Chapter 220

“Did you seriously just let them get away?”

While the Tin Knight’s group faced the Master of the Tower of Guardian, chaos reigned supreme.

“Let them escape? It’s not like they sneaked out like stowaways; they outright crossed the coastline! Are these morons just incompetent?!”

“Skoll! Harty! You fools!”

“We need to lodge a serious complaint with the Tower of Guardian! Not only did they fail to arrest the royal family killers, but they even escort them right back to the tower!?”

“They insist that it was an escort and not a convoy…”

“If they were escorting, they should have returned them to us!”

“What is the diplomat even doing? How did it come to this?!”

It was pandemonium.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting term to express the Tower of Control.

Despite mobilizing all their resources from the tower to catch the criminals, they slipped right through their fingers without a trace.

The elite tracking unit dispatched from the tower didn’t even spot the enemies’ shadows, and while Skoll and Harty’s squad was supposed to delay the enemies, instead their commanders met their demise in pairs.

The surviving personnel made excuses such as “The enemies came out of nowhere, and we were too busy dodging to respond,” or “We suffered minimal casualties,” but that was pure nonsense to those higher up.

Were they actually expecting a few people in a wagon to face off against hundreds of wizards head-on?

The sudden appearance of the enemy indicated just how lax their vigilance had been, and their claims of low casualties only proved to highlight their ineffectiveness.

The Tower of Control found itself cornered, unable to fully utilize its vast power before being outmaneuvered.

“There’s no need to worry. Who would believe such ridiculous rumors in the first place?”

“I heard Gale Elilraz from the Tower of Guardian was acting with the criminals; perhaps this whole incident was conjured by the Tower of Guardian itself!”

“What a ludicrous notion! This is a provocation that stirs discord in the Magical Kingdom! We need to explain the situation to other towers and denounce the Tower of Guardian at once!”

Those of lower ranks who didn’t grasp the full situation were shouting in outrage and frustration, but the faces of those who understood grew increasingly stiff with time.

They couldn’t fathom how things had gotten so out of hand.

More than anyone, they knew that this incident carried immense risk, and that’s why they meticulously erased all traces related to it.

They silenced the involved parties, thoroughly manipulated the crime scene, and even went as far as to tear the souls of the deceased into shreds, just in case a Necromancer showed up to eavesdrop.

However, just when everything seemed to be settling down, a sudden mysterious disappearance occurred in the forest, the elite dispatched to investigate were annihilated, and information that should have remained classified spread like wildfire.

They thought that as long as there was no concrete evidence, it wouldn’t become a major issue, but once the investigation into Dorothea’s group began and the “reading the past” divination they showcased at the Tower of Prophecy was revealed, that hope crumbled.

The Lognir family exchanged nervous glances, watching the Gray Old Man, who couldn’t help but chuckle at their plight.

It was a laugh born from sheer absurdity.

“Looks like I stumbled over a little stone, but by chance, it’s right in a field of knives.”

He was dreaming of grand designs, never letting his guard down against other players who might control the game board.

He even had evidence stacked up against the possibility of betrayal from Lenart’s side and prepared spies in other towers, ready to respond to any political moves.

But who would have imagined—

A mere pawn in the game would charge in without warning.

The old man acknowledged his oversight.

Of course, the Tower of Control still held great power.

Wealth, might, legitimacy. They had it all, and plenty of hidden cards that hadn’t been revealed to others.

The injuries inflicted by the Tin Knight were but mere scratches on a giant.

With appropriate threats and seduction towards other towers, stating things like “If you cross us, you won’t get away unscathed,” or “If we start squabbling among ourselves, do you think the Empire will sit idly by?” it shouldn’t be too difficult to avert immediate disaster.

But what about after that?

Would other towers still trust them, the ones branded as traitors and deceivers?

Would the few remaining individuals still pledge their loyalty to a tower that was shunned by three of its four pillars?

“In urgent situations, a bold move is necessary.”

The Gray Old Man headed deep into the tower, to a place where few ventured.

Though it was within the tower, the area felt oddly foreign.

In a softly glowing emerald-lit room, a priest welcomed the old man.

“Welcome, lord of Aeolia. May I assist you in any way from our Holy Kingdom?”

The priest addressed him as the lord of Aeolia instead of by his name or title as Master of the Tower.

Also, he asked if “the Holy Kingdom” had anything to offer, rather than himself.

Though his face appeared serene and harmless, the underlying intent was overtly political.

Despite knowing full well what was going on, the old man agreed to take his hand.

What the old man dreamed of was the king of the land.

For that goal, he was more than willing to tolerate the presence of a god over him.

“What is the Northern Witch like?”

For Adelheid, meeting the 4th Grade Witch for the second time was quite a moment.

The first encounter, where she had to face the West Witch, was truly a terrifying experience.

Ordinary wizards struggled even to handle one Homunculus, while she commanded an overwhelming quantity as if it were trivial.

She exhibited incredible substance manipulation skills, unleashing gargantuan ballistae with ease.

Even though the West Witch’s tendencies were far removed from those of a pure martial artist, finding that weakness allowed Adelheid to claim victory—however, it couldn’t downplay the West Witch’s capabilities.

Now she stood before a figure of equal stature.

An eminent Grandmaster, respected and revered by all wizards of the tower.

In terms of political standing, fame, and power, she was leagues above Adelheid, making it a daunting task for her to present the Magical Kingdom’s flaws.

That was until she faced the Northern Witch directly.

“I’m so sorry, truly sorry. I can’t believe my child acted so horribly, what can I do? I’m just so sorry!”

A woman repeatedly bowed her head towards Adelheid.

Her hair was disheveled, her face drawn with exhaustion as if she hadn’t slept for days, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, ready to spill over.

Adelheid quietly observed the surroundings.

Dorothea’s expression was one of utter disbelief, the Tin Knight questioned whether the Northern Witch was a hereditary title, and Sophia kept exclaiming in surprise, unable to categorize her reaction.

Even the guards from the Tower of Guardian, who came to see the Northern Witch, reacted as if their pupils were trembling, giving Adelheid the sense that she wasn’t alone in feeling this situation was bizarre, much to her relief.

The first time Adelheid met the Northern Witch had been nothing like this.

The appearance of the person claiming to be the Northern Witch was surprisingly young, which was a bit shocking, but she had seen powerful wizards whose appearances did not match their actual ages numerous times before.

Her demeanor, far less intimidating and more approachable than expected, could be attributed to her being Gale’s mentor.

However, nobody anticipated the Northern Witch would suddenly break into tears after glancing at the memory orb that Adelheid handed her and bow her head.

No, to be precise, only one person remained unfazed.

“Uh, Master. Everyone’s panicking, so could you please calm down?”

“But, but…!”

“Now, shush!”

“Hic.”

‘…Am I witnessing a sister soothing her crying sibling?’

Adelheid thought absentmindedly.

The unexpected turn of events left her completely baffled.

Once the Northern Witch regained her composure, she cautiously glanced at Adelheid and began to speak.

“Um, I’ll make sure to get Rot here to apologize somehow. He didn’t mean any harm. Well, it’s not so much about whether he meant harm or not, but still…”

“Who exactly is this Rot you’re talking about?”

In response to Adelheid’s question, the Master of the Tower of Guardian replied.

“Rotbart Lognir, the Master of the Gray Tower. He is also the only Northern Witch’s disciple who remains active among current tower masters.”

“……”

Adelheid’s face hardened at the silence, and seeing that, the Northern Witch shrank further.

The Master of the Tower of Guardian heaved a tired sigh before speaking again.

“Northern Witch, is this memory the orb shows genuine?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, this is beyond simple apologies. This is a plot that could lead to war with just the slightest misstep.”

“That would be true, yes.”

The Northern Witch’s shoulders slumped, and everyone exchanged awkward glances.

The meeting ended on an ambiguous note, unable to find closure.

The Master of the Tower of Guardian and her escort hurriedly left, the Northern Witch returned to her mansion, and Dorothea’s group was detained as witnesses.

Though it was called detention, in reality, it was just a comfortable rest in a lavish mansion.

Dorothea expressed her disbelief.

“Is that really the Northern Witch? Not a fake?”

Gale shrugged.

“That assessment is quite rude, Dorothea. Though the Master may not live up to her name, she is indeed the genuine article.”

“No, it seems like you’re the one being rude.”

“For sure, the portrayal from books or rumors differs vastly in many areas. What was described there was indeed proactive and benevolent, but right now…”

“-She looked beyond nice, looking like a fool.”

Sophia completed Dorothea’s sentence.

It wasn’t without reason that she questioned the authenticity of the Northern Witch.

There was no sense of the unique wisdom or pressure that people of legend often had—it wasn’t felt at all from that girl who claimed to be the Northern Witch.

Even debating whether to present the skull she was tasked to deliver to her Master took a considerable amount of thought.

If that girl were an imposter, it would be imperative to reclaim the skull right away and locate the real one, so it was understandable that Dorothea was on edge.