Chapter 36

“Relax your expression, Kairon.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Would you relax if you were me?”

“As long as the result is good, that’s all that matters, right?”

Abelin nodded as if it were no big deal.

***

“The demons are hiding.”

“Huh…?”

“What did you just say…?”

“I said there are demons hiding among us. Even among the Vanguard, some squad leaders were demons. Of course, this is classified, but it seems right to talk about it now.”

“Interesting. But what does that have to do with our Magic Tower?”

“Who knows? How can we be sure there aren’t demons hiding in the Rostia Magic Tower?”

“…?”

Abelin patted my back to drive the point home.

“We’ll take care of it. Kairon here will handle it personally!”

***

The Gatekeeper hesitated once more before opening the massive door of the Magic Tower.

He looked at us with a suspicious gaze, as if still unsure.

“Can I really trust you?”

“Of course. If we search the tower and don’t find a single hidden demon, we’ll leave immediately without any further business.”

“Your confidence is impressive. Our Rostia Magic Tower is filled with promising, passionate magicians and scholars. How exactly do you plan to find a demon among them…?”

The Gatekeeper pulled a rope hanging by the gate, sending a signal to the upper floors of the tower.

It meant that visitors who passed the test were being allowed in.

By the way, it’s my ability to find hidden demons, yet Abelin is the one showing off.

Finally, the massive door of the tower vibrated and opened.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

“…”

“Relax your expression, Kairon.”

“I don’t recall ever saying that demons are visible to the eye.”

“You didn’t have to say it. I saw your expression when you looked at Rajeing and the commander. It was the look of someone who’d seen something they shouldn’t have. How could I not know after seeing that?”

“Sigh, so it’s my fault. I guess I need to work on my acting skills.”

“Your half-baked acting skills will only make it more obvious. Stop talking and let’s go in.”

Even before entering the tower, the air felt different.

The air was thick with mana.

It meant that countless spells were being cast continuously in this prosperous tower.

“Welcome. We welcome you to the Rostia Magic Tower.”

The Gatekeeper closed the door and formally welcomed us.

Everywhere I looked, there was magic.

The floor beneath my feet, the smooth walls.

“Each Magic Tower has its own focus in magic. For us at Rostia Magic Tower, our focus is ‘practicality.’ As you know, our tower is located in the northern region, which suffers from harsh cold all year round. So, we’ve created magical artifacts that can produce a lot of heat with very little mana, and we distribute them across the north at affordable prices.”

“We know. Our Vanguard uses those artifacts a lot.”

“Yes. That’s a prime example of the practical magic we pursue at Rostia Magic Tower. Beyond that, we’re constantly researching how to make magic even more practical, every day, every hour.”

“Hmm…”

I let out a small scoff as I listened.

What’s the point of pursuing practicality?

If you can’t stop demons, life and this world are over.

In a way, it’s fortunate.

Thanks to powerful demons like Cerberus appearing much earlier than before, the world will realize the danger of demons sooner.

If the tower sends someone like Riana to show the devastation of the waves, it’ll have a much greater impact than us begging for help.

In my past life, facing demons that grew stronger every moment, I learned one absolute lesson while watching the world fail to respond in time.

Most people in this world only wake up after they’ve been burned.

And by then, it’s already too late.

“Hey, it’s the Vanguard.”

“Ah, so the visitors are from the Vanguard?”

“But why would the Vanguard suddenly visit our tower…?”

In an instant, a crowd of onlookers gathered.

Visitors to the tower, having passed the Gatekeeper’s test, had already proven their special worth.

Thus, visitors were an interesting topic for the idle residents of the tower, who didn’t get such visitors every day.

However, this time, the visitors weren’t special guests from afar but familiar Vanguard members, which seemed a bit disappointing to the tower’s residents.

The Gatekeeper glanced at me and whispered softly.

“Are there any among them? Quite a crowd has gathered.”

“I’m already checking. Hmm…”

I could feel different types of mana from the members.

But I didn’t sense any demonic energy from any of them.

“None among them, it seems.”

“Disappointing, but it’s fine. There’s still a lot to see, and many tower members aren’t here. I’ll lead the way. Follow me.”

Abelin and I followed the Gatekeeper as we carefully explored the tower.

“Gatekeeper, what’s the purpose of these visitors?”

“Well…”

The Gatekeeper smiled softly and dodged the question.

“They convinced me to let them in as their first test, and now they’re undergoing a sort of second test. It won’t just end as a simple tour, so no need to worry.”

That was true.

We were touring the tower while searching for hidden demons.

If Abelin and I failed to find any hidden demons, we’d have to leave, having failed to keep our promise to the Gatekeeper.

As the Gatekeeper said, it was a test disguised as a tour.

1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor…

We’d already toured three large floors.

But no demons had appeared yet.

Finally, after finishing the 3rd floor, the Gatekeeper spoke in a slightly concerned tone.

“Our Rostia Magic Tower has six floors. Starting from the 4th floor, it’s not ordinary members but recognized prospects and outstanding magicians who reside there…”

“We’ll have to be careful.”

“Yes. If we accidentally offend them, it could be very troublesome. Moreover, if there’s a demon among the members from the 4th to the 6th floor, that would be a very serious problem for our tower.”

If the 1st to 3rd floors were the basic members, the 4th to 6th floors were the core members.

Each one was a vital asset to the tower.

If even one of them went wrong, it would be a huge loss to the tower’s reputation and power, and it could mean the loss of hope for the next hundred years.

“This is making me hesitate.”

Abelin’s face also darkened as she whispered to me.

“Should we prepare another excuse now…?”

“Why did you set such a condition in the first place?”

“Sorry. But what’s done is done. No need to drag it out further. I’ll prepare another excuse just in case, and you keep your eyes peeled for demons.”

“Sigh… Alright.”

I shook my head and spoke to the Gatekeeper.

“Gatekeeper, let’s not be too thorough from the 4th floor onwards. We don’t want to cause friction with the Rostia Magic Tower over mere suspicions.”

“I did consider sending you two back if things went south…”

My heart sank.

But then the Gatekeeper smiled softly and added.

“I sensed sincerity in your claim that you could find demons. If it’s not a lie, then I think it’s okay to trust you a bit more for the sake of a possible outcome. Let’s go up.”

The Gatekeeper said he recognized our sincerity and took the lead again.

But the worry was short-lived.

“Hmm…?”

The stairs leading up to each floor of the Rostia Magic Tower were large and high.

And about halfway up the stairs, a faint energy was flowing down from the 4th floor.

Abelin immediately noticed that I sensed something unusual.

“What’s wrong, Kairon? Do you feel something?”

“Yeah. It seems you don’t need to think of another excuse. I feel it. There’s a demon hiding on the upper floor. But…”

I had found the demon.

I wouldn’t have to worry about being kicked out, but there was another problem.

“Abelin, get your sword ready.”

“Is it that bad…?”

Abelin’s expression hardened along with mine.

We were only halfway up the stairs to the upper floors.

Yet, the demonic energy was flowing down this far…

Just how strong was the demon hiding in the Rostia Magic Tower? It was impossible to predict.