Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Return to the Tower
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In reality, less than a month had passed since leaving the Magic Tower, but gazing up at the massive spires now, it felt like quite a bit of time had gone by.
Was it because of the events in the world of memories?
The time spent there hadn't been long, but perhaps due to the influence of magic, the fatigue was considerable.
'They're not coming right away, huh.'
He had expected Aum Pasha to make contact the moment he crossed the barrier, but nothing of the sort happened.
Like the pipe he'd seen in the sewers, maybe there were more devices that could transport him to where Aum Pasha was.
Or perhaps he had to wait until they reached out first.
What kind of face would Aum Pasha make if he heard that Damian had seen his past self in the world of memories?
"Come on in."
Ariella greeted Damian and Agnes with an expression more like the master of the house than the actual owner.
In the drawing room were not only Ezekiel, but also Dillon and Anya.
"Tower Lord—or rather, why is the troublemaker here?"
The massive disappearance incident at the Magic Tower. All of them were prospective criminals connected to Cadrell.
But they had played no small role in the Magic Tower's operations. Because of that, the burden on those left behind had increased.
He hadn't even been able to say goodbye to Ariella when he left the Magic Tower.
She had always shouldered a key part of the tower's management, so the tasks she had to handle were incomparable to anyone else's.
"Heh heh heh."
And yet here she was, leisurely sipping tea in Ezekiel's mansion. Had things been sorted out to some extent?
'It didn't seem like such a simple issue.'
What kind of trick had she used? As he turned his gaze, he spotted Ezekiel sitting there with a sullen expression.
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
Damian and Agnes couldn't help but be shocked at the same time. It was because of the clothes Ezekiel was wearing.
"Yes, yes. I suppose I should introduce him properly to you two as well."
Snap. As Ariella flicked her fingers, everywhere except where Ezekiel stood darkened. His expression crumpled even further as he monopolized the light source all by himself.
"This is Ezekiel, newly appointed as a Magic Tower councilor. He is the disciple of the former Tower Lord and Archmage Jeremiah, and the junior fellow disciple of the current Tower Lord and Archmage Ariella."
"Damn... you... eat shit...."
Clap, clap. Only Ariella applauded while the others maintained their silence.
"The Magic Tower's... in crisis, I see."
"Crises are best countered with even bigger crises."
Ariella beamed as she said something terrifying.
It wasn't an incomprehensible choice. And it wouldn't have been possible at any other time.
The mage Ezekiel.
He had been Damian's final magic teacher, and currently maintained a nominal mentor-disciple relationship.
He was a man who lived life flowing like water without holding grudges against anyone, but his position in magic society was no small matter.
If asked who came right after Ariella when Rubia's talents hadn't fully blossomed—everyone would name Ezekiel, even those who had suffered all sorts of humiliations at his hands.
It wasn't normal for a man of his stature to be called just "a mage" without any titles.
On the flip side, his scoundrel personality was enough to neutralize that level of skill.
But the situation was different now. The Magic Tower was plunged into unprecedented chaos, and the aftermath was affecting the council as well.
With Cadrell dead and vacancies from the disappearance incident, filling the numbers was important.
No one could oppose Ariella's decision to put Ezekiel in one of those seats.
If anything, they were puzzled that Ezekiel had accepted it.
Once a councilor, he couldn't roam freely like before. It was tantamount to putting shackles on him.
"Your mentor's slipperiness is his baseline, but his heart is actually quite pure."
"If you're gonna praise me, at least do it properly."
He didn't know what weakness she had grasped, but seeing Ariella in fine form, it seemed Ezekiel was fulfilling his role adequately.
"...Don't look at your master like you're so proud of him. You'll have your own hardships ahead. You're now a disciple of a Magic Tower councilor."
"No matter how bad it gets here, how much worse can it get? In exchange, you'll have to pay the proper price. I hear the base salary for a Magic Tower councilor, plus the special allowances and all, is quite substantial."
"Heh heh heh. I even used my advance salary to pay off the debt on this house."
"Ooh."
That was surprising. For an old layabout to use a large sum so usefully.
Now they could truly call this place Ezekiel's mansion.
"Of course, I took out more loans using this house as collateral—Gahhh!"
Ariella's small palm struck the back of Ezekiel's head for the first time in ages.
"..."
Gulp. Some power that was neither magic nor aura swirled around Ariella—something hard to comprehend.
The others present could only watch the scene in silence.
"Ha. Haha."
Anya let out an awkward laugh and turned her gaze to the window.
As a born merchant, she knew Ariella was scary, but she couldn't miss a chance to make money.
* * *
Dillon and Anya left the mansion for other business.
Damian explained to Ariella and Ezekiel the events during the heresy subjugation.
"A world of memories... I don't even know what to say."
Of course, he didn't explain everything as it was.
For instance, that he was acquainted with the ancient Aum Pasha. Or that Rubia had been attacked.
In the latter case, there was an agreement with Rubia, but he wasn't keeping quiet specifically for her sake.
If anything, it was for Ariella's benefit.
In the plan to change her fate, Rubia could become a variable, so it was better to keep her at a distance.
"And this is..."
Dark blue mana danced above Ariella's hand. In truth, Damian controlled about ninety percent of it.
Even the greatest mage of the current era couldn't comprehend primal mana at a glance.
"I'd seen it in Miss Rubia's paper, but to think the Tear of Eternity was an artifact for this. Believing in you was the right choice, after all."
Tap, tap. As the dark blue mana returned to the pendant, Ariella patted Damian's head.
It was like handling a child. An embarrassing situation, but not entirely unwelcome.
Though their apparent ages weren't far apart, somehow it overlapped with the image of his great-grandmother Lirian.
Of course, in reality, Lirian was much younger than Ariella.
"Hee hee. I have high expectations for you."
The role of changing her fate.
Damian had expectations as well. Her presence would have a profound impact on the future landscape.
"Tch. Now it's awkward to ask for it back later."
Ezekiel smacked his lips. The Tear of Eternity was the reason he'd visited the Magic Tower after so long.
He had planned to let Damian hold it for now and retrieve it later, but now that the pendant's secret was revealed, that wouldn't be easy.
"But why does Master want the Tear of Eternity?"
"Th-that's..."
"Hee hee hee. It's a youthful folly. Even you would feel embarrassed telling that to your young disciple, Ezekiel."
"Ah, whatever. That's not important right now. You. You look fine, so come out with me for a bit. There's something I need to explain to you."
And so Damian and Ezekiel also left the mansion. Ariella was about to head back to the First Tower when—
"Excuse me."
Agnes, who had been quietly holding her tongue until then, called out to Ariella.
"There's something I'd like to ask..."
"Is it counseling? About Sir Damian? I can help too!"
"Ah, if Miss Anya is fine with it..."
Suddenly, Anya popped out from behind the sofa.
No one—not Agnes, not even Ariella—had noticed her return to the mansion.
"Hee hee. Of course."
"Shall I prepare more tea? We'll need more refreshments too."
What kind of counseling would a knight like Agnes have for Ariella? It was obviously about matters between men and women.
"There's no one proper to ask about this..."
She had no sisters, and being obsessed with the sword, no friends her age either.
She hadn't heard properly from her mother since she left home in the past.
"Go ahead, speak freely. I've cast a soundproofing spell, so no one besides us three will hear."
She couldn't tell everything about her entanglement with Damian truthfully.
It would embarrass her, and it could cause trouble for Damian in various ways.
At first, it had been mere venting. Even now, it was an ugly emotion.
Then it became admiration, and before long, that turned to longing.
And now—
"I want to be of help to him. Sincerely. I want him to smile more brightly. What on earth is this feeling...? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Agnes meant every word sincerely, but the two gazed at her like they were looking at a kitten.
"Such is youth."
"It's youth, alright."
Their warm, affectionate stares made Agnes's face burn.
"You already know the answer, don't you? What that feeling is."
"But..."
It was too embarrassing to say it herself. Moreover, she didn't have the right to harbor such feelings for Damian.
Besides, Damian now had a clear goal. Her emotions would only hinder his path.
"Noble marriages often exclude personal feelings, but that doesn't mean they have to."
"My family couldn't manage that..."
"Ah... I misspoke."
Her mother who left home hadn't even attended her father's funeral.
She didn't know the reason. Agnes had been too young then, and now she had no desire to dredge up that shame.
"If it's a burden right now, take some time. You're still young, aren't you? Even if a human life is but a fleeting moment, time is still on your side."
Ariella stroked Agnes's head, just as Damian had.
It was newly astonishing that she could converse so casually with the pinnacle of modern magic.
"Of course. Ask me anytime if something comes up."
"Me too. Definitely."
But their final expressions sent a chill down her spine.
* * *
To celebrate paying off the mansion's debt, Ezekiel had the Hilton Trading Company build a training ground in the basement.
They had used the wide garden in front of the mansion normally, but as spars intensified, it could unnecessarily damage the property.
Thanks to that, Damian gained an independent research space as well.
[Got the gist of it?]
He received the promised knowledge from Gremory.
Now, creating a magic tool to replace Absorption based on this was up to Damian and Dillon.
[But you already knew the Tear of Eternity was an artifact for storing primal mana, right?]
[Of course. I just didn't expect you to figure out how to use it so quickly.]
The devil's favor always came with a price eventually. Gremory surely wanted more from Damian as well.
[The stuff in the world of memories. You don't plan to tell me separately?]
[That's a bit...]
Even the most favorable Gremory found it awkward. No point asking the other lords of hell.
[We devils have our circumstances, but for a human like you, it's just ancient history. Don't worry about it. More importantly, the mood between you and that girl lately has been nice, huh?]
[What're you talking about?]
After Gremory left, he checked the rewards from the subjugation operation.
He needed nothing else. He only asked for the grimoires held by the devil worshippers.
The Books of Hell hidden among ordinary books.
Mem 5 volumes. Gimel 1 volume. He 3 volumes. Vav 4 volumes. Kaf 2 volumes.
A harvest as expected. With the Books of Hell piling up like this, manifesting a lord wasn't impossible.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
Due to the regression's influence, confrontations with powerhouses he hadn't seen before were increasing.
In an unfavorable situation, the surest way to turn the tables was the Books of Hell.
So he had to conserve them as much as possible and keep collecting more.
'The Adventurers' Guild should contact me soon.'
Damian's grimoire collection was no longer a secret. He'd even spread rumors deliberately.
He could cover costs with potion sales profits, so anyone offering to sell a Book of Hell was always welcome.
'Book of Hell—Kaf.'
The Book of Hell symbolizing the devil scavenger, through contract with them, one could learn the black magic—Mire.
A black magic he'd used before regression, manipulating mud to bind foes' feet or suffocate them.
Bubbling, bubbling. As Damian recited from the Book of Hell, black mud overflowed from the grimoire.
It soon filled the training ground floor, and from within, a man made of mud stepped out.
Kimaris.
Father of the scavengers.
Hell's marquis commanding twenty legions.
The lord of hell he would contract with today.
[......]
[Kimaris. I wish to contract with you...]
[I cannot.]
[...What?]
"I cannot," he said. "I, Kimaris, will not contract with you."
Then why the hell did you show up? Damian questioned silently, full of doubt.