Chapter 342
Chapter 342
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 342
Chapter Title: Epilogue: What the Tower of Illusion Left Behind -3
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Why must life be so painful?
Why must people writhe in agony throughout the long span from birth to death? I gazed up at the sky dozens, hundreds of times, asking that question, but no clear answer ever came.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Just as grass bends in the wind and a fallen apple nestles into the earth's embrace, the shape of life is inherently so, and we must endure it as such. That's what the silence seemed to say.
Then, if life is a hell crafted for savoring suffering...
Even if I act a bit worse, even if I make others miserable, it wouldn't be much of a flaw. After all, a soot-blackened wall doesn't mind a little more dust.
"You damn thief bitch!"
"It's your fault for carrying your wallet so loosely, you idiot!"
And so, Alice lived a life of stealing from others.
Pickpocketing. An age-old profession where she'd lurk in back alleys, target easy marks, bump into them, and swiftly snatch their wallets. That's how she scraped by, earning just enough for the day.
In truth, she failed more often than she succeeded. When she'd grab a purse and flee desperately, only to have a pursuing mercenary grab her by the hair... Stars would explode before her eyes from the beating.
"Consider yourself lucky your wrists weren't sliced off. Ptui."
"......"
Her face swelled from the punches, thick phlegm dripping down her forehead from the spit. Even in that state, Alice laughed.
"Uh... heh heh heh..."
Of course, it wasn't from happiness. She laughed in sheer absurdity.
Just a few steps ahead, beyond the shadowed alley, on the wide street bathed in bright sunlight, such a conversation drifted over.
"Daddy, I want to be a magician! I want to join the Crimson Magic Tower!"
"Taking the Magic Tower entrance exam will cost a pretty penny... But yeah, think of it as an investment. We'll go for the exam next year."
"You promised! Daddy promised, right?!"
How could she not laugh?
While someone was about to pay an unimaginable sum to become a esteemed magician, here she was, racking her brains to make up for what she'd blown today.
"Magician, huh..."
Alice huddled up and pondered. The goddess doesn't turn away the pitiful, they say. If she had any conscience, wouldn't she have granted talent to someone like her, living in such squalor?
Magician. Magician...
The word kept circling in her mind. For Alice, who had no real dreams, this was the first time something truly drew her in.
Moreover, magicians affiliated with a Magic Tower held the authority of a baron by law. If she somehow had the talent to pass the entrance exam, she'd be free of this wretched commoner status.
If only she could.
Yeah, I'll scrape together enough money to get into a Magic Tower somehow, and become one of those fancy magicians. Alice repeated that to herself.
From that day on, she scrimped even more. She ate just enough to stay alive, skipped tribute payments to the gang boss even if it meant a beating, saved every copper that way for a year.
In her grasp were three silver coins.
Alice set off without a plan. She arrived at the Violet Magic Tower, said to be the weakest among them. Weakest, so probably the cheapest entrance fee.
And she thrust those three silver coins at the guard magician.
"I'm here to become a magician."
"Get lost. This ain't a Magic Tower that gets sneered at by beggars or vagrants."
"I'm here to become a magician!"
"I said scram, you vagrant scum! Right now!"
The guard was stubborn, but Alice was stubborner. A scuffle broke out right in front of the Violet Magic Tower.
Looking back, that guard magician... might have actually been a decent guy. He didn't take her silver, didn't lay a hand on her. Maybe he knew about the inhuman experiments inside the tower.
Maybe that's why he tried so hard to chase her away.
But the heavens are cruel beyond measure.
"□, □□-nim..."
"...Ah, you have talent. Do you want to become a magician? Come inside. There's a spot perfect for you."
"Took you long enough!"
Alice entered the Violet Magic Tower. She went right in.
And she never came out again.
......
It was a life filled with suffering.
Even the dream she first grasped was cast into the mud, leading to a miserable end. She regretted being born. A life utterly devoid of meaning.
Perhaps she was born under such stars. A sinister, ill-fated destiny of eternal suffering until parting from this world.
It was this hard. Nothing ever went right, and she died tortured by those mad magicians. But the reason she clung so fiercely to survival in that state... the reason she wanted to live.
Was the hope that, at least once, sunlight might pierce this stifling life.
"Since you know so much about our god, we'll use you for the materials of the 『Evil God Statue』. Alice."
Though the indifferent heavens remained a bastard to the end.
As Alice drifted into a long slumber within the 『Evil God Statue』, in the hazy space between reality and dream, she thought: A filthy life. A dog's life.
Filthy, petty heavens.
If the heavens had any conscience, then... just one thing. She'd grant it. Even if she died unjustly, she wouldn't curse this world. She'd fully accept her wretched life. So...
So at least, just one.
'Please, make Yuna the happiest person in the world.'
She prayed her final wish would come true.
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Blur. Murkiness.
A sensation like waking from a very long sleep, unable to distinguish dream from reality. And. And...
"...Uuuugh?"
Awakening.
Alice panicked at the unfamiliar sensation of 'life' after so long. Hadn't she definitely died? Was this the afterlife? Her body wouldn't move properly...
In her hazy awareness, as she flailed her limbs, a man's voice came from beside her.
"Oh dear, you're awake, friend? Your body's in such rough shape that you'll need rest and modifications before you can move properly. So just relax."
"Ahh."
"Once the second round of modifications is done, you'll be able to live freely again. Loosen up and rest easy. Ah, I'll go fetch the Magic Tower Master."
"Uuuuh."
Mumbling with a slack tongue, Alice lifted her terribly heavy eyelids. And before her...
A man with black hair and red eyes smiled amiably.
He left the room to fetch someone. Left alone, Alice racked her brains frantically in the silence. I'm supposed to be dead. And that guy just now...
He was wearing a Violet Tower robe.
Refined features, talk of 'modification', unresponsive body, and that suspiciously creepy smile...
『□□』... Can't remember the name, but he looks like that goat-masked lunatic magician. The one leading the project.
Violet Magic Tower lunatics.
Now they're resurrecting the dead for experiments? Wasn't I tortured enough? What the fuck do they want now?
This can't happen. Once is bad luck, twice is too unjust to bear. Fueled by outrage, Alice ignited her resolve.
She didn't know how she'd been revived...
But they wouldn't expect a freshly awakened subject to move. If escape was possible, now was the time. Get out somehow, or jump to her death if needed.
With superhuman will, Alice dragged her weakened body upright. Staggering like a fawn, she opened the sickroom door and bolted.
She crept down the hall. The familiar tower interior came into view.
...This is definitely the Violet Magic Tower. Knew it. Experiment Season 2. The interior's gotten way cushier, with big stuffed bunny dolls and girly decorations added...
After a brief search, Alice found the stairs and descended.
"......"
Down a floor, she sensed presences and huddled into a corner. Peeking out, she scouted.
Violet Tower magicians. Two women. Unfamiliar faces, but definitely evil bastards. Gotta stay tense. Caught by them, it's over.
Positioning for quiet escape...
"Lorelei-senpai, um... Charlie-senpai retired after whatever possessed him, right? So what about his research data? The panty modeling collection's a shame to toss."
"Luche-junior, don't shred it—keep it. You'll find a use for it."
"Ah, this panty design's great. I'll copy it and commission a tailor at a clothing shop. Gotta show our darling."
"...Luche-junior, your darling's a hologram... Ah, no. Nothing."
......?
Alice was baffled. Those Violet Tower magicians had all sorts of lewd panties floating in the air, discussing something. No clue what.
Evil... how?
How do you scheme evil with women's underwear designs?
No, it's a ploy to confuse. Alice waited for her chance, then slipped downstairs as the two entered a fitting room.
Presences again.
A girl with horns on her head and a pink-haired ponytail woman in a suit were talking.
"Where's Mima? Looked around, no sign."
"She's waking Yuna's friend."
"Mom's friend... you mean the last door owner? Tower Master's gonna shed some tears today."
"Maybe we should prep a celebration party. Gotta blast away the sad mood with festivity."
......
Yuna? Mom? Dad?
Yuna must be her friend Yuna Yurensuto. But mom? That horned girl Yuna's daughter? Then how many years have passed?
Bad thoughts swirled. Yuna never escaped this Violet Magic Tower... and even had a kid. Those horns marked her as no ordinary child.
Definitely inhuman experiments. Alice clenched her fists, trembling. The dogshit heavens ignored even her final wish.
Fine, I'll trust myself over the heavens. Gotta find Yuna. Escape together.
Alice descended floor by floor. Rolled down stairs once, nearly spotted by a dimwit Violet magician, but pushed through.
Second floor. One last hurdle. Alice caught her breath, panting.
Break through the lobby, and it's outside the Violet Magic Tower. But... no sign of Yuna on the way down. That made her hesitate.
Right. Can't leave alone. One selfish choice is enough. I'll go back up, search for traces of my friend. As she steeled herself...
"Has the Tower Master arrived?!"
"Hello, Tower Master!"
The lobby magicians shouted. Violet Magic Tower Master... he's back! No wonder she hadn't seen him descending—he'd been out.
Hide somewhere. Alice crammed into a second-floor cabinet.
Murmurs spread from outside...
Someone's missing, gotta search—damn, busted. Now magicians will comb the tower. Alice bit her nails.
Time dragged in tension and fear. And then.
Screeech—
The cabinet door opened. Alice squeezed her eyes shut. Caught. Back to being an experiment subject.
But no rough hands dragged her out. Instead, a familiar friend's teary voice.
"...Alice?"
"Yu, Yuna?"
She peeked her eyes open. Yuna looked a bit more grown than remembered, wearing a pointed hat. Like a magician.
But those big, pure eyes unchanged. Blinking with surprise and emotion, she said,
"You're awake...?! I, I waited so long. But why in the cabinet...?!"
"No time, Yuna. They know I escaped. Tower Master's back too, I think. But luckily we're on the second floor. You hide with me... wait for a chance, dash to the first floor. Might escape then!"
"Es, escape?!"
"...Yeah. Get out, call for help. Guard bastards won't budge easy, but report black magicians, it'll work. Then grab your daughter too—"
Mid-sentence, the door burst open. The black-haired, red-eyed magician panted in.
"Tower Master, your friend slipped away while I blinked... Magic scan missed, gotta search visually. She couldn't have left the tower yet—found her!"
Alice tilted her head. Did he just call Yuna Tower Master?
"...Tower Master?"
"Y, yeah. I'm the Tower Master now..."
"How?!"
"I, I killed them all. The bad ones, the ones who killed my friend—almost all dead. And now... sniff, you're alive too. Finally met...!"
Yuna teared up, hugging Alice tightly. It didn't make sense. Yuna the Violet Magic Tower Master? And killed them all?
Understanding lagged, reality unreal.
"Hic..."
But the warmth softened her heart.
Yuna looked healthy. Good color, not skin and bones.
Her lips curved naturally. While she slept, so much had happened. And Yuna... had become someone great and amazing somehow.
Vulgar thoughts bubbled. If my friend's Tower Master, I can live easy forever. No more pickpocketing.
But shelve that. For now...
She wanted to savor the reunion in this happy world.
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The mad magician watched the friends' reunion with a pleased smile. Though frail, Alice's mind and soul lingered in the secured Evil God Statue, allowing revival through it.
That was why he couldn't fully complete the 『Lamb』. The Tower of Illusion's collapse energy prioritized Alice's revival.
The mad magician murmured to the empty air.
"Heartwarming, right?"
A voice replied from the void. Yuna, yet not—Yuna's mirror self.
-Yuna thinks so too. Yuna made the scene she dreamed of happen.
"I did it, you brat."
-No matter the means, if it happened, Yuna made it happen.
"Born in the fantasy realm, got that fantasy mindset."
After the mad magician cast 『Fantasy Realm: Gate Opening』, a faint channel connected to mirror Yuna, enabling this chat.
"What now for you?"
-Yuna lives protecting Yuna. That's my life's joy. You crushed my 『Tower of Illusion』, but not my heart. Mess up, and Yuna steps in.
"Staying guardian angel forever, huh. Then no need to step up."
-Then Yuna's just a calculator.
"Fine."
If that's her choice, no reason to stop. Conversation done. The mad magician turned after tidying up. As long as he fulfilled his role, mirror Yuna wouldn't cause trouble.
He pondered various tasks.
Help Irid's imperial throne bid, wipe out remaining black magicians, above all, exorcise the unpleasant tenant in his head.
But first.
"Shall we set a full buffet course? Show my wife's friend flavors a pickpocket couldn't dream of."
-Yuna likes meat. Alice too, she says.
"I know, man."
To commemorate these tragedy-transcended reunited souls, start by painting the day in vibrant colors.