Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Mage from the Tower
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Tivela's Champion.
Though he himself wasn't particularly conscious of it, the title, ever proven by the pommel of the holy sword in his hand, flowed from the lips of the woman in the blue robe. Luon's gaze turned cold.
"You know me, but I don't know you."
"That's to be expected. I only learned of your deeds by chance myself."
"By chance?"
"Yes, by chance. If it weren't for the rumors about you spreading from Deer Village to Relizan, and that holy sword at your hip, finding you would have been a distant hope."
Just then, Kyle sidled up next to Luon.
"Could she be one of their companions?"
"No, that's not it."
Luon relaxed his stance slightly. But with his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword, he asked.
"So, what is this about?"
"I'm the one who was pursuing the man you encountered at the monastery. His name was Salvator. Do you remember?"
Even for Luon, who rarely remembered the names of those he killed, the name Salvator was quite familiar.
It was only natural, as Salvator was the name of the first demon worshipper he had faced since coming to this world.
Luon nodded.
"I remember."
"That's all I need. I'd like to talk to you about that incident. Will you allow it?"
Luon removed his hand from the hilt of his holy sword and replied.
"Very well."
***
The three of them sat around a small table in Kyle's house. Outside the window, a crimson twilight shimmered. Finding himself in the strange situation of hosting a guest while the villagers were being cremated, Kyle scratched his head and asked.
"Uh... should I get some tea?"
"I'd prefer warm milk, if that's all right."
"We don't have any... but the house next door should."
At the woman's question, Kyle stood up. Behind the closing door, his muttering could be heard, "Shit, is this stealing? No... it'll just spoil anyway. They'd understand, right?"
The woman spoke.
"Defeating villains and holding a funeral for the innocent villagers who died at their hands... I felt it while tracking you, but you seem to have a heroic side to you, don't you?"
What nonsense. Luon snorted softly.
"You're reading too much into a job I was paid for."
"Whatever your intentions, people sometimes only remember the results. An accumulation of such results forms a person's reputation."
"I doubt you sought me out just to talk about that."
The woman shrugged.
"You're right. Let's skip the tedious talk and introduce ourselves properly. It's a pleasure. My name is Amella."
Luon took the long, white hand Amella offered and replied.
"Luon."
Though it was a brief greeting, Amella smiled. Her blue eyes, which seemed to match her clothes, gently formed crescent moons.
"Yes, I've heard that name so many times. You have no idea how often you're mentioned in Deer Village, do you?"
"I'm not interested."
To Luon's indifferent response, Amella added.
"Fine, let's get to the point. To expand on what I said outside, I'm a mage dispatched from the Magic Tower to pursue Salvator. I've been tracking him for a long time to execute him for betraying the Tower and becoming a demon worshipper."
So, she was from the Magic Tower after all.
Having read the parchment detailing Salvator's life, Luon remembered that he had been a promising figure at the Magic Tower before murdering a colleague and making a pact with a demon. So, from the moment Amella said she was tracking Salvator, he had subconsciously suspected she might be affiliated with the Magic Tower.
Amella continued.
"He was an expert at covering his tracks, so the pursuit wasn't easy. But thankfully, perhaps because he was possessed by the demon, Salvator's actions grew bolder, and I slowly began to close in. The place where I became certain of his location was the monastery in Tivela, which you also know."
Indeed, Salvator's actions in the prayer room had been far from cautious, so Luon nodded in agreement. Amella went on.
"But then something unexpected happened. I arrived fully prepared, only to find that everything was already over. When I asked the townspeople, they proudly told me that Tivela's Champion, a man named Luon, had dealt with the demon at the monastery."
Luon replied.
"We both had our reasons, so I had no intention of correcting their misunderstanding, but I'm a mercenary who works for pay. A far cry from Tivela's Champion."
"That's fine. I didn't track you down because of the title 'Tivela's Champion.' As I said before, my interest lies with Salvator."
At Amella's words, Luon tilted his head.
"Did you come all this way just to confirm that Salvator died at my hands?"
Just then, Kyle opened the door and came in. He placed three cups of milk on the table and hesitantly sat down. Amella thanked him before taking a sip of the milk.
"No, all traces of Salvator ended completely at the monastery. The description of the body I heard from the farmers who handled the cleanup matched what I knew. I came here already certain that he had died at your hands."
As she spoke, Amella's expression was peculiar. It was like a complex mixture of various emotions—joy, anger, regret, sadness—making it difficult for Luon to discern how she felt. He asked.
"Then why did you come looking for me?"
Amella, who was cradling the cup in both hands as if to feel its warmth, slowly began to speak. She had already regained her usual expression.
"I'm interested in the item you acquired after defeating Salvator. Or to be precise, the Magic Tower is interested."
The Magic Tower's interest. From Luon's perspective, those were quite appealing words. The Magic Tower, an organization said to be shrouded not just in one veil but in several, was a place he had never once been involved with.
"I did pick up a few things, but I'm not sure if they're what you're looking for."
"Can you show me?"
"Before that, there's something I want to confirm. What do I get in return for providing the item?"
Amella answered without hesitation.
"Assuming it's the item we're looking for, anything within the Magic Tower's power to provide."
It wasn't a bad answer. He didn't know Amella's exact position in the Magic Tower, but she didn't seem like the type to make empty promises, so Luon took two sealed parchments and a palm-sized stone slate from his tunic and placed them on the table.
Amella, who had shown little reaction to the parchments, let out a low groan the moment she saw the slate and placed her hand on it. The moment the light emanating from her palm touched the slate, ominous black sparks flew up.
"Ugh!"
Startled, Kyle leaned back and fell over with a thud.
Hastily pulling her hand back, Amella gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath.
"That crazy bastard Salvator, what in the world did you... "
As she trailed off, Luon asked.
"What was that just now?"
Amella answered, rubbing her palm.
"Salvator used this stone as a medium to contain the power of Belducias. A slight misstep and it could have been a disaster."
"Belducias?"
"The name of the demon Salvator made a pact with. A powerful being also known as the Deceiving Darkness."
Luon looked down at the slate and asked.
"Is it possible to contain the power of such a being in an ordinary stone like this?"
Amella was silent for a moment before speaking.
"...This isn't an ordinary stone. It's a fragment of the Philosopher's Stone. It's what Salvator stole when he fled the Magic Tower. And it's also the true reason I was pursuing him."
The Philosopher's Stone? Like the all-powerful item from comics and games?
Seeing Luon's surprised expression, Amella asked.
"Looks like you weren't expecting that?"
"A little. When I hear 'Philosopher's Stone,' I usually picture something like a bright red gem, not a drab stone like this."
"A ruby is good enough for a bright red gem."
As if she thought it a trivial topic, Amella quickly added.
"Anyway, my mission is to safely recover this fragment. Thanks to you, the process has become much easier."
"I haven't agreed to give it to you yet."
"What are you going to do with a cursed stone? Besides, didn't you need the Magic Tower's help?"
She had a point. If the slate was a cursed object, there was no reason to hold onto something so unsettling. But he also had no intention of carelessly handing over an item that might be connected to a high-ranking demon.
So, instead of an abstract reward like 'the Magic Tower's help,' Luon considered what could serve as a clue to escaping this world, as a condition for handing over the slate. And then he slowly opened his mouth.
"I've heard rumors that there's a sage in the Magic Tower skilled in prophecy and divination... If that's true, could I have my fortune told by him as a reward?"
At that question, Amella didn't answer for a while, tapping her lower lip with her index finger. Once she had gathered her thoughts, she spoke.
"It won't be easy... but it's possible. However, it can only happen on the condition that you accompany me to the Magic Tower. Is that acceptable?"
Luon nodded.
"I don't mind. I was planning on moving to a new city after this job anyway."
"Good. I couldn't ask for a more reliable companion than Tivela's Champion."
"However, I'll be keeping this slate until we arrive at the Magic Tower."
Watching Luon put the slate back in his tunic, Amella chuckled softly.
"Fine, have it your way."
Just then, Kyle, who had been silent, raised his hand and spoke up.
"W-wait a minute. What are you two talking about? Tivela's Champion? The Magic Tower? A demon? And what's a Philosopher's Stone? Good heavens, who have I been sitting with all this time?"
"Who else? Just an ordinary mercenary."
"The most ordinary one here is me, the woodcutter..."
Kyle trailed off, chewing on his lip. Luon and Amella watched him in silence, his face clearly showing he was deep in thought.
A moment later, Kyle spoke.
"Can I go with you?"
Unlike Luon's expressionless face, Amella asked back with interest.
"Why would a woodcutter want to go to the Magic Tower?"
"With all the villagers I've known my whole life gone... I figured I need a place to settle down, anywhere will do. Ah! Not that I plan to settle at the Magic Tower, but I thought I'd follow you two until I find a suitable place to put down roots..."
Amella shook her head.
"I understand how you feel, but the Magic Tower is farther than you think, and it would be troublesome if you treat the journey as a simple trip. Wouldn't it be better to find your new home separately?"
At Amella's firm words, Kyle glanced toward Luon.
Seeing Kyle's pleading gaze, as if asking for help, Luon scratched his head.
I wonder what got into him all of a sudden.
Kyle's claim about wanting to find a new place to settle sounded like an excuse, but Luon decided that taking him along wouldn't be a bad choice.
He liked Kyle's fighting spirit and his brawling skills, which were too good to waste on being a woodcutter. More importantly, Kyle possessed an item that was awkward for Luon to use right now but too valuable to discard.
Luon said.
"It's his choice, so there's no need to stop him. When it comes to a simple brawl, he's quite useful. And he has a decent shield."
"A shield?"
Only then did Amella notice the shield behind Kyle, her eyes widening. Her expression hardened slightly as she stared at the plain-looking shield for a moment.
"Wait a minute..."
Amella reached her arm toward the shield and her lips moved. Soon, a small light emerged from her fingertips. The wisp of light, which had been fluttering through the air, wavered unsteadily as it neared the shield before dissipating weakly in mid-air.
Amella muttered under her breath.
"An object that disrupts magical wavelengths... Where on earth did you get something like this?"
"That shield is the reason everyone in this village is dead."
At Luon's answer, Amella glanced back and forth between the shield and Kyle's face, then sighed softly.
"The old folks at the Tower would lose their minds if they saw this. Fine, you can come with us. But you'll have to find your new home after we've visited the Magic Tower."
Then she added briefly.
"A mercenary with a holy sword and a woodcutter with a magic-blocking shield. What a strange combination."