Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The City Named Havel
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Outside the Tower.
Above the peaceful city, as always.
A sudden commotion broke out.
“Breaking news! Havel of the Banpellyon family has appeared again!”
Amid the echoing uproar, people felt a wave of puzzlement.
“Banpellyon’s Havel? The climber who unlocked the 7th hierarchy?”
“I’ve seen the 7th hierarchy climber before?”
“He vanished for a while, and now he’s back.”
The Tower’s 7th hierarchy was currently drawing the most attention.
Yet it was also the floor with the least information available.
Naturally, everyone perked up at the fresh news.
“Hey, it’s not just Havel—didn’t you hear about Banpellyon?”
“They’re seriously recruiting knights. Three thousand showed up for the first round.”
“That many applicants? Only a top-tier family could pull that off.”
“They’re riding high right now. Heads from other families have already paid visits.”
Along with Havel, the Banpellyon name was soaring to new heights.
A family once among the Three Great Families, now so forgotten that even their fall was a distant memory.
Yet Banpellyon was now emerging as a new powerhouse at the center of the era.
The young family head, Arthur, was also drawing eyes.
Youths often squander their fleeting success.
But Arthur was frequently praised as fair and prudent.
“Banpellyon’s buying up land too, I hear.”
“Rumors say they’re reclaiming old territory. Surprisingly, the owners handed it over without a fuss.”
“Some old favor?”
“Word is it’s a debt from the Unification War era. They’ve been waiting all this time to settle it.”
“Unification War? That’s our great-grandfathers’ time.”
Stories tied to Banpellyon were popping up everywhere lately.
A long-fallen, forgotten house.
But there were those who still remembered and cherished them.
Hoping Banpellyon would rise again someday.
One by one, they emerged to repay debts passed down from their ancestors.
The efforts Banpellyon had made long ago were still bearing fruit, even after a century.
In front of the Banpellyon estate, whose fortunes were surging.
In a newly renovated room, a silver-haired man lifted his head.
The still-youthful family head, Arthur Banpellyon.
He had been handling the influx of recent duties when he glanced out the window.
“...It’s surely climbing today too.”
He thought of the man who had appeared out of nowhere one day.
The one who joined Banpellyon as a mercenary.
Havel.
After he arrived, Banpellyon had transformed in an instant.
Step outside, and the Banpellyon name echoed everywhere.
The family warehouse, once so empty they couldn’t even hire a single mercenary.
Now brimmed with Tower byproducts and riches sent by Havel.
Not even a year had passed since they’d rejoiced over the three knights dispatched by Dante.
Yet now, three thousand applicants had flooded in.
Even merchant groups were starting to build ties with Banpellyon.
In less than a year.
Banpellyon had undergone a seismic shift.
Arthur still couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t real.
But regardless of how surreal it felt, his hands kept moving diligently.
‘I have to match his efforts.’
Arthur didn’t know why Havel cared so deeply for Banpellyon.
But he could feel the man’s sincerity.
So when he returned.
It was Arthur’s duty to make Banpellyon stronger than any other house.
Arthur buried his face in his desk once more.
To make the rising star of Banpellyon shine brightest from that very spot.
Unlike Havel, who climbed the Tower, Arthur pressed forward in his own way.
With a single letter bearing Dante’s name before him.
74th floor.
Crow City.
Havel arrived at the place where the crows had built a true civilization.
A whole city reflected in his eyes.
As he’d heard beforehand, the city was visible.
And unlike the previous floor, the city buildings didn’t look all that massive.
‘The crows have gotten smaller.’
Unlike the prior floor, the crows were smaller in size.
Moreover, their appearance had changed.
They were closer to humans than crows now.
No longer covering themselves in feathers.
They wore proper clothing.
A clear sign their civilization had advanced.
“Balop, you head down.”
At that moment, Pyod spoke to Balop.
“Pardon? Bro, what’s that mean?”
Havel glanced at Pyod.
His eyes held genuine resolve.
Balop wore a troubled expression.
“We’ve got replacements for info broker and mage roles now.”
Owen handled intel, Elasia magic.
Pyod was right—Balop wasn’t much help.
“B-but bro, sending you alone...”
“Go down. I don’t need dead weight.”
Pyod’s words were curt.
But Balop still hesitated.
“Just say it straight, why don’t you.”
Havel couldn’t stand it and chimed in.
“You’ve judged Balop’s too much at risk the higher we go in the 7th hierarchy.”
Balop’s skills weren’t high.
He’d only reached the 7th thanks to the group’s power.
Every day here was walking on thin ice for him.
Havel’s entry into the Tower had raised the overall difficulty.
Balop was dodging near-death experiences constantly.
“Tch, whatever. Just go down.”
Pyod clicked his tongue, embarrassed his thoughts were exposed.
“Go make some coin with those Nrokload folks.”
The ones gathered for Freya Mountains reconstruction after the volcano blew.
Leave the rest to him and focus on rebuilding—that was the message.
“Bro...”
Balop bit his lip, then nodded.
“Don’t get hurt. Come back safe. I’ll be waiting for news, bro.”
Balop held back tears and descended the Tower first.
Watching him go, Pyod rolled his shoulders loosely.
“Finally rid of the pest.”
Havel shot Pyod a glance before looking away.
“What a prickly one. All men that prideful?”
“Varies by person.”
Elasia and Owen offered their takes.
Anyway, down to four from five.
“Owen, tell me how the 74th floor’s changed.”
Havel had shaken up the 73rd floor hard.
He needed to know the ripple effects here.
“Yes, one moment.”
Owen rummaged at his waist.
He pulled out a book emblazoned with the Graiza crest.
This tome shared intel anywhere.
Crafted by Graiza scouts to exchange information.
Owen had consistently drawn from it for updates.
Now he checked for 74th-floor details.
“Ah?”
A sigh escaped Owen as he scanned the pages.
His face hardened.
“Sir Havel, you remember the 7th hierarchy time shift?”
“Shifted again, huh.”
“Yes. Roughly two weeks between our climb and the shift.”
Two weeks—a long gap.
“Hence, quite a bit of new intel from this period.”
Owen rubbed his neck; it was substantial.
“First off... the city mayor is named Byran Tendal.”
Havel blinked.
Then pointed at himself, as if confirming.
Owen nodded.
“Pfft!”
Elasia couldn’t hold back her laugh.
As Havel shot her a look, she averted her eyes.
Havel nursed a brief headache but decided to let it slide.
Anyway, with Banpellyon in mind, spreading his name was necessary.
This might even be a good thing.
“If someone clears 73 again, 74’ll shift too.”
“Yes, that’s likely. The Five Great Families are restricting climber entries into the 7th hierarchy now, based on recent changes.”
Clear a lower floor, it reflects upward.
Blocking entries eased clears.
Classic Five Great Families move.
“City’s named after me, so they’re probably hunting.”
“Yes, seems so.”
“Then Graiza gets a chance to sell intel at a premium.”
Owen’s masked face stiffened.
That meant if Havel’s location leaked.
It’d be pinned on Owen.
“I’ll keep it sealed, no matter what.”
He’d climbed as a scout to save Baria Graiza.
If Havel slipped, Baria was lost forever.
Owen had zero intention of spreading it.
Watching him, Havel felt a sudden curiosity.
‘At first, I thought it was just family duty for Baria.’
But Owen’s dedication suggested more.
Havel’s path, as he knew, was no ordinary one.
Elasia had adapted; Pyod saw it as training.
But Owen followed solely for Baria.
‘Personal loyalty beyond the family, maybe.’
He’d learn when they met Baria.
Havel chose not to pry deeper.
“So, what’s the intel say.”
“First, city mayor details. Appears to be a descendant of Baldoran Tendal.”
Havel stroked his chin.
A city founded in his name, no doubt his tales had spread fully.
“Handy for Tower clears.”
“Yes. Core clear method seems unchanged so far.”
74th-floor clear was much like below.
Gather and combine keys.
Basic strategy.
But this time, not just from crows.
Half the keys held by the new Stryke tribe.
“Half should be easy pickings.”
“Yes, presume the mayor has them.”
No reason to dawdle.
Havel stepped forward without hesitation.
“To the mayor. Lead on.”
“Yes.”
The four, with Owen ahead, set off.
Crow City, Havel—the city mayor’s residence.
Byran Tendal.
A massive frame covered in scars.
Clad in a suit wrapping that bulk, he tended his garden.
But contrary to the serene sight, he let out a sigh.
The Stryke tribe had been rampaging lately.
They saw crow Tendars as prey.
Battles with them never ceased.
‘And lately, their numbers keep swelling.’
Recalling the skill the Stryke tribe had recently mastered twisted Byran’s face in complication.
Magic.
A mystical art the crows had never learned.
Leveraging magic, the Strykes held the edge in combat.
Naturally, plenty of crows fell to it.
‘At this rate, we’ll be pushed back.’
Standing on the front lines daily or agonizing over what to do had worn him haggard.
His subordinates had chased him home today to rest.
But even at home, the worries lingered.
And now, an absurd incident on top.
Thieves had broken into his mansion while he was away.
They’d downed the guards and pulled off something ridiculous.
Thinking of it brought another headache.
‘O Lion of the Night, what must we do?’
Recalling the legend of the Lion of the Night passed down through generations, he sighed again.
The tale of the Lion who appeared human-like to save the city in crisis.
Regrettably, reality was too pressing to cling to myths.
And if the Lion knew of his blunder, he’d surely rage.
‘No face to show the ancestors.’
Thud!
It happened then.
His sharp senses caught a disturbance at the entrance.
This was the mayor’s home, after all.
A sizable mansion with guards.
Seemed the guards were tussling with someone.
Perfect timing, with his head already pounding.
He moved to check the situation and catch his breath.
“Hey, I’m telling you nice—cut the crap and leave.”
The guard’s voice hit first.
As expected, a scuffle was underway.
Through the door crack.
Byran peered out.
There stood four figures.
‘Hm?’
Humans, first off.
A rare race that popped up occasionally in this world.
No clue where they came from.
But reports of their appearances were steady.
Especially lately, frequency way up.
They’d gone from novelty to familiar.
Even the Lion of the Night was said to appear human-like.
Crows were inherently friendly to humans.
But recent events had the guards on edge.
“Claims he’s the Lion of the Night, Havel? Gods, humans all pull this?”
The guard’s retort rang out.
Looked like the group had brought up the Lion again.
Since humans started appearing.
They kept insisting they were the Lion.
The Lion had near-white silver hair, a man.
Plenty had faked it identically.
But most were frauds.
The true Lion shone the Milky Way in the Star Sword.
Those who couldn’t were all phonies.
After dealing with them nonstop, even guards were fed up.
Humans claimed Lion status at the drop of a hat.
“No, he’s the real deal!”
A woman thumped her chest in frustration.
Byran glanced at the man she indicated.
There stood someone matching the legend to a tee.
Silver hair near white.
Blue eyes.
Above all, the bored glint in those eyes.
The vibe was spot-on with the handed-down tales.
And oddly, his presence was faint beyond reason.
Like sharing space yet in another dimension.
An enigmatic sensation brushed his body.
“Enough. We’ll ask Baldoran’s descendant.”
The man spoke, gaze shifting.
It locked straight onto Byran through the crack.
Byran flinched.
He’d been deliberately suppressing his aura.
“Hey.”
Havel cracked his arms lazily, annoyance clear.
“You opening the door? Or should I come in?”
His warning carried an inexplicably ill omen.
What was it.
Some instinct etched in his genes moved his body on its own.
Creak—
Door swung open, and Byran faced Havel.
“Come in, for now.”
He wanted to talk with this extraordinary human.