DOTD Chapter 14

‘But don’t expect to get an answer.’

 

He shut his mouth, wincing at the perfect judgment of his reason.

 

“So…”

 

Adrian didn’t interrupt him, but he didn’t seem too curious about his disciple’s hesitation in front of him either.

 

“Ah, yes, it seems that some of the mages that have been captured this time are using specialty magic.”

 

Yzmel changed course from his personal question and brought up a topic that a disciple wouldn’t feel awkward bringing up to a master.

 

Wizards usually pick one of water, fire, earth, or wind to learn magic that suits their natural mana, and are called nature-based wizards.

 

Combining natural mana makes magic easier and more effective.

 

The majority of wizards in existence are nature-type wizards.

 

However, some are unique in that they only use their own mana to create magic, and these are known as rare specialty mages.

 

The wizard whom Yzmel thought of was Bella.

 

Seeing Bella’s offensive magic, he was certain she was a special class mage, and he couldn’t help but add one more thing to the list of suspicious things about her.

 

The topic he brought up in an attempt to change the subject was ironic, but it certainly caught Adrian’s attention.

 

“…Special mage?”

 

Adrian’s eyes rippled slightly, though they were otherwise unmoved.

 

“Yes, I saw her attack…”

 

Adrian stretched out his hand to Yzmel, who answered without making eye contact.

 

Yzmel looked up in surprise as he answered.

 

He touched the scar on his cheek with his fingertip.

 

“Ah.”

 

Adrian’s hand dropped quickly, but Yzmel sucked in a deep, panicked breath.

 

“This is how that wizard attacked you…”

 

Adrian’s usually nonchalant face changed.

 

“…Adrian?”

 

Surprise, joy, and a mixture of nostalgia and longing flashed across his face.

 

Whatever the combination, the humanity in Adrian’s face was something Yzmel had never seen before.

 

He had never taken his eyes off him since Adrian had taken his place at the top of the tower.

 

Adrian was his mentor, his dream, his object of envy and admiration.

 

He always watched him and tried to emulate him.

 

Everything about him seemed good, even his seeming impassivity, whether it was the tightly packed skin or his lack of emotion.

 

But now…

 

His fingertips trembled slightly as he touched the wound.

 

‘Your hand is trembling?’

 

Oh, no way.

 

Yzmel blinked rapidly, wondering if he’d seen it wrong, and in the meantime, the hand had disappeared into the hem of his long cloak, out of sight.

 

‘My eyes are weird.’

 

Yzmel rightly doubted his eyesight.

 

“…Where is it?”

 

“What?”

 

Even the Master’s voice that followed seemed to tremble slightly, with an unfamiliar warmth.

 

‘My ears have gotten weird, too.’

 

Yzmel doubted his hearing.

 

But Adrian, sensing the faintest trace of Bella’s mana in Yzmel’s wounds, could not remain calm.

 

All this time, all these years, he had been searching for something.

 

The clue seemed to be right in front of his eyes.

 

Adrian’s grip tightened on Yzmel’s shoulder as he stumbled back into reality.

 

“Ow!”

 

It didn’t occur to Adrian to realize how strong his grip was, or how unfamiliar his heartbeat was, racing with anticipation and anxiety.

 

“The wizard… where is she?”

 

Forced to make eye contact with him, Yzmel could no longer look away from the truth.

 

‘Adrian is… restless.’

 

He fumbled for Bella’s location before he could answer the question, ‘Why?’

 

“She’s in the treatment room inside the central tower…”

 

💫

 

Inside the Tower of Gold, which was currently battling monsters, three people were talking in a room that somehow didn’t let in any light.

 

Two of them were Masters, one of only four in the tower, and the bespectacled wizard who was reporting something was Fletcher, one of the highest ranking wizards.

 

“Yzmel?”

 

“This is the second day in a row that Master Yzmel has been picking fights at will.”

 

Masters Jafar and Pamela turned to Fletcher in questioning tones.

 

“This time is different. He wasn’t exactly trying to stop some lawless activity, and the person he fought wasn’t even a mage, but a powerful swordsman whose name is unknown.”

 

Fletcher pushed up his glasses once, lowered his voice, and continued.

 

“Furthermore, shortly after returning from battle, he was said to have taken an unaffiliated mage who was being held captive and healed her personally.”

 

The two Master Mages’ eyes widened in interest at this next statement.

 

“Hmm, a mysterious swordsman and an unaffiliated mage, there’s definitely something to this.”

 

“And the whereabouts of the unaffiliated mage?”

 

“I believe she’s currently being held in the infirmary. It’s just a guess, but I think the order Adrian gave might have something to do with that mage.”

 

“Hm, I was thinking the suddenness of the order was odd, but there could certainly be a connection.”

 

The corners of Jafar’s upturned mouth twitched again at the mention of Adrian’s name.

 

“Then if we get hold of that mage…!”

 

Fletcher, who hadn’t noticed the subtle movement, raised his voice in excitement, as if he were a detective who’d cracked the case, but Pamela counseled him with a cautious tone.

 

“Don’t make up your mind. Let’s check and once we’re sure, it’s not too late to make a move.”

 

“But if we can somehow turn it in our favor, that’s enough, isn’t it? That’s not hard to do.”

 

They were hardcore factions, dissatisfied with Adrian’s defensive approach to the war and waging lawlessness in the Land of Gold.

 

The forces of the moderate mages, led by Yzmel, who were bending to Adrian’s will, were overwhelmingly outnumbered, and a losing battle ensued.

 

Fletcher hoped that Bella, regardless of who she was, would be the catalyst that would turn the tables on the rest of the mages.

 

Of course, in the process, the hardcore would have an advantage.

 

“Don’t be rash. It’s not time yet.”

 

“But…!”

 

“Don’t do anything foolish until you’re sure, Fletcher. Remember, haste can turn a favorable hand into a disadvantage.”

 

Fletcher grumbled, but Jafar warned him once more before walking away.

 

Fletcher stood for a moment, biting his lip, before disappearing into the darkness.

 

💫

 

“Pia! Where the hell do you think you’re going, you can’t just wander around!”

 

Rowan called out in a small voice to the air.

 

The little firebird circled in midair, torn between the contractor’s orders and the pull of something, and then flew away, scattering embers.

 

“No, what’s wrong with that thing?”

 

Rowan, torn between this and that, glanced back at Evan, who was quietly surveying the area behind him.

 

“Nope. I think we should split up at this point anyway.”

 

“Okay. I’ll head this way. If you find Bella, meet me at the entrance to the West Tower. Be careful.”

 

“Yeah, you too. Don’t go out unless you have to!”

 

Rowan, who had taken Evan’s word for it, followed quietly but urgently after Pia.

 

Evan and Rowan had rushed from a nearby village and managed to get into the city a little faster than the creature by foot. 

 

They had managed to infiltrate the Tower of Gold to search for Bella while Avantha was still in the midst of the commotion caused by the creature’s attack.

 

There were monsters charging at the tower and people fighting them, so no one paid much attention to their strange behavior.

 

But they weren’t the only ones acting strangely.

 

Fletcher, unable to stay still despite the advice of his masters, paced around the center tower and stopped when he spotted Evan moving cautiously away from the mages.

 

‘The silver-haired swordsman?’

 

He’d been informed that the swordsman who’d fought Yzmel had striking silver hair.

 

He was also suspicious of the way he was traveling, not fighting monsters, but delving into the tower.

 

Fletcher adjusted his glasses and let out a muffled grunt.

 

As he pondered the connections between the mysterious swordsman, his duel with Yzmel, the unaffiliated wizard, and the dubious orders of the Tower Lord, a somewhat clearer line began to form in his mind.

 

“Well, if there’s any doubt, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to make it clear myself.”

 

Fletcher, with a meaningful look on his face, stepped toward Evan.

 

💫

 

Ever since Yzmel left, I’ve tried several ways to get out of here.

 

First, I searched for the key to the restraints.

 

“Found it!”

 

But it was just out of reach. I gave up.

 

Next, I tried to figure out how to remove the restraints that connected the bed.

 

Break the bed or break the restraints.

 

If only one of them would work.

 

“No way.”

 

Not a chance.

 

“Ha…”

 

If I had the strength to do that now, I wouldn’t be here!