Ch.5Crimson Magic Tower (4)

“Is this the Magical Kingdom…”

I looked around in pure amazement.

‘Is this really a country in the same world…?’

I had heard endless praise about this incredibly advanced nation that couldn’t even be compared to the Empire while on the airship, but seeing it firsthand exceeded my imagination.

Even by modern standards, the level of these technologies would be unfathomable.

I had already noticed this when I saw the airships flying at tremendous speeds without making much noise, and those were apparently considered outdated models.

‘Beyond my imagination…’

I swallowed hard.

How should I put it… There were so many things that aroused my curiosity.

Perhaps because of this, I was uncharacteristically looking around with obvious interest when I suddenly noticed the self-proclaimed Blood Mages staring at me, which startled me.

‘I should be more careful with my behavior…’

No matter how many wondrous things there were after a thousand years had passed, I couldn’t continue showing such clueless behavior while trying to maintain the impression of being a mysterious figure.

“Ahem…”

I cleared my throat, trying to erase my embarrassment.

Showing more embarrassment would only make me look stranger.

I turned to the man assigned as my guide and asked as if nothing had happened.

“What was it called again… the Crimson Blood Magic Tower? Hurry up and guide me there.”

“Ah… don’t worry! We’ve already arrived!”

“…What?”

We’ve arrived?

I looked around again.

‘Isn’t this just a street?’

It was certainly fascinating.

The streets were so developed that they bore no resemblance to the medieval fantasy setting of the past. People were traveling in personal vehicles.

Flying through the sky was standard, and many of the residents wore futuristic clothing designs that looked like they belonged in fictional works I’d seen before coming to this world.

However…

‘This just looks like an ordinary street.’

It looked like a normal street no matter how I looked at it, and I was about to ask where the Magic Tower was when—

– …Identity confirmed.

With a loud mechanical voice, my vision distorted.

‘What…’

It felt like space was twisting, and then I sensed my body being transported.

Understanding the situation, I stuck out my tongue in surprise.

Just how many times were they planning to surprise me?

The street scenery that had been around me until just a moment ago was gone, and somehow I had entered a building.

I was inside a building that perfectly captured the appearance of the Magic Towers of old, with countless mages running around carrying their research materials.

“We have arrived.”

The Blood Mage beside me pointed with a proud expression and said:

“This is the Crimson Blood Magic Tower!”

A foreign country that would take months to reach by carriage.

And I had arrived at a Magic Tower that was said to be difficult to enter even in that country.

All within four hours of waking up.

* * *

‘Thank goodness…’

The man thought this sincerely.

The Crimson Blood Magic Tower was both the least popular and lowest-performing Magic Tower in the Magical Kingdom.

As a result, it was incomparably poorer than the other Magic Towers.

‘I heard other Magic Towers all use automatic magical pattern recognition systems, but why only us…’

The magical pattern recognition system! It was essentially the most basic entry system for any Magic Tower.

It reads magical patterns before entry, verifies if someone is a mage of the tower, and instantly transports them inside.

The speed was so incredibly fast that mages could essentially enter immediately upon arriving at the tower.

Considering that every moment spent waiting was like blood to mages, it was obviously a necessary system.

But the Crimson Blood Magic Tower was different.

They didn’t have the funds to install such a system, so they were still using people!

They had spent what little money they had to add a function that showed the outside of the tower to make the waiting time seem more impressive, but it would have been much better to save that money for a semi-permanent entry system.

‘Those old fogeys obsessed with appearances.’

He couldn’t understand why appearance was supposedly as important as skill in Blood Magic.

They seemed like crazy people.

However…

“Hmm.”

The man thought to himself.

Though she was pretending to be nonchalant, seeing the Tower Master taking interest in every little thing inside the tower made him smile.

What mage wouldn’t be pleased when someone equivalent to a god for mages showed interest in the place they would be staying?

Though she was trying not to show it, her enjoyment was clearly visible.

The man couldn’t help but ask a question.

“Um… Lady Tepes?”

“What is it?”

“What do you think of the Crimson Blood Magic Tower?”

Midir Tepes fell into thought at the man’s question.

The man, who had expected an immediate positive response, broke into a cold sweat at this unexpected reaction.

‘…Am I wrong?’

Just as he was starting to worry that his prediction might be wrong.

The girl, who had been quietly thinking with a finger on her chin, answered in an indifferent voice.

“Fragrance.”

“Pardon?”

“This place has a pleasant fragrance. I suppose it’s natural since those who handle blood have gathered here. I like this place.”

Huh, fragrance?

The man tilted his head in confusion.

If anything, the Crimson Blood Magic Tower smelled of blood, not particularly fragrant.

But that didn’t matter.

‘If she says it’s good…’

She says it has a nice fragrance.

That’s good enough.

The man began explaining about the Crimson Blood Magic Tower with a somewhat happy expression.

Most of the explanations were useless, but Midir focused on his words as they walked through the corridors.

However…

‘I feel like I’m being watched…’

It was natural that their presence would draw attention as they walked through the tower having various conversations, but wasn’t the amount of attention a bit excessive?

Midir had this thought briefly but decided to ignore the stares.

It wasn’t as if she could threaten everyone around to stop looking.

It was easier to just accept it.

Besides…

‘Someone like me is bound to attract attention.’

Midir had an objective understanding of her own appearance.

Vampires were known as nobles of the night precisely because no other race could match their beauty.

And as a True Ancestor, this girl’s appearance would certainly be at a level that would draw attention.

While Midir was nodding to herself, having internally justified and accepted the reason for the attention—

“Hey, hey! Razak! Big news! This is huge!”

A man who had just gotten off the elevator came running breathlessly, calling the guide’s name.

“Huh? What is it?”

“Huff… huff…”

Wondering why he was in such a hurry, Razak asked, and after catching his breath with a deep exhale, the man straightened up and said:

“The elders want you to bring Lady Tepes to the Council of Elders.”

“What?”

Bring her to the Council of Elders?

“Why?”

“You idiot! Obviously they want to make Lady Tepes the Tower Master! Don’t you use your brain?”

Razak tilted his head in confusion at those words.

“Wasn’t Lady Tepes already the Tower Master?”

Wasn’t she already going to be the Tower Master?

The man looked at him as if he were seeing something bizarre.

“Good grief, you moron.”

Razak didn’t understand why he was being insulted.

And he still didn’t understand even as he sent Midir upstairs.

* * *

I was suddenly told that some elders or whatever urgently wanted to see me, and I wondered what it could be about.

Those children must have talked about me… and considering how strongly they reacted to the mention of Count Vladimir, I had my suspicions.

Perhaps someone remembered me and called me in because they were suspicious.

Since I was discovered in the deep underground of Bayern Cemetery where my mansion used to be, they might have summoned me thinking I could be related to Count Vladimir.

If they asked about the Count, I was planning to reveal that I was the Count.

I thought it would be fine since it was a thousand years ago.

But…

“Would you like to become the Tower Master?”

That expectation was shattered.

The elders asked me that as soon as they saw me.

‘Suddenly?’

I couldn’t understand.

It was hard to believe that such a massive Magic Tower had a vacant Tower Master position in the first place, and I couldn’t comprehend why they would suddenly ask an outsider like me to become the Tower Master.

‘Do they know who I am…?’

They hadn’t even seen me use my powers, let alone know who I was, yet they were asking me to be the Tower Master, so my confusion was justified.

In that case, there was only one answer I could give.

“I refuse.”

A rejection.

After my confident declaration that I would not become the Tower Master, silence fell over the Council of Elders.