Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Summoned to the Magic Tower
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"From the Magic Tower?"
Just as the head chef threw a meat feast to celebrate the fresh wild boar caught from the mountains, and we were all digging in happily, Billy sliced his meat with elegant motions and dropped an unexpected bombshell.
He said they'd sent word from the Magic Tower that they needed me and hoped I'd pay a visit.
They had a few questions about daily life in places like the Sheep Territory where mages are scarce. But to summon an ordinary beastkin—who wasn't even a mage—to that terrifying Magic Tower for something like that?
Knowing full well the kind of image the Magic Tower held on this continent, I couldn't help but feel a chill.
Even if I'd mustered the courage to send that letter somehow, going there in person was a whole different story. I shuddered, recalling the Magic Tower from the original story.
'Ever since I got possessed, it feels like I've been dodging death nonstop.'
Billy, gauging my reaction, glanced at Ed—who, unlike before, was busily cutting into his meat.
"Ed, you're coming too."
Back to his gruff uncle demeanor, Billy spoke to Ed, who was about to pop a piece of barbecue dipped in sweet sauce into his mouth.
"Yes."
Ed replied in a voice as emotionless as his uncle's, his eyes fixed solely on the barbecue.
'Seriously...'
The more I watched, the more obvious it was they were family.
They say people like that don't actually attract each other, and Billy and Ed seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
I hadn't even gotten to witness their touching uncle-nephew reunion, and since arriving at the Rub estate, there hadn't been a single warm exchange between them.
Not that things felt awkward between them. It just seemed like they were treating family the way their personalities dictated—which was a relief, at least.
But while they might be comfortable like this, I felt oddly out of place stuck in the middle.
'I wonder what the Magic Tower's like.'
All I could think about was answering their casual questions and getting out as fast as possible.
I knew I was the bold beastkin who'd first sent a letter to the Magic Tower, but I hadn't expected them to actually summon me there.
At least it was reassuring to hear the current Tower Lord was Billy's friend.
The image of the Tower Lord from the original story wasn't particularly scary or cruel, so facing him should be easier than dealing with his rumor-plagued predecessor.
But with Ed coming along too, I'd have to watch my words to avoid triggering any choices.
If I chatted with Ed and ended up spitting venom at the mages here...
'Ugh, no way.'
I didn't even want to imagine it.
In principle, you couldn't reach the Magic Tower via teleportation magic. Not just the Tower—all territories on the continent upheld that ancient rule.
While inter-territory teleportation would be convenient for everyday life, every war in the continent's long history had started because of it, so it was outright banned.
The most recent conflict had been a territorial dispute between the Wolf Territory and the Snow Leopard Territory. I'd vaguely heard that Billy, around Ed's age back then, had gotten caught up in it too.
That's why we'd traveled by carriage from the Sheep Territory to the Wolf Territory. Luckily, the continent wasn't too vast, making the trip manageable—otherwise, it would've been grueling.
So naturally, I assumed we'd take a carriage to the Magic Tower too.
But then why...
"Is this... okay?"
I'd only blinked once, and the scenery before me had changed in an instant. The words slipped out of my dazed mouth.
I'd gone out to the garden expecting a carriage ride, but why had the lush, beautiful garden turned into a towering structure overrun with bizarre plants and a barren wasteland?
And what was with that purple-tinged sky, like we'd stepped into another world?
This wasn't the Magic Tower—it was some demon castle or something!
I swallowed my endless questions about the exterior.
'Once we go inside, it'll probably be crawling with carnivore beastkin...'
Most Magic Tower mages were carnivores. I still wasn't fully comfortable around the Rub estate servants, and now to be thrown into a place like this!
Ignoring my growing despair, Billy and Ed casually stepped into the Magic Tower.
Following behind, I entered and clamped both hands over my gaping mouth at the interior—the polar opposite of the outside.
Nothing I'd seen in the Rub estate could match this opulence, and the Tower went even further.
Not content with gleaming marble and gold everywhere, the ceiling boasted a grand mural, and a spiral staircase curved along the walls to the upper floors.
A lavish chandelier hung in the center, making me question if this was really the Magic Tower I'd imagined—right around then.
A beastkin who looked more like a zombie than anything shuffled weakly toward us.
"Sorry for the delay. You're the Tower Lord's guests, right?"
Introducing herself as the Magic Tower mage assigned to guide us for the day, she led me and Ed deeper inside. Billy said he had business with the Tower Lord and vanished alone.
Our hyena beastkin guide had gray hairs streaking through her black mane like bridges.
She took us to a laboratory buzzing with mages deep in research.
"Please wait here just a moment."
With that, the hyena disappeared somewhere too.
Ed and I sat blankly in a corner, but the sidelong glances from the others felt piercingly intense.
There were five mages in the lab—not a single herbivore among them. Not one...
I pressed myself into the corner against the wall as far as possible, and Ed followed, sitting beside me.
Drdrdr-.
"Lady Lami, the chair's shaking."
"N-no, it's just your imagination."
I wanted to melt into the wall and vanish.
That's when I noticed the mages whispering among themselves while staring at us—though I couldn't hear a word.
'What are they saying?'
From their expressions, it didn't look good. I strained to eavesdrop, ears perked, but snippets that reached me grated on my nerves.
"...kid... family connections... Magic Tower..."
Actually, just hearing "family connections" let me guess the gist.
Some beastkin can't help feeling envy or jealousy toward kids born into good families. They were probably talking about Ed.
They whispered so softly I couldn't catch more, but worried Ed might overhear, I started chatting with him to drown it out.
"Ed, did you come here during your last Magic Tower tour?"
"No, I only saw the top floor and mid-levels."
As we made small talk waiting for the hyena, she came rushing back into the lab, looking even paler than before.
"I-it looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer. The Tower Lord still has urgent business to handle..."
"...The Tower Lord?"
I'd thought I'd just chat briefly with some mages and head home.
"W-wait, you're saying... the one who asked the questions is..."
"Yes, the Tower Lord himself."
My jaw dropped so low it nearly hit the floor.
All the vicious rumors about the Tower Lord flooded my mind. The image stuck in my head was barely short of a full demon.
All I could trust was that he was supposedly better than his predecessor.
"Th-then why Ed...?"
"Oh, I heard he enjoyed the last Magic Tower tour, so he was invited back."
Ah.
Glancing at Ed then, I finally noticed the faint blush creeping across his cheeks. That meant he was excited.
"Does he think the Magic Tower's a playground?"
The lab fell silent in an instant. The mage who'd spoken realized her voice was too loud and hurriedly covered her mouth.
But everyone there had heard it.
"It's not like we're here to play..."
Ed muttered sullenly beside me.
'They were whispering earlier, and now this—too much.'
Brow furrowing at the situation, I steeled myself and stood up. I couldn't bring myself to approach the mages directly, but I figured I'd say my piece from there.
'Ed's a verified mage candidate from the Magic Tower. They know he's not here to play, right?'
Yeah, that's what I'd say.
I opened my mouth to voice the line I'd prepared in my head.
"......"
My pupils shook violently as I stared incredulously at the unbelievable choices.
They'd popped up because it involved Ed, but every single one was pure provocation—none I'd walk away from unscathed.
Whichever I picked might boost Ed's favorability, but who knew if I'd have future chances to stick by his side and raise it more.
I shifted my trembling gaze from the choices to the mage standing there—the one who'd made the comment.
This opponent didn't look like the chimp from last time I could just smack around. Amid the skinny mages, he stood out with his burly, muscular build—like he'd actually worked out.
"Lady Lami?"
An eternity seemed to pass in silence.
The status window that would shove me straight into the fire pit floated before my eyes.