Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Magic Tower
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"Ah, we're out!"
Unlike the tension, the carriage exited the forest without encountering a single black magician.
As it emerged onto the open plain, relief bloomed across the coachman's face.
The biggest worry had been an ambush damaging the carriage, but that was one concern off the table.
Afterward, the carriage pressed on without stopping.
"We've arrived."
We had reached the Gramza Union's hideout.
The coachman pulled up the two carriages in front of a large mansion.
Berdan and I headed up to the mansion's third floor to give our report.
"You're here."
Guild Master Dilen, sensing our arrival, gestured for us to sit on the sofa.
Behind him...
"......"
Four members of the Shadow Union were already there.
Since none of them spoke to me, I quietly took a seat on the sofa.
Berdan gave Dilen a brief report, then handed over a bloodstained pouch from inside his robes.
The pouch containing the severed finger of a black magician.
"Three black magicians."
"Yes. Confirmed."
Dilen checked the contents before setting the pouch aside.
Afterward...
"Mage. You did good work this time."
Rather than replying, I gave a light nod.
Dilen cracked a faint smile at my response, then set a fairly large safe down in front of me.
"This is your promised reward. Two hundred Imperial gold coins."
He motioned for me to check it, so I did. Inside, it was filled to the brim with gold coins.
I closed the safe and stowed it carefully in my inventory.
"Mage. Your part is done. I need to talk with Berdan, so feel free to head back to Labyrinth City."
With Dilen hinting for me to leave first, I did just that.
The other guild members had a somewhat gloomy air about them. Something must be up.
"Welcome back."
As I descended the mansion steps, the coachman was already waiting in the empty carriage parked out front.
"I was ordered to escort you all the way, Mage-nim."
The coachman asked where I wanted to go next.
I could head straight back to the city from here, but...
"I'm heading to the Magic Tower."
Since I was already out of the city, I figured I'd make a detour to the Magic Tower.
Sell the Eye of the Storm that Sylph had created.
Check on some magic books while I was at it, and if luck was on my side, snag a Mandrake Elixir too. Perfect.
"Understood, Mage-nim."
I climbed aboard, and the coachman drove the carriage away from the hideout.
Astanal, the continent's greatest Magic Tower.
With so many vested interests converging there, commercial districts had naturally sprung up all around it.
In time, an entire city took shape.
That city came to be known collectively as Magic Tower City, sharing Astanal's name.
The gigantic tower, radiating multicolored lights, served as the landmark at its center, surrounded by a ring of splendid urban sprawl.
But there was one difference from my last visit.
"... It'll take a while to get in, Mage-nim."
The coachman pointed at the line stretching out before us.
Last time, the crowds had been thick but navigable on foot.
Now, an endless procession of carriages was visible even from a distance.
"I'll get off here."
"Er... yeah, that might be quicker."
At this rate, we'd be stuck waiting half the day. So I stepped down from the carriage.
They kept separate lanes for carriages and pedestrians, so entering alone shouldn't take long.
"The Magic Tower holds festivals now and then, but this one came sooner than expected."
The Magic Tower's festivals... they were meant to commemorate past transcendents, right?
It had only been lore up to now. First time seeing one for real.
"Then I'll wait at the nearby temporary station."
"Got it."
Word was, during festivals, the Magic Tower set up temporary waiting areas as a courtesy.
Mages stood guard, and they even prepared spots for the horses to rest.
Having dismounted, I made for the Magic Tower City's entrance.
"Next up."
I hadn't been in line long before it was my turn.
For visitors, it was just a quick identity check before letting you through.
No one would dare cause trouble anyway, not with the Tower Master and a swarm of powerful mages everywhere.
"Got anything to prove who you are? Doesn't matter what."
I handed the guard the medal from the Rockhart Merchant Guild I'd received recently.
It had been given to me for the carriage escort job, but whatever.
"You with the guild? Kinda light on gear for that."
"Just here to check out the festival."
"Alright."
The guard gave a curt nod and stepped aside.
Passing him, I entered the Magic Tower City proper.
"... Crowded as hell."
The streets were jammed—no room to breathe.
Festival vibes meant endless street stalls lining up right to the Magic Tower's doorstep.
I shoved my way through the throng.
The Magic Tower had its share of back-alley dealers.
Among them, I planned to track down Miel—the one I'd met through Berdan last time.
Better to deal with a familiar face.
"Knight-sir~ Come take a look! Magic stone bread, the Magic Tower's famous treat!"
"Need a magic enchant? Fresh one just out of Red Tower."
The stalls weren't all merchants—plenty of Magic Tower mages had set up shop too.
They flaunted their spells, vying for attention.
I weaved past them all and finally broke through to the front of the Magic Tower.
Oddly, the immediate area around it was deserted. Not a soul in sight.
Everyone must've headed off to enjoy the festivities.
I turned toward the nearby inn.
That's when...
"... What an utterly bizarre phenomenon."
A man appeared out of nowhere, staring blankly into empty space as he muttered.
He looked young—early twenties, tops.
But his voice belonged to an old man.
"Immensely vast. Far beyond anything I've witnessed in my lifetime."
The man began approaching me slowly.
With each step, the space around him rippled.
I studied his face... but it rang no bells.
"You there. A mage?"
"... Yes."
"Your body resonates with magic power and mana. Yet to endure that vastness of yours... it won't suffice."
The man brushed past me.
At once, voices filled the air from all sides.
As if the Magic Tower's vicinity had never been empty, people started appearing one after another, crowding the area in seconds.
"... The hell?"
Snapping to, I bolted for Miel's inn before the mob thickened.
At the door, I knocked slowly.
Knock-knock-knock. Knock. Knock-knock.
Input the precise code, and soon footsteps approached from inside.
*Click.*
"... Ah! Come in!"
A petite woman with heavy dark circles lit up at the sight of me.
She led me to the living room.
"Hang on a sec!"
*Pat pat.*
Miel swept the runes and scrolls off the sofa, brushed away the dust.
Dust clouds puffed into the air wherever her hands passed.
"Take a seat!"
... Pass.
I perched on the sofa's edge. Miel sat opposite.
"Hehe. Thanks a ton from last time! Never dreamed I'd get my hands on a pure deep sea crystal! Let me run five full experiments before reporting to the Tower Master. Oh, keep this quiet!"
She pressed a finger to her lips—shh.
Everything Miel bought and sold actually belonged to the Tower Master.
Deep sea crystals and other top-tier spirit catalysts were rarities, even for the Magic Tower.
They'd been through countless experiments, worn to hell and back.
Mine, though? Pristine.
So Miel had squeezed in as many tests as possible before handover.
Being untouched made for ideal magical results, and a day or two's work barely scratched it.
The Tower Master, getting a flawless specimen, had apparently done a victory dance.
"So, what's up today? No new magic books yet."
"Got an item I want to sell."
"To sell? ... No way!"
Miel shot up from her seat.
"Another deep sea crystal...?"
Her eyes gleamed with eager hope—intense.
I shook my head no.
"Something different."
"Oh... What is it?"
*As expected,* came her soft mutter.
I pulled the Eye of the Storm from my inventory and showed her.
"A magic catalyst called the Eye of the Storm."
"... Huh?"
Miel blinked.
Then she spotted it in my hand.
*Whoosh!*
She lunged straight for it.
I yanked my hand back quick—she ended up sprawled on the floor, staring up at me.
"... You alright?"
"Ah! Sorry, I just... lost it!"
She pushed herself up, eyes glued to my hand the whole time.
She yelled to hold on again, grabbed her magic gear, and hustled back.
After a barrage of verification steps...
"How's one hundred Imperial gold coins sound!"
A damn fine offer.
No haggling needed—I sold her the Eye of the Storm.
She was buying for the Tower Master anyway, so she'd opened with the max she could swing.
"Heh, hehehe... Finally, a real Eye of the Storm..."
Miel cradled it close, eyes dripping honey-sweet adoration.
Wind magic was her specialty, so a wind catalyst like that hit different.
I pocketed the hundred Imperial gold coins in my inventory and left her inn.
"Hit me up next time too! Promise!"
She saw me off at the door—unasked for—so I headed out and navigated the festival-packed Magic Tower.
Found the coachman at the temporary station after, hopped in the carriage, and on the ride back to Labyrinth City, I tallied things up.
Started with one hundred fifty Imperial gold coins.
Two hundred fifty more from the carriage escort.
Just scored another hundred from the Eye of the Storm.
Grand total: five hundred.
First thing when I get back—buy a mansion.