Magic Tower City (8)

The sky was falling.

Every time the giant golden dragon slammed into the city’s barrier, the sky flashed. With a single flap of its wings, the barrier erected by hundreds of mages crumbled.

[The price for touching the dragon’s treasure… the entire city will pay.]

Aris’s voice shook my soul. A roar filled with the rage of a dragon who had lived for thousands of years.

“Such precious research material… coming to me on its own feet, no, on its own wings.”

Suddenly, Lucy’s cold voice was heard. Following that, the shouts of mages echoed from all over the city.

“Bring the power up to 85%!”

“Reload the magic cannons!”

“Deploy the auxiliary barriers!”

Golden flames poured in through the window. The sound of magical collisions echoed incessantly.

A scene of utter chaos, with Aris’s roars and the mages’ incantations mixed together.

“Yes, this kind of chaos is what I needed.”

A golden opportunity to escape the surveillance net. But the problem is…

Kugugung-!

Again, the earth trembled. Aris’s breath slammed into the city’s barrier. The entire magic tower shook.

“How can I escape the obsession of a dragon that’s thousands of years old…”

The sky was dyed golden. Truly, the power of a Gold Eyes Dragon.

In that instant, I met Aris’s gaze. Even the flames that were burning the city seemed to pause for a moment.

“Ahaha, hello. I missed you, Aris.”

[Why did you run away, my dear? Do you still not understand? I would never harm you? If you wished, I would have taken you for walks outside the nest as much as you wanted.]

An elegant yet chilling voice pierced my soul. Her usual dignified tone was clearly tinged with obsession.

“Um… well… the reason I came to the magic tower was… for you.”

[Lies.]

A coldly cutting voice. She’s quick on the uptake.

“Well… I needed to prepare myself mentally.”

The dragon’s giant eyes turned towards me. A deep gaze, as if trying to read my true feelings.

“Us, because of the difference in our lifespans… I’m worried.”

[Is that excuse again? Didn’t I say I would take care of that?]

“No, listen. I happened to find out about the magic you were researching. You were trying to share your lifespan with me, right? To give me half of your lifespan so we could live together for the remaining thousands of years?”

It’s not like I was just playing around with the little kids at the academy.

Aris’s wings fluttered. Perhaps it was embarrassment at having her secret research discovered.

“But that’s not what I want. I can’t let you give up half of your existence because of me. My pride as a man won’t allow it.”

[…It’s all entirely my choice. Your lifespan is nothing if it’s for you!]

“It is to me. A dragon tries to protect its treasure even if it means sacrificing everything. You’re trying to give up too much for me. Your pride as a dragon, even your very essence.”

Aris’s breath paused for a moment. My words must have struck a chord in her heart. There was a passage like that in old fairy tales, too; what brought down the dragon was never a sword or spear, but the sincere heart of a young knight.

“You know how beautiful you are. A wise dragon shining with gold. I don’t want to see you as a half-being. I… want to stand proudly by your side. Without your one-sided sacrifice, on equal footing.”

[My dear…]

“That’s why I came to the magic tower. I wanted to find a way to be together without taking away your lifespan… I wanted to find it myself.”

[You… always think of me so preciously….]

Just then, Lucy suddenly cut in.

“What are you saying… Hero-nim is using dimension-traveling magic…”

“Augh…”

I glared sharply at her. Please, just shut your mouth.

Fortunately, Aris seemed to hear nothing but my voice.

“No, I mean… the point is, I came to find magic theories, but… the Chancellor suddenly tried to make me a test subject.”

[Daring… to covet my treasure…!]

Aris’s gaze turned to Lucy. The dragon’s rage flared up once more.

It’s not a lie. It’s just a slight distortion of the truth.

This time, I looked straight at Lucy. It’s time to stimulate her scholarly madness.

“Actually… I wanted to do research with the Chancellor too. I’ve read all of the Chancellor’s papers. Being a graduate student was my dream.”

Her eyes sparkled. I could see the scholar’s curiosity rising.

“Huh? What are you suddenly saying…”

“You know I came from another world, right? In my original world, I was a student walking the path of academia. I was attending a higher education institution after studying for almost 12 years. That’s why I really, really want to study the magic system of another world.”

It’s not a complete lie. I was a college student! In liberal arts, though.

“But as soon as I came to this world… I became a hero. I couldn’t even say no.”

I lowered my voice and whispered. As if confessing a secret I’d kept hidden for a long time.

“Besides, as you can see, an enthusiastic parent… no, a dragon is against it….”

I glanced at the golden dragon who had started a battle with the city’s defense forces.

“I was especially interested in the Chancellor’s ether research. It seems to have a connection with the quantum mechanics theory of my world…”

At these words, Lucy’s pupils dilated. It was the moment she bit the bait I threw.

“Quantum… mechanics, you said? What is that?”

A trembling voice. A voice filled with longing for new knowledge.

‘Good. She’s hooked.’

Lucy’s lips curved slightly. She seemed interested in what I said. Well, I am the only one who has knowledge of both worlds.

“Yes, it’s a physics theory from my world. The wave-particle duality of ether… perhaps…”

I trailed off. Sometimes, not saying everything is the most effective method of persuasion.

Besides, I don’t actually know what quantum mechanics is.

The important thing is that Lucy’s curiosity is about to explode.

“Perhaps what? Please, continue!”

“Ah… I’m sorry. The dragon race considers this kind of talk taboo. If Aris finds out…”

“Are you saying that dragons are blocking scientific inquiry? Now that I think about it, the dragon race is quite… conservative, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. A dragon sage researching with a human? Their pride won’t allow it. Actually, the reason Aris joined our party was to monopolize the knowledge of another world.”

In that instant, Lucy’s eyes changed. Now, her gaze was directed at Aris outside the window.

“So, I… was going to ask the Chancellor. If you could free me from the dragon race’s constraints…”

“You would participate in the research with your special knowledge… is that it?”

Lucy continued, cutting off my words.

I looked at her and nodded. It’s not difficult to stimulate a scholar’s desire for knowledge. Especially a professor who desperately wants a graduate student.

“Don’t worry. Being disturbed during research… is what I, no, what our magic tower city hates the most.”

At her gesture, an even more powerful magic circle was deployed. Blue magic collided with golden flames.

“Hehe… human magic has already surpassed dragons. It would be good to get our hands on the knowledge of dragons at this opportunity.”

Lucy laughed coldly. Madness bloomed in her sky-blue eyes.

“And the dragon sage and the hero from another world… I’ll use both of them as research materials.”

Dozens of magic circles were deployed. The entire city was dyed blue.

‘This is it.’

Perfect. If I can just make these two fight…

The sound of obsession colliding with obsession rang in my ears. The dragon’s possessiveness and the scholar’s desire for exploration.

I had to seize the opportunity in the midst of that.

*

A full-scale war broke out again. Golden flames swept through the city. Blue magic streaked across the sky.

[Daring… to covet my most precious treasure. Do you wish to test the dragon’s patience?]

Aris’s roar caused the city’s magic circuits to fluctuate.

[You do not understand how special treasure is to a dragon… the only light I found after waiting for thousands of years…]

Golden eyes shone coldly.

[A destiny to be together in the nest forever, forever… Of course, the treasure will want that too.]

“How foolish. Are you trying to monopolize knowledge? Are you going to stop the progress of magic because of your possessiveness? 300 years of research… the dreams of countless scholars…”

Blue magic surged from her fingertips. That magic spread throughout the magic tower, and soon the entire city responded.

“The desire for new discoveries… progress will not stop. I cannot allow any more interference. Even if it is the sage of the dragon race.”

The entire city operated as a giant magic circle.

I feel sorry for the other magic tower lords, suddenly getting caught up in a full-scale war with a dragon.

“The ‘treasure’ you want… is our most precious research subject. The secrets held by the hero from another world… that special knowledge… we will uncover everything!”

Two obsessions collided. A mad possessiveness and a rational desire for exploration.

The dragon’s flames burned the city, and the scholar’s magic tore through the sky.

[Knowledge… I cannot exchange such trivial things for treasure.]

“Trivial? Your blind possessiveness is the most trivial desire…!”

Human reason and dragon instinct clashed. Different kinds of madness decorated the sky.

At Lucy’s gesture, the magic circle in the Chancellor’s office was activated. The magic flowing along the walls became even clearer.

I quietly surveyed my surroundings. They’re still holding back. I need some spice for the chaos… no, the battle.

I gripped the holy sword. And my voice cut through the air.

“The dragon is trying to burn the city!”

Lucy’s eyes sharpened.

“Aris! The Chancellor is trying to dissect me!”

A dragon’s roar echoed from the sky.

Let it be dyed even more with chaos. That’s when the chance to escape will come.

“Now that I think about it…”

I muttered, hiding in a safe corner and watching the battle.

“I’m pretty amazing. To have gathered such party members and endured for five years.”

Aris’s roar shook my soul. A cry of anger mixed with the dragon race’s pride and obsession.

[Give Haru back!!!]

Golden breath struck the city. The magic tower’s barrier wavered, but the shield with 300 years of history did not collapse so easily.

“As expected of the dragon race’s sage. But…”

Lucy’s cold voice echoed. The scholar’s madness bloomed in her sky-blue eyes.

“This city is a crystallization of magic accumulated over hundreds of years. You alone…”

[Alone?]

Dozens of magic tomes floated around her.

The legendary-grade magic tomes that I found for her. ‘Grimoire’, ‘Necronomicon’, ‘Erebus’…

[Hehe… I’ll show you a true feast of magic.]

The magic tomes opened all at once. Forbidden ancient spells echoed through the air.

“Oh, shit…”

Lucy’s expression hardened. Black magic was breaking through the city’s barrier.

“Could it be… that legendary…”

[Yes. They are all gifts from my love, Haru.]

The situation was good. The more evenly matched their powers were, the more opportunities I would have.

“Come to think of it, people called me the Hero of Balance.”

Magic collided in the air. Golden flames and black spells struck the blue barrier.

“But can this even be called balance? Making them bite each other?”

Is making two kinds of madness clash really balance?

The battle continued in the sky. Golden flames covering the city. A blue barrier blocking it. Black spells pouring through the gaps.

“Well… you could say it’s balance since they’re keeping each other in check.”

I sighed.

I’ve become used to dealing with their obsessions. Stimulating each other’s desires to maintain balance.

After running away from my party members, I feel like I’ve become a yandere expert.

“Haa… is this what a hero is supposed to do?”

I shook my head. But this was the best I could do right now.

It’s already hard enough to deal with one of them, it would be impossible to deal with both.

While they’re biting and clawing at each other… I have to seize the opportunity.

An unstable balance where the dragon’s obsession and the scholar’s madness collided.

To survive in this chaos… I have to become more cunning.

“Alright, it’s about time…”

I got up. It’s time to look for a chance to escape.

Rather than the Hero of Balance… should I call myself the Hero of Escape?

A bitter smile appeared on my face. If the Demon King saw me like this, wouldn’t he laugh at least once?

But for now… this was the best I could do.