Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 242
>Chapter Title: A Piercing Winter Wind
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The next day in the afternoon.
We woke up at dawn, packed up the campsite, and gathered at the valley entrance to say our goodbyes.
"Tower Master, the Patriarch says to come visit whenever. Do as you please."
The knight captain shot me a displeased glare before departing with the Shadow Knights.
A few of Hazen's underlings tagged along with them to guide them through secret paths.
I lazily waved as I watched Lortel's procession fade into the distance.
'The ones who chose Lortel, huh...'
244 trainees, 73 vagrants.
A total of 317.
Watching over three hundred people stretch out in a long line, I heard Senior Myrcella's voice suddenly ring in my ear as she approached.
"Not a bad feeling, is it?"
"......"
Senior Myrcella smiled with a kindly face.
After staring at her for a moment, I turned my gaze back to Lortel's procession and nodded.
"Yeah, sure."
"These are the kids you saved. You could stand to look a bit happier."
Senior Myrcella beamed with pride, looking more pleased than I was.
"By the way, when are we planning to head out?"
Oh, and just so you know, Senior Myrcella had decided to head to the Second Black-White Slums with us.
She said it would be rude to just lead the vagrants back under the Blandoga family's wing without a word...
I fixed her with a cold stare for a moment.
"You're really going to ask Lady Gamo and leave right away, right?"
"Heh heh."
"You're not planning to leech off us, are you?"
"Nice weather we're having."
Senior Myrcella gazed off at the distant mountains for no reason.
The kids who chose Senior Myrcella numbered 42 trainees and 12 vagrants—a total of over 50 heading to the Second Black-White Slums. The thought sent chills creeping down my spine.
'...Nah, no way.'
A person with any shame wouldn't do that.
Besides, she claimed to be Damian's master. She wouldn't actually settle down in the Second Black-White Slums with the kids, right?
Still, just in case, I left a warning.
"Senior, remember that respect and insult are a fine line."
"What do you mean by that?"
What else could it mean?
Just be careful not to turn elder respect into elder abuse.
Senior Myrcella let out an awkward cough, as if reading the room. Then, as if remembering something he'd forgotten, he spoke up.
"Speaking of which... how's that kid doing? He seemed pretty down."
It was obvious he was changing the subject, but I let it slide without pointing it out.
And who was 'that kid'?
Lucifer, of course.
- You can't learn spirit arts.
- I am free. The Tower Master must not hold me back.
- No, that's not it...
Some freedoms are acceptable, others aren't. And spirit arts fell squarely into the unacceptable category for Lucifer.
'His talent for spirit arts was hopelessly bad even in my past life.'
But I couldn't just say that outright, so I had Senior Myrcella test his talent on the spot...
- ...This can't be.
The bear of a man was utterly heartbroken.
"Well, he'll have to be okay. What choice do we have if he's not?"
"Ahem, if he wants it, I could try to help out."
"Moths have to eat mulberry leaves to survive."
Who does this guy think he is?
Lucifer had already agreed to join the Magic Tower.
Sure, it was a verbal promise made in his weakened state, but he had consented to it himself.
And there was another reason I couldn't let Lucifer go.
'He's the Magic Tower's slave... no, successor.'
When it came to carrying on the will of the founding Tower Master—me—there was no better candidate.
In a way, the Magic Tower's very ideology had originated from Lucifer.
Even if he didn't see it now, once he understood the tower's purpose in the future, he'd accept it gladly.
But anyway.
'...Why the hell is this guy sticking around?'
I eyed a certain boy mixed in among the kids who chose the Magic Tower.
There were 14 trainees including Lucifer and 12 vagrants who picked the tower, and surprisingly, one unexpected face was among the vagrants.
The scout.
"Heh heh, Tower Master. Sleep well last night?"
"Aren't you going somewhere else? I could still take you to Lortel if you want."
"Eek! You can't say that, sir. From the moment this scout first laid eyes on you, I knew right away!"
Knew what, exactly?
I didn't bother asking.
Judging by how he'd deliberately omitted the subject, he was clearly hoping I'd prompt him.
As I ignored the fawning scout and turned away, Shine emerged from the valley just then.
"You here?"
"Yeah."
"Got the kids rounded up okay?"
"Yeah. They're all coming to the Sword Garden."
I glanced at the children standing behind Shine.
Astaroth and Lerazie, with the injured ones at the back.
Well, their wounds were all healed now, so not injured anymore, but anyway—the kids I'd seen in the tents were lined up in a row.
Shine had decided to look after the other kids at the Sword Garden too, not just Astaroth and Lerazie.
They didn't have to be kin; the Sword Garden could support the children.
"So, that's everything?"
"Yes, we're ready to move whenever you are."
I nodded at the reply from one of Hazen's underlings.
Then I looked at Shine and Senior Myrcella, and the children standing behind them.
A new spark of life glimmered in the kids' eyes, unlike before.
Watching them, a thought suddenly struck me.
- I want to live like a human.
No. 17's words that had troubled me.
I still didn't have the answer.
But one thing was clear.
'I might never find that answer...'
But those kids following behind us—they would find it.
I no longer felt ashamed.
There were so many children to find the answer in my place.
"Alright, let's go."
...Back to the Second Black-White Slums.
Unlike when I'd left everything behind, my steps felt incredibly light.
Oh, right.
'I told Decullan I'd let them know the time and place.'
That should be fine, right?
Yeah, it'll be okay.
Promises are made to be broken, after all.
Of course.
* * *
The Lortel family’s grand conference hall.
Dozens of retainers sat around a massive table, a solemn atmosphere hanging in the air.
[...That concludes the report.]
As the voice from the crystal orb—the Shadow Knight Captain—finished, a heavy silence descended upon the conference hall.
Patriarch Muhard tapped the table with thick fingers.
The rhythmic echoes spread at steady intervals.
It wasn't long before Muhard spoke.
"We got everything we could."
[Yes, including the full Troubleshooter operations process and their connections to Decullan. And more besides...]
As the Shadow Knight Captain continued, an inexplicable fervor flickered in the retainers' eyes.
Why wouldn't it?
Knowing the Troubleshooter operations meant they had pierced through their every method.
It would be a massive advantage in the information war to come.
And that wasn't all.
They now held irrefutable proof that Decullan was illegally operating Troubleshooters—a blade to pressure them, now gripped firmly in Lortel's hand!
Perhaps that's why.
The retainers, who had been silently holding their tongues, began to speak one by one.
"We could publicize this and deal a blow to Decullan..."
"We got the restraint release method from the Tower Master, right? We could use Troubleshooters to expose Decullan's corruption going forward..."
"No, that's not the best approach. If we push that far, Decullan won't sit idle. Even a cornered rat bites a cat—let alone Decullan..."
The retainers weighed pros and cons based on their own interests.
How to maximize this opportunity, what advantages they could gain in this war.
How much time passed like that?
The discussion, which had started calmly, had grown heated when a heavy voice echoed through the hall.
"Enough."
"......"
"......"
Muhard silenced the retainers and scanned the room with cold eyes before speaking.
"Handle the Troubleshooter matter discreetly."
It was a single phrase forgoing the many benefits of going public, but the retainers didn't object.
It stemmed from their absolute trust in the Patriarch, and Muhard calmly laid out his own thoughts on how to leverage this.
In summary:
Use the usable intelligence, but stay within lines that won't provoke Decullan to extreme measures.
And what were those extreme measures?
Murder and silencing.
Killing active Troubleshooters to shut them up.
With all discussion concluded.
One retainer cautiously raised a hand.
"Speak."
"Your esteemed will is so profound that we cannot fully grasp it. Thus, I humbly ask... why bear this hassle?"
The elderly retainer was questioning why Lortel should care about the Troubleshooters' well-being—and its implications.
Further...
The Patriarch's words also implied not to mistreat any captured Troubleshooters in the future.
It was less a rebuttal and more a genuine question, so Muhard explained patiently rather than taking offense.
Why would Lortel endure such trouble?
The reason was simple.
"It's our pact with the Magic Tower."
That one phrase sufficed.
The Magic Tower, bearer of the platinum badge, was Lortel's closest ally.
Holding the platinum badge meant being inside Lortel's innermost circle—and Lortel never abandoned family within.
And most crucially...
- I could not assess the Tower Master's realm.
A remark slipped during the report by the Shadow Knight Captain.
What did that imply?
The Shadow Knight Captain, on the cusp of transcendence, couldn't gauge his realm—meaning...
Transcendence.
The Tower Master was a grand mage who had surpassed limits.
Though their overall forces remained undisclosed, the Tower Master's existence alone warranted utmost respect for the Magic Tower.
Add to that the Sword Garden Master, a master knight, and the wind spiritist from the old war era who had revealed himself this time.
Their influence was considerable.
...Of course, that didn't mean Lortel's retainers would bow blindly to the Tower Master's name.
"We understand your will, Patriarch. However... could you grant us time to deliberate on this matter? If permitted, we'll devise ways to exploit it without breaching the pact with the Magic Tower."
They respected him, but wouldn't revere him blindly.
They would ponder the Tower Master's boundaries and squeeze out maximum profit.
And so, the discussion wrapped up.
Suddenly, as if by prior agreement, a heavy silence blanketed the conference hall.
The space, once burning with heated fervor, was now swept by cold, chilling currents.
Everyone knew.
War.
That the time had come.
"Before spring arrives would be best."
The piercing winter wind spread on a tangy scent.
Whether it was the aroma of iron or the stench of blood, no one knew. But one thing was certain.
It would be a long winter.