Chapter 219

#219 The Tin Knight and the Singing Bone (7)

“It’s been nearly ten years since I took this position, but today is the first time I’ve seen such a stormy day.”

After the Tin Knight and his crew departed, the Captain of the Guards finally sank into a chair, exhausted after subduing and restraining the endlessly resurrecting pirates, seizing their ship, and brushing off the diplomat’s threats—or rather, complaints—about not taking the situation lightly.

He gulped down the coffee his aide had brought without savoring it, as if it were mere sustenance, and read the displeasure and suspicion on his aide’s face.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind. Is it so displeasing that I granted that lady’s request?”

“To be honest, yes. While Lady Gale Elilraz may hold a high position, it doesn’t mean she can arbitrarily manipulate the regulations here.”

The criteria for receiving a high rank in the Tower of Guardian were based on “how outstanding one’s inventions were, and how those inventions were contributed to the tower.”

A high-ranking wizard was revered as an “excellent technician,” but that’s about it. Unlike the Tower of Control, where rank and position were nearly synonymous, having a high rank in the Tower of Guardian did not grant authority to command others at will.

Especially since this was a border area. The Captain’s position here was significantly higher than that of other guards.

He wasn’t ignoring the pressure being applied by the diplomats from other towers lightly.

“That’s just the principle of the matter. There are plenty of other 4th Grade Wizards who make ‘requests,’ yet how many people in this world would ignore them?”

“Lady Elilraz and the other 4th graders are different, aren’t they?”

“Different how?”

“Well, the others have purely contributed to the tower through their skills and experience over the years, but she’s just the North Witch’s apprentice…”

“Tsk, you seem to have heard some rumors from somewhere.”

In truth, there was quite a bit of gossip regarding Gale’s promotion to the youngest 4th Grade Wizard.

Some said she had submitted the technology developed by the North Witch under her own name to advance, or that the current Master of the Tower, also an apprentice of the North Witch, was helping the youngest priest out.

“Though the current Master of the Tower is gentle-natured, I don’t think she would intentionally favor her apprentice knowing it would cause discord. Nor would that lady accept any such privileges. The 4th grade was earned purely through skill.”

“Even so, confronting the Tower of Control in broad daylight is a separate issue. If something were to go wrong, it could even become a matter of your responsibility, Captain.”

“That might be the case.”

The Captain nodded knowingly.

“However… if it’s to determine whether our ally is truly trustworthy or merely a bug disguised as a friend, then isn’t that a risk we should be willing to take?”

His hand lightly brushed against one of the flutes recovered by the soldiers.

“Oh, friends! Listen to my tale, heed this story!

You must know the truth the oppressors tried to hide, the story they wished to conceal!

This is a tale of the wicked and petty conspiracy of those who dream of control!”

It was hard to believe easily.

But if this turned out to be true, the price of deceit enforced by the Tower of Control would surely not be light.

***

“Seriously, do you even have a brain?”

Throughout their journey to the tower, Dorothea wore a sullen expression.

Compared to the original plan of “running around the Tower of Guardian, spreading flutes, and creating such a ruckus that we can’t conceal the rumors in the upper tower, thus calling the Master of the Tower,” the current situation was several times more comfortable and relaxing.

If the group was really going to drag Gale into this mess, they could have just waited alongside the White Knight until Gale returned instead of staging a mad escape.

But Dorothea refused and set a plan that excluded Gale’s presence.

She had even explicitly told the White Knight not to get involved, just in case things went south.

Yet, this White Witch ignored such consideration and charged in to join them.

It left Dorothea in a foul mood.

“We may not matter much in the Magical Kingdom, causing a ruckus and fleeing, but you’re not just anyone, right? What do you plan on doing when everything goes down the drain?”

“I’m simply doing what I believe is right.”

Gale’s reply was straightforward.

“I’m not totally against conflicts and schemes. They’re a part of society too. But every person has lines they must not cross. Sponsoring thieves for personal gain, allowing nobles to be looted, and wiping out decent folks trying to fight back, then burying it all to trample on their dignity? If someone is blinded by ignorance, that’s one thing, but knowing this and staying silent? That’s against my principles.”

Just that, the White Witch firmly declared.

“I’m living this way because I want to. Isn’t that the same for you, Dorothea?”

“Don’t lump me together with you.”

Dorothea cut her off sharply.

The Black Witch glanced at Adelheid and the Tin Knight, who were training in magical power manipulation a little ways off.

“I’m not good-natured enough to feel all that sympathetic. If it wasn’t for Adel, I wouldn’t even consider getting involved in this at all.”

That was Dorothea’s line.

Eye for an eye. Good for good.

She could empathize with the pain felt by those close to her, but beyond that, she was harsh.

She didn’t involve unrelated people loosely, but that wasn’t absolute, either.

Just that.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, then I guess it is.”

“…You better think that when the curse comes knocking, it’s time for consequences.”

“Hmm. Hearing this from someone with three days left until the curse hits? That really packs a punch.”

“Hey!!”

Gale’s jab brought some minor spiteful reaction from Dorothea, but other than that, the journey to the Tower of Guardian was remarkably peaceful.

Even though they didn’t have the luxury to enjoy sightseeing, just a glimpse was enough to see how prosperous the Tower and its dominion were.

Magical constants, magical streetlights, magical air conditioning, and more.

You’d think the Tin Knight might wonder if calling himself a ‘Tin Knight’ while sticking the word magic everywhere made it sound great!

In fact, the Knight’s doubt had some merit too.

Though they were part of the same country, there was roughly half a century to a century’s difference in the progress of the areas governed by the Tower of Guardian and other towers.

However, to be precise, other towers enjoyed similar cultural benefits.

The Knights’ original travel woes of meals, maintaining cleanliness, and pest control, were now easily dealt with thanks to Dorothea’s magic back then, and now a specially made magical wagon. This highlighted that wizards’ living conditions, with their ability to borrow the power of magic and spirits, were on an entirely different level compared to common folk.

The Tower of Guardian merely spread those benefits widely in the form of magical devices.

In other words, that was the core idea, but only Sophia among the group seemed to pay that observant attention.

“If I get the chance, I’d like to leisurely tour around here sometime.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to stay a bit longer anyway for that guy’s taste bud makeover, so we can do it then. Once our plan succeeds and we get the North Witch’s endorsement, the only fate left for the Tower of Control is destruction.”

Considering they would need to deal with the Empire after that, resting a bit here wasn’t a bad plan at all.

Unless Adelheid was consumed with thoughts of revenge, planning to wipe everyone involved off the map, she was currently stable enough mentally to distinguish between when to unleash her anger and when to hold back.

As they discussed such things, they finally arrived at the tower.

Thanks to prior arrangements, meeting the master of the tower wasn’t too difficult.

“…Gale, you’re quite cruel to the elderly. What do you expect me to do with such heart-stopping matters?”

The Master of the Tower of Guardian was an elderly woman with graying hair and subtle wrinkles, giving her a dignified appearance. Her gentle yet refined visage suited that of a gracefully aged lady, but her eyes reflected considerable fatigue.

Gale shrugged.

“I’m just a sidekick in this matter; any praise given should go to the others.”

She pointed to Dorothea and her group as the real main characters.

The Master of the Tower’s gaze swept over the Tin Knight, Dorothea, and Sophia, before finally stopping at Adelheid.

With her blonde hair and eyes, she hadn’t hidden her features since that incident in the forest.

“Ah, well. Adventurers accompanying the Lion Duke’s Bloodline come to expose the corruption of the tower. And the target of that corruption is the same Lenart Family?”

Normally, Sophia or Dorothea would lead the discussion, but given the current seriousness of the matter, it was Adelheid who spoke up.

“I understand why you’d be suspicious. However, just as all towers are not unified, not all members of the Lion Duke’s Bloodline are the same.”

“I’m aware of the distinctions between the immediate and collateral family. I certainly am. But claiming conspiracy alone does not warrant belief.”

With the calm of an elder but the firmness of a leader, the Master of the Tower continued.

“It seems you plan to meet the North Witch and present the ‘proof’ you’ve brought, but presently you appear to be highly suspicious and unruly individuals. Without Gale’s endorsement, we might not have even been having this conversation.”

Facing such a negative reaction, Adelheid remained unphased.

“What do you want?”

“Could you show me that so-called evidence?”

Adelheid looked to Dorothea, who nodded, and then she pulled out a large, marble-sized orb and set it on the table.

This was a compilation of the events they had witnessed in the forest, edited to omit personal details for easier understanding.

“You know the magic that inspires dreams, right? The fundamental principle is the same. When you infuse magical power, mist flows out, and when you inhale that mist, you fall into a dream.”

Dorothea’s bold words made the Tower’s wizards wince, but the Master remained impassive.

“That carries quite a risk for whoever receives that. Wouldn’t it have been safer to visualize it and create a recording like a memory orb?”

“I didn’t have the bandwidth to do that while being chased.”

In truth, it was to spare Adel from the distress of seeing her family’s tragedy unfold like a movie. But Dorothea glossed over that part.

“Sure, but seeing the Tower of Control freak out like that indicates bringing such evidence here is already quite a feat. But we too have our positions to consider, so I’ll need to review this. You have no objections, right?”

“Do as you please. It’s not like I set up any suspicious devices.”

With Dorothea’s approval, the Master summoned some magical devices.

They included a magnifying glass, a plate, and some powdery magical devices that did their jobs in their own way before she touched the orb directly.

It was hard to call her excessively fearful.

Rather, if a leader of a group showed such a lack of preparedness, that would be truly worrying.

The black mist rising from the orb entered the Master of the Tower’s nose and mouth, and she drifted into slumber.

Then, about ten minutes later.

Upon awakening, though her eyes still remained calm, the coldness seeping through her voice was undeniable.

“…At least from my perspective, it doesn’t seem like there’s any disguise or manipulation. I’ll need to proceed with a few more verification steps, but if this is proven true, it could upend the Magical Kingdom.”

Adel asked, “Does that mean you will allow us to meet the North Witch?”

The Master of the Tower of Guardian replied, “Yes, I will convey your message to her.”