The Tower of Harmonization (3)
The Tower of Harmonization (3)
My senses returned.
As my awareness sharpened, I stirred slightly, and a calm hand stroked my back.
"You're awake?"
[Yes...]
A warm, soft sensation cradled my face. I lifted my head, drawn by the steady thumping of a heartbeat close to my ear.
I observed the smiling face of the Tower Master of Harmonization... Lady Gracia.
"You really do like being held, don't you, Savior? You were completely out."
She spoke with a playful smile. I activated the Confession Necklace.
[My memory is strange in the middle. What happened?]
I traced back through my memories.
The mental library where my observation records were neatly stacked.
Among them, I opened the book of the day's memories, which was still expanding even now.
At this very moment, both my main body's and my doppelganger's records were being properly logged.
But just before my main body fell asleep—
That memory was densely flooded with a bright light. Meaning it was unreadable.
"It's a bit hard for me to explain too..."
With an enigmatic expression, Lady Gracia patted my back and continued.
I listened intently, then tilted my head.
[I'm not sure I follow.]
"Me neither. I can't make heads or tails of the situation. But one thing's for certain..."
Lady Gracia shrugged, then pressed her finger firmly against my solar plexus.
"It won't harm you. I can stake my position on that."
[...Understood.]
I nodded obediently.
Since Lady Gracia had been earnestly helping me, it couldn't be a lie.
And from what I could tell, it wasn't harmful either.
The bright light that obscured the book. A light with a quality I had never felt before. Yet strangely, it also felt like something I had experienced somewhere.
A memory from a dream, not reality. Me, conversing with a certain fairy... the 1st Iteration. The Holy Sword that hung at his waist, the aura it faintly emitted.
'What kind of phenomenon is this...'
I had already met the Tower Master of Harmonization, and yet the questions only grew.
I shook my head and tried to pull away from Lady Gracia's embrace.
- Squeeze...
[?]
I tried to pull away.
Two arms wrapped tightly around me. When I lifted my head, which had been pressed back into soft flesh, sky-blue eyes were staring intently down at me.
[Lady Gracia?]
"That plan you've thought up, Savior. The one that's practically a suicide charge. Are you really going through with it?"
Realizing which plan she meant, I tilted my head.
[How did you know about that?]
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... I happened to overhear you discussing it in the Tower of Growth."
'Ah.'
The 8th Iteration was the first time I had revealed the plan. I nodded inwardly, and Lady Gracia pressed again.
"I really don't think that's right. It's not just a gamble; it's outright suicide. I understand your situation, Savior, but it's far too dangerous."
[It's the surest way.]
"Even if you reduce the risk, it can still succeed."
[Lady Baek A-rin's safety is the priority. Plus, this method can resolve nearly all of my issues.]
"The danger is just too extreme. What if even a single thing goes wrong along the way?"
[If I can't even handle that much, I can't handle anything at all. This was already decided when I spoke with the 8th Iteration.]
I clenched my fist as I replied.
[I can pull it off.]
If I couldn't even do this, I had no confidence in fighting and winning against a Tower Master.
Lady Gracia's lips, poised to say something, fell shut. Her brow furrowed, then she let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo. All this recklessness just to save one woman..."
When she put it like that, I didn't have much of a retort. I pouted slightly.
[By that logic, Lady Gracia, you're among the people being saved too.]
"Hm?"
[Because I'm going to defeat all the invading Tower Masters and make it so you Tower Masters can act freely!]
So you're being saved by me, obviously.
At my confident reply, Lady Gracia's lips parted slightly. Her sky-blue eyes blinked in surprise.
"...Pfft, ahaha! Well, you're right about that."
Soon, laughter spilled from her open mouth. She giggled, tears welling up as if she found it unbearably funny.
"You're right, I had no right to say that. From our position, we scarcely have the decency to obstruct the Savior's actions in the first place."
[Denial]
[I don't think of it that way.]
"That's just because you're a good person, Savior. Normally, when someone forces you into a fight for whatever reason, you feel resistance."
Lady Gracia wiped the tears with her finger and looked down at me.
"Even now, I'm dead set against that plan, but I don't have a better alternative either. And you, Savior... you have no intention of changing it, do you?"
[None.]
[Immovable.]
"Yeah, I can feel it clearly."
When I replied with unwavering mental resolve, Lady Gracia smiled ruefully.
"I'm sorry for just nitpicking what you're trying to do. But since it truly is such a dangerous plan... I hoped you might seek another way if possible."
[I don't find it unpleasant.]
[I'm grateful you're worried about me, actually.]
I shook my head vigorously, and Lady Gracia, suppressing her bitter smile, let out a small laugh. Her slender hand brushed through my hair.
"Lord Savior, was this how you captured Ariel?"
[?]
"Hoo... if you keep at it like this for a whole month. I can definitely see how someone would fall for it."
After murmuring something I couldn't quite understand, Lady Gracia smiled brightly.
"I've finished adjusting the Status Window to some extent. I'm not sure if the recognition will work properly, but I've modified it to be more helpful to you, Lord Savior. It'll activate after a brief synchronization."
[Ohh.]
[Anticipation.]
Come to think of it, the reason I had been held in her embrace was to modify the Status Window. I had completely forgotten.
As I belatedly showed my anticipation, Lady Gracia shrugged and reached out into the air.
"Time to go, isn't it?"
[Ah, yes...]
A hologram appeared at Lady Gracia's fingertips. Five slender fingers tapped across it in a dazzling blur.
- Woom!
My surroundings rippled. The distortion of space gradually closed in. It was time to leave.
My expression clouded over before I could stop it.
The timing of my visit to the Tower of Harmonization was unfortunate. Since I already had a prior commitment, staying longer was difficult.
Thankfully, the necessary work was finished quickly, but...
"Don't worry about it too much. Isn't it always better to get things done swiftly and head back?"
[...Even so.]
"Euhyu, when I first saw you, you were a prickly little hedgehog on high alert, and now you've turned into a clingy puppy."
I pouted at her teasing words. At that, Lady Gracia laughed even more and pulled me into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more. I'm so incompetent that there isn't much I can do for you."
[That's not true...]
"Honestly, more than talking about helping, it's really us who should be fighting and overcoming this... ah, honestly."
My surroundings began to blur. Lady Gracia smiled ruefully, gently swept the bangs from my forehead, and lowered her head.
"A brief farewell gift. I've already connected the Authority to your Status Window, so this is all I can give you."
- Chu.
Her lips touched my forehead. Woom! A mysterious energy flowed into my body through my forehead.
I reflexively widened my eyes. Lady Gracia gave a small laugh and waved her hand.
"See you next time, Lord Lee Ha-yul."
Her softly whispered words grew distant.
.
.
.
My closed ears opened. A clamor of noise flooded in.
"Lord Lee Ha-yul!"
A voice called out to me, rushing over in an instant. It was Maxwell.
"Are you all right?"
[Yes, yes... I'm fine.]
I shook my head and activated my observation.
The restricted zone surrounding the Tower of Harmonization. People had crowded in, pressing against the boundary line.
And around me stood Association staff, as if forming a protective ring.
[Ah... did it cause a big commotion?]
"Yes... it happened right in the middle of everything, after all."
Well, it made sense. In broad daylight, the Tower of Harmonization suddenly reacted, and the Association President's proxy was sucked right into the tower...
"Your perception obstruction is also lifted."
[Aha.]
No wonder the gazes on me felt different from a few hours ago. I nodded and pulled my robe back over my head.
Ignoring the strangely regretful sighs, I turned away.
[I'll be going now.]
"...You mean to the Association?"
[No. I need to depart now... Please handle the aftermath.]
"...Yes."
After a brief hesitation, Maxwell nodded.
.
.
.
Leaving the chaos of the Association Headquarters behind, I immediately manifested a Spatial Leap.
Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to wrap things up in about ten-odd minutes, so instead of Siyoram, I headed straight for the gate terminal that was my actual destination.
[I'm back!]
The others had gathered in the VIP lounge attached to the gate terminal.
When I opened the door and entered, I smiled brightly at the gazes that turned to me.
[It took a bit longer than expected, but I kept my promise to come before we actually departed!]
"...Ah-ha?"
[I said I'd keep my promise, didn't I?]
"Yeah, you did."
Yeon-hwa, who had been sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, smiled brightly. I raised the corners of my lips in return, and Yeon-hwa brought up a hologram.
The hologram showed a news article, with the words "Emergency Breaking News" stamped prominently.
[Breaking: Changes Confirmed in Tower of Space and Tower of Harmonization at Washington D.C.]
[Association President's Proxy 'Lee Ha-yul' Enters Tower of Harmonization]
[Association Councilor 'Alfred Bester' Assessing Situation. Urges Restraint from Rash Speculation...]
Sensational article headlines. I rolled my eyes, and everyone in the room smiled with theirs.
Yeon-hwa gave a small nod.
"...So you went and came back safely, without incident?"
[There was a small incident.]
I politely knelt down.
* * *
The interior of a tower is vast. And it can be cultivated as one pleases.
In this field, Neriel is the most well-versed and skilled, but Sierra, who holds the Authority of Space, can cultivate her tower to a fair degree as well.
But Sierra deliberately chose not to cultivate it.
Decorating and cultivating a living space simply wasn't to her taste.
The only modification she bothered with was creating a wide-open space where she could swing her sword.
Today was no different.
Sierra created a spacious area and stood there, gripping a sword woven from aura.
And then she swung the sword.
She didn't stick to a single method, but let her body lead. She honed her swordsmanship through repeated thought and deliberation.
...Only, today was not like other days.
Up until now, every day for Sierra had been exactly the same.
Grip the sword and swing it. Rest. Condition her body. In place of the Authority of Space she had given to the Savior, she trained her own unique ability.
"Hoo."
A monotonous daily routine. Moving until she was breathless did shorten her sense of time, but it didn't actually make time pass faster.
Sierra closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
Her chest rose with the held breath, and sweat poured from her heated body as if caught in a downpour.
A brief rest. After this, she would move her body roughly once more.
It would be a lie to say her time spent alone wasn't lonely, but for the decisive battle that would someday come, she had to sharpen and polish herself.
'No matter how much I've staked everything on the Lord Savior, simply leaving it all to him is shameless.'
There were limits even to incompetence. She had to fight alongside the Savior until the very end. For that moment, she could not afford to set down her sword.
'...I wonder if the Savior encountered the version of me that was embodied in the Tower of Growth.'
At the word 'Savior' that surfaced in her idle thoughts, her mind reached her past self who would greet the Savior in the Tower of Growth.
By now, the timing had likely already passed.
Sierra, reaffirming her resolve, let out a quiet groan.
The Sierra of the past, far more inexperienced than her current self.
Though she had been granted the memories of when she was a Tower Master... she wasn't confident that she had helped to the Savior's satisfaction.
Had she perhaps been discourteous? Might she have offended him...
"Hoo."
It was useless worry. Pointless thoughts that couldn't be resolved no matter how much she agonized, shut inside her tower.
Sierra cut off the idle thoughts with a single stroke of her sword and let out a sigh.
- Woom!
Just then, space trembled.
Sierra's eyes flew open.
Something had entered the tower's interior.
'How?'
She didn't know.
The barrier? It was intact. That foreign object had simply parted the barrier and slipped in without resistance. She didn't understand, but she couldn't just leave it be—
- Halt.
The presence of the foreign object was familiar. Sierra, who had been reaching out to block it, frowned.
'This is... the Authority of Knowledge?'
A distortion in space opened before her. From within, a pitch-black book shot out.
As expected, it was the Authority of Knowledge.
Sierra tilted her head.
'How did Ariel breach my barrier... no, how did she attempt contact despite the restrictions, and succeed at that?'
She couldn't make sense of it. The book fluttered, hovering right in front of Sierra's nose.
'The volume is considerable. I should verify the contents first.'
Having experienced the Authority of Knowledge before, she knew how to use it.
Sierra grabbed the book and injected mana into it. The book shuddered, scattering into records and mana, then was absorbed into Sierra.
"...?"
It was a record.
But the record was a bit strange. It absorbed far too easily. It was a record that fit her far too well.
As if she were absorbing her own memories...
- Sierra Skariar... offers greetings to the Savior.
A memory of greeting the strangely beautiful Savior.
- Yes, in that way... operating the wave texture independently is preferable.
A memory of teaching the Savior through awkward recollections.
- Who on earth trains by tearing at my hands?
The time she scolded the Savior for handling his own body like a wooden doll.
Killing a wretched monster she had been unable to stop in the past...
- ...Keuhm. I apologize for being so sharp-tongued. Still, even if it's a simulation, seeing you treat your body like an experiment, I couldn't help but...
Pulling the Savior's head against her absurdly large breasts in an embrace...
"Hyaak...!"
A shrill scream escaped Sierra. The sword woven from aura scattered. Heat far more intense than before rose through her body, flooding her face.
"Th-this, this...! This utter... shamelessness...!"
W-why, why had she suddenly embraced the Savior and buried his head in her breasts?
Aghast, Sierra hugged her own body. Her voluptuous chest was crushed under the pressure of her arms.
She hadn't wanted it, but it had grown even larger than it had been in the past.