GDTEA Ch 63

Magic Tower Master 

After leaving Sharti with that pitch-black mutt, Vireta crossed through the village.

A visitor who had arrived in the village through the beam of light that had flashed earlier was standing there, receiving all the attention from the villagers.

The visitor, who possessed three hundred eyes, was dressed in elaborate clothing with magic stones dangling like jewels all over their body.

“I see you still haven’t cut that hair of yours, Tower Master.”

“It’s been a while, Vireta.”

The Tower Master ostentatiously flipped his long water-colored hair with slender fingers. His hair was so long it would drag on the ground if not for the floating magic spell cast on the ends, keeping them precariously from touching the ground.

“What use does a man have for such long hair?”

“Ha ha! As I’ve said many times, it enhances my charm when casting magic!”

Vireta clicked her tongue at the Tower Master who still seemed mentally unstable.

“I spoke with the Deputy Tower Master, so why has the Tower Master himself come? And alone at that.”

“Well, I’m the decision-maker anyway. Why did you bother the Deputy Tower Master twice, Vireta? Did you think I wouldn’t respond to your contact?”

Vireta’s expression grew increasingly sour as she dealt with the Tower Master who smirked and chuckled.

The Tower Master, who appeared to be in his early thirties, was actually around the same age as Vireta. Thanks to his considerable magic power, he had maintained his youth since taking the Tower Master position.

So Vireta didn’t look kindly upon the Tower Master who only pretended to be fresh on the outside.

“Ah—. Did you misunderstand? I thought push and pull was important in our relationship, so I was doing the pushing.”

The Tower Master had the mental age of a toddler despite his years.

He was lighthearted and slick, and above all, he was extremely dedicated to annoying people.

“By the way, what an interesting village.”

When Vireta’s eyes flashed with murderous intent, the Tower Master quickly averted his gaze. His hands, with rings packed densely on all ten fingers, lightly waved through the air.

Whoosh-! The mana in the air responded to the Tower Master’s magic power, sparkling like stardust. The corners of the Tower Master’s mouth rose to the point of tearing.

“This is why I needed to come see for myself. Otherwise, who would believe it?”

The Tower Master slowly walked forward. Vireta followed silently, keeping her distance from him.

Receiving all the villagers’ attention, the Tower Master headed toward the center of the village.

Upon arriving at the place where the three stone towers stood, a look of ecstasy spread across the Tower Master’s face.

“Vireta-.”

The Tower Master turned to Vireta, covering his mouth with his hand while laughing. This did nothing to hide his split-wide grin.

“Is there really any reason for a village to exist here?”

Chang-. In an instant, as if the wind had blown, the mercenary group appeared in the blink of an eye, pointing their weapons at the Tower Master with fierce gazes.

Surrounded by dozens of blades pointed at his face, the Tower Master smiled softly.

“I’m not saying I’ll take it away, it’s just an innocent question. Isn’t this rude?”

The Tower Master snapped his fingers, and all the mercenaries’ weapons turned to water.

When the Krofl mercenary group’s killing intent still didn’t subside, the Tower Master immediately raised his hands, showing his palms.

“Vireta, you know, right? I was just saying~.”

The Tower Master claimed innocence, as if humming a tune.

Karun, the Krofl mercenary group captain who had somehow appeared beside Vireta, gave a signal with his eyes, and the members slowly retreated and vanished again. Their movement was more like that of a large assassination group than a mercenary group.

The Tower Master laughed “Ha-ha!” as he brushed back his slightly disheveled hair.

“You know that means the village is just that attractive, right?”

The Tower Master met each of the fearful gazes from the villagers directed at him and gave them a slight smile.

The villagers stealthily moved away from the Tower Master and hid.

The atmosphere grew chilly, making his carefully chosen outfit for this rare outing seem pointless.

“No one appreciates me.”

Vireta and Karun looked at the Tower Master with disgust as he pouted his lips.

The Tower Master, who had casually turned his hand, wiped the smile from his face and looked up at the stone towers.

“What I mean is that this village, or more precisely, the treasure hidden beneath it, is dangerous, Vireta. I can assert that only I can handle it.”

The Tower Master had already finished measuring the underground mana levels the moment he arrived at the village. The treasure hidden underground was mana that was infinitely generated from nature. It was a treasure that would make not only the Tower Master but even the Emperor of the Empire go mad with desire.

To be frank, this village would be safer if it was entirely owned by the Magic Tower. If this village and the people living here were to avoid bloodshed, that is.

“For the Tower Master to make such an assertion.”

Despite the Tower Master’s advice, delivered without humor, Vireta merely chuckled softly.

Vireta looked to the side.

“Village Chief, you heard that, right?”

The Village Chief and village officials, who had appeared without notice, nodded resolutely with tense faces.

“Now that its value has been proven, more people will be after it from now on.”

“Which makes the existence of our Magic Tower all the more necessary.”

The Tower Master quickly jumped into the conversation between Vireta and the Village Chief.

The Tower Master straightened his neck stiffly and spread both arms out to his sides with a solemn face.

“Therefore, I, the Tower Master, formally propose that this land be ceded to me for the development of the Magic Tower.”

Clink, the magic stones worn by the Tower Master shook along with his hair. It was a sophisticated and dignified gesture befitting a Tower Master.

As the Tower Master was deeply immersed in his own dignity, contemptuous gazes were directed at him.

“That would be difficult, Tower Master.”

“…Are you refusing? Dare you refuse the Tower Master’s proposal?”

The Tower Master glared threateningly as he raised his eyebrows.

In contrast, the Village Chief exchanged glances with Vireta and then made a troubled expression.

“We are merely village residents, so such a proposal isn’t valid in the first place.”

The Tower Master blinked. What did the village have to do with wanting the land?

He was vulnerable to imperial law.

“Above all, this village doesn’t belong to us, but to a certain noble lord.”

“A noble? A hidden village is owned by an individual?”

“Let’s go inside and talk. We also have a proposal for the Tower Master.”

The Village Chief naturally led the Tower Master to the negotiation table.

Vireta and Karun followed behind as intermediaries. They had already anticipated how the Tower Master would react and prepared alternative plans.

The Tower Master obediently followed the Village Chief to change locations. And as soon as he heard the story behind the village, he began trembling with his fists clenched.

“So, you’re saying that ‘that’ noble with the scorpion emblem is planning to ruin the friendly relationship between the Magic Tower and the Imperial Family?”

The Tower Master who had initially burst into laughter saying it was absurd was nowhere to be seen.

“‘That’ noble said it. This village is a precious resource to be used for a great purpose.”

“And the attitude of the noble faction toward the Magic Tower has been subtle from before, right? Needless to say now that the war is over.”

“They seem to think that if they only possess this village’s resources, they can use it as a substitute for the Magic Tower.”

“So ‘that’ noble concealed and diverted the existence of the village on his own authority long ago?”

The information shared by the mercenary group and the secrets the Village Chief had kept hidden until now fit together perfectly.

“…They’ve been waiting for the right time and preparing?”

The Tower Master rubbed his forehead.

If pieced together, it meant there were those who dared to oppose the Magic Tower.

Meanwhile, the gazes of Karun, the Village Chief, and Vireta momentarily collided and then disappeared.

“After the long Great War ended and the turbulent period passed, a gap would form in the bond between the Imperial Family and the Magic Tower.”

“They will try to erase the existence of the Magic Tower in the name of the Empire’s peace.”

“Coincidentally, the number of villagers collapsing from mana poisoning is gradually increasing, so they might think that ‘time’ is approaching.”

From the beginning, it was land hidden as a ‘resource for treason’ targeting the Imperial Family.

The Magic Tower had a deep friendship with the current Emperor with whom they had formed an alliance, and the noble faction was aiming for the throne. Even if the truth was cleverly twisted, it made for a quite plausible conspiracy theory.

“…These bastards dare to see us as sh*t and do sh*tty things.”

The Tower Master’s hair undulated in the air due to the magical power he was emitting.

Since the noble faction was mentioned, it was impossible not to know who ‘that’ noble with the scorpion emblem was.

“Bridend, you son of a b*tch…!”

The Tower Master sprang to his feet. His eyes blazed as if he would storm into Marquis Bridend’s estate and destroy it right away.

Magicians do not tolerate disrespect and oppression from others.

Especially targeting their ‘Magic Tower’ was no different from targeting their hearts.

“Don’t get so excited, Tower Master. It’s all just speculation, isn’t it?”

“Ha! Vireta, are you serious?”

She had poured oil and fanned the flames earlier, but now she was pouring water.

When the Tower Master frowned and got angry, Vireta chuckled softly.

“Would the head of the noble faction, who’s skilled in political machinations, leave any evidence? Rather, he’s probably prepared to counterattack if someone catches a whiff and charges in.”

“That’s only possible while he’s alive, isn’t it?”

The Village Chief gulped nervously at the Tower Master’s ominous death threat.

On the other hand, Vireta and Karun showed no change in expression and remained indifferent.

“You need to keep him alive. Why kill him?”

“Right. Of course, I should dry those rotten bastards out and see their expressions when they’re ruined.”

“……”

The Village Chief tactfully closed his ears, and the Tower Master looked like he had gained enlightenment. The Tower Master gathered his long hair into one bundle, combed it with his hands, and sat down modestly.

A deep smile returned to the Tower Master’s lips.

“I have a feeling you revealed this village to me because of that charming plan of yours.”

Ignoring the Tower Master’s greasy wink, Vireta tapped the table with her index finger.

“Let’s start by taking out the magic contract.”

“Is there any need to ask?”

The Tower Master, covering his mouth with his sleeve, narrowed his eyes like a fox and smiled.

He snapped his fingers, and two magic contracts appeared on the table.

“Our mercenary group has already concluded negotiations with the Village Chief.”

Karun placed one of the magic contracts in front of the Village Chief and stood up with Vireta.

“Negotiations, huh. It seems like the mercenary group has already taken all the best parts.”

“The negotiations were for a symbiotic relationship, so you can rest assured on that point.”

At the Village Chief’s words that they had already shared fairly, the Tower Master rubbed his chin and made a “hmm” sound.

In truth, even without negotiating with a mere village chief, if the Magic Tower officially stepped in, everything would be resolved simply and clearly. However, to play with Marquis Bridend and deliver a satisfying blow, cooperation with this village and the Krofl mercenary group was necessary.

It was wise to follow Vireta’s advice if he wanted to see the face of someone who had lost what was theirs and didn’t know what to do out of frustration.

“Let me introduce myself formally. I am the Tower Master, here to negotiate.”

The Tower Master chose coexistence over monopoly. If the alliance with the Neweiton Imperial Family was precarious due to the existence of the noble faction, it would be good to establish other symbiotic relationships.

There was no reason to refuse, since it meant obtaining both force and magical power simultaneously.

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

Karun and Vireta, who had been intermediaries from the beginning, left the place.

Afterward, the Village Chief, without trembling, calmly met each of the demanding Tower Master’s conditions one by one. The magic contract, which had been adding one line at a time, was completed.

The Tower Master, who had been resting his chin on his hand with an ambiguous expression, stared at the Village Chief.

“Village Chief, why did you make this decision? If you make a mistake, you could die horribly. Aren’t you afraid after escalating matters to this point?”

“I am afraid.”

The Village Chief answered straightforwardly.

“I’ve lived thinking it was the natural course to quietly hide the village’s secret and die, so I’m realizing every minute and second, with a pounding heart, how insane what I’m doing now is.”

The Tower Master could see that too. Just the fact that they hadn’t left the village despite their bodies being poisoned by mana showed the age-old story settled in their years.

“But there was someone who said they would help if we wanted to live, if we asked for help. An outsider sincerely collided with us and persuaded us that they would save us.”

The Tower Master raised an eyebrow. What a meddlesome outsider. They must be a selfless volunteer with a strong spirit of sacrifice. The Tower Master judged cynically.

“They say there are moments when a person must make a choice. That outsider made the right choice, and we saw the results of that choice with our own eyes. So we couldn’t make the wrong choice.”

“Well, since I’m sitting here now, the result of that choice wasn’t bad.”

The Tower Master, no longer interested, cut off the old-fashioned story.

And by the time dusk fell, the Tower Master came out holding the rolled-up magic contract with the Village Chief.

“Ah, I should pay the advance first, right?”

The Tower Master leisurely headed to the hut where the patients were, following the Village Chief’s guidance.

The area around the hut was bustling with mercenary mages and patients’ families.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, he saw two figures wrapped in thick robes hurriedly avoiding them from behind the hut.

The Tower Master slightly tilted his head, his gaze drawn to the larger of the two figures.

The mana that filled the village wasn’t sticking to that person alone.

“He resembles someone?”

He resembled the constitution of one of the nobles who had been present at the place where the alliance was formed with Emperor Neweiton.