Chapter 97

“Cough!”

Alber Hamatan, who had been staggering backward, collapsed to his knees. The amount of red blood pouring onto the floor was alarming. Even with a loss of blood that would have knocked out an ordinary person, his face was just pale, and he seemed to have some strength left. The guy was disgustingly tenacious.

“Speak. What do you mean by achieving your original goal?”
“Foolish. You don’t even know what you hold so dear, yet you’re distracted by it.”

He was quite a troublesome enemy. Alber Hamatan, who turned out to be a more powerful wizard than expected, fiercely resisted and unleashed a barrage of magic, causing Diana, who had been solely responsible for the group’s defense, to suffer considerable injuries.

His power was so great that it was surprising he had retreated from our combined attack before. If it had just been me and Diana fighting him, it would have been hard to predict the outcome. But here, it wasn’t just me and Diana; Irian and Cha Hyewon were also present, along with Sandra and a capable group of mercenaries and guards.

“You said you left your subordinates at another entrance? How arrogant. If it had just been your subordinates, we wouldn’t have won so easily. Arrogance, that’s your downfall.”
“Arrogance? It’s an arrogance I’m qualified to have. I am one who serves the unknown terror. One who looks down upon mortals from a high place.”

What the hell is this guy talking about? I heard reason and logic don’t work on fanatics.

“Fine, do as you please. This is your last chance. What was your original goal? The one you mentioned?”
“Don’t you already know? Do you want confirmation from me?”

Damn it. Is Karsilla in danger? …No. Calm down. Karsilla is in the Magic Tower, and the tower’s defenses are not to be trifled with. Even an enemy like this wouldn’t be able to do anything to the tower.

That should be the case… but why am I so uneasy?

“I can feel the unease in your eyes. Do you feel the fear of the unknown?”
“Fine, I don’t need you to tell me. I’ll just deal with you and go save Karsilla.”
“…Deal with? Me?”

Chuckling, he staggered to his feet, his red eyes piercing through me. Is he still trying to fight? He may be a great wizard, but he’s not strong enough to take on everyone here.

To face me, Diana, Irian, Cha Hyewon, Sandra, and dozens of soldiers, one would have to be an archmage. He hadn’t crossed the threshold of archmage. If he didn’t die here, he would certainly become an archmage in the future, but the future is just the future.

He’s going to die here. I’ll make sure there’s no future where he becomes an archmage.

“Ah. To never see this beautiful world again… It’s quite a shame. Hey. I’ll give you a good piece of information as a final gift.”
“……What is it?”

His demeanor was unsettling, so I gestured to Irian and Cha Hyewon. Waiting for the enemy’s final counterattack is something that only happens in comics. If there’s an opening, we’ll deal with him immediately.

“Do you know what that little brat you hold so dear is?”
“Karsilla is Karsilla. That’s all.”
“Heh, don’t forget that feeling. That way, you’ll despair even more.”
“Is that the end of your last words?”

Just as I was about to signal Irian and Cha Hyewon by flicking my finger, his trembling hand reached upwards.

“That brat is a vessel.”

A vessel? What does that mean?
In the short time I was pondering, his hand plunged into his own eye.

“Kkyaaaaaaah!!”

A whitish liquid flowed from between his fingers as they dug into his eye socket. What, what is this? Why is he stabbing his own eye?

Even as his whole body trembled in pain, his fingers slowly dug deeper into his eye socket, and then his body, which had been shaking like it was struck by lightning, suddenly stopped.

* * *

It hadn’t been long since Karsilla had come to this place called the Magic Tower. But even in that short time, it was enough for her to realize that this was a very boring and tedious place.

“Now, try reading this book. This ‘Basics of Elements’ is a fundamental text that every wizard should know by heart! You’re not at a great age to start learning magic, but you seem to be quite bright, so this should be easy for you. Don’t be lazy and memorize it quickly. If you’re negligent, you’ll be punished!”

The old wizard, with his white hair flying, waved his oak staff with his slender wrist, his body swaying. He was already so frail, and now he was waving a heavy oak staff, making him stagger back and forth, unable to keep his own balance. Karsilla was worried.

What if the old man broke a bone while waving the oak staff? What if his frail wrist snapped, his back broke, or his swaying ankle cracked? What if I’m misunderstood as the one who caused it? Fortunately or unfortunately, none of that happened.

“Haa, haa… Anyway! Study the book diligently.”

Karsilla’s lips pouted as she watched the old wizard stagger away. She had a bad feeling that she would have to read books all day again today.

“…It’s boring.”
“I can hear you.”
“……”

The old man has good ears too.
Karsilla pouted and flipped through the pages of the book. The old, faded yellow paper was filled with dense writing, and each page explained what magic was.

Magic.
The study of the ability to command the mysterious power called mana that permeates the world with a strong will.

Of course, this dictionary definition didn’t resonate with Karsilla. Magic, in her mind, was the ability to shoot fireballs from your hands, create water out of thin air, or float in the air like Papa did when he gave her airplane rides.

The first time the old wizard asked her to explain what magic was, she had answered like this and had to listen to a lecture for 30 minutes, but her thoughts hadn’t changed. The phenomena that she could see with her own eyes seemed more accurate than the mysterious, arcane, and subtle talk about will.

In the end, isn’t it all about shooting fireballs, creating water droplets, and floating around? So… if you have a strong ‘will,’ you can do these things, right?

Karsilla’s eyes trembled as she flipped through the pages, quickly scanning the densely written text. As the pages turned, her vibrating eyes scanned the numerous words, steadily accumulating knowledge in her mind.

‘My eyes hurt. I’m tired. It’s boring.’

Reading books and learning the study of magic wasn’t difficult, but Karsilla didn’t like her current studies. She needed to train quickly. She needed to get stronger quickly!

‘But Papa told me to learn, so let’s study a little more.’

Karsilla endured her boredom and continued her magic studies.

* * *

“Dodge!”

Kwaaang!
A huge tentacle that had sprouted from his back slammed into the floor. The ground vibrated greatly, and dust and stone fragments fell from the ceiling, but I had to quickly leap away without even being aware of it.

“Ah, the terror of the unknown. The darkness, the vast knowledge hidden within the brilliant darkness, like a jewel.”

Alber Hamatan, who was now making sounds that could no longer be called human, had shed his human form.

Two thick, massive tentacles, like pillars of a temple, had sprouted from his back, lifting his body into the air. Relying on the two tentacles that were firmly rooted in the ground like giant trees, dozens, hundreds of short, white tentacles squirmed from his split neck, connecting the open wounds, and each time he spoke, the tentacles vibrated, emitting a bizarre sound.

His handsome face was now covered with small tentacles, and every time he opened his mouth, the sight of the numerous tentacles filling his mouth added to the disgust.

He… had already transformed into a grotesque form that was hard to call human, and he was continuing to change.

“You… you monster! Is that disgusting form the blessing you received from the great god you serve?”
“How pitiful are mortals who rely only on what they see. Worship the unknown terror. Revere the forbidden knowledge.”
“Is this guy a macro? Is he Kain? He keeps spouting the same nonsense.”
“Ah, revere the unknown terror!”

That’s it. This damn bastard. Did his brain become a macro too? He keeps repeating the same thing. Why doesn’t he just change his name to Kain?

“Enough with the worship, reverence, unknown, and terror… Shut up already! Just tell me what happened to Karsilla!”
“It’s too late.”
“Is that so? Then after I chop up your disgusting, wriggling body, I’ll go and find out what happened to Karsilla myself.”
“Ignorant fool. You’re so foolish for not knowing what that brat you speak of is. Worship the unknown terror, mortal.”
“Stop it already, you macro bastard. I’m going to smash your Kain-like head.”

Karsilla is Karsilla.
No matter what that guy says, that won’t change.

* * *

“What are you doing?”
“Training!”
“……Is that what you call training? How peculiar.”

Even after coming to the Magic Tower, her training didn’t stop. Karsilla firmly gripped the oversized knuckles that were loose on her hands and diligently threw punches. It was hard to concentrate with the old man watching her intently, but she still swung her fists diligently.

“My, my. What part of that flailing is training? To this old man, it just looks like you’re waving your arms around.”
“It is training!”
“Oh my, I get it, I get it. You have a loud voice, you’re going to make my ears fall off, you rascal!”

As she was gripping her knuckles again, the old man, who had approached at some point, was staring at her intently. Karsilla felt the old wizard’s gaze turn towards the knuckles she was firmly gripping and slyly hid her fist behind her back.

“Huh? What are you doing? Do you think I’m going to steal them from you?”

His tone was bewildered, but Karsilla clearly saw him looking at the knuckles with shining eyes.
These were the first precious gift she had received from Papa, she couldn’t let them be taken away. Karsilla glared at the old wizard with a determined look.

“No… does this Great Archmage Andrew Jackson look like he’d steal a mere knuckle like that? Look at this impudent brat! What do you take this great Archmage Andrew Jackson for!”
“No. I won’t give them to you.”

Andrew Jackson was taken aback by Karsilla’s firm tone.

“I don’t need them either! Ugh, I was going to take a look at them since they seemed to have magic imbued in them. I was going to make the magic that only activates under certain conditions more versatile, but what do you take me for? Ugh, tsk tsk. …What is it?”

As Jackson turned away, a small hand was clutching the hem of his long robe. Andrew Jackson, who was skinny but tall, looked down at the small girl who barely reached his waist. The head with its fine black hair slowly rose, and their eyes met.

“Do it.”
“What?”
“Magic. Do it.”
“This little brat. Does this Great Archmage Andrew Jackson look like an easy person who will do whatever you ask? Hah! You impudent brat. A chance that has passed doesn’t come back easily!”
“…Please do it.”

Karsilla used her ultimate move.
The sparkling eyes attack that had a 100% success rate against Papa!

“Keheh. Do you think that kind of trickery will work on me? You’re 30 years too early, child.”
“……!?”

Karsilla was shocked by Andrew Jackson’s strange sneer and the way he twisted his mouth into a nasty grin.

“W-Why? Karsilla is cute… It didn’t work…?”
“……I can tell how she was raised without even looking.”