Dialogue (2)
Chapter 66
“Did you create a backdoor?”
[That is correct.]
“…”
Ray pressed his temples again.
Well, sure. If he regrets selling his hard work to the Empire, that’s one thing.
But creating another backdoor on top of it?
‘Mages should be avoided for second-hand transactions whenever possible.’
As Ray gained this insight and shook his head, Aptel moved toward the round table in the control room.
The space suddenly brightened as the center of the round table split into two.
Drrrrk!
With a harsh grinding sound, a stone pillar rose from where the round table had been.
On top of the stone pillar sat a single purple bracelet, softly glowing.
[This artifact was created for the successor.]
“What does it do?”
[Once you wear it, you will be registered as my master. You can access authorized information through the artifact. No matter where you are, you’ll be able to receive my assistance.]
“It doesn’t seem like all your data would fit inside here. Is this some kind of relay device?”
[Something like that.]
“Are there any other functions?”
Since this was an item made by a mage, it wouldn’t be strange if it hid many insidious features.
After a brief silence, Aptel answered.
[To utilize the backdoor, you must wear the artifact.]
“Hmm, what objection could I possibly have at this point?”
Ray gave up and lifted the bracelet.
When he slipped it onto his left wrist, the bracelet pulsed once before sticking to his wrist like a magnet.
[Your biological information has been registered, successor. Please take care of me, Master.]
“Can this be concealed?”
[While the fact that it’s an artifact cannot be hidden, even with high-level detection magic, only its glow function can be detected.]
Aptel’s voice echoed directly in Ray’s mind.
“Will I no longer hear your voice out loud?”
[That is correct.]
“Can you read my thoughts?”
[Impossible.]
“That’s a relief.”
Ray stood in front of the entrance to the control room.
Now that he could communicate with Aptel from anywhere, there was no need to stay in Obelisk and risk danger.
“What should we tell Ropheiren?”
[Harshia’s authority is absolute to the citizens of the Empire. As long as the master is believed to be Harshia, they won’t act recklessly. Appealing to their altruism might also be effective.]
“But what if they betray us? It could get out of hand.”
[Within the Royal Magic Tower, any tricks can be observed beforehand. If necessary, eliminate them. I will assist.]
“Alright, thanks.”
As Ray stepped out of the control room, Ropheiren, who had been lying face down on the floor, trembled.
Standing in front of Ropheiren, Ray commanded in a toneless voice.
“Get up.”
Ropheiren raised his head and bowed deeply.
Cold sweat trickled down his face and dripped from his chin.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Soon, destruction will come.”
The word “destruction” spoken by Harshia carried a weight far beyond the empty predictions of ordinary fortune-tellers.
Ropheiren’s vision momentarily went dark.
“I have returned from my rest to prevent this destruction.”
“…!”
“Ropheiren.”
Ray grabbed Ropheiren’s chin and locked eyes with him.
His pale blue irises filled Ropheiren’s vision.
“Be loyal to me. I promise a reward commensurate with your loyalty. Dedicate your life to me. When we overcome destruction, I’ll engrave your name at the highest point of Obelisk.”
“You… glory…”
Ropheiren, almost sobbing, knelt down.
“You… it’s an honor, Lady Harshia.”
That should suffice.
Nodding, Ray passed by Ropheiren.
Startled, Ropheiren raised his voice.
“Lady Harshia! Are you not going to mark me with a contract seal?”
Ropheiren pleaded earnestly.
Even if it meant complete subjugation of his soul, Ropheiren wanted the seal to gain Harshia’s trust.
Otherwise, he’d undoubtedly spend sleepless nights trembling in fear of losing his head.
“…”
Ray remained silent.
Ray lacked a circle, so even if he wanted to form a contract seal, he couldn’t.
Should he reveal that he hasn’t created a circle yet?
No. He needed to maintain his bravado in front of Ropheiren.
After quickly gathering his thoughts, Ray distorted his face like a demon.
“Are you implying that I should allocate my Selomia to someone like you?”
“…! I apologize!”
As Ropheiren bowed in terror, Ray continued in a slightly softer tone.
“I trust you. Now prove yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Ray resumed walking.
Ropheiren, who had been pressing his forehead to the floor, hurriedly stood up and followed Ray.
Ray hoped this bluff would last long enough.
*
With Aptel’s help, Ray safely escaped Obelisk.
Ropheiren, who exited Obelisk alongside Ray, attempted to bow deeply before correcting himself mid-motion as they parted ways.
“Well, see you next time.”
To the awkward farewell, Ray responded politely.
“Please go safely, Professor.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Covered in cold sweat, Ropheiren distanced himself from Ray.
Once Ropheiren was completely out of sight, Ray exhaled deeply.
“Phew, I’m exhausted.”
Still, the results weren’t bad.
There were plenty of uncertainties, but he had acquired Aptel, psychologically restrained Ropheiren, and secured a lead to access the Resina Record.
Considering the initial objectives he had set before entering the Royal Magic Tower, he could consider them achieved.
All that was left was to lay low until the study period ended and then return to Phillip’s County.
“…Be careful.”
Incidents always seemed to happen at times like these.
Ray consoled himself and headed toward his lodging.
“Huh? Ray.”
Upon arriving at his dormitory, Viktor and Hamus greeted him.
They had been somewhat distant during the early days of their studies due to dungeon-related work, but as Alessya and Florya grew closer, the squires naturally resolved their tensions.
By now, they had grown quite friendly, so Ray casually waved back.
“What’re you doing here?”
“There’s something we want to talk about regarding the conference happening in ten days… Oh, right. Ray, how about joining us for the conference?”
“Hmm…”
At the Royal Magic Tower, research involving ‘creation’ was also actively conducted.
Even if artifacts didn’t necessarily include magical functionality, with the help of magic, producing higher-quality items became possible.
Several schools within the tower specializing in creation held conferences every few months.
During these events, outsiders permitted entry to the Royal Magic Tower could also attend, browse the items presented by mages or artisans, and purchase them on-site.
Though called a conference, from the perspective of outsiders like Ray, it resembled more of a bustling market.
Ray asked.
“Could I find a sword there?”
“The weapons showcased at the conference are too expensive to buy. But you could pick up a few souvenirs.”
“Hmm… Alright?”
Ray’s interest was piqued.
When he returned to Phillip’s County after several months, there would be quite a number of people likely to nag him.
Bringing back souvenirs could ease their spirits.
“Sounds good. Let’s go together.”
*
The morning sky was clear.
Angelo, seated in the carriage, absentmindedly whistled while looking outside, then coughed awkwardly.
As a child, he used to whistle often by puckering his lips.
However, after being scolded harshly by his mother for behaving improperly, he corrected the habit.
Seeing Angelo uncomfortably glancing around, Andalune, his bodyguard knight, chuckled softly.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Hmm, pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“Understood, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Angelo narrowed his eyes slightly.
Andalune tactfully avoided meeting Angelo’s gaze and continued the conversation.
“Wouldn’t it be wise to inform Miss about your visit now?”
“Let it be. Unexpected gifts bring more joy, don’t they?”
“Hmm…”
Andalune showed signs of discomfort.
The carriage was heading toward the Royal Magic Tower, where Angelo’s younger sister, Melly, was currently studying.
Without informing Melly of his visit, Angelo planned to surprise her, bringing along a pile of presents.
Though Andalune doubted whether Melly would be pleased with Angelo’s unexpected arrival, Melly indeed found her brother’s overprotectiveness burdensome.
Despite having a good relationship, Andalune could already picture Melly’s troubled expression clearly.
‘Well, nothing can be done.’
What mattered most was Angelo’s intention, as the heir to the title, rather than Melly’s discomfort.
Relaxing, Andalune leaned back in his seat.
As they approached the vicinity of the Royal Magic Tower, a mage came out to greet them.
After verifying their identities, they entered the Royal Magic Tower, where the household staff attending to Melly rushed out to meet them.
“We greet the young master.”
“Everyone has worked hard. Did you keep my arrival a secret?”
“They’ve all been instructed to remain silent.”
“Excellent. Where is Melly now?”
“She’s conducting a magic practice session under Professor Ivan’s guidance in the training hall.”
“Haha! My diligent little sister hasn’t changed a bit.”
Smiling fondly, Angelo ordered the servant.
“Take me to Melly.”
“It might be difficult for you to enter the training hall, young master.”
“I know that. I’ll wait outside until her class ends. Don’t worry.”
The servant bowed and led the way. The expansive grounds required them to move by carriage.
“Has Melly reached the third circle already?”
“Yes, she has.”
“My goodness, she really is my sister. Speaking of which, when Melly was younger…”
While continuing to boast about his sister, they arrived at the training facility.
Approaching the entrance, Angelo noticed a maid standing nearby holding a bag.
As Angelo approached, the maid, who blinked briefly in surprise, hastily bowed her head.
Accepting the casual greeting, Angelo pointed at the bag the maid was holding.
“Is this Melly’s luggage?”
“Yes, I’m temporarily holding it while the class is ongoing.”
“Let me see it.”
The maid looked uneasy.
This was one of the reasons Melly found Angelo bothersome—his lack of consideration for her privacy.
Even when Melly got upset, Angelo justified his actions as “all for her protection” and refused to change his behavior.
“Hmm, let’s take a look.”
Taking Melly’s bag, Angelo began pulling out books one by one.
Most were spellbooks, with numerous notes scribbled in what appeared to be Melly’s handwriting.
“Hmm…”
Angelo nodded approvingly.
It seemed Melly was still diligently focusing on her studies, just as she did back in the estate.
Well, she had always been studious since childhood.
Having checked all the books, Angelo pulled out a heavy envelope from the bag.
The maid watching closely turned pale.
Confused, Angelo opened the envelope. Inside was a single book.
Angelo scrutinized the title.
“Return… Knight and Villainess Heroine?”
It took him a moment to comprehend the meaning of the title.
Then, tension started building in Angelo’s grip.
Summoning courage, the maid spoke up.
“It’s the all-age version!”
“Wh-what?”
Only then did Angelo notice the words “all-age version” printed at the bottom of the cover upon closer inspection.
He sighed.
Though disappointed that Melly was reading such low-quality popular novels, this was still within acceptable limits.
Of course, he intended to give her a lecture when he saw her.
“She shouldn’t be looking at books like this already…”
Thinking it was a romance novel for children, Angelo flipped open the book to check its contents.
Inside, Anastasia, bound by a leash, was barking like a dog.
“…”
Thud!
Shocked, Angelo slammed the book shut and momentarily fell into a state of panic.
What exactly did I just read?
‘Ah, it must have been a mistake.’
Reassuring himself, Angelo reopened the latter part of the book.
Anastasia, venturing out into the street at night, was sprawled on the ground, lifting one leg sideways against a tree…
“Eek… Eeek…!”
Trembling on the spot, Angelo clutched his neck.
Andalune panicked and grabbed the frothing-at-the-mouth Angelo.
“Master!!”
“Let go of me!!”
Quickly shaking off Andalune’s grip, Angelo shouted with bloodshot eyes.
“R-right now…!!”
“…?”
“Bring Melly here immediately!! Right now!!!”
