Ch.114Magic Tower (2)

After crossing the gate, we arrived at a forest near Ernes.

Though I didn’t have abilities like a mini-map, we were able to quickly determine our location thanks to Luca’s familiarity with this forest.

“This is a forest I visit frequently. From here… we should be able to reach Ernes in half a day.”

“Half a day? That’s closer than I expected.”

While I had certainly chosen a gate that would take us as close as possible, I couldn’t predict the exact location.

The gate was half a day’s journey away now, but tomorrow it might have been located several days’ walk away.

After all, these gates weren’t fixed in place but constantly changing their locations.

We were lucky in many ways—not only had we emerged close to our destination, but we also immediately knew where we were.

Still, it wasn’t a short enough distance to be casual about, so we needed to move efficiently.

“Let’s start moving before sunset.”

“Understood. I’ll guide the way.”

When I suggested this, Luca, who had been listening, immediately took the lead and began walking.

We had emerged in the middle of the forest with no signposts or clear paths.

But Luca moved forward without hesitation, proving his claim that he frequently visited this place.

[I’m worried he’s moving too confidently. What if we take a wrong turn?]

‘Pfft… That would be troublesome, but fortunately it doesn’t seem likely.’

Though Lumia spoke as if casting a curse with her ominous words, thankfully nothing of the sort happened.

Not long after Lumia finished speaking, we came upon a path that people could travel on.

“From here, if you follow this path straight ahead, you’ll reach Ernes city.”

“Thanks to Luca, we’re traveling comfortably. If we were alone, we might have had to trouble Kitsune again.”

If Kitsune had sent out her Shikigami in all directions, finding the path wouldn’t have been impossible.

The Shikigami that Kitsune used were fast and could cover quite a wide range.

But if we had done that, it would likely have taken more effort and time to find our way.

‘Considering the sun is already starting to set, we might have had to camp outside.’

For this reason, I expressed my gratitude to Luca, but he waved his hands, refusing my thanks.

“This is nothing compared to the kindness you’ve shown me.”

“I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. Well, we can talk about this later. Let’s keep going for now.”

I felt somewhat uncomfortable with his worship-like reaction, but it was awkward to say anything, so I had to endure it.

‘Maybe I should try to suppress my charm more in the future.’

[Why not just get used to it?]

[People like that will keep appearing as you travel the world.]

‘Respect and admiration are fine, but worship is something I just can’t get used to.’

[At least it’s not outright rejection or hatred~]

Lumia seemed to be speaking lightly as usual, but there was a dark emotion buried in her words.

Because of this, I couldn’t choose to ignore or reject what she said.

‘Sigh… Alright. I’ll try to work on it.’

[Mmm, that’s a good attitude.]

Hearing my response, Lumia made a satisfied sound as if she had expected it.

As I was conversing with Lumia, we seemed to be approaching our destination, as the faint outline of city walls became visible in the distance.

And even before the walls, the Magic Tower—another city floating in the sky above—came into view.

“This is my first time seeing a Magic Tower in person. It’s huge.”

“Indeed, seeing it in person is quite spectacular. Its size alone is overwhelming.”

Lilly and I were already familiar with the basic form of Magic Towers.

I had seen them in games, and Lilly had learned about them during her studies.

But since it was the first time for both of us to see one in person, we couldn’t help but be somewhat amazed at the sight of an entire city floating in the sky.

If Lilly and I, who already knew about it, reacted this way, the reactions of Kitsune and Lumia, who knew little about Magic Towers, were understandable.

“A city even larger than my tribe floating in the sky…”

[I’ve seen flying airships before.]

[But a city? Isn’t that too grand in scale…?]

While we were gaping in amazement, Luca couldn’t even open his mouth.

He was gritting his teeth as if he couldn’t accept that a Magic Tower was floating right above his hometown.

“Grrrr…!”

“If you clench your teeth that hard, you’ll damage them. Take a deep breath first.”

Since we were about to meet the guards, I couldn’t let him continue like this, so I slowly calmed him down.

Perhaps because it was me—whom he fervently worshipped—who spoke, Luca was fortunately able to control his anger quickly by taking deep breaths.

“Phew, I’m calm now.”

“Good. Then let’s head in.”

I said this while signaling Luca to take the lead.

Normally, we could have approached as adventurers without issue, but our party included the Earth Warriors.

Since they were considered missing persons in this city, we needed to coordinate our story to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

‘Still, it’s fortunate that Luca says he has connections with the guards.’

People tend to be more lenient with those they know. Especially if they’re on friendly terms.

“Halt right…th-? Luca? Is that you, Luca!?”

“Yes, it’s me! Dresen. So you can stop making that face like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“How can I not! I thought you were dead after you went missing!”

The two seemed to be old friends, as they immediately began chatting despite not having seen each other for a long time.

Most of their conversation was trivial, but within it, I could glimpse the current state of the city.

[It seems there are many missing persons in the city.]

‘That’s obvious. It’s probably the work of the Black Pillar. Black magicians all do the same things.’

I was confident that the Black Pillar was behind the disappearances happening in the city.

But despite my confidence, it wouldn’t be easy to prove the Black Pillar was responsible.

[There’s only suspicion that outsiders are responsible…]

[Somehow there’s no mention of the Magic Tower or the Black Pillar at all.]

‘That’s because the Magic Tower and Black Pillar are seen as saviors who helped the city workers in times of need.’

The Magic Tower and Black Pillar had built up too much trust in the city through their past actions.

As a result, suspicion and wariness toward outsiders had only increased, making it difficult to convince anyone.

Even the guard before us was visibly uncomfortable with our group.

“Ahem, I’ve kept you too long. Your wife must be worried, so you’d better get going.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“As for you outsiders… since you’re Luca’s benefactors, I won’t say anything. But the atmosphere in the city isn’t good right now, so please stay quiet and leave as soon as you can.”

“Well, alright.”

It seemed the city was minimizing the entry of outsiders due to the consecutive disappearances.

Normally, we wouldn’t have been allowed in either, but they were quietly letting us through because of Luca and the other Earth Warriors.

Since this was something to be grateful for, I simply answered and moved toward the inner city.

The atmosphere in the city we entered could be described as extremely quiet.

No, rather than quiet, it felt more like most people were hiding and holding their breath.

“Because of the disappearances, the city’s condition is terrible. And the way people are looking at us…”

“This level of wariness could easily be called hostility.”

“Indeed… it’s not a normal feeling, is it?”

With gazes filled with emotions beyond the realm of normalcy, I briefly turned my head to look at the sky.

The Magic Tower was floating in the sky, blocking the clear sky, but instead, the bottom of the Magic Tower was emitting light, acting as a sun.

And as I stared at that light, I felt something unpleasant.

‘They must be tampering with the magical energy…’

My eyes, which had been looking at the Magic Tower, narrowed for a moment, glaring at it.

A very small amount of curse spread from the Magic Tower’s light remained in the magical energy in the air, gradually affecting the city.

The curse was so minimal that it was difficult to notice, and brief exposure wouldn’t have a significant impact on people.

But with prolonged exposure, the story would inevitably change in many ways.

The effects varied depending on the nature of the curse, but it was clear that the city’s people were being affected by it.

“It seems the Black Pillar’s plans are progressing steadily.”