Chapter 38: Rostia Magic Tower (4)

“Gatekeeper-nim, what kind of place is the 5th floor?”

“In essence, it’s practically the top of the tower. Of course, the actual top of Rostia Magic Tower is the 6th floor, but that level is reserved solely for the Tower Master. While the 4th floor is also important, the 5th floor is especially crucial. If the 4th floor is where we raise promising talents to prepare for the future, then the 5th floor is where we prove the current power and value of the Rostia Magic Tower.”

The Gatekeeper spoke those words with unmistakable pride.

It made sense.

A nation has countless people living in it.

And at the very top sits a king, wielding absolute power.

But the ones who truly maintain and operate that kingdom are the small circle of aides who assist the king with governance and affairs.

The 5th floor was exactly that—a space for the real power players of the tower.

“But…”

And because of that very reason, the Gatekeeper’s brow furrowed deeply.

“To sense demonic energy… on the 5th floor of all places… I don’t know what to make of it.”

“We’re quite used to these situations, Gatekeeper-nim. We’ve slain countless demons that poured out from rifts between dimensions. And we even rooted out two demons who had cunningly hidden among us.”

“Two, you say? I didn’t catch the full story earlier. That’s quite shocking.”

“Yes. And they were vastly different in rank and appearance. One was a battalion commander, and the other—she was known as the ‘angel of the hospital,’ praised for her beauty and warmth. And…”

“Please, go on, Kayron-nim.”

“…No, that’s all. Those two were the only ones we eliminated.”

There was, in fact, one more.

Not a demon, but a madman who had made a contract with one.

Commander Balthazar… he couldn’t bring himself to speak of him.

“The real problem was… they’d both been part of the Order for a long time. Yet we only realized what they were recently. We’re still unsure whether they were demons from the start… or if they changed somewhere along the way.”

“It sounds like they were hiding themselves with considerable cunning.”

“Yes. The one who infiltrated us as a commander was always known as ‘worse than a demon’—an incompetent leader. The damage he caused the Order was no small thing. But the so-called ‘angel’ of the hospital? She actually saved the lives of members who were on the brink of death with her outstanding medical skills. It wasn’t until the very end, when she tried something suspicious, that she was finally stopped.”

“Saving people from the brink of death… a demon did that?”

“I understand your surprise. But it’s the truth.”

Each of the two demons had their own purpose for hiding among us.

Which meant… the one hiding in the Magic Tower surely did too.

Caution was crucial.

If the demon was on the 5th floor, that meant they were already someone central to the Rostia Magic Tower.

Considering how Commander Balthazar had been a figure of admiration to everyone in the Order, it wasn’t unreasonable to suspect the same of the demon here.

If we made the wrong move, we might end up turning the entire Rostia Magic Tower into our enemy.

And if that happened… the end result might not just be the demon’s downfall, but the destruction of both the tower and the Order.

And then, we finally stepped onto the 5th floor.

“Hm?”

Our eyes met.

Standing at the center of the vast floor, lecturing a group of gathered mages, was a man in elegant robes—clearly someone of high status.

…A demon.

And not just any demon—someone I remembered from my past life.

The one who led the charge in rejecting the Order when we sought an alliance.

A great mage whose power rivaled even the Tower Master of Rostia—Ronos.

“What’s going on here?”

Ronos glanced at me and Avelin with clear discomfort, then asked the Gatekeeper.

“I heard we had visitors on the lower floors. But I don’t believe these individuals are qualified to be here on the 5th.”

“Ronos-nim, the thing is…”

Poke.

I subtly nudged the Gatekeeper, cutting him off.

Being an experienced man who could read a room, he instantly caught on.

“The truth is… these guests are from the Order.”

“I could’ve guessed as much. There aren’t many with such well-trained physiques here in the middle of this frozen land. And if I’m right… they’re not just ordinary members of the Order, are they?”

“You’re right. We’re battalion commanders. And we came to request your cooperation.”

“Cooperation?”

At the word “cooperation,” Ronos’ brows furrowed in an instant.

His kind-looking face twisted into one of outright contempt.

“How shameless. Didn’t the Order already receive our aid once before? Do you not remember who made it possible for you to live comfortably in Cresnig?”

“Yes, Ronos-nim. You’re right. We did receive help from the Magic Tower…”

Ronos pretended to scold the Gatekeeper, but in truth, his sharp words were aimed at belittling us.

He was blatantly scorning and looking down on us.

In my previous life, when we had come to beg for help, we had no choice but to grit our teeth and endure it.

But this time was different.

Because now I knew why he acted this way…

Because he was a demon.

I took a breath to compose myself, then calmly responded.

“Thanks to you, we’ve had warm beds to sleep in and hot water to wash with even in this frozen wasteland. For that, we’re truly grateful, Ronos-nim.”

“Is that so? And even knowing how great a privilege that was, you still come here asking for more cooperation? One would think my comment about your shamelessness would’ve stung, yet you speak so smoothly.”

The words “shameless” are more fitting for you, I thought, but held my tongue.

Ronos had a distinct way of speaking—polite on the surface, but each word sharpened like a knife to cut straight to your pride.

In my past life, I thought he was just a garbage excuse for a human being—his personality so twisted, I wondered if he was broken beyond repair.

Turns out, he was a demon.

Even better.

Now that it made sense, I could feel my thoughts clearing.

There was no need to rush—and I couldn’t afford to, either.

Especially not when all the mages, who seemed to have been learning under Ronos, were now staring straight at me and Avelin.

Not that it changed the ultimate conclusion: this bastard had to be eliminated.

“I’m aware that when the Order first gathered at the Rostia Magic Tower, your side took certain steps to make things more convenient for us. But as far as I know, it wasn’t done out of pure goodwill. I heard Commander Balthazar provided no small amount of support to the tower.”

“Hmph. Of course he did. Magic is honest. You can only use it by consuming the appropriate amount of mana. We used our precious mana to provide magical comforts. You think we were running a business just because we got paid for it? Sure, it wasn’t done for free, but it was practically charity!”

“Is that so…”

In my past life, not knowing the full picture, I might’ve accepted that.

But not this time.

“As far as I know, mages generally dislike using magic for mundane comforts—like heating water or air. Isn’t that true?”

“For someone who knows nothing about magic, you sure know quite a bit. That just means you should be all the more grateful. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course. I’m very grateful.”

I smiled—deliberately—right in front of Ronos.

We were in the middle of a battle of words, and I had just found the perfect moment to strike a blow to his pride.

“No matter how desperate things were back then—even with the tower on the verge of collapse—you still willingly took on the kind of menial magic that most mages avoid. You got to help the Order and get paid for it. Quite the win-win, wasn’t it? Though…”

I clicked my tongue and added,

“Tsk, what a shame. No matter how dire things were, the Magic Tower has always been known for its pride and purity. Yet you couldn’t escape the scorn of the magical world for stooping to such lowly magic. The whole tower joining in to provide help with such ‘disgraceful’ spells? That’s not a reputation that’ll be easy to shake.”

“…You insolent wretch.”

“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. I started by expressing my gratitude and only then said it was a shame. I truly meant it. But if I remember correctly, you personally took part in that operation as well, didn’t you, Ronos-nim? If so, that would mean you, too…”

“You bastard!”

Ronos finally raised his voice.

“What is the meaning of this? You will explain yourselves—how you got into the Rostia Magic Tower, what your purpose is here! And more importantly, if you’re here to request something, why would you deliberately provoke me, the most central figure in this tower?! And you, Gatekeeper!”

“Y-Yes, sir…!”

Even the Gatekeeper flinched under Ronos’ booming voice.

“I will hold you accountable for this. For letting people like them inside…!”

“Please stop.”

A clear voice cut cleanly through Ronos’ fury.

The owner of that voice stepped forward from among the group of mages, walking calmly until they stood between me and Ronos.

“Ronos-nim, the Gatekeeper is a wise man. You can hold him accountable after you’ve heard what’s going on. Isn’t that fair?”

“W-Well… that’s true, I suppose.”

And just like that, the man with authority rivaling even the Tower Master was fumbling his words.

Understandable.

Because the bold young mage who had spoken—whose voice was familiar to me—was someone significant.

“It’s been a while.”

The confident mage lowered her hood.

A lovely face appeared beneath it, framed by a warm, gentle smile.

“Kayron-oppa, have you been well?”

It was Liana—the influential figure in the Rostia Magic Tower, and the eldest daughter of Commander Balthazar.

The very person we had come here to meet.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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