Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: City of Magic
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“Still, this is way easier to prepare for than heading to the Icicle territory.”
“The environments are just so different...”
The servants were busily preparing the carriage and luggage.
Ariana and I watched them from above while enjoying tea time.
Bellatrix had kindly insisted we rest fully before heading to the Magic Tower.
After that, preparations for the Magic Tower proceeded steadily.
“What do you think? I finished the armor first... It’s not adamantium, but it’s plenty sturdy.”
“It’s lighter than the one I wore before, yet tougher. Easier to move in too, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Among the gear I’d entrusted to Smith, the armor was completed first.
If my previous armor had been plain white and monotonous, the one Smith made featured gold accents and a blue cape, giving it a stylish, imposing vibe.
It looked more like hero’s armor than a holy knight’s, honestly.
When I asked Smith about it, he admitted referencing the hero’s armor but avoiding an exact copy—he’d added gold highlights and swapped the hero’s red cape for blue.
“The cape’s made from wyvern hide, so it’ll block arrows at least. I wanted to make one sword-proof too... but those materials aren’t exactly common.”
“This is more than enough.”
A cape isn’t about practicality anyway.
It’s about style and romance.
“A true cape is one that can be draped over a shivering child or shield someone from falling rain. That’s plenty.”
“...Heh, you’ve got a way with words.”
Smith chuckled dryly and handed me the helmet.
Unlike the previous visor that looked like an iron bar, this was a full-face enclosure with only the eyes exposed.
Once I put it on, Smith smirked with one corner of his mouth raised.
“Even I have to admit, the armor I made looks pretty damn cool on you.”
With that, Smith opened the door and stepped out.
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A few days later.
“Whoa... Is, you look totally different from before!”
“Do I?”
I stood beside Ariana next to the carriage.
“The shotel and shield are finally done too!”
“Yes, they’re far better equipment than I deserve.”
Smith had stopped by early that morning to deliver the shotel and shield.
Can’t wait to try them out.
No need for adjustment periods or anything.
Both fit my hands like they’d always been mine.
“We’re departing soon—please board the carriage!”
A knight shouted from up ahead.
Ariana and I climbed aboard right away.
“I can’t wait to see what the Magic Tower’s like! I’ve only heard rumors!”
Ariana was buzzing with excitement about the Magic Tower.
I smiled warmly at her as we set off toward the city housing the tower.
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The City of Magic, Illunite.
Mages flocked to the land richest in mana within the empire to study magic, and as more people gathered, it earned the name City of Magic.
Illunite boasted seven Magic Towers, each built with imperial support by the top mages representing their fields of magic.
The Red Magic Tower for fire and explosion magic.
The Blue Magic Tower for water and ice magic.
The Yellow Magic Tower for lightning magic.
The Brown Magic Tower for earth magic.
The Gold Magic Tower for those who wield various magics but prioritize money above all.
The White Magic Tower for teleportation and telekinesis magic.
The Purple Magic Tower for illusion magic.
The towers were spaced at sensible distances—not too close, not too far—so if an accident occurred in one, the others could respond immediately.
With seven towers standing, the citizens believed no monster or black mage could invade.
That’s the setup for the Magic Towers, right?
How many days had passed in the carriage?
We finally arrived in Illunite, and as I stepped down, I recalled the city’s lore.
And among those seven towers, the one I needed to visit was...
The Purple Magic Tower.
That’s where Prelia, the mage heroine, resided.
Illunite is...
I was mulling over the events that unfold in Illunite when—
“Whoa... Is, what’s with those giant gears?”
Ariana peered out the carriage window and asked me, her eyes sparkling.
Illunite had always looked mystical even in the game, so her reaction was understandable.
It overflowed with a more magical atmosphere than Solaria, the city of magitech.
Solaria was shrouded in darkness, after all.
I watched her childlike wonder with a fond smile until we reached the mansion of the city’s lord.
“We’ve arrived!”
We stepped out immediately.
Servants welcomed us warmly as we entered the mansion.
The lord’s mansion was uniquely designed—a massive estate embedded with enormous gears.
“So amazing...”
She murmured softly, just loud enough for me to hear.
I nodded with a fatherly smile.
Guided by servants down the hall, we entered the reception room.
“Greetings. I am Illusione Illunite, lord of Illunite.”
We met a middle-aged woman with a solemn air.
She wore the stereotypical mage’s pointed hat and a drab-colored robe.
The wooden staff in her hand looked about 1.5 meters long.
“May the Goddess’s grace be upon you. I am Saintess Ariana Astraea!”
“...And who is beside you?”
“Is Adonis, the saintess’s direct holy knight.”
“I see. Please, both of you, have a seat.”
Ariana shrank a bit under her utterly businesslike demeanor.
I savored her expression as we sat, and Illusione placed a basket on the desk.
“Eh...?”
It was filled with cute bear-shaped cookies, each with gear wheels on their shoulders.
“Gear Bear cookies, baked with magic. If they’re not to your taste—”
“N-No, I love them!”
Ariana snatched one up in a flash, as if her earlier timidity had vanished.
Just like in the game.
Illusione Illunite.
She came off as coldly professional, but really, she was just blunt.
Her hobbies were baking and making stuffed dolls.
It tied into her magic, sure, but she genuinely enjoyed it.
Her cookies were all adorable and charming, which was why Ariana’s eyes lit up at their first meeting in the game.
And sure enough, Ariana’s eyes sparkled as she held one now.
Illusione waited silently until Ariana finished her cookie.
Only then did she speak.
“Thank you both for coming to Illusione.”
“No, no! As followers of the Goddess, we go wherever evil gathers!”
“A noble conviction. Lately, we’ve seen more missing persons and deaths in Illusione.”
“Missing persons and deaths... increasing?”
Ariana’s mood shifted instantly.
“...Could you tell us more?”
“Well, recently in the back alleys—”
Just as she began explaining—
-Bang!
“Yo. Hero here.”
Ruin kicked the door open and strode in.
“...”
“...”
“...”
We three fell silent together.
You madman...
I’d asked him along since he was the protagonist, but now I regretted it intensely.
At least he’ll play his hero role properly, right?
The next chapter was Illunite anyway, so I’d brought him for that—but he’d better fulfill his part.
“Oh, cookies?”
Ignoring our stunned stares, he marched in and plopped down beside me.
“Scoot over. Touching you is fucking gross.”
Ruin, who’d barged in, now told me to move.
His head turned my way, and his eyes widened.
“What the hell, new armor? Fucking knight ass gets the good shit. Pisses me off.”
He picked fights with me constantly, so whatever.
“...Saintess, is this truly the hero?”
Didn’t she notice Illusione’s eyelid twitching faintly?
She was even questioning if he was the real hero.
Ariana sighed and nodded at her question.
“Ah...”
Illusione sighed in dismay.
Even so, she greeted Ruin politely.
“...Greetings, Hero. I am Illusione—”
“Yeah, whatever. Finish what you were saying. Seemed like I interrupted.”
“...Lately, people have been vanishing from the back alleys, and bodies are turning up more often. It happened occasionally before, but it’s gotten worse. Rumors say...”
She took a breath, then continued.
A Black Knight has appeared.