Chapter 32
In fact, the doubts about the Magic Tower continued even after the report was received.
“How does a mere Kingdom know information about the Magic Tower that only someone on the level of the Emperor should be able to access?”
It was a statement that didn’t make sense, to an excessive degree.
I heard through gossip behind its back that the Magic Tower was in the Empire.
Yet the actual subject of that gossip didn’t even know the Magic Tower existed?
And when I asked because it was strange not to know, they said the Emperor had been managing it?
We had held the State Council several times, regardless of whether the Emperor managed it.
During all that time, not a single peep about the Magic Tower came up, nor was there a single agenda item related to Wizards.
This was something that felt clearly and undeniably bizarre.
So I called the Chancellor again and asked.
“…I, too, had not even thought of it until His Royal Highness the Crown Prince brought it up.”
I received a shocking answer.
And this answer didn’t just come from the Chancellor.
From the Grand General to all the nobles participating in the State Council.
All of them belatedly recalled the existence of the Magic Tower, reacting with “Ah right, there was a place like that, wasn”t there?'
Wondering if this was also some kind of trick, I immediately summoned Arveda.
No, to be precise, rather than summoning her, it would be more accurate to say I just went to find her.
Because Arveda had recently…
“You were in my room, Arveda.”
“This Humble Woman, with the permission of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, was rolling around in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s bed!”
…She has been staying in my Private Quarters.
I didn’t know why, but Arveda said she wanted to, so I allowed it.
Having a dragon sticking close by was convenient in many ways anyway, so I felt it worked out well.
If I had my way, I would have liked Luminix to stay in the next room or something.
But she showed signs of reluctance, so I let it go.
“…Right, well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Ehehe, This Humble Woman… can solve it right away.”
I told Arveda that I was suspicious of the suspiciously little mention there had been of the Magic Tower until now.
As soon as Arveda heard that.
Sniff, sniff.
She suddenly wrinkled her nose and sniffed the empty air.
Clap.
She lightly clapped her hands in the air.
“I just erased the Perception-hindering Magic that was spread throughout the Imperial Palace.”
“Perception-hindering Magic?”
“Yes, I don’t know who did it, but it seems they put in a lot of effort over a long time. From what This Humble Woman can see, it’s quite high level for a Human.”
And Arveda’s answer came.
“Ha.”
A scoff burst out of me naturally.
“So you’re saying this is an effect caused by Magic?”
“That is correct. To explain it simply, it intentionally made it impossible to even think about the Magic Tower. If you notice it, breaking it is simple, but if you don’t notice it…”
“Then we would have just continued not knowing, is that it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hahahaha!”
So they weren’t just invisibly parasitizing from midair.
They were actually playing tricks inside the Imperial Palace? To the point of making us unaware that they were acting as a Parasite?
[The other countries weren’t under that Perception-hindering Magic, so they could know of the Magic Tower’s existence.]
If it weren’t for that gossip, I would have never known why the National Treasury was always running at rock bottom.
“Ah.”
Is this what it feels like to have your blood boil?
I was so angry that I actually felt my head growing calm.
My laughter abruptly cut off, and the emotion on my face vanished completely like a lie.
“An Empire destined to fall… is this what it’s like?”
Should I consider it fortunate that the Crown Prince wasn’t the only pushover?
The Empire itself was just a pushover.
How could they just sit back and suffer through this?
Since when exactly had the Magic Tower been playing these tricks on the Empire?
According to Arveda, it had been quite a long time.
It must have been happening since at least before the Crown Prince was born.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
Arveda trotted over as if to gauge my mood and peeked up at me.
“Arveda, pinpoint the location of the Magic Tower right now.”
I stroked Arveda’s hair and immediately gave the order.
“I shall follow your command.”
“I have somewhere to visit briefly, so pinpoint it and wait here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Arveda immediately created a Magic Circle with unknown patterns in the air.
I read the Crown Prince’s Memory and moved my body to where the sword was.
Why did the Crown Prince practice the sword so fiercely…
…yet never use it in any situation?
[Just what were you thinking as you watched over the Empire?]
I had the Crown Prince’s Memory, but it was incredibly fragmented.
Because those fragmented memories were like a report with only the absolute necessities written down.
I couldn’t tell what emotions the Crown Prince had felt at the time.
[Why did you train like that every single day when you weren’t even going to use the sword?]
My footsteps gradually headed beneath the Imperial Palace.
At a certain point, the Crown Prince let go of the sword as if it were a lie.
It wasn’t due to an injury, nor was it some kind of trauma.
And it was too ambiguous to be seen as a mere whim.
He just suddenly dropped the sword to the floor with a thud, and like a dove seeking peace, he never used it again.
Even after acting as if he would dedicate his entire life to the sword.
Step, step.
Strength entered my steps unnecessarily.
The emotion I felt right now was closer to confusion than anger.
“The more time passes, the less I know.”
At first, I thought the Crown Prince was just a simple pushover.
But because of the memory of his putting down the sword, I started to wonder if I was misunderstanding something.
The problem was that I had no idea what I was misunderstanding.
This was a part that didn’t come up even when I swam through his memories.
Muttering inwardly like that, I arrived at the place where the Crown Prince stored his sword.
The Imperial Palace Underground.
In the deepest part, the Crown Prince’s greatsword came into view.
A ruggedly shaped Zweihänder.
According to my memory, it had been quite a while since he put down the sword.
But whatever the sword was made of, its edge was still alive.
“…”
I felt my body waver upon seeing the sword.
What exactly was this agitation about? I couldn’t know.
But one thing became clear.
A single sword and Arveda.
With just these two things.
The Magic Tower would no longer be the same as before.
+++++
The Magic Tower Lord.
“W-W-W-What in the world is this!!!”
Archbold was terrified by an attack that had never occurred in the history of the Magic Tower.
[No, how did they target the Magic Tower?]
And not just the Magic Tower, but how could they pierce the very center of the Magic Tower where the Magic Tower Lord himself was?
This place should have tens of thousands of countermeasures compared to anywhere else, ranging from Perception-hindering Magic to Barriers.
All of that had been seen through so easily that the word 'futile' didn’t even begin to cover it.
If there was one fortunate thing.
“Perhaps because they lack Power Control, they couldn’t break through the Barrier.”
It was that the final Barrier surrounding the Magic Tower still remained.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, This Humble Woman is here for matters like this, so you do not need to worry.”
Even this vanished like melting ice when the little girl made a few hand gestures.
“W-Who are you!”
In this bizarre, inexplicable situation, all Archbold could do was shout.
“Just how arrogant has the Magic Tower been, to not even recognize me?”
The Crown Prince, having received that question, swung his sword without hesitation.
Archbold, the Magic Tower Lord’s body was covered in truly countless Protective Spells.
Even more than what protected the Magic Tower.
It was no exaggeration to say it contained the essence of protective Magic and Defensive Magic built up over many years.
But.
“Ugh, aaaaaagh!”
All of it disappeared in a One-Strike.
More accurately, it would be correct to say it melted.
The moment the sword and the Protective Spell met.
Like a lie, all the Protective Spells melted away.
One arm of the Archmage, said to be able to overturn heaven and earth, fell to the floor in an instant.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, should This Humble Woman prepare the turtle right away?”
“No, don’t. I will handle it one by one myself.”
“Yep!”
Even with his arm cut off, Archbold took in the sight of the man and woman standing before him.
One was a young girl, but her eyes were like those of a dragon, and the other had Golden Hair and Red Eyes.
[Wait, Golden Hair and Red Eyes?]
Then was it true when she called him the Crown Prince earlier?
No, it had to be true.
Otherwise, this power couldn’t be explained.
Sol Bellos.
That overwhelming power had now descended upon the Magic Tower.
“W-Why on earth… The Empire and the Magic Tower… should be in a very close relationship…”
As he said that, Archbold reattached his severed arm.
No, he tried to reattach it.
“…Huh?”
“Human, are you trying to use Magic without my permission?”
That is, if those words that made his core tremble hadn’t pierced his ears.
Vertical Pupils and Opal-colored Eyes were visible.
Archbold immediately realized what those eyes meant.
“D-Dragon…”
The Pinnacle of Magic.
A dragon was right in front of his eyes.
“He, hehe… So they really did exist, dragons…?!”
In the midst of his panic, Archbold confirmed the existence of a dragon and smiled deeply.
“Ha.”
Slash!
Seeing that, the Crown Prince quickly turned Archbold into a turtle.
Archbold didn’t even see the sword move.
When he blinked, he only saw himself flailing around like a literal turtle.
“H-How… This makes no sense.”
Amidst that confusion.
“Magic Tower Lord!”
“What in the world is going on!”
Wizards who realized the Magic Tower was under attack began to flock in.
Watching that sight, the Crown Prince smiled deeply.
The wizards who couldn’t be found inside the Imperial Palace no matter how hard one looked were missing.
I wondered where they had all gone, but they were playing around, laughing and chatting in a place higher than the Imperial Palace.
Furthermore,
“Everyone’s accessories are quite flashy. If you’re going to indulge in luxury, you certainly have done it right.”
Even the wizards who looked low-ranking were wearing accessories that looked obviously expensive.
But the shocking part was something else.
“Magic Tower Lord! Who in the world is that person?”
“Is it an attack? An enemy raid?!”
“High alert immediately! Everyone maintain your positions! Prepare your Magic!”
It was the fact that they couldn’t recognize who he was even with the Crown Prince standing right in front of them.
It was a detail that showed how the Magic Tower had only exercised its rights and neglected its duties all this time.
“I will work all of you as slaves. For the rest of your lives until you die… I will make you live not as humans, but as staff-wielders.”
With those words, the Crown Prince lightly swung his sword.
Slash!
With that One-Strike, the legs of the gathering wizards were severed.
It was time to bring down the Magic Tower.