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[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 50: Savior of the Magic Tower
"David Gilmore... Yes, of course, I remember him."
Professor Agnes nodded as if recalling a painful memory.
For a moment, she seemed lost in thought, then suddenly looked up at Hamel as if realizing something.
"Come to think of it, your name is also..."
"Yes."
Hamel nodded.
He had visited the Magic Tower in the first place to obtain information about David.
Agnes muttered with a self-deprecating laugh,
"If it weren't for that David, you wouldn't be here either. Should I be grateful for that?"
"I don't know."
"If you weren't here, the Magic Tower would probably be..."
"..."
Hamel couldn't bring himself to say that the Magic Tower would have been safe, even if it were just empty words.
Because the Magic Tower had been in real danger this time.
A week had already passed since the incident.
The missing students were all found dead.
And above all...
"The Tower Master is gone."
The death of the Archmage, the Tower Master, was confirmed.
He was found, absurdly, in the closet of his room, wrapped in a cocoon.
His death, the master of the Magic Tower and an Archmage, shocked everyone.
It was only natural, as one of the three major powers was shaken by the trickery of an unknown demon.
The professors, realizing they had been played, collectively panicked.
Currently, the Magic Tower was busy dealing with the aftermath.
If it weren't for Vice-principal Agnes taking the lead and rallying everyone, the Magic Tower's recovery would have been difficult.
Of course, the situation still wasn't easy, but one thing was certain.
"We're all alive thanks to you, Priest."
Agnes's clear gaze met Hamel's.
A gaze filled with sincerity.
Meeting her eyes, Hamel averted his gaze, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"It was nothing."
Lately, it seemed like he was often experiencing emotions he had never felt before.
A ticklish, warm feeling.
But also a sense of his heart swelling.
If he had to name it, perhaps it was elation.
Agnes's eyes widened, surprised by Hamel's reaction.
Then, her momentarily tired expression softened, and she smiled.
"You're cuter than you look, Priest."
"...Excuse me?"
Hamel, momentarily doubting his ears, asked blankly.
Agnes chuckled and shook her head.
"It's nothing. Rather, let's talk about David. Fortunately, I think I can give you some information about him."
"Really?"
"Yes, our Magic Tower was also chasing him, as he had broken a taboo and escaped."
Hamel's eyes changed at the unfamiliar story.
"Taboo..."
"He was researching chimeras. Of course, chimera research itself is not taboo. However..."
Agnes continued, her expression curious,
as if she were testing Hamel.
"In the direction of reviving the dead."
"..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Hamel nodded.
Resurrection.
It was a forbidden study, not only in the order but also in the Empire.
Not only did it fundamentally violate the laws of the world and the order's doctrines, but the research process inevitably involved all sorts of unethical experiments.
If David had dabbled in resurrection, it was only natural that he was being pursued by the Magic Tower and the order.
"Do you know anything about it?"
"This is the first time I'm hearing about it."
At Hamel's answer, Agnes shrugged her shoulders in disappointment.
Then she spread out a map and pointed at a red dot with her finger.
"This is the trail of the one who escaped from Heidern."
The red dots started from Heidern and went through Sorn, where the Rosel Forest was located,
Lonely Ridge at the entrance of Dekkan, and Sturnhelm, the heart of the north.
They were heading north one after another.
"The last sighting was a month ago in Sturnhelm. The pursuit team was defeated by him."
"By David?"
"Probably."
Judging from his actions so far, it wasn't just resurrection that was the problem.
Considering the incident at the Magic Tower, the group David belonged to was more dangerous than she had thought.
"Originally, we would have dispatched additional pursuers, but we simply don't have the manpower right now."
Agnes quietly placed a pouch on the table.
Clink!
Gold coins peeked through the loosely tied string, gleaming gold.
"I'd like to make a request. Please apprehend him. You may kill him if necessary. Upon success, we will give you five times the advance payment."
"That's not difficult. Alright."
Hamel turned his head and saw a girl leading a horse.
Black hair and black eyes.
Hamel greeted the familiar face.
"Miss Lena."
"Priest."
The girl with an expressionless face bowed her head.
For some reason, he hadn't seen her at all during the past week.
"What brings you here?"
Hamel tilted his head and asked her.
"I want to follow you."
Hamel faltered at the unexpected words.
What did she mean out of the blue?
Many questions came to mind, but after some thought, Hamel asked the most important one.
"Why?"
"Because I want to follow you?"
"It's dangerous."
Hamel shook his head and turned away.
Then she grabbed Hamel's sleeve and said calmly,
"Dragon language."
"...!"
Hamel flinched at the unexpected words and looked at her.
Did she know what she was talking about?
She continued, staring at Hamel,
"My specialty is ancient magic. And I specialize in the Words of Power, the origin of magic."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because there were traces of dragon language at the scene of the battle in the Magic Tower."
Hamel nodded as if to say, go on.
The girl in front of him was certain that he was a user of dragon language.
Just by noticing that, she had proven her ability.
Lena calmly laid out her guess.
"Judging from the traces, the dragon language seemed to be a type of earth tremor. It wasn't wrong, but it was incomplete. I can help you."
"..."
Hamel fell into thought.
He had been wondering if he could further develop the dragon language he had learned from helping Tarkasi, the master of the Rosel Forest.
Her offer was certainly attractive.
Although her motive for wanting to come along was bizarre, she wasn't incapable of taking care of herself.
There was no reason to refuse her company.
Hamel looked at Lena.
Her face was expressionless, but her fingertips, gripping his sleeve, were trembling slightly.
She seemed nervous.
Hamel asked her calmly,
"Can you ride a horse?"
Lena nodded nonchalantly and replied,
"Yes."
"Then it's settled."
At Hamel's answer, her expression brightened for a moment.
It was the first time he had seen something resembling a smile on her face.
Hamel felt a sense of Déjà vu.
Come to think of it, hadn't Antonio started his journey with him in a similar way?
‘Was this a mistake?’
Hamel shook his head, dispelling his worries.
He just had to make sure he didn't repeat the same mistake.
There was no need to dwell on the past.
Just as he was about to turn away, Hamel suddenly remembered something and looked back at Lena.
"By the way, what about the academy?"
"I graduated."
"...Not a leave of absence?"
"I already met all the graduation requirements. All I had to do was submit my thesis, so I wrote it in a week and submitted it."
"Then why didn't you do it before?"
"Because I would have had to get a job after graduation. I didn't want to."
"...I see."
He pondered her words for a moment, but it was a way of thinking that Hamel found difficult to understand.
Well, there were various ways people lived their lives.
Ono, who had been listening from the side, clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, these youngsters these days..."
Lena immediately tilted her head and asked,
"Who's this old man?"
"What? Haven't you been next to me this whole time! I even saved you in the forest!"
"I don't remember..."
"Ugh!"
Ono, realizing that he was only making himself look pathetic the more he argued, closed his mouth.
Daniel simply clicked his tongue, watching this.
Hamel nodded and mounted his horse.
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
The four travelers on horseback left the Magic Tower.
Their destination was Lonely Ridge, located at the entrance to Dekkan in the northern part of the Empire.
They rode towards the land where the snow had not yet melted.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]