Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Gray Mage Tower Lord
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Gray Mage Tower Lord.
Leyzon didn't know much about him.
'The previous Gray Mage Tower Lord, I knew a fair bit about.'
The position of Gray Mage Tower Lord had changed hands once in the last century.
Unlike Leyzon, who was a half dark elf, the previous lord had been human, so of course his lifespan had run out.
That meant Leyzon didn't know the new Gray Mage Tower Lord well.
But Leyzon had known the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
It sounded contradictory, but...
'I might not know him, but the real Leyzon did.'
The real Leyzon had been close enough to receive a mask from the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
So Leyzon pondered.
How should he treat the Gray Mage Tower Lord?
As he mulled it over...
[Here it is.]
They had already arrived in front of a rundown house.
This place was a short distance from the bustling district of Geda Village.
It was a street lined with many residential areas.
They said to hide a tree, hide it in the forest.
Leyzon hadn't expected the Gray Mage Tower Lord to be out in the open like this.
[It's enchanted with a perception-lowering spell. Without it, this place would've been even harder to find.]
The Gray Mage Tower Lord had been locatable thanks to Syria.
Her vision differed from ordinary sight.
As a result, Syria had pierced right through the Gray Mage Tower Lord's magic.
[But there's something odd.]
"Something odd?"
[If he really wanted to hide, he should've done it properly.
He set it up so necromancers could notice it.]
A spell that those of the same class could detect.
Leyzon's brow furrowed slightly at her words.
"Could it be a trap?"
[Can't rule it out entirely. But it's too blatant for a trap.]
"So the Gray Mage Tower Lord is looking for necromancers."
Leyzon tapped the arm folded across his chest.
Alright. Decision made.
"Syria, can you use shadows to change my appearance?"
[Gasp, yes!]
He had no idea what was so exciting about it.
But it seemed she could do it.
"Then change my look a bit. Race included."
He felt a faint unease about the Gray Mage Tower Lord's intentions.
So Leyzon decided to play it cautious.
[Leyzon, ready!]
In the meantime, Syria had opened a shadow for him.
Leyzon slipped right in.
"I'll have it done in a flash!"
Syria's voice rang out, and the shadow began to cling to his body.
This sticky sensation was something he could never get used to.
But Leyzon's appearance gradually shifted.
"All done!"
With Syria's announcement, a mirror appeared before him.
Reflected in it was some elderly gentleman.
White hair neatly combed back under a bowler hat, and a fine suit.
Even as an old man, his gray eyes gleamed with vigor.
His skin was dark-toned, but not a dark elf.
So Leyzon stared at his new form and asked.
"Syria, what did you base this on?"
[I imagined what you'd look like as a human!]
Ah, so that's why an old man.
Leyzon roughly understood why he'd become an elderly gentleman.
'No discomfort in moving around.'
This would do.
Muddling his race and age couldn't hurt.
As Syria lifted the shadow, Leyzon pulled out a staff.
Like the gentleman he now was, he planted the Staff of Abundance on the ground.
This was a quiet corner with few people around.
He pulled his bowler hat low; no one would notice his gray eyes.
So Leyzon promptly knocked on the door of the rundown house.
He sensed movement from inside.
Leyzon waited a moment, and soon a voice responded.
"Who is it?"
An elderly man's voice came soon after.
'The Gray Mage Tower Lord himself?'
Too soon to tell.
To confirm for himself, Leyzon spoke up.
"I heard a man with gray eyes like mine entered this place."
Since he was in disguise, he'd adjusted his speech to match his age.
Rustling sounds came from inside.
"I haven't the foggiest what nonsense you're spouting."
"Come now, how long do you plan to play dumb? You've advertised far and wide for necromancers to come find you."
"......"
The man fell silent at Leyzon's words.
"Or do you need some proof?"
"No need for that."
Just as Leyzon thought to prepare a spell, the door swung open.
"I can tell at a glance you're a master of shadow magic."
A bald old man appeared in the doorway.
His chin beard more than made up for the lack of hair on his head.
His gray eyes met Leyzon's.
Proof he was a necromancer.
The aura emanating from him naturally pressed in on Leyzon.
It matched exactly the description of the Gray Mage Tower Lord that Leyzon remembered.
This was him. The Gray Mage Tower Lord.
"You look like you've come a long way. Come in."
He said that and half-opened the door, walking inside.
Leyzon followed him in.
Clunk―
As the door shut, something clicked into place from its direction.
A trap? No, it wasn't.
Instead, a certain magic activated.
'This is...'
Before long, Leyzon's eyes beheld a luxurious room.
Utterly different from the exterior.
'Space distortion?'
As Leyzon glanced around, the Gray Mage Tower Lord looked his way.
"Not space distortion."
Was he reading minds?
Perhaps because he was a former tower lord, he saw right through people.
"It's an undead I shaped like a house long ago."
Leyzon paused at those next words.
[Ah, so that's it.]
Syria understood.
This house wasn't under any perception-lowering spell.
The entire place was one big undead.
In other words, Leyzon was now inside the Gray Mage Tower Lord's undead.
'That's why only necromancers could sense it.'
And for the Gray Mage Tower Lord, it doubled as a defense.
The moment you entered, your life was in his hands.
"No need to worry. I'd never harm a fellow necromancer.
What good would killing one of our scarce few do?"
He waved it off casually and headed inside, settling onto a sofa.
He gestured for Leyzon to sit as well.
The worn sofa was surprisingly soft and well-kept.
"Do you know about me?"
"The previous Gray Mage Tower Lord."
"Tsk tsk. Yes, the former one."
He let out a short chuckle.
"But I don't know you."
He eyed the sudden visitor closely.
Not a hint of carelessness in his gaze.
His probes to gauge intentions came from all angles.
'This type is exhausting.'
He'd come disguised as a precaution.
But it seemed to only heighten the suspicion.
"I made this place as a temporary shelter to draw in necromancers."
"Necromancers are hunted by the Empire, so you're offering protection?"
"Something like that. As tower lord, I have responsibilities."
Yet as a fellow necromancer, he answered questions straightforwardly.
"So introduce yourself. If you need help, I'll lend a hand."
Half suspicion, half sincerity.
Leyzon could tell the man genuinely wanted to aid necromancers.
But something still felt off.
'Like a jinx itching to trigger.'
Leyzon had one jinx.
When his luck ran good for a stretch, bad luck inevitably followed.
'Lately, my luck's been insanely good.'
Intel on the fallen Kaltura Empire.
Meeting Estelle.
The unexpected link between Hanok and the Shadow Warlord.
Info gained when the Five found him before the Gray Mage Tower Lord could.
Lately, Leyzon's luck had been phenomenal.
'Guess the world's about to balance the scales with some bad luck.'
Leyzon had planned to talk with the Gray Mage Tower Lord first.
Then reveal his identity based on the situation.
The man seemed connected to Leyzon somehow.
But his instincts screamed otherwise.
Revealing himself right away would be a mistake.
'If he's probing...'
Then he'd probe right back.
Leyzon rummaged in the pouch at his waist and pulled out a mask.
The one he'd worn to hide his identity until now.
Made by the Gray Mage Tower Lord himself.
"That..."
The man's face changed the instant Leyzon produced it.
He realized his slip and quickly schooled his expression.
But Leyzon's sharp eyes had caught it.
"I'm a friend of the one who gave me this mask."
"......"
The Gray Mage Tower Lord fell silent, not answering immediately.
Leyzon had cast his line.
Would he bite?
Or let it slip away?
The choice was his.
"That one..."
And the Gray Mage Tower Lord bit.
To catch a tiger, you had to stick your head in its den.
He decided to trade info for info.
"Do you know where he is now?"
From this reaction, Leyzon knew.
The Gray Mage Tower Lord had a deep connection to the real Leyzon.
Leyzon shook his head.
"No idea. Last I saw him was three years ago."
He'd planned to use the mask as a probe from the start.
So he'd asked Syria beforehand when the real Leyzon had started wearing it.
It was after the Gray Mage Tower had fallen.
So he'd generously rounded it to three years.
"Impossible! He vanished only recently!"
But the next words sent a chill down Leyzon's spine.
'...This guy's been watching me all this time?'
No, that couldn't be.
Syria would've known and handled it by now.
'Or some other way to track him?'
Necromancer tracking skills flooded Leyzon's mind.
But none stood out specifically.
There were just so many tracking skills.
'If it's one Syria might not notice...'
A few came to mind.
But that only deepened the mystery.
'Those kinds of skills all require the target's consent.'
Had the real Leyzon permitted tracking by the Gray Mage Tower Lord?
As payment for the mask?
Why?
'Real Leyzon, what the hell have you been up to?'
The real Leyzon, whom he'd shoved to the back of his mind until now.
His presence began to emerge bit by bit.
But Leyzon couldn't learn anything about the real Leyzon.
The original owner of this body was long gone.
'Instead...'
Leyzon's eyes fixed on the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
'This guy should know.'
What Leyzon didn't, the Gray Mage Tower Lord likely did.
'Moreover...'
Leyzon had another question from the man's recent reaction.
'His response is more intense than expected. This is the reaction to someone completely gone.'
Leyzon hadn't suddenly shot to the sky or sunk into the earth.
If there'd been a tracking spell, he wouldn't react like this.
"Three years ago? What...? Then the one in the capital wasn't him? He could've easily..."
The Gray Mage Tower Lord began rambling incoherently.
He sank into his own thoughts.
'High chance he knows about my connection to those famous undead too.'
The three undead whose names rang across the world.
Their master, Leyzon.
Leyzon was certain the Gray Mage Tower Lord knew about it.
For now, Leyzon feigned ignorance.
"Hmm, I'm looking for him too. Can you tell me when 'recently' was?
What I know might help."
The Gray Mage Tower Lord answered with a complicated expression.
"About half a year ago."
Half a year ago.
The moment Leyzon heard it, he quietly stiffened.
When was half a year ago?
'When I...'
Possessed this body.