* * *
‘What the hell?’
As soon as Lucion stepped out of the carriage, he felt the urge to curse aloud.
Even though Bethel had already reported on her scouting mission, seeing it for himself left him speechless.
—Hop! There are so many ghosts, so many of them!
Ratta folded her ears.
The sight of the ghosts gathering around something looked like a swarm of locusts.
He had been told the Magic Tower was concealed by magic, making it invisible from a distance, and that he could only confirm its presence when close.
‘So the place those ghosts are gathered must be the Magic Tower.’
[There are even more than yesterday!] Bethel exclaimed in shock.
[More than yesterday? This could be dangerous.]
At Russell’s warning, Lucion abruptly stopped in his tracks, and Hume also froze.
[It seems like they’ve gathered all the ghosts they could find. Even if it’s not enough to take over the entire Magic Tower now, at this rate, when the tower officially opens, they’ll have enough to seize it completely.]
Russell, though often mischievous, never spoke lightly of serious matters.
―Lucion.
Ratta’s astonished eyes flickered as she watched the ghosts.
―Lucion, this isn’t right. Something terrible is about to happen. Ratta knows it.
[Terrible? What kind of terrible thing?]
Russell took Ratta’s words seriously.
Ratta was a divine beast of darkness.
―Darkness is grieving. More and more sadness is filling up. Ratta can see it. A sea of death will come, born from great sorrow.
[A… corruption will occur?]
Everyone was struck by the gravity of the situation.
―Yes, that’s right. Russell mentioned it before—corruption begets corruption.
“Why did you stop, Lucion?” Carson noticed Lucion had suddenly halted and turned to him with a questioning look.
“Ratta didn’t follow me, so I just stopped for a moment,” Lucion answered awkwardly.
The more he observed the ghosts, the drier his throat felt.
Corruption was the chaos of darkness.
What would darkness think of the acts committed by warlocks who could see and converse with it?
Perhaps it was screaming at them to stop.
But they wouldn’t have listened.
Or maybe they couldn’t hear it.
The darkness within the warlocks might already have been corrupted.
“Wait here for a moment. Heint will cast some light around the area.”
Carson pointed to Heint, who had already entered a shop they had temporarily borrowed.
For those blessed by the light, spreading light to counter warlocks was a usual task.
‘But there are no ghosts there.’
Lucion held back the urge to speak.
Flash.
As light poured through the window, Carson deflected it using the aura wrapped around his hand.
“Are you okay?” Carson quickly checked on Lucion.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
In the past, Lucion would have felt nauseous, but his resistance to light had significantly increased. Now, at the 12th level out of 20, his broken vessel was gradually recovering thanks to the black orb, and the Ratcho he had been consuming consistently seemed to be finally taking effect.
‘I’ve been diligent about taking Ratcho today too.’
Lucion couldn’t help but smile with pride.
[Don’t smile, Lucion. Even what you’ve consumed so far is enough to fill a garden.]
Russell clearly saw what Lucion was thinking.
He must have been happy to confirm that his light resistance had increased, without considering how much blood he had shed for it.
“Then let’s head inside.”
Once Carson confirmed Lucion was alright, he felt relieved and began walking toward the shop.
* * *
“If we get any closer to the Magic Tower, we probably won’t be able to speak freely like this.”
Heint spoke up, and Carson responded with a snicker.
“Stop stating the obvious. We’re short on time.”
“Come on, let me talk, Carson. You’ve been cutting me off all day.”
Heint vented his frustration, but it didn’t seem to faze Carson.
Carson interrupted Heint before he could finish his sentence.
“We’ve created a signal that only we can understand. It will be faster than words.”
Lucion chewed on a macaron while watching Carson demonstrate the signal.
Though he had memorized it as well, he felt reassured with Hume by his side.
Looking at Hume, Lucion saw a confident smile that seemed to say, “Don’t worry, young master. I’ve got it all down.”
‘As expected of Hume.’
Feeling reassured, Lucion couldn’t help but smile warmly.
“Lucion, you need to stick close to me,” Heint said as soon as Carson finished explaining.
“Then, will my sister stay by my side too?”
“Well… probably?” Heint absentmindedly rubbed his cheek where Shaela had slapped him.
“Lucion,” Carson spoke up.
“Yes, brother?”
“If things go awry, don’t hesitate to turn to Heint. He might not be the most reliable, but at least Shaela can protect herself.”
Without responding, Lucion absorbed the details of the operation, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
There’s no such thing as certainty in this world.
If he hadn’t caught the corruption leading him to Shaela in the Sea of Death, it could have ended badly.
[Lucion, remember the victory conditions for this operation as the Emperor mentioned.]
Russell’s voice carried an underlying sense of unease as he observed Lucion lost in thought.
No matter how much Russell tried to keep Lucion in check, he was always unpredictable.
On top of that, this situation was something even Russell couldn’t foresee, leaving him with a faint, tightening anxiety in his chest.
[Russell is right. Remember what His Majesty said. Lord Lucion must remain safe.]
Bethel, too, expressed her concern, adding to the tension.
Lucion found it absurd to see everyone acting as if they’d caught Kran’s disease.
‘But I’ve just been sitting here eating macarons!’
“Lucion? Are you listening?” Heint asked, pausing mid-sentence and slapping the table lightly.
Lucion nodded, taking a sip of the grapefruit ade beside him.
For Lucion, his role in the plan was simple.
He would explore the inside of the Magic Tower for the knights and then leave.
His departure from the tower would mark the start of the operation.
If any unforeseen issues arose, signals would be sent by Heint or Shaela.
Light and flowers.
Those two powers would be visible from a distance.
* * *
Whoosh.
As Hume stepped down from the carriage, he suddenly froze, quickly turning his head and covering his eyes.
—Phew! Phew! Ratta has turned it off!
Ratta took a deep breath and blew out strongly.
‘As expected, the black orb is here.’
Lucion wasn’t surprised, as he had already anticipated it.
[There’s a black orb here?]
Russell frowned.
[I’ve got a bad feeling about this. A black orb in the same place as the Hand of the Void’s leader?]
Bethel absentmindedly fiddled with the hilt of her sword. She was tempted to possess Lucion, but Russell had warned against it. Strong warlocks could sense possessions.
[Right now, the only one who can absorb a black orb is Lucion.]
Russell sensed Bethel’s unease, and she bit her lip slightly.
[But you saw what happened with Broson. Even though he couldn’t absorb the black orb, just having it made him stronger.]
‘The black orb may look like just some luxurious beads on the outside, but Bethel’s words aren’t far-fetched.’
Lucion still didn’t know what the black orb truly was.
All he understood was that they were some form of condensed power created by the darkness that came from Veronia’s body.
[For now, the Warlocks are the biggest concern. There are a lot of them.]
Russell raised his head.
Lucion glanced up at the tower, towering so high it seemed to pierce the sky while Russell and Bethel watched the ghosts.
Even with his limited knowledge of architecture, the tower appeared absurd. It was warped and twisted, with sections jutting out like arms.
‘Zero sense of aesthetics.’
Lucion did his best to ignore the ghosts swirling slowly around the magic tower.
What caught his eye more was the tacky neon glow of the sign reading “Magic Tower,” flashing brightly from “Ma” to “Tower.”
—Um… Ratta is still studying numbers with Hume and doesn’t know how to express it in digits.
Ratta rolled her eyes as she observed the ghosts.
—But Russell is right! There are so many!
[Just looking at it, there must be over a hundred. What about you, Bethel?]
[I can see about that many too.]
Bethel nodded in response to Russell’s comment.
Russell continued, speaking up.
[Don’t worry, Lucion. The black magic surrounding the tower isn’t visible yet.]
Lucion smiled at this reassuring news.
“Is it really that fascinating?” Carson asked, noticing Lucion staring at the Magic Tower.
“Yes. It’s fascinating. I can’t believe something so chaotic-looking is standing without collapsing.”
Russell and Heint burst into laughter almost simultaneously.
“Oh, come on. Calling it chaotic? You’re probably the first to say that after seeing the Magic Tower.”
“No, there must be others who’ve said the same. Don’t act like Lucion’s the first— that’s just rude. And if you have eyes, you’d see. Is that even a proper building?”
Carson expressed his displeasure, but Heint looked puzzled.
“But Carson, didn’t you say it was intriguing when you first saw the tower?”
“Intriguing and messy are different things. It’s still intriguing, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a mess.”
“Wow. You’ve left me speechless. Then again, you’re the same guy who, whenever you’re drunk, talks about whether Lucion flipped over or crawled during training—”
Heint suddenly stopped, realizing the danger of his words.
“No, I was just kidding! A joke! I thought Lucion looked tense, so I wanted to make him laugh.”
“Y-yes…?”
Lucion, still captivated by the Magic Tower’s bizarre appearance, didn’t hear the conversation between Heint and Carson.
“Did you see that? Put that murderous look away.” Heint rubbed his neck awkwardly and pointed forward. “Let’s go, Lucion. Shaela’s probably waiting impatiently.”
“Yes, let’s hurry.”
Heint suddenly stopped, realizing the danger of his words.
“No, I was just kidding! A joke! I thought Lucion looked tense, so I wanted to make him laugh.”
“Y-yes…?”
Lucion, still captivated by the Magic Tower’s bizarre appearance, didn’t hear the conversation between Heint and Carson.
“Did you see that? Put that murderous look away.” Heint rubbed his neck awkwardly and pointed forward. “Let’s go, Lucion. Shaela’s probably waiting impatiently.”
“Yes, let’s hurry.”
Lucion also wanted to get inside quickly. He couldn’t stand wondering how chaotic it truly was or what the Hand of the Void had done.
* * *
“Lucion!”
Shaela’s face lit up with a bright smile as she rushed toward him.
She almost lunged into his arms but paused, then instead stared at his stomach.
“This much is fine. I even hugged Father when I came out.”
Lucion smiled warmly, and only then did Shaela pull him into a hug.
When they met in the East, she had wanted to hug him like this.
“Are you hurt? It must have been hot on the way here. Aren’t you hungry? I made a lot of your favorite macarons.”
Shaela stepped back and carefully checked Lucion’s condition.
[This seems familiar. Doesn’t it, Lucion?]
Despite Russell’s teasing, Lucion remained calm.
He already knew how well Shaela made macarons and gazed at her with sparkling eyes.
“Shaela. Am I invisible to you?” Carson’s voice broke in, and Shaela extended her hand toward him.
“It’s less exciting than seeing Lucion, but still, you’ve had a lot of trouble getting here.”
Shaela giggled as Carson pulled out a gift box.
“I’m so happy to see you, big brother!”
Shaela shook Carson’s hand tightly with both of hers.
Carson smiled knowingly, though he didn’t mind.
“I…” Heint hesitated before speaking up.
“I’m really glad you’re better now, Brother Heint Tria. Now, shall we head up? We can take a look around as we go. Ah, it’s good to see you, Hume. Good to see you, Ratta.”
Shaela smoothly passed Heint and smiled at Ratta, who was in Hume’s arms.
“Nice to meet you, Miss.”
—Nice to meet you, Shaela! S~eaʀᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Hume bowed, and Ratta wagged her tail.
“It’s been years since I’ve been called ‘miss’. Suddenly, I’m getting goosebumps.”
Shaela rubbed her arms, then smiled again as she walked ahead.
Following her were Lucion, his group, the royal knights protecting him, and the Cronia knights.
To any onlookers, their escort might have seemed excessive, but since they had entered a stronghold controlled by the Hand of the Void, the knights’ faces were steadfast and serious.
‘Are they truly mages?’
Lucion appreciated the indifference of the mages, who didn’t even glance at them despite the large number of knights.
* * *
“The Magic Tower doesn’t have as many floors as it looks. It only has five floors,” Shaela casually explained as they explored the first floor.
Soon, Lucion had a macaron-flavored chocolate treat in his hand, Hume was munching on a gleaming chicken skewer, and Ratta had a glowing jelly in her mouth that shone brighter the more she chewed.
—I really love it here! Everything is sparkly, beautiful, and delicious!
Lucion, caught off guard by Shaela’s gaze while nibbling his treat, asked hesitantly,
“Uh, what’s going on?”
“Good question, Lucion. As you can see, the first floor is designed for the overall convenience of mages, with food, supplies, and various items. However, it’s currently being refurbished for the upcoming guests.”
[True. There were quite a few areas covered with white tents for construction.]
Unlike Russell, who was exploring the area, Bethel remained quiet, focused on searching for warlocks.
“But surprisingly, this is where mages gather. So…”
Boom!
—Hop!
A loud explosion rang out, and something resembling a sun was spinning, emitting flames from one side.
‘…?’
Lucion clenched his treat tightly, eyes widening as he looked toward the source of the sound.
The red thread, which had been pointing upward just moments ago, now shifted toward the explosion’s location.
‘He’s… over there.’
The Hand of the Void. The leader.
He was now on the first floor of the tower.
‘I’m still sightseeing, this is unfair!’
Lucion wanted to shout in frustration.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!