Before Becoming a Saint
The Hero’s Party arrived in the northern city where Scoti Magic Tower stood.
They had run into a fair number of monsters on the way, but none had been any real match for them. As a hero, Lee Yu-seong was more than capable of handling himself with aura, so the lesser beasts had never posed much of a threat.
“Ah... a-atchoo!”
The saint sneezed. The temperature had dropped sharply, and everyone had bundled up in thick clothing. The enchanted garments supplied by the royal family allowed them a little control over the cold, but this weather was colder than anyone had expected.
“Anyway, where is the magic tower?”
Lee Yu-seong looked around. According to rumor, Scoti Magic Tower was the tallest structure in the city. With snow falling all around them, it ought to have been impossible to miss.
The Hero’s Party decided to check into a nearby inn first. One room for the two women, one for Lee Yu-seong alone. After making the arrangements, they gathered in the twin room. It was a spacious place with two beds and a clean design, noticeably better kept than most inns in other cities.
They debated whether they had seen the tower on the way, whether anything unusual had stood out, but in the end they couldn’t reach a conclusion and decided to ask the local townsfolk instead.
Knock, knock, knock.
A rap sounded at the door. When Hilde opened it, the visitor was a man in a white robe with a neat, almost polished air about him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, protectors of humanity. I’m Andrew, a fourth-rank mage of Scoti. The little master of the magic tower asked me to guide you through it.”
Thinking the trouble had been taken out of their hands, the hero’s party followed the mage.
They entered a building in the center of the city, where a long corridor stretched ahead. Doors were spaced at regular intervals along both walls. The strange part was that the place seemed much larger on the inside than it had from the outside. The corridor ran straight and long, extending almost to the horizon. As Andrew led them down it, he explained everything.
“Wow. There are so many doors. Is one of these the way to the magic tower?”
When Irene asked, Andrew, the mage from Scoti, answered kindly.
“Half right. Every single door leads to the magic tower.”
“All of them? That many?”
Lee Yu-seong let out an impressed whistle. Even with his experience of magic, he had only ever seen things like fireballs or ice being hurled around. This—magic of such a high level, connecting one space to another—was the kind of vast, advanced system that would normally take an entire tower to maintain. Yet here it was, all managed by a single magic tower.
Hilde’s heart was pounding, too. In the game she had made, this had been a device to let players meet important figures from the magic tower quickly. After all, who would want to climb up and down some absurdly tall tower every time they needed to meet a mage?
To think that something she had created just for convenience had been brought to life like this. It was astonishing. This wasn’t code anymore, but a device built from actual magical design.
Before long, Andrew stopped in front of one of the doors. When he pushed it open and went in, a portal glowing blue was shimmering inside. Countless formulas rippled across its circular shape. Andrew handed each member of the party a necklace marked with a symbol.
“If you wear this necklace and step into the portal, you’ll be taken to the little master’s reception room.”
“Thank you for the guidance.”
Hilde bowed politely. Andrew stepped aside, trying to hide his embarrassment. Everyone put on their necklaces.
“All right, then. Shall we go meet our final companion?”
The saint smiled sideways and tugged at Hilde’s arm. It seemed she was curious about what this fellow mage was like. A high-level mage could improve quality of life even before battle ever came into the picture.
With spatial storage magic, they could keep water, food, chairs, furniture, clothes—anything, really. And if things ever became desperate, they could escape danger with teleportation so long as nothing blocked the way.
Once they had a mage, getting through the first major hurdle would be practically over. The Hero’s Party threw themselves into the portal.
Every bit of space around them glittered. When the light faded, they were standing inside another room. It was their first time experiencing a portal, and they were still dazed. The saint, having apparently used one before somewhere else, didn’t seem especially impressed. Then again, at her level, most mages were already inclined to bend over backward for her, given the power she represented.
Even though they were in the north, the room was warm and maintained at a comfortable temperature. The plush sofa and tidy table were more than enough for receiving guests. It looked almost exactly like a noble’s receiving room. Most mages were nobles, so in truth that was only to be expected.
“Are we being stood up right now?”
But that was the problem. After waiting about thirty minutes, they had thought he might simply be busy. Yet once two hours had passed, the party’s patience began to fray. A vein throbbed faintly on the saint’s forehead.
“I’ll go take a look. The two of you stay here.”
His tone was polite, but the hero’s irritation was showing through just enough to make it clear he was upset. Something about this felt off.
“Sorry I’m late. I’m Ethan Patrick, acting tower master. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
When the hero opened the door to the reception room, their companion mage finally appeared. What an infuriatingly perfect timing.
For a mage, he was tall—well over 180 centimeters—and powerfully built. His dark blue hair had been neatly slicked back into a pompadour, giving him the air of someone meticulously organized in all things. Ethan, a member of the hero’s party appointed by the royal family, smiled faintly at the people who had come to see him. Hilde felt an uneasy knot tighten in her chest.
“If you’re two hours late, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”
The saint snapped at him. But Ethan didn’t look the least bit cowed.
“I’m terribly busy, you see. Haha. My apologies.”
What? “My apologies”? Hilde was speechless. Right now, high-ranking demons were showing up on the front lines, and the armies were barely holding them back. To speak as though he were the busiest person in the world made her blood boil.
“Mister Ethan. Do you understand what our mission is?”
Hilde forced herself to calm down before speaking. If he was trying to provoke them into a fight, then Ethan had succeeded rather well. Ethan smiled brightly—but his eyes remained cold.
“Of course. The last guardians of humanity. Heroes who protect the peace. I know exactly who you are.”
Hilde could already guess what he was about to say, and that made her more uneasy by the second. Ethan looked at Lee Yu-seong and the saint, Hilde, in turn, then continued.
“So I’ll make you an offer. I’ll dispatch an excellent mage in my place. He’ll be more than adequate for protecting humanity.”
The Hero’s Party, Ethan excluded, stared blankly at him. A moment later, Lee Yu-seong exploded.
“Does that even make sense? Are the royal family’s orders a joke to you? Is everything here a joke to you?”
“Please calm down. If you think about it, it’s a rational proposal. Let me explain.”
With his self-assured attitude, the three of them decided to hear him out for now. Ethan went on.
“First, although he may be somewhat less capable than I am, the substitute will be an extremely high-level mage. If that mage were to constantly alter his appearance with magic to resemble me, no one would even notice the switch. In that case, word of any defiance against the royal family’s orders wouldn’t spread. With a mage of that caliber, there will be no trouble exterminating demons. And I’ll personally support you far more generously at my own expense. Money, magical artifacts, even instant transportation between cities—I’ll provide all of it free of charge. If that still isn’t enough, I’ll send another mage as well. Do you like my proposal?”
At Ethan’s words, Lee Yu-seong and Irene both wore dazed expressions. Hilde felt something equally strange settling in her chest. Why on earth had someone like this been chosen as a companion to the Hero’s Party?
Thinking carefully over his proposals, Hilde asked, “I have a slight question. If you’re willing to support us this much, wouldn’t it be easier for you to come along yourself? Why are you so unwilling to join us directly?”
For a split second, Ethan’s brow furrowed. The atmosphere changed in an instant. It was as if a mask had slipped a little. Ethan let out a sigh.
“To be blunt, I have no interest in the Hero’s Party. It’s like having my time stolen for some meaningless errand.”
There was ice in Ethan’s voice. As his expression grew colder, he swept his gaze over the party.
“One person who can only swing a sword.”
His eyes settled on Lee Yu-seong.
“And two religious zealots who spend their time crying out to God.”
He said it while looking at the saint and Hilde. Irene’s face flushed red with humiliation as she pointed a finger at him.
“I’ll report this directly to the royal family. You’ll regret what you did today!”
“Haha? So the saint not only flatters God but also the king! Go right ahead.”
“You fucking bastard!”
Lee Yu-seong drew his sword. Ethan clicked his tongue at him.
“I didn’t graduate top of the Imperial Academy at the youngest age, then study through that enormous pile of research papers and theses, just so I could play at being a hero. It’s hard to work with illiterate people like you.”
Ethan shot Lee Yu-seong a cold, contemptuous look.
“If you swing that sword here, you’ll be inviting Scoti’s wrath. And the royal family would be no exception.”
The saint and Lee Yu-seong were livid. It was obvious they had never been treated like this before. Whether they accepted his proposal or not, this was not the right time to let emotions run wild.
“We’ll come back another day. Let’s see if we can find some common ground.”
“Hilde, let go! Just let me smash that smug face of his once!”
Hilde broke into a sweat as she barely managed to drag the raging Lee Yu-seong and the saint back toward the portal. Just before they left, Ethan sneered after them.
“As expected, beauty and character really do have a direct relationship. I’ll have to discuss this topic in my next journal article.”
With Ethan’s voice still ringing in their ears, they returned to the building in the center of the city. Lee Yu-seong was stunned by the appearance of the madman, and the saint was practically foaming at the mouth.
“If I have to travel with some bastard like that, I’ll become an atheist on the spot! I’ll quit the party first!”
“Please don’t blaspheme and calm down, Saint!”
Andrew, who had opened the door to welcome the Hero’s Party back after they came through the portal, was briefly taken aback. But then he seemed to remember the personality of the tower master’s disciple and looked utterly desolate.
He was rude to everyone.