"Successor, Come To My Tower" V6 Chapter 1 - Starting At Night
— Suddenly —
He was tapped on the shoulder in his dream and he woke up. In the darkness, he could see something vaguely white nearby.
Usually, he'd have mistaken it for a ghost — but as the haze slowly disappeared, Orphen got up.
He looked around the room as he sat upright, his sheets still covering him. The room was quite large and decorated with expensive furnishings. He didn't know if it was good taste or not — he wasn't very interested, either. However, he'd heard that the owner of the mansion had prepared this room for him.
Only a worn out little duffel bag was placed on the satin cushions of the sofa, and in it were his belongings, all he had at the moment — some change of clothes, a light wallet, and other odds and ends that he kept on him. Other than that, everything that was there, was provided by his older sister. She prepared the room for him, even knowing he may not be coming back, and even though she wasn't his real sister — not even by law. However, he'd thought of her as one since he was a child.
The clock on the desk was one she'd bought for him for his birthday, a long time ago. She probably brought it from the Tower. He glanced at the hands of the clock, which were on two o'clock in the morning, then Orphen picked up his usual shirt, which had been suitably thrown on the eastern woven carpet. He put his arms through the sleeves of the black shirt, where there were small tears along the edges.
When he raised his head he saw his own figure, reflected in the mirror on the other side of the room. His eyes seemed to have a dangerous glare, but it wasn't conscious. It was just an ironic habit. He had black hair and black eyes, which were characteristic of the common folk on the continent, and in fact, there wasn't anything unusual about his birth. However, although he was only twenty years old — more and more bizarre things had been happening to him over the years.
At least, that's how he felt.
A leather coat hung at the head of the bed. He sighed, picking up his bandana that was hanging next to it, and the silver chain of the pendant that was hanging from the pocket. It was connected to the emblem of a dragon on one leg — the crest of the top black-magic sorcerers on the continent — the crest of the Tower of Fang.
Orphen quickly dressed. He put his feet into his boots, which were lined up at his bedside, while slowly rubbing his temple with his fingers.
"Geez..."
The comment leaked from his mouth.
While gently waving his hand, he got out of bed.
He headed for the door with slow steps.
"Cleao — is that you again? Stop bothering me, you do this every single night.."
But, there was no answer. Orphen opened the door.
He looked around in the dark corridor, but there wasn't anyone there. It was still quiet, and in the darkness his vision was blurred.
"? Was it just my imagination..."
Then, at the same moment he'd murmured—
Sheen!—
A sharp sound tore through the darkness, and Orphen jumped back in shock. A single black shadow grazed the tip of his nose, swinging a few centimeters in front of him. He realized immediately that it was a hand holding a knife.
A small figure leapt into the room from above the open door, perhaps having been hanging from the ceiling — They lunged forward, immediately slinging the knife.
Orphen quickly retreated and took a stance, then quietly observed the situation. The figure was as petite as a child, and was wearing a mask. Their whole body was dressed in black, and they didn't have any other weapons. Both the mask and the outfit were familiar to Orphen — it was all equipment provided by the Tower of Fang.
(A sorcerer from the Tower? — No—)
From the way the intruder carried theirself, he immediately recognized what they were.
(They're a Stabber!)
He screamed in his head, diverting the enemy's fist as it came down again—
The cloaked body of the Stabber moved away a few steps.
(If I chase them... I could beat them.)
But, while thinking it, Orphen dared to remain still. If it was just one person, they wouldn't have dared to come knock on his door...
If you were an assassin that rushed carelessly into any given situation, you'd struggle to win your fights. Orphen listened quietly, looking at the opponent, who reformed their stance.
"What are you thinking?... This place is owned by the senior sorcerer of the Tower of Fang, Leticia McCready."
"And you're Krylancelo."
The other person quietly answered. Orphen glared while drawing in a deep breath. His sharp eyes stared at them.
But the enemy quickly continued. He thought they had been a child, looking at their physique, but their voice was quite low — even though it changed tones, it seemed he was wrong, they were an adult.
"I can't help it if I've been found out. So, I'll ask you one thing. Where is the Browning Family's—"
The man murmured, and at that moment—
Craaaasssshh!
Just as he went to speak, the window behind him burst open—
And another black-cloaked figure entered from the open window.
(More!?)
Orphen screamed under his breath and quickly turned around. He then screamed behind them — that is, towards the person that was now ahead of him.
"I call, upon the sisters of destruction!"
At that moment, shockwaves exploded, tearing through the air.
There was no time to confirm if the magic had neutralized the first intruder. He just turned his attention to the window.
The next intruder leapt in from the window, rapidly approached him, then tried to hit him with something like a police baton. His whole body was cloaked in black, the same as the first person he'd seen, and he was wearing a similar mask. Moreover, they were also petite, so much so he thought that he must be close to a child's age.
Anyway, he avoided the intruder's attack with a sideways jump.
The figure reacted faster than expected, swinging a kick that was aimed at his foot. Not bad — but with a rather sharp motion, he shifted his body backwards, with a gesture so small it could've been mistaken for a simple nod. He dodged the sole of the person's foot, noting that they were wearing athletic shoes.
He lightly grasped the opponent's kicking leg. He yanked them off the ground and threw them backwards, with about as much regard as hucking a vegetable out of the earth—
"Kyyyaaa!"
When the intruder screamed, they fell to the floor.
"............."
He looked down at them and sighed. Then he opened his mouth.
"Hey..."
"Not yet!"
When the intruder on the floor shouted, they flung the baton that they had at him — but he bent his neck and dodged it, then Orphen muttered, with his palm facing up.
"I bring forth, a tiny spirit—"
Poof—Something like a will-o-wisp emerged from his palm and emanated a white light. It illuminated the room with an inorganic glow, and the appearance of his intruder was revealed.
He groaned, putting his hand to his head.
"Come out, Cleao."
"Wha...!!"
Her voice cracked, and the second intruder shook her head.
"Err, no, Orphen—I told you "I, the adorable Masked Clea-chan demand that you take me to the Tower!"
"Er..."
Orphen looked at her with a blank expression.
Then... he noticed.
"Shit!"
He shouted and turned around. The first intruder, who'd avoided his earlier spell, saw an opportunity and ran for the window — the window that was still open.
"I release—"
He screamed while stretching out his right hand, but then he stopped — before he could finish chanting, the intruder jumped out the window. He rushed to it and looked outside, keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks—
But, he couldn't see anyone, anywhere. There was no indication of where they'd gone.
"They got away...?"
Orphen groaned and clicked his tongue. When he turned around, the second intruder was already right next to him with their arms up.
They nodded gravely and spoke.
"I didn't know that there was a Masked Clea-Chan No. 2 running around without my knowledge..."
"I didn't know they existed either, but apparently they do!"
Orphen screamed and yanked off the mask with both hands. Under the slightly oversized mask, the blonde girl's face appeared—
While firmly closing the window, Orphen spoke to the pretty girl.
"Anyway, no matter what you say, I've told you again and again — I can't take you to the Tower!"
"Heh."
While stroking her face with her hands, now that it was freed from the mask, the girl — Cleao, sighed.
"This combat suit, is it Tish's?"
When Orphen asked, she nodded nervously.
"I borrowed it for a bit. It's her old one, but it's still a little big for me."
Cleao relaxed and spun around — It was no surprise that the outfit was similar to the intruders, they were both standard combat uniforms of the Tower. It was a combination of soft but strong black leather and stab-resistant fibers. Although it couldn't be seen on the outside, the joints were made up of three different layers of leather, allowing them to move quite freely. That's why it was so easy to move in, even if it looked like a jumpsuit.
Originally there were several clasps so that weapons and detachable armor could be worn around the body, but there were fewer clasps on the clothing that Cleao was wearing. Tish — Leticia must've remodeled it.
Orphen glanced over and walked towards the door, which was still open.
"Did you stuff your hair in your suit?"
"Yeah. That's why it's hard to turn my head."
While saying so, Cleao dragged her long blonde hair away from the back of her clothes — blonde hair was a very common feature of the continental aristocracy, while black hair was a trait of commoners. However, for this girl, her hair was only blonde because of aristocracy that'd mixed with her family bloodline generations ago, so she wasn't an actual aristocrat.
Orphen looked at her over his shoulder, and closed the door — then he thoughtfully opened the door again to see the state of the hallway, but there weren't any footprints or anything left behind.
While sighing, he closed the door again.
"Why won't you just give this up?"
"Sometimes you should argue with actions instead of words."
Cleao smiled as she happily clasped her hands together.
"First of all, if you leave me, someone so reliable behind, it'll be all that much harder for you when you get bullied by the other people in the tower. You have to take me with you."
Orphen answered with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"It's your fault that intruder just escaped unnoticed... What happened to Leki? I doubt you're hiding him in that suit."
"Leki? Oh, he's in bed. I thought it'd be a shame to wake him up when he was sleeping so soundly. It's not like he needs to eat food or anything, but, he does sleep."
Then—
Suddenly, the conversation stopped. Orphen looked over at her, as if he was concerned. Cleao was standing still with her bright blue eyes facing him. Of course she didn't resemble Leticia, but her figure standing there in his older sister's clothes — even if they were combat clothes — reminded him of something.
(This girl—)
Orphen got caught up in his thoughts, thinking to himself.
(I wonder how long she's going to stick with me...)
He couldn't answer that question, though—
She put her fist against her throat in an unusually sullen manner. Her glance dropped down a bit, and she continued to speak.
"Oh well... I understand that you're worried about me, Orphen."
Orphen immediately refuted.
"I'm not worried about you when it comes to the Tower."
But Cleao didn't seem to hear his response at all, and she continued.
"Lately I've noticed that you've been leaving me behind any time you run off to dangerous places, Orphen."
"If something goes wrong at the Tower of Fang, I can't help you."
"But I've grown up, it's not the same as when we met 3 months ago."
"They don't allow admission of ordinary people in the first place."
"You're my partner. I want you to trust me before all else."
"If you make a mistake, it'll only cause more trouble for Tish and Forte."
"That—"
"I think that's fair."
"Orphen..."
She suddenly gave him an angry glare.
"By any chance, do you just hate me!?"
"No — It's not like that — but..."
Orphen answered, trying to make up an excuse. He closed his eyes and held his finger up.
But Cleao walked right over to him, like she was about to bite his face off.
"But what!?"
As Orphen turned the words over in his head, he continued with some difficulty.
"Well — You're always causing trouble, and I can't take you with me because you're too — uh — dangerous—"
"What was that!?"
"You take my wallet whenever you get the chance, and then you go and buy something stupid with it."
"Really!?"
"You're selfish, you're violent, you bite me when you don't understand things, and you use the overwhelming firepower of that little black demon to subdue me if I try to give my opinion on matters, and while you may be a good housekeeper, you're always trying to make me eat all kinds of weird stuff when you're on meal duty."
"Do I!?"
"... Uh..."
"Is that all?"
When asked, Orphen nodded.
"Yeah... Yeah, that's about it."
Suddenly, when he opened his eyes, she put her hands on her hips and told him emphatically.
"That's not all!"
"What now!"
Orphen involuntarily screamed as he grabbed her. Then—
Bam!
The door opened with a crash.
"............"
When he and Cleao both looked, there was a woman standing there with a disheveled appearance—
She had long black hair, sleepy eyes, tight lips... A picturesque beautiful woman who couldn't be made light of. She pulled her gown over her negligee, which teased her thin shoulders as best she could.
She exhaled a long sigh, then let out a rough groan.
"Excuse me... But this is the first time in 38 hours that I've been able to sleep well..."
"Yeah..."
Orphen and Cleao answered at the same time, and lowered their heads...
He knew he was wrong — Or at least, it was all his fault.
But in the end, it was up to her to clean up the mess. He wasn't sure how much sleep she had gotten while he was in the hospital for two weeks, but he could see the clear signs of fatigue on her face.
Leticia McCready turned her tired eyes towards him.
"For now, Forte has tentatively agreed not to cause any trouble with you. I don't think you have to worry. Most likely."
"Sorry."
As he bowed his head, he looked around her study, which was still a mess. There was no one besides the two of them in the room, which was like a pristine forest of documents and books.
Leticia had slept for only a few hours before going out again, and had just come home.
(It's an excessive amount of work, isn't it?)
He thought to himself. But she kept talking.
"I've been in the Tower for the past two weeks, but as far as I can tell, there's been no movement on the part of the Elders. I guess Forte hasn't contacted them. He's the type of man who just doesn't say anything that he doesn't have to, after all — To be honest I don't like that, but I know I can trust him."
"Well, at least he doesn't hate me."
Orphen said while watching her talk. When she went to the Tower, she dressed in her formal clothes — a black robe, the typical uniform of a senior sorcerer, but she changed clothes immediately after she came back, and now she was wearing casual clothes. Beige slacks and a black shirt, the same that he'd seen before. Maybe she just had several similar outfits.
He was still wearing his usual black.
(Is it just a black-magic sorcerer's nature to choose black clothes, even when they're not wearing their tower robes?)
Orphen pondered, then Leticia raised an eyebrow.
"You shouldn't let Forte get to you. He just said that he was disappointed in you."
"I bet."
Orphen said and shrugged his shoulders.
When he saw Leticia giving him a frustrated glare, he couldn't help but straighten his posture —she slowly opened her mouth.
"That's not it — I think he's just suspicious of you right now. I'm sure he thinks I'm in on it, too."
"There's a good few reasons to be suspicious."
Orphen chuckled, counting on his fingers.
"With that case involving the assassination of Elders a couple weeks ago, Forte seemed to have identified the culprit as Krylancelo — That is, me. I'm the real culprit... But, there was no evidence left behind. No traces, no body. Then you, Tish, were spotted carrying me out of the basement after I passed out from the destruction at the Childman mansion, and that was clearly witnessed by the city police that were present. It's more reasonable to assume that you managed to detain me, the assassin of the Elders, and that you're still holding me in this house."
She sharpened her gaze.
"... You probably thought I forgot, but you still haven't told me the truth about what happened there."
"I told you. That 'Krylancelo' was some sort of magical device. I don't know if it was stored in the tower and activated on its own, or if someone else activated it, but it mimicked my appearance and started assassinating the Elders. There are a lot of people in the tower who know what I look like—"
"I hate when you lie, it's so obvious."
Leticia muttered without saying anything more, then she waved her hand to stop him as if she'd had enough. While brushing her long hair aside, she sighed again.
"Enough of that. I don't want to hear it — For now, read this."
Then she silently offered him a piece of paper. He took it and slowly looked it over — while Leticia read along, roughly at the same speed as Orphen.
"Krylancelo — 20 years old. Seventh student of the Childman classroom. Qualified as a senior sorcerer under the teachings of Childman, at the age of 15 years, 2 months. Left the Tower on a secret mission five years ago. Underwritten by Leticia McCready of the same class."
As they wrapped it up, Leticia took a deep breath and continued.
"This is your latest record from the Tower. I updated it ten days ago. You haven't lost your status as a senior sorcerer of the Tower, and you're in no position to complain if you do. With your treason charges dismissed, you're one step in the right direction. Okay? You know, if you go any further with getting caught up in the Tower like this, you'll have to fight the Tower's Stabbers for real."
"... It seems like that's already happening."
The second Orphen told her, Leticia's expression changed in an extreme way.
"What does that — What did you do!?"
"I haven't done anything."
Orphen spread his arms and shrugged.
"That fuss that happened last night, right? Someone else paid us a visit before Cleao's usual attack."
"... What do you mean?"
"I don't know, but they had equipment from the Tower of Fang. Even just looking at their battle stance, I'm sure they were Stabbers from the Tower."
"Was it ... 'that' Krylancelo again?"
Orphen shook his head when Leticia gave him a questioning look.
"No, it wasn't that. They were weaker than me... I wonder if that counts as patting myself on the back?"
"I don't know."
Leticia let out a bitter sigh and grumbled.
"But this could be bad... If it was just the imposter "Krylancelo" it would've been over the second you killed him, but if the Stabbers of the Tower are starting to move, it could be a lot worse than that. In that case, your treason charges may not be dismissed after all..."
"No, there's something strange about this."
"Huh?"
Orphen leaned in closer to Leticia's face. He continued while remembering it.
"Somehow, it didn't seem like they cared about me? It seemed like they were sneaking in to look for something. They were saying something about Browning, but... They were after something when they snuck in. I thought you might have some idea of what they were talking about, Tish."
"I don't have much here — at least nothing that should be of interest to the higher-ups of the Tower. Even if there were, I wouldn't have thought they'd need to send a Stabber to my home. If an Elder asked me to give them something, I'd immediately hand it over."
Leticia seemed skeptical about the conversation. She leaned in closer, her face closer to his.
"The best way to deal with the Elders of the Tower is not to pry. Stay out of their way, stay away from them, and never make eye contact — That's all there is to it."
"I know that."
She spoke again in a suspicious tone.
"Why, then, did you say you wanted to go to the Tower?"
"I told you. I wanted to register Majic there. To get a grant—"
"I don't mind you asking me to register a student, and if you need money you can have it — just please behave."
She tapped her knees.
"But, even my students tell better lies than that."
Orphen looked away uncomfortably when confronted by her glare. She seemed quite serious, and angry—
He shook is head.
"I'm not lying."
(I know you can tell...)
He thought to himself.
... There was no way she could see his real lie, anyway.
The moment she heard it — he saw that Leticia's eyes quickly grew cold.
"I understand. You can't talk to me, either. Even though because of you, I haven't been getting any sleep lately."
While speaking, she frowned. She waved her hand as soothingly as possible.
"Don't let it get to you."
But she kept speaking, not listening to a thing.
"I've waited for you to come back for five years. On top of that you've never told me anything about any of the trouble you've caused, you've only used me to clean up your mess. You lied to me, and I'm not even allowed to be angry about it."
"I told you I'm not lying."
As Orphen said it, Leticia's gaze turned even chillier — as he looked away, she shouted.
"You'll regret treating me like this."
"Uh..."
Orphen had a horrible premonition about those words.
'The fall of Jötunheimr'—
That's what he read in the black leather-bound book, which had no proper cover. It's what he read on the header of the first page.
Majic silently read the words again, rubbing his eyebrows with his finger, then chuckled to himself in an off tone.
"Jötunheimr... Is it talking about the land of the gods?"
It could have been something completely different — if he asked his master, Orphen, or even Leticia, they might've told him more about it. Actually, Majic hadn't told anyone about the book.
Since he hadn't been doing anything in particular, he'd been reading it over the past couple of weeks, even though he'd taken it out of that house without permission.
Majic sighed — He was a blond-haired boy, not even fifteen yet. It wasn't that he had any link to aristocracy, but exceptions to the blond hair rule weren't unheard of. He was sitting on a deck chair on a covered terrace, wearing ordinary clothes that almost looked like pajamas. The black sorcerer's attire that he'd worn before he found himself wearing less and less — ostensibly because he felt self-conscious about being in the city if black magic, even if it wasn't like anyone had questioned him about it. Truth be told, the real reason he hadn't been wearing them was because he wasn't sure if he was qualified to imitate his master.
He thought his master might find that a little creepy but — Oh well.
Anyway, he turned his attention back to his book, feeling the warm sunshine from the pre-noon sky.
(Even so... What is this book? Both the letters and the sentences themselves are, well, strange...)
It wasn't easy to understand. The writing was a little broken, and rhetorial, and at times there were characters that he'd never seen before, which would flood several pages at a time. Grammar that didn't make the least bit of sense was also common. He wondered if it was some form of cryptography, but after reading it for the last two weeks, it didn't seem to be — it was similar, but a different language. This felt more accurate.
He could only read a few lines out of every few pages, but it seemed that the content of the book was some sort of record, possibly war record.
(No, that's it — War — It's definitely about war. I'm sure of it.)
Besides the parts that seemed to be commentary on the land itself, there were other words that stood out, such as "Transition" or "Disaster". What seemed to be used the most was — "Change."
Of course, since there were still many parts that he couldn't read, there might be more common words that he just wasn't recognizing. For the time being though, that seemed to be the extent of what he could understand.
(The author goes on and on about some kind of cataclysm or catastrophe that happened to this land — To Jötunheimr, perhaps...)
Majic muttered under his breath while flipping through the page.
(There's also things like the war... the Dragon race... and also human beings. And gods—?)
The dragon races departed.
As I look up, a swarm of unspeakable evil fills the sky—
It's no longer the gods who sit at the table to discuss who is to blame.
I had a small conversation, and the three sisters aren't even sisters any longer.
Their very existence is a testament to the dramatic changes in the system.
The system I once found is collapsing from this change.
A simple subtraction has shifted everything in such a decisive way.
This world is going to change, and I don't know where it will go.
The change is intensifying. That much is inevitable. The worst part of all is that it will continue to intensify forever..."
"............"
That was the longest part that he had been able to read. It was a prophecy of the end, like those found anywhere else on the continent — the demon king comes down from the sky, and the like — but something was different about the tone, that made it feel like it wasn't just some prophecy.
The author seemed to have written this during a time of ruin.
In this context there was no warning to repent, no instruction to stopping the ruin. The ruin had already happened, it'd already become a part of history.
Alternatively—
"It will continue to intensify forever—"
Majic read it over, then slammed the book closed.
(The author may still be in the midst of that ruin...)
At the end of every record in the book, the author's signature was signed. It was a complicated script, but it was written so. By Sweden Boli.
"Majiiiic — What are you doing?"
Then—
A voice called out from below the terrace, and Majic quickly lifted his head. As he got up from the chair and looked down, he saw a familiar girl with blonde hair standing in the courtyard.
It had been two weeks since they'd come here, but the mansion was so big that he still couldn't get used to it — If he'd ever wanted to have a house this size in Totokanta, he'd have to rob the central bank's large vault. It had forty-three rooms and two detached buildings — one building for the students, and another that was for storage. The garden wasn't very wide, but the courtyard was huge — it was as big as a school ground, and even the back yard was only half its size.
There was an artificial pond in the courtyard, and the girl was standing on the edge of that pond.
She was wearing some form of sportswear, with something that looked like a black puppy on her head, looking up at him. The puppy was the child of a Deep Dragon, who for some reason, was totally obsessed with her. She'd named him Leki. Maybe he had another name, the real name that his parents had given him, but he had no idea if he did.
There was also a boy with long black hair standing at her side — although he looked like a girl. He was also wearing something like athletic clothes. They made him look even skinnier.
(...Why is she with him?)
While wondering—
"Cleao!"
Majic called back. She continued to raise her voice.
"Come down here — Tifis wants to show us around the city while we go jogging."
Tifis — that is, the boy beside her was waving his hand. Majic pretended not to notice and ignored him.
Majic placed the book on the chair, and answered in a voice that said he didn't care very much about it.
"I'm good, and I've got an errand to run for Master, anyway—"
"Oh... Ok."
Cleao answered in a confused voice — perhaps she didn't think that she'd be turned down. As Majic looked down at her, feeling somewhat guilty, she continued.
"Well then, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back by noon."
"Ok..."
With a short answer, Majic withdrew from the handrail. He turned around and watched them leave the gate together, then closed his eyes against the sudden breeze—
He stood there for a while, not moving in the wind—
Once he opened his eyes again, he could no longer see Cleao and the others.
"Master—"
He asked from behind, and Orphen turned around. When he looked over, Majic was running over from the other side of the hallway. He was holding the small black book — recently he'd seen him with it often, but he had never told him what the book was — and when he came within a few steps, the boy stopped.
Huh? He wondered what he was doing, so he asked.
"That outfit... Are you going somewhere?"
It wasn't his outfit that he was referring to — Orphen was dressed in his regular clothes. It was Leticia, who was walking with him, that Majic was concerned about.
"This?"
Leticia made a playful gesture while stroking her clothes.
"It's formal wear for the Tower. I'm going to the Tower for now. I was just going to call you. Won't you come with me?"
What she was wearing was the testimony to being a senior sorcerer at the Tower of Fang — a black robe. Not designed for combat, but rather a ceremonial robe that used fairly expensive materials. It looked and felt glossy, just like Leticia's hair. Pinned on her collar was a pin of a dragon crest, in the same shape as Orphen's pendant. Of course, the actual dragon pendant was also hanging around her neck.
"Huh..."
He looked up at the taller woman and paused for a moment, then snapped back to reality and remembered why he was there. He spoke up rather quickly.
"O—Oh right, Master — Cleao went out for a while."
"Huh. Alone?"
When he heard it, Majic responded with a quick glance at Leticia.
"No... She went with Tifis."
Majic's eyes showed that the question had been somewhat anticipated, but Orphen didn't pay it much mind. To tell the truth—
"T—That Tifis!"
Suddenly, Leticia shouted — snapping her finger with a mortified groan.
"Today he was supposed to bring a report to the Tower! He must've remembered and ran away!"
"Were you imposing that task on him...?"
Orphen side eyed her, while she waved her hands in defense.
"The report covers confirmations about some junk from the Tower, which disappeared three years ago!"
"... Confirmations?"
He didn't understand the meaning, but he listened to the answer anyway.
"So, in the old days, some idiot researcher broke in on accident, but the elders were reluctant to admit to it. Because it was originally managed by the aristocracy. So, three years later, it became the property of the Tower, and they've finally acknowledged it."
"Well... That's good."
"For something like this, you need a signature from twelve members of the highest part of the Executive Department. Besides, I don't know where the submissions go — I'm sure we'll be bouncing back and forth between twenty different departments. Now they're gonna want me to do this!?"
"Hey! You don't need to ring my neck!"
Orphen shouted back, grabbing Leticia's hands.
"Let's go with you to the Tower for now — but if it's such a bother, why don't you just quit, you lazy worker!"
He emphatically shouted.
Then — As he shouted, Leticia stopped for a moment.
She turned towards him in a single instant.
"That's easy for you to say..."
While she answered, she leaned in with a pale face.
"The house that you're sleeping in, and the food that you're eating without regard, is all bought with the money that I've earned from that leisurely job."
"Huh. Have you become a money-grubber while I've been away?"
Orphen replied, trying to stare up at her from below. Leticia gave a creepy laugh. Orphen watched the tight marks of anger appear on her temple.
"Don't be cute — You used to come crying to me when a bully shoved a severed lizard's tail up your nose."
"But, that bully was blaming me for someone throwing frog eggs on his sister at her birthday party."
"It's not my fault, nor my responsibility that that pervert held a grudge. I wonder if your cynacism is the result of your education, trying to accuse me like that. You're going to give me a heart attack."
"Careful now, if you faint you might fall and crack open the back of your skull — and if you fall face first you're going to land on your face, break your nose, and tear up that pretty skin."
"Fufufufufu..."
"Hehehehehehe..."
"Um..."
Majic interrupted from the side. He turned pale, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"I don't think there's any point in fighting..."
"............"
"............"
After being reprimanded, Orphen turned to face Leticia. For a moment, they both faced off again, just like they had been a moment ago—
And at the same time, their expressions eased.
"Well... There's no point in hitting you."
"But really, I do appreciate you taking care of me, Tish."
The two smiled at the same time, and beside them, Majic gave a sigh of relief. Then he, too, smiled.
"Hey, as the arbitrator, you're obligated to go submit the appropriate documents, Majic."
"Thanks, Majic."
"... You guys are like obnoxious siblings, aren't you...?"
Majic groaned with a sigh of resignation.
"Fufufu..."
When he watched the three people leave the mansion from behind, he laughed — fearlessly swinging his shoulder.
"Those fools. How could they forget my presence, and surrender the castle."
Behind the pillar, his fur cloak wasn't completely hidden — nor his shabby black hair —or the sheath of the ragged old scabbard — Anyway, he ran his hand beneath his chin.
"They'll be shocked when they come back. Then they'll regret letting their guard down and overlooking the greatest hardship of all... The wheels are turning, brother."
"Big brother... Maybe you're just feeling lonely, because you haven't had much company lately..."
"............"
But he had no intention of answering the voice behind him. He just kept smiling.
The voice behind him continued, not near as excited.
"Even when you threw a spider into the black sorcerer's room, I don't think he noticed."
"............"
"Aren't you in a slump? You should rest for a while. Maybe even for a long time."
"Returning POWs is an obligation at the end of war, regardless of whether it's a win or a loss! Let's return Nora."
Without replying to the voice, Vulcan stubbornly persisted with his unmovable expression — but sneakily, he sighed.
