The Tomb of the Dead (1)
A few days later, the Vice Tower Master summoned him.
Oscar hurried to his office—only to freeze, eyes going wide.
Because Vice Tower Master Hamel was on one knee.
Don't tell me….
Just as that suspicion flashed through his mind, the stranger standing in the room spoke.
"Magician Oscar Crucian, show courtesy to His Majesty the Emperor."
Oscar dropped to one knee at once, the hem of his white robe sweeping across the floor.
Naturally, the perpetually busy Emperor himself would never have come all this way in person.
Oscar's gaze settled on the resplendent object held in the imperial official's hand.
An imperial decree.
It was the letter the Emperor granted when delivering his will directly to a subject. And by protocol, receiving such a letter demanded the same reverent posture as an audience with the Emperor himself.
Once both men were in position, the official read the decree aloud.
Concerning Zephyr-001, the flying craft developed by the White Tower, and all flying craft produced by the White Tower hereafter, a patent shall be granted. It is further decreed that the White Tower shall hold the exclusive right to issue all related certifications for the next thirty years.
I rejoice greatly at the advent of this technology, and I trust that you will continue to refine your craft in service of the Empire.
It was done.
Head bowed, Oscar clenched his fist without meaning to.
The sturdy shield he had sought so desperately that he'd even revealed the airship's existence to Walker.
And now he had it.
And not just any shield—the strongest one in the Empire. No, in the entire continent.
The Emperor himself watching his back and endorsing the venture. No words could lend him greater strength.
"In addition, regarding Zephyr-001's official name, His Majesty the Emperor suggests that Cheonma—the Heavenly Horse, a steed of the skies—might be a fitting choice."
"……"
"……"
The Heavenly Horse is… a bit much.
Reading the awkward expression creeping across Oscar's face, the official gave a slight nod.
"I shall explain things properly to His Majesty."
"Thank you. I leave it in your hands."
"Aigoo, my."
Vice Tower Master Hamel rose slowly to his feet, smiling warmly at the official.
"You've come all this way from the capital. Why not stay the night, at least?"
"I couldn't. My own duties have piled up like a mountain, so I'll simply take the thought as kindness."
With a deep bow, the official carefully set the decree down and left the room.
The Vice Tower Master turned toward Oscar.
"I may not know all the details, but it seems you've gone and done something again, Oscar."
"Yes. I wasn't certain it would work out myself, but fortunately, things seem to have gone smoothly."
"Whew…."
A long breath of relief escaped the Vice Tower Master's lips.
He collapsed into his chair and finally voiced what he'd been keeping to himself.
"I couldn't say so before, but I've been worried sick. A treasured blade in the hands of the weak has always been a thing that invites disaster."
"I see."
It was true—for now, with Sasha gone, Hamel was the one managing the White Tower. He'd been staring out the window every day at those bikes soaring over the city, no doubt wracked with worry. What if the technology was too much for the tower as it stood? What if it only invited calamity?
"It'll be all right now. There's no one so foolhardy as to meddle in a venture the Emperor personally backs."
"Thank goodness."
The Vice Tower Master wore a contented smile as he continued.
"I understand the People of the Wind is finally preparing to expand, correct?"
"Yes. We've gathered plenty of data from Shilin, and frankly, the neighboring territories are clamoring for the service anyway."
The plan was to expand the service area step by step, starting with the territories around Shilin. That way, if anything went wrong, they could respond quickly.
"At the same time, the original delivery service will resume, and the nutritional supplement campaign will restart as well."
"Good."
The smile that had settled on the Vice Tower Master's face showed no sign of fading.
"With the delivery business finally on stable footing, that should mean a little more free time for you, Oscar."
"Yes. In fact, I've been thinking it's about time the Special Affairs Department began proper operations."
They'd been tied up with other matters until now—they hadn't so much as started real work.
"Ah, as it happens, there's a task that might suit a bit of investigation."
Vice Tower Master Hamel rifled through a folder in his drawer and handed over a single document.
"About four hours' drive from here lies the outskirts of Shilin. Something has happened there."
"What kind of problem?"
"They say the dead appear every night."
The dead of night.
Only one kind of thing went by that name.
"Undead, then."
"Exactly. The village chief has requested our help—they say undead monsters rise from the cemetery every night."
"Hmm."
Honestly, Oscar was about to wonder whether this warranted the White Tower's involvement at all—
"One more thing. Black Tower mages have reportedly been seen wandering near the village."
"……The Black Tower, you say."
Oscar's eyes went cold.
Of the Four Great Magic Towers, the one he disliked most was the Blue Tower.
But of all magic towers everywhere, the one he despised above all was the Black Tower.
"Those bastards are clearly scheming something again."
"Don't jump to conclusions. The Black Tower has changed a great deal since the war."
Changed. Those bastards, changed.
Oscar strained to keep his lip from curling and the sneer from escaping.
People can barely change their own nature, even when they try.
And the fundamental essence of a vast organization like a magic tower—built of countless souls—was supposed to shift in a mere twenty years?
Oscar was profoundly skeptical of that view.
"I'll make that judgment myself, once I see the site firsthand."
"…Do that, please. Are you going alone?"
"No. It's Special Affairs Department business in name at least, so I'll bring Kilian and Veronica."
Franc was off in closed-door cultivation, but those two were just sitting around.
And more importantly…
He'd never once seen the two of them manage even a short conversation. Clearly, they didn't get along.
Improving their relationship through this investigation was a secondary goal of the mission.
Oscar briefed the two seated on the operation.
"Handel, a mountain village on the outskirts of Shilin. Undead monsters have been rising from its cemetery every night. What's more, Black Tower mages were spotted near the village, so there's bound to be some connection. The objective: find the link between the undead and the Black Tower mages, and resolve the situation."
"Understood."
Kilian answered with his usual unreadable expression.
But Veronica frowned, voicing her doubt.
"The Black Tower, connected to the undead?"
"That's what the circumstances suggest. We'll need to investigate on-site for details."
"The Black Tower walked away from necromancy entirely after the war. You know that."
"Maybe. Maybe they've kept a school of it running in secret."
"…If that were true, the imperial court wouldn't just sit on its hands."
Veronica muttered, finding it hard to believe.
"We won't get anywhere bickering amongst ourselves. Let's just get moving."
"What are we taking?"
"I hired a driver for smooth travel. Naturally, we take my car."
Oscar was seriously considering a long-term hire for a personal driver. Until now the car had gathered dust in the garage, so he'd never seen the need—but with Special Affairs Department operations set to continue, he'd be traveling more and more.
A good driver. Something worth looking into.
His massive sedan was already waiting at the tower's main gate.
"I'll take the front—"
The moment Veronica reached for the passenger seat, Oscar swiftly blocked her path.
"Sorry, you're in the back. I've got some things to think through."
"……"
He had deliberately seated the two of them together, calculating that even trivial small talk might emerge over the drive.
…The calculation was a complete miscalculation.
Three hours past the start of the trip, the back seat remained perfectly silent.
Are they asleep?
Too curious to resist, he glanced back—and found them staring at their respective windows.
Deciding this couldn't go on, he broke the silence himself.
"Veronica. Earlier, you sounded like you were defending the Black Tower. Do you know something about them?"
"…Well, about as much as anyone else does."
One arm propped against the window, chin resting on her fist, Veronica kept her eyes on the scenery as she spoke.
"The Black Tower was the first magic tower to come to the orphanage."
"What? How did they find you?"
"Orphanages run on scraps of donations barely have any money. So once the children reach a certain age, they give them an aptitude test. If some usable talent happens to turn up, they notify a magic tower or a sword family so the child can be taken in. Sure, outsiders get furious and call it trading in children—but that's easy for them to say. In truth, it's a path to a better life for the child too. The orphanage loses one mouth to feed and earns a fee, so everyone benefits."
"…That's actually all right?"
"Hm? It really is. I still exchange letters with the orphanage director now and then."
She brought up what could have been a dark story with surprising calm, then went on.
"Anyway, the Black Tower took me in young and let me tour all sorts of places. And they were upfront about their terrible reputation—they showed us they were working to change, and that things would be different going forward. The Black Tower I knew back then… even looking back now, wasn't so bad."
"Then how did you end up at the White Tower?"
"The name of the Four Great Towers. It seemed like success would come easier there. Is that too mercenary of me?"
"No. It's realistic."
He had no intention of blaming her. Everyone deserves the chance to make a better choice.
But Kilian, apparently, thought differently.
Having listened in silence, he let one remark fall like a stone.
"It may have been a practical, clever choice. But by my measure, it was a decision with no loyalty in it at all."
"Loyalty? What does keeping it get you?"
At that question, Kilian shot Veronica a sidelong glance.
"…It gets you nothing. But it makes the soul of who you are harder, and firmer."
"So in other words, it means nothing at all."
"Hmph. Someone who values only what's in front of her eyes will never understand it, not in a lifetime."
Wow. First time hearing these two actually talk.
The problem being that their conversation was a fight.
Oscar sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Why are you two fighting, anyway? Do you not get along?"
"I wouldn't say that. Our characters simply don't suit."
"Ha, well said. Right, I suppose I don't much suit this ignorant oaf either."
"……"
You two don't suit anyone, as far as I can tell.
Oscar barely suppressed the words crawling up his throat.
Just then, the driver, who'd been nervously minding his own business, spoke up carefully.
"U-um, magicians. We've arrived."
Oscar took in the mountain village spread out before them and nodded.
"Drop us off in front of the main gate, please."