[V9C2] The Overlooked ‘Fourth’
Translated by Jodas 9: Battle for the TowerJulius increased the strength of the tiny flame on his finger. The staircase proceeded quite deep down into the earth. He had a feeling it would not be pretty if he tripped and fell here, so he descended the staircase with great care.
Once he reached the bottom of the staircase, he faced a long corridor. There looked to be branching paths further in, and a slight breeze clearly blew through the air.
(If I had to bet, I should probably try heading… Beneath the Mana Forge in the Third Spire: Water Bubble’s Management office.)
The Mana Forge in the Management Office was a handy machine that allowed one to imbue mana into metals without requiring a mage who specialized in imbuement magic. On top of that, it could make even more potent imbuements than an imbuement mage could do alone.
However, not only was it incredibly difficult to use, it required extracting mana from an area with high mana density. That part was a tall order.
By draining mana from an area with high mana density, that would mean making an enemy of the magical beings that lived in that area to start with: the dragons and spirits.
Also, since the Mana Forge itself contained a powerful mana signature, it also had the tendency to attract those magical beings all on its own.
In short, it put you in danger of attacks from magical beings like dragons and spirits for several reasons.
However, since the Ihrsen Autonomous Territory on the Eastern edge of the Empire was close to the territory of Monsters, there were relatively few dragons around. That held true for the Wedge Tower.
As a consequence, it had the advantage of being comparatively easy to set up Mana Forges relative to other regions.
One of the major income sources for the Wedge Tower were the magical devices and materials to produce such devices made using this Mana Forge.
(The problem is: Where does the mana for the Mana Forge come from?)
With respect to that question, Julius had one hypothesis.
Underneath the Wedge Tower, there was something with high mana density. Could that something be the reason why Samuel was exiled— the Wedge Tower’s secret?
As expected, he could feel the mana density gradually increasing. If an ordinary person with low mana capacity wandered in here, it wouldn’t be strange for them to suffer the effects of mana poisoning.
(I say that, but… even I can’t stay here for long.)
This mana density was abnormal, and the necessary precautions to keep that from leaking through to the surface were no simple task.
As he thought, there had to be something important down here.
The problem that the late Samuel Löwenich had left Julius on his deathbed:
“The Wedge Tower’s… fourth…”
The answer to that mystery lied before him.
Taking care to memorize all of the branching paths he came across, Julius walked through the corridor.
He figured those branching paths probably led to other exits. At the very least, there had to be a connection beneath the First Spire: White Smoke.
(…I bet the Headmaster and the others use that entrance to come in and out of this underground area.)
Eventually, his light illuminated a metal door ahead of him.
A complex lock and a sealing formula. Opening this door would not be a straightforward task.
The moment Julius brought the flame up to the door to inspect the sealing formula…
“Is someone there?”
A voice came from the other side of the door. The voice of a quiet and unflustered young girl.
Julius was at a loss.
For instance, if there was someone trapped on the other side of this door, then wouldn’t they either be afraid that someone scary had come to see them, or filled with hope that someone had come to rescue them?
Yet the voice he heard on the other side of the door seemed unnaturally calm.
As if she was the master of this house.
“……”
Julius felt conflicted on how to respond. He had no idea who this girl was, and he wanted to hide as much about himself as possible.
“Could it be, Tia? Have you come to see me?”
That calm voice from earlier suddenly changed, sounding much more like an ecstatic little girl.
(What does that mean? Does she know Tia?)
Sevil had said that the reason she and her crew were investigating the underground was because Sevil wanted to learn the Headmaster’s weaknesses in order to take control of the Wedge Tower… But it seemed that it was really Tia who had an interest in this.
After coming all this way, he wanted to collect as much information as he could. Julius steeled himself and opened his mouth.
“…You’re acquaintances with Tia?”
“Oh my, I’m glad. You know Tia, don’t you? Is my cute little birdie doing well? I hope she’s still singing her lovely songs.”
The voice was carefree, without any hostility. That made it sound all the more creepy, given the situation.
“Who are you? What’s your name? Is Headmaster Möbius keeping you trapped in here? What’s your relationship with Tia?”
“Oh my, you sure ask a lot of questions.”
He didn’t like where this was going. If she had said ‘I’m being trapped by some bad adults. Get me out of here!’ he could understand. But he didn’t feel that sort of urgency from this girl at all.
Julius inhaled deeply, then asked.
“Then I will only ask you one question. Do you know Samuel Löwenich?”
“Oh my! You’re friends with Samuel? What a nostalgic name.”
His heart started to beat faster. Most likely, he was getting close to the truth behind Samuel’s exile.
This girl held the key.
“I can tell from your voice. You love Samuel, don’t you…I see.”
He felt a presence approaching from the other side of the door. Somehow, he had a feeling that the girl was leaning against the door.
The girl whispered in a sing-song voice.
“Samuel… He was kind but unkind; not good or evil but somewhere in the middle. I’m sure you are the reason why he ended up so half-baked.”
For a second, he felt as if a knife had been stabbed through his heart.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
His voice wavered as he asked. It became harder for him to breathe.
“The most evil mage Samuel had a son. A talented, adorable little son. That was why… Samuel projected his feelings for his son on a little girl of a similar age. He couldn’t ignore a pitiable little girl like me.”
At that point, he heard a loud ‘Crack!’ Along with it, pain ran through the back of his head. Lightning magic.
“Gyah!… Ah…ah…”
Julius collapsed face-first on the ground. As he did, something drifted down next to his face.
A doll. In the form of a girl with fluffy chestnut hair wearing a hat. In its hands was a bouquet of intricate metal flowers.
That bouquet itself was a magical device.
The doll slid across the ground, headed for its master.
“Ah, oh no oh no, what do I do…? To think Julius would sneak all the way here… What do I do…?”
Lifting the doll off of the ground was a disheveled middle-aged man with a concerned face— Armster.
Only now did Julius realize his own foolishness.
When Julius was outside the cabin, Armster had said:
“Ah, the oil… Aw, I’m so sorry dear, I’ll get you a pretty new change of clothes.”
After hearing that, Julius had snuck into the room.
But none of the dolls on the table had oil stains on them, did they? There were no signs of oil spilling, nor any dolls with their clothes removed.
That muttering was a trap meant to lure Julius in.
Armster held the doll out in front of Julius. The artificial bouquet glowed, and lightning struck Julius.
As he convulsed on the ground, Julius thought to gather whatever information he could.
Before him stood a metal door. Illuminated by the lightning, he could see the sealing formula engraved on it.
(The seal on this door isn’t Modern Magecraft or a magical device at all.)
This was Classical Magecraft, like Roswitha used. A technique from the Old Era.
Then, as if struck by a revelation, another thought emerged in Julius’ mind.
White Smoke, Golden Needle, and Water Bubble all referred to inclusions in crystals. Then there was the fourth: The Garden.
He had assumed that this was the answer to the question Samuel gave him: “The Wedge Tower’s… fourth…”
(But, what if that’s not all there is to it?)
The questions Samuel gave him often had a second layer to them. Even after he thought he found the answer, if he stepped back for a second and thought about it a little more, he would see a second answer beneath.
(The Wedge Tower’s fourth… Right, Samuel was appointed as Spiremaster at the same time as the Saint came.)
He had made a tremendous oversight.
That meant, the ‘fourth’ that Samuel was referring to was…