Chapter 509: The White Land (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 509: The White Land (2)
Russia.
Once one of the superpowers known as the Soviet Union, its national system collapsed about a hundred years ago due to a massive Gate Break incident in northern Siberia. A new regime rose from the chaos and leads the Russia of today.
However, several civil wars broke out before the current regime could establish a stable government.
Having endured such a turbulent period, Russia's economy suffered from repeated inflation. To this day, it is considered to be at the level of a developing nation, with the exception of its capital, Moscow.
-Excerpt from "A History of Russia".
*
After a nine-hour flight, I arrived at Sheremetyevo International Airport in the Severny District of Moscow.
What greeted me was none other than a massive crowd of reporters.
-When is he arriving? Wasn't it supposed to be 7 a.m.?
-The plane has landed. But why isn't he coming out?
-Have you heard from anyone who was on the same flight?
-They already got off. But what can you do? First class and economy have different exits.
—...Damn it.
I had no intention of dealing with the media anymore, so as soon as I got off the plane, I used perception-jamming magic and slipped leisurely through the crowd gathered around the airport.
The moment I stepped out of the airport and set foot in Russia, my first thought was that it wasn't as cold as I'd expected.
I looked up at the clear, cloudless sky.
It felt warmer than Korea or England.
Moreover, there wasn't a shadow of snow to be seen anywhere. I was honestly disappointed.
...If I'd known, I wouldn't have bought this scarf at the duty-free shop.
Thanks to my Immunity to Cold and Heat, I wouldn't have felt the chill anyway, but I'd bought it to get into the winter spirit...
It seemed my fashion choice didn't quite match the current weather.
With no other choice, I took off the scarf and hailed a taxi.
“Where to?”
“The White Magic Tower, please.”
After giving my destination to the red-faced taxi driver—fitting for the land of vodka—I took out my phone.
Whether he was drunk driving or not was none of my business.
Even if we got into an accident, the only one who would die was the taxi driver.
But contrary to my expectations, the taxi smoothly picked up speed and drove down the road.
...He's clearly done this more than once or twice.
I glanced at the driver in the rearview mirror before turning my attention back to my phone.
Since I didn't know how many days I'd be staying in Moscow, I decided to book a hotel first.
Hmm... more expensive than I thought. Isn't this on par with a hotel in central London?
The cost of living didn't seem much different from London, either.
Even though its economy lagged far behind London's. And from what I'd heard, public safety wasn't great, either.
It occurred to me that if I hadn't met the White Tower Lord at the London auction, I probably would have never come to Moscow in my entire life.
Well... I'm here now, so that's that.
After booking a suitable hotel, I decided to look up some tourist spots to check out while I was at it.
Just as I was putting together an impromptu itinerary...
Screech—
Less than ten minutes after we'd set off, the taxi suddenly stopped. The drive from the airport to downtown Moscow should have taken at least thirty minutes.
I looked out the window.
We were in a clearing near a deserted birch forest.
“...This doesn't look like the city. Was my English pronunciation that bad?”
Shing—
At that moment, the taxi driver, his face grim, thrust a knife at me.
“If you don't want to die, you'd better shut up and get out. Asian.”
“...”
I could feel a faint but distinct trace of magic power from the taxi driver.
Of course, he was nothing more than the lowest of F-rank.
A Hunter working as a taxi driver... I had a feeling, and sure enough, he's a robber.
Clunk—
I got out of the taxi and scanned the men slowly approaching me.
They were Hunters, too.
Are they with the taxi driver?
I let out a dry laugh.
For reference, the lowest-ranked Hunters barely make enough to live day to day. Many of them avoided hunting magical beasts in Gates, risking their lives for a profit that just wasn't worth it.
So, I'd heard it was common for them to take up robbery as a side job in countries with poor public safety.
Though I never imagined I'd be the one getting robbed.
...Do these bastards not even watch the news?
I glanced up at the clear sky and let out a deep sigh.
Leave it to the land of manly men to give me such a grand welcoming ceremony.
*
Even during the civil war in Russia a hundred years ago, Moscow never burned.
The reason was simple.
Because the Witch of the Snowfield resides in Moscow's White Magic Tower.
The White Tower Lord, one of only three Archmages in the world, is said to be even older than Duke Winchester.
In fact, it was entirely thanks to her efforts that Moscow and its neighboring cities survived the Gate Break a century ago with little damage.
However, when I met her in person, the Tower Lord looked to be in her early thirties at most.
As a result, the theory that she was of mixed long-lived race heritage was widely accepted as fact on the internet.
I, too, found myself agreeing to some extent.
Vroooom—
“Nice weather.”
After personally burying the taxi driver and his friends in the birch forest, I drove the car into downtown Moscow myself, my eyes fixed on the pure white tower rising in the distance.
It was the White Magic Tower, a landmark of Russia.
Compared to the magic towers of other countries, there were no particularly striking differences, but perhaps because the entire structure was white, it exuded a strangely mystical atmosphere.
It looked more like a religious building than a magic tower.
The reason I'd flown all the way to Moscow to visit the White Magic Tower was because of a promise I'd made with its lord after the auction in England.
In exchange for giving her the inner core of the Millennium Hwari I had won at the auction, I had asked for her tutelage, and the Tower Lord had readily accepted my request.
I pressed the accelerator, desperately hoping this opportunity would be the key to reaching the 6th Circle.
For the record, I didn't have a regular driver's license, let alone an international one.
Driving is all about confidence.
VROOOOOM—!!!
...
Thanks to the light traffic, it didn't take long to reach Nikolskaya Street near the White Magic Tower.
After successfully reverse parking, I glanced at the Kremlin Palace standing tall not far away, then immediately started walking toward the tower.
Passing through the surprisingly quiet entrance, the first thing that caught my eye was a massive chandelier.
Next, the antique interior decorations adorning the tower captured my attention.
“Welcome to the White Magic Tower.”
As I approached the information desk, a beautiful Slavic employee with the air of a model greeted me with a bright smile.
This must be why people say Slavic women are unfairly beautiful.
In fact, it felt like the proportion of beautiful women on the streets of Moscow was at least twice that of London.
“I'm here to see the Tower Lord.”
“...Excuse me?”
But the moment she heard my words, the smile vanished from her lips as if it had never been there.
Her eyes trembled slightly as she studied my face and cautiously spoke.
“Um... do you have a prior appointment?”
“Yes. If you mention the auction house, she'll know.”
“...Excuse me?”
The employee's face was still etched with trouble.
It made sense. It would be a huge burden for her to contact the Tower Lord's office based solely on the word of an outsider with no identification.
After all, there must be countless people who brazenly show up hoping to exchange even a single word with the White Tower Lord.
Hundreds a month, at least.
Hmm... what should I do?
I wanted to contact the Tower Lord directly, but unfortunately, I hadn't gotten her contact information.
Just as I was thinking I might have to deactivate my perception-jamming magic...
Fwoosh—
“!”
Someone interfered with my magic, forcibly dispelling the perception jam. It was a reverse-calculation performed in the blink of an eye, so fast I didn't even have time to reinforce my security.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
I quickly turned my head at the voice from behind me and saw a familiar Western face.
“The use of magic by outsiders is forbidden inside the tower, Baronet Lauderdale.”
Smirk—
I shot a cold glare at the man, who was bowing politely with a strange smile on his face.
“...Dmitri Chernov.”
The Vice Lord of the White Magic Tower, and a rising star touted as the next 7th Circle Mage despite his young age.
I'd often seen his face in the news and papers back in Korea, as his handsome looks had earned him many fans abroad.
“Well, now. For the hero of England to know who I am... it is truly an honor for my family.”
“...It would be rude to visit the White Magic Tower without even knowing the face of its Vice Lord.”
“Haha, but don't people use products from major corporations without knowing the face of the vice chairman?”
I gave a frosty look to the Vice Lord, who was so casually elevating himself to the level of a vice chairman.
Reverse-calculating another's magic is a clear breach of etiquette.
Depending on the caster's intent, the original spellcaster could even suffer injuries to their magic circuits.
In layman's terms, it was the equivalent of deliberately shoulder-checking someone as you walk past.
But I quickly changed my expression, offering him a handshake with an affable smile.
“To meet the pioneer of Light Magic in person... I must be quite lucky indeed.”
“Hearing such words from Baronet Lauderdale, who is called the next great Archmage, makes me feel rather bashful.”
Amidst the countless gazes and attention pouring in from all sides, I shook hands with Dmitri.
The reason I'd changed my attitude and shaken hands with this unpleasant fellow was simple.
“And it is a great honor to be able to meet the White Tower Lord like this.”
Russia's asymmetrical asset.
Because the 8th Circle Archmage, Valentina Sasha Danilova, was walking into the tower.
“You...”
The moment our eyes met, the Tower Lord's pupils began to tremble faintly.
