320 – The culprit is among us -1

I teleported and basically flew to the destination. A rather secluded place some distance from the city center, a mountainside area in a position that is both inconvenient and convenient for transportation, where the Violet Magic Tower stands.

“⋯⋯This is the Violet Magic Tower, Master’s hometown.”

The kid looked deeply moved for many reasons.

“Strictly speaking, it’s a little different from the tower your Master was in. The exterior has changed a lot too.”

Half of the school was blown away by Yuna, which worsened the already struggling tower’s finances, and there was a time when they even had to save on food because there was no research funding.

Naturally, the budget for building maintenance also plummeted, and when I first joined the tower, there were still water stains on the outer walls.

But then, a genius mage, descending from the sky as if dancing, entered the violet magic tower, and the tower underwent a cataclysmic transformation.

With the influx of funding, they re-papered the walls, installed safety devices, and, because the ultimate goal of all content is aesthetics, they completely remodeled the exterior.

Thus, the current appearance of the violet magic tower, having endured destruction and rebirth, is this:

“What’s that thing sticking out?”

“An intruder-interception hypno-wave generator.”

“And that tentacle?”

“A material-transport crane, with a skin on it.”

It’s, well, a bit cosmic. It’s like if an alien came down and built a magic tower, it would probably have a similar, somewhat mismatched design.

“Your master’s tower, I guess, had a more traditional look… Alright, if you’re ready, let’s start.”

I pulled out the 『Ram』 location-tracking scroll.

『Hypno-Detective』 had two of these scrolls, but he used one to verify my identity at the Academy, leaving only this one. This was a one-shot deal.

As I prepared to activate it, the kid was shaking even harder than I was when I cast the spell. He was clearly on edge about having no spare scrolls.

Unable to bear his anxiety, he even started giving me advice.

“Don’t be careless. I know you’re… a formidable mage, but the 『Ram』 is a fearsome one, capable of hurting Master.”

“Hey, what do you even think being careless means?”

“It’s, it’s, having a lax mindset…”

“Being careless is when you’re not ready and can’t unleash 100% of your power. It’s about missing items you should have taken, or things you could have known, and then losing a battle you could have won.”

In that case, I wasn’t being careless.

What is the 『Ram’s』 metamorphosis ability? I don’t know. I don’t even know if it has metamorphosed. But I know that its basic spec is a master of illusion magic.

Even after thoroughly reading 『Hypno-Detective’s』 strategy guide, there weren’t any detailed descriptions of his specific abilities. When he attacked the kid’s master, he led a group of black mages… and freely used a variety of illusion spells.

If there’s a clue, it’s that I can remember and pronounce the b*stard’s name.

If Ayesha’s guess is right and he’s a pawn of ‘it’, then he could open the toolbox of an evil god, just like the succubus queen did.

That’s all the intel we have.

So, based on this, what and how should I prepare and react?

“What would you do? What would be good to prepare?”

“Well, uh, you see… ultimately, 『The Goat』 is a phantasm mage. So, prepare something that can break through phantasm magic.”

“Right. And that’s why I prepared this.”

Me.

“You called me a ‘tremendous wizard,’ but if you knew specifics about me, you’d have used slightly different words.”

*Zzzzip-!*

Without hesitation, I tore the scroll. Magic and information intertwined, releasing a burst of light that floated into the tower, pinpointing the culprit.

The kid gasped, yelling,

“It only lasts 10 seconds! We have to follow it—!!”

“30 minutes.”

“Huh?”

“I extended it to 30 minutes.”

“…How?”

Easily.

I followed the light, striding calmly into the purple tower.

My hands were shoved in my pockets as I walked slowly, but I wasn’t taking it easy. This was a sort of… fishing trip. I was laying out bait and dangling the line.

If he’s that cunning and powerful, he must’ve done something to the magic tower. A trap or something.

So instead of rushing in and getting blindsided, I’m going to roll through this place like a road roller, methodically and thoroughly.

Does that give him time to escape?

No. As of this moment, no one inside the Violet Tower can leave. I prepared a device to seal both the interior and exterior, just in case Irid ever found out my secret and came with an army.

Standing in the lobby of the tower’s first floor, I begin the incantation.

“A thousand doors, a thousand stairs, a labyrinth with nowhere to rest one’s eyes, nowhere to rest one’s heart.”

Didn’t I mention I remodeled the exterior of the tower completely? That means every inch of the place, inside and out, has felt my touch.

The reagents and magic circles planted throughout the Violet Tower react to my incantation.

The Mona Lisa in a frame on the wall opens her mouth and repeats the incantation. The candle flames dance in strange spirals, accelerating the spell. The carpet on the floor rises up, grabs a piece of chalk, and adds additional formulas.

Beams shoot from the eyes and mouths of the plaster statues, projecting magic circles on the opposite white wall. The sofa swallows up a Violet Tower mage who was sitting on it and uses him as a mana battery.

As these bizarre, simultaneous events unfold, like the tower is coming alive, the seniors and juniors in the lobby start screaming.

“The crazy mage is back! He’s trying to do something the second he returns!”

“Hey!! Can’t you just stay put for one day?!”

“The Tower Lord isn’t with him. They definitely fought. This is 100% him taking out his anger on us because of a lover’s quarrel!”

Their fervent cheers and encouragement energize me. Thanks to them, I can cleanly finish my final incantation.

“A spiral that twists inwards until you starve to death, 『Doorway Ascendancy: Seclusion』.”

Dddddduk, Dddddddddduk──!!

The entire Violet Tower shakes and transforms. Internal doors twist and vanish, obsessively blocking any notion of going outside.

Until this illusion magic is broken, you won’t even be able to leave your room, let alone the tower. Doors will be invisible, and you won’t even think to go outside.

That’s the magical-psychological escape route sealed off.

So then, perhaps, there might be an escape attempt using brute physical force. That part, I left to Aisha, who remained outside the magic tower.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

“A thousand histories, a thousand figures, even if you scrape away the thick strata of time, the only thing you’ll find is a single scale.『Dragon Scale Ascension: Closed Gate』.”

*Shhhzzzzz*──!!

Black scales sprout densely on the violet tower’s walls. Aisha, who had physically sealed the entire tower with an arranged spell, sat cross-legged, leaning against the entrance.

There was no tension, no anxiety, no worry.

The mad mage is, in fact, a vicious b*stard. Because he laughs and jokes his way through it, it’s easy to take him lightly, but he’s someone who’d risk his own life for his goals. And with that decisiveness, he was the one who even sealed ‘that’ away.

Having declared a complete vengeance, I don’t for a moment think he’ll be taken down by some mere minion of an evil god. He will prevail.

So, if someone were to fall, it wouldn’t be the mad mage, but rather…

–

Step, step.

“Hmm, hum-hmm.”

The mad mage hummed a tune as he climbed the stairs. A cluster of light moved ahead of him, maintaining a distance of about a meter. He’s already past the 10th floor.

The top of the violet tower is the 20th floor. If you think about it that way, he’s already eliminated half of the tower as a potential threat zone.

The little hypnotic detective, who followed behind him, realized something. Even that humming was magic. He didn’t know the exact effect, but it seemed to be some kind of protective barrier, blocking out malignant external information.

Surprised by this fact, he looked back at the mad mage, and he could feel faint traces of magical power even in the mage’s stride, the click of his shoes, and the movement of his eyes.

He was essentially casting spells using all his everyday actions. It was like drawing elaborate pictures just by walking. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how that was possible.

Perhaps sensing the cluster of light pursuing him, or perhaps sensing something else, the 『Goat』 who was presumed to be hiding somewhere in the tower, also initiated action.

Thump-!

Crackle, crackle, hee-hee-hee-!

The entire violet magic tower’s lights went out. No, it wasn’t just that.

It seemed as though darkness itself had flooded the space. The floating motes of light were swallowed by the pitch-black gloom, vanishing from sight.

And from that inky darkness, wickedly grinning dwarves crawled out, one by one. Their numbers swelled quickly, becoming numerous enough to fill the passageway.

Summoning magic of the school obliterated by Yuna Yurensto Violetiris with “Extinguish.”

The sound of sharp teeth clacking together could be heard. If one passed through there, flesh and bone would surely be separated in less than ten seconds.

“So, this is the feeling? Kinda like a nightmare demon.”

“⋯Th, there’s a light magic circle. I learned that summoning magic is closely related to its base material… Since those monsters were summoned from shadows, they should be weak to light. So if I set this off!”

“Now, now. They’re on our side now, we should get along. Right?”

“Huh?”

Keeheeheehee-

The shadow dwarves were now nuzzling their heads against the mad mage’s feet, expressing affection. Just moments before they had clearly harbored murderous intent.

The mad mage gently coaxed them.

“Now then, return to the one who birthed you. Go and respectfully tell him that I’ve come.”

Kyahaha-!

Wiggle wiggle wiggle.

Instantly brainwashed, the dwarves scrambled up the stairs to attack their former master. Shortly after, the extinguished lights of the magic tower flickered back on.

The motes of light still drifted slowly.

“….How did you do that?”

“Well, a dark space is quite good for hypnosis. When a single light flickers in the darkness, it really grabs attention, you know.”

“So, I’m asking, how did you do it without me noticing a single sign of casting…”

“17th floor. Is that the Central Control Room of the Magic Tower? I had magic threads attached to several of the brainwashed summons, and the connection cuts off there. Seems that ‘Mountain Goat’ buddy of mine is around that area. Kid, cover your ears.”

*Tap tap.*

The tempo of the footsteps changes. The sound, like it’s echoing in a sealed underground space, rumbles, then overlaps and reflects, growing louder and louder.

An amplified sound assault meant to break you down mentally.

The kid hypno-detective quickly covered his ears. Most of the sound waves were fired forward, dispersing up through the tower, leaving only the lingering after-echo at the mad mage’s back.

Even just that sliver of it makes his head spin and dizzy. The kid hypno-detective frantically pulled several artifacts out of his pockets to protect himself.

15th floor.

“Come out to greet me, have you?”

“……….”

Are they mind-controlled? The members of the purple magic tower blocked the mad mage’s path. The tower’s defense systems also seemed partially hacked, with various magic circles and interceptor artifacts aimed at him.

Then, the mad mage’s form shifts once more.

Shaking. Shaking, shaking.

His whole body, like it’s made of fibers or flames, his texture unraveling strand by strand into an amorphous shape. Anyone familiar with the tale of Celvier would say it was similar.

Furthermore, anyone capable of perceiving the flow of emotion could know that invisible chains extending from the mad mage were binding or manipulating the emotions of everyone gathered here.

That was now in a realm beyond the little detective’s grasp.

*Screech. Squeak. Squeak-squeak.* Hearing too.

A grotesque repetition of sharp and smooth, wavering. Sight too.

The scent, permeating the entire floor if you noticed it. Smell too.

Bitter taste. A tingling of the skin. Taste and touch too.

Everything. Everything is within the mad mage’s grasp, moving with orchestral precision to conjure an illusory magic.

He seemed to be single-handedly conjuring all the toxic effects that could be categorized as “illusion.” A chilling voice echoed.

“If you’re watching through our seniors and juniors, your eyeballs must be itching like crazy right now. If you’re hacking the surveillance system, ants must be crawling out of your ears. I’ve used everything I’ve learned so far, I don’t know how it is.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“I⋯⋯ I just wanted to have fun with the people I love in this little magic tower. That’s all I ever wanted. I only started researching magic for combat after those unpleasant friends started picking fights.”

At some point, he needed to fight, and he did. The wizard, a genius from birth, had crafted countless claws from past experiences.

And now.

“I think I can put a name to all of this now⋯⋯ Thank you, you b*stards. Including ‘that,’ it’s all thanks to you.”

“────!!”

The people who had stood in the path of the mad wizard collapsed one by one, losing consciousness like puppets with their strings cut. And amidst them.

*Shhhk*!

A hidden assassin, among the purple magic tower mages, suddenly revealed himself. His face was hideous, his eyes and mouth all sewn shut. A surgical procedure to avoid being caught in illusion magic.

While the mad wizard and the head of the purple tower were enjoying an outing at the academy, and control over the tower was relatively weak, perhaps this was a figure secretly stashed away for use as a dagger.

The wizard’s weakness. Vulnerable to close-quarters combat.

A trump card that the “Goat” had prepared, aiming for the mad wizard for the day he would come… was.

“Combat Assistance: Heavenly Demon.”

Changing his species from human to an information-based lifeform, physical specifications enhanced to the point where, if magic power is sufficient, he could tear thick scrolls made of parchment with raw strength.

Based on this, a flawless martial art unfolded.

*Whirr-* *Thump-*!

In a fleeting moment, the assassin was slammed onto the floor, three of his limbs broken. On top of him, without hesitation, the mad wizard took a step with a resounding thud.

*Crack*.

“⋯⋯Well, I can handle close-quarters combat, I guess. But yeah, it’s still way stronger to just spam magic from the back. Let’s go, kid. Looks like we broke all the tricks he had planned.”

“U-Uh, okay… No, yes, sir!”

The crazy mage ascended the final stairs without hesitation.

–

Floor 17, in front of the Purple Tower’s Central Control Room.

Right before the entrance, the swarm of light vanished. It dissipated faster than the crazy mage anticipated. Had it been interference to throw off their pursuit?

But it was too late. Now, the crazy mage had only a thin door standing between him and his goal. *The Goat* had to be in there. He kicked the door open and charged inside.

*BANG!*

“Freeze, *Goat*! If you give up resisting, I’ll kill you less painfully— What the hell, why are there so many people here!”

…There were a whopping four people inside.

“It’s the creator of the short shorts shota! We’ve been waiting for you to come back!”

One, Luche, the 6-year veteran mage who inherited the crazy mage’s *Hologram* spell.

“Hey, isn’t that our junior! Long time no see, nice to see ya!”

Two, Charlie, the most senior mage in the tower and a 15-year veteran.

“T-The door was gone. Could it have been you again…?”

Three, Melberton, Yuna’s stress-relief squishy punching bag and a 3-year veteran.

And.

“Junior, there was a signal that someone accessed the Purple Tower’s security system… so I rushed up here. Am I… am I screwed right now?”

Four, Lorey, the mage nicknamed *Scarface Senior*, a 10-year veteran.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

The room is a sealed chamber. Four suspects. And one culprit.

The moment a deduction game began to unmask the traitor of the Azure Tower.