Ch.116Magic Tower (4)

A pure white light enveloped our bodies, and my vision was completely blocked by the bright light, making it impossible to see anything.

How much time passed in that state?

After about 5 seconds, the light that had filled my vision gradually began to fade.

And before my eyes unfolded a completely different scene from just moments ago.

Given the situation, I was worried that the portal might have closed, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Phew… Well, it seems we’ve successfully infiltrated. Did everyone make it through alright?”

“Yes, no problems here.”

“I’m fine too~”

“Kerung!”

After confirming the status of my companions, I immediately prepared to move.

This was because there was a possibility that someone who knew about the portal might enter.

‘Even if it’s not some random person, we might encounter someone formidable…’

Since we were essentially in the heart of enemy territory, it was best to avoid any unnecessary risks.

However, contrary to my plans, I sensed someone’s presence behind me.

‘Did they happen to use the portal at the same time? Bad luck.’

My face grimaced at this twist of fate, but I quickly turned around and approached the person behind me.

“St… Stop…!”

“Do you really think I would stop just because you asked?”

The blue-haired mage threatened me by pointing her staff.

It was an overly merciful judgment to take against an enemy and a misjudgment stemming from lack of experience.

Considering the short distance between us, she should have immediately cast a spell to secure a safe distance.

‘At least she’s not a dark mage.’

I was worried she might be a dark mage, but the fact that she showed restraint suggested otherwise.

However, just because she wasn’t a dark mage didn’t mean I would stop my attack.

To her, I was simply an intruder.

Crack-

“If you’re an intruder, you should surrender quiet- Ugh?!”

“For now, just sleep quietly.”

After destroying the mage’s shield with a single punch, I struck her jaw, knocking her out instantly.

It was the most effective and gentlemanly way I could subdue her.

[You call this gentlemanly? This?]

‘At least I turned off my energy and hit her as lightly as possible when I struck her jaw.’

[That’s still enough force to knock someone unconscious.]

Lumia criticized my thoughts, but ignoring her comments, I approached the fallen mage.

I needed to take the identification badge she would surely have.

[This is definitely robbery.]

‘I’m just borrowing it very politely.’

I began searching the fallen mage’s body, feeling around for the badge that would be somewhere on her.

The way I was searching looked a bit suspicious, but I quickly found the badge I was looking for.

And when I checked the badge, I couldn’t help but show a surprised expression.

“Let’s see… Oh, it’s a 4th tier badge? I thought she’d be in the 3rd tier. That’s unexpected.”

She belonged to a higher tier than I had anticipated from our fight.

Since tiers couldn’t be raised simply by bribing someone, I had to take another look at the unconscious woman.

“I forbid the use of magic.”

“Hm? You need to use a True Word on her? She doesn’t look like she requires that.”

“She may be weak in combat, but being 4th tier means she must have something special.”

Since I couldn’t just kill the mage or abandon her somewhere, I used a True Word to prevent any unforeseen situations.

Then I moved to find a secluded place for a proper conversation.

* * *

The place I found while carrying the mage was an old, abandoned warehouse.

The warehouse hadn’t been touched by human hands for at least a few years, making it the perfect place to hide temporarily.

Having secured a location, I examined the mage’s body while waiting for her to wake up.

I still couldn’t comprehend how she could be 4th tier.

“Hmm, she seems completely ordinary. At most, she has abundant magical power…”

“Other than that, maybe her magic is a bit purer? But it doesn’t seem overwhelming enough to transcend limits.”

Lilly and I looked the fallen mage over, but neither of us could find anything special about her.

I hadn’t given up my curiosity, but the mage woke up in the meantime.

“Ah, she’s awake.”

“Eek…! Pervert!!!”

The mage immediately slapped me hard as soon as she opened her eyes.

Apparently, the problem was that I had my face too close to hers when she woke up.

Still, the slap she threw was only at a normal level, so I could easily block it.

“I’m not a pervert. More importantly, could you please calm down?”

“Not a pervert…! You were just about to kiss me!”

“That’s a misunderstanding. Why would I want to kiss you?”

I said that calmly, meaning she should think rationally, but the mage didn’t seem to accept my words.

Or perhaps she had as much confidence in herself as Lumia did.

“I’m pretty!”

“Well, I don’t know about that. I’m prettier than you right now. So is my companion.”

I countered her surprisingly confident claim with calm facts.

It was true that her appearance was outstanding, but it wasn’t overwhelming like mine.

I was incomparable, and she would even lose to Kitsune.

In fact, the mage’s appearance gave off a rather youthful impression, making her more cute than pretty.

“Do you admit it?”

“Ugh… I admit it…”

As I pressed her, she had no choice but to withdraw her absurd claim.

With that, she seemed able to have a more normal conversation.

“So what’s your purpose in bringing me to this creepy place? I’ll tell you in advance, I don’t have a penny!”

“Do I look like someone who would steal money from a child…”

“Hey, I’m not a child!”

Seeing the mage squawking like a child again, I fell into contemplation.

I was debating whether to extract information from her using a True Word and then confine her somewhere, or to try persuading her with words.

‘Logically speaking, the former would be better, but somehow I feel like the latter might work too…’

She gave the impression that she might follow me immediately if I offered her candy, which made the decision difficult.

“So what’s your purpose in bringing me here?!”

“Well, you see. I need your help for a secret mission.”

“Huh? Secret mission? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

After some deliberation, I decided to try persuasion rather than using force on her.

Her childlike demeanor kept gently pricking my conscience.

“Have you ever heard of Apos Hunt?”

“Of course! They’re people who travel around the world defeating evil apostles.”

“Actually, I’m from Apos Hunt.”

“Eh? You…? To be honest, I don’t believe you… Are you trying to trick me? I’m not stupid.”

“I’m not trying to trick you. Look, here’s my fairy partner.”

To the suspicious mage, I took out Lilly, who had been hiding in my arms, and showed her.

At this, the mage’s eyes, which had been full of suspicion, suddenly sparkled with childlike wonder.

“Wow…! A fairy! This is my first time seeing one!”

“Do you believe me now?”

“Yes! Of course! So you need my help? What do you need?”

The look in her eyes as she asked was so pure that I felt a momentary pang of guilt.

Still, since most of what I was saying was true, I continued despite the guilt.

“I need a fake identity to carry out my secret mission here. So I’d like to borrow this badge.”

“Hmm… Okay! It was really hard for me to get this badge, but… if it’s to save the world, by all means!”

“Thank you. Is there anything you’d like in return?”

As I patted her head and asked if there was anything she wanted, she thought for a moment before speaking.

“Then give me your autograph! With my name on it!”

“An autograph? That’s not difficult. But keep the autograph to yourself and only take it out after my secret mission is over.”

“Of course! Secrecy is vital for secret missions! I’m not stupid~”

Her energetic voice naturally made me smile.

It was like a healing feeling that came from her purity.

Thanks to her, I felt like I could worry less about what was to come and find more strength.

“Then I should give you an autograph. What’s your name?”

“I’m Diana!”

“Ah, Diana… I see…”

If only her name hadn’t been so similar to someone I knew.

It was a common name, so having someone with the same name was only natural.

However, hearing that name in a situation where I might soon have to kill her made me feel like an unavoidable reality was approaching.

“Huh? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just… it’s a nice name.”

“Hehe, it was given to me by the most precious person in my life!”

* * *

She was a person who loved animals as much as she disliked people.