Chapter 289 - Carnival...? (2)
Most of the citizens were asleep in the dead of night.
In the sealed Hall located in the upper section of the fortress, temporarily emptied of all servants, a small banquet was held.
"For today, and for all of you who work so hard in managing the territory! I have procured special ingredients. They won't taste good if they cool down, so please, do not hesitate, eat to your heart's content!"
The lord of the territory, dressed up to the fullest, courteously urged them to dine.
The dining table was filled with rare and exquisite dishes.
It was none other than the lord's own knights who acted as servers. Pretending disinterest, pretending dignity, the mages of the Magic Tower merely glanced at the dishes, but soon they stealthily picked up their utensils.
"Hahaha, looks like you went even further than last time. The aroma, and the plating too, flawless. It almost feels like a waste to eat them."
"But food is still food. Now, don't just look, please, eat."
Ezra and Molly, dispatched from the Magic Tower, were the first to taste.
Only then did the other attendees, the heads of the two Magic Tower branches, also begin their meal in turn.
It was a dark day shrouded in thick clouds.
The food was full of oiliness, saltiness, sourness, sweetness, and savoriness, stimulating for a midnight snack, yet impossible to stop midway.
Chomp, chomp.
Gulp, gulp.
They savored endlessly.
The most popular dish was one made of rats.
Even fully grown, they were no bigger than two joints of a finger.
Kept in cramped spaces, fed only high-sugar fruits for an entire month, then soaked in premium brandy for half a day to erase the stench while infusing a heavy sweetness.
Afterwards, the tails were removed, the bodies trimmed, and baked in an oven.
From organs, muscles, and fat, concentrated juices burst forth.
The more one chewed, the deeper the flavor became, and since the bones of such specimens were tender, they could be eaten cleanly without hassle.
In terms of flavor and convenience, it was a delicacy.
But opinions were starkly divided.
First, because rats—creatures despised by the upper class—were used as ingredients. Second, because the breeding process itself was extremely cruel.
No matter how delicious, no matter how cleanly prepared, eating a rat whole, an animal known to spread all manner of disease... such a practice could hardly be seen favorably in public.
Though not outright banned, even the Church of Luas did not look kindly on such merciless husbandry.
And if one openly spoke too much about enjoying such a dish, it was easy to gain infamy as having vulgar, gluttonous tastes.
But here, no eyes of the world could reach.
"Mmm, mmm! Delicious, truly delicious!"
"This, this could become addictive...!"
Empty bowls were replaced, steaming dishes were served again.
Voices were quiet. Mouths closed, they chewed.
Even as they ravenously indulged in cruel food, they adhered strictly to table etiquette, maintaining appearances above all.
The Magic Tower was founded for the sake of magic.
But those gathered here were addicted not to magic, but to the Magic Tower itself. They clung only to its name and reputation, while the sordid selves they had become through it no longer mattered.
And none among them felt shame for that fact. Perhaps, they no longer even knew it was something to be ashamed of.
The atmosphere ripened in this feast of flavor.
When their bellies were nearly full, the lord of the territory cautiously spoke.
"The time is drawing near to face the king of the underworld. A lowly criminal he may be, but still a figure of some weight, and I find myself nervous despite it all. It seems I am still immature."
The lord confessed his worry.
To be frank, he was less concerned with Roafra, and more with the possibility of the Bohemirn Magic Tower standing behind him.
Here, with the heads of two Magic Tower branches present, he had to receive a definitive answer. Questions of responsibility had to be resolved until the very end, if one wished to avoid future troubles.
Molly chuckled faintly, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.
"Ha, as I've said many times, you worry far too much. Even if the man does have some talent, it is meaningless. We are of the Magic Tower. No matter how high an individual may soar, in the end, he is still just an individual."
"Even if he is a pawn of the Bohemirn Magic Tower, it makes no difference. In fact, that would be better. It will cost some money, but we can simply hire them to handle the matter. Among them, Kendras would be the best suited."
Ezra added to her words.
The branch heads of the Magic Tower and their close aides nodded in agreement.
Beneath the table, the lord of the territory fidgeted with his fingers.
"But if not...."
If he had not been dispatched by the Bohemirn Magic Tower... then what would they do?
The answer was simple.
"Then we kill him anyway. Since he dared pry into the affairs of the lord of the territory, we would have more than enough reason. And in doing so, we'd be eliminating society's trash from the world, two birds with one stone, would we not? Whatever the case, we will take responsibility. Unless there is, perhaps, some other problem?"
"No, none at all."
The lord smiled and shook his head.
They would take responsibility.
He had heard the answer he sought.
'Yes, with words that firm, the Magic Tower will handle it themselves.'
And all he had to do was cooperate when needed. For the sake of his own safety, it was wise to follow the strong.
Thus, the main course ended.
Rising from his seat, the lord introduced the dessert.
"Next, we have sweets procured from the confederated city-states of Kailiens. Thanks to all of you for subjugating the demi-humans, I was able to barely bring these in. I dare say, they are more than fitting to brighten the finale of tonight."
Clap, clap.
He clapped twice.
Soon, Knight Rentiha was supposed to personally wheel in the dessert cart.
...
But strangely, it was quiet.
'What is this? Did he not hear?'
That seemed to be the case.
Clearing his throat softly, he clapped again. Only then did the door open.
Creak...
The sound of wheels grew nearer.
From the entrance, the cart carrying dessert came into view.
"...Huh?"
There was no attendant.
The one who should have been there, Rentiha, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, dark crimson liquid was smeared thickly near the handle.
Like a bloodstain.
And then, heavy footsteps approached.
From behind the cart, a strange man in a metal mask came to a stop. At the unforeseen sight, the lord's face was overtaken by bewilderment.
"What is this...."
"An unfamiliar face, is he a newly hired knight?"
"N-no, I have never seen this man before."
He denied firmly.
Then, the masked man turned his head.
From within the mask, a pair of glowing eyes flared sharply.
"Lord of the territory, the branch of the Larrian Magic Tower, and the branch of the Magic Tower on the Volcanic Island."
His targets were all gathered in one place.
Leaning forward, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"...!"
"What is the meaning of this...!!"
At the sudden killing intent, Ezra and Molly reacted instantly.
Activating their Mana Circuits, they pulled out their staffs, computing the proper spells for the situation in their minds.
Fangs of flame and claws of earth rushed forth.
It was a fitting response.
This was the caliber of those formally trained by the Magic Tower.
Computation speed, judgment, refined magic power—they were altogether on another level compared to ordinary mages of the same tier.
Ezra and Molly were such beings.
But the opponent was not favorable.
And the distance was far too close.
His weight pressed entirely on the forward foot.
The man, Adrian, twisted his waist and drew his blade.
The art, Yeongwang.
A fierce flash of swordlight burst forth.
***
The lord of the territory provided convenience to the Magic Tower, and in return, the Magic Tower sheltered the lord.
A collusive relationship forged through mutual exchange. Thanks to it, the lord's fortress was protected by a magic circle, making entry from the skies impossible.
The only open path was the main gate.
But to descend back to the ground and waste time on detours was unthinkable. There was no time to secure permission from the guards.
Thus, only one answer remained.
'A direct breakthrough.'
Quadra Casting.
A square formation of earthen spears struck the target.
Waves spread from each point, overlapping to concentrate the impact, while Verden, cloaked in a shroud of gravity, charged straight through and shattered the barrier.
He entered the fortress without harm.
A commotion should have arisen, yet the surroundings were quiet.
When he cast his gaze downward, on the open corridor outside he saw corpses and bloodstains. The traces led deeper into the fortress.
'As expected.'
Someone with killing intent had infiltrated.
Judging by the direction in which the bodies had fallen, the intruder's destination was the central area.
There was no time to use mana detection.
Kwaaang! Kwang! Kwaaang!
Verden pierced through the walls in a straight line.
After breaking through four or so, at the pungent scent that strongly wafted out, he immediately tore down the ceiling.
Ascending upward, a small assembly hall adorned with lavish decorations came into view.
"...Already too late?"
Tableware, half broken.
On the dining table, leftover food scattered in disarray, and on the floor and walls, traces of magic and blood splattered.
Corpses of mages with their skulls split open, or necks severed, or bodies cleaved in half, were sunk in pools of blood.
Yet, something was strange.
The number of chairs did not match the number of corpses.
One was missing.
'Kidnapped?'
The one gone was likely the lord of the territory.
The reason must have been to find those hostile to the Bohemirn Magic Tower.
The blood was just beginning to clot.
The corpses had yet to enter rigor mortis. Meaning, it was possible the target had not yet escaped this city.
A split-second judgment.
Verden focused his mind.
He used Arcane to maximize performance.
Mana stretched out stealthily, in an instant leaving the fortress and blanketing the city. While absorbing a vast influx of information, he pursued the target unwaveringly.
The detection range touched the city's edge.
But the lord's whereabouts could not be found.
Either he had escaped the city in a short span, or he possessed concealment-type magical items surpassing Verden's detection ability...
It had to be one of the two.
Expanding the range further would be burdensome.
Exercising restraint, Verden gradually stilled his mana. Breathing out a heated breath, he clicked his tongue.
'Bolder than I imagined.'
To think they would set the city aflame to divert attention, then strike the lord by surprise.
And the mages who had died here, judging from the magical items they wore, seemed to be the heads of the two Magic Tower branches.
'It is certain, they were external forces hired by the Bohemirn Tower Master.'
Yet he had no inkling who they were.
Judging from the wounds, all had died instantly in a single blow.
Every one of them was at least third-tier or fourth-tier mages, trained in the Magic Tower.
There were traces they had resisted, but to no effect.
'The culprit is a swordsman.'
A swordsman who could fell many in one strike of sword aura, with a sword speed so fast even Magic Tower mages could hardly respond.
From the traces alone, he was no ordinary warrior.
That was all he could deduce here.
But it was too early to be disappointed.
Clues still remained in this city.
Just moments ago, when he spread mana throughout the Midros territory.
He had detected two figures with peculiar appearances... dressed in eerie clown garb. To be precise, he had sensed their mana.
They were secretly employing some kind of magic.
Too suspicious, too conspicuous to simply ignore. As a Quasi-Transcendent, Verden was endlessly sensitive to mana.
'Were they the ones who set the fires?'
The two were located in the west and north respectively.
Quite far apart, but it did not matter.
For Verden, the distance was short, and he had no intention of letting them go.
First, he would secure the nearest one.
Verden moved once more.
***
The eastern district of the territory was blazing.
If one listened carefully, faintly audible were panicked screams and cries of agony. Even the desperate shouts of people trying to douse the flames.
The clown, Devoni, wore a beaming grin.
"Ohlalala! Success, a great success! Well done, Mashi!"
The citizens' reactions, the bright yellow glow in the distance, the fragrant smell of burning.
From experience, even without looking directly, he could infer how things were unfolding. The massacre, held after so long, was proceeding too smoothly.
"As expected, this method works best."
Devoni and Mashi were black mages.
Clowns wielding curses that interfered with the mind.
In truth, at their level, causing such a disaster would have been impossible, but they had special tools.
Called
A pair of worn-out staffs, forming a rare magic item set.
Each carried the ability to spread the same curse to those around a cursed target.
Up to second-tier curse magic.
Though classified as low-tier, it was enough to trigger catastrophe.
The willpower of paupers, who lived like mayflies, was endlessly frail.
Piercing through their meager resistance to plant curses was no difficult task. And those infected in turn were the same.
Thus, by guiding the thoughts of the cursed audience, they set their plan in motion.
Secretly stealing oil drums, hiding them in large buildings, and sending the cursed into fire-prone structures to burn themselves alive.
Quite literally, using human torches for a massacre warm enough to drive away the cold.
But this was not the end.
One more festival of the same kind remained. The northern district where Devoni stood was the highlight of this dawn.
"I can't wait! I just can't wait!!"
When the appointed time arrived, a tragedy would unfold around him.
Though smaller in scale than the slums' blaze, casualties would be significant. Hopefully, it would be children screaming rather than parents.
His body trembled with fierce excitement.
Unable to endure, Devoni raised his staff high.
"Captain, though you cannot see, please watch! With my own hands! With my own hands, I shall bring forth the greatest carnival───!"
In that instant.
Kwoooom!
Suddenly, part of a building collapsed.
Caught off guard by the thunderous crash, Devoni staggered, blinking blankly.
Thick dust obscured his vision.
From within it, a metal staff adorned with golden crystals surged forward.
"Huh?"
───Splat!
With a dull impact, Devoni's head snapped backward.
In a single strike, his nose was caved in, and half his yellow teeth shattered. His clown makeup instantly drenched in blood.
Consciousness was blown away at once.
Unable to even scream, the back of Devoni's head slammed hard into the ground.
Of course, he did not die.
Though the surface wounds looked severe, he was still breathing. Death had not yet been permitted to him.
From the dust, Verden revealed himself.
With a simple manipulation of terrain, he thoroughly restrained the clown before him.
'Now, only one remains.'
He turned his head to the side.
Verden's blue eyes fixed upon the east of the territory.
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