Chapter 10: Roll, Tower Lord
Chapter 10: Roll Over, Tower Master
Nothing happened.
Only the sound of wind lingered in the empty air.
From afar came the low murmurs of soldiers, the squelch of carriage wheels through mud, and the coughs of wounded refugees.
No shouts of soldiers rushing to check on me, no urgent cries of alarm.
The world began turning again as if nothing had ever happened.
The sounds of living, moving people wrapped around me.
It was a pleasant noise.
Having brushed against death's door twice in a single day, I now understood just how precious these ordinary sounds were.
I listened to them for a while.
Erha and the child had vanished as if they had never been there at all. Only the lingering pain in my body proved that none of it had been a dream.
But my mind was clearer than ever.
A high-ranking demon—Erha.
A demon who had created a child with a human.
A human who could mimic the scent of demons.
And someone hiding among the humans.
I swallowed hard.
This wasn't the kind of information I could make public.
If word got out that a high-ranking demon's child had been among the refugees, the refugee sector would be finished. Soldiers would suspect the children, adults would turn on each other, and the survivors who had fled here for safety would be hunted like prey.
And if it also leaked that the Crown Prince had made contact with a high-ranking demon?
What a fine spectacle that would make for the Empire.
"Your Highness, it's time for your medicine."
Nicholas entered, holding a bowl of medicine.
His voice was as composed as ever.
I exhaled softly. Whatever Erha had done, time outside the tent had flowed normally.
"Where did the child go?"
I knew full well he hadn't won that deputy position in a game of Go-Stop.
I'd have to think twice before mouthing off in front of Nicholas from now on.
"The child's mother came and took them."
The fingers gripping the medicine bowl turned white.
"I heard no reports of anyone entering. Who was it?"
"Someone who cannot be officially recorded."
"...Your Highness."
"That's all."
When I told him to summon Ulrich, Nicholas didn't respond immediately. The way he swallowed dryly made it seem like he was forcing down a question that had risen to his throat.
But, ever the exemplary deputy, Nicholas quickly regained his usual composed expression.
"Take your medicine first."
He drew a short breath.
"Once you've finished, I will summon Tower Master Ravenfelt alone, as you commanded."
Ah, a variation of finish your homework and you can play games, huh?
Even though this wasn't play but work, bargaining over orders? Tsk.
What a fine sight the Crown Prince of the Empire makes.
I took the bowl and downed the medicine in one gulp.
Bitter, chalky, and disgustingly sticky—a truly horrific taste.
In romance fantasy novels, attendants would offer candy at times like this. Nicholas just took the empty bowl and left without a word.
"Nicholas."
He paused at the tent flap.
"You be careful too."
His expression flickered strangely for a moment.
It was the face of someone who wanted to ask if this was really the time for me to be worrying about him. But in the end, he didn't.
"That's what I should be saying to you, Your Highness."
Nicholas left, and not long after, Ulrich appeared.
His usually smooth complexion was pale—probably from running around investigating late into the night.
One step in.
The smile on his face as he entered the tent vanished.
Frantic, Ulrich rummaged through his robes and pulled out a slender crystal rod. He completely skipped any formal greetings to the Crown Prince and immediately began scanning the air inside the tent.
Ah, the classic occupational hazard of a mage.
Watching him roll his eyes at empty air and obsessively check for something, it was obvious.
Normally, I'd have mocked him for being paranoid, but today, I was glad for it.
After tracing a small magic circle in the air, spreading a thin layer of bluish-white light, and doing who-knows-what for a while, he finally looked at me. His face was expressionless.
"What happened?"
"......"
Ulrich ignored my question entirely and fired a violet-blue magic circle straight at me.
That color... it looked similar to the one he'd tried to use on Ophélie in my office before she refused.
"Ulrich. Do you think my mind's been corrupted?"
"No reason to rule it out."
Unbelievable.
After nearly dying and surviving, a demon comes and goes, and now I have to prove I'm still sane?
I spread my arms wide, sarcastically offering my body to his scrutiny.
"Sure, sure, Tower Master. Do as you please."
Without even responding, Ulrich thoroughly scanned every inch of me with his magic circle.
"Just being thorough."
"So? Am I clean?"
"For now."
Ever the consummate professional, the Tower Master wasn't satisfied with that.
As if drawn by something, he moved to where the child had been and began inspecting everything.
The blanket the child had lain on.
Just before his fingers touched it, the bluish-white magic circle shattered briefly before reforming.
"Why... do I sense the presence of a high-ranking demon?"
"Finally willing to listen to me?"
No, he wasn't.
He'd asked the question, but he clearly had no intention of hearing the answer.
"Magi residue lingers where demons have passed. The weaker the demon, the messier it is—their power leaks like a sieve."
He traced a line through the air with his finger.
"But the traces here are sharp, thin, and clean."
Ulrich glared at me.
"Why was a high-ranking demon here?"
Still suspicious of me.
Well, if traces like this had been found in someone else's quarters, I'd have been just as suspicious.
I exhaled quietly.
"The child's mother came."
Ulrich's eyebrow twitched.
"That child was a demon's offspring?"
He scoffed through his nose and muttered a curse under his breath.
A small spark flickered to life at his fingertips.
The flame, no larger than a fingernail at first, quickly swelled into a roaring blaze.
Wait, is he about to throw that at me?
Surely he wouldn't actually—
"The Crown Prince of the Empire was sheltering a high-ranking demon's child."
Ulrich's voice dropped low.
"And on top of that, you let a demon waltz in and out of your tent."
Technically, that was an accurate summary.
If this lunatic lost his temper now, it'd only be a matter of time before I was branded a demon collaborator.
"Did you make some kind of deal?"
The flickering firelight danced in his eyes.
"Did you betray the Empire? Betray humanity?"
His hatred for demons seared against my skin.
"Put the fire out first."
"Answer me first."
"I received information that the scent driving the monsters today was artificially created."
The fire shrank slightly.
"How did you figure that out?"
Got him.
That got his attention.
No point pleading innocence—he wouldn't believe me anyway.
And he was the only one who could investigate and clear my name.
So I fed him just enough.
"This wave of monsters wasn't driven by a high-ranking demon. A human artificially mimicked a demon's scent to manipulate them. So go find proof."
The fire vanished completely.
But Ulrich's gaze grew even colder.
"That's impossible."
"The great Tower Master jumps to conclusions without even checking? Disappointing."
"Demonic magi isn't something humans can replicate."
"Only within the limits of your knowledge."
Ulrich's eyebrow twitched.
Good. Got under his skin.
"There are three kinds of 'impossible' things."
I folded one finger.
"First, things that are truly impossible."
A second finger.
"Second, things that are possible but we just don't know how yet."
A third finger.
"And third—things someone has already done but haven't been discovered yet."
Ulrich's lips curled slightly as he glared at me.
"I know you're provoking me."
"And you'll take the bait anyway."
"Why should I?"
I met his gaze squarely.
"Someone mimicked a demon's scent. And the great Tower Master of Ravenfelt dismisses it as impossible without even checking?"
Ulrich's eyes cooled.
"Fine. I'll look into it."
Perfect. Hooked.
His anger had faded, replaced by something far more troublesome—
Curiosity. Competitive drive. That sort of thing.
"Gray Shoals. The detour route. The landslide site. The ridge where the monsters changed direction. Where the rear of the refugee column passed. I'll investigate them all. So just wait."
"Good. Go do your job."
Ulrich's eyes narrowed.
"This had better be true. If it's not, you'll pay dearly for wasting my time."
"Do whatever you want, but keep it quiet."
"Who do you take me for? If this gets out, the refugee sector will be turned upside down in the hunt for collaborators."
"Right. So go alone."
Ulrich fell silent for a moment.
"You understand the risks if this leaks?"
Neither of us trusted the other.
But we both knew we had to.
Ulrich wasn't foolish enough to let his pride ruin the mission. So I'd roll the dice.
"I'll be back. For now."
"Report by dawn. Even if you find nothing."
Ulrich turned to leave.
Or so I thought.
"But why would a high-ranking demon spare you?"
Never easy with him, huh?
"We'll trade answers for your findings."
"I'm not in the habit of holding back good questions."
"Get used to it. That's an order."
Ulrich smirked briefly and vanished.
[Original Work Major Character 'Tower Master Ulrich Ravenfelt's' action branch is being recorded.]
[Tower Master Ulrich's deviation from the original narrative accelerates.]
[War Function: Magi Analysis/Tracking temporarily restored.]
Good.
This much was enough for today.
I survived, and I got one bastard moving.