Chapter 12: I Can't Resist This (1)
Chapter 12: I Can't Resist This (1)
Aside from requesting support from the Adventurer's Guild, there was another issue.
Ever since I became 'Ruji Fermaton,' I’ve been burdened with one major restriction.
While the constant surveillance from those around me was a significant enough constraint, the biggest problem was that I lacked the 'freedom of movement.'
First and foremost, I cannot step outside the city walls of Fermaton.
This is due to the hereditary Curse of the Infinite Labyrinth. Anyone who carries the Fermaton bloodline is physically incapable of passing beyond the Fermaton 'walls.'
Therefore, if one were to search for the Fermaton bloodline, they would have to look within the city itself.
So, whenever I wondered if there might be another person out there who inherited the Fermaton blood...
'Now isn't the time for idle thoughts.'
I’ll save the discussion on how to find illegitimate children for later.
If the reason a Fermaton can't cross the walls or gates is due to a 'curse,' then there is one other place I cannot go due to the overprotectiveness meant to preserve the sole remaining bloodline.
—Whaaaat?! What if something happens because you recklessly entered the Infinite Labyrinth! Don't even think about going in there, even as a joke!
A Fermaton cannot enter the Infinite Labyrinth.
It’s like sending a curious child into a room filled with dangerous poisons and experimental reagents.
No, it’s actually worse than that.
If the Infinite Labyrinth reacts to the blood of a Fermaton, it will 'Berserk.'
To kill the Fermaton, monsters far more terrifying than the existing ones would come pouring out, and that could lead to a 'Backflow' of the labyrinth.
If I were to enter by mistake, the entire city would be thrown into chaos. Thus, a Fermaton cannot take a single step into the labyrinth.
'But I can't just let that be.'
How could I let my people enter the Infinite Labyrinth without being able to see it for myself?
Even if my role now is more of a 'Commander' or 'Leader,' if I can't even observe how my allies are moving, I’d just have to sit around twiddling my thumbs until the conquest is successful.
I wasn't about to let that happen.
That’s why I came up with an idea...
"You want to command a familiar?"
"Yes."
A familiar.
A creature summoned by my mana, or an entity separate from me that can carry my consciousness.
"I need a familiar. One that will serve as my eyes and feet."
Among adventurers, there are those who specialize solely in handling familiars. Anything from spirits to alchemical golems can be used as one.
"But why...?"
"If I use a familiar, I can monitor the labyrinth exploration without having to step inside myself."
"Hmm..."
Currently, the white-haired old woman before me was the Master of the Magic Tower in Fermaton—the representative of all the mages belonging to the tower.
'A scammer.'
I don't mean that in a bad way.
I mean it in a good way.
'She’s a cliche-subverting character. Or wait, is that a cliche in itself now?'
"I, Barbas... find it difficult to understand your intentions, Young Lord."
Barbas.
A 3-star character.
An 'Archmage' ranked among the top five on the continent.
She looks like a white-haired grandmother on the outside, but she’s actually a beauty in her twenties.
'She’s a woman pretending to be the deceased Tower Master.'
Once you reach the 5-star Enhancement limit break, she can change her appearance.
To be precise, she only reveals her true self after you've gathered enough 'Affinity Points'—in other words, after building a relationship of trust where she feels comfortable revealing her identity.
But for now, she was the spitting image of an old witch.
She wasn't exactly a 'Human Rights Character' or an essential staple, but she was more like a Joker card used for specific metas in Clan Wars.
...I knew her abilities were top-tier, but still, it was a bit much to try and flirt with a grandmother.
"Is something the matter?"
"No. I was just feeling a bit bitter, thinking you might reject my request."
"...You know as well as I do. The Young Lord's footsteps are heavier than a Minotaur's. Every time you move, the entire Infinite Labyrinth trembles."
She was advising me not to act rashly.
And for good reason. This Magic Tower was one of the primary beneficiaries of the numerous materials harvested from the Infinite Labyrinth.
The majority of the magic stones and materials farmed by adventurers went to the Magic Tower, which then processed and researched them to create valuable items.
The Magic Tower desired the continued existence of the Infinite Labyrinth just as much as the Adventurer's Guild did.
"If the Infinite Labyrinth even senses the presence of a familiar linked to you, it might go berserk. That is the nature of that place."
"That’s why I’m asking. Just send me one talented mage. All they need to do is teach me the magic to handle a familiar."
"Why must you go to such lengths?"
"Because I plan to send my own people down into the Infinite Labyrinth. Specifically..."
I repeated the same story to Barbas that I had told the Adventurer's Guild.
"...A knight order. You are placing a massive gamble."
"With the help of the Guild Leader and the Tower Master, Fermaton can stand tall as its own entity."
"The Magic Tower is neutral."
"Being neutral is already a great help to me. If I were to ask for one more thing, it would simply be for you to send me one person."
Barbas maintained a benevolent smile, but her narrow, slit-like eyes were piercing through me.
She was likely trying to discern my true motives.
But I was being sincere.
Whether it was Bernhard or Barbas, I needed to be genuine with those who held 'neutral' positions.
If I had shown Bernhard a man's ambition and momentum, then for this woman...
"Fine. Let's call it an equivalent exchange, Tower Master."
"Oh?"
"In exchange for dispatching someone from the Magic Tower, I will grant the tower priority bidding rights on the disposal of all materials obtained while she is part of the conquest team."
"...So you're saying you'll give us a certain share of the labyrinth conquest rights."
"Exactly. Her task is simple. Teach me the magic to control a familiar. And when the time comes, go down into the depths and join the 'gem hunt.' With just those two tasks, the Magic Tower stands to gain immensely."
"It would be a sort of investment, then."
"Indeed. And..."
Engaging in petty negotiations with this woman was a headache.
So, I decided to play my best card right now.
"When my knight order disposes of materials to the Magic Tower—including rare ones—we will settle the payment at 70% of the market price."
"......!"
A 30% discount.
Even if it was a deal for future assets, a 30% discount was an incredible offer.
"If the Magic Tower doesn't want to buy, I'll put them on the open market, but the Magic Tower will always get the first look. No exceptions."
Furthermore, they would have 'priority rights'?
This was an absolutely golden opportunity for the Magic Tower.
"What do you think?"
"The conditions are so favorable to the Magic Tower that it's almost suspicious."
"If the conditions weren't this good, the Tower Master wouldn't send a witch worthy of my standards, would she?"
"...Excuse me, Young Lord."
Barbas asked me with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"This person you want to teach you familiar magic and be dispatched to the knight order... is the condition strictly that they must be a 'woman'?"
"It is."
I wanted a witch.
A man is not a witch. He's a wizard.
"...In that case, there is one suitable witch. However, her personality is a bit eccentric, and she doesn't listen to me very well."
"That's fine. I'll persuade her myself. Who is it?"
"...My granddaughter."
Granddaughter?
Barbas's granddaughter...?
Wait.
Could it be...?
"The legendary granddaughter of the Tower Master that everyone whispers about...?"
"Yes. Her personality is... well, it's very strange, but she is a kind-hearted girl at her core."
It wasn't Barbas herself.
Since she was keeping her own identity strictly hidden, Barbas only had 'one' granddaughter.
In terms of the game's lore, it was actually her younger sister.
Barbas had to live her life as 'Barbas' from the moment of her birth, but her younger sister was different.
And she was...
'Holy shit.'
Barbas's granddaughter.
In reality, she was the younger sister, and she was a woman 'under a curse.'
It wasn't a powerful curse like the one in the Fermaton bloodline, but she was a woman cursed such that she couldn't lead a normal life.
And...
'A 3-star "Citizenship" female character!'
I was screwed.
Screwed in a different sense.
I was being introduced to her here?
Calm down.
I know about her, but I have to act like I don't.
"Hmm. Interesting. If she's a woman the Tower Master speaks so highly of, she must be an excellent mage. Has she ever conquered the Infinite Labyrinth? How many floors down has she been?"
"...Not even once."
"What?"
Of course she hadn't.
"Why is that?"
"That... I think it would be best if you spoke with her directly. I know it's rude to the Young Lord, but it's not my place to speak of it recklessly."
"Hmm..."
I knew.
Since I knew the internal circumstances, it didn't matter to me, but Ruji Fermaton would be different.
"...Well. I suppose I'll have to meet her to find out. If the Tower Master insists, I'll meet her, but if she doesn't meet my standards, I might end up very disappointed in the Magic Tower."
"...Understood. This way."
Barbas led me upward.
Even inside the Magic Tower, we climbed the stairs all the way to the top because she resided at the very peak.
"...It's here."
The entrance to the room was peculiar.
Thanks to the magic circles installed on the door and walls, even a layman who knew nothing of magic could tell at a glance that all sorts of barriers were deployed here.
"The name of this room's owner is... 'Astarotte'."
Asti.
3-star.
...The woman who suffered from the Succubus Transformation Curse.
"......Heh."
I boldly knocked on the firmly closed door.