Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Magic Tower-5
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Up until now, Leonardo could proudly say he had experienced every kind of battle.
The berserker called the Human Slayer couldn't kill him, the Death Sovereign known as the lord of curses and death fell by Leo's hand, and even the ancient demon revived in modern times failed to devour him in the end.
Even Leonardo...
"Leo..."
Was certain that the current situation was the most terrifying thing he had ever faced.
"Explain."
"...Pardon? What about...?"
Pfuk!
The sword plunged into the marble floor of the corridor. It sank in as swiftly and cleanly as piercing soft clay, leaving only a sword mark without so much as a crack in the stone.
As she pulled out the sword, she smiled.
He could feel death creeping over his body at that smile.
Death was the premise, which felt off, but no rebuttal came to mind.
"Miss Ariasfil...? Please calm down first...!"
"Shut up."
"Y-Yes...?"
Ariasfil expressed her rage with a twisted expression. The murderous smile from earlier even felt cute by comparison.
"Did you do it?"
"Pardon...? What do you mean...?"
"Did you do it!! Answer me...!!"
With the subject omitted, he had no idea what she was even saying. On top of that, terror had frozen his thoughts, leaving no room for guesses or deductions.
"...So what are you talking about..."
"Shut your mouth...!! I don't want to hear it...!!"
He had no clue what was going on anymore.
Why she was venting such fury.
Whether she wanted an explanation or for him to stay silent.
In the meantime, Aria exploded with anger and resentment.
"...I...! I wanted...!! To be with Leonardo for the first time...!! Why...!! Why did you betray me...!!"
This was beyond their realm of understanding now. In a voice almost sobbing like a cry, Aria wailed. Tears began streaming down her face.
The two men felt confusion and fear in that moment.
At that instant, one graduate student wiped away Ariasfil's streaming tears.
"I'm sorry. As the adult, I made a hasty decision. I should have considered Miss Ariasfil's feelings..."
"You're the same...!! How could you do that to Leonardo...!!"
The moment she reached for her sword again, she embraced Ariasfil's body.
"I'm truly sorry. As someone who admires the same person, it's my fault for not understanding Miss Ariasfil's feelings."
"...U...Ahh..."
She shed tears once more. If asked what chaos and madness were, Leonardo would unhesitatingly point to this scene.
"So let's do it together now."
"...Pardon...?"
Ariasfil's tears stopped. Her resentment hadn't vanished. But Ameri's words bewildered her even more.
"...What do you...!"
"We like and respect the same person... Surely doing it all together will be best for everyone! It'll be more meaningful too!"
Ameri's words clearly centered on the Sage's legacy.
In Ameri's eyes, Ariasfil seemed just like Leo in seeking the Sage's legacy.
So she thought Ariasfil felt jealous and angry at being left out while they found the Sage's legacy.
She figured she'd feel the same in her position.
The real issue was...
'...Three people...?! No way... All together...?! That kind of depraved... thing...!!'
Ariasfil had interpreted it in an entirely different way. In her mind, a party of lust and debauchery was unfolding.
"...S-Such an indecent act...!! Is what you think I'd want...!!"
"...Indecent...? Ah! It's because we left out Rios! Let's do it all four together with Rios! That'll be great!!"
Ariasfil's face was aflame. The pleasure and immoral flames of her misconception were a fatally stimulating temptation for the young girl.
A moment of calming, explanation, and clarification was needed.
"...Ughhh..."
Aria buried her face in her hands and slammed her head on the table.
With the situation too bizarre for apologies, everyone stayed silent.
Mentioning it now might make Ariasfil faint from shame.
"...Really... sor...ry..."
Grinding her teeth, Aria tried to force out the apology that was pure humiliation.
"No!! It's fine!! Actually, not suspecting would be weirder!!"
Ameri hurriedly accepted the apology. From her perspective, her friend's little sister acting like that must be burdensome.
When she first explained the Sage's legacy to Ariasfil, she had doubted it repeatedly.
And rightly so—the situation and the late hour gave ample reason for suspicion.
Fortunately, showing the cut bathroom wall, the storage box, and the legacy ring finally convinced her.
Despite the nonsense, Leo nodded naturally and gave up on the question. If the Sage didn't know, better to leave it unknown.
"...So what are we going to do with that ring?"
To change the subject, Aria eyed the ring in her pocket.
"Well... Reporting to the Tower Lords first, I suppose. As the first Sage's legacy discovered in the Magic Tower's history..."
"We can't do that right away."
Leonardo, who found the ring with her, cut in.
"Pardon...? Why not...?"
"First, they'll question if it's real, and once they verify authenticity, they'll likely take it."
"...Is that a problem...?"
Leonardo sighed in frustration but reluctantly answered her pitiful gaze.
"Would they just hand it back? You're lucky if they don't swap it out."
Not all Tower Lords were wicked, but the Sage's legacy was a treasure of historical and practical value.
Greed wouldn't be surprising.
Especially with such a frail person as the owner—it would only intensify their desire.
"...Would they really...?"
"What if they offered a PhD in exchange for the ring?"
"I'd take it!!!"
That answer wasn't foolish or stupid.
She had lived as a slave for years, so it was a reflexive craving for freedom.
"See?"
"...Y-Yeah."
Aria nearly lost her words at the rare pitiable sight. A genius born with a silver spoon couldn't comprehend such impoverished thinking.
"...Yeah... I guess so...?"
"Then at least try wearing the ring once before deciding. That way, we can at least tell if it's real as a magic tool."
The two pondered the suggestion. Meanwhile, the ring's creator whispered to Leo.
As if awaiting the Sage's approval, the hesitant Ameri slipped the ring onto her finger.
"...Doesn't feel any different..."
"...Wha...?!"
Aria was the first to be shocked.
"...Why...! Why...!?"
"Look at your eyes! The bloodshot parts...!!"
Ameri reflected her face in the watch's dark surface to check.
Her dark circles remained, but the dry, cracked, bloodshot eyes gradually filled with moisture, turning white and clear.
"...Come to think of it, I'm not sleepy anymore. My head feels incredibly clear...!"
"Looks like it's real after all. Good."
Insult or compliment? Either way, good result—call it praise.
"...Then the ring now..."
No time to savor the joy, the diligent slave tried to remove it for grad school.
"...Huh? Why...?"
Ameri tugged desperately with her other hand, but it wouldn't budge.
"What's wrong?"
"This ring... Miss Ariasfil, could you grab it for a sec?"
"Pardon? Sure."
At Ameri's request, Aria lightly gripped the ring. Trusting her grip strength, Ameri yanked her body back sharply.
"Aaaah...!! It hurts!! Aack!!"
"Ah... Sorry."
Aria covered her mouth and apologized at Ameri's scream.
Where's the joke in this? Probably too dark for a misperception, or the Sage's presbyopia worsening.
"What now...? If it won't come off..."
"It's fine. From the moment we found it, ownership belongs to you or me, but comparing who solved the puzzle, you have more claim."
He planned to give it to her from the start.
Its healing effect would fix her various bone ailments too.
Leonardo looked at her with pity.
And who knows. A top-tier mage in her past life—maybe this magic tool catapults her to greatness.
No need for thanks. Overpraise.
"...That's important, but... I'm not even married... What do I do with this...?"
The finger Ameri wore the ring on was the ring finger—no fool would miss the implication.
"How will I get married like this...?"
The petty scoundrel subtly glanced at his backer.
The irresponsible rogue shook his head with a definitive no.
The scoundrel and rogue offered condolences without responsibility. A pity.
The next day, despite various commotions and incidents, things passed relatively quietly.
First, per Leonardo's advice, they decided not to reveal the incident immediately.
There would surely be objections, and in worst cases, they'd cut off the finger or assassinate to seize the ring.
They repaired the bathroom wall with Ameri's magic and returned to their lodgings.
And that night, they were to meet at one location.
Whether it happened or not was unknown, but by Sage standards, indirect kisses counted... so assume yes.
A true close friend might solve it instantly, but barring extreme geniuses or madmen, no one guesses like that.
And even if solved, that "friend" might not remain one.
"Ah! Leo!"
"You're here? Leonardo."
Two people were already waiting in front of the library.
"Sorry for calling you so late."
"No problem! For the Sage's legacy, a week without sleep—no, a month now is fine!"
Those words were sincere, not mere agreement. Otherwise, the Sage wouldn't look so smug.
"But is the legacy really in the Magic Tower library? So many people come and go..."
"If that's the case, the bathroom gets visited constantly too. It's hidden in plain sight, under the lamp."
The two nodded in admiration.
Without the extra comment, they'd have bought it, but he added needless details breeding suspicion. Too pathetic to point out.
"...I've been here before, but... it's huge. How many books...?"
"About 8 million... Plus 300,000 more in the underground rare books vault."
Aria's mouth gaped at the number.
The Tower had a duty to pass down scholarly materials, and students and professors cooperated for access to this vast resource—it was worth managing for the Tower.
"But how do we find it?"
"...Actually, the Sage left a hint in the library."
"...Or so he said. So everyone tried various methods here."
Some slept on books, tore them, even burned them.
"But the professors and students who did that got expelled. For damaging materials and property..."
Sleeping on books got a reprimand or essay, but tearing or burning was indefensible.
With that, Leonardo began pulling books.
"...Those books are clues?"
"No. Any books work. Grab the biggest, thickest ones you can."
"...Pardon? Really?"
Leonardo nodded and pulled various books. They eyed him suspiciously but grabbed books anyway, figuring they'd been had.
"Is this enough?"
Ameri asked, eyeing the tower of books on the desk.
"Yes, that's plenty."
"So what now?"
"Now we make a bed."
"A bed...?!"
Why the startled reaction? Was it that shocking?
"...We tried that, but it didn't work. Sleeping on books already..."
"Not just sleeping on them—we make a coffin... entirely of books."
"...Pardon?"
Leo wasn't fazed by the reaction. His own first time hearing it was the same.
Ingenious, sure, but odd no one in the eccentric Tower tried it.
Mysterious words from the babbler, so Leo accepted it.
As the Sage said.
Like the previous puzzle exam, numbers favored success.
Meant to collaborate...
'Mages who bite even over patents won't cooperate.'
Mulling that alone, Leonardo trimmed the books' edges into a coffin shape.
"Roughly done."
"Me too. Never thought 'slumber' meant this."
"...So we just lie down?"
Leonardo nodded, checking the completed book coffins.
"One success wins the game, so no pressure."
"Still, we have to succeed!"
"I'll do my best too!"
Expressing resolve, they lay in the coffins. Leonardo lay down too.
"Good night."
The group closed their eyes.
...
.....
.........
"...Wake up..."
"...Ugh...?"
Someone grabbed and shook Leonardo's body.
"...Wake up, Leo..."
Unable to resist the shaking, Leonardo cautiously opened his eyes.
"...Where...?"
His house. Did he doze off? Warm drool clung to his lips.
"...Sorry. I must've fallen asleep without realizing."
"It's fine. Between us~"
Ariasfil smiled brightly. Somehow wearing his apron casually, as if it were hers.
It didn't look bad. The navy apron accentuated her softening curves.
At the emanating allure, Leo blamed sleepiness to cover his lower half with the blanket. As his blood calmed, he sat up.
"You okay? Leo? You look pale."
Morning light and her in the apron were the real reasons, but who admits that?
Saying it would be insane.
"I'm fine. Were you okay yesterday, Miss Aria?"
"Huh? What about yesterday?"
Stretching like a bow, Aria asked back. Feeling his stirring blood, Leo smiled awkwardly and clarified.
"You fought the village chief. How'd you beat that stubborn granny?"
"...Ah... That...? Well..."
Aria hesitated. Leonardo stared at the distant clock's second hand.
After nine ticks, she cautiously spoke.
"What happened was..."
Leonardo's face twisted coldly.
"Hey."
He cut her off sharply.
"...Leo...? Why so sudden..."
"Shut up. You're pissing me off."
A tone utterly unlike his usual, one he'd never use on Aria.
"...What's wrong...!? What did I do wrong...?"
"You're pissing me off, so stop pretending to be Ariasfil in front of me. Succubus? Dark mage? Or hallucinogen?"
"...I don't know what you mean...! Why are you like this?!"
Leonardo slammed the table, smashing the furniture with his fist.
"Then answer what I asked. How'd you beat the village chief? From start to finish, no omissions."
"That’s..."
"Can't answer right away, right? Yeah. Inevitable."
Illusions or dreams combine the target's knowledge and subconscious into realistic fakes. Most don't notice even if not perfectly accurate.
Not fully realistic? Blur memory and awareness, and humans don't even question if it's real or dream.
"But they have one weakness."
Memories you're aware of but lack details have a different imaginative texture.
"Faking it naturally takes at least 10 to 15 seconds. Gotta invent what's missing. Get it now?"
"What are you talking about?! Only 9 seconds have passed!!"
Uncharacteristic irritation from Aria, but Leo's certainty hit true.
"Oh yeah? How'd you know it's 9?"
"Uh...? That's..."
"You didn't check the clock... Could be 8, or barely 10... How'd you know exactly 9?"
Aria couldn't answer.
Obvious, right?
"'Because that's how I perceive it.' Isn't it?"
Only Leonardo knew exactly it was 9 seconds here.