Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Lantern Keeper Shortage
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4th Hierarchy Safe Zone.
Havel, who had been waiting there for Dante, furrowed his brow.
"He's not the type to be late, so why's he taking so damn long?"
Dante was the sort who always stuck rigidly to his routines.
There was no way he'd be this late.
'Guess I need to go down and look for him.'
With that, Havel descended the Tower to find Dante.
Along the way, he suddenly heard a commotion.
When Havel turned his head, there was Dante locked in a fight with some boy.
"Oh, for crying out loud."
Dante wasn't the type to pick fights with anyone.
It was clear at a glance that the other side had attacked first.
Without hesitation, Havel smashed his fist down on the boy's head.
Bam!
"Gahk!"
The boy ended up with a massive lump on his head and rolled his eyes back as he passed out.
"So that's why you were late? Messing around with trash like this?"
Havel asked.
Dante glanced at the unconscious boy.
"I honestly have no idea. He just attacked me out of nowhere..."
Dante was at a loss too.
He'd really been jumped completely unprovoked.
But the boy had clearly known who he was.
That meant it was a targeted attack.
"Let me check him out first."
Dante pulled back the boy's hood to get a proper look at his face.
At that moment, red hair spilled out from under the hood.
Fiery crimson locks, like flickering flames.
Dante recognized it immediately.
"Ignor?"
The fire magic earlier fit too. He was definitely from the Ignor family.
"You know him?"
"Not his face, but I know the family. One of the Five Great Families—a magic house."
A magic house.
Havel looked down at the boy upon hearing that.
"Any reason a magic house would come after you?"
"Beats me."
He'd never crossed paths with the Ignors before.
"Whatever. Not worth worrying about."
Havel picked up the boy and tossed him casually into a corner.
Then he brushed off his hands.
The motion looked just like dumping trash, making the boy seem pathetically forlorn even in unconsciousness.
By then, the flames had finally died down, and people started gathering.
"Hey, isn't that Dante?"
"The super rookie?"
The crowd recognized Dante.
He'd become quite famous by now.
No one paid Havel any mind, though.
Naturally, Havel couldn't care less.
He'd had his fill of praise and acclaim long ago.
Stuff like that held no allure anymore.
"Dante, let's go."
"Yes."
Havel and Dante headed straight back up the Tower.
The next floor they planned to challenge was the 5th Hierarchy.
Clear this one more, and the two of them would practically be part of the vanguard team.
As they climbed and looked up, the cityscape of the district unfolded before them.
It was on another level compared to the previous safe zone.
Above them, the dark sky of the 51st floor's Dark Zone loomed like eternal night.
Below that stretched a luxurious city aglow with yellow lights.
Towering buildings boasted their grandeur.
And the shops nestled at their bases were all renowned establishments.
This was Panicel, the safe zone of the 4th Hierarchy.
The Tower's midpoint and its most prosperous mid-layer city.
"Even seeing it again, this place just reeks of indulgence somehow."
Havel, who'd been here before, wasn't particularly impressed.
He called it indulgence, but it was really just the unique nighttime vibe.
Fundamentally different from some sleazy brothel district.
This city catered to the world's top-tier powerhouses.
It pandered to their vanity, which made everything even more upscale.
That's how the city had flourished to its current state.
"You said we need gear for tackling the 5th Hierarchy."
"Right. They say you need something called a Lantern Keeper for the 5th."
The 5th Hierarchy Dark Zone.
A realm of pitch-black darkness where you couldn't see an inch ahead.
The essential item there was a peculiar byproduct known as the Lantern Keeper.
A green-glowing flame that floated through the air.
Some called it a will-o'-the-wisp.
"Let's go buy some."
"Yes, I've already scouted the shop."
There was only one place selling Lantern Keepers.
Eiblerang's Lantern Shop.
Eiblerang, the magic artisan who developed the spell to process Lantern Keepers.
But he never shared his magic with anyone.
Thus, it was his exclusive domain.
"That's the place."
Eiblerang's shop was easy to spot.
It sat prominently on the main boulevard.
Creeeak—
Dante opened the red-painted wooden door.
Inside, empty bottles lined the shelves.
A green powder dusted the bottoms.
Likely the remnants from Lantern Keeper vials.
Dante and Havel walked past the rows of shelves.
"No way, you're telling me all the Lantern Keepers are sold out?!"
"What can we do? The Merlin family bought them all up for their big 5th Hierarchy push."
"Damn it, we were planning to tackle it too!"
"Have to postpone. Wait a week. They'll restock by then."
"Ugh, we had everything ready. Just missing the Lantern Keepers."
A man's dejected voice echoed from the back.
He turned and shuffled out.
"Hm? Other customers?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper noticed Dante and Havel.
He repeated the same line he'd given the previous climber.
"Sorry, but we're out of Lantern Keepers. No stock left."
"Not a single one?"
Dante asked, looking flustered.
"The Merlin family scooped them all up in bulk. Can't be helped. Production's limited."
The shopkeeper waved his hands dismissively.
"You mentioned they'd be back in a week?"
"Yeah. Should be around then. Might be crowded, though."
Crowded meant no guarantee of snagging one.
Dante let out a sigh.
He hadn't expected something like this to hold them up.
"Havel, sorry. I should've grabbed one earlier."
But Havel was lost in thought.
"...Merlin?"
He'd heard the name somewhere before.
"Ah, the Merlin family isn't on the level of the Five Great Families, but they're pretty well-known. Especially sharp with business—they're loaded."
Dante explained about the Merlin family.
Then Havel suddenly remembered.
'Right.'
The daughter of that family had once doggedly pursued him.
Even back then, they'd been the richest around.
Impressive that they still were.
"Oh, come to think of it, I recall one of Arthur's acquaintances is from the Merlin family."
Dante remembered something related too.
Havel stroked his chin.
'She's probably in the grave by now.'
No need to dwell on old history.
"We might be able to score a Lantern Keeper through them."
"Think you can reach out to Arthur?"
"Yes, I'll contact him right away."
With that, Dante left the shop with Havel.
He messaged Arthur immediately.
Soon after, Dante returned with a reply.
"Arthur's coming to Babel. Turns out his Merlin contact is there too."
"Gotta go down again."
Today was full of up-and-down Tower trips.
Arthur hadn't climbed the Tower, so it couldn't be helped.
As Havel and Dante headed down...
In walked someone perfectly timed.
A red-haired boy with a visible lump on his head.
He spotted Havel and Dante and his eyes widened.
"Found you!"
With that shout, flames erupted in his hands.
"That guy from before?"
Dante belatedly recognized him.
He was the direct heir of Ignor from earlier.
Revived already after taking a hit from Havel.
Impressive endurance.
"I don't know what trick you pulled last time, but you're pretty good, Dante!"
Havel eyed the boy blandly as he fixated solely on Dante.
Seemed he hadn't seen Havel's attack and assumed it was Dante.
"I'm Azaris Ignor! Let's go again!"
Sure enough, the boy was a direct scion of the Ignor family.
"You gonna fight him?"
Havel ignored him and asked Dante.
Dante naturally shook his head.
No reason to tangle with an Ignor heir.
"Then we walk."
Havel strode past with Dante toward the exit.
"Wait, I said let's go again!"
But Azaris wasn't about to let them off.
Flames blazed in both hands as he targeted Dante.
Boom!
"Urk!"
Another familiar scream, and he rolled across the floor.
Havel's fist had smashed his head before he reached Dante.
"Dante, are all the Five Great Families just full of idiots like this?"
Havel looked disappointed.
Dratein was one.
This guy too.
All of them seemed like morons.
"...W-Well, not all of them."
Dante replied uncertainly.
Even to him, the direct heirs of the Five Great Families seemed a bit off.
"Let's head down."
"Yes."
Havel left the fainted Azaris behind and descended the Tower again.
Azaris lay there alone, sporting two lumps, pathetically unconscious.
The day after Havel descended the Tower.
Arthur arrived in Babel with the old butler.
"Haha, Havel! Lately, thanks to you, I find myself grinning even mid-meal!"
Arthur broke into a beaming smile upon seeing Havel.
Havel had solved the Banpellyon family's chronic financial woes and restored their prestige.
How could he not smile?
"Glad to be of help."
"Help? You've done more than that! We're even renovating the estate now. Building a proper training ground and knights' quarters too."
That was welcome news.
A knight order was both martial might and a symbol for a family.
Now was the time for Banpellyon to truly expand.
"Dante, no more borrowing other training grounds or using the back yard."
"...Thank you, Arthur."
Seemed the training ground and knight order setup were partly for Dante.
Havel smiled in satisfaction at Arthur's good work.
"So, the Merlin family."
"Yes, we'd like to get one Lantern Keeper."
Arthur thumped his chest confidently.
"Leave it to me. Levi from the Merlin family is a close friend."
Arthur apparently had quite the network.
'Why do I feel uneasy about this?'
That kind of overconfidence usually backfired spectacularly.
As Havel eyed Arthur warily...
He boldly located where Levi was staying.
And then.
"Lady Levi refuses to meet you."
"W-What?"
Levi had rejected the meeting.
As Arthur looked dumbfounded, the servant added,
"The lady says she has no intention of meeting someone who doesn't keep his promises."
Havel sighed inwardly.
Arthur's connections had crumbled to dust.