The Hero Enters the Magic Tower
"To be honest, it's not exactly easy to believe. You do realize that, right?"
The Sun Tower. This was the moment I came to speak with its master, Exion, before bringing Lucy along. Thanks to the Dragon Badge from Carbandia that Checire had given me, I was able to secure a private audience with him without much trouble.
"…I am aware."
He listened to my story while tapping his index finger against the table—tap, tap. At the same time, he rested his chin on his hand, gazing toward the bookshelves packed with tomes as if deep in thought. It was understandable. For an 8th-circle mage like himself to learn that he had failed to detect a demon would not be easy to accept.
"I believe the Hero's authority is something the Tower Master understands better than most."
Throughout history, there had often been multiple Heroes in any given era. In other words, I, Leon, was not the first Hero to appear in this world. The Heroes of the past all possessed different traits, but there was one ability they all shared from birth: Discernment. The power to sense sin and instinctively distinguish the corrupt.
"Hmm…"
"I am certain. Right now, a demon is hiding within the Magic Tower."
The instant those words left my mouth, it felt as though every ounce of air in the Tower Master's office at the very top of the Sun Tower had turned solid. Breathing became difficult, and my body felt trapped in a mold perfectly fitted to my frame—I couldn't even twitch a finger. Still, I couldn't afford to show any weakness. Strong individuals who had reached a certain level generally preferred people with backbone.
"…I am aware that demons are inherently difficult to detect. However, this place is the heart of the Magic Tower. It is the domain where I and Ellendra reside."
Ellendra, the Lord of the Moon Tower, was an archmage who had reached the 8th circle just like him. They were the same age and had risen to the position of Tower Master at the same time, often spoken of as the twin stars possessing the greatest talent in history.
…And the genius expected to surpass even those two was none other than Tei. Of course, that had remained nothing more than expectation. It probably never would have happened anyway.
"That is precisely why you must help me infiltrate."
"And the reason?"
"The moment the Tower Master moves personally, the demon will tuck its tail and vanish."
It was only natural. No matter how impossible it might be for a turtle to find the fly on its own back, that fly could never kill the turtle. The moment Exion began a large-scale search—or even if the demon simply sensed him moving in secret—it would surely erase its presence and flee.
"You're saying that you, the Hero, can find what I could not? Using the power of Discernment granted to you?"
"…Of course, simply looking won't be enough. You already know that, don't you?"
My breath was growing shorter, my lungs felt crushed, and even pretending to be fine while moving my mouth was becoming difficult. But I couldn't back down. I absolutely had to convince him during this conversation.
Amusingly enough, the root of demons in this world was the human heart. When human malice fused with a certain unique concept, they were born in the form of malevolent spirits. Because of that, the power of clergymen actually had little effect on demons. Our merciful Goddess loved humans so much that she even tried to embrace their sins.
That was why, even with the power of Discernment to identify corruption, all I could get was a vague sense that a demon was probably somewhere in this place. Pinpointing its exact location was difficult.
"…Very well. I apologize for tormenting you, Sir Leon."
The moment Exion, who had been glaring at me with murderous intensity, smiled, the air in the room felt like it returned to normal. Normally, magic without an incantation would drop to less than half its efficiency, yet I couldn't even begin to understand what he had done.
"I merely wished to test you a little. Dealing with a demon is no simple matter, after all."
"…I understand."
"And… to be honest, the current situation within the Magic Tower is not very favorable."
"Pardon? Why is that?"
Exion lowered his head with a complicated expression and spoke.
"Ellendra has cut off all communication with the Sun Tower. She still somehow maintains contact with the mages beneath her, but for some strange reason, I cannot reach her at all."
Originally, the relationship between the two towers in the Magic Tower was destined to be one of rivalry. The reason they weren't operated as a single tower was to stimulate each other and allow them to approach higher truths. However, that didn't mean they were bitter enemies out to devour one another. The goal had always been friendly competition.
Especially in this generation, the two Tower Masters—Exion and Ellendra—had been together since their novice mage days, so their relationship wasn't bad at all.
I heard it was actually quite good.
"If what you say is true, Sir Leon… I fear a demon may be involved. That worries me."
That made sense. With her 8th-circle mastery, she wouldn't fall easily to a demon, but one could never be certain. Demons possessed a power of fascination far stronger than brute force. Just as they were born from the human heart, they excelled at manipulating humanity's fundamental desires.
"…I doubt that will be the case. Reaching a high realm is not a matter of talent, but of mental strength."
"I pray you are right. If she has truly sided with a demon, it would be a genuine catastrophe."
If the Lord of the Moon Tower had become a demon's pawn… I would have to coax Checire again and summon the Grand Duke once more….
The horrifying thought made me shudder, and I bowed my head deeply. It was my way of expressing gratitude to the Tower Master who had permitted my infiltration.
"Then, what should I prepare for you? Disguise magic and the identity of a novice mage?"
"No. Grant me the position of Honorary Chief Mage, and allow one other person to enter as a novice mage."
"One other?"
"Yes, that would be—"
"Why does it have to be me?! That's what I'm saying!"
Lucy Heart abruptly cut off my calm explanation and threw a tantrum. When I showed her my trembling fist—wondering if she'd forgotten my temperament—she immediately shut her mouth. She knew perfectly well that violence was my favorite method of conversation, so why was she acting like this?
"A-anyway… I still don't understand why I have to come along. And honestly, I don't get why you're openly revealing your identity as the Hero."
"Why not?"
"You said the demon would run if the Tower Master moved, but wouldn't it do the same if the Hero shows up?"
In other words, she was saying that if the demon avoided strong opponents, it would surely flee the moment the Hero appeared.
"No. If a Hero is present, the demon won't run."
"Why?"
"Because it's the most delicious prey."
Demons instinctively refused to leave a place where a Hero had appeared. The being who must possess the purest heart and punish sin in the name of the Goddess. The Hero. That position was the ultimate delicacy that made demons—spirits of corruption and ugliness—drool with hunger.
"…So, while you draw the demon's attention and keep it occupied, I'm supposed to gather information from behind, right?"
"Correct."
"Ughhh… Fine, whatever. But why does it have to be me? The Saintess is the head of an intelligence organization—she'd be great at infiltration, wouldn't she?"
"I already told you. Making her pay the price feels wrong. Besides, you don't actually think your value is equal to the Duchess's, do you?"
"……Understood."
Realizing I had no intention of letting her go, Lucy stopped grumbling. After watching her for a moment, I pulled out the scroll the Tower Master had given me from my inventory and tore it in half with a loud rip.
"Whoa?"
The mana that burst from my heart surged through Lucy's entire body. After a brief moment, she transformed into a young woman with plain brown hair and black eyes.
"Oh… This is actually pretty interesting."
"After everything I've shown you so far? Really now."
She touched her changed hair, her eyes sparkling with fascination.
"It'll be fixed in that form for a month. I was told it's a scroll that applies a time-freezing side effect while maximizing durability."
"What? Then I can't go back to my original appearance during that time?"
"Your current look is pretty too, so just bear with it."
"Good grief…"
I watched as she spun around to examine herself, then checked my own clothes once more. I used to dress like an ordinary adventurer or mercenary, but now I wore the black robe of a mage adorned with a star brooch.
The shape of the brooch varied by rank. Novice was a dot, proficient was a line, expert was a semicircle, and chief was a star.
"Make sure you don't lose the brooch. There will be plenty of troublesome situations inside the Magic Tower if you don't have it."
"What kind of situations?"
"Old ghosts might appear and bite your nose off, for example."
"I will absolutely not lose it!"
Lucy nodded with firm determination. Then she tilted her head, looking at me, and asked.
"But aren't you going to give me any specific instructions? I don't even know what a novice mage is supposed to do."
"Novice mages usually study under proficient mages. It's similar to being a student. The 5th-circle mage you'll be serving for the next month is named Semiran. She's said to have a gentle personality, so try to get along."
"Uhh…? But I can't use magic, you know?"
"Don't worry. You have talent."
"Huh?? What are you even—mmph!"
Explaining any further was starting to feel tedious, so I roughly covered her mouth with my hand and began walking. There were quite a few things I needed to do inside the Magic Tower. I wanted to move as quickly as possible and finish everything.
The moment we stepped onto the starting floor of the Sun Tower—
"…Leon?"
The first voice I heard belonged to the very last person I wanted to encounter.
"Tei."
"L-Leon? W-what are you doing here…? Wait, that's a Chief Mage's robe… And who's that woman next to you! No, that's not important… I wanted to introduce you to—"
"Shut up and get lost."
Ah. I couldn't hold back.
"W-what…?"
She looked drastically different from when she'd returned to the capital. Her hair was disheveled, her legs trembled uncontrollably, her breathing was ragged, and an oddly unpleasant odor clung to her. Even setting aside the personal rage I felt toward Tei, the aura she gave off made me not want to get anywhere near her.
I instinctively covered my nose and took a step back.
"Ha…? What the hell are you—"
"What is this? Who are you? Why are you suddenly showing up and picking a fight?"
As I stared at her with the expression of someone who had seen something filthy, a man stepped out from behind her, raising his voice. Judging by his brooch, he appeared to be an expert mage—somewhere between proficient and chief. The perfect age to be obsessed with himself and eager to show off in front of a woman. And those eyes.
You could learn a lot just by meeting someone's gaze.
He knows I'm the Hero.
And in the corner on the second floor, a chief mage was watching us.
And he ordered that 'honorary' chief mage over there to take the Hero down a peg.
How laughable. The Hero arrives, and they start a power struggle. It seemed the role the Tower Master wanted me to play wasn't simply finding the demon.
"Ah~ Could it be that the He—"
Crack.
The moment he got close enough, I drove my knee straight between his legs.
"Guh…!"
Next, I spread my hand toward the chief mage who had been watching slyly from the second floor. Having felt something from the Tower Master's spatial domination magic earlier, and with a body overflowing with talent, I had an idea of how to replicate it.
"…! Kyaaaah— W-what?!"
The chief mage's nape was yanked through the air and landed perfectly in my grasp. The scream she let out while flying through the air was clearly female. She must have been wearing a cognitive distortion robe, because her face was invisible. It didn't matter.
Either way, slamming her into the floor would make it all the same.
Thud—!!
I drove the captured nape straight into the ground. Her body convulsed for a moment before she passed out. I dusted off my hands and looked up. Every mage on the lower floors of the tower was now staring at me.
So this is what a celebrity's life feels like.
"Nice to meet you. I am the Hero, Leon."
Nice to meet you. Let's get along from now on.