384 - Mercenaries of the Tower 4

384 - Mercenaries of the Tower 4

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/Week Mon-fri

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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The journey back proved far more challenging than clearing out the sudden influx of centaurs. Traversing the plains and entering the 50th floor's mountainous terrain to reach the archipelago was an arduous task. The gate connecting the 50th and 51st floors lay outside the archipelago, forcing hundreds to crowd onto that narrow path to cross over.

Upon reaching the archipelago, we were greeted by harpies soaring through the sky and stone dwarves scurrying about on the ground. The tension was palpable, like cats with their hackles raised.

At the sound of flapping wings, the mercenaries and knights stiffened, instinctively reaching for their weapons. Their faces hardened with tension, exuding a murderous aura. I realized this was how people accustomed to monster waves would react upon seeing a city of different races.

The silver lining was that stone dwarves mingled with human workers, and the flying harpies were red harpies - the imperial nobility. Unlike black harpies with only human heads, red harpies wore clothing and could speak, making them somewhat more acceptable as a different race.

"Huh, so the rumors about a city of different races in the tower were true."

"And here I thought those mercenary bastards were spouting drunken nonsense."

The harpies' striking appearance likely helped ease the wariness. The mercenary group, full of burly men, began openly craning their necks upward as they walked. Even the caravan workers were busy swiveling their heads, following the scantily-clad harpies.

Despite being the harpies' archipelago on the 50th floor, there were so many human caravans passing through that we could sightsee without issue.

"Thanks to you heroes, we made it here without any casualties."

"What a peculiar experience this has been. I wonder when we'll ever return to the Empire..."

"If you ever visit the western Empire, I'll be sure to treat you to a meal!"

And so we faced the gate on the 50th floor. Everyone looked grim at the news that beyond the gate lay a kingdom city, and from there they'd have to head north to cross into the Empire. ...Except for the grinning mage, thrilled at the prospect of monopolizing research opportunities.

The mercenaries faced a near continent-wide trek from the kingdom to the Empire. The caravan couldn't visit contracted cities within the set timeframe. The handful of knights and soldiers caught up in this at the checkpoint needed proof they weren't deserting en masse.

Come to think of it, the knights and soldiers roped in at the checkpoint had it worst. They might get tangled up in accusations of armed mass desertion if they weren't careful.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We should head outside the tower and ask Sebastian for help. We can't just leave the mansion on the 50th floor empty."

"Ah, right. That's true."

As the sacrificial lambs swallowed by the magic tower disappeared through the gate, Han Se-ah stretched contentedly. She must have felt liberated after being hounded by mages throughout the journey.

However, there was something neither she, nor the viewers, nor I had anticipated—

"Hero! The tower, the tower has started swallowing innocent people!"

"We heard people from the Empire were swallowed! Do you know the conditions?"

The tower swallowing people posed a far bigger problem than we'd realized.

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Raei Translations

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"His Highness the Prince's..."

"From the magic tower—"

"The temple's saint...!"

Was the third princess, the kingdom's precious flower beloved by citizens below and the Goddess above, the only valuable person?

There was also the first prince who'd inherit the throne and the second prince honing his swordsmanship. Katie's father who oversaw the vast north was there, as were the great lords controlling vast territories across the kingdom. The temple feared their saints or holy men might fall victim to the Demon King's malice, and even the merchant guild masters, who wielded financial rather than political power, had started trembling after hearing the news.

Their desperate gazes naturally turned to the hero chosen by the Goddess,

"No, this is such a big deal... I know it is! I get it, okay! But why put so much pressure on a player, it's not a quest!"

-You'd be shitting bricks too if you could wake up abandoned in the tower lol

-Waaaaaah hero-nim, please solve it for uuuus

-Teacher looks worn out too, wanna escape into the tower?

-Just stay holed up in the tower, everyone comes looking when you strut around in the city lol

-Forget quests, isn't this basically telling us to speed run to the 55th floor?

And me, Roland, the wielder of the holy sword.

I never imagined that building connections with nobles to earn gold would backfire like this. Seeing the troubled maid Emma pulling a small cart of what she claimed were letters for me, I felt a headache coming on.

The contents of the letters were quite varied. There were young ladies anxious about the tower's story, people using the tower as an excuse to reminisce about the past or trying to reestablish connections with the hero's party, and plenty of nobles who dismissed the kidnappings as rumors, believing they wouldn't be in danger.

Of course, there were too many letters filling an entire handcart to read them all, so I only picked a few from the top. But the rest probably contained similar content.

"For now, let's head into the tower. From what I heard at the guild, it seems people only appeared around us, so we need to assess the situation accurately."

"Yes, that sounds good. We can't dawdle while people are panicking."

"Right. This time they appeared near us, but... if someone gets dragged to a floor above 52, they'll die for sure."

My companions, who had briefly stayed at the mansion to ask Sebastian and Emma about managing the estate, were equally caught in the storm of worry and rumors.

As the wielder of the holy sword, I received enough letters to fill a handcart, but Irene, the saint candidate, and Katie, the Northern Duke's second daughter, must have been hassled just as much. The only one relatively unscathed was Grace from the rural village, but even she wasn't spared.

Given her less imposing background compared to the other party members, mid-tier nobles had been circling the mansion, clinging to Grace's pants leg, begging for just one meeting.

So, feeling a strange mental fatigue, we headed toward the 50th floor of the tower, almost as if fleeing.

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