Chapter 254: There's a Sister Threesome, and You're Going to the Labyrinth?! (1)
Chapter 254: There's a Sister Threesome, and You're Going to the Labyrinth?! (1)
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Fermaton Castle.
The carriage heading toward the castle entrance was clearly from the Magic Tower, and the horses trotted slowly down the main road as if flaunting the fact that they were heading to Fermaton.
Clack.
The carriage door opened, and two women stepped out.
"Look at that. It’s Lady Astarotte, the knight order’s magic consultant."
"Since she’s not in her succubus form, I guess she’s visiting as a representative of the Magic Tower?"
"The Magic Tower? She’s only a member in name; she’s basically a Fermaton person now."
The first to descend was Astarotte, dressed in her mage robes.
She stepped out with an expressionless, somewhat languid face and lightly reached back into the carriage.
"Gasps!"
The person who took Astarotte’s hand and stepped down was a hunched, white-haired witch—Barbas.
"Holy crap, the Magic Tower Master is coming to Fermaton Castle?"
"Hey, it’s probably just a visit. She was invited as a judge during the Dark Jeanne Festival last time, wasn't she?"
"Didn't that end in a mess because she ignored all the judging criteria and just picked the knight Yoanna?"
As people speculated about the reason for the Tower Master's visit, another woman emerged from the carriage.
"Whoa..."
"Is that... Director Evelyn?"
The woman with pale pink hair followed behind Barbas with a modest posture.
She bore a striking resemblance to Astarotte, but she was much taller and had a more slender, statuesque build. To anyone watching, she looked like Astarotte’s older sister.
Rumors were already rife.
Among the mages of the Magic Tower, there was one who specialized in earth magic—the head of the architect mages who designed all of Fermaton’s various structures. They called her the "Director."
She was the one who had realized all the facilities Ruji Fermaton dreamed of through countless trials and errors. The vast "Waterpark" built near the succubus farmers' housing was already nearing its grand opening.
And now, she was visiting Fermaton Castle not in her work robes, but in attire that clearly marked her as a formal mage of the Magic Tower.
In fact, her outfit was identical in design to the one worn by Barbas, the "Master of the Magic Tower."
"No way. Surely not."
"Director Evelyn is...?"
"Barbas’s hidden daughter? Or maybe her granddaughter? Dammit, which one is it?"
While everyone was lost in their own theories, the main gates of the Count’s castle swung open, and a man stepped out to greet the three mages.
"The Master of the Magic Tower! And two exceptionally beautiful mages to boot. Fermaton welcomes you."
Ruji Fermaton had come out personally.
He greeted the three mages dressed in a white suit with a matching coat draped over his shoulders.
"Have you reached a decision?"
"We have, Count."
Barbas stepped forward and pulled a piece of parchment from her robes. Ruji unfurled it on the spot.
"These are the 'conditions' set by our Magic Tower. Since the Tower is an academic research institution that professes political neutrality, giving up that position will not come cheap."
"Of course."
The two spoke casually, but those listening nearby couldn't help but prick up their ears.
What?
The Magic Tower is giving up its political neutrality?
The Tower is trying to make a 'deal' with Fermaton?
Could this be... that?
"Very well. I shall sign it right here. Captain Laura, a pen."
"Here it is, my Lord."
The bunny girl captain standing beside Ruji, Laura, pulled a quill from inside her black coat.
Scratch.
Ruji finished signing the parchment right then and there. As soon as Barbas received it, she cast a spell.
"Duplicate."
Zap!
Before the flash of magical discharge could even fade, the parchment had multiplied into three.
"I will keep the original. One copy goes to Fermaton, and the other copy will be held by 'my granddaughter,' Evelyn."
"By all means."
Granddaughter?
That Evelyn woman is Barbas’s granddaughter?
—I knew the rumors were true!
—I suspected it because of the pink hair, but I was right.
—Well, if she’s Barbas’s granddaughter, it’s no wonder she’s that skilled at her age.
No one knew if she was a biological granddaughter or an adopted child.
The important thing was that a brilliant mage had joined Fermaton.
And she hadn't just joined as a representative of the Magic Tower...
"Excellent. From this moment forward, the Magic Tower shall be known as the 'Fermaton Magic Research Institute.'"
"Thank you. Then, as for the construction of the new tower..."
"We shall commence immediately. If there are any materials you need for the construction, just say the word. And as for the 'Great Magic Tower' you mentioned..."
Ruji Fermaton gestured toward the area outside the outer walls.
"I give you permission to build the Magic Tower higher than Fermaton Castle itself."
"Wonderful. I shall leave the rest to my 'granddaughters,' while I return to my private research for the first time in a long while. Ho ho ho."
"Private research?"
"Yes. I don't plan on coming out into the world until my research is complete. I intend to pass my position to Evelyn, so if you have anything to discuss in the future, please consult with 'Evelyn Barbas' here."
Evelyn Barbas.
The fact that the Tower Master herself had given Evelyn her own name as a 'surname' left the onlookers stunned.
They knew she was the granddaughter.
But if what she said was true...
After Barbas went into seclusion, the next Tower Master to lead the Magic Tower would be—
"Then, I shall leave the next steps to the 'Next Tower Master' and take my leave. Ho ho ho."
Barbas’s form flickered.
In an instant, she transformed into a beautiful woman who looked like a younger version of Evelyn, then pulled out a broom and sat lightly upon it.
"Farewell, everyone!"
With a bright smile, Barbas waved her hand and took to the sky.
"I’ll return the day my research is finished! Until then, goodbye!"
Barbas was gone.
And now, only one Barbas remained on the ground.
"She’s gone. Now then, Tower Master Evelyn Barbas. And our Magic Research Institute Director, Astarotte Barbas. Both sisters..."
No, there were two.
"Shall the three of us go inside and have a private chat?"
Ruji Fermaton reached out to the two sisters, and the two Barbas women followed him into the castle.
Creeeeeak.
The castle gates closed.
Those who had witnessed the entire sequence of events could only let out hollow laughs of disbelief.
"Did he seriously just swallow the Magic Tower whole...?"
Based on what they had seen, there was no other conclusion to draw.
* * *
"The acting was perfect. Don't you think so, Asti?"
"It wasn't really acting; it was just a performance for show."
"Still, people will spread the rumors and information on their own. That the Magic Tower and Fermaton have become one."
I bowed politely to the two Barbas sisters.
"Let me introduce myself formally once again. I am Count Ruji Fermaton."
"I am Astarotte Barbas, the Magic Research Institute Director and magic consultant for the Count’s knight order. And this is..."
"My older sister and the Tower Master, Evelyn Barbas."
Evelyn looked at me with a modest posture.
"I have one question. Since when did you realize I was a Barbas?"
"From the very beginning."
"...Excuse me?"
"I knew from the start. The day I went to the Magic Tower to hire just any mage, I felt it the moment I saw Barbas. That this woman... was a beauty in the guise of an old lady."
Evelyn was thrown into confusion.
"Then... have I been transforming and hiding my identity all by myself this whole time?"
"I just watched you work for Fermaton—specifically for Asti—while trying not to violate the Tower's neutrality. And I came to a conclusion. I figured there was no harm in pretending not to know."
Because the end result was the same: she was working for Fermaton.
"How did you know?"
"Because I got horny."
"...What?"
"My dick got hard after I saw you. Logically, there’s no way I’d get an erection for Barbas—an old lady, right? So I thought: Ah, this woman is a witch transformed into a grandmother. She’s bound to be a beauty once she drops the transformation."
It was a perfectly logical argument.
"I was a bit surprised to find out it was a hereditary succession rather than a centuries-old witch, but that doesn't really matter now. What matters is that you, Evelyn—a Great Mage-class talent—are on my side."
"...The Magic Tower is still an organization separate from Fermaton."
"But now we have a relationship that can be called an alliance—no, a blood pact."
"I won't deny that. Since Asti is here."
The Magic Tower had changed significantly.
Evelyn’s Magic Tower would handle the public-facing "political neutrality" facade, while Asti’s Magic Research Institute would handle the actual functions and research of the Tower.
Other Magic Towers might complain, and other organizations might curse the Tower for abandoning its neutrality to side with Fermaton, but if we were going to get cursed anyway, we might as well do as we pleased.
"Now that we're looking to dismantle the Adventurer's Guild, if even the Magic Tower—the guild's biggest client—sides with Fermaton, the adventurers will be thrown into chaos."
I held up two fingers.
"No matter how many magic stones they mine, the profit is low. And if the Magic Tower, the biggest buyer of monster carcasses, stops buying the materials adventurers bring in? Naturally, the adventurers will be forced into obsolescence."
"Are you using the Magic Tower to eliminate the adventurers?"
"That’s part of it. There are many reasons, but that is one of them."
Starving the adventurers out.
"Well... let's save the serious talk for later."
I signaled to Asti, who gave a wide smirk and took Evelyn’s hand.
"Evelyn Barbas. Let us perform a ritual to make our relationship of trust more explicit. You’ve already seen plenty while working by my side."
"...That you grant infinite trust to virgins you've had sex with?"
"Exactly."
I slowly rose from my chair.
"Shall the three of us have some tea... and a little light sex?"