The Tower Master's Secret Vault
The Violet Magic Tower hides countless secrets.
Its very construction was driven by mages conducting experiments across every field imaginable.
The tower's intense research spirit knew no limits.
Among those experiments lay subjects so sensitive that exposing them would have plunged the entire tower into extinction.
Of course, I had no intention of touching any of it.
That is, until the tower master changes.
The relic I seek resides in a space that even the mages of the Violet Magic Tower do not know exists.
To enter, I would need a very special companion.
Someone who holds all the tower's secrets in their position.
"Tell me, Apprentice Sage. Has the time finally come for us to retrieve the relic?"
"Yes, Master."
The deputy tower master stood before a meticulously hand-drawn magical circle on the floor, his expression a mixture of unease and resolve.
"Why draw it by hand?"
"Mana will betray us if drawn with it. This is the only safe way."
A thorough security measure.
One that proved the danger of even a single leak.
"But did you really tell the tower master that the relic exists there?"
The deputy tower master fixed me with a suspicious gaze, the same one he had been giving me the entire time.
He probably thought I was unreliable.
After all, Riella would never casually spill such a secret.
"Not without her permission. Only she would know how I got the information."
"...That's true."
It was the calm answer.
No problem would arise if handled this way.
I had already prepared a plausible excuse in case Riella ever learned the truth.
"Finished."
The deputy tower master straightened, breathing heavily as he finally lowered his arms.
"Are you ready?"
"Always."
"Let's go."
With a clap, the magical circle responded, and purple light surged upward.
In an instant, the entire scene around us shifted.
"Welcome to the Violet Magic Tower's treasure vault."
Since it was the first time I was seeing it in person, I took my time examining every corner.
"It's cleaner than I expected."
The smooth marble floor gave the space a polished, almost flawless appearance.
There was not a speck of dust on the desks or chairs, and the air felt refreshingly pure.
Someone must have been constantly maintaining it.
Even though only a handful of mages were allowed inside, the room had never been neglected.
It was nothing like the cluttered mess I had seen in games.
In this era, there had to be staff dedicated to keeping everything in order.
Given that only a very small number of mages had access, I already knew who they were.
"You manage this place?"
"Yes. It is a location known only to me and the tower master. It falls to me to keep it secure."
The deputy tower master had always taken care of the deputy master's administrative duties.
I had observed him closely before. He never once voiced complaints to Riella, no matter how tired he became.
Even though he was younger than me, he always showed respect.
To me and other mages, he spoke with the authority of a senior mage, yet something about his manner still felt oddly personal.
"I do not know which side of him truly reflects his personality."
"This place also exists somewhere within our tower. Do not cause any trouble."
The deputy tower master clapped again.
Two doors rose from the floor.
One was a standard blue door, the kind found in many places.
The other resembled a door but was red and grotesque, complete with sharp fangs on the sides and a curved, tongue-like horn on top.
"Would you like an explanation?"
"No need."
The blue door led to the true treasure repository, a valuable collection of genuine artifacts.
I saw no reason to enter it, but it would have been a sight to behold.
"I will be going through the red monster door."
The blue door was merely a side path. This red door was the real entrance.
From grotesque relics to dangerous living beings, it was a warehouse of the Violet Magic Tower's history of greed.
"After you."
I stepped into the hole between the fangs, and a long, winding corridor of swirling red light appeared.
It felt like an esophagus.
A sensation that numbed every sense.
"Whoever came up with this twisted imagination?"
"It belongs to the founding tower master of our tower. He had rather unusual tastes."
"I would have preferred a different one."
"Do not deliberately provoke my criticism."
He was not someone to underestimate.
I decided to stop joking around and followed him forward.
"There is something I would like to ask you about the relic you are searching for."
As we walked in silence, a question came from behind me.
"Go ahead."
"Why leave out the simple word 'resurrection' and instead say 'life extended by two'?"
He had clearly been listening carefully and caught the subtle implication.
"Is there a special reason?"
"Life is not free. If someone gains one, someone else must lose one."
The footsteps behind me stopped.
I turned to look, and the deputy tower master's face had gone tense.
"You are not... planning to take my life, are you?"
"No."
The misunderstanding was so obvious that I corrected him immediately.
"You are simply being used as a guide."
"Pardon me for worrying."
He had recovered his usual composure, as if he had never been concerned in the first place.
It was a man who made life far from boring.
"Then whose life are you taking?"
I struggled to find the right words.
After a moment of hesitation, I pointed at myself.
"...I wish you would have asked me directly."
"Explaining first would be boring."
Ignoring my continued requests for details, he kept walking.
"We are here."
The throat-like passage ended, and a circular chamber opened up.
It was clearly modeled after a stomach.
Truly disgusting to imagine, but at least the digestive juices had not been implemented.
Instead, the room was filled with countless artifacts.
A chaotic arrangement that defied any sense of order.
"From here on, be careful."
"I will."
I prepared to channel my aura calmly.
"When did this become a dungeon?"
This was the Violet Magic Tower's treasure dungeon.
A rare case of a treasure repository turning into a living dungeon.
Given that the tower frequently pulled large amounts of mana, dungeons were inevitable.
They must have managed it thoroughly, but this one had been hidden so deeply that they had not been able to stop it.
"It has been about five years. Since it was too difficult to conquer, they decided not to let it grow any larger."
"Well done."
Even Riella, the tower master, had been unable to conquer this dungeon.
It was not a matter of strength.
"To defeat every trial stored in each artifact would be a challenge in itself."
The number of artifacts here easily surpassed four digits.
An impossible quantity for human effort.
And since no one knew what kind of trials awaited inside, isolation was the only solution.
It was the kind of place where players who had already lived through their lives once would settle for a dull, heartless existence.
For me, who had been a mediocre player, it was an overwhelming dungeon.
Still, I had read every strategy guide and tip available, so I knew enough to make it useful.
Extending one's life was one of those tips.
"But how did you know the relic is here? Even the tower master cannot remember the entire list by heart."
My shield of friendship had vanished.
"That is a story for later."
I would leave the explanation to my future self.
"Please guide me to the ancient relic chamber."
"Follow closely. Touching any artifact will immediately trigger a trial."
I had no interest in wasting unnecessary time.
I carefully followed the deputy tower master.
We reached the middle of the stomach chamber.
A collection of old, worn artifacts lined up side by side.
"From here, do as you please."
"I will observe carefully."
"Wait."
I was about to start searching when the deputy tower master called out to me.
"I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"If you die, the tower master will be displeased. Do not do anything strange."
It was a warning that raised suspicious questions.
"What exactly is your relationship with Riella? Not as the tower master, but personally."
"She is like a daughter to me."
He did not hide his true feelings at all.
"And she is also the father of the late Erin."
"...What?"
A short statement, yet the truth behind it was heavy.
They were not biological sisters.
I learned a surprising fact at the worst possible moment.
"I have always been grateful to you. Thank you for taking such good care of Erin."
"...I could not protect her."
"I heard it from the tower master. She died smiling, looking out for you. Is that not just like her?"
The deputy tower master gave a faint smile.
It was a smile that looked exactly like Erin's.
I still could not understand why he was only saying this now.
"Even until the end, she thought of you. From that alone, you can tell how well you treated her."
"But why did you always keep me at arm's length?"
"A clear line must be drawn between public and private matters. Besides, you have accumulated an enormous reputation."
That was an understatement.
The act of attacking the royal capital to steal a knight's glory was, in my opinion, far too much.
I had been starving back then.
"Have you been living only to seek death ever since that day?"
"To some extent."
It had started as part of the spiritual education for the hero party.
It was meant to be a crusade against the demon king.
I had believed that if I experienced the perfect defeat, I could die without regret.
"But the moment I decided the day I would die, my desire to live suddenly surged."
I had felt it intensely.
That I was not yet ready.
"Do not think carelessly. Just keep living. Erin would want you to continue your life."
I hesitated, then nodded awkwardly.
Suddenly, the use of informal speech felt awkward.
"Take care."
"Will do."
My eyes turned back to the artifacts, and I began searching the ancient relic chamber.
Where could it be?
The exact location had slipped my memory.
It was too small to notice at first, which only made it harder.
Then, next to a strange idol, I found a bracelet.
A hollow bracelet with a single bead.
It was the ancient relic — the Connector.
- [System: It is definitely emitting a slightly different aura of holy power!]
"Yes, it is."
Without hesitation, I reached out and picked it up.
A moment later, dizziness swept through my body.
When I came to my senses, a vast plain stretched endlessly before me.
- I see nothing. What kind of trial is this?
"It is simple. The relic will forcibly use you."
- Is that all? It does not seem like much.
Indeed, just looking at the trial itself, it was simple and easy.
The problem came when actually using the relic.
"Be prepared. We may end up separated."
- What? I do not understand.
"I have to bet my life."
Before I could finish speaking, the bracelet in my hand vibrated faintly.
"I am here."
My legs felt unsteady.
An indescribable sensation took over my entire body, and a figure with a familiar appearance appeared before me.
Her pink hair tied neatly atop her head.
A resplendent, formal outfit reminiscent of the brilliant sun.
Even without moving, an overflowing, innocent holy power radiated from her.
- Clitia-sama?
It was me.
The other possible me, who had used the Connector.
"Grant bright light to the weak."
"Grant scorching flames to the wicked."
After exchanging greetings, we quietly observed each other.
A moment of careful analysis.
A natural time to evaluate the opponent without any words.
- She seems rather elegant.
Her clothes were well-tailored, and her face was beautifully adorned.
She had not yet been excommunicated.
She looked devout, as if she had just completed an important ritual.
"I never thought there would be another fool like me."
The other me spoke first.
In a silky, somewhat eerie tone.
"Why are you using honorifics?"
"It is not my will."
Her expression was miserable.
No need to guess. It was the truth.
"The technique that forcibly corrects speech patterns has been applied. The Archbishop and the High Priest kept nagging me, and I had no choice."
"...Insane."
A priest and a saint at the highest positions both showing such interest.
It was a privilege only one person in our sect could enjoy.
"Are you the pope?"
"Yes."
I wanted to hear the story of what had happened, no matter how trivial my life was.
"Then you are still a saintess?"
"No. I have been excommunicated."
"...Anything is possible."
The other me seemed just as curious about my circumstances.
"You must have had a reason to extend your life as well."
"Same as you."
However, only the 'winner' would be able to use the relic.
The loser would fail to achieve their goal and meet a meaningless end.
"Hey, Pope. What shall we bet?"
"Any kind of bet. Since you are confident, you choose."
"Let's do a simple fight."
"Very well."
He was polite even though we were enemies.
Our minds were in sync.
"Shall we begin right away?"
"Let's."
I raised my aura and wrapped my hands and feet in it.
In contrast, the holy power from the other me surged violently.
- Clitia-sama also likes to lose, doesn't she?
I thought as I charged forward.
No matter who won, it would be a satisfying outcome for both of us.