Chapter 547 – 44. The Empire of Dezac – The Darkness Falls on the Mage Tower (13)

The operation of the spy disguised as Adolf and the bully seemed plausible.

But something important was missing.

The point is that Natalie, the owner of the Magic Tower, will take countermeasures.

In particular, Adolf completely miscalculated Natalie’s strength.

‘Haa, I was hoping you would stay calm. They’re following me too.’

The appetite is bitter

Her expression, once darkened, could not be easily restored.

‘Heat… No, about twenty. I collected a lot.’

Is it because he spends too much, or is he surprisingly popular?

For someone with a high ego and a bad personality, he managed to gather enough people.

It would have been better if he had been a guy who didn’t follow anyone.

Thanks to that, the sadness has doubled.

‘Whoa.’

Natalie looked up and looked at her Valdez, who was sitting in the front seat of her carriage.

Valdez, who doesn’t seem to have any worries, is actually watching Adolf, who is chasing her from afar, in a different way than her. Thanks to her, she was very happy inside, but she couldn’t express it.

Natalie was mistaken while thinking of what he was going to do in the woods.

It is not that difficult to protect one person.

She was just worried.

About whether she will tell him the truth.

“…”

The worry didn’t last long.

“Valdes.”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, Adolf seems to be chasing him.”

“Ah…”

“Because I sprayed the magic beforehand when I came. But it caught on beautifully.

A sigh escaped from Natalie’s mouth.

Valdes was silent for a moment, then asked cautiously.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? It’s me… I should be okay. In a way, it’s cause and effect.”

“It is not so.”

“Huh?”

“Why would that be Natalie’s fault? Look at Adele. She came from the same blood, was equally educated, and yet she grew up well. So don’t be pessimistic.”

“Whoops, yes. Thank you very much.”

Natalie thanked her with a gentle smile.

She couldn’t hold back the laughter that leaked out of her, and raised the corners of her mouth.

It’s a strange feeling.

I never thought that at this age, the day would come when I would be comforted by my status and say thank you from the bottom of my heart to someone. Beyond feeling weird, something is embarrassing. If I had been able to be alone, I would have kicked off the floor, no, in the air, and rolled.

‘The same thing as before came out naturally, really…’

At that moment, the memory of one day passed through Natalie’s head.

My body flinched at the vivid scene of an affair between a young man and a disciple in front of me.

‘Ugh.’

It’s a memory I’ve barely forgotten for a while.

It is not because of one’s own strength, but because of the tight external situation and the problems that pop up one after another.

The memory that oblivion is close to a blessing makes it impossible to forget that day.

‘It’s a big deal. This is so embarrassing…’

My eyes keep trying to focus on strange places.

What would happen if you secretly watched it?

Just imagining it is terrifying.

“Hey, Natalie.”

Flinch.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry for rushing you, but… What are you going to do?”

“Ah…That’s it.”

It feels like my skin, which has been gradually heating up, cools down in an instant.

I didn’t think he was being rude.

As Valdes himself, he was worried and asked.

Again, it may not have been intentional, but thanks to that, I was able to get away from the strange memories.

“Don’t worry. This is… I’m thinking of solving it somehow.”

Natalie said that and apologized to him inwardly.

It’s not that I don’t want to solve it.

It wasn’t just about dealing with Adolf, who was the source of the problem, but about keeping him and the thugs under him away. There are many problems, but I didn’t want to do anything to Adolf, who was like my son.

In other words, since the cause cannot be eliminated, they try to postpone the situation as much as possible by reducing the contact point between the two.

‘Are you okay. At least, this will buy me some time.’

Natalie vowed to procrastinate as best she could.

The carriage arrived safely at the entrance of the forest.

A metal fence hanging over the edge of a forest that is by no means small.

It is a device to ensure that the academy is owned and privately owned.

Valdez and Natalie parked a wagon at the entrance and headed inside.

“Gathering herbs and reagents and collecting monster by-products?”

“Yes. It’s the most common reason for visiting.”

Exactly, the former was common.

Monster by-products are also nice, but this one is risky and there is less to gain than you think. The reason is simple. This is because the size of the forest is limited, and monsters grow slower than herbs.

“Hmm. Who asked?”

“No. I want to use it personally.”

“Huh?”

Natalie tilted his head as if she didn’t understand.

What would a knight, not a wizard, use the herbs and reagents for?

Monster by-products might be useful, but I couldn’t get a feel for this one.

“Recently, podium technique is popular.”

“Oh, that.”

The expression on her face as she responded to Valdez’s words was not very good.

Alchemy.

It was a type of alchemy that had spread secretly not too long ago.

Unlike conventional alchemy, it is a technique to create a single ring for the purpose of strengthening the body and restoring the condition rather than assisting with magic. Thanks to this, it is moderately popular among wizards, but rather popular among ordinary people and knights.

Actually, there is no problem so far.

Natalie frowns because there are some wizards who overdo it to make money.

She did not like that she forgot her duty as a wizard and indulged in her worldly self-interest.

“After looking into it, it turns out that even a non-magician can make something simple.”

“It’s not like that.”

“So I’m going to learn it and try it.”

“Hmm.”

Natalie chose to hold back his words.

There are things that I haven’t decided on about the alchemy technique yet.

‘I don’t know where it came from.’

It was because of the presence of Adolphs that he could feel not far away.

There are three entrances to this forest.

Usually, one entrance is locked and two guards are posted.

They came in through one of the two, but how the hell did Adolf get in without an appointment?

Actually, there is nothing to guess.

There was no way he could have climbed over the fence built by the Magic Tower without being noticed, so he must have bought a security guard or used some kind of expedient to double rent it. Considering that the administrative office obtained information in one day, the latter is plausible.

‘It’s annoying, but I have to be vigilant.’

While Valdez was leisurely gathering, she was wary of her surroundings.

Natalie was not careless.

Not only about 20 Adolphs, but also the approach of the monsters was blocked.

Magic.

Her magic was truly phenomenal.

‘Is this great? If it’s limited to magic, he’ll be much stronger than me.’

Although Valdes had never fought a proper battle with his magic, though he used it more for other purposes than for combat. At that level, he must have been one of the greatest wizards on the continent.

Even so, he had no confidence in fighting Natalie with magic alone.

‘Yes, only with magic.’

With his back to Natalie, Valdez grinned.

Of course, this is a meaningless judgment.

He has no intention of fighting Natalie anyway.

If you do it well, you can attract them as allies, and that method is by no means a battle.

‘By the way, fellow Adolf. It’s terribly cautious.’

Adolf was very cautious even though he gave us useful strategies and items.

Even though he knew of her existence, he was overcome with jealousy and dissatisfaction from what followed.

I was worried thanks.

Natalie doesn’t seem to know yet that she’s noticed her own presence, but if it’s not her foolishness, she’ll notice her in her hypervigilance. He could not guess what Adolf would do at that time.

‘I want them to attack as quickly as possible.’

Unfortunately, it is difficult for him to interfere any longer.

Just in case Natalie could see through.

Now, he must thoroughly maintain the position of a weakling and a victim.

‘I can’t.’

“Miss Natalie.”

“Yes, speak.”

“Can I go inside a bit more?”

“More than here?”

The practice forest is divided into four levels.

Of course, the deeper you go, the higher the quality of the herbs and the more dangerous it becomes.

Natalie pondered a little, then nodded her head.

“Okay. But you can’t go to the innermost part. It’s a place that requires separate permission from the academy.”

“Of course. I have no intention of going there either.”

It was a lie.

But it is also true.

I don’t intend to go there myself, but as I get closer, Natalie will sense something and try to head inward. Yes, there is the reverberation of magic, the preliminary trap set when Roberta was hidden.

‘A very faint trace. You have to be the elder level of the Mage Tower to find it.’

How will Natalie react when she senses the presence of her teacher?

“…”

I knew it.

Natalie’s expression hardened as she moved further into the woods.

It was a vague but unmistakable aura.

‘Why…’

Natalie’s steps grew faster.

She even forgot about Adolf, albeit briefly, and thanks to this she not only lost her vigilance, but also distanced herself from Valdez. Of course, he deliberately called Natalie and didn’t distract her.

And right before Natalie comes to her senses.

Hwiwoong-

A magic tower and several arrows flew towards Valdes.

“…!!”

A wizard who has reached the limit no matter how much his consciousness is focused elsewhere.

Natalie quickly opened a barrier to protect Valdez.

“You guys…!”

“Kuk.”

The Magic Tower Master quickly scanned the number of vassals who appeared.

Dozens of people who were not much different from what she had grasped.

But most importantly, Adolf was not seen.

‘Damn it, where are you?’

Natalie tried to find him, focusing her mana, but her second flying attack interrupted her.

“These!”

This time, it was not difficult to block it by creating a magic barrier with a shadowless window.

However, I’m already worried about the traces of my teacher Robert, and I’m going to die.

She acknowledges her fault for estranged from Valdez, but she can’t help but feel her irritability.

It was then.

Pop!

“Ugh?!”

Something blocked by the magic barrier suddenly exploded and smoke billowed out.

She figured out that the belated attack was mixed with a trap.

It was annoying to have my vision obscured by the black smoke, but fortunately I wasn’t worried.

Poisonous things can be pushed away with magic and resistance.

“What…?”

It must have been.

‘The head, ugh… It hurts… ?’

Natalie then realized something was wrong.