The Magic Tower
The Magic Tower showed no wall surrounding it.
In its place stood only a low wooden palisade.
It looked as though one could come and go without ever using the gate.
The village gate that eventually appeared was modest in size.
There wasn’t even a guardhouse in sight.
The gatekeeper glanced over the people entering and leaving, then gave a perfunctory nod. “Pass through.”
It was so casual it was almost insulting.
After a cursory look at the luggage, the gatekeeper waved the carriage on.
“Nobody’s got the guts to cause trouble in the Magic Tower, anyway.”
Seeing Lawrence look dumbfounded, Lionel said, “There’s nothing special about a village that belongs to the Magic Tower, either.”
The roads were poorly maintained. Stalls sold snacks and daily necessities, and children with wooden swords were running wild through the streets.
“We are the Four Knights of the Promise!”
“Drive out those rotten imperial dogs!”
“Waaaah!”
In other words, they were playing war.
Split into kingdom and empire factions, the children charged at one another in mock battle.
“You’ve worked hard. We’re not heading straight to the Magic Tower, are we? Why don’t we all eat together first?”
“If Mr. Lionel’s paying, I’d be glad to eat.”
“Ahahaha. You’re saying the obvious, now. And what about you, Miss Miriam? There’s a place here that makes an excellent cassoulet.”
“Please let me treat you. I’ve been imposing on you all this time, so I’d feel better if I could at least buy one meal.”
“You’ve already done me the favor of bringing me here,” Miriam said. “Thank you.”
“No, no. It’s only right that I pay here. I had a lovely trip thanks to your singing, Miss Miriam. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I can’t deny that Miriam’s singing was wonderful. At the very least, she was the best bard I’ve met so far.”
“Th-that’s a bit much….”
Praised for her singing, Miriam blushed.
Lionel led the two of them into a restaurant.
The place was bustling from the entrance onward.
Judging by the customers’ clothes, they weren’t villagers but travelers who had come to visit the Magic Tower.
There weren’t many empty seats.
A waitress approached the three of them, seated near the back of the restaurant.
“Welcome. What can I get you?”
“Three orders of cassoulet. Bring three servings of bacon and cheese too. Oh, and what will everyone be drinking?”
Lionel ordered with practiced ease.
“Cold milk for me, please.”
“I’d like a sweet fruit drink.”
“One beer. One milk. One fruit drink. Can you manage that?”
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of milk at the moment.”
Lawrence hid his disappointment and said, “Then just water is fine.”
“Let me confirm the order. Three cassoulets, three servings of bacon, and three servings of cheese. Drinks: one beer, one fruit drink, and one glass of water. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Bring it that way.”
“Payment is in advance.”
When Miriam reached for her money, Lionel stopped her.
He loosened the pouch at his waist and placed coins into the waitress’s hand.
“Keep the rest as a tip.”
A cool smile settled at the corner of his mouth.
After checking the copper pieces, the waitress smiled her service industry smile.
“I’m terribly sorry, but you’re ten copper short, sir.”
“Ahem!”
Embarrassed, Lionel coughed awkwardly into his fist.
Once he paid the missing amount, the waitress bowed.
“Thank you. We’re backed up, so it may take a little while. I’ll bring out whatever’s ready in order.”
After she left, Lionel spoke up.
“So, are you headed to the Magic Tower now?”
“Yes. I plan to stay there for a while.”
“That’s a shame. On the way back, I’ll have to hire another mercenary. What about you, Miss Miriam?”
Miriam seemed to consider it for a moment before answering.
“Since I’ve gone all the way to the Magic Tower, I’d like to see a bit more magic. But if I can’t, there’s nothing to be done, is there? It’s not something you can just see because you want to.”
Then she looked at Lawrence.
“Still, my goal of seeing magic has been fulfilled, thanks to you.”
“That’s a relief. Still, magic isn’t something you can see just by wishing for it.”
“It’s all thanks to Lawrence. Thank you.”
“I only did my job.”
It wasn’t as though she had specifically asked him to show her magic.
She had simply watched him use it from the side.
“I don’t have anything else I can give you, but while we wait for the food, I’d like to sing you a song I’ve just finished writing. Would that be all right?”
“A song you just wrote?”
“It’s a song I made after watching Lawrence use magic. I wanted the two of you to hear it first.”
Come to think of it, she had often seemed lost in thought.
Like Lawrence, who studied Wind, she had been quietly plucking the lute and humming to herself in the carriage. It seemed that had all been part of creating a new song.
“Oh-ho. This sounds promising.”
Lionel clapped his hands together.
“Are you doing this because you feel pressured? There’s no need to force yourself in a place like this.”
“No. A bard speaks through song. This is the greatest sincerity I can offer.”
As if to tell him not to worry, Miriam lifted the corners of her mouth.
The lute sang out in a gentle melody.
After clearing her throat, she began to sing.
“A sparkling melody. Stars dancing in the night sky. We saw it—a single streak of light blooming within the trembling dark.”
The atmosphere changed all at once.
The shyness was nowhere to be found.
Her voice, riding the forceful melody, carried a beautiful timbre.
“O blazing shadow. Spear of black deeper than the night sky. That single streak, piercing darkness, drove away the deep, deep night. There is no night that does not give way to dawn, and so the brightening morning came to meet us.”
Night descending. Dangerous darkness.
She interpreted that game as a night of hardship and trial.
The black spear that drove it off became the morning breaking through.
It was surprising enough that she had interpreted that brief battle like this—but what truly astonished him was how vivid her imagery was. It felt as though Lawrence and the game were fighting right there before his eyes.
The song wasn’t long.
Less than three minutes had passed when her hand came down from the lute, and the room had gone quiet.
“Thank you.”
She rose from her seat and bowed.
“Oh!”
“That was a fine song!”
“A mage’s song, that’s what you hear in the Magic Tower!”
Admiring exclamations rose from all around.
She had sung for the two of them, but before they knew it, the other customers had become absorbed as well. Whistles and applause followed.
One by one, the customers who had truly enjoyed it approached the three of them and paid with copper pieces.
“That was incredible. Completely different from the song I heard in the carriage. I had no idea you could sing so well.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard such a wonderful song. It wouldn’t be out of place in front of a noble, either. Have you ever been invited to perform like that?”
“M-Me? No. No, I mean… it’s not like that at all.”
Miriam hurriedly sat back down and bowed her head.
With her ears burning red, she buried her face and muttered, “This is the first time I’ve really tried singing this song properly, so there are still a lot of things I need to refine. The ending was rougher than I expected, too. If I don’t sing it a few more times….”
Her stumbling, rambling voice was full of embarrassment.
Perhaps that was part of her charm, too.
“Your meal is ready.”
The smell of something delicious tickled Lawrence’s nose.
The waitress returned with a tray and set the dishes on the table.
“Thank you. It came out faster than I expected. So this is cassoulet.”
At a glance, cassoulet looked a bit like stew.
Beans took the place of most of the broth, and whole sausages and chicken drumsticks had been set right into it.
A savory aroma rose from its appetizing color.
“You’ve all worked hard on this request, too. Here’s hoping the future brings nothing but success—now let’s have a drink.”
“We’ve all worked hard.”
“I’ll eat well.”
The three of them raised their glasses.
Soon, the pleasant sounds of a meal began to fill the table.
* * *
After the meal, Lawrence parted ways with the two of them.
Lionel said he would remain in the village for a while to dispose of his goods. Miriam was doing the same. She planned to stay at an inn and earn money by singing.
Lionel expressed his intention that once Lawrence’s business was finished, they should return together, but the boy silently shook his head.
He had only just reached the Magic Tower.
Honestly, even Lawrence had no idea when his business here would be finished.
He still needed to ask around about the Lost Sanctuary, and there was no guarantee that simply knocking on the Magic Tower’s door would earn him a chance to study magic.
Everything was uncertain.
He wouldn’t know how things would turn out until he ran straight into them.
Leaving the village, Lawrence headed toward the Magic Tower.
Its height seemed impossible to measure.
The Magic Tower thrust up through the clouds and stabbed into the sky, inspiring awe.
Unlike the village, which had been divided into inside and outside by a palisade, there didn’t seem to be any wall around the tower at all.
Instead, there were countless buildings with the simple shape of a shantytown.
Nothing about them had any special character.
There must have been dozens, if not hundreds, of them.
They were arranged in a ring around the Magic Tower.
In front of the buildings stood placards like signboards.
“238”
And it wasn’t just one placard. Every single building had one.
As he went deeper, the numbers decreased one by one.
He understood what it meant.
Just as each shop had a name, these characterless buildings seemed to be identified by numbers instead.
The largest number visible on the surrounding signs was 238.
Which meant there were at least 238 buildings like this surrounding the Magic Tower.
By the time the numbers on the placards had dropped to two digits, voices began to drift toward him from afar.
Soon a scene like a plaza came into view before the Magic Tower.
“Fresh orc slaves, one gold each! They can withstand even the harshest magical research!”
“Goblin brats, thirty silver apiece. Buy four at once and I’ll give them to you for one gold.”
“Anyone need an Under Wolf? Here’s a pup of the notoriously hard-to-catch Under Wolf!”
Slave traders were working themselves up into a frenzy to attract customers.
All manner of monsters and beastkin were packed into cramped iron cages.
There weren’t any very large specimens.
Every one of the small, gaunt monsters looked like a young animal.
“Anyone need human slaves? From children cooperative with research to adults, we’ve got them all! There are plenty from other kingdoms too!”
Among them were slave merchants who dealt in people.
Human beings were selling human beings.
Inside the cages were people in ragged clothes.
Their eyes were dead, with no sign of reason left in them.
Some of the slaves were laughing wildly, like lunatics.
Not a single one looked sane.
It wasn’t only the slaves who were insane.
The slave traders selling them were no different.
And the people buying slaves in front of them were no different, either.
“Too expensive.”
“Too expensive? You won’t find orc slaves at a better price anywhere. Surely even you, mage, know that?”
“The orc I bought last time didn’t even last a full day. Not like you boasted.”
“Oh my. Is that true? The other mages praised them for lasting more than a week. But only a single day for you… you must be exceptionally skilled, mage!”
It seemed the ones buying slaves were the Magic Tower’s mages.
Even as they fretted, the slave traders did not give up their sales pitch.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
The reason slave traders dealt in slaves was because there was demand for them.
Lawrence forcibly tore his eyes away from that vile sight.
Taking one reluctant step after another, he found merchants selling things other than slaves.
“Freshly grilled skewers right here! Why not have them with a mug of honey beer to blow away your fatigue?”
“Orel, the eternal friend of mages—just ten copper. You can sample it too, so why not try a taste?”
“Robes usable anywhere, yours for only fifty copper! You can cast Warm magic on them too. Cold magic too!”
“Books for research on sale! Buy one now, and we’ll throw in a quill and ink as a free gift. If you’re doing research in a workshop, don’t miss this chance!”
The most common sight was food.
Some mages were even sitting at the stalls, taking their meals there.
Consumables like books, quills, and ink were also in heavy use, and despite their high prices, they sold like wildfire.
The scene reminded him strangely of Horos Village.
The Spider Forest had had a similar market apart from the village.
Even if prices were a little higher than in the village, many mercenaries had used it because it was so close to the hunting grounds.
Lawrence gazed at it all for a moment, then headed toward the Magic Tower.
A man holding a staff stood at the entrance.
Was he the gatekeeper of the Magic Tower?
Lawrence lowered his head slightly and spoke to him.
“Good day.”
“Is this your first time at the Magic Tower?”
The moment Lawrence greeted him, the man asked as if he already knew the answer.
“What? Ah, yes. This is my first visit.”
“Seeker of the truths of the world. Can you prove your qualifications?”
Lawrence immediately understood what the gatekeeper was asking for.
This was the Magic Tower.
And in the Magic Tower, there was only one qualification worth proving.
“Water.”
Lawrence’s magic manifested before the gatekeeper of the Magic Tower.