Chapter 123: Mages of the Tower (1)
In9HLate at night, people were chasing entertainment and pleasure. Bars opened up in the alleyways to receive customers; gangs patrolled the streets and men roamed the city looking for prostitutes, and the addition of one suspicious man in a robe was very inconspicuous.VQ1h4
hvt“Welcome.”35sHE
QCAThe most notable gray zone and borderline of legal and illegal premises were the alleyway bars. Black Mage Manroji of the Tower of Mages, was someone who was well-versed with the works of the backstreets.KHl8hu5
RsWDzbx“Want a meal or a drink?”oewnG
qrmnXThe master behind the bar welcomed him in a not-so-welcoming way, as he did to every other customer. Manroji looked around and found a staircase leading to the basement.WF25em
dzKOE“Here for a game or two.”243fgn
MJ4PfL“Follow the stairs.”gflo
Qwu2qYThey weren’t even thinking about hiding it. In truth, everyone knew how bars and pubs in the alleys had gambling dens and prostitutes so there was no reason to really hide it.YDVKl
wdkab9NHeading downstairs, Manroji found a bustling crowd with people each enjoying their own games. Most of the games involved cards and dice for craps.tE1dj
t9pK26T“Hehehe…”sg9
SuMQHiding his grin, Manroji took his seat.vEljYxD
RQHT2The mage of the 4th floor of the Tower of Mages, Manroji, was a typical gambling addict, with such a severe addiction that he looked for gambling dens in whichever city he went to.0SaLB
DK9jorThe only thing that set him apart from other addicts was…JJqjE
5qL‘That guy has two pairs. And the other has a straight, huh.’tIp1OgB
SQCInside the dark underground den was a bat familiar stealthily hiding in a corner of the room. The familiar shared its vision with its owner, and provided Manroji with a bunch of information.B1yH
lIIqGD“Huhahaha…!”TQ3N5yp
FFae“Aye shit. I lost again!”mvljpiZ
nL5kiOg“Damn it!”JYdgU9n
THI9fuIt was another win streak today, but too many wins in a row was bound to make others suspicious so Manroji suffered a few intentional losses all the while enjoying his victory.TqZZ
2D7dav“May I please join?”AVMVzt
UnqWZRight when the people were starting to leave, someone joined the table. It was a beautiful young woman.w5eVsq
nUBKxsEShe had ashen bob hair and was wearing an alluring dress. Her bewitchingly beautiful smile complemented her confident charm.P6Jj1
xoOG0RM“Huhu. Of course.”hZmD8H
GaneRJSeduced by the sudden beauty, he decided to drain the purse of this lady. It was a strategy he used often, where he made the woman he was fond of into a beggar before asking for their body.6pMvJ
DddAnd after an hour, he was able to succeed in his plan.XHA
ENPly“A, are you really… going to give all the money back?”0i5O
DVWv“Hell yeah I am. Huhu. So hurry up and take off that piece of cloth.”FMS
JBGoMOn one of the rooms on the second floor that was for accommodation and prostitution, Manroji led the woman he turned into a beggar into the room.Un4q9t
aSOK“O, okay.”NjnYgBo
HAaThe woman became very submissive after losing dozens of gold coins at once. No matter how confident and attractive she was, she was the same as all the other girls that fell before his hands.pHD
H1SkTThanks to that, Manroji thought to himself that his bed won’t be so cold during his stay in this city.Wvf7GKT
4x4b“B, but… shouldn’t we introduce ourselves at the very least?”QksE
9ajk“Huhu, why bother? All you have to do is obediently lay yourself in my arms.”TBK0HkT
qeKI“No. Of course I need your name.”JAG
NppYnErThe atmosphere changed in the blink of an eye. The beauty, who had been shivering until then, suddenly looked at him with a chilling look in her eyes.sCURQNI
ziVtUGx“Renya Claire. Owner of this building.”ZpBzI
r0ptw“What?”nMrfva
AZlS“Did we seem that easy to fool, mage?”AhtQK0Y
pJ34cS“…!!”nvDgJ3h
pMmi2B– Slam!OepS2
mFrSomething struck him on the back of his head, and Manroji fell face-first into the cold floor of the room.83oXMOu
DhW“Fuu~. Mages. Every single one of them.”OeZAMz
rA0sL“Great work. Can you wear some proper clothes now?”F7t5
JbC“Was it too stimulating for someone underage, boss?”yOL
55eiF5UManroji’s consciousness faded away. The last thing he heard was the voice of a confident lady and… a rather familiar voice of a young man.pWrduO
80nptX……….csV65f
hhVZJtI……78zAL5
stFy…UTF
LFlrOfAfter coming to himself, Manroji realized that he was in the basement, as well as the fact that someone was looking at him.eqGZva
kV7A“W, who is it!? How dare you do this to me!”4s6
4g6“Hello, Mr. Wizard.”tc9b9j
2cSCt“Huhp…!?”DBoP
j6Z2Spotting the owner of the voice, Manroji gasped for breath.25U0
DsPOIn front of him was a man wearing a bizarre purple suit, and an eccentric clown-like makeup. He was looking straight into his eyes with a long smirk on his face.wcv
74fYYi“W, who are you!”qc8i
f3I“…”57il
bOX“W, why aren’t you saying anything!?”hzkelTM
vavWqW“No, wait. It’s been too long since I watched the movie so I can’t think of a good phrase. Huu… It’s been 4 to 5 years since I last watched it.”jDUwaT
tg2“What…?”Rne
ml5V“Shhhh… It’s just a joke. Don’t fret.”cdMSg
xbCMoaManroji immediately started shooting his mana at the clown. It was a low-grade magic, Fog of Darkness, that did not need any chant. Despite the low level of the spell, it should still be enough to kill a random alleyway thug.PJlGaA
5cRWF– Hwaaak!pRBIgF
YQM6wBut unlike his expectations, as soon as the fog touched the clown, light covered the darkness and pushed it away. The fog immediately disappeared into nothing as if it was cleansed.548c1ku
WC9pev“W, what…!?”0eUKeMN
pHu“I don’t even need the sun for a curse at this level.”ADQGi43
R7ZD3EManroji realized that his magic wouldn’t work on him. The opponent was too close for him to start chanting a medium-grade spell. It was incredibly obvious that a dagger would end up piercing through his throat the moment he welled up his mana.WUp3
93KGGqrHe was therefore frightened and rushed.qAu
3ornz“Do you know who I am!? I am a mage from the 4th floor of the Tower of…!”E7EbzAC
67gv“I don’t care but what I do know, is that your life will be over if I catch you telling another lie.”H04c
liKHcAaThe clown said with the bat-shaped familiar in his hand.9Bo
RwLalq5“Now, are you ready for a conversation, buddy?”x4kqfWa
4By0x9****xrJ0D
I1dO“Korin. It’s this way. Come here!”z1BZkL
pb8j0FQI was in the downtown area of Merkarva City with Marie. It wasn’t because of anything serious; we were out to have a look at a distribution company affiliated under the Dunareff Family, which had officially created a branch in Merkarva.PZDgLG
HNE『Dunareff Fresh Produce』BCPLm
kmXeQIt was a company that hadn’t existed in Merkarva City in the last iteration. Looking back at it now, there had been a lot of changes in the campus as a result of Marie’s confinement.ilX
oZ982JOne of them was that the academy cafeteria food had turned horrible and stayed horrible for a very long time.72G
NDS4n“Senior. If I remember correctly, the company that supplies the Academy with food was one of your companies right?”gxSy
Vh0Ly“Hnn? Umm, I think so? I think my dad ‘donates’ them though.”oE0K
EH2U“…”TypUTYq
Jwqt9yLDonation…? Seeing the dumbfounded look on my face, Marie chuckled and tapped me on my nose.9uWHUi
rulvX“I’m joking! There are more than 3,000 people including the staff. Of course we can’t give that much for free!”zrcP
QD3“R, right? Plus, there’s no way all those potatoes would be free…”6DHNcb8
iau7x“Ah, for the potatoes, I’m taking a small portion out of the amount we supply the kingdom with using my allowance to share with everyone.”xS6QD
TFp8“…”7Cfl3U
LlhriWBy ‘small’, you mean the mountain of potatoes that are kept in a separate potato warehouse… right?SFZvu
BciY3cv“Anyway, so why are we going there?”xzkP
nHEH8T“It’s the opening rehearsal day for our store today, so I thought we could try out some sample food. There were a few things I wanted to give you as well!”DqF8rrx
hjNpr“I see.”tVmQw
TQ12sKThe store that Marie led me to… was pretty big. It was like a massive fruit and vegetable warehouse, and it also had a second floor along with a restaurant. It seemed that they had the intention of wholeheartedly jumping into the food industry using the abundant ingredients they bring directly from the south.IyD
ejJoBut… wasn’t this like the tyranny of a large corporation, making all the nearby small companies go out of business?sFHD
uwi“Can you give us this potato puree, some hash browns, potato cake, potato meat stew, potato gnocchi, a potato croquette, fried potatoes, and a potato pie? Thank you!”Fc9ptJV
PxRlAs if this was what she had been wanting to show me, Marie asked for a bunch of dishes directly from the chef.QFoe8x
grYh1“Here you go, Korin! Don’t hold back!”65rpP
Q5pA6xoThe large table was full of potato dishes. I had a feeling that every type of food on the planet that involved having potatoes as the main ingredient was here.UbC7Xg
NYwz“…I got to say, Senior, you really have an addiction to potatoes.”fkQcHhK
fdNs“Hnn? Come on, Korin. There’s no such thing as a potato addiction!”PjnUyoB
97opnkO“Be honest, Senior. How many potatoes do you steam every day?”dhwCDt
JgnXbcf“A, around 80? But I share them with my friends!”Hd3oXhX
yJWXt“How many times have you had a meal that did not include potatoes over the past year?”FqtbGYk
ld5OJ“P, potatoes are… like rice.”5Gy4tc
rqkmr4B“Look. I’m telling you; you’re addicted.”8wt6Ms
srIQLzC“No! I am not addicted to potatoes! I love corn, sweet potatoes, and carrots just as much! I can quit potatoes if I want to!”iccQo
gQgAdlCome on; we don’t usually use the term, ‘quit’ for dishes, young lady! Only people with an addiction to soft drinks, caffeine, or smoking would use that word.ondlCF
e6BsL“Are you sure?”Ovnn
tNX“I am!”uknoB9q
7huYDSeeing her confidence, I picked up a pinch of salt and flicked it on top of the steamed potatoes. White crystals fell like raindrops on the hot steaming skin of the potatoes, making them more tempting than ever.b43Zm
H5nLV6“…”9jTs
6XkgQn“…”6Fn
o2jueI deeply stared at her, as a bead of sweat slowly traveled down her forehead. Her golden eyes shivered and wandered between the potato and me.HObW
non3Q“Can I eat this and quit potatoes from tomorrow?”fmW18zD
UfhQEjf“Don’t worry and just eat it.”NWPTxe7
XTp“Hehe.”XA2Zyw
6VAMarie returned a wide smile and picked up one of the salted potatoes before breaking it into two and giving me a half.Hm1
49K“You will help me eat half of it, right Korin?”mmEY9R
FJcUOg“Of course.”9Ee
PtRWe started indulging ourselves in the food and eventually began talking about the mages from the Tower.l2TnH
WH7qi“Oh right. Korin, you know the mages that visited our Academy from the Tower?”ly3yQLS
c1Gnr“What about them?”Gtvo
5EZlV“You volunteered to guide them right? Apparently they were going to tell me to do it.”MyNzz
m9OIY“Hohh~”5V3Q
ELncAccording to the original storyline of the game, Marie was supposed to be confined in the basement of the Academy at this point in time. And plus, there was supposed to be research going on about ways to suppress her instinct as a vampire to help her recover from her primal instincts.4W0
NHGoHUYThat was probably why the Dunareff Family cut off their ties with the Academy in the original game.dGS
9txQUHowever, the Tower of Mages had a different opinion of Marie.T2zhv
sZtnqShe was an extremely precious and valuable Elder-level vampire. They saw big potential progress in the future of their magic studies by investigating her flesh and blood.dn5G
ff8FAs expected of those crazy wizards with no ethical and moral restrictions holding them back, they were eager to carry out human experiments as if they were nothing.n7KkDJp
M6nXn“Senior. I was going to tell you sometime soon, but…”kcJGTD
m8lgqi“Hnn?”sDptK
uLcK3“The reason the Tower visited this time around, is probably because of you.”xtkVRf
A3K7m“Umm… B, because of me?”VF5
ZkkMarie looked puzzled for a while after hearing what I said, but it didn’t take long for her to understand what I meant.c64hyNG
WDLShe too was a genius mage with extraordinary talents, and knew just how valuable her flesh and blood were.9gntpdF
sGuH“…Why?”9RlN
FDjwiBut even so, she was still doubtful and that was for valid reasons.3Gl0
SbOIoM“It won’t… end well if they do something to me though?”xQlDx
0tbNMarie Dunareff.Zzveo
OWzPy8tEven though calling her the princess of the Potato Empire was just a joke, it was still undeniable that she was from the family responsible for most of the continent’s supply of food; the one with the most amount of land and the richest household of the entire kingdom.ViK
rBoPLyRIn the original storyline, the Dunareff family wasn’t mentioned after the fall of Marie but she was currently still walking around just fine, with a better public perception of her than the game.fOymFu
7Hk90CIOne might therefore ask this question. ‘Who would dare touch Marie Dunareff? For just some random experiments?’jilD
ldyng“The Tower of Mages is one of the pawns of Tates Valtazar.”NbvGNU
6sorAJt“Tates… Valtazar. That’s the scary person that you are fighting against, right?”BiJeO2f
1YhU“Yes. When the world gets destroyed by the Advent of Paradise, the authority and financial power of any of the current forces won’t matter a single bit, so that’s probably the belief pushing them forward.”f0Z
b83AStThat was one of the most frightening aspects of Valtazar and his forces.FRD
aVdeOThey were unhesitant and did not hold back regardless of what crazy things they had in store, because if things went according to their plan, civilization was going to be destroyed and recreated. New gods will descend unto the world along with paradise.wDzj
6t6“I, I had no idea they were planning for something so scary…”JsL
6SmZTqwAlthough I did mention briefly to my party members about the powerful and frightening forces of Valtazar, and how everything I did was to ruin their plans and defeat them, it was my first time providing details about their plan.jgo
IYqUqwr“Valtazar’s plan is to collect all the Primal Rune letters… open up the path to Tir na nog, prove his right as the supreme king with the 4 treasures and usurp the throne.”AhLZ
iBeWith the right to control paradise that comes with it, his plan was to release beasts of the Shadow Paradise into this world.1m0
6FfV“A destruction of civilization and recreation. They’re trying to wipe out everything in existence, and live in a new world led by new gods. Haa… it’s like the storyline of a trash fantasy novel.”3DVB
97Ekb5“But it’s scary that they actually do have the power to pull that off.”ag32
CZsMarie was sincere in listening to my story, and believed it instead of calling it absurd and groundless.Doo9
FUxpFd4“Korin. The reason you told me this is…”Es7v
R39Ty“I am going to use everything I can in order to save the world. How much do you trust me, Senior?”GlFsHZh
I4QOH“…”g3Ro
ZztEShe responded to my question with a short silence, before standing up with a smile. From the other side of the table, she moved over to the chair next to mine, sat down and…HnowsdO
Js1Wo“Korin. You don’t have to ask me that every time.”wwh
HkeKTap. The girl rested her head on my shoulder, and replied with a voice that was a lot calmer and resolute than usual.RhGR3
GynWYbO“You see, Korin, I can do anything you want me to do. No matter what you tell me to do… because you are my Korin.”gEDW
xOh8Na“Senior…”ww7r6g
h1Cup84“Hehe… Actually, I’m happy that there’s something you need my help with. You’re always so perfect with everything you do so… I was a bit sad that there was not much I could help you with.”TJPP
sQYrY“You’ve been of tremendous help until now already, Senior. During the King of Iron Mountain, the festival and the secret lands of druids. You helped out a ton.”bSNVsg
vpf0w“I’m greedy, you see. I want to be wayyyy ahead of everyone else.”ITA3
EuW9Marie soon said with a determined look on her face, that made her look like she was ready to withstand any adversity.Bo9ODT
hgoWW“A, actually… there’s something I want to ask of you, Korin…”kMS36m
SQdUUI“Do you have a request for me?”35R7u
983kW“R, rather than a request, uhh… a reward? Something like that… or a motivation…”tO5M
YgbVyMotivation, huh. Of course, that was very important but… was there something Marie needed my help for?BZP
zudVyD“Y, you seee…”ewgKfY
YerRMarie fidgeted with her fingers, rubbing them meaninglessly with a blank smile on her face. After fidgeting for who knows how long, she gulped and continued with a tone of voice that seemed to be that of a young girl.3LonRF8
xiO“Once I am done with what you are asking me to do, Korin… can I ask for something in return?”gddOfM
gt5AP“Uhh… of course. Like, you can even tell me right now.”vz1cb
si9s“T, that’s a bit embarrassing and…! I… I need some more time!”qwl
dudXWhat was it, I wonder? That Marie was going to ask of me?IeM5sh
AT8“Sure. There’s nothing I can’t do for you, Senior.”EvOOrBw
Rm63vI was being serious. There was nothing I wasn’t willing to do for her.eQf
VEp“Well then, Senior, can we go somewhere together?”J85K
WHlP“Uunn?”UdK
Fr9KzMarie tilted her head like an adorable child.PYzCthu
Zt5****fuxY1cV
jKbyI took her and headed to the Happiness Hotel which was still in my possession. This hotel, which had been built especially for the festival, was still operating as a normal hotel.x4A4jrD
f4Rp59Even though I entrusted the operation and maintenance of the building to Renya, the executive of the intelligence guild, I was still using this place as my hideout.EX4
MR0a“K, Kokokokokorin? W, what does this mean?”fbtFq
Vie“Sorry? What was that at the end?”Zci
fLTaOFor some reason, Marie was trembling like crazy. She was very fidgety and constantly rubbed her hands, and just couldn’t stay still.nBHntK
ImZe“I, I see… Maybe I… d, don’t even need to ask for it?”1P1
Fss“We have to go down to the basement.”y8KK
ifwHiX“Umm, basement? Uhh, wouldn’t it be… better to do it somewhere brighter?”VQqChc
6Y7Ex“What do you mean?”HLDAxC
8Cfn3“N, nothing! You do what you want to do, Korin! I, I’m okay with anything!”xlatb
sftMarie was constantly saying some random things that I couldn’t understand. She was having trouble walking down, so I grabbed her by the hand and headed down the basement.Xs3H
1OerkThe basement of the hotel was used not for guests but as a storeroom. Even when we were first planning out the structure of the hotel, I had designed this part of the building with certain uses in mind, and made sure it was as secure as possible.KlsE
sTkinkN“It’s right here.”hHoO74N
EvNnF0“H, huu, huu…”Wvk2
VBCsD7Was she bad with dark places? I led Marie, who seemed extremely nervous, and walked into one of the dark rooms of the basement.FfLIYrm
jVm“H, here, huh. I, I see… the dormitory walls are thin so that’s why… W, where’s the bed… huh?”fWLxYde
B2NlAs soon as we opened the door, Marie stopped her feet without even taking another step forward. That was understandable though, because in the middle of the room was the black mage Manroji, whom I had kidnapped just yesterday.khgJ
jU9vUs“I will leave it to you, Senior.”h9FDiDJ
nxKPTS“K, Korin?”NZa
XKSaHolding onto the shoulders of the nervous Marie, I continued.4TQQOf
8MGYj“Please turn him into a vampire.”0oc
cGH9SVn– Smirk.aNz0k
PtrLAlthough there was no mirror in the room, I had a feeling that my smile must have appeared quite evil.X3fq897
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