Ch.78Killing a Single Mosquito… #4

Somewhere between the Magic Tower and the Kingdom of Bluenail.

When I first heard about it, I imagined a lone tower standing in an empty wasteland.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize how mistaken I was.

“Oh…”

There was a village, and there was a tower.

And that village, or rather fortress, was more splendid than the capital of any country.

Artifacts were scattered throughout, and quite a number of people lived there, blessed by the Magic Tower.

When I asked why, I was told they were people who stayed here through an unofficial trade relationship.

The villagers gathered around the Magic Tower grew crops or made other foodstuffs for the mages, and sometimes even provided taverns for them to clear their tired minds.

In other words, apart from their private residences, each building was created out of necessity and planning.

Upon hearing this, the first thing that came to mind was the term “planned city.”

I thought it was a perfectly fitting description.

Thus, the few inns prepared for outsiders were also among the buildings constructed according to plan.

“How to meet the mages of the Magic Tower? You just go there and contact them, that’s all.”

Since we arrived at the Magic Tower village late in the evening, I asked the innkeeper how to meet a mage.

I did this because I had come without prior notice and wondered if there might be some special procedure required.

However, the answer was so deflating and, in retrospect, so obvious that I couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment.

“Is that really all there is to it?”

“Yes. You know, nobles like yourself and many others visit occasionally, and they all make contact that way. The mages usually come out, curious about what business brings visitors.”

“The mages I know of rarely leave their towers, preferring to shut themselves in… I guess that’s not always the case.”

“Come now, they’re people too. They can’t stay cooped up forever.”

I nodded at the innkeeper’s plausible response as he joked. Though it might be prejudice, I had always thought Magic Tower mages were peculiar individuals who couldn’t spare even a moment for bodily functions, but now I realized they had quite a few ordinary human traits.

Of course, since this was secondhand information, it might not be entirely accurate. But coming from someone who made their living around the Magic Tower, it was likely to be quite reliable.

Regardless, I now knew how to meet the mage who was most important to me, and that was enough.

After giving the innkeeper a few silver coins as payment for the information, I headed straight up to my room.

Seeing the innkeeper’s beaming smile, it seemed the tip was quite generous.

.

Now that I was seeing it up close, it really was impressively tall.

I stood in awe, gazing up at the Magic Tower that rivaled the height of a modern skyscraper.

Both its imposing stature reaching toward the sky and the irregular pulses of mana rippling around it were truly remarkable.

If the tower had any sense of feeling, it might have complained about the stinging sensation all over its skin.

“My goodness, automatic doors.”

I inadvertently gasped when I saw the massive wooden doors—as grand as those of a great noble’s mansion—open automatically.

This caused me to blurt out something I hadn’t intended to say, momentarily embarrassing myself.

“Automatic doors…? Ah. Because the door opens by itself, it’s called an automatic door. Jion has such a good sense for these things.”

“As expected of the Grand Duke. You’ve always been unique in many ways, so it’s no surprise you have such wit even for trivial matters.”

Thanks to the two women who were busy praising me for something so insignificant, I managed to get past the moment without issue.

“Welcome. We’re pleased to have you at the Magic Tower.”

Like some nouveau riche, I approached the counter with the two women at my sides, where a man greeted us with a polite bow.

The building’s structure and colors were quite far from medieval, and this man too… everything felt jarringly modern.

“Yes, pleased to meet you.”

“Judging by your mannerisms and clean attire, you appear to be nobility. There are many researchers dedicated to their work in this tower, so if you haven’t made an appointment in advance…”

The man reached under the counter with practiced, fluid movements and produced an album, which he offered to me.

His silent gesture suggested it contained information I might need.

It seemed true that many visitors came without prior arrangements.

This was confirmed when I opened the album to find numerous names with brief descriptions.

“Are all these names mages of the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. Starting with the Tower Master, it includes the names, research fields, ages, genders, and other basic information about the mages studying various disciplines. Creating a list like this saves us the time of explaining everything individually.”

The man eagerly answered my question, spilling out information as if he’d been waiting for it.

Seeing how he showed no discomfort at the dark elf beside me, I thought he would excel in any service industry.

“Haah—. If only Jion were interested in older men.”

“We should wait and see. I also hope it’s an older human. If it’s a young woman… sigh.”

While I was searching through the album for Eve’s name, the two women’s sighs and complaints hurt my ears.

It was unsettling how they seemed convinced that my involvement with young women would inevitably lead to trouble.

However, I couldn’t really argue against such thoughts given my situation.

After all, there was Ellen right beside me—someone I had formed a relationship with and who had become my concubine.

Anyway, what mattered now was meeting Eve.

So, pretending to have just found her name, I turned the album around to show the man, pointing at Eve’s name.

“I found her. Would it be possible to meet this person?”

“Let me see… Eve Greenwood? Are you certain?”

Eve Greenwood. 18 years old. Research field: Micro-elements.

I didn’t know the details, but perhaps because this world lacked concepts like atoms or molecules, small particles were labeled as “micro-elements.”

Eve was someone who tried to apply magic using such elements.

Even to the mages of the tower, her work seemed like chasing clouds, making her something of an outcast.

“Yes. She seems suitable for what I have in mind. Is there a problem?”

Right now, I was pretending to know nothing beyond what was in the album, including the mage herself.

Naturally, I wouldn’t know any specific details about Eve.

So it was appropriate for me to tilt my head and ask if there was an issue.

“Well… the truth is, while Eve is researching a particularly unique field, there have been no results… You might be disappointed if she spends time on something that may not even exist.”

When this unexpected answer came, I deliberately put on a suspicious look.

As if wondering why he would disparage a fellow mage of the same tower.

“Why is that? More importantly, is it acceptable to reveal the shortcomings of a mage here so easily?”

“It’s hardly a shortcoming. Though many mages gather here to research magic, the sense of belonging to the Magic Tower is weak. They don’t take pride in being part of the tower. What matters to the mages is the progress of their research and maintaining an environment to continue it. In other words, individual reputations are not among the values the tower needs to protect.”

Of course, it would be an exception if that individual were to greatly harm the tower.

I stroked my chin as I listened to him. Since a tower affiliate had spoken unfavorably, I intended to show signs of contemplation.

I thought it would seem more suspicious if I spoke with certainty despite knowing her potential.

So after pretending to consider for a moment, I answered with a reluctant tone.

“Please call her. She’s the mage who best fits my concept, so I’d at least like to speak with her.”

“Understood. I’ll contact her immediately to check her schedule. Unless it’s an emergency, she’ll come here.”

He promptly turned around and headed somewhere,

then opened the door of a small drawer placed in the corner.

Inside was what appeared to be a crystal ball made of transparent glass.

It was clearly a communication device created to save the time and effort of delivering messages in person.

In modern terms, it would be like an internal hotel telephone.

The crystal ball sparkled as soon as the man touched it, and it identified the contact target according to his voice.

I didn’t listen carefully, but from the fragments of conversation I heard, things seemed to be progressing well.

—Yes, so could you come down for a moment…? Yes. I understand.

The man, having apparently finished his communication, put the now-darkened crystal ball back in the drawer and approached me again.

“She says she can meet you. I’d like to personally escort you to where Eve Greenwood is, if that’s acceptable?”

“Yes. Let’s go. Please lead the way.”

.

“Ah… pleased to meet you. I’m… Eve Greenwood.”

She gives the impression of someone who doesn’t eat or sleep well, as mages often don’t, making her appear somewhat frail.

That was my thought as I looked at the delicate young girl, Eve.

Her fragility was more striking than the papers covered in mathematical formulas scattered across the floor, the magical diagrams, or the colorful flasks on the desk.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Jion Krauser. This is my wife Helena, and my guard Ellen.”

Normally, Helena, who held the highest status among the three of us, would have taken the lead in introductions, but she usually deferred to me, which is why I stepped forward.

Fortunately, both women had set aside the wariness they’d shown in the lobby and greeted her warmly. Perhaps they couldn’t bring themselves to be harsh to a sickly-looking girl they were meeting for the first time.

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I heard that nobles wanted to see me, and you’re all so beautiful…”

She seemed to know we were nobility but didn’t appear to know exactly who we were.

I found her reaction refreshing rather than rude, and also somewhat comforting.

It was interesting that she seemed cut off from worldly news due to her focus on research, and comfortable because her ignorance prevented her from putting on unnecessary airs.

This trait might disappear once we reached Krauser’s duchy, but…

Anyway, this moment was incredibly relaxing.

“Thank you for the compliment. I’ve heard many times that my wife is beautiful… but you don’t seem particularly surprised by Ellen?”

“Is that… so? Perhaps it’s because mages tend to think a bit eccentrically.”

It felt strange to hear the frail girl describe herself as eccentric, but I appreciated how she treated Ellen without reservation.

Even if that stemmed from a mindset that valued anything useful for magic and disregarded what wasn’t.

“Anyway, I’d like to offer you some tea… I’m sorry. I’m quite inept at such hospitality. Instead, though it’s hardly a substitute, would you like to try this…? It’s a mana drink that tastes like green onions—it’s quite filling and good.”

As Eve picked up a flask filled with green liquid with her delicate hand, I expressed my refusal without hesitation.

The artificial green onion flavor was something I’d had enough of after curiously trying a single Jacks.

While I enjoy green onions in cooking or green onion oil, that particular flavor was not to my taste at all.

“Thank you for the thought, but I’ll pass.”

“Ah, I see…”

Eve put the green flask back in its place with a dejected expression, then stared at me directly and asked.

“Oh. I forgot the most important thing. Why did you come looking for me?”