11 – Monument of Jeon Ji (6)
—–
Admin: Really didn’t receive it?
Admin: The complaints are increasing, aren’t they?
—–
Mariel closed the location note and looked at the unwelcome guests in front of her.
Now was not the time for idle chitchat and small talk.
The revealed sorcerers were all empty-handed, without a single magic staff in sight.
They had even removed the symbols of their respective factions that should have been on their robes and hats, making it impossible to deduce their affiliations.
Yet Mariel knew that they were the faction within the magic tower who sought to reject Holcroft.
She didn’t say it out loud, but she had a vague idea of their hidden agenda.
“You haven’t touched the monument yet. That’s a wise decision.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“If you don’t make a move against us, then I don’t have to kill you right here. Consider this a warning.”
As the sorcerer’s hand rose, magic was unleashed.
A beam of light pierced through the spot where Mariel had been standing just moments ago, creating a small hole in the tree.
The thick fog that had been nestled among the fallen bushes in the back was starting to clear slightly.
However, the intended target, the tree trunk, did not have a hole of the same size pierced through it.
“I missed. It wasn’t a reflexive reaction speed.”
“I got hit once. I managed to dodge afterwards.”
“What?”
Mariel shifted her gaze to her concealed chest.
It had come back.
She realized, with a vivid memory from a moment ago, that the shrapnel embedded in her body had given her a second chance.
“I followed the principle. From the moment I didn’t run away when I saw you.”
“….”
“Therefore, I am immune to surprise attacks. If I don’t bend, I won’t break. That’s Horkroft.”
“I see. So, it means you won’t break even like this?”
“What? Ah!”
This time, an inexplicable force came crashing down on Mariel from above.
The entire space had entered the range of the magic spell, leaving her no room to escape.
While flipping over the dust on the ground, she focused all her attention on figuring out the identity of the magicians.
She knew very well that she wouldn’t die in this spot.
In the magic tower, regardless of the faction, a magician killing an apprentice could only happen if they were insane.
Being isolated and left behind by her peers was also fine.
It didn’t matter that she had been assigned the worst room in the dormitory or that she was being prevented from climbing the tower.
“But still, this humiliation… I can’t bear it!”
At that moment, as Mariel lay on the floor, crushed by gravity, a position note that had fallen to the ground caught her eye.
—–
Administrator: Did she really go?
Administrator: Knock knock
Administrator: Knock knock knock
Administrator: Thump
Administrator: One
Administrator: Two
Administrator: Thump!
Administrator: One
Administrator: Two
Administrator: Thump!
.
.
.
—–
If there was no response, he would assume she was busy and would play his strange game alone.
Upon further reflection, compared to what he had suffered, this message seemed bearable, this level of humiliation.
“It must be agonizing, isn’t it? It will only get worse if you come up here.”
“…Sir, you really should leave soon.”
“Already?”
“Yes, it seems like something is happening outside…”
“Just a moment, what are you doing right now?”
However, among them, Mariel, who checked the most recent message with her own eyes,
Even while her muscles screamed in agony, she managed to lift her upper body with great effort.
Because she felt as if the presence that didn’t exist here was watching over her.
—–
.
.
.
— Administrator: Mariel
— Administrator: If you accept the proposal, I will assist you in going up the tower, putting my name on the line.
—–
Calling out her name that had never been mentioned before, as if it came naturally.
From Noble mtl dot com
When she heard the promise that he, who had a name unknown to anyone, would help her.
Her outstretched fingers pressed the accept button as if possessed.
“Danger! Something is coming!!”
“Huh? This is insane…!”
In that moment, a spear flew down from the sky and landed between Mariel and the wizards.
*
Kwaaah!!
‘Surely it didn’t hit anyone, right?’
I started to move slowly, observing the thunderous noise and the flickering light.
Although it was a long-range throw, I felt a bit uneasy since it was thrown in this misty forest without any support from the rear.
According to my notes on the location, it seemed that the wizards who attacked her immediately fled when the spear fell.
The only thing that didn’t move was Mariel’s notebook.
“Hiik? And, the caretaker!?”
“You’re here.”
Fortunately, as I rummaged through the fallen trees and arrived at the spot where the spear was stuck, a shrill scream greeted me.
Her clothes were torn in various places from getting caught on branches, and her hair was disheveled, but she seemed unharmed.
“So, you’re…?”
“This
“It’s too dark to see well. Turn off Dark Mode….”
“Well, then you can check it yourself later. Let’s get out of here quickly for now.”
During the approach, following the guidelines of the round table meeting, the security guards were evacuating the trainees, as all the lights on the first floor had been turned off by activating Dark Mode.
It was better to quickly get out of this place where a commotion would soon arise.
But Mariel couldn’t seem to get up, just staring at her own ankle and biting her lip.
Those wicked sorcerers.
How could they cause such terrible injuries that a person couldn’t even walk…
“It’s because of the window that hit me.”
“….”
“There’s nothing I can do, so the caretaker is carrying me.”
She was obediently being carried.
See, that’s why you shouldn’t throw things recklessly.
During their escape from the forest, Mariel didn’t say a word.
Instead, she kept touching her location note with one hand, as if already starting to display her authority as a strategist.
Both of the carefully planned IDs will surely be destroyed.
Or maybe she’s launching a massive tactical nuke at me as revenge for the game we played earlier.
I was already afraid to check the messages.
“…But still, the caretaker came to find me.”
However, when we reached the edge of the forest and saw the portal leading to the plaza.
I realized what she was looking for in the gallery.
“In the midst of all those posts, I saw one.”
A gentle sensation, tinged with guilt, was felt on my back.
Passing through the portal, I saw the solemn plaza enveloped in silence, with the monument of Jeonji standing in the center.
*
“From here, you can go to the dormitory alone. Just follow the eastern corridor and you’ll find the Maryland Hall.”
“What about the caretaker?”
“You’ll have to wait here a little longer. Other students who attended the alchemy lecture might come out late.”
It was a lie.
Even if there were apprentices left in the dark forest, the dormitory supervisor had no obligation to bring them back.
My purpose was to be the only one left here.
To engrave my name on the monument of Jeonji and to speak of the secret garden I wanted to climb to.
“Mariel?”
“…From now on, listen carefully to what I say.”
However, instead of walking with the agility that her injured foot allowed, Mariel immediately pushed me away with both arms.
“I once asked what would happen if I lied in front of the monument. It’s because the reason I want to climb the tower is something I can never tell others.”
Looking back, she was also the only apprentice who remained on the first floor after sending the others ahead, just like me.
It would be at least five more years before a day like today, when the plaza was completely empty, would come.
Even in the darkness, her clear golden eyes contained strong longing and a hint of regret.
“Holkroft has been loyal to the Empire for generations. They defended the north against the forces led by the King of the Netherworld and safely sealed away the mysterious fragments they possessed.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! But the royal family deceived us. When my father was invited to the mansion of the 4th Prince, whom he met at a social gathering, his fiancée was already dead and the family had been devastated by mysterious intruders. However, at the time, Colonel Hans, who was the commander of the Royal Guard, gave false testimony at the investigative committee…”
Leaning against a gravestone, I carefully pulled out the location note, avoiding Mariel’s chest, which was within reach no matter where I put my hand.
It shouldn’t have been too long for two people to neglect managing the gallery at the same time.
Fortunately, the gallery was peaceful, filled only with stories of power outages.
Just as I rejected a belated request for manager authorization from Cien and put the note back in my pocket.
“Are you listening, caretaker?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I received an important call. What did you say?”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Didn’t the content change a lot while I wasn’t listening?
“I came here to destroy our family and kill the 4th Prince who entered the magic tower. That’s my personal goal and objective that no one should know about.”
Mariel raised her hand to the gravestone, leaving me bewildered.
And she manifested her magical power and began to carve a name.
“If you try to tell someone about that fact, I will stand in front of you like this before you can.”
“What do you mean?”
“With the ability I possess. For now, it’s just about preventing a surprise attack, but I’ll become stronger as we climb this tower. So… this is a threat.”
‘The Clock Tower of Principles.’
Mariel explained that it was an ability that could conditionally turn back time.
Indeed, all time manipulation magic was considered alchemy, so it was undoubtedly an exceptional ability.
The gravestone, in response to her answer, was also emitting a brilliant beam of light.
The golden flashes, which had been scattered in dozens of strands, gathered into four strands and quietly faded away after the 58th stroke.
Mariel sighed with relief as she confirmed that she had passed the first floor.
“Now it’s over. Whether you resent me or fear me, the fate determined by my choice has been decided.”
“…Not really.”
Usually, she would have been reported for treason against the royal family, but as a foreigner, I didn’t have any loyalty to the empire.
Rather, I thought she was more suited for chaos.
If I could go back to the past when I was ambushed, wouldn’t that mean I could prevent a tactical nuclear attack?
It wouldn’t be long before the gallery’s automated defense system was built.
“Well, you can find it. I don’t know where the 4th prince is, but he’s not above the 58th floor.”
“Are you serious…?”
“Can you step aside for a moment? I have to carve my name too.”
“Huh? Oh…”
I placed my hand on the monument with Mariel by my side.
I couldn’t just wait foolishly in this situation where I didn’t know when someone would appear.
I could wait for the next opportunity, but I didn’t know how long the security forces would evacuate people in this chaos.
And my purpose was not something I could give up just because she was the only one who heard it.
“I intend to collapse this tower.”
“What…?”
The light rose.
Only one beam.
Even in the darkness, it shimmered even darker, soaring towards the sky as if it would split the monument in half.
The five-year wait came to an end in an instant.
“W-What did you just say…?”
“I came here only for that.”
Because the lights were off, the end wasn’t visible, but that fact didn’t matter much.