Chapter 178: The Tin Knight and the Tower of Foresight (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: The Tin Knight and the Tower of Foresight (5)
By nature, those in high places are slow to move.
There are many reasons for this, but one is that the higher a person's position, the more people accompany their every move.
To ensure no harm comes to them, they must have security personnel. If their destination is far, they need a driver—or in this case, a coachman.
They also need servants for various errands and a secretary to manage this staff.
One cannot simply dismiss this as arrogance.
For example, if a king were to declare, "I cannot be a burden to my subjects," and then wander around alone only to meet with misfortune, that would be the real nuisance.
But a stroll around one's own front yard should be fine.
With that thought, the head of the Tower of Foresight, Medir Geldnir, stepped into the shop.
Of course, this didn't mean he had come here recklessly, without a single thought.
He had, after all, already completed the bare minimum of investigation.
This used to be a bookstore. They rented the space and bought all the books inside, I believe? The owner said they paid full price for everything, without any apparent threats. It seems clear that financial gain isn't their goal.
Medir's red eyes scanned the shop's interior.
A barrier. The school is witchcraft, is it? The method itself is quite old-fashioned, but the execution is superb. She must have learned from a good teacher, or perhaps her own talent is exceptional.
A strange sense of appreciation appeared on his face.
It was like an old man watching a youngster belt out a classic folk song with surprising soul.
"Not bad."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. Old men tend to talk to themselves more."
It was a rather strange thing to say for a man who looked no older than middle-aged, but Adelaide didn't question it.
He was, after all, one of the four tower heads who ruled the Magic State.
For such a person, it wasn't so strange for their appearance not to match their age.
A moment later, Dorothea and Medir came face to face.
Medir was the first to speak.
"I see. No wonder all the young men who came here returned completely mesmerized. That appearance must be quite a potent distraction for hot-blooded youths. Are you here to use some kind of honey trap?"
It was hard to tell if he was being serious or joking.
Though his gaze swept over Dorothea from head to toe, his red eyes held not a trace of lust.
It wasn't quite the indifference one would show a roadside pebble, but it was close to the detached gaze of someone calmly appraising a plaster statue.
"What nonsense. You didn't come all this way just to ask me that, did you?"
Dorothea's response was, for someone addressing a tower head, remarkably arrogant.
"Of course not. But is it possible you don't know who I am?"
"If you're demanding empty pleasantries, I can provide them. For a price, of course."
"A courtesy offered only upon request, then. Well, we can sort that out later. Though I'm not sure if the opportunity will arise."
His words carried a subtle, unsettling undercurrent.
Sure enough, a faint aura began to emanate from Medir's body.
It wasn't enough to signal the start of a battle, but he was poised to do so at a moment's notice if necessary.
"I don't dislike pedantic questions and answers, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't beat around the bush. Answer me. What is your objective? Why are you causing all this commotion?"
To his straightforward question, Dorothea answered just as candidly.
"I want to get inside the tower."
"Why?"
"There's something I need to find. Two things, actually."
"And what are they?"
"The 'Shoes of Borealis.' And the Witch of the North."
That was right.
Dorothea's party wanted to enter the Tower of Foresight not just to track down the Witch of the North.
Their original purpose for coming to the Magic State...
The silver horse that pointed to the location of the kingdom's fifth sacred treasure was also pointing toward the Tower of Foresight.
"Hmm."
Medir stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, before murmuring, "I see."
"So, it's for the treasure hunt proposed by the Kingdom of Heaven. I think I have a rough idea of your identity now."
"I thought you disliked beating around the bush. I'd appreciate it if you'd just tell me whether it's possible or not."
"As a rule, only mages affiliated with the tower are permitted to set foot inside. If your only goal is to enter, you could join right now and come in."
"No thanks. Once I'm in, I'll be tied down. You're the tower head, can't you just let me in?"
"This is an ancient tradition of the tower, passed down from the first head. Not even I can break it lightly."
Dorothea's brow furrowed.
Just as she was about to retort, an unexpected voice stopped her.
[The 'Tin Knight' advises that now is the time to make a deal!]
[The 'Tin Knight' points out that if there were no room for negotiation, he would have turned and left the moment he heard your objective!]
Dorothea blinked.
What's gotten into him? Did I hit him too hard? ...Huh? Does hitting him improve his performance?
[The 'Tin Knight' is offended, sensing you just had a very rude thought!]
In that instant, Medir's eyes glinted with interest.
"You just had a conversation. With a type of magic I've never seen before. How did you do it?"
"Whether I answer or not depends on you. You're asking for a lot when you haven't even confirmed whether the Witch of the North is in your tower or not."
At Dorothea's blunt words, Medir seemed to ponder for a moment.
"...I am not at liberty to discuss her whereabouts. Unfortunately, I cannot offer that as part of a deal. However, regarding your search for the 'Shoes of Borealis,' I can grant you permission—on one condition."
"A condition?"
"I hear you possess magic that reads the past. Hand it over."
"Impossible."
It was an immediate refusal, as if the offer wasn't even worth considering.
It wasn't magic to begin with, but the power of a sacred treasure, so she couldn't hand it over anyway. But even if it were real magic, its value was far too great to be exchanged for a mere temporary entry pass.
It was a good thing Sophia had been sealed away before the magic towers were even established; if the power of the Chalice of Tuberose had been widely known, the towers themselves might have plundered the ruins for it.
"Instead, I can continue to help you restore the materials you have. You know I'm already helping you for a price that's practically free, don't you?"
Dorothea didn't say, 'If you continue to be uncooperative, I won't help you any further.'
Threats were often more effective when implied rather than stated outright.
Assuming, of course, that the other party was capable of understanding the implication.
And Medir was a man of such capability.
His eyebrow twitched.
"What would you have done if I hadn't come? You would have continued with your 'fortune-telling,' wouldn't you?"
"I would have kept it up for another day or so, then closed the shop. After all, those who have had a taste of meat feel a sharper hunger than those who never have."
"So you planned this from the start."
After a small sigh, Medir spoke.
"Rules are rules."
"Oh, come on. Are you serious?"
"Exactly. So, come in 'according to the rules'—legally."
At Medir's words, Dorothea tilted her head in confusion.
*
The Tower of Foresight was a building with a long and storied history.
The Magic State of Aeolia had only been called such for about 200 years, around the time the Lydia Empire was founded. But the Tower of Foresight was far older, a group that had existed since Aeolia was not the great nation ruling the entire northern continent it was today, but just one of many ordinary, moderately sized kingdoms.
No matter how much others called them stuffy or old-fashioned, the history and traditions accumulated over hundreds of years were a source of pride for the tower.
However, that didn't mean every member loved all the traditions passed down through the tower.
Among them were traditions that even the members wished would just disappear.
For example, the rule stating, "The main gate of the tower must always be guarded by a living person," was the one that the mages of the tower found most bothersome and wished would be abolished.
This tendency was especially strong among the younger mages with less experience in the tower.
The reason was, in a way, perfectly natural.
The high-ranking senior mages no longer had to stand guard—or rather, act as receptionists—at the gate, so they could dismiss it as a thing of the past, saying, "It was tough back in the day." But the low-ranking mages had to take turns guarding the tower front as part of their current duties.
It was so bad that a grim rumor circulated that the only reason 1st-rank mages were made to lodge inside the tower was to prevent them from running away out of sheer boredom with their receptionist duties.
"Haaah."
Today's receptionist, an apprentice mage named Poi, let out a long yawn.
No matter how he thought about it, this receptionist duty seemed nothing but inefficient.
I mean, there were perfectly good notification spells, barriers, and they could even have a familiar guard the gate. Why did a person have to be on standby?
He'd heard that they originally had spirits guard the gate, but the spirits, unable to bear the boredom, started playing 'pranks' on visitors. When those pranks went too far and someone ended up dead, the Witch of the North herself had created this rule. Poi couldn't help but resent the ones who caused the incident in the first place.
"Hah. Fuck. I want to see that beautiful fortune-teller too."
Just as Poi was grumbling about why he couldn't go to the shop that was right in front of him, something strange entered his vision.
The people standing in front of the fortune-teller's shop began to murmur, and then the line split down the middle.
Five figures walked through the gap, approaching the main gate of the tower where Poi stood.
"Uh, uhh."
Poi was utterly bewildered by the sudden situation.
It seemed he was also simply mesmerized by the veiled, black-haired beauty at the front.
Only when they were close enough for him to see the movement of their eyes did Poi finally snap out of it and ask.
"W-What can I do for you?"
The black-haired beauty did not answer.
Instead, the green-haired woman who appeared to be her servant spoke with a smile.
"—Is this the place where those who seek the world's wisdom gather?"
Her voice was not particularly loud.
And yet, not only Poi but all the onlookers nearby could hear the question clearly.
Poi almost blurted out, 'What kind of bullshit is that?' but after catching the terrifying glares of the tower professors mixed in with the crowd, he remembered something he had forgotten.
One of the rules that anyone guarding the main gate of the tower had to memorize.
Following a dead-letter rule that he had memorized but never once had occasion to use, Poi recited the prescribed phrase.
Because it was something he habitually recited before starting his receptionist duty each time, even his tone came out exactly as he had memorized it.
"Indeed. This is the place where the world's foresight is gathered, where those who seek to elevate that foresight reside."
"Then I ask of you, guardians of the great fount of knowledge. Grant us, if you would, the opportunity to broaden our horizons."
For a moment, Poi hesitated.
It wasn't because he couldn't remember the next line.
It was because he didn't know if he should really say it.
His seniors had repeatedly warned him never to speak of this outside, as it would become a huge pain in the ass if it became widely known.
But he had no other choice.
If he followed the rules here, he would surely get an earful from his peers and seniors who were also stuck as receptionists. But if he ignored the rules, the professors would undoubtedly let slip a terrifying remark like, "Do the young ones these days not even bother to memorize the basic protocols?"
Poi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then forced the words out.
"Of course. So long as you abide by our etiquette, the tower shall treat you as guests."