42 – Knights (5)
“You want us to deal with the knights? Sorry, but I’m busy with my magical research.”
“More importantly, why did you send the outlaws into the labyrinth? Huh? Of course, if we catch them, it will bring honor to the faction, but…”
“Ugh, these pictures…!? Alright, I’ll go down right away.”
“Wait, Arthur, stop there! What did you just see!?”
Mariel felt something strange.
More precisely, it wasn’t just strange, but rather “suspicious.”
Meteor and the Glacia faction’s wizards moving restlessly in the lounge.
Feeling the tense atmosphere, I quickly looked around and, as expected, Clark was on the 19th floor.
“There, you.”
“Yes?”
“I want to compete with you in terms of skill.”
“Suddenly? Um, should I…?”
Putting down the parfait she was eating, she grabbed the magician next to her and dragged him to the training room.
It was to avoid getting caught in the act.
Dressed in a white dress alone in her red and blue robe, she was too noticeable to be easily found as if she were a ghost.
Yet the reason for maintaining such attire was not simply to imitate an ignorant noble lady.
“I am Isaac Gadel. I am the second-ranked magician of the Meteor School and a member of the Nevens family.”
“I am Mariel Levansia. The school is confidential, and I am from the Halkroft Viscount family.”
“Confidential? Well, that’s fine. It seems like you were invited from another school, so let’s try to control our strength…”
“No need for that, let’s start quickly.”
On the day her family was destroyed, she struggled to bring these clothes all the way here from the burning house.
She no longer had any reason to go to parties or engage in society, but she still clung to her identity as a Halkroft lady.
Not running away or hiding was her ‘principle’.
Even though she lived a life in the dormitory without any servants, there was no reason for her to abandon her pride.
“Water flows in the ravine, so that the red beauty does not perish.”
With that determination, the drops of blood she shed reversed the world, slipping through the gaps in broken gears.
“In the midst of abundance, drought eventually becomes a wildfire.”
Delving into overlapping timelines, she wielded considerable destructive power with basic magic alone.
“Fire? No, smoke? What the…!”
At the moment when “bonfire” and “waterfall” were simultaneously cast from his fingertips, a tremendous amount of fog and a shockwave occurred.
Originally, it was impossible due to the intersection of spell formulas at the same coordinates, but it was the result of a force imposed by mysticism.
A clean victory that felt strangely empty.
Confirming that the unpleasant gaze that lingered on his chest had disappeared, the golden pupils of Hwang Geum-bi glanced sideways at Clark.
His sharp senses allowed him to feel the vibrations even beyond the defensive magic, so he lifted his head from just looking at the location note.
Holding the hem of her dress with her fingertips, she slowly revealed herself in the mist.
The intoxicating smile was an added bonus.
“Manager! It’s been a while. Has the room been kept clean in my absence?”
“It seems like you’ve been practicing as instructed.”
“As instructed? I always strive on my own.”
“You’re still shameless. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
A charming figure that stole everyone’s attention.
However, Clark’s gaze had returned to the location note without him noticing.
He seemed more absorbed in the gallery as if he had been buried in it all day, compared to Mariel who was always trying to catch a glimpse, but failed repeatedly due to the overwhelming difference in physical abilities.
More than anything, Mariel was frustrated.
To think that she, with such beauty and appearance, was being overshadowed by a mere stack of boring papers.
“Ugh!”
So she suddenly jumped, evading the hand that was about to tap her forehead.
This time, it was time to tear apart or confirm that paper that always covered half of her face.
It was partly out of curiosity, and partly because of the new principles she had established.
“To know more about Clark.”
One of the rules derived from the “principle” that did not break Horkroft’s pride.
It was the root of the newly created magic in the layer of overlapping spells and training.
Isn’t there a lot of suspicious things, such as the remarks made in front of the mysterious window magic and the monument of the primal energy?
The more she learned about it, the stronger the clock tower of principles would become.
Thunk!
“Huh?”
“Ah!”
But it was blocked by his hand, which had a ghostly reflex.
The hard knuckles of the hand holding the location note precisely hit her forehead.
Although it was Mariel who foolishly rushed, Clark’s reflexive defense mechanism triggered the activation of the mystery.
The sight turned blue and the mana began to drain from her body like water.
Like a pot falling while walking down the street, or a thief targeting her wallet bumping into her.
Since it was something that often happened in everyday life, Mariel was not flustered.
Rather, in that moment of hesitation, she was considering whether to take a step and approach from the left next time.
From within the stifled space, his voice was heard.
“What is this?”
Splat!
Interference Device – Soma (消魔)
As Clark’s hand reached out to grab Mariel’s slipping waist, time reversed its course.
It was a deviation from the principle of regression that Mariel had become accustomed to through practice.
The sensation of being ‘interfered’ by his magic, like a rushing tide.
Mariel urgently covered her chest with both hands.
“Ugh, huff…!”
From the cutting-edge of her body, a persistent and somewhat perverse pleasure surged forth.
This experience, where even the slightest touch of a thin fabric became unbearably sensitive, was both confusing and intoxicatingly addictive.
Moreover, every time their magic intertwined, there was a feeling that made her temples burn endlessly.
Unaware of this fact, Clark gave up chasing Arthur and engaged in a conversation with Sarah, who had returned.
“So, you two were like that after all? We had a rough idea since you asked us to help in the labyrinth, but…”
“What’s the big deal?”
“It doesn’t concern me, but it’s better if Professor Bina doesn’t find out. Huh? Are you okay?”
At this rate, she might end up begging for uncontrollable pleasure.
She had already started rationalizing that she had no choice but to use magic, as it only exposed her vulnerability as a gallery owner.
Despite this, the accident that had escalated to its peak was still acting in accordance with the principles.
Her heightened senses engraved Clark’s scent, the exciting height difference, and the shape of his muscles felt through the fabric of his clothes in her mind.
“Ugh, ah…!”
“Mariel, are you alright?”
“Ah, let go…!”
“First, you charge in and then pull a stunt like this… Anyway, I have one question.”
Marie’s struggles regained her composure, and Clark’s grip loosened.
As her eye level gradually lowered, Marie noticed something sparkling beneath his robe.
Beautiful plates of various colors, made of bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, all symbols of adventurers.
But among them, there was one.
A plate that emitted no light on its own.
It was torn and damaged, as if by a strong force, and its material and shape were unrecognizable.
With only a small part remaining, it faintly displayed a beautiful ivory color, resembling the bone of some animal.
He had mentioned that Arthur was a former gold-ranked adventurer, hadn’t he?
This might be a surprisingly fruitful discovery.
“The caretaker has absolutely no delicacy! But what’s the question you want to ask?”
“Just out of curiosity…”
Lady Marie, do you have any intention of going to the Mausoleum to rebuild your family?
At the mention of those words, her hands, which were tidying up her clothes, stopped.
*
A few hours later.
I was waiting on the 11th floor for the Eunik Knights to escape the labyrinth.
Meteor and the wizards from the Grecia Academy, who had followed as representatives of the courtiers, were also present.
I thought they would come up soon, but killing time was boring.
From Noble mtl dot com
So, thinking about Marie’s answer a little while ago, I spoke to the cherished sword, Sal Sal.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have connected you from the beginning. No, but then again, I had to find the Heaju faction because I still have to climb the tower, right?”
— What about the ritual?
“Of course, I cherish Mariel so much. If I leave the tower with the knights, I won’t be able to see her face anymore. So, I tried desperately to prevent it.”
— Are you jealous?
“I wanted to have a taste of both the gallery and reality.”
— …….
Well, honestly speaking, the former was a little sincere.
I guess living in the dormitory wouldn’t be fun without her.
As a result, with the help of the knights, I made it up to the training floor, and now there was only one step left to meet Mariel.
The magicians revealed themselves in front of the exhausted ones who had explored the labyrinth.
The desperation of having to sacrifice their comrades and climb one step at a time.
And the twist that the Heaju wizard who had helped them in various ways to climb the tower turned out to be the final boss.
— Is it really a twist?
“Of course, even if you turn me upside down, I can only be virtuous.”
Now that I had clearly heard Mariel’s intentions, should I adjust my strength and send at least one person up?
At the very least, I had to prevent them from using physical force to achieve their goals.
While checking the signals inside the labyrinth with the position notes and fitting the blades into the windows, Arthur approached me.
But his expression didn’t look good.
“Hey, Clark. Someone is coming.”
“The knights? It seems like it’s still too early.”
“That’s not it. This magic… “
“What is it?”
As he hesitated, someone asked him again, and then a group of wizards appeared.
They were dressed in plain black robes with no distinguishing marks, their appearance indistinguishable as male or female due to the various perception-distorting spells they had applied.
The only distinctive feature was a black star-shaped tattoo between the thumb and index finger of their right hand.
“Is this the right place? The location mentioned in the ancient text.”
“I’m sure of it. They said the remnants of the Order will come out from that entrance.”
“It reminds me of the old days. I went through a lot of trouble back then.”
“What can you expect from someone who couldn’t even pass the training level? By the way, why are there so many people here?”
“The Black Stars.”
They were a notorious group of dark wizards that had a reputation throughout the continent.
Seeing the intruders in the tower, the wizards couldn’t just stand still.
A representative figure among them approached Arthur, who was preparing for battle.
Under the hazy robe, glimpses of fiery red hair were visible.
“Oh, you’re from the Meteor Sect? Nice to meet you. I’m Isazel.”
“There is no need for conversation with sinners who have caused a commotion. You dirty beings who are not even allowed to comprehend, let alone possess, the mysteries.”
“Mysteries? Ah, that thing! ‘Using omniscience as a stepping stone to pursue omnipotence,’ was it? There was a time when I searched for it desperately.”
The woman chuckled and raised both arms.
Suddenly, without any warning, the robes of all the wizards burst into flames.
“But you know what? I don’t need that kind of trickery. I can use powerful magic like this without relying on such petty things!”
With the smell of burning fabric, a pungent smoke filled the air.
The bewildered sorcerers desperately attempted to evolve, but every method proved futile.
Standing beside Arthur, I silently watched as the flames slowly consumed his flesh.
It felt strangely familiar.
“Isn’t it torturous? You can’t escape it. My magic is on a different level than the simplistic teachings of magic tower.”
“Gah! You…!”
“Squirm all you want. I have no interest in the kids this time. It’s a good thing for you too, right? I came here to take care of the outlaws of magic tower on your behalf.”
“So noisy!”
“Just hold on a little longer, and the security forces will…”
With only a few members, the royal guards stationed in the training grounds could never defeat the Black Star sorcerers.
No matter who they were, they couldn’t occupy a level of magic tower for long.
At that moment, when Sara and Arthur exchanged glances to request outside help,
Izel, who had been babbling, suddenly fell silent.
“And what about you next to them? You don’t show any signs of pain, quite accustomed to suffering… huh?”
Ah, I remembered.
No wonder the magic felt familiar.
“Huh? Huh? Why? How?”
“….”
“Um, um… How are our colleagues doing?”
I brushed off the ash from my head and approached her.
And I greeted the sorcerer, who alternated between looking at my face, the plate hanging around my neck, and the spear in my hand.
“I should have greeted you with at least a simple hello, but my mind was preoccupied with the mission’s failure…”
“It’s been a while, Santaeugi.”
“……!!”