101. Clue (1)
mage tower.
A 13-story building towering in the middle of the royal road.
The mage’s tower, made of an unknown ivory-colored material, rises like an upside-down scabbard when viewed from a distance. There were a lot of windows, and the terraces would occasionally rise out of nowhere, so that the wizards would sometimes shine their faces. It’s the tallest building in the kingdom, not just the royal capital, so there’s a rumor that you can see the white edge of the Mage Tower clearly wherever you go in the royal capital.
However, unlike the mysterious appearance and the mysterious resonance of the word Magic Tower, the Magic Tower was not such a secret or mysterious place. The 1st and 2nd floors were always open to the people of the capital, and most of the floors were open when there was a big event. For most people in the capital, the Mage Tower is just a place to visit occasionally or considered the tallest building in the capital.
Beneath the ivory-colored mage tower was a huge plaza lined with marble. The square was well decorated, like a flower garden or a park, as if the wizards had managed it well. Thanks to the square’s popularity, the mage tower was treated like an accessory to the plaza below it rather than the reputation of the mage tower itself. If the Mage Tower was a place worth just looking around for the people of the capital, the plaza was also a place of rest for the citizens of the capital, a popular spot for walking, and a meeting place.
“mom! Even though it’s winter there, there are butterflies!”
“Hey, don’t run.”
When the heartwarming conversations of families or children’s laughter play as the background music, images of couples holding hands and leisurely strolling through the plaza pass by before your eyes. It was a peaceful and everyday scene of the royal capital that can be seen on weekends.
“Echwi!”
The guard guarding the entrance of the Mage Tower looked at the daily lives of such people and sneezed loudly in the cold wind blowing. The weather was moderately chilly, but the complaints about not being able to rest on the weekend and the happy faces of the people who were in contrast to his situation doubled the coldness the guard felt.
“What kind of trouble is this on the weekend… .”
The whining that no one would listen to lingered in the air. What’s the point of being on duty on a day like today? Even if it was a bit chilly, the sky was clear, and the weather was perfect for a walk if you had a thick coat. There were quite a lot of visitors to the Magic Tower today. Maybe it was the weekend, so thanks to that I was able to avoid the tedious task of guarding the door, but the complaints continued to pile up.
“I’ll have to sleep at home tomorrow.”
Although security magic has developed, human inspection has always been necessary. Thanks to this, I got a job, but it was not always possible to work happily. The guard soothed himself and continued to observe the passers-by.
“… Well?”
A unique person was caught in the eyes of the security guard who was looking around like that.
“It must be difficult.”
A man and a woman were walking in a plaza, not far from the mage tower. The man was a handsome man with bright eyes. He had a sharp look, and a scar that looked like a knife cut ran across the top of his nose, but if you looked at him without him, he was an impeccably handsome man.
Of course, what the guard said was going to be difficult was for the woman walking next to the man. She was an uncommon woman with dark blue hair, but the fact that she had a staff in one hand and her eyes tightly wrapped in a black cloth obscured all other features. The blind man and the tall handsome man were quite a conspicuous combination, and all passers-by stopped looking at them.
be blind
The guard noticed the unusual visitor. The two of them talked for a while and took a walk around the plaza, then turned their steps towards the entrance of the mage tower. When the guard saw them approaching him, he quickly straightened his languid posture.
“excuse me.”
The man in the lead spoke first. The blindfolded woman stood in the back as if waiting for the man. The guard looked at her for a moment, then turned to the man who was asking him what to say.
“Can I enter the Magic Tower now?”
The security guard responded in a businesslike tone.
“The Magic Tower is open to the general public until 6:00 PM, so if you want to take a look, you can go in.”
“Yes. Let’s go in.”
The man who grabbed the woman and led her greeted the guard with a smile. The woman nodded and walked with a cane to where the man’s hand led. The security guard threw a word at the back of the man entering the open door of the Mage Tower because they were nervous about entering.
“Although it is open to the general public, there are many things in the Mage Tower that you may not know about. It can be dangerous for someone like a woman, so a man should take good care of his companion.”
The man turned his head to look at the guard and nodded. The slightly raised corner of his mouth looked different from when he was greeting the security guard. The security guard had no idea that the smile had a different meaning.
“Thank you for your concern.”
After the man’s greeting, their figures disappeared inside the mage tower.
—
“Didn’t you like that?”
Somehow, Maxim asked in a small voice to Adeline, whose mouth was twisted. Adeline shook her head slowly at Maxim. The cane in his hand naturally pointed forward. Maxim asked, paying attention to her intentionally holding her hand while being friendly when entering the tower, but Adeline didn’t seem to think of that.
“It’s not really like that. I really didn’t think that this method would work.”
Adeline squeezed the staff in her hand. She didn’t really need a cane, as her ability to sense emotions was very developed, but the cane used by the blind was the best equipment to hide the sword inside. Adeline continued rubbing the tip of her wand with her palm. Just the fact that he had a sword in his body seemed quite reassuring.
“People are weaker than we think. Thanks to that, I can prepare for emergencies.”
It was Maxim’s idea to go with a cane. At first, Adeline didn’t seem to like the plan, but she soon seemed to understand the fact that she could enter the Mage Tower, where armament was prohibited, with at least one meager sword.
“You seem to be using my blindness as a very useful tool.”
It wasn’t so wrong, so Maxim didn’t tell me what to say. Instead, Maxim raised his head and began to look carefully at the scene unfolding from the first floor of the Mage Tower, the lobby. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that somewhere here, there might be a clue to finding Christine.
“… Are you nervous?”
Adeline, who noticed this immediately, asked. Of course, if you stick close like this, even someone who isn’t that sensitive will notice it. Maxim replied to Adeline in a voice that kept his composure unlike his heart.
“I’m nervous about doing it.”
“Do it right. It’s something you planned.”
Of course, the words that came back to him were not boring consolations. Adeline let out a sneer and began to pretend to be a weak woman, using her cane again. Maxim didn’t have the energy to reply, so he drooped his shoulders and started looking around again. At that time, a guide inside the magic tower, or a wizard who seemed to be an assistant, found them and approached them.
“Welcome to the Magic Tower.”
Maxim hesitated and accepted the approaching wizard’s greeting. He seemed to be a very ordinary wizard, unable to feel anything special. Just in case, I gently touched Adeline’s arm, but Adeline shook her head and let me know that Maxim’s guess was true.
“What did you come for? The magic experience we are currently conducting is an enchanting experiment, and you can see it on the second floor.”
As if she was a wizard who kindly taught me information she hadn’t asked for, she was staring at Adeline in wonder. Maxim responded by covering his gaze subtly. No matter how much he looked like an assistant, he did not know what variables would arise if he confronted the wizard for too long.
“My sister said she wants to visit the Magic Tower, so I’m going to start from the first floor and look around slowly.”
The wizard carefully looked at Maxim’s face and nodded.
“hahahaha, this, it seems that the relationship between brother and sister is very good. It’s a very rare sight. Do you need some guidance?”
The wizard’s attitude was quite positive. A crazy tribe that jumps at any place that sparks curiosity. The wizard’s eyes were shining with such curiosity right now. Since it was impossible to keep the troublesome tail attached, Maxim cut off the wizard’s proposal with a single knife and rejected it.
“No, thanks. It will take a long time to look around anyway, so it would be much more comfortable to look around together.”
The wizard smacked his lips with a regretful expression. For some reason, Maxim felt goosebumps running down his spine at such an outspoken attitude. He probably fell into a deep sea of delusion, including the thought of why he was blind inside.
“Well then, please look around slowly. Although the first floor is open to the public, be careful as there may be dangerous items.”
The wizard left the same advice as the guard and quickly moved away to where the other visitors were. Maxim let out a short sigh.
“The seniors will probably start investigating within an hour. At that time, if there is movement on the first floor, you may need to observe carefully. Until then… ”
“Until then?”
Maxim rolled his eyes and shrugged.
“It would be good to understand the structure of the first floor. Would you mind telling me how it was done?”
Adeline seemed reluctant, her mouth hardened, her head half tilted, and then she nodded.
“… Let me ask you.”
Maxim raised his eyebrows at Adeline’s unexpectedly cooperative attitude. Then, without saying anything, he started to tell Adeline what the first floor of the Mage Tower looked like and who was walking around.
“In the center of the lobby, there is something like a huge tombstone. It’s written in a lot of detail, but it seems that the wizard who built the mage tower wrote down the enlightenment he gained and the attitude a wizard should have.”
“Yeah. Somehow, I wanted to feel something like strong magic power, but there was such a thing.”
“… The ceiling is hollowed out. To the point where you can even see the top of the mage tower.”
“Omit unnecessary explanations, just explain the structure.”
At the cold reply that came back straight away, Maxim’s tendons were etched in his temple, but Maxim suppressed his anger and continued walking.
Inside, Maxim and Adeline slowly entered and looked around. Maxim continued to explain the structure of the first floor. How are the rooms arranged, where are the stairs to the second floor, and where are the exhibits?
While walking slowly looking around the first floor, Adeline hardened her lips. It seemed that there was something that caught up with Maxim’s explanation, and he stood for a while and carefully expanded his senses. No, rather than that, it seemed to have hardened as if he was thinking about something. Maxim stopped together and asked Adeline.
“… Any trouble?”
Adeline shook her head. It was not a confident nod, so Maxim wondered at her attitude.
“No, nothing.”
Adeline still looked around with a hard mouth. Maxim was caught by her appearance, but he could not immediately interrogate her. It was because the entrance to the first floor was becoming noisy.
“I think about it later. It seems that you are coming in for the investigation at the time the seniors told you about.”
Adeline answered Maxim in a cold voice.
“Even if you didn’t tell me, I was already hearing everything out loud.”
Maxim’s gaze went straight to the lobby. A few wizards rushed right out and confronted those who looked to be Dennis and Charlotte. He waved his hand and pushed his body as if he was somehow trying to stop him from entering the inside of the mage tower.
“What kind of financial research are you doing at this time? What is there to investigate in the Magic Tower?”
“Please bring a warrant. Even the knights of the royal family have no choice but to accept this as trespassing!”
“Let’s talk outside for a moment, knights. There are also regular visitors inside, so it would be difficult to come out like this.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh! Take your hand off the sword and speak. why are you so scared Let’s talk, let’s talk.”
“I want you to show me some proof that you brought it. If you won’t show it, how can we just let you in?”
At the sorcerer’s torch, I could barely hear Dennis or Charlotte speak. Maxim frowned at the noise that made his ears sting even if he had only been listening for a moment. Adeline, who had been listening to the sound more closely than anyone else, shook her head slowly with a quiet voice.
“… Sounds like you did a good job sneaking around like this.”
Maxim shrugged. I didn’t want to imagine what kind of fuss would arise if I responded in this way to those who came to investigate the finances with evidence like that, and if they came to investigate the research results or the laboratory with only a heart attack. Before starting the proper investigation, all the important data was stolen, and the investigation must have been done with all the power drained.
The magicians residing in the Mage Tower were like that. He was crazy about his research, shameless, greedy, and had a snarky side.
Was there a reason Christine kicked out of the mage tower?
Maxim thought to himself and shook his head. Anyway, while the seniors struggled at the entrance, they had to find out about the magicians’ movements. Maxim widened his senses as much as possible and tried to capture the movements of the magicians.
“Where do you feel any suspicious movement?”
At Maxim’s question, Adeline raised her finger and covered Maxim’s mouth. Maxim moved his head stiffly, embarrassed by Adeline’s index finger that clung to his lips.
“for a moment.”
Maxim kept his mouth shut. Adeline continued to keep her hand pressed against Maxim’s face, closely examining the presence and movement of magic power. Maxim turned his head little by little from his hardened upper body, examining the situation on the first floor, which became noisy along with the entrance.
Everyone is busy.
As the audience’s attention focused on the lobby, some wizards said it was no big deal and directed their attention elsewhere, while others were walking up and down the stairs on the first floor with anxious expressions and steps. Some went to call their professor, others ran somewhere with piles of papers in their arms.
is that over there
Maxim’s eyes were fixed on the sorcerers running away with piles of papers. The runners arrived at about three places. Those who open and enter a room on the first floor, and those who hang out in the corner of the first floor. None of them could be ruled out.
“… I found it.”
At that time, Adeline stretched out her finger somewhere on the first floor. Simultaneously, Maxim turned his head to the place Adeline pointed out. The room was slightly open, as if the door had not been closed. Adeline added in a somewhat anxious voice.
“It was quite an ominous feeling… , I think what we are looking for is probably over there.”
As soon as Maxim’s eyes remembered the place, a wizard ran to the place where Adeline and Maxim were standing. Adeline quickly regained her momentum, and Maxim met her gaze.
“I’m sorry, sir… The royal palace staff came to the Magic Tower for a while, so I think we should finish opening today.”
The wizard forcibly drove them away and led Maxim and Adeline to the entrance. While the sorcerer took the lead in guiding them, Maxim met Dennis’ eyes as he crossed into them.
‘how was it?’
To Dennis, who asked in a mouthful, Maxim shook his head first.
‘I’m not sure yet.’
Dennis glanced and turned his head towards Adeline, who was walking with Maxim. Then, he resumed his conversation with Charlotte and followed the wizards to investigate the Mage Tower.
Maxim turned his attention back to Adeline as Dennis walked away. Adeline’s face, which Maxim looked at, was somehow paler than usual, and showed that expression slightly. He couldn’t see her eyes, but Maxim could see the obvious fear in Adeline’s expression.