Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Five Pillars (3)
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Three hundred years was no short span of time. Kadim had thought he'd come to terms with the fact that his comrades from the first playthrough had long since turned to dust.
But he hadn't.
On the surface, sure, he'd convinced himself otherwise. Deep down, though, he'd clung to the belief that they were still alive. After all, they were that hero's party. The ones who slew the archdemon and saved the world. Chosen heroes with talents brighter than any other.
And it had only been half a year since he'd journeyed with them...
Only now, hearing it confirmed beyond doubt, did the truth sink in. He'd been nursing that faint hope, praying for a reunion with any survivors. Silently begging forgiveness for leaving without a word, yearning to hear their stories firsthand.
Foolish wishes, all of them.
"Something wrong? You don't look so good."
"...No, I'm fine. Keep talking."
This wasn't the time for sentiment. Kadim schooled his expression. Aslerus shrugged, as if he'd seen every oddity under the sun.
"Well, I never. The death of some old-timer from ages past hits that hard? Sure, a demon pact or elf blood might've kept 'em kicking, but... looks like they didn't want to cling to life that pathetically."
"... "
"Anyway, back to the point. Finally, with the Tower Lord away, a chance to head to the lowest floor opened up. The first to move? The elders of the 'Elder Council,' of course... especially Elder Oklamud, the one I mentioned earlier."
The 'Elder Council' was the true ruling power of the tower, right below the Tower Lord herself.
True to their name, the members were all advanced in years. But their hunger for higher realms of power and knowledge put even a young man's lust to shame, or so it was said. Oklamud was one who wore his ambitions openly.
"Everyone knew he had his eyes on the Tower Lord's seat. He even declared outright he'd master an ancient grand spell and become the tower's top dog... Anyway, he's not all talk. He sent out people and already collected two of the 'pillars.' From our side's perspective, they're the strongest rivals."
"...You've been saying 'our side' this whole time. Who exactly are you talking about?"
"... "
Aslerus hesitated a moment, but figured the cat was out of the bag anyway and confessed readily.
"If you're even a little into magic, you've probably heard of them. Don't freak out. The one leading our side—my superior—is none other than Elder Coltran of the 'Frozen Heart.' Yeah, the grandmaster of ice magic, creator of the 'Eldra' ritual!"
"... "
"... "
Kadim's face stayed impassive. It was the look of 'What the hell are you on about, you wizard prick?'
Aslerus gaped, stunned.
"...You don't know Elder Coltran?"
"I know a guy kinda like that. Goltaran."
"Damn it, unbelievable... Anyway, Elder Coltran—er, yes, Coltran—is an absolute legend. Me and a bunch of top wizards follow him. Among the tower's factions, ours is the only one that can stand toe-to-toe with Oklamud's."
"For a top faction, didn't you say you've got zero of those 'pillars'?"
"... "
"Meanwhile, the rivals have two already."
Aslerus winced, poked right in the sore spot. His tone turned prickly, arrogant.
"True... but you don't have options. Elder Oklamud despises barbarians. He'd never take you in mercifully like us. Cooperate with Elder Coltran to gather the 'pillars'—that's your only shot at reading the first Tower Lord's records."
"... "
Grrrk—
Pretending to shift, Kadim dragged his axe across the floor. It was enough to deflate the wizard's puffed-up attitude.
"Fine. Then explain these 'pillars' too."
"... "
Aslerus hunched his shoulders and obeyed meekly.
"The 'Five Pillars' are ancient magic tools, legend says crafted by the first Tower Lord herself..."
Of course, not actual pillars. Staff-like artifacts.
Pillar of Light, Pillar of Earth, Pillar of Steel, Pillar of Water, Pillar of Fire—one for each element... Long thought of as just powerful elemental magic foci, but recently revealed to also unlock the tower's secret passages...
In that instant, a strange image flickered in Kadim's mind.
"...?"
But as he tried to grasp it, the memory slipped away like water through fingers, leaving only a tiny droplet of doubt.
"...Something feels off."
"Hm? What's that?"
"Why split the magic tools that way? Light, darkness, fire, water, earth, wind—that's the six basics, right? Steel's just a metal sub-branch of earth. Why shoehorn it in?"
"...What? You don't know Elder Coltran, but you know that?"
"... "
Well, he'd played the game as a wizard too.
The hero from another world swallowed his answer, giving a lukewarm glance. The wizard looked suspicious but pressed on without digging.
"...Anyway, sharp question. Plenty of wizards wondered the same. No one's cracked it, though. If the legend's true and the first Tower Lord made them, her records might hold the answer."
"... "
With that, talk turned practical.
Where the 'Five Pillars' were, how to get them.
"Pillar of Water's still being tracked. Got intel the Pillar of Earth is in the '魔窟'—some black market underground in Vesta. The Pillars of Light and Fire are with Elder Oklamud... so we'll have to steal them if we want the records."
"...Can't we just grab three roughly and share the records?"
"Don't be ridiculous! We'd get pushed out by their wizards, and I couldn't climb to sage rank..."
"... "
Ah, so that's the angle.
A sneer tugged at Kadim's lips. Aslerus clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing his slip.
He glanced sideways, gauging the mood, then sighed in resignation.
"...You might not know, but battlemages usually can't rise above conjurer rank. The tower values pure magical achievements over combat prowess. This idiot captain pushed too hard hunting demons to break that ceiling and ended up like this."
His boot prodded the headless corpse.
"Look, I don't wanna spend my life demon-slaying just to die like this. Elder Coltran promised if we monopolize the 'pillars,' he'll push for my promotion. Understand our side, will you? I'm spilling everything to an outsider like you and helping out."
"... "
Dark clouds gathered in Kadim's eyes.
The more he dealt with these wizards, the less he liked them.
From Lemtana's advisor to the ones in Kivon's forest, the dead captain, and this vice-captain—every wizard he'd met this playthrough was obsessed with their power and goals. Human lives, others' plights? Worthless specks.
Sure, Kadim wasn't blameless. He'd killed for his aims too. But he never mass-sacrificed innocents or fed them to demons.
'This guy's tone screams he's plotting something later...'
Still, he needed the wizard's help for now. Hiding his distrust and disgust, Kadim nodded. Aslerus exhaled in relief and continued.
"Alright, good... Now, the last one..."
"... "
"Hmm, truth is, that's the biggest headache. The 'Pillar of Steel.' Owner went missing, and the spot's far from here. Plus, near where the Tower Lord's inspecting—no rash searches possible."
"...Who was the owner?"
"Delpharus Ionik. Another Elder Council member, pride of metal magic. Word is, at full power, he summons house-sized metal orbs and razes cities. Took the pillar to hunt a high demon... and vanished."
Pow—sparks flew in Kadim's head.
He'd met that wizard before. Hell, he'd killed him himself. In Soltana, the central demon lair, that old fool enthralled by a demon.
And the loot he'd snagged afterward was surely...
"...This 'Pillar of Steel'—swing it down, wires shoot out, iron walls erupt, that kinda thing?"
"Huh? Yeah. Who told you?"
He hadn't been told. Kadim pulled a long bundle from his inventory and unfurled it.
The wizard's eyes, full of questions, widened in speechless shock at the contents, trembling.
"N-No... Th-this, this, how... How is this here...?"
His reaction said it all. No need for more questions.
Kadim hefted the 'Pillar of Steel' with a crooked grin.
"Guess we just need four more."
Of course, he didn't spill how he'd gotten the 'Pillar of Steel.'
"Picked it up in Soltana. Buried in the rubble, no idea how."
"... "
Aslerus looked uneasy but didn't pry. Hard to imagine this brute killing an elder, and anyway, they'd secured the toughest pillar.
Greed gleaming, Aslerus tried a sly pitch. Super valuable, risky to carry—why not hand it over for safekeeping?
Kadim met his gaze evenly.
"Good idea. Shove it deep in your ass for storage—no one'll steal it for a while."
"... "
...In the end, Kadim kept it. They'd meet his superior tomorrow for real talks. First meeting adjourned.
"See you tomorrow, same time. I'll figure out how to snag the rest. Time to go, Duncan."
"Uh... Y-yes, sir! Right away!"
"...?"
Aslerus blinked, wondering when the barbarian got a sidekick.
As they left the tower, Kadim reflected. What insane luck. He'd grabbed the staff thinking it'd fetch 200,000 luden—turns out it's a secret passage key... Always smart to pocket battlefield loot.
But the luck ended there.
Duncan's face had been grim for a while. In the tower corridors, Kadim asked what he'd seen. Duncan replied in a meek voice.
"S-Sir... Back in the demon den, you showed me those demon-made traps, right?"
"Yeah."
"Whew, the opposite path from ours was crawling with 'em. Couldn't check much... Wizards seemed to dodge 'em fine, but I'm not confident I could..."
Kadim nodded silently. Makes sense—their home turf would have security. Duncan's caution deserved praise.
But something nagged.
"How'd you spot them right away? Those traps hide magic circles tight—hard to notice."
"...P-Pardon? Oh, uh... Y'know... Just a gut feeling, I guess..."
"... "
Duncan trembled, fearing rebuke. But Kadim just stared piercingly, saying nothing.
'No way... Resistance to demonic energy, and now sensing it too?'
...He'd test that later.
Anyway, even if Duncan hid well, dodging magic traps was impossible alone. Needed another way—or help.
No infiltration items on hand. No insiders to spy. Killing and intimidating every wizard in sight? Too soon. Hadn't read Melissa's records yet.
'Finish reading, smash the tower, loot all secrets...?'
As destructive thoughts brewed, something odd caught Kadim's eye.
Twenty paces off. A drab figure clashing with the bright, cool street. Hands over both eyes in a weird pose.
Kadim had seen that before.
On silver coins from a long-dead kingdom. Among followers of a certain god.
The black-clad one-eyed man lowered his hands, shot a glance, then melted into the shadows of an alley.
"...Head back to the inn first, Duncan. Got business."
"Pardon? What bus—"
As always, Kadim bolted without explanation. His bulky frame moved with startling agility, vanishing from the street in seconds.
Duncan stared blankly after him, then sighed—used to it by now—and trudged to the inn alone.