Chapter 204: Episode 204

Episode 204

My eyes opened.

I didn’t want them to, but they opened anyway, just as they did every morning.

A clear, bright blue sky filled my vision, dotted with fluffy, drifting clouds.

But the last sky I’d seen had been different. It had been pitch-black and red.

’What have I done?’

’I destroyed Eve, and because of me, an entire world perished.’

’What on earth… am I?’

“Move it!”

Someone bumped my shoulder, shoving past me.

“What the hell are you doing, standing in the middle of the road…?”

I turned my head to look at the person mouthing off.

Strange. It wasn’t a person, but a cat. The talking cat met my eyes and flinched.

“W-whoa! Look at those eyes! That’s the kind of stare that could kill a man! Honestly, kids these days…”

The cat, which was wearing clothes, clicked its tongue and hurried away.

As my hearing returned along with my sight, the sound of people murmuring reached me from all directions.

I didn’t care. None of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was the sky.

“Who’s up front?”

“Don’t block the road, move!”

Annoyed voices rang in my ears. A few people bumped into me as they pushed past.

I staggered a few steps from the impacts, but then I lifted my head again and stared straight up at the sky.

“A full-on lunatic in the middle of the day.”

“Move it!”

It was strange.

Cats, dogs, foxes, wolves—all of them wore clothes and walked like people. It seemed to be a world where many different races lived together. Not that I cared.

Everyone who met my gaze flinched and hurried away. One woman even covered her child’s eyes and pulled him into her arms.

’Am I that bad?’

’Is my face really that scary?’

’I might not be handsome, but I’ve been told plenty of times that I have a decent, open face. Maybe I just look dangerous to children.’

’I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know why it should even matter.’

“Move! I said move! Hey, you! Got a death wish?”

From behind me came the clatter of hooves and the smell of dust. A carriage was coming.

“How dare you block the princess’s path! The nerve of this man!”

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, my apologies, Princess! There’s some madman on the road.”

“A madman?”

That was the gist of their conversation, but I still couldn’t bring myself to care.

’What is wrong with me…? It’s like I left my mind behind in that other world. Why am I acting like this?’

“Get out of the way! Before I have you run down!”

’…All this squawking is giving me a headache.’

Finally, I turned to look. In the carriage sat a coachman—a dog in a straw hat—and a young lady in a white dress, who was also a dog.

’Hilarious. Isn’t this supposed to be a world where all animals are equal? What about the rights of the horses pulling the carriage?’

“Gasp!”

“Ack!”

The moment our eyes met, they both recoiled in terror.

“An assassin! It must be an assassin from the Kiora Kingdom! Seize him at once!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

As armed guards approached, the crowd murmured and backed away.

I stared directly at the dog—no, the princess. The color drained from her face, leaving it as pale as paper.

“Wh-what are you looking at, you murderer!”

I remained silent.

’Strange. A sudden wave of fury is washing over me.’

“What did you just say?” I asked, turning to face them fully. “A murderer? Me?”

Slowly, I raised my right arm, aiming it at the princess.

’I wonder what would happen if I inscribed a Tauros on her face and detonated it a few times. I’m tempted to find out.’

“Aaaah! H-he’s doing something! Stop him, now!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I began to draw on my mana in earnest.

Thump.

Just then, a slender arm gently caught my wrist. The grip was perfect—not too strong, not too weak. It wasn’t a forceful restraint, but a gentle, coaxing touch, like one used to calm a petulant child. Drawn in by its gentleness, I found my arm slowly lowering.

“I had a feeling I should come looking for you. And just as I expected, you’re already the center of attention.”

The voice belonged to an old man, and it sounded familiar. I turned my head to see who had spoken.

“Come with me.”

Looking at the kind, smiling old man, I was overcome with emotion. I knew him.

“Anton…!”

Unable to contain myself, I threw my arms around him. Anton looked slightly taken aback, but his surprise quickly melted into a warm smile. “There, there,” he said, patting my back.

“Tower Master! Do you know this man?” the Canine tribe princess asked.

“Yes, he is a dear student of mine. I assure you, he meant no harm. For my sake, please forgive his discourtesy.”

“I-if the Tower Master says so…”

The guards retreated, and Anton spoke gently. “Let’s go. We have much to talk about.”

* * *

I walked through the streets with Anton, telling him what had happened.

—Tower Master! How could you ignore me like that?

’…S-sorry, Ea. I honestly didn’t hear you.’

I had to soothe a sulking Ea as well.

Anton watched my expressions shift and gave a knowing smile. He must have known I was conversing with my homunculus.

“Senior,” I began, “do you remember me? We met during the trial on the fourth floor.”

“I’m sorry, but this is our first meeting,” Anton said, stroking his beard. “The fourth-floor trial, you said? What you faced was likely a duplicate of myself, created by a spatial barrier.”

“Ah… then how did you know to look for me?”

“My homunculus’s detection magic sensed mana from another world, so I came to investigate. I figured it was about time you arrived.”

We passed through a garden and entered Anton’s magnificent mansion.

“Welcome home, Master.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Maids who were beastfolk—the kind you’d only see in anime or manga—bowed to greet us. They had animal ears, and tails swished from beneath their skirts. It was a sight that would make fans of the genre faint with delight.

“This way.”

We entered a room and took our seats, and a maid from the cat tribe poured us tea.

“Thank you,” I said.

The cat-like maid’s ears twitched. She gave a shy bow and then scurried away as if escaping.

“What are your impressions of Erendel?” Anton asked, taking a sip of his tea.

I glanced out the window before answering. “It’s completely different from the other worlds I’ve experienced. It seems like a very peaceful place.”

“This is the imperial capital, so of course it’s peaceful.”

“Ah, the capital. Is the Magic Tower here as well?”

“The Magic Tower is several thousand miles from here. This mansion is just a place I stay when I visit the capital.”

I nodded and took a sip of tea. It was unsweetened, the first I’d had in a long time. It had a slightly thick consistency that I liked.

“Like every world you’ve visited, Erendel isn’t invincible,” Anton continued. “Troubles, both large and small, are constantly brewing across the continent.”

“I see.”

He fell silent.

Anton quietly set down his teacup. “You look troubled. If you don’t mind confiding in an old man, would you tell me what happened?”

“…Alright.”

I told him everything. I told him about meeting Roist, Minerva, and Winslow. And I told him how, in Winslow’s world of Machinatio, I had played a part in its destruction. I had hesitated just before destroying Eve, but in the end, I couldn’t ignore the danger to my companions and went through with it. The result, as he could see, was the end of a world.

After listening intently, Anton nodded. “Don’t lose heart. You didn’t truly destroy a world.”

“R-really?”

“Explaining the principles of spacetime magic and the cosmos would take over a week, so I’ll give you the short version. Every world you have seen and experienced…” Anton’s expression grew serious as he steepled his fingers. “Has already been destroyed.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the gravity of his words. ’If that’s true, then this place, with Anton…’

“No matter what a being who has twisted space and time does within that world, its destruction is already a fact. The outcome is an irreversible fate, a matter of cause and effect.”

I remained silent.

“In fact, witnessing a world’s end firsthand could be considered a blessing for you. You must have learned a great deal, no?”

I nodded.

Ankor de Antirs fell because of Tower Master Roist’s dogmatism.

Sorata fell because of humanity’s internal strife, the price of ignoring the calamities unfolding elsewhere.

Machinatio fell because its advanced technology allowed humanity to become decadent, steeped in peace and hedonism.

A world could collapse over the smallest of things.

“There’s one question that runs through all of this,” I said.

“And what is that?”

“What exactly is the Magic Tower?”

Earth and Erendel weren’t the first. I understood that the Calamity sought to destroy worlds across the universe. But the Magic Tower and a Tower Master were always there. Could that really be a coincidence?

“We’ll have to get to more fundamental matters, then,” Anton said, opening a package of cookies that sat beside the tea. “The Calamity is still a mystery. Even we Tower Masters, across many generations, haven’t fully unraveled it. We call it the Will. Whether it’s a law of the universe or the machination of creators, we don’t know, but the Calamity seeks to destroy planets that have reached a certain lifespan, eventually erasing them from the universe.”

Anton’s blue eyes shone with an ethereal light as he looked at me. “What do you think mana is?”

“…Well, I’m not sure. A source for using magic?”

“Mana is the power of creation. Originally, it didn’t exist in any world. But at a certain point, when a planet reaches a certain age, this phenomenon called mana appears. That is the precursor.”

“…A precursor to what?”

“The precursor to the Calamity.”

Mana, Anton explained, is the power of creation and miracles that makes the unreal real, but it is also the cause of the Calamity. The ’Will’ uses mana as a raw material to build the system of Calamity that will destroy the world. Of course, as mana spreads, individuals who adapt quickly to it and awaken naturally appear.

Those are the players. They use the power of mana to grow stronger and sometimes even resonate with the Will.

“So that’s why the Calamity and superpowered individuals appeared at the same time.”

“Correct. To use an analogy from the human body, it’s like a virus appearing and white blood cells emerging to fight it. It’s a common occurrence in any ecosystem in this universe.” Anton slowly crossed his arms. “And you can think of the Magic Tower as a vaccine, introduced from the outside.”

“Ah…!”

’What a relief. At least the Magic Tower isn’t the cause of the Calamity.’

“When the Calamity destroys one world, it moves to a planet rich in mana to destroy the next,” Anton said. “At the same time, the Magic Tower also relocates to a world rich in mana.” He continued, “Mana is used to summon the Calamity, but its true nature is the power of creation. And those who handle the power of creation best are mages. As a Tower Master, it is your duty to strengthen this vaccine.”

“…I understand.” I held my head in my hands. “This is all getting so complicated. I knew a final calamity would come someday… but I never imagined the Magic Tower would have such a crucial role.”

At first, all I wanted to do was hole up in the Tower and live an easy life. Lately, I’d had more freedom to get involved in other things, but hearing this, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of responsibility.

“Don’t let it burden you too much,” Anton said, as if reading my mind. “You must not forget the lesson from the sixth Tower Master, Roist, whose world was destroyed because he tried to bear everything alone. A Tower Master doesn’t need to carry the entire burden, and in any case, it’s not something you can solve on your own.”

“I understand.”

Anton took a sip of tea and closed one eye. “In your world, how is magic being taught…?”

“I released it to the public through the most popular media available.”

“Hmm, is that so! Then you are doing very well. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

A lump formed in my throat. His simple words of affirmation—that I was doing well—warmed my heart more than he could know.

—He’s right, Tower Master. You are doing a wonderful job, Ea’s voice chimed in. She rarely spoke when I was talking with someone else. You’ve saved countless people and nations. To achieve so much in such a short time… I believe you are in no way inferior to the other Tower Masters.

’Thanks, Ea.’

I felt a little of the weight lift from my shoulders.

I continued to talk with Anton for a while after that. I had so many questions, and he answered each one clearly. The conversation was like a restorative tonic. My fractured mental state began to heal, and the guilt that had been prodding at me began to fade.

Then, a sudden sense of urgency hit me.

“Sunbae, I think I need to get back to Earth soon.” I had no idea what hardships the remaining Tower members might be facing. “If you don’t mind, please tell me the trial for Erendel.”

“Ah, right.” Anton stroked his beard, lost in thought. I swallowed hard, my body tense with anticipation as I waited for his next words.

The trials of the Tower Masters were all incredibly difficult. Roist had made me destroy three mountains teeming with millions of monsters simultaneously. Minerva had made me face the Calamity of the Flood that had already destroyed her world once. Winslow had made the trial killing his world’s final boss.

So what kind of trial would Anton devise? It wouldn’t be easy. The fourth-floor trial with him remained a terrifying memory; I had died at his hands twenty-one times.

“Alright, this will do,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

’Why is this so scary?’

The tension reached its peak. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.

“My trial for you… was to keep a lonely old man company.”

“…What?” For a moment, I was too stunned to comprehend his words.

“You don’t understand?” Anton smiled warmly. “Congratulations on clearing the sixth-floor trial of the Magic Tower.”

He placed a hand on my head, and knowledge flooded my mind. It was the same transmission magic the other Tower Masters had used. In an instant, the sixth-order ice spell, ’Frozen Aries,’ was settled in my mind.

“Wh-wha…? Is this really… okay?”

“I ask nothing of you. You’re a busy man. You should return to your world.”

“Sunbae!”

’Is this man an actual angel?’ I stared at Anton, my eyes welling up.

“Ah! And since you cleared the trial, you must receive a reward.”

“A reward?”

He rose from his seat. “Follow me, and don’t worry. I have something to give you.”

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