C 155
Richard, sitting casually on the sofa, was playing with two marbles, lightly tapping them with his hands.
I opened my mouth with a somewhat apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry for always calling you for things like these."
"It's okay, I don't have much to do these days, and I was bored anyway. Also..."
Humph, Richard cleared his throat once, looked away a bit, and then looked at me again.
"I was wondering how you were. So, what do you need?"
"Oh, I have a question."
"A question?"
"And I might also need some help..."
As I paused, Richard lightly grasped the marble he had been playing with.
Then the beads flowed like water in an instant and disappeared.
"What is it?"
Richard smiled and leaned forward. With a mischievous look on his face, he lightly licked his lower lip.
"Do you know what Tian Maple's blue iron is?"
"Tian Maple?"
Richard's eyes widened.
It was as if he had never expected those words to come out of my mouth. As I waited for a moment with a puzzled expression on my face, Richard quickly spoke up.
"Where did you hear that word? It's a word that's not used much these days, except by the old man these days."
"The old man?"
"Ah... the current head of the Magic Tower. It's almost time for him to hand over his position, but he won't."
Now that I think about it, I believe Richard had already become the head of the Magic Tower at that time.
"...Isn't it going according to plan now?"
I don't know if it's something I did or someone else did.
I looked at Richard with a good-natured smile and nodded slightly. I just hope this change isn't a bad thing.
"Tian Maple's blue iron is iron that comes from a mine owned by the Magic Tower. It's used to make magical tools."
"Magical tools?"
"Yes, it's called blue iron because it's imbued with the energy of moonlight, and a blue light flows from the iron when it's kept in a dark place."
"Wow..., I see."
"Yes. Many magic stones are found on the mountain owned by the Magic Tower. It's iron made by absorbing the power of the magic stone, so it appears blue."
My eyes widened at Richard's explanation. It's because I was quite surprised at how well-informed he was.
I always saw him as a playful and extremely cheerful person, but seeing this unusual demeanor gave me a strange feeling.
"But why that iron? Nowadays, it's not called Tian Maple, but simply Maple Mountain. The Magic Tower forcibly controls the temperature and humidity, so the mountain is full all year round."
"They control it? Why?"
"There must be the best climate for magic stones to grow."
I continued to nod my head as I listened to Richard's explanation.
"I didn't know that magic stones could be cultivated as well."
I lightly rubbed my cheek and smiled. Suddenly, I burst into laughter, imagining myself watering the magic stone.
"Can I buy this iron?"
"Can you buy it?"
Richard looked at me with a very embarrassed expression.
"Mmm, how much?"
"1 ton..."
Even as I said it, it was an extremely embarrassing number. No matter how heavy the iron is, the size of 1 ton is enormous.
"... 1 ton?"
Indeed, Richard's mouth opened, and he spoke to me again with an expression of disbelief on his face.
"Is that the value of a year's worth of food used in the Magic Tower?"
"One year?"
Richard's explanation left me speechless as well.
It was as if I had heard someone say somewhere that this amount equates to the national budget for a year.
"The amount that can be extracted in a year is limited."
"... Ah."
Somehow, I felt that it would be very difficult to obtain this product.
I sighed and lowered my head. None of the tasks assigned by Purple were comfortable.
"Can't I buy it with money?"
"You would have to pay the Magic Tower's one-year profits, but wouldn't it be too much to solve it with money from your personal account?"
My mouth closed like a clam once again in the face of Richard's very practical advice.
"Still, can't I ask you for a favor? Don't you have any in stock?"
"In stock... Well, I don't know. I guess I'll have to ask the head of the Magic Tower."
"Mmm..."
Did I end up being rejected?
No matter how I think about it, the fact that I specifically pointed to a mountain owned by the Magic Tower and said it's worth exactly one year is intentional.
"...I see."
Do I really have no choice but to give up here?
"There's no other way to find out, right?"
The only witnesses to that situation were the bastard and the purple dragon, but one said he didn't remember clearly, and the other had no intention of telling me anything.
"But I really can't waste 500 years."
It's not 50 years, it's almost 500 years. I couldn't even have the slightest hope that he would still be alive.
"Do you want it that badly?"
Richard, noticing my disappointment, asked carefully.
"Yes, there was something I needed to do... I suppose it's something I can't do anything about."
"Do you want to talk to the head of the Magic Tower?"
"...Talk?"
"Yes, I'm the future head of the Magic Tower, but I'm not it yet, so I don't have the authority," Richard said.
"But if it's the head of the Magic Tower, he might be able to allow it. Although the old man is cruel, he's not someone you can't communicate with."
Though the words he added were quite mischievous, the tone of his voice contained a strong sense of confidence.
"Then, can I ask you for that favor?"
"Yes."
Richard extended his hand.
"My hand?"
"We have to go directly to the Magic Tower. I can enter the room of the head of the Magic Tower directly."
Richard seemed very pleased and proudly stated that only a few magicians received such privileges.
I looked at Richard's outstretched hand and took it without hesitation.
Richard's shoulders shook, and soon his earlobes turned red.
The boy lowered his head, put on an indifferent expression, and quickly snapped his fingers.
"Let's go, Eirin."
"Yes."
"Close your eyes tightly."
"Yes, thank you."
As soon as the greeting ended, I closed my eyes. I felt as if my body trembled slightly once, and then the air changed.
Richard touched my shoulder.
"You can open your eyes now, Eirin."
Richard took a step back and smiled.
"Welcome to the Magic Tower."
Richard opened his arms and smiled mischievously. His long earrings gleamed and swayed.
"Whoaa..."
I tilted my head and saw a tall tower with no visible roof.
The Magic Tower was so large that you couldn't see the end. In a very large space that looked like an empty foyer, there was only what seemed to be a staircase.
"Is this the Magic Tower?"
"Yes, this is the foyer floor. The real Magic Tower starts from the second floor."
"Second floor? Do I have to climb the stairs?"
"No, you can use magic here once again. Every magician who comes from the outside must pass through the foyer at least once."
I listened attentively to Richard's explanation. Richard seemed very excited as he held my hand and moved it lightly.
"Let's go to the room of the head of the Magic Tower."
"Just like that? Can I enter without notice?"
"Yes, well..."
Richard smiled slightly.
"That person will see and hear what we're doing anyway."
"How?"
"This foyer. Everything that passes through the foyer, whether it's an ant, a person, or a plant, will surely come to the eyes of the Head of the Magic Tower."
The head of the Magic Tower is the last line of defense.
An entity that monitors and discerns who enters. Come to think of it, there seemed to be such a thing in <Adopted>.
It was a setup I made.
"Eyes that watch over all things from above."
I thought that anyone who reached the pinnacle of a magician must have those eyes.
I don't know why I thought that way at the time.
"...I wish I could filter out the bad people who approach me."
When I review my vague memories, I think it might have been like that.
This foyer probably also came out of my head. I did it. I wanted someone to protect me when I felt lonely.
"Richard will acquire these eyes later as well."
To be precise, it was an ability given to Richard, the owner of the Magic Tower.
"So he probably knows we're coming."
"Yes."
"Come on, close your eyes for a moment."
Richard gently closed my eyelids with his other hand and pressed them gently.
The moment the air changed, a sudden gust of wind hit.
I let out a brief sigh and slowly opened my eyes.
In front of me stood a man dressed in a robe. He was a man in his forties who looked very arrogant, as if he looked down on everything in the world.
The blunt-faced man slowly opened his mouth, and a heavy voice came out.
"Yes, I've been waiting for a long time..."
"What kind of shit is this? Master."
And the dignity was shattered by an infinitely light voice.
