Chapter 231

#231 The Tin Knight and the Witch of the River

As the news of the fall of Balascalb spread down to the lowest levels of the Tower of Guardian, I felt like time was being rewound.

The atmosphere on the Tower of Guardian side was almost like a festival, proving that happiness and misfortune in this world are a zero-sum game.

“Wow, it’s like there’s a real monster! How did they manage to take that fortress?”

“They say she’s the apprentice of the East Witch. With Gale-sama joining in, what can’t they do?”

“Gale-sama? No way! Look at this guy. He used to talk behind Gale’s back, saying she was messing up the tower with her doll games. And now he’s singing her praises?”

“Cough! Don’t say things that can be misunderstood! I’ve respected her from the start, you know?”

Back at the beginning of the war, morale on the Tower of Guardian’s side was nearly in the gutter.

Only the upper echelons and Gale, the direct subordinate, knew the details about Olin and Mombi. To the ordinary mages unaware of the broad picture, the current situation felt completely illogical.

The North Witch, whom they had loyally served, suddenly betrayed them and joined the Control side, and now they were labeled as “evil ones trying to use the Grandmaster of the Magical Kingdom as a puppet.”

If they didn’t fight back soon, they’d lose their heads! So, everyone was merely swept up in the atmosphere, with little energy to argue, and the situation on the battlefield was at its worst.

Adding to this, there were spies from the Control side subtly spreading suspicion toward the upper echelons and dissatisfaction about the war within the tower, making it a miracle if morale was high at all.

If it weren’t for the respect held for their Master, Hermina, the Tower of Guardian might have crumbled without a real fight.

But now, the situation had changed.

The grim battlefield had flipped in an instant; the enemies were defeated far too easily, and they were reclaiming various strategic locations captured by the Control side, recovering about half of the land.

Of course, there were still enemy troops embedded within the lands they took back, but now that they were cut off from their main base, those left would either slowly starve to death or surrender.

Even if the fight had been haphazard and unclear, victory was indeed very sweet and enjoyable.

If the Control side collapsed like this, the prize for the Guardian side would not be small.

Perhaps caught up in that sweet future, the gatekeepers at the tower’s entrance didn’t notice the visitor until quite late.

“Hello, everyone. You’re doing a great job.”

Dressed in a white magician’s outfit, with blonde hair and blue eyes, topped off with a top hat and a staff, she looked like a charming young lady. Gale Elilraz, one of the most famous figures in the Magical Kingdom, stood before them.

The casual chatting gatekeepers straightened their backs.

“Gale-sama! Welcome!”

“We heard you were on the front lines…”

“I just came back for a moment because I have something urgent to discuss with the Master.”

Gale casually approached the front gate.

Swish.

The magical automatons waiting near the door all stepped in to block her path.

“Oh my.”

“Uh, uh, I’m sorry! Please wait a moment!”

Seeing Gale’s surprised expression, one of the mages acting as a gatekeeper panicked and ordered the automatons to step back.

That was one reason why the mages had been idle. It wasn’t uncommon for mages to supplement their defenses with familiars, but the Tower of Guardian, specializing in magical device production, relied entirely on magical automatons and golems for their operations.

The main reason Gale got criticized was because she only pursued high-spec creations, ignoring cost-effectiveness, while also bowing to other factions to strengthen the White Knight. Managing magical automatons like others was common for mages.

After the command, the magical automaton unit opened the way, and Gale strode confidently through.

The main entrance of the Tower of Guardian was a massive iron door that normal people wouldn’t even dream of opening, but another mage commanded a gigantic golem beside the door, and it moved to open it.

“Thank you, everyone. Now, take care!”

After elegantly and stylishly greeting them, Gale boldly entered the tower.

The inside of the tower was quite bustling and noisy due to the ongoing war.

Some mages greeted Gale, while others cast glances at her from afar, but no one stood in her way.

It was just as she reached the seventh floor.

A mage guarding the staircase to the eighth floor revealed a puzzled expression upon seeing Gale’s face.

“Gale Elilraz. What are you doing here?”

“I have something urgent to tell the Master.”

“I didn’t get any prior notice.”

“It’s something dangerous if it leaks outside, so I snuck back only myself.”

“…Please wait a moment.”

The mage approached the wall with a cautious expression, manipulating a device that looked like a black glass slab.

Shortly after, the panel lit up, revealing the face of the Master.

“What is it?”

“Gale Elilraz says she has something to discuss with you. Is it alright to send her up?”

“Gale?”

The Master’s gaze shifted to Gale through the panel.

Gale gracefully greeted them before speaking.

“Hello, Master. I have some sensitive information regarding future operations. Could you spare a moment?”

“Hmm, can’t we send it through the message magic like last time?”

“It’s dangerous if it somehow gets leaked.”

Gale answered calmly, and the Master nodded.

“Understood. Let’s hear it. Pim, open the barrier to the ninth floor. My room on the tenth is heavily warded, and dispelling it is a major task, so let’s meet on the ninth.”

“Understood.”

The mage Pim casually nodded and manipulated the black glass panel again.

The barrier to the eighth floor was lifted, and Gale ascended the stairs once more.

And it was just as she reached the gap between the seventh and eighth floors.

—BEEEEP!

—Intruder detected! All personnel, enter battle stance!

—The enemy is currently isolated between the seventh and eighth floors!

Gale’s steps abruptly halted.

Looking at the barrier that had trapped her like a descending metal cage, Gale Elilraz.

No, the face of Witch Mombi twisted into a dry sneer.

“How did they catch on?”

“Simple baiting questions. I won’t be sharing the specifics with you.”

“Ah, so I can guess roughly what happened. It’s either that you don’t use message magic, or you’ve been instructed to be suspicious if someone comes without prior notice and to ensure a particular keyword is mentioned in conversation.”

“……. ”

“Tsk, you’re not sharing unnecessary information, are you? Sage-like, but kind of boring.”

After saying that, Mombi restored her true appearance.

However, it wasn’t the alluring adult form she showed when fighting the Tin Knight, but the form of ‘Witch Olin’.

The atmosphere of Hermina, the Master of the Tower of Guardian, turned angry.

“This is a gift and mischief for your wisdom and caution. I will face you in this form.”

No longer could Hermina’s voice be heard.

In response to that, a tremendous fire erupted from both above and below the staircase.

Even before the heat could melt even a steel sword, Mombi remained unfazed.

The Gray Old Man said that Olin and Mombi shared memories, but that guess was only partially correct.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t read at all, but details were missing.

The same went for the techniques.

Enchantress. Mombi couldn’t fully master Olin’s magic, which was specialized in protection.

But as for part of the technique.

If it was magic solely for protecting oneself, not the others or casting a vast barrier, she had already mastered it perfectly.

The defensive magic, which had once been diminished by the Tin Knight, was long restored, and compared to the heated air before the fourth-grade witch, it felt like a warm breeze.

Mombi spread her right hand out. Just as her fingertips transformed into blades, she swung her arm with all her might.

Crack!

The rebound was fierce.

No matter how she changed her body structure into blades, the base was still human.

While it may be possible to slice through an ordinary stone tower, cutting through the fortified building laden with all sorts of defensive magic was impossible.

However.

With Olin’s defensive magic, granting her a body that wouldn’t be harmed by outside pressure, things were different now.

Scrape!

The barrier blocking her path, not to mention the entire tower, was sliced off at an angle as if it had been cut.

With a thunderous boom, the upper part of the tower slid down, crashing to the ground.

As the ceiling that obstructed her view vanished and the blue sky came into view, the wicked witch burst into laughter.

She then leaped straight down to the ground.

The magical automatons charged at her.

Given that the tower was assessed to have the best technology on the continent in terms of magical automatons, their quality was exceedingly high.

Moreover, with the unique enhancements from the enchantresses, their power was on a league of its own compared to any ordinary knight brigade.

“How pathetic. It seems that guy was the strange one.”

Yet the North Witch remained calm even amidst missiles flying toward her.

Ignoring the basic thrusts that only obscured her vision, she effortlessly shrugged off normal attacks, with not a single wound appearing on Mombi’s body.

Disregarding the magical automatons that were a waste of magical energy to deal with, Mombi dashed toward the mages in the back.

The mages shot up defensive spells or attempted to retreat, trying to stall for time against the returning automatons, but Mombi made contact with one of the mages.

The mage’s body swelled up like a balloon, and in the next moment, it exploded.

As terror spread in the aftermath of that horrific spectacle, the Master of the Tower of Guardian, having escaped from the fallen upper floors, shouted.

“Avoid contact! And if you do come into contact, calmly control your magical energy to prevent being transformed!”

Mombi snickered.

The theory was indeed correct.

The principle behind Mombi’s instant death technique was to insert her magical power into someone’s body and mix it with their original power, causing that target to unknowingly use transformation magic.

However.

“It appears that the mages are not real fighters, but merely technicians. Just as scholarly types can be competent at abstract discussions.”

Phew.

Phew!

Phew!

Among the mages who made contact with Mombi, only a few could turn that theory into reality, and only those above the fourth rank.

And even those few mages had little significance.

The fact that they could freely change their bodies through transformation magic also meant they could strengthen themselves significantly.

Those who succeeded in resisting the magical power and avoided instant death had to sacrificially hand over their lives to Mombi’s overwhelming physical strength, which was far from that of a young girl.

While their attacks amounted to nothing, the enemy’s strike was either instant death or a critical wound.

What the Control Pyramid experienced against the Tin Knight was now being inflicted on the Tower of Guardian.

In the end, Hermina had to make a crucial decision.

“Everyone retreat!! Everyone, run away!”

“But, Master! What about the tower…!”

“Even if you go, you must bring the Master with you!”

“People are more important! Just hurry!”

After saying that, Hermina poured strengthening magic into all the golems and magical automatons on the battlefield.

Her title as the representative of the tower was no mere facade; Hermina showed dazzling effort, but the fourth-grade witch was a power above her.

Despite using all the magical devices, golems, and barriers that guarded the tower, they were unable to fully restrain Mombi, and many casualties ensued.

Eventually, after the battle concluded.

Mombi transformed Hermina and the high-ranking mages into plants instead of instantly killing them, stored them in a sack, and gracefully spread her wings to fly away.

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