it, assisted me, Yeon-hwa, and Baek A-rin, and consistently created openings for effective hits to land.
On top of that, he'd even taken my place commanding the Spirits...
[You went above and beyond what I expected, Terramor. Truly impressive.]
- Hmph, hmph... It is an honor beyond words to be so judged by you.
At my repeated praise, Terramor's shoulders rose and fell in tiny movements.
- I and the children shall guard this tent. If you have business to attend to, please go and return without worry.
- Wal!
It wasn't just Terramor near my tent.
I nodded at the sight of the Spirits playing around the tent, nipping at each other and tumbling about.
'As expected of a Tower, their growth is fast. Some of the really quick ones already seem to be showing signs of Ascension...'
Mid-level Spirits. The next step was Upper Spirits.
I'd just felt the combat performance of an Upper Spirit like Terramor firsthand. Having watched him in action, I let the anticipation show in my smile.
Of course, Terramor was a particularly high-grade specimen even among Upper Spirits, but once a large number of Spirits at the Upper level were created, they'd undoubtedly become a massive asset.
'And now I've even got Taesan.'
The Necromancy that went with Taesan.
Now that I'd firmly made Taesan my own, its output had increased, and Expansion Abilities were possible, too. If I could handle Expansion Abilities in the necromancy field as well, my large-scale warfare capability would leap forward by bounds.
'When the invasion begins, the Tower Masters' army corps will pour in... I'll need a strong army corps of my own, especially to crush the Tower Master of the Dead.'
Either way, good news was good.
[Then, may I leave it to you?]
- Yes, leave it to me.
- Wal, wal!
[Thank you. For being such an enormous help...]
I stroked the Earth Spirit that was rubbing itself against my leg and channeled a bit of mana into it.
- Heok! Heok-heok!
The Spirit that had gulped down the pure white mana writhed in ecstasy.
- Kki-ing, heok! Heok!
[Ah-ah, no shoving now... I'll give some to all of you, so wait patiently.]
At that display, the Spirits that had been hovering nearby came scampering over. I caressed each Spirit one by one, feeding them mana.
[Terramor?]
- Yes, yes...
The gathered Spirits took their mana and returned to their places. All that remained was Terramor, who had flinched in surprise and was now stiffening his body.
- Ah... well... that is...
A somewhat odd reaction. I asked him with a note of concern.
[You... had a strange reaction when you took my mana last time. Is my mana perhaps uncomfortable for you, or something like that?]
- No! It is by no means so.
Terramor shook his head hastily.
- To think that I would find your Majesty's mana repulsive... I am no such ungrateful wretch. On the contrary, your Majesty's mana... was of great help to me.
Even as he said that, Terramor was glancing at his own body. A female-form body. Its color was a bright brown, composed of the earth attribute.
It had been hazier and duller inside the dungeon, but after he'd broken his contract with the dungeon and I'd injected my mana into him, his color had brightened.
It was thanks to his attribute power's purity dramatically increasing as it absorbed my mana.
[Well, that's a relief... Here.]
Relieved, I extended my hand as if offering a handshake. He'd done great work in the battle just now and burned through a massive amount of mana, so I meant to give him mana directly.
- Your gr-grace... I am overwhelmed.
As Terramor, his eyes fluttering rapidly, carefully took my hand, the pure white mana slipped gently into him through my palm.
- Huh, hahk...
* * *
- Swish... swish...
Sierra was wiping her sword blade with a cloth in silence.
A blood-red blade. An artifact that served as the cutting edge, steeped deep in blood. It was the armament Sierra had favored until it was destroyed.
Being an artifact, this kind of maintenance wasn't strictly necessary, but she was wiping the blade to steady her uneasy heart.
Her hand stilled as a presence approached.
"Lord Lee Ha-yul."
A shadow stretched across the ground. In the darkened night, Sierra raised her head toward the shadow cast by the crackling bonfire.
She saw Lee Ha-yul.
The pure-white hair and skin. The eyes gently closed. The weight of exchanging glances with that otherworldly, matchless beauty was almost oppressive.
"You came out already? You must be worn out, yet you do not sleep..."
[......]
"...Lord Lee Ha-yul?"
Lee Ha-yul did not answer.
He merely puffed out his cheeks a little, wordlessly. Sierra, who had been blinking in confusion, suddenly let out a small sigh of admiration.
"Are you sulking because of what happened earlier?"
[Betrayer?]
The first reply came back blunt. It certainly seemed he was sulking. A bitter smile crossed Sierra's face.
[You said you'd keep it a secret...]
"I kept quiet about the human experimentation you conducted in the tent. What I told them was that you had deliberately allowed monsters to attack you for the sake of your growth."
[Liar. You said you'd understand if it was for my growth.]
"Seeing it right in front of me changed my mind. Rather than hide it, I thought it would be better to let people know."
Lee Ha-yul was pushing himself too hard.
He was a second-year cadet at Siyoram now. He still had more than three years left of academy life, and he would have time to grow even after that.
Yet Lee Ha-yul drove himself as if an invasion were starting tomorrow.
That was never good from a long-term perspective.
I had confirmed Lee Ha-yul's potential with my own eyes. If it was Lee Ha-yul, he would surely prevail.
[Pfft.]
Lee Ha-yul's face turned sulky.
Sure, it wasn't a vow that absolutely had to be kept, but for her to rat me out the moment we met...
'I guess I should count myself lucky that she kept quiet about the tent.'
The experiment I'd conducted in the tent. Sierra had only seen the one at the very end, but if that got out to the people around me... especially if Hong Yeon-hwa found out?
'Ugh...'
I didn't even want to imagine a future like that. Lee Ha-yul, who had given a shudder, settled down beside her. Sierra went on wiping her sword clean.
[You put that magic tool back on.]
"...There's no reason not to wear it."
Her hand slipped a little.
I didn't feel her gaze on me, but I knew what this was about. Sierra cleared her throat with a little cough and adjusted her upper garment for no good reason.
[The spell formula was damaged... you had a spare.]
"That's right. It's difficult to use one indefinitely unless it's a true artifact, so I received plenty of spares."
[From Lady Ariel?]
"Yes."
Curiosity surfaced on Lee Ha-yul's face at the name Ariel. At that reaction, Sierra shrugged her shoulders.
"I've known Ariel since this era. I wouldn't call us... close, but we recognized each other's skills and sought each other's help. It was a professional relationship."
[I see...]
"Our first meeting was a request that came to Ariel. She was looking for a superhuman to act as the vanguard while conquering a certain dungeon. Ah, this may sound unfamiliar now, but in this era the Association didn't exist yet, so hiring mercenaries was common practice."
Ariel Segnis Ternovsia.
My first meeting with her was vivid, no matter which set of memories I drew on.
"We messed it up spectacularly. Putting the conquest aside, the best we could do was barely escape with our lives, fleeing for dear life."
Sierra let out a chuckle.
They were memories that had me teetering on the edge of death—hardly the sort of thing to laugh and chatter about. But looking back on them now from a future already past, they came to me like beautified recollections.
"We argued once we got outside, too. Your magic is useless, no, your sword work is useless, you got in the way, and so on..."
[An argument?]
Lee Ha-yul, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head.
All that remained in Lee Ha-yul's mind were good memories of Ariel.
An intellectual person who, even when I didn't know something, taught me gently and precisely without a single word of reproach.
A kind person who, when I couldn't sleep and was in a pitiful state, held me in her arms and lulled me to sleep.
A person who, even when she thought she'd done her best and felt she'd been wronged in many ways, projected unconditional guilt onto herself when she considered my situation...
"That magic-slinging... no, that magic-obsessed woman, you mean her?"
Sierra's face turned bemused.
Because Lee Ha-yul's impression of her was rather... no, blatantly strange.
I thought back to the words I'd heard when we lost badly on our first commission and I quarreled with her.
- Do you have any idea how many times that sword-clumsy of yours disrupted my magic? How does a blade, sharp as it is, manage to gouge only at my spells and pick a fight...
- I thought you were an assassin, crawling in on a mercenary's pittance and pulling cheap tricks. Ah, but aren't mercenaries and assassins both professions that get paid to slit a person's throat? Perhaps you should put down that longsword that doesn't even suit you and try poking around with a dagger from behind?
Words that maintained an air of great refinement even as she shot daggers hidden on her tongue.
Ariel, who described Gracia... the Tower Master of Harmonization, as a calamity's mouthpiece, was as much of a walking arsenal of invective herself...
Of course, Sierra had dished out plenty of talk herself, but it had never been as harsh as theirs.
"...Hah."
Sierra, who had been tracing her past, let out a hollow laugh.
Beautified memories of the past. That thought struck her as rather amusing.
Come to think of it, didn't the present still belong to the past?
Having reached that thought, Sierra glanced around her.
A few people could be seen relaxing freely or enjoying food and drink.
Because that Giant... the command entity, was dead, and many of the monsters that had swarmed in had died, too. That was what had created this respite on the Frontline.
"......"
These people were not originally supposed to survive this point in time. The Frontline was supposed to be trampled by the Giant shrouded in pitch black, leaving only a tiny handful alive.
It didn't turn out that way.
Thanks to the Siyoram cadets, to Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin, to Lee Ha-yul's intervention, they had survived.
People who were eating delicious food, drinking, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders, laughing heartily, and bragging loudly about what they would do once they got outside.
And soon, they would disappear.
"It's all right."
It couldn't be helped. In case the Tower of Knowledge might not be able to operate, Sierra had to set up an insurance.
But the Tower of Space had no margin to spare, so she had simply been forced to use an expedient.
She had closed her mouth for only a moment, yet Lee Ha-yul, sensing the faint emotion that had leaked out, looked around uncertainly, at a loss.
Sierra let out a soft laugh and brought the bottle she had placed at her side to her lips.
[...That's not alcohol.]
"I'm not fond of alcohol. The kind that trickles its way here isn't good alcohol to begin with, and besides, my first impression of it was so grimly stamped on me."
Sierra savored the sweetness lingering on her lips and shrugged. It wasn't alcohol, but a dazed feeling seeped through her mind as if she were tipsy.
"I truly am fine, so please don't make that face.... Or would you like me to hold you in my arms and soothe you?"
[...Pfft.]
"Oh my, I heard you let Ariel hold you without hesitation. Do you dislike my embrace? The size shouldn't be all that different."
Lee Ha-yul's cheeks puffed up at the playful teasing.
At his reaction, a rare smile touched her lips, and a bitter feeling rose up as well.
We really did something horrible to such a good and pure child.
If only Sierra had been stronger. Then neither Lee Ha-yul nor those who would be sacrificed would have had to suffer.
"...Was I of any help to you, Savior?"
[I received far too much from you.]
"It seems I don't quite deserve that evaluation."
Sierra chuckled at the unhesitating, immediate answer and shook her head.
At this point, Lee Ha-yul had grown far beyond what the Tower Masters had projected. Contrary to the plan, there was very little left that Sierra could teach him.
"Later."
Sierra spoke as she set down the sword she had finished cleaning. Because it was a cherished weapon of memories she would soon send away, she wanted to linger over its feel.
"If you ever have the chance, please visit the Tower of Space. I believe you know where it is. It's quite famous, thanks to the Association."
[Yes, I know...]
"I'm glad you do. Well, considering the constraints we are under, it will take some time before I can meet you in person..."
[...Yes.]
"Thank you."
Lee Ha-yul nodded.
Observation Authority. Thanks to this authority that I kept spread out in most circumstances, I often came to know things I hadn't intended to.
Sometimes, the emotions of other people, as well.
"......"
In the dark night, as he observed Sierra basking forlornly in the light of a campfire rather than a heating-type magic tool, Lee Ha-yul gestured subtly.
- Swish!
"This is..."
A sudden sound. Sierra, who had been gazing at the sword resting on her lap, lifted her eyes and stared wide-eyed.
A book could be seen unfurling in the air. It wasn't a physical object. Nor was it a sensation like mana.
It was a more fundamental concept.
[Please, hold onto this for a while.]
It was the Authority of Knowledge.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Sierra Skariar
●●●●●●○○○○(59▷61/100)
｢Tower Master of Space｣ ｢Swordsman｣ ｢Voluptuous｣ ｢Sensible Person｣ ｢Strict Person｣ ｢Betrayer?｣