Chapter 321
Chapter 321
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 321
Chapter Title: Children in the Black Tower
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Just as he was about to start climbing the stairs, a sound came from behind.
Kadddd-.
He turned his head and saw one block of ice melting. It was the one that should have been the last to thaw.
The ice encasing Murray, frozen solid, melted and trickled away. Murray, trapped inside, gasped for breath as he crawled out and collapsed onto the floor.
"Still... here."
"Just stay frozen."
Si-woo, who had just stepped onto the stairs, turned back. A chill gathered at his fingertips, and the surrounding temperature plummeted once more.
Just as he was about to unleash it, Si-woo's eyes met Murray's.
Fear dwelled in Murray's eyes.
He had expended a great deal of mana breaking free from the ice. Moreover, he seemed to know he was no match for Si-woo in skill.
Yet Murray still stood against Si-woo.
His mental fortitude surpassed even his mastery of magic.
"You know it's futile, so why bother?"
"It's my mission."
A rigid, upright man. The type was rare these days.
Fuss-.
In that instant, the chill at Si-woo's hand dissipated into lukewarm air.
Si-woo asked Murray, who wore an expression of bewilderment.
"Want to come up with us?"
"......What?"
"I think you'll want to see this. Whatever's up there."
Murray, who had been squeezing out every last drop of his remaining mana, lowered his arms.
He looked up toward the stairs where Si-woo stood.
"What's up there?"
"I don't know exactly."
Si-woo shrugged. He was just as clueless about what awaited them here.
"But you said it yourself, right? That the kidnapped kids were brought here."
"That's true."
"We're looking for some kids too."
"Kids?"
Murray hesitated, unsure whether to believe that Si-woo's goal matched his own.
But that doubt faded significantly with Si-woo's next words.
"What's my reason to lie? I could just refreeze you and go."
"......Fair point."
Murray glanced at the other mages still frozen nearby.
"If you're truly here for the same purpose as us, can you free them too?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I trust you, and that's as far as it goes. You're the only one I need."
It was an utterly cryptic statement. Murray couldn't fathom what was going through Si-woo's mind.
Trust? And what did he mean by need?
He got no answer to his questions.
Because someone else arrived right then.
"You got here first."
In a flash, Soo-hyuk appeared.
Murray shivered as he realized Soo-hyuk had passed right by him and stood beside Si-woo without him noticing.
'Fast.'
No matter that his back was turned—he hadn't even sensed him pass until he reached the stairs.
Meanwhile, Si-woo was startled by Soo-hyuk's sudden appearance.
"How'd you get here? I haven't even sent the message yet."
"Someone told me."
"Who?"
"You know. That weirdo who loves the kids."
Si-woo gave him a strange look, not understanding. Unsure how to explain, Soo-hyuk put off the details for later.
"It's a long story. What about you?"
"Followed those guys."
"Red Tower?"
Soo-hyuk's gaze shifted to Murray. He immediately recognized Soo-hyuk standing beside Si-woo.
"Lee Soo-hyuk."
In that moment, Soo-hyuk's eyes changed. He'd gone to great lengths to hide his identity to get this far, only for a Red Tower mage to see through them.
Soo-hyuk turned to Si-woo with a look that said why hadn't he frozen the guy. Si-woo shook his head.
"He seems okay."
"You planning to bring him along?"
"The Red Tower Lord must have sent them here for a reason. I think they're an extension of the Blood Howler plot."
Soo-hyuk pondered Si-woo's words briefly, then nodded.
"If you say so."
Soo-hyuk trusted Si-woo's judgment. If he deemed it fine, there had to be good reason.
Murray, suddenly roped into joining them, was confused about how to proceed.
"No need to overthink it."
Unlike Si-woo, whom he'd faced as an enemy, Soo-hyuk spoke to him politely.
"Judge as your conscience dictates. Whatever's up there, whatever the truth is."
"You mean there's a truth I don't know?"
"Even if I told you, would you believe it? Without seeing for yourself."
"You really trust me? What if I betray you at a crucial moment?"
"He must figure he can handle that much, that's why he's bringing you. Confident?"
Murray shook his head after a moment's thought.
Truth be told, he had no confidence in handling Si-woo. As Blue Eyes' legend, he was someone even the Red Tower Lord might struggle against.
And now Lee Soo-hyuk, riding high on recent fame, had joined him.
'No way I could handle them.'
The two could subdue him in an instant.
So why?
The same question looped in his mind again. Murray shook his head to clear it.
No need to think too deeply. Experience told him that in such cases, the best was to go along for now.
He had no choice anyway. Whether this was a Black Tower trap or the kidnapped children, he'd find out by going.
Sensing Murray had made up his mind, Soo-hyuk grinned.
"Good choice."
With his decision made, Soo-hyuk began climbing the stairs with Si-woo. From the 1st floor to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th... they ascended, but encountered no one.
"It's completely empty."
Murray's unease was something Si-woo felt too, naturally.
"Not normal."
"A trap?"
"Too obvious for that. And weird."
"Weird how?"
"Lure the Red Tower here and spring a trap? Why?"
"Maybe they expected us instead."
Soo-hyuk shook his head.
"No way to know. No leaks in info either."
At least one thing Soo-hyuk was certain of.
"It's not because of us."
Of course, his certainty stemmed from another unspoken reason.
'Didn't seem like they had ulterior motives.'
Soo-hyuk had come here because of Mercion. And he'd been the first to seek out Mercion.
This situation was of their own making, not the Black Tower's. Yet the tower was empty.
What exactly had he been plotting here? And why had the Red Tower Lord sent his mages to a place like this?
No answers came until they neared the top after a long climb.
The three checked each floor meticulously. They didn't rush, in case they missed something.
Thus, they reached the top of the tower.
The summit floor was made of black glass. Looking down at the floor that clearly reflected their faces, it felt as if another world lay beneath their feet.
Reaching any summit usually brought a sense of accomplishment. But Murray, who had climbed to the top of the Black Tower on his own two feet, felt only emptiness.
"Really... empty."
Murray muttered in a hollow voice. He'd hoped for something here, but there was nothing.
"It's not that no one's here."
"Who's here, then?"
"You're only sensing black mana, so it feels empty."
Si-woo nodded in agreement beside him.
Hearing that the two had sensed something, Murray crouched and placed his hand on the floor.
He was a Red Tower mage. Among fire-element spells was one that detected surroundings via temperature, just like how Si-woo had first found them.
How much time passed?
Murray shouted, joy evident on his face.
"They're here!"
Heads whipped around. It was a blank wall, but he pointed at it confidently.
"Over there! Definitely!"
"You found them?"
"Yes! There are kids there!"
Soo-hyuk smiled faintly at Murray's exuberant cry. Seeing him like this, he somewhat understood why Si-woo wanted to bring him along.
Of course, it wasn't just righteousness. As Si-woo said, he was surely part of the Red Tower's Blood Howler extension.
Though the man himself seemed unaware.
"Magic's blocking the way. I'll handle it."
Excited, Murray took the lead. Soo-hyuk and Si-woo had sensed it first but didn't spoil his moment.
Murray was genuinely thrilled. What he'd detected beyond the black wall was the body heat of children.
Spreading three fingers, Murray concentrated his remaining mana at his fingertips.
Light flowed from his fingertips, drawing lines on the wall. A circle larger than a person's body formed, and hot flames ignited along the lines.
Chiii-.
The flames didn't blaze wildly. Mindful not to harm any children inside, he controlled the power delicately.
A clean cut, as if sliced by a knife.
The wall segment fell backward along the lines.
Thud-.
As the sturdy wall piece toppled, what lay behind was revealed.
A pitch-black room without a speck of light. Murray hurriedly lit it up, illuminating the interior.
"......They're really here."
Terrified children huddled inside the wall.
About twenty children, most unconscious and slumped over. A few who were awake cried or trembled in fear.
Murray felt relieved.
He'd been anxious the whole climb up. No Black Tower mages, so were the kids even here? With no one who should be here, maybe the kids weren't either?
But they were. They existed.
Murray's primary goal in coming here was to rescue the children. Punishing the Black Tower mages was secondary.
The first goal was achieved. Now for the second.
Murray approached one of the awake children in the room.
Around ten years old? A bright-eyed, clever-looking boy.
The child shrank back in fear as Murray approached.
"Don't be so scared. We're here to save you."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. The uncles will protect you from now on."
Murray glanced back at Soo-hyuk and Si-woo. Fortunately, they nodded, so he relaxed and continued.
"Do you remember who brought you here?"
"Over there."
The child pointed behind the three men.
"That big sister brought us."
Soo-hyuk's head turned first. Si-woo and Murray followed, looking beyond the crumbled wall.
All three men's eyes widened simultaneously. At the direction the child's finger pointed stood a terribly familiar face.
Great Mage Hails.
Her signature hat floating above her head, she walked toward the three of them.