Chapter 389: The Tower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 389: The Tower
"We should be safe here."
In the dense jungle of interwoven, deformed flesh, Muen cautiously scanned their surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was pursuing them did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He gently set down Liya, whom he had been carrying by the waist, and unceremoniously dropped Ellag, whom he had been hauling by the back of the collar. Muen adjusted his breathing, working to quickly recover his stamina.
Unsure if Freya had any other tricks up her sleeve, he had sprinted a considerable distance. Covering such a gap was no small burden, even for him—especially while carrying two living people.
"Sss—ow, ow, ow..."
Ellag, still nursing his injuries, sat up through gritted teeth and glared. "Couldn't you be a little gentler?"
"I should be the one saying that. Couldn't you be a little lighter?" Muen rubbed his wrists. "You're heavy as hell."
"Eh? Am I heavy?"
Liya suddenly tilted her head, her bright, watery eyes blinking at Muen without pause. "Am I heavy?"
"No, Liya isn't heavy at all. I was talking about this ungrateful fellow," Muen said earnestly. "A beautiful girl’s weight is practically zero. I could hold you forever and never get tired."
"Is that so?" Liya patted her ample chest and let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good. I thought I’d gained weight again."
"How could you? Your figure is perfect, Liya," Muen said with a smile.
"...Tch."
Disgusting couple.
Ellag clicked his tongue sourly. He struggled to stand, but perhaps due to the severity of his injuries, he stumbled, nearly losing his footing before coughing up a glob of dark, clotted blood.
"Are you alright?" Muen frowned, using a handkerchief to wipe away the blood that had accidentally splattered on him.
He had gone to great lengths to bring this tool of a man out alive; it would be a massive loss if the guy kicked the bucket before he could be of any use. "Do you need Liya to heal you?"
"No, no need."
Ellag quickly waved him off. "I know healing magic too. After that emergency treatment just now, coughing up the stagnant blood actually makes me feel better. There’s no need to waste Miss Liya’s strength. In our current situation, her utility is far greater than mine."
"...True."
Muen was quick to agree with Ellag’s assessment. Indeed, no matter how one looked at it, Liya was far more important. He was referring to her utility, of course—nothing else.
"Could you at least pretend to be polite about it?" Ellag’s cheek twitched as he watched Muen immediately dismiss the idea of helping him.
Seeing how spirited Ellag was, Muen knew he wasn't in any immediate danger of dying. "I didn't expect you to be able to survive this long. Not bad."
"Heh. Illusion magic might not be good for much else, but when it comes to misleading people, it's top-tier."
"Freya didn't give you a flower earlier?"
"Of course she did, but..." Ellag clutched his chest, a look of intoxication on his face. "My heart already belongs to the Goddess. Naturally, I can withstand such temptations. Forget a mere flower—even if Freya herself threw herself into my arms, I wouldn't even bat an eye."
"..."
Great, another hopeless simp.
Once he was certain Ellag was fine, Muen refocused his attention on their environment.
Within the dense, nauseating jungle of deformities, the blood mist had grown thicker than before, severely limiting visibility. However, perhaps due to the bright moonlight spilling from the moon above, Muen could still clearly see the tall, ancient black tower standing not far away.
"Is that... the Tower?" Ellag asked in surprise. "Aren't you afraid Freya will catch up if we go somewhere so conspicuous?"
"It's fine. If she catches up, we'll just keep running. I've never been afraid of anyone when it comes to that. What I'm more concerned about is..."
Muen’s expression suddenly hardened as he looked toward the side. "Who’s there? Come out!"
"What?"
Ellag and Liya immediately tensed up. Following Muen’s sharp shout, the flesh-jungle nearby began to rustle violently. Within the crimson mist, a figure... was approaching.
"Don't be afraid, it's me."
The figure slowly emerged. It was... a snake!
A massive white snake poked its head—the size of a water barrel—out from the woods. It hissed, flicking its tongue, its cold reptilian eyes reflecting the stunned faces of the group.
"A magical beast! And it can talk!" Ellag instantly dove behind Muen. "I can't handle this kind of monster. I'll leave it to you two!"
Liya also pressed herself close to Muen—not for any tactical reason, but simply because beautiful girls were afraid of snakes.
"There are actually normal magical beasts in a place like this?" Muen frowned, tightening his grip on his dual daggers. "Fine. Looks like dinner is served."
"Wait, wait! I said it's me! Do you really have no memory of my cute and melodious voice?"
The white snake suddenly opened its mouth. A very sexy figure, covered in slime with her wet clothes clinging tightly to her skin, slid out from the snake's maw.
The white snake vanished into a cloud of smoke. The figure writhed provocatively on the ground for a few moments before laboriously raising a hand to brush back her hair, revealing a rather pretty face.
"Miss Fei'er? You actually managed to escape?" Liya said, looking quite shocked once she recognized the face.
"Heh. Even though I was the first one targeted, I am the most outstanding member of the Tower of Origins' younger generation—an elite Saintess Candidate and a magic genius. How could I possibly fall at the hands of that little bitch Freya?"
"However..." Fei'er looked at Muen with a face full of gratitude. "I have to thank Mr. Muen for that Illumination Spell just now. As expected of that person's disciple! To think Mr. Muen could use a mere Illumination Spell to such an earth-shattering, god-weeping degree... It is truly admirable!"
Muen: "..."
Even though her praise was technically justified, why did he feel so guilty?
"That little thing isn't worth mentioning. Are you alright?" Muen reached out a hand toward Fei'er. He was actually quite happy to have a powerful mage like her join them.
"I'm fine, I'm—pfft..."
"..."
Muen silently withdrew his hand and wiped the fresh blood off his clothes.
Is it a trend for you people to spray blood whenever you're injured?
"Miss Fei'er!" Liya cried out, rushing to Fei'er’s side. she cast Holy Light, purifying the filth on her body and healing her wounds.
The puncture wound in her abdomen healed visibly, and some color returned to Fei'er’s face. However, she quickly stopped Liya.
"Don't bother with the rest. That's not an injury; it's the backlash from forcibly channeling my mana. It can't be healed."
"Eh? Then what should we do?" Although the external wounds were closed, Liya could clearly feel that Fei'er’s internal state was a mess; both her mana and her life force were in total chaos.
"It's fine." Fei'er waved her hand dismissively. "Minor issue. I just need to rest."
"I see." Seeing Fei'er’s relaxed expression, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"However..." Fei'er’s tone suddenly shifted. "The process of me resting might be a bit... you know..."
"You know?"
"So..." Fei'er turned her head shyly toward Muen and said in a high-pitched, cutesy voice, "As that person's disciple, Mr. Muen must be an upright and noble man. You certainly wouldn't abandon a weak woman like me who doesn't even have a knight to protect her, right?"
"Huh?"
Muen was stunned. Before he could even react, Fei'er finished her sentence, her head lolled to the side, and she passed out cold.
Liya: "..."
Ellag: "..."
Muen: "..."
So you went through all that trouble to escape just to come here and be a burden to me?
The veins on Muen’s forehead throbbed. If Fei'er’s injuries weren't genuinely severe, he would have suspected she was a mole sent specifically by Freya.
But... he couldn't actually abandon her.
Muen sighed and reached out to pick her up. But halfway through the motion, he suddenly paused.
"Ellag, you carry her."
"Eh? Me?" Ellag pointed at himself. "I'm injured, and I'm a mage! You want me to carry her?"
"Of course." Muen nodded solemnly. "As the most reliable combatant here, I need to remain on high alert at all times. Naturally, such trivial matters must be left to you."
"...Fine."
Muen watched with satisfaction as Ellag—whose heart supposedly only belonged to his Goddess—reluctantly hoisted Fei'er onto his back.
Yes, he was simply making the best use of his tools. It definitely wasn't because he had felt a sudden, chilling gaze the moment he was about to pick her up himself.
...
After a brief rest, the group continued forward and soon arrived at the base of the giant tower.
As they stepped through the blood mist and saw the tower in its entirety, they realized it was even more magnificent than they had imagined.
Setting aside the fact that the tower itself seemed to pierce the clouds, its base sat atop a massive hill at least a hundred meters high. Only a single, narrow staircase—wide enough for only two or three people to walk abreast—led to the entrance.
Before this pitch-black monolith, the group felt as insignificant as ants.