The Insane Dog
Exchange Day.
The three warring nations had paused their conflict and gathered for this historic moment of exchange with the Magic Towers. Many called it a time of peace, a vital opportunity to obtain brand-new magical tools and technology through cooperation with the Towers. But the administrative officials from the three nations and the mages of the Towers themselves saw it quite differently.
Exchange Day was not a time of peace. If anything, it was a moment of preparation. In truth, it was the period during which both sides sharpened their teeth and bared their fangs, ready to tear each other apart. The flow of the war would completely reverse depending on how much preparation they made during this time and how much aid they extracted from the Towers.
Two months remained until Exchange Day.
Tower Master Beldora was currently attending a meeting of the Tower Masters convened by the Archmage. Her shoulders were raised all the way to her ears. In effect, she had completely overturned the paradigm that the Iron Magic Tower had built.
She had invented a new ironworking process and raised the power of every iron-based spell by a full grade. That alone was reason enough. Moreover, by constructing an extra-large furnace, she had demonstrated through results that iron magic could now be used far more effectively in construction, manufacturing, and countless other fields than ever before.
The Tower Masters sat around the massive round table. Looking at Beldora, who was radiating unusual confidence, the others found it impossible not to feel irritated.
“Humph. Those shoulders are going to reach the ceiling.” “The table is already small enough—how is she puffing herself up so much that her shoulders would touch the ceiling?” “Hah!”
Even though the Wind Tower Master and the Earth Tower Master had issued the provocation, a smug smile remained plastered on Beldora’s lips.
What she had learned from spending so much time with Dam was that nothing infuriated a person more than a smile. Even just leaning her chin on her hand while sneering like that could turn the tables on the one who started the fight.
“Humph.” “Hah, look at the phony act.”
When Beldora crossed her legs and sat back, the two who had been challenging her simply closed their mouths without finding anything amusing.
After all, the Towers were a meritocracy, and that meant everything was decided by results.
Today, in this meeting, no one’s voice was louder than Beldora’s.
The Fire Tower had done well too, but in reality, much of what they had achieved was only possible because the Iron Tower had lent them a hand.
“You two seem awfully disinterested.”
At that moment the Water Tower Master finished his report, sat down, and grumbled. He had been working hard while the other Tower Masters were just chatting with each other.
But he had no time to keep complaining.
The Archmage, after listening to every presentation, sighed along with his wrinkled, snow-white beard.
“Scale down the power of the healing salve. If healing happens this fast, the front-line supply lines will be impossibly quick. We will break the balance of the war.”
“…Understood.” “Remember this. Magic that intervenes too heavily on the battlefield must not be used. We are simply providing tools.”
It was absurd, of course. Magic itself could not be used in war, but enchanted tools could.
That was why each Tower was busy researching how to embed their spells into those tools rather than focusing on raw spells.
“Insane.”
Beldora leaned on her chin and listened to the Archmage’s words, muttering to herself. Everyone here knew the structure was a bit distorted, yet reality sometimes gave extra weight to irrational, unnecessary parts.
Magic and enchanted tools. That was exactly how it was.
* * *
“Damn it all, show us your iron magic, you bastards!”
During the Tower Masters’ meeting, Dam suddenly noticed the Fire Magic mages who had appeared out of nowhere and flew into a rage. The Fire mages, on the other hand, were asserting their rights as if they had every reason to be angry. They kept grumbling as if something was unfair.
“No, this is magic we created. Why can’t we use it?” “You say your furnace runs twenty-four hours a day, right? So why is it such a grievance to give us some of the steel that comes out of it?” “Well, calm down. Just give us ten percent at least. After all, without fire there’s nothing.”
Dam wiped the sweat from her forehead and ground her teeth. The furnace was already boiling hot, making her even more irritated, and now these idiots were talking nonsense.
Barely managing to hold back the urge to unleash the black sun of her right hand, she snatched a steel ingot and pointed it at them.
“Why is this yours? You lit the fire—everything is yours? If you’re that damn pissed off, go back to your own Tower and make it yourself!”
“Aw, it’s easy now that Dam is here.” “She’s quick to get angry with us, and even quicker with everyone else—thank god for that.” “For now, let’s side with Dam.”
The iron mages working nearby muttered when they saw Dam’s back. Having a crazy woman from the same Tower brought its inconveniences, but it was also comforting and reliable. Especially the strange female pheromone that wafted from her whenever she passed by dripping with sweat, which lit a fire under the work ethic of the male mages.
“Ah, fuck. I’m roasting alive because of these insufferable bastards. Hey! Towel!”
Dam raised her hand and Noman immediately brought her one. With the towel in his grip, he began wiping the sweat from her neck, chest, and cleavage as naturally as ever.
Dam frowned as she watched the Fire mages stare at the scene.
“What are you staring at, you bastards? Ever seen sweat-soaked cleavage before?” “….” “Try taking off your pants and trying it yourself. It’s nowhere near as satisfying.”
‘What the hell is that saying.’ ‘It’s like she’s talking like a guy.’ ‘It must be a divine mistake in assigning gender.’
The Fire mages made disgusted faces. Yet they still refused to back down. Before coming here they had already prepared countermeasures against Dam.
“Sorry, but apprentice mages are out. Bring the responsible party.” “Huh?” “Dam, you’re still an apprentice mage. You lack the qualifications and the responsibility. We have no intention of talking to someone like you.” “Hah! Hey! What the hell are you saying now? If you didn’t want to come during the meeting, you should have come at another time—you’re so creepy!”
By the way, Dam was still officially an apprentice mage. The Towers judged by results rather than time, so in theory she should have advanced long ago. But because she kept causing incidents far beyond what was expected, she received punishment regularly and remained exactly where she was. That was why the Iron Tower called her their ultimate apprentice.
“Humph, anyway! Not Dam—bring out another mage. A high-ranking one.”
It seemed the other side had someone quite powerful.
Dam nodded with a sigh. “This is the Iron Tower’s level, you bastards!”
She snatched the steel ingot again and swung it high, ready to smash the head of the one speaking.
“Dam!”
Theodore, the Tower Guardian of the Iron Magic Tower, rushed over in a panic and blocked her arm. “Even if that’s true, using it would kill you!” “I’m not that strong!” “Dam! Tone it down! Last time you didn’t do your work properly and two people ended up seriously injured! One of them can’t even speak properly now!” “Dogs are supposed to get hit so they learn! Those bastards need a beating!” “Everyone, calm down!”
When Theodore shouted, the other iron mages rushed forward to restrain Dam. “Ah, what are you doing, you idiots! Who do you think is the enemy? Those bastards—ah, damn! Who touched my chest, you bastards! It hurts!” “I-I didn’t do it on purpose.” “You fucking white-flame bastard! If you want your heads broken, then mine comes next!”
The white-flame mage, who had been hit by Dam’s hammer before, flinched and stepped back. Dam’s body was lifted off the ground, her legs flailing in mid-air.
Theodore shouted urgently at the Fire mages. “Go! While we keep this crazy woman in check!” “Y-Yeah-.” “Where do you think you’re going! Come here! We’ll smash your skulls one by one! Isn’t that right?! If anyone dies here, it’s a perfect crime to throw the body into the furnace?! I already have three people buried like that—!”
Her eyes gleamed with a crazed light and genuine threat. The Fire mages, who had been collaborating with her, knew just how insane Dam was. In the end they could not withstand her overwhelming killing intent and retreated.
Once the Fire mages left,
“…”
The raging Dam suddenly calmed down. “Huff.”
She curved the corners of her lips upward, relaxed her body, and the other mages slowly released her.
Dam handed the steel ingot to another mage and shrugged her shoulders. “See? That’s the insane-dog strategy. I bet those guys will start claiming iron ownership once some time passes.” “…Yeah, that was pretty much what you said. It felt a little excessive. You said you injured two people, but now you’re claiming you buried three.”
Theodore sighed. Dam’s eyes curved. “What’s excessive? I have to show them like this so next time they’ll piss themselves before they even step through the door!” “…” “I have to drop a loaded lie. I was telling the truth just now. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have smashed their heads with the ingots.”
A heavy silence fell.
It was not shock. Everyone already knew she would do exactly that.
Dam, who did not understand the meaning of the silence, clapped her hands while laughing. “All right, everyone, back to work! We have to show our sponsors something that will make their eyes spin!” “Sponsors? You mean royal envoys.” “Same thing.”
Dam had been busy preparing for the upcoming Exchange Day. What she was currently building was a Knight Armor the size of something a person could wear. Of course, there were still several things missing before it could actually be used. First, they had to show the right look and capture hearts.
‘Even Edison scraped money from investors and sponsors by lying.’
Muttering to herself, Dam was about to head back to the Knight Armor mock-up when
“Ah, White-Frame, come here. Damn it, just like that.”
Dam snatched another steel ingot and ran toward White-Frame.