40 – Knights (3)
It would be a great disgrace if it were known that a typical faction had accepted outlaws as attendants.
But the Heju faction was an exception.
Anes and Rupert didn’t discriminate against people, and they would surely be pleased if the Eunyik Knights joined.
Because their only fault was that they entered the magic tower without permission.
Unlike typical outlaws, they weren’t criminals or those who wanted to harm the magic tower.
On the other hand, the seniors who came in as self-proclaimed Heju sorcerers had already become notorious fugitives on the continent.
The increasing decibels of the female receptionist at the information desk proved this.
“It’s about time.”
“What for?”
“The new recruits.”
“What about them?”
“Why would newcomers come to a place like this? So, you wanted me to bring so many membership application forms?”
The sound of multiple footsteps could be heard from beyond the wall.
After sending off the reluctant Toby, I opened the entrance to the secret passage that led to the stairs.
It was the same place where Preyna had captured me as I tried to escape.
As expected, the members of the Eunik Knights were being chased by the security forces, rushing towards me in a group.
The columns of magicians pursuing us, with their robes fluttering, pushed the Knights into a corner.
Although they seemed to want to draw their swords and counterattack, hesitation showed on their faces, fearing the damage would be too great.
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What they wanted was to take Mariel, not to start a war.
“Well then, everyone, come this way.”
“……!!”
The members in the midst of the formation were surprised by the sudden appearance of a door between the stairs.
But only for a moment, as the quick-witted ones immediately stopped at the front and rushed into the passage.
At the same time, smoke bombs exploded from behind. Even though they claimed to have lived the life of adventurers, they still had some basic skills.
“Damn it, what kind of magician bastards are swarming us…!”
“I’ve been caught. Should I go and rescue her now?”
“No need to worry. They’ve simply entered the Matap without permission, they haven’t committed a crime yet. They’ll be expelled after the ban on entry and exit.”
“And you…?”
“For now, lower your voice and come this way. It would be troublesome if you were caught.”
Before being caught by the security forces, I closed the door and guided them to the entrance of the Haedju faction.
The pursuit wasn’t their specialty, or maybe they were desperate at the weakened position of the Knights, but some of them had dark expressions.
A small room with a fireplace.
Once safety was secured, the only knight, Douglas, who held a location note, introduced himself.
If he had worn armor, he would have been the epitome of a knight with a handsome face.
Even though the adventurer’s rank was not determined solely by swordsmanship, he was the only one among the members wearing a gold plate around his neck.
“I am Douglas Fisher. This is Owen and Irene.”
“Hmm.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I am Clark of the Haeju School. Is it true that you want to join our school, as you mentioned at the counter?”
He must have known how the Haeju School was treated within the Matap, based on what he had experienced earlier.
Seeing me casually throwing firewood into the fireplace in front of dozens of armed knights made them tense.
Could it be because I was wearing a shabby robe inside out?
Even though the word ‘Haeju’ itself was unfamiliar to those who came from outside, some of them thought of the word ‘curse’ and mumbled it.
“Is that not the case?”
However, no matter how hesitant they were, this was where they said they could help their master climb the tower.
The people who were talking to each other for a moment nodded slightly as they approached.
“That’s right. We are members of the former Holcroft Knights, the followers of Eun-ik in the Matap, and we came to find Lady Mariel Levancia.”
“Oh, you are knights. It’s an honor.”
“I heard that the schools in the Matap have a cooperative relationship with the Adventurer Association. They hire adventurers and provide assistance for climbing in exchange for compensation, as needed.”
“That is also the case.”
“If you help us get to where Lady Mariel is, I will repay you accordingly after rebuilding Holcroft. I swear on my honor, and it won’t be a meager reward.”
I have no interest in the reward.
The reason I called them here was to hear why they wanted to take Mariel away.
There is an overwhelming disadvantage to not having a school in Matap.
We cannot make use of the resources and infrastructure that the Sun Hyuns have built, and we cannot learn the mysteries that are originally meant to be learned.
Right now, I am taking care of everything behind the scenes, but I can’t continue carrying this burden forever.
If they were willing to change their minds and help their master climb, I had no reason to drive them away.
“May I ask for the reason?”
“To rebuild the Viscount’s family. The Holcroft lineage has inherited a mysterious power for generations. If the young lady were to die in Matap, we would have no future.”
“It might actually be safer inside the tower. Or there is also the possibility that she may not want to….”
“Stop, Owen. This matter has already been decided in a family meeting. I am sorry for the young lady, but giving up on impossible revenge and facing reality at this point is for the future.”
In the end, it meant that I had to take Mariel with me no matter what.
In that case, I couldn’t just send them away without a care.
“In fact, I personally know Mariel.”
“Is that so? Is the young lady safe?”
“Well… the situation is not that great. Evil sorcerers have partially imprisoned Mariel on the top floor of the training level.”
“What…!?”
My words stirred up the knights who were gathered in the small room.
Some of the more hot-blooded ones even drew their swords.
In truth, Mariel was enjoying a luxurious life to the point where she would lie in bed all day if no one pushed her out.
She recently even gained weight and complained about feeling suffocated in her chest, asking me to run errands for her clothes.
Since she had never seen me practice magic and threw the magic elevator at me, she was on the 19th floor.
Currently, I am borrowing the lounge of the Meteor and Grecia School of Thought thanks to Sera and Arthur, who want to be visible to me.
Although Sera’s gallery access rate had skyrocketed, they had no way of knowing.
They said, trying to calm down the knights who were ready to confront the security forces head-on, saying that I had to save her immediately.
“I will help the knights safely ascend.”
“No need to thank me. There will be a price…”
“Oh, a price! That is not necessary at all. However…”
The family on the brink of destruction, accused of treason.
The knights scattered, waiting for the future.
They no longer had armor, horses, or even pride in being accused of betraying the empire.
They only carried the honor for their lord in their hearts and gathered again under the torn flag.
“If you could just grant me a very small favor.”
-At the thought of ruining the plan, my heart skipped a beat.
And one more thing.
The idea that Marien should be at the top for safety was sincere.
*
—–
— Marien141: Miss! Why didn’t you let us know that you were going through such a hard time!
— Superconductor Smiling Girl: I was being watched by them… It was difficult to even…
— Marien141: I will rush to save you right now! It’s true that I have been in contact with the magician of the Haeju School of Thought, who can help you climb the tower.
— Marien141: But sometimes I see a user with the ID ‘Super Genius Blonde Girl’ similar to you in the gallery.
— Marine141: It seems like they even hold a high position in the gallery…
— Superconductor Sparkling Girl: That’s an impersonation.
—–
“Darn it…!”
“Calm down, Lieutenant.”
“It’ll be troublesome if there’s a commotion!”
Douglas, trembling and clutching the location note, had Irene and Owen raise their hands on both of his shoulders.
The first floor of the magic tower is an area frequented by adventurers and merchants, but the people in the Epsilon Hall were only magicians who came to attend classes.
Although they had joined the Haesju School and received a curse name, their appearance and behavior were unmistakably knights.
In order to challenge the Trial of the Great Labyrinth on the 10th floor, they had to pass the quest of the Three-in-One Sun, so they headed towards one classroom as quickly as possible.
While walking, Irene opened her mouth.
“It seems like that magician named Clock is suspicious.”
“Are you saying that he knew about the lady?”
“Not only that, but it seems like he anticipated our arrival from the beginning.”
“Because he’s a curse magician. Tsk, he looks like a parasite, doesn’t he?”
“Have you seen his face yourself, Owen?”
“Huh? I had nowhere to sit, so I was crouching on the floor… Why?”
Among the members in the room, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t find Clock suspicious.
However, unlike Douglas, who showed caution, and Owen, who showed disdain, Irene tried to think of something while twirling her hairpin.
A curse magician?
It wasn’t a wrong assumption, but the skeleton and posture revealed beneath the robe were different from the feeble wizards I had seen before.
There were calluses all over the hands.
Above all, even though I had only seen the lieutenant, there was something oddly familiar about him.
Memories of working as a receptionist in the Adventurers’ Association kept coming to mind.
After briefly contemplating, she decided to clear her mind and focus on the mission at hand.
Coincidentally, a classroom appeared as the target.
“I should investigate later. If I contact my friend from the Association, I might be able to find out.”
“Alright. I’ll leave that to you. First, let’s handle this task.”
“No need to be so tense, Vice Commander. I’ll take care of it.”
Even within the Order, Owen, the most passionate one, checked Clark’s note.
It said to take out everything in the square-shaped box that looked like a large box and throw it on the floor.
A poorly drawn picture and an item that looked exactly like it were standing in the corridor where the lecture was taking place.
The three of them were fascinated by this product of magical engineering that they encountered for the first time.
“Is this the pure ice water from Lake Traphalga? It seems so.”
“It seems like it. Looks like the rest of the stuff has already been sold.”
“We just need to put the coins in here.”
“Oh, I happen to have some change…”
Clank, clank…
Thunk, creak!
Thud, thud.
Shaaak! Shh! Shh!
After opening the lids of the bottles inside the vending machine and emptying them all, they looked at the sea of water that had become the floor and glanced at each other for a moment.
There was no hidden target, no special danger.
The contents inside the transparent bottles were just ordinary ice water.
It was so simple that it was rather exhausting.
“Is this the end, Lieutenant?”
“Seems like it. This is all that’s written.”
“What the heck, it’s not as special as I thought….”
“What are you doing now?”
Just as they were about to relax, thinking they could reach Mari’s location faster than expected, a woman with blue hair came out of the open door of the classroom.
The emotions on her beautiful face, like a sculpture, were nothingness itself.
However, the foundation of a magician, the magical power, contained an indescribable anger.
In the moment her eyes, which had been facing the ground, rolled up and looked up, the three of them started running simultaneously.
Soon after, an intense coldness poured towards them.