The Tower Lord's Gift

Clara was making no secret of her wariness. Erinn paused slightly at her words, seemed to wrestle with something for a long moment, then opened her mouth.

"Is it wrong to get close to him~?"

"…Do you really not know, Erinn?"

"No, I'm saying it because I do know~♡"

Erinn had no intention of backing down.

"It's not like there's any real problem, right? The only issue is Albrecht's choice~."

"Ugh…"

Yes. That was the problem. The reason Clara couldn't firmly tell them off was precisely because of the institutional environment that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠allowed a man to enjoy multiple women. The reverse was true as well.

This was not simply a system built for carnal desire. People of this era were routinely conscripted for labor or war, and many died young as a result.

It was worse in sparsely populated rural areas. Collapsing gender ratios were commonplace, and plenty of people couldn't marry for lack of partners. Without marriage came no children — and that meant the population would never grow properly.

A decline in population was a decline in national power.

To prevent that, great nations like the Dern Empire and the Shah Zar Kingdom practiced polygamy — to stop people from remaining unmarried and childless simply because they had no one to marry.

Clara knew this. So did Erinn and Letisia. That was why Erinn could bare her true feelings without the slightest hesitation.

But the absence of an institutional problem was one thing. The emotional problem was another entirely.

"E-even so, I'm Albrecht's girlfriend right now…!"

Clara's claim was perfectly justified. She was currently Albrecht's only girlfriend, after all.

"At least do it somewhere I'm not…"

"But Clara, you were the one who provoked us first today."

Letisia was recalling everything Clara had done. From the moment they'd woken up, Clara had openly flaunted her affection with Albrecht.

"So we… got jealous too."

Erinn did not deny Letisia's words. The reason she had acted more aggressively was precisely because she had felt those emotions.

Clara couldn't deny it either. Seeing that, Erinn smirked and said,

"Does it make you uneasy when we get close to him, Clara~?"

"Ugh…"

"Then you'd better stop half-heartedly hesitating~♡"

Erinn stepped closer to her.

"How many days do you think you have left to monopolize Albrecht?"

"…What… does that mean…"

"Right now it's just me and Letisia doing this, but…"

Erinn and Letisia both knew. There was actually one more person who would pursue Albrecht. She simply hadn't fully realized it yet and was still hesitating…

"Do you think that other one will just sit quietly~?"

There was a woman of tremendous destructive power.

Clara's eyes went round. Having roughly guessed who that other person Erinn meant was, she flinched, her shoulders trembling as if she had just imagined that future.

That was certainly dangerous. Even Erinn's and Letisia's assets were a threat to the relatively smaller Clara — but what that Saintess possessed could fairly be called destructive power on par with high-tier magic.

Just recalling Albrecht's reaction when Freya had honestly expressed her feelings before was enough to know. A presence so overwhelming that a man's gaze was drawn to it without thinking — something he simply could not look past.

If she shoved that in his face and seduced Albrecht…

"Ah…"

"So don't get comfortable, Clara."

Erinn lifted the corner of her mouth and gave a mischievous, smiling squint.

"If you think Albrecht will stay yours forever, you're sorely mistaken~♡"

Clara flinched, her shoulders trembling as she looked at Erinn. She was right. Clara's desire to slowly deepen her relationship with Albrecht might have been… arrogance.

Even just the beautiful Hero standing right in front of her was captivating, and the spirit mage beside her was adorable beyond measure.

She felt like she'd taken a solid hit. Clara lowered her gaze slightly.

"But… aren't you two the same?"

"Hm?"

"Pardon?"

"If Freya… acknowledges her own feelings…"

But Clara was no longer the kind of person who took a hit and stayed quiet. Especially not when it concerned Albrecht.

"Wouldn't you two be in more danger than me — the one who already has a relationship with him?"

"……"

"Freya's tastes are a bit… unusual, but…"

She needed to pay it back to feel satisfied.

"She's someone who has everything men like."

A pretty face. A kind and gentle personality. High status. And something enormous. Honestly, setting aside her screw-loose preferences, she was close to the ultimate ideal of womanhood.

Erinn and Letisia looked a little flustered at that.

"But understanding those tastes of hers… is a bit too far from normal."

Even Letisia, saying this, was a woman of extreme sadism — though she showed no awareness whatsoever that this might be a problem.

Then Clara said,

"It could actually become a weapon, though."

"Pardon? A weapon?"

"Don't you remember what Freya said? That she only feels satisfied when Albrecht looks at her."

Hearing Clara's words, Letisia recalled the memory and muttered as if realizing it late.

"…Ah."

What if she shoved that massive chest at him and begged Albrecht to look at her?

Letisia's face went pale as she imagined it. Erinn seemed to have pictured something similar — her expression didn't look good either.

Clara said,

"So… I appreciate the advice, but the ones who need to get their act together first…"

As if she had no intention of losing this romantic rivalry.

"Are you two, Erinn and Letisia, don't you think?"

Erinn and Letisia fell silent, as if they had nothing left to say. This brief spat, which had seemed like it would end in Erinn's victory, had ultimately ended in Clara's win.

And Caesius, who had been quietly sitting and watching it all from the side…

Human relationships are truly entertaining.

Was thoroughly enjoying herself alone.

"Was it the right call to leave them behind…?"

Even as I arrived at the Red Magic Tower, a sense of unease lingered. The atmosphere among the three of them when I'd left had been more cutthroat than expected. But I was already at the tower, so there was nothing to be done about it. Trying to smooth things over by talking to them… somehow felt like it would only make things worse.

Setting those thoughts aside for now, I took a brief look at the interior of the Red Magic Tower.

Won't be able to come here for a while.

I'd only be able to return after the subjugation of the Oblivion Legion was over, so it would take some time. I asked a tower staff member if Agresia was in.

"Oh my, Lord Albrecht. The Tower Lord is away at an academic conference today."

"Ah."

Right. She'd mentioned that yesterday.

"Hmm, then could you pass along a message for me?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"That something's come up and I probably won't be able to come for a while."

"What!?"

The staff member looked startled for a moment, then suddenly raised her mana. She was staff, but as a mage belonging to the magic tower, using mana was only natural… still, the sudden surge surprised me.

She channeled mana into a small, box-like object. Looking at it, I felt a spark of recognition.

Oh — a loudspeaker.

It was the "Channel Amplifier" item from Dungeon in Evil.

"Tower Lord, this is Irene. I'm sorry to contact you so suddenly. There's something you absolutely need to hear…"

Apparently it had been implemented here as a communication magic tool. Since it was an item that broadcast messages across an entire channel, it made sense that it would become a communication device.

But the Tower Lord?

She'd contacted Agresia directly? There was no need to inform her so urgently.

"Yes, it's Lord Albrecht. Would you like to hear it yourself? Yes…"

She held the amplifier out to me. I took it and held it to my ear.

"Yes."

"Is that you, Albrecht?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What on earth is this about all of a sudden? You won't be able to come for a while?"

"Something came up for me."

"Something?"

Agresia demanded an explanation, and I told her about the series of events. A sigh came through the amplifier.

"So that's why that man was looking for you…"

"Hm? You knew Karna would come looking for us?"

"…He came to me asking about your whereabouts. I didn't tell him, but it seems he found out somehow and tracked you down."

So that was it.

"So I came to let you know in advance that I won't be able to visit the tower for a while… then I remembered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you were away at the conference. Haha."

When I laughed, another sigh came from Agresia through the amplifier.

"…I'd dearly love to stop my research subject from heading to a dangerous battlefield, but listening to you, it doesn't sound like you're joining without any plan."

"I wouldn't have gone if I didn't have a plan."

"You've barely started learning magic and you're already rushing off to put it to use… it's frankly absurd."

"Well… things just kind of ended up this way."

Agresia sighed once more. She clearly wasn't pleased that I, still so lacking in many ways, was heading to the battlefield.

But I wondered if she had any reason to worry about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me this much. Was she thinking of me as something like a disciple?

So I threw out a joke.

"I'm not even the Tower Lord's disciple or anything. Is there really any need to worry that much?"

"Not my disciple?"

"Pardon?"

"How could you not be my disciple when you're learning magic from me? Have you ever seen a mage teach magic to someone who isn't their disciple?"

"Uh…"

"Of course I haven't formally accepted you, but as long as you've learned magic from me, you are my disciple. To think you've been going around without even that much pride… I'm a little disappointed."

"Well, I was just learning in exchange for helping with your research, so…"

I'd simply thought calling myself a disciple was a bit of a stretch.

"Even if the learning comes with a price, did you think just anyone could learn the magic of Agresia, Lord of the Red Magic Tower? I looked at your potential and decided it would be worth raising you as a temporary disciple."

"Uh… then should I call you Master?"

"…Never mind. You don't need to fuss over titles, but always carry the pride of having learned magic from me."

"Ah, yes…"

As expected, this woman lived off her own sense of superiority.

I was chuckling lightly at the absurdity of it when Agresia spoke.

"My first disciple is heading to the battlefield. I suppose I should give you a gift and tell you to come back safely."

"A gift?"

"I'd originally planned to give it to you as a reward once you could use magic utilizing six Forces."

…That was 6th Circle. She'd prepared a gift for when someone who'd just started learning magic reached the 6th Circle? I nearly let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.

Is she evaluating me highly…

Or does she just think anyone who learns from her will get there?

Either way, Agresia told me about the gift she'd prepared.

"Go to the laboratory."

"Ah, yes."

I entered the laboratory as she'd said. It was the place where Agresia researched the peculiarities of my mana.

"The desk against the right wall."

"Yes."

"Open the third drawer."

I opened the drawer as instructed and found a long rectangular box. It was clearly made of high-quality materials.

"What is this?"

"You're a mage now, aren't you? What does a mage need when casting magic?"

"……What?"

No way.

I quickly opened the lid of the box. And confirmed Agresia's gift.

"I'm giving it to you early so you'll be careful out there — and so you'll win for certain."

The gift she'd given me was none other than a wand. Equipment that amplified a mage's mana and made Force composition more efficient. And since Dungeon in Evil was an RPG, it also had stats that increased when equipped.

An Epic-grade wand. The fourth-highest item grade in Dungeon in Evil.

Considering that Hidden and Authentic grade equipment could essentially only be obtained through secret routes and special methods, this could fairly be called the second-best among conventional equipment.

Just look at how equipping it alone raised the levels of two traits critical to a mage by one each, and amplified Magic Stat by a full 30 while worn.

"…You're giving me something this precious?"

"Precious? A disciple of the Tower Lord ought to carry at least this much. I could have prepared something better, but I judged this level was just right for you right now."

Excellent judgment. Anything better probably would have had equip requirements I couldn't meet.

"I truly, sincerely thank you."

"…Seeing how much you like it makes the preparation worthwhile."

I took the wand in hand. Then a status message I hadn't seen in a while appeared.

The equip effects were applying properly. Getting good equipment always lifts the spirits — a smile rose to my face without me realizing it.

"Come back having done it properly. Don't go getting hurt and then come back and disrupt my research."

"After you've prepared such a fine gift for me, of course."

I said,

"I'll fulfill my role thoroughly and come back."

"…Alright. I trust you, but will you make me one promise?"

"What is it?"

"No matter the situation, don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠act recklessly."

I paused at those words.

"Only do what you're capable of. On the battlefield, that kind of recklessness can lead straight to death."

"…Haha, of course."

I already knew. I'd experienced that sensation with my own body, so there was no way I wouldn't know.

But for some reason.

"I'll take good care of myself and come back."

These words alone weren't coming from pure sincerity — I had no choice but to mix in a lie.

"…It seems a decision has been reached."

The inn on 5th Avenue of the commercial district where Karna had been waiting. Seven people of various sorts were gathered there. Karna glanced over them briefly, then asked the short woman in the center,

"So what is your answer, Hero Erinn?"

"Looking at how we all came together, can't you tell~?"

Erinn answered.

"We'll join the fight~♡"