Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Green Tower Master
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The green mage who had escorted Rishir and Ratsil left the room without a word.
And so, the only ones left in the space were Rishir and Ratsil, along with...
"..."
...one elf who bore an uncanny resemblance to Lavella of the Forest Night.
'N-No way. Is that the master of the Green Tower? But no— no matter how I look at her, she looks exactly like our Grand Master? Can people really look that alike? Our Grand Master's beauty isn't exactly common—'
Rishir hoped she would say something to help him sort out his confusion, but...
"..."
She simply carried on with her work in silence.
With a gentle expression reminiscent of the Forest Night.
'This is driving me crazy. Even the vibe is the same?'
In the end, Rishir tried to calm his own bewilderment in his own way.
He persistently searched for differences, trying to erase the image of the "elf version of our Grand Master" from her.
However—
Her signature silver eyes, half-lidded like a crescent moon.
Her soft lips, as if ready to purr out "darling" in a melting voice.
Even the abundant silver hair, like a flowing dress.
—At this level of resemblance, just admit she's the Forest Night.
Observing her appearance, the voice echoing in his mind only deepened Rishir's confusion.
'What's her connection to our Grand Master? No way they're sisters? Wait, can an elf and a dark elf even be sisters? But if they were sisters, what would that mean? Didn't she subjugate our master?'
It was then, as Rishir was racking his brain.
"Rishir! Don't just stand there—sit down here!"
Ratsil, who had already taken a seat right in front of the desk, patted the spot next to her.
—She hasn't invited us to sit yet!
Rishir glanced at the room's occupant and whispered softly.
"Pfft! It's fine! Don't worry about that stuff!"
Whoa!
At this point, Rishir even felt a surge of respect for her.
Maintaining her usual boisterous energy in the Green Tower Master's office!?
"She'll talk to us as soon as she's done with her work!"
But Ratsil's follow-up explanation eased Rishir's mind.
He realized she hadn't just recklessly started absorbing mana.
At the same time, he tilted his head at the oddly meaningful tone of her words.
Her phrasing felt almost like she was explaining how to use an appliance—was that just his imagination?
"Oh! Come to think of it, this is your first time seeing her, right, Rishir!?"
"Her...?"
It wasn't his imagination—Ratsil pointed blatantly at the room's owner and continued even more openly.
"She's the Tower Master's golem! She handles all the miscellaneous tasks in the master's stead! I'm so jealous! If I had one of those... Oh! Then I probably wouldn't have met you, Rishir!? That's why people need to be diligent—ah, no, I mean, it's not that the Tower Master isn't diligent—"
Only then did Rishir nod with a much more relaxed expression.
Golem.
That single word neatly resolved all his current doubts.
If the room's owner was a golem, then Ratsil's attitude made sense, and even the excessive resemblance to someone became somewhat understandable.
'Still curious why they'd make a golem look like that, though...'
As Rishir's expression softened at her words, Ratsil grew even more excited and kept talking.
"So! No need to be so tense! For all intents and purposes, it's just the two of us in this room! Oh! Are you nervous because you're alone with a pretty elf like me!? Ehehe~ Well, can't be helped~ Men are all like that~"
Smack~
Ratsil twisted her body playfully and smacked Rishir's arm.
Rishir endured the near-fatal mana drain and said to her.
"R-Ratsil? Even if it's a golem, treating her like she's not even there..."
"Huh?"
"Doesn't she have her own feelings and heart?"
"A golem has its own feelings... and heart...?"
Rishir nodded toward the room's owner.
"Isn't she a clone made by embedding the Tower Master's own memories?"
"Embedding her own memories to make a clone...? Is that even possible?"
Seeing Ratsil's genuine shock, Rishir belatedly realized he'd made an assumption.
He'd seen the proxy handling the Tower Master's duties and naturally thought of the Wandering Star and her clone, the proxy Tower Master.
'Not every Tower Master can do what Dmier does. Well, that's obvious. Dmier is a living being with emotions and will—literally breathing life. Not just anyone can make a clone like that. Not even the Green Tower Master, who's lived for centuries—'
Unexpectedly confirming the Gray Tower's prowess, Rishir felt a fresh surge of pride.
"From what I know, that golem is just a simple golem that only handles basic chores... But you wouldn't say something baseless, right...? Did I just make a huge mistake!?"
Even as Ratsil covered her mouth in shock and glanced nervously, the golem remained utterly focused on her work, ignoring them.
It was clearly a golem that prioritized inputted commands, not a clone like Dmier with emotions and will.
"N-No, Ratsil. I think I misunderstood something. Actually, in our Gray Tower—"
"What!? A living clone!? A human can do that!?"
"...You're surprised about that part?"
Once Rishir realized the room's owner was a golem, he could finally relax like Ratsil and pass the time casually.
However.
Even as he chatted with Ratsil, one question lingered in Rishir's mind.
'Why on earth make a golem that looks exactly like our Grand Master? Especially from someone who supposedly subjugated her?'
Rishir's curiosity about the Tower Master only grew.
Along with his worries.
"Ah! Rishir! Looks like she's done! It's our turn!"
"Huh? Oh."
The golem, having finished her work, was now staring at the two of them.
Rishir promptly pulled out the prepared item and handed it to the golem.
It was a document stamped with Caroer's seal.
"We come to see the Tower Master on the introduction of Lord Caroer."
"..."
The golem scanned the document and then closed her eyes.
"..."
"..."
"Rishir! Since it has Caroer's seal, we just wait now! Do nothing! Say nothing! Just stay quiet! But sitting still is boring, so shall we pick up where we left off? So, that human city—"
Blah blah blah chatter chatter giggle giggle.
"..."
How much time passed in this supposedly quiet and serene atmosphere, as Ratsil described(?).
Clack—
Clack—
"Huh."
Rishir sensed a presence slowly approaching from outside the door.
Soon, the footsteps drew right up to the door—
Creak!
The door burst open unceremoniously, letting a breeze into the room.
"How'd you do it?"
The voice came at the same time.
Rishir wondered for a moment if he'd misheard.
The elf who appeared as the door opened had said something so disjointed.
Separately, her entrance didn't surprise him.
He'd encountered it multiple times before.
He knew Tower Masters were eccentric beings overflowing with personality.
Genius and weirdo go hand in hand, after all.
Clack—
Clack—
A woman with lush crimson hair, like blooming roses, passed by Rishir and headed straight for the desk.
The golem immediately stood and yielded the seat to her.
"Yeah? How'd you pull it off? How did a human wrap up that stuck-up 'Guardian Caroer'—I'd love to hear the secret."
Her entrance, plopping down, propping her chin, and questioning—all felt theatrical, like a stage actress, contrived yet flamboyant.
Blue eyes contrasting sharply with her rose-red hair observed Rishir with keen interest.
As Rishir met her gaze, he felt a strong floral scent tickling his nose.
'What a flashy person.'
With that impression, Rishir cautiously opened his mouth.
"Before I explain, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rishir. I visit Your Excellency on Lord Caroer's introduction."
The master of the Green Tower.
Lunadien, Star of the Flower Garden.
Rishir carefully uttered her name.
"Nice formal intro, human. Since you said my name, I guess I don't need to? What to do? Guess we'll skip to the point."
Lunadien flashed a dazzling smile and repeated herself.
"So? Human. How exactly did you wrap up that Caroer?"
Lunadien seemed genuinely curious that the conservative elf elder had vouched for a human in her own name.
She fidgeted impatiently, repeating the question.
"Has Lord Caroer told you nothing?"
"Well, I heard the gist? That you resolved a very serious issue in the Teal Pavilion. Something very important regarding the World Tree."
"The gist..."
As Rishir mulled that over, Lunadien chuckled softly.
"It happened in the Teal Pavilion, right? Involving the World Tree—and its descendants told them to wait until things settled. So I had no choice."
Rishir was quite surprised by her nonchalant attitude.
A Tower Master might resent the high elves' preferential treatment—
Yet she accepted it as entirely natural.
Rishir freshly realized the weight the World Tree and its high elf descendants held among elves.
"So, with no other way, I'm resorting to this backdoor to hear your story."
"...For now, I've been told not to disclose it externally, but—"
"What? You teasing me? Fair warning: I'm not the kind of woman a young human like you can handle."
"...You certainly seem that way."
Lunadien grinned cheerfully at Rishir.
"..."
And.
Ratsil, watching their exchange from the side, had her eyes wide in shock.
"Ratsil?"
Rishir noted her state and spoke.
—No, it's just... I've never seen the Tower Master this friendly to anyone else. Especially a human...!
To verify, Ratsil stared at Lunadien with a look like she'd seen a ghost.
—It really must be a big deal! For a human like you to be recognized in the Teal Pavilion...
"..."
Rishir was also considerably surprised by that part.
Lunadien.
She seemed like a handful at first glance.
Yet she was this friendly just from a casual tip from the Teal Pavilion.
"Anyway, enough chit-chat."
At that moment.
Lunadien stood from her seat.
"Human. Shall we move?"
"Move? To where?"
"Caroer said you want to learn nature magic?"
"Ah! Yes! That's right!"
"With a human body, no less."
"Oh..."
"Haha! Don't make that face. Not scolding you."
"Then—"
"Truth is, nature magic is realistically tricky for humans to handle. So, humans need some preparatory process to learn it. That's what we're doing now."
Lunadien gestured flamboyantly toward the door.
"Oh, by the way—this is me bragging—but it's been nearly a century since a human visited here. So feel honored."
Following Lunadien.
Rishir's gaze darted busily.
Because of the accompanying golem.
"Human. You've been staring at my golem since earlier. Fallen for her beauty?"
"No, it's not that—"
Rishir examined the golem once more and cautiously spoke.
"Um... Was that golem modeled after someone else?"
"Yeah. My nemesis."
"...!"
Rishir lowered his gaze at the sight of her smiling brightly and brushing back the golem's bangs.
'What if she finds out I'm Grand Master's disciple's disciple?'
Afterward.
Rishir forcibly restrained himself from looking at the golem.
How long had he cautiously followed Lunadien?
"This is the place."
Rishir entered a cramped altar in the Green Tower's basement.
Despite being underground in a sealed chamber, soft sunlight poured in as if in the heart of a forest.
"Human. You will now face the elf ancestors."
"E-Elf ancestors?"
"Yes. The teachers of all nature mages, who cultivated the Great Forest alongside the World Tree. What you must do when you meet them is simple: politely request it. Ask them to bestow upon you the blood of nature magic."
"Politely asking is my specialty, at least—"
Lunadien smirked and approached the wooden statue at the chamber's center.
As she chanted a spell before it, the wooden statue brimmed with life, as if alive.
"Ancestors."
Lunadien addressed the wooden statue in a solemn tone.
"Another being wishes to dwell in nature's embrace."
"...!"
Rishir unwittingly swallowed.
Countless eyes sprouted across the wooden statue, all fixing on him.
As many voices as eyes filled the space.
Lunadien bowed politely and replied.
"It was a request from Guardian Caroer. This human provided great aid in a matter related to the World Tree in the Teal Pavilion."
Rishir felt his fears realized in the ancestors' voices.
Their boomer energy(?) rivaled the high elf elders.
"..."
Then.
Lunadien gave Rishir a look.
Oh no.
Did he have to step up now?
Rishir steeled himself inwardly and stood before the wooden statue.
"Great elves... Please, impart your teachings..."
Then.
The eyes converged into one massive eye.
It focused entirely on Rishir.
Rishir felt as if a colossal force was peering into his very essence.
"As Lady Lunadien said, I am one introduced by Guardian Caroer—"
"...!"
In that instant.
Rishir felt something surging up from within.
'Why am I...?'
Surrendering to the sensation, he found himself speaking against his will.
"Honorary Mage of the Gray Tower."
The wooden statue scorned the utterly ordinary—
Thus pathetic—name.
"Swordsman of the Gray Tower."
"Priest of the Gray Tower. Black Mage of the Gray Tower. Shaman of the Gray Tower. Master of the Sand Mountain that Shrouds the Sky. The One who Extinguished the Burning Black Flame. Mother of the World Tree. Master of the Stronghold. Stronghold. Omen Reverser. Nightmare Intruder—..."
Why won't it end?
They sensed something was wrong.