Chapter 142

Bored. So bored. Is there anything as tedious as indulging in the self-praise of stubborn old men? I wanted to visit Werner in the hospital, but the schedule couldn’t be changed, so there was nothing I could do.

I’ll just pretend to go along with it and then slip out. If it were the Tower Lords of Fire or Lightning, who always look down on me, it’d be one thing, but since it’s the Tower Lord of Earth hosting, it shouldn’t be too troublesome.

I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I’d rather be at home reading a book or practicing cooking than wasting time like this.

“Ugh, when are these old geezers gonna kick the bucket, damn it…”

If these old farts all died and were replaced, would things get better? Nah, even if they were replaced, it’d just be slightly younger, equally incompetent boomers. I just wanted to quit being a Tower Lord altogether. But damn, it’s the family business, so I have no choice but to keep going.

In that sense, I envy the Tower of Earth. The current Tower Lord of Earth declared that the position would be passed down to a talented disciple, not a blood relative, and they’ve lived their entire life single.

“I wish these old geezers would just get hit by a rock and die.”

[Kid, no matter how you think about it, that’s a bit harsh.]

Spirit King Valena of Water, who always meddles in my posts and comments on the mage community, now even lectures me on morals and manners when I’m talking to myself.

“Just wait till you hear what I’m about to say, you’ll agree with me.”

[That won’t happen. And watch your mouth.]

“Well, don’t regret it later.”

I opened the door to the meeting hall and stepped inside. All the familiar faces were there. The Tower Lords of each attribute, and the elders of the Tower of Earth filling the rest of the seats. Faces I’ve seen so much that I’m sick of them.

“Oh, Tower Lord Lorcha is here too. Still bad at keeping time, I see.”

You said 1 PM, but suddenly changed it to 12 PM this morning, you old geezers.

“I heard the news. You’ve made a contract with a Spirit King, right? So now us old folks must seem like a joke to you.”

“What, did I do it alone? Lord Werner did it too, so what’s the big deal?”

“Ah, that’s right. Still can’t take first place, huh? You’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Then today, Tower Lord Lorcha can tell us about her contract with the Spirit King. It’s a shame Lord Werner won’t be speaking directly, though.”

Sigh… Normally, they’d at least beat around the bush, but today they’re not even trying to hide it. They’re outright looking down on me. Ever since I was a kid, they’ve compared me to Werner in everything—number of spells developed, number of compatible attributes, even achievements… I’m so tired of it, I can’t even speak.

[…That’s a bit much.]

Even Valena was shocked by the rudeness of these old geezers. I whispered quietly to Valena.

“It’s just the beginning. Think of it as the appetizer.”

[What do you mean…?]

“If I explain the contract with the Spirit King in detail, it’s obvious what they’ll say.”

[What do you…]

“Ah, here we go.”

Tower Lord Gaius of Earth tapped the table and stood up. That stern face and cold voice… he’s the kind of person who wouldn’t bleed even if you stabbed him.

“I am Gaius Tierra, Tower Lord of Earth, leading this year’s meeting. Let’s skip the trivial self-introductions and move straight to the main discussion.”

Even though it’s called a meeting, it’s just a gathering of Tower Lords boasting about their achievements and research.

And now, everyone’s looking at me, eager to hear about my contract with the Spirit King.

These old geezers, who are about as skilled as I am, are just pitiful. Mages of the Tower have no sexual desires or anything. They only crave knowledge. They judge people solely by their magic, worship those with great magical talent regardless of their background, and treat even royalty like cockroaches if they lack magical talent… In a way, they’re admirable.

“Well… I guess I should start with the hottest topic.”

Reluctantly, I stood up and explained the contract with the Spirit King. When you make a contract with a Spirit King, your descendants automatically inherit the contract. Neither you nor your descendants can break it. However, to prevent the contract from spreading, only the firstborn inherits it. Lastly, if two contractors of Spirit Kings have a child, that child will inherit contracts with multiple Spirit Kings.

The Tower Lords’ eyes lit up at this. They’ll probably ask if I’d consider meeting their sons or some other nonsense.

“So, if Tower Lord Lorcha and Lord Werner have a child, that child would inherit contracts with multiple Spirit Kings, right?”

What the hell, how did the conversation go there…

“Ah, I see. Tower Lord Lorcha, weren’t you close with Lord Werner when you were young? If the two of you were to marry and have a child, perhaps they could come to the Tower of Lightning…”

What the hell, why are we already talking about childbirth, you crazy old man.

“No, since Lord Werner has a contract with the Spirit King of Steel, that child should come to the Tower of Steel.”

Don’t claim ownership of a child that hasn’t even been born or conceived, you lunatic. Besides, I’m still a virgin, you crazy old geezers, and this is sexual harassment.

[They’re definitely… insane…]

Even the Spirit King was taken aback by the mages’ behavior. I was beyond fed up.

“See? Now you understand why I didn’t want to come?”

[Yeah… I get it. Even I’d find it hard to attend.]

“Still, today’s a bit better. Normally, they’d compare me to Werner and belittle me… They’ve even said things like how disappointed my father, the previous Tower Lord, must be in me.”

[Aren’t you a pretty skilled mage yourself?]

“Even the highest quality sapphire looks shabby next to a diamond.”

I’ve understood that since the beginning. He’s only a year older than me, yet he’s achieved so much and flaunts his skills everywhere.

Tower Lord Gaius of Earth, who had been silently listening, tapped the table and stood up.

“So… a contract with a Spirit King is like that… It’s unnecessary for me. I’ve heard enough. To me, it’s worse than trash.”

“Tower Lord Gaius, what are you saying? How can a contract with a Spirit King be trash…?”

The Tower Lord of Fire smiled and tried to challenge Gaius, but Gaius only responded with a cold sneer.

“You’re trash too.”

“What…?”

Massive boulders attached themselves to Gaius’s arms. They looked like the hands of a giant golem from a fairy tale.

“I’ve learned all I wanted to know. Now die.”

That was magic. But how could he cast such high-level magic without an incantation…?

“Spirit King of Water, shield me…!”

Too late. He swung his massive arm, and the impact sent my body flying.

========================================

I woke up to a beeping sound. My whole body was soaked, bones were broken and sticking out, and every part of me hurt. The other Tower Lords… damn, they were all turned into minced meat. Not just the Tower Lords, but even the elders of the Tower of Earth were turned into minced meat, stuck to the walls.

If Valena hadn’t cast an incomplete defensive spell, I’d have been minced meat too. Or at least died painlessly. In this state, I might die from excessive blood loss…

“Hmm… You’re still alive?”

Gaius was looking at me with an intrigued expression. He wasn’t wearing a mage’s robe but something like a cowboy outfit from the west.

“What’s with that ridiculous outfit…?”

“Ah, doesn’t it suit me? Custom-made is the best, right? Especially the hidden stitching on the shoulder, I think it’s particularly nice.”

“No… before that, what the hell is this…?”

“I just took out the trash.”

It’s shocking that he killed the top Tower Lords in one hit… But there’s no way the other Towers would just sit back. If all the Towers retaliated…

“If you do something like this, the other Towers will come for revenge… It’s like turning an entire country against you…”

“A country… Afraid of a mere country… That’s not what a ‘man’ would do. Do I look so foolish that I wouldn’t have thought of that?”

“Why the hell did you do something so crazy…”

I thought he was at least a sensible old man.

“It’s proof.”

“…What?”

He tied his hair, put on sunglasses, and turned his back to me as he spoke.

“Proof for myself, for this world, and to announce to the gods of this world.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…?”

“Well, you don’t need to try to understand it.”

He walked away, still with his back to me.

“…Why didn’t you kill me?”

“You’re unrelated to this proof. It’s not necessary to kill you, though it wouldn’t matter if I did.”

And with that, he left abruptly.

“If you survive, tell Werner Altan this. Tristan, 3rd seat of the Black Round Table, will be waiting in the western wasteland. If you’re truly a ‘man,’ come and fight me.”

Damn, even if I wanted to tell him… I can’t move my body.

About 10 minutes passed, and my eyes started to close. I thought, “I’m really going to die…”

Then, I heard footsteps. I forced my neck to move to see who it was. A silver-haired girl with purple eyes and a man with demon wings from a fairy tale.

“Wow, he really went all out. So violent.”

“Yeah. But compared to a boss in the underworld who makes you work without rest for three days while hitting you with a bat, it’s less violent.”

“I heard you’ve been badmouthing me.”

“No, just…”

“If you don’t want to get hit more, you’d better work today.”

This isn’t the place for small talk… Damn, it’s still dangerous here, I need to tell them to escape…

The silver-haired kid suddenly approached me, fiddling with the earring Werner gave me, and spoke.

“Be honest. You don’t want to die, right?”

“Out of nowhere…”

“Then, want to make a deal with me?”