Chapter 320: The Red Tower of Magic (1)

Sienna, who had left early in the morning to visit the royal treasury, returned to their hotel sometime after noon.

"Do you guys know what this is?" Sienna asked with a smirk as she strutted over to them, her chest puffed up in pride.

She reached into an inside pocket of her cloak and drew out a card that shone with a platinum sheen.

Waving it in front of them, she answered her own question, "This is something called a card."

"...Uh-huh."

"Um, yes...?"

Eugene and Kristina just nodded in response with bewildered expressions on their faces.

Sienna was slightly taken aback by their reactions, but she soon smoothed out her expression. Having returned to civilization after hundreds of years of isolation, Sienna was unfamiliar with the modern conveniences used in this era, for example, things like this card.

"Ahem.... I had noticed that kids these days weren't carrying around pouches filled with coins. I had thought that they might just be using pockets lined with spatial magic instead, but it seems that they're using small cards like this in place of money," Sienna said, only to stop and shoot a glance at Eugene and Kristina through narrowed eyes. "You two aren't, by any chance, feeling like there's something like a generational gap between you and me, are you?"

Eugene hesitated before changing the subject, "Um... when I first saw those cards, I was also quite surprised. It made me think that the world really has gotten a lot better."

"Right?" Sienna nodded excitedly. "You felt the same thing, didn't you? Really now, the world has seen a lot of improvement. From what I've heard, it isn't just their money pouches; did you know that kids these days don't even need to bring a cart to carry their equipment when traveling? They say that every cat and dog[1] goes around carrying spatial magic artifacts."

Eugene tried to rein her in, "Well, it's not like spatial magic is really that widespread...."

"I know, I know, but setting that aside," Sienna waved him off with a proud look, "If you really look at it, isn't all this progress a result of my achievements as the Wise Lady Sienna? Just think about it. Do you know what you had to do to learn magic in the old days? You needed to apprentice yourself to an elderly wizard who might pass away at any moment, follow them around while brownnosing them, doing all sorts of chores in return for a worthless mental training method—"

"But you learned your magic from the elves," Eugene pointed out.

Sienna snapped, "Of course, I'm not talking about myself right now! I'm talking about the wizards of the past. Do you know just how much of a mess the magical education in this country was when I first arrived in Aroth?"

In that era, while it was still being taught, magic wasn't really a proper field of study. In fact, the largest problem was that most of the exceptional wizards born in that era had died during the decades of war.

"The one who ripped that mess apart and stitched it back together was me, Lady Sienna," Sienna declared proudly.

"Fine, fine, you did great."

"As expected of Lady Sienna."

Eugene and Kristina both played along.

"Lady Sienna is amazing."

"Indeed, Lady Sienna does deserve her reputation."

Clap, clap, clap.

Mer and Raimira even went so far as to follow their compliments with applause. But even in the face of this overly enthusiastic response, Sienna was confident and unashamed.

Plopping down on the sofa, she spun the card around between her fingers and said, "They told me that there is only one card like this in the entire world, and it was created especially for me. They said something about it having a direct and unlimited connection to Aroth's treasury? It doesn't have... what was that word... a credit limit? That means I can buy anything with it."

"Wow," Eugene reacted insincerely.

Ignoring the sarcasm, Sienna mused, "Shall we buy a castle in preparation for our old age? Hm?"

Kristina gave her opinion, "I think that Sir Eugene and I are still too young to already be preparing our retirement plans."

'Why does she keep having to chime in? How annoying,' Sienna thought with narrowed eyes as she glared at Kristina.

Sienna didn't dare to say anything out loud. If she kept talking under such circumstances, and the conversation carried along in this vein, Sienna was sure she would just end up receiving a one-sided beating of words.

"Didn't you bring anything else back from the treasury?" Mer asked, her eyes widening with excitement.

In response, Sienna just grabbed the hem of her cloak with one hand. This was the same cloak she had received as her "first" gift from Eugene. Although it hadn't been enchanted with many spells when she first received it, Sienna had stayed up the entire previous night to inscribe various spells into the cloak.

"Take a look at this," Sienna said with a smile as she pulled out a long staff from inside her cloak.

It was a luxurious staff that definitely didn't look like any ordinary item. The white staff was made out of an unknown material that emitted a faint light.

"The legendary staff that has been passed down through Aroth's royal lineage, Frost!" Sienna proudly presented as she gently waved the staff she was now holding with both hands.

Then, just as the staff's name suggested it could, Frost began to let out a spray of white, snow-like particles.

This wasn't just a simple visual effect. Each of the particles that Frost was emitting was a physical mana crystal.

Sienna explained, "They had several other staffs, but this one was the most versatile and suited me the best. Well, after I make some adjustments here and there, it will be."

It was an amazing item that was incomparably better than the staff that Sienna had made back in the elven territory. However, it was still nothing compared to Akasha.

'I was hoping that they might at least have a Dragonheart hidden somewhere in there,' Sienna thought in disappointment.

Since it was called the Kingdom of Magic, Sienna had thought they might have a few artifacts made from dragon materials hidden deep within the treasury. However, no matter how much she had rummaged through the place, she still hadn't been able to find a staff that was better than Frost.

"...Hm...," Sienna hummed thoughtfully as she stared at Raimira through narrowed eyes.

Although Sienna didn't say anything directly, the intent behind her gaze was so blatant that Raimira started trembling in fear.

Instinctively covering up the ruby on her forehead, Raimira staggered backward.

Raimira stammered, "...L-Lady Sienna, why are you looking at this lady like that?"

"Isn't there any way we can pull that thing off your forehead?" Sienna asked thoughtfully.

Raimira whimpered, "That will surely kill this lady...."

The ruby had been personally inlaid by Raizakia himself. Although Raizakia was already dead, the ruby hadn't disappeared.

After growing up with Raimira for hundreds of years, the ruby had completely transformed into a part of her. Although it seemed that it could possibly be extracted somehow, the risk of Raimira dying from doing so seemed quite large.

"Well, if it's not possible, then forget it," Sienna said dismissively as she let go of her current lingering feelings of greed and returned to rummaging inside her cloak.

Although she would be able to re-enter the treasury whenever she wanted to from now on, since she happened to be there, Sienna had taken with her everything that had caught her interest. One by one, Sienna placed down several magic books on the desk that anyone could tell were ancient from just a single glance.

"These are all books of ancient magic," Sienna explained. "I've looked through them a few times before but gave up because I couldn't understand them, even with Akasha."

The reason why she was digging into these books of ancient magic once more was....

'Vermouth,' they all thought.

...definitely that bastard.

There was the Darkroom, the barrier at Leheinjar, and even Hamel's reincarnation to top it all off. In addition to all of that, even back then, three hundred years ago, Vermouth had often used strange spells of unknown origins. Sienna had asked Vermouth about the true nature of those spells several times, but she had never once been able to wring out a proper response from him.

Although they couldn't be sure whether or not the magic that Vermouth had used was ancient magic, for now, that was their only plausible guess.

'The Demon Kings...,' Eugene considered a different train of thought.

Upon seeing the Moonlight Sword, Raizakia had called it the Sword of Destruction. He had said that the reason Vermouth and his descendants in the Lionheart clan could wield the weapons of the Demon Kings was... that Vermouth's blood was special.

But the reason why it was special? They had no idea. What was Vermouth's true identity? They had wondered about that question even back then, three hundred years ago. Even when everyone else was talking about their own personal matters, Vermouth, who rarely had anything to say regarding most topics, would be even more reserved than usual.

'Though the same went for Anise,' Eugene recalled.

Eugene now knew why Anise wouldn't say anything under such circumstances.

...Vermouth should also have had his reasons for doing so. While feeling distressed, Eugene tried to jolt his thoughts back into motion.

Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had been captured by a group of black wizards and demonfolk. In that era, there were many cases of people being captured by demonfolk and black wizards. Among these victims, it was common for them to become test subjects for black magic experiments or to be used as living sacrifices by both the black wizards and the demonfolk.

While being transported somewhere, Vermouth wrested a knife from one of his guards and slaughtered the demonfolk and black wizards. This had happened when he was only in his mid-teens.

Although anyone who heard this story might say that it sounded absurd, everyone who had ever met with Vermouth personally was able to accept it. Even though it sounded ridiculous, if it was Vermouth Lionheart you were talking about, it was definitely plausible.

'...Was he really a test subject for a black magic experiment?'

It wasn't something that Eugene had ever given any thought to before, but considering the various suspicions that revolved around Vermouth, Eugene suspected that this guess might just be the truth. If Vermouth was originally the result of a black magic experiment, then, while he was being transported, he could have awakened the power granted to him and thus been able to make his escape by killing all of the demonfolk and black wizards....

Anise and Kristina were incarnations of the ancient God of Light. To be more precise, they were mock incarnations created by using the ashes of the Holy Emperor. And it wasn't just the two of them; all of the Saints and the Saint Candidates in Yuras' past had been such existences.

Vermouth might also be something similar. By using the blood, flesh, or something along those lines of a demonfolk... or perhaps even a Demon King... he could have been an artificial creation. Thanks to that, he could have been able to use the Demon Kings' weapons and even control the Moonlight Sword....

'Damn it,' Eugene cursed silently.

That meant that the Lionheart blood within this body of his might just be mixed with the blood of demons. But Eugene himself had never felt anything like that, and Anise had also never noticed any warning signs regarding this possibility. In the first place, it wasn't just the Demon Kings' weapons. Vermouth had also been able to use the Holy Sword of the God of Light, and currently, Eugene could also freely wield the Holy Sword.

In the end, these speculations about the suspicions revolving around Vermouth were all just sudden leaps of logic. However, if Eugene really did consider the situation from this direction, a lot of things would suddenly make sense.

For example, why had the Remnants of the Demon King been so attracted to that foolish and weak Eward? Why had they been so obsessed with using those who shared Eward Lionheart's bloodline as living sacrifices, basically Vermouth's bloodline, which had been most strongly inherited through the lineage of the main family? Why hadn't Vermouth's bloodline thinned even slightly after being passed down over hundreds of years?

Last night, Eugene talked with Sienna and Anise about the suspicions regarding Vermouth.

It's not really that surprising.

Instead, without such a secret behind it, an existence like Sir Vermouth wouldn't make any sense.

Although they did show an appropriate level of surprise, eventually, Sienna and Anise overcame their shock just to say this. Eugene had also empathized with the feelings behind their words.

From then on, there were no further discussions of this theory. Eugene had also been able to sense why that was.

Sienna trusted Vermouth.

Even though he didn't seem to be in his right mind, they couldn't be sure whether that was truly the case.... Even though Vermouth, in such a state, had pierced a hole through her chest and left her on the verge of death.... Even though her very soul was now wounded.... Even with all of that, Sienna still trusted Vermouth.

For Anise, Vermouth was the one who had flipped the course of her life, the Hero who had given meaning to her role as the Saint when she herself had been despising her fate as the Saint. As such, Anise practically worshiped Vermouth, and even now, she still referred to Vermouth as Sir Vermouth.

But was that really all there was to it?

No, it wasn't. The reason why Sienna believed in Vermouth despite having been mortally wounded by him... The reason why Anise believed in Vermouth, beyond the sense of worship that she had for him.... And the reason why Eugene, whether consciously or unconsciously, had stopped his speculations about Vermouth....

It was that, to them, Vermouth was just Vermouth. No matter what Vermouth's true identity might be, it didn't change what that bastard, Vermouth Lionheart, meant to them.

A black magic experiment? Or a test subject that had a connection to the Demon Kings?

So what if he was?

Sienna, Anise, Hamel, Molon, and Vermouth had journeyed together throughout the Devildom for over a dozen years. They had spent more time together than they ever had with their own families. There had been times when they were close to death and times when they barely managed to kill their enemies, along with all of the other times that they had spent together. They had experienced joy and sorrow and all sorts of other emotions together.

That was why they all trusted Vermouth. So whether it was Vermouth's past, his inscrutable behavior, or his current unknown status, if it was for Vermouth's sake, they could accept all of that. Because of him, they didn't doubt the things that should really be considered suspicious. They blindly, one-sidedly, were able to come up with justifications for Vermouth.

Eugene didn't think that there was anything irrational about this. The same went for Sienna, as well as Anise. Even Molon, who had been going mad while unable to take his own life for over a hundred and fifty years because of a promise he had made with Vermouth, would have also done the same.

Because this wasn't just anyone else, this was Vermouth.

Because this was the companion who they had worked alongside to slay the Demon Kings.

Because this was the Hero who had somehow managed to save the world.

So when their thoughts turned to Vermouth, they naturally had no choice but to put their emotions ahead of their own reason.

* * *

In Aroth's Red Tower of Magic, the Tower Master Lovellian had been deep in thought since the day before.

He was wondering what could have happened at the Royal Palace. Just what kind of conversation might have taken place during their audience with the king? Everyone in Aroth might have been curious about this topic, but it wasn't something that they could talk about openly.

In the end, word of what had happened yesterday within Abram hadn't been spread to anyone. Trempel Vizardo, who had also been present during their audience with the king, had, of course, kept his mouth shut; and the Crown Prince, Honein Abram, had also kept his silence, and starting from last night, Honein had secluded himself within Akron.

This meant that things should have been wrapped up neatly. Because if things hadn't been wrapped up neatly, Abram might no longer exist.

But what was truly preoccupying Lovellian's attention wasn't what might have happened within Abram.

It had something to do with the surprising return of the Wise Sienna.

Well, it wasn't really that big of a surprise for Lovellian. He had accompanied Eugene to the Samar Rainforest and had helped to stop Edmond's plot. He had also seen the corpse of the Demon Dragon Raizakia, the one responsible for trapping Sienna in a slumber for such a long time.

The fact that Sienna would eventually return to Aroth had already been known to Lovellian.

He just hadn't known that she would return so quickly.

'...Perhaps... could she really...,' Lovellian was lost in thought as he idly massaged his temples.

Currently, many irrational and mostly speculative thoughts were running through his head.

But Lovellian's suspicions weren't directed at the Wise Sienna; they instead concerned Eugene Lionheart.

During the battle in Samar, Lovellian had gotten a good look at Eugene's full strength.

Eugene had been able to overwhelm the Death Knight created from the corpse of the Stupid Hamel. Even after seeing such skill with his own eyes, Lovellian still had difficulty believing it. But then Eugene had gone and torn apart Edmond Codreth, the Staff of Incarceration, with his own hands.

And it didn't just end there, did it? Eugene had even managed to behead and slay the highly notorious Black Dragon Raizakia. Although Lovellian hadn't been able to view the battle in person, and Eugene had said that he did receive Sienna's help....

There was no doubt that Eugene Lionheart was skilled enough that he could be discussed on the same level as the strongest human beings in all of history. Moreover, his talent for magic was also exceptional, and he had even created a Signature, which could be said to serve as a symbol for all Archwizards.

'It's practically impossible for someone like that to exist,' Lovellian concluded.

There had been several times in Samar when Lovellian had had such thoughts. At first, he had dismissed his own suspicions as absurd, but the more that he thought about it, the more he began to believe that it might just be possible.

Perhaps Eugene Lionheart really was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago.

Otherwise, it was impossible to accept that someone like him could exist in real life.

The thing that had especially aroused Lovellian's suspicions was how Eugene, upon seeing Hamel's Death Knight, had declared, 'That's not Hamel.'

Eugene might have given several reasons for why that was the case. But even so, Eugene's rage, and the denial of the Death Knight's identity that he had spat out at that time, hadn't sounded like something that could so easily be said by someone from a later generation.

It was as if... as if he had personally known Hamel three hundred years ago.

Then there was the previous day. The Wise Lady Sienna had shown a lot of affection towards Eugene.

Was it just because Eugene was her hundreds of years younger successor? That might be enough for Sienna to consider him a cute junior. However, her gaze had felt like it was practically dripping with sweet drops of honey....

It hadn't seemed like the casual tolerance of a Grandmaster for her grand-disciple or how one might treat a young and cute successor. Instead... instead it was as if Lady Sienna had been looking at him like a man she was interested in....

Lovellian muttered, "Could it... could it really be, no... perhaps...."

Lovellian was afraid of the incredible ramifications if the suspicions running through his head turned out to be the truth. At the same time, as a devoted researcher, he felt a strong sense of curiosity.

'His talent for both martial arts and magic. Historically, there was only one person who has ever been born with such limit-breaking talent....'

That was the ancestor of the Lionheart clan, the Great Vermouth.

'However... Sir Eugene's personality just doesn't strike me as that of the Great Vermouth....'

Considering Eugene's intense dislike, murderous intent, and rage towards Hamel's Death Knight....

His low-class mannerisms that seemed unthinkable when coming from an offspring of the prestigious Lionheart clan....

His fighting technique that seemed both fierce yet delicate.

Sienna.

I've always liked you.

A stroke of lightning seemed to explode inside Lovellian's head. Unconsciously, he leaped up from his seat. Then, while focusing on the sudden stroke of inspiration that had run through his head, Lovellian reconstructed his flow of thought.

From the way that the Great Vermouth had explosively grown the Lionheart clan by taking more than ten wives....

To the last words that the Stupid Hamel had left at the end of his life....

And how the Wise Sienna had stayed single for her entire life.

"Oh my god!" Lovellian cried out, only to slap his hands over his mouth as an idea sharply clicked into place.

Knock knock.

Someone reported through the door of his office, "Sir Tower Master! L-lady Sienna and Sir Eugene are heading into our Tower of Magic right at this moment!"

"What?!" Lovellian exclaimed in shock.

He had heard them say they would visit the Red Tower of Magic when they next had the time, but today? Even though only a single day had passed since they said it?

Lovellian ordered, "Escort them up here immediately. No, that's not right. I'll go down and—"

The voice interrupted him, "They're already on their way up!"

Even though he was greatly flustered, Lovellian quickly made his preparations for their visit.

He threw open his closet, took out the most luxurious and elegant robe in his possession, and pulled it on. Then he hurriedly tidied up his hair and also neatly sorted the mess on his desk with a wave of his staff.

'This might actually be for the best,' Lovellian tried to reassure himself as he swallowed a gulp.

With this surprising truth that he seemed to have arrived at, there was no way that he could just keep it buried in his chest. A wizard was someone who sought the truth. So Lovellian was determined to face this issue head-on.

Before he had even heard another knock, Lovellian threw open the door to his Tower Master's office. There, he saw Hera repeatedly shifting from one foot to the other, not knowing what to do.

"Head back down," Lovellian instructed.

"Y-yes sir," Hera stammered.

Lovellian continued, "Also, spread the word to all of the wizards currently in the tower. Tell them to keep their heads cool and stay where they're supposed to be."

"Yes, sir!" Hera shouted with a deep nod as she started to run back down the hallway.

But on her way down, she came to an abrupt stop. It was because the elevator that was located at the end of the hallway was just about to arrive here, on the top floor. If Hera continued to run forward like this, it was clear that she would run into Sienna and Eugene when the elevator doors opened.

That... that was meant to be a happy event that would fill any wizard with honor and pride.

However, Hera realized that she herself still wasn't ready for this just yet. If she ran into Lady Sienna like this, Hera felt like she would either pass out on the spot or scream joyfully. Hera didn't want either Sienna or Eugene to see her like that....

In the end, Hera quickly made her decision. She flung open the hallway window, then threw herself out of the window without hesitation. Even in that instant, Hera was thorough in her clean-up. The moment her whole body passed through the window, she quietly closed the window behind herself with a swing of her staff.

Ding-dong.

Right at the very moment when Lovellian's jaw was dropping open in shock at Hera's decisive behavior, the elevator arrived on the top floor. Lovellian picked his jaw back up and quickly straightened his posture. No, this still wasn't polite enough. Faster than he had ever been before, Lovellian cast a spell that instantly transported him across the length of the hallway so that he was now standing in front of the elevator.

The elevator doors opened up. Eugene and Sienna flinched when they saw Lovellian standing politely on the other side of the doors.

"Thank you for taking the time to visit," Lovellian said with a deep bow of his head. While continuing to speak, he didn't forget to take a few steps back so that Eugene and Sienna could exit the elevator comfortably, "O' greatest and wisest Archwizard in the history of the continent, she who is the most respected and envied of all wizards, Lady Sienna Merdein."

After he had finished saying all this, Lovellian took a moment to catch his breath and then added, "Also... it is my honor to greet Lady Sienna's old friend, Sir Hamel Dynas.

1. The original Korean version of this idiom uses 'dog and cow' instead of cat and dog. ☜