Chapter 14

The tiger monster had devoured not only flesh and bone but even the gear and weapons of the knight’s men. Watching it crunch everything down, I turned to Shia.

“Good job wiping out the evidence, but… what about this guy? With a body that big, he’ll stand out anywhere. Are you going to make him self-destruct like Chunsik?”

The tiger monster growled at me.

This bastard.

Who does he think he’s baring his teeth at? Chunsik never did that. Clearly this one hadn’t been trained properly.

I tilted my sword at an angle and smiled faintly. The beast bristled, lowering itself as its fur stood on end.

Grrr…

For about five seconds, we locked eyes, a sharp killing intent burning between us.
Finally, unable to withstand my gaze, the tiger whimpered and turned its head aside.

Shia rushed over and smacked me on the back.

Smack!!

“Hey! Why are you bullying the poor thing? Come here, Hosik.”

At her gesture, the tiger’s massive frame shrank rapidly until it was no bigger than a housecat. It climbed onto her shoulder, sneaking nervous glances my way.

“If you insisted it was just a mean-looking cat, people might believe it. What do you think?”

I glanced through the shattered window, catching sight of townsfolk fleeing in terror from the commotion, and nodded.

“Mages keep chimeras as pets, right? This is tame compared to that. Anyway, let’s mix in with the crowd and slip out. That way we can play dumb later.”

That night, after leaving the grimly named “Devil’s Island” inn behind, we found a new place to stay. At daybreak, I pulled a hooded robe over Shia and led her out into the streets.

Still half-asleep, she grumbled from my head.

“Where are you kidnapping me so early in the morning…?”

“We’re going to look for disguise gear.”

“Disguise… gear? Why? Is there a festival?”

“No festival, dumbass. We realized your face draws too much attention. If you’re going to move around here, you’ll need to cover it. Can’t keep you under a hood all day, and a mask would look suspicious… Oh, wait. This world has magic, right? Maybe there’s a magic item that can change faces?”

“You mean an artifact? A disguise artifact, huh… Sinan has a Magic Tower, so it should be possible to find one. But those kinds of artifacts tend to stand out even more to anyone with magical sense.”

Stroking Hosik, now curled up like a cat, she fell into thought. Then her eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers.

“Ah! That’s right. There is something. With that, even a half-trained mage wouldn’t notice.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’ll explain when we get there. For now, let’s head to the Magic Tower. Actually, it’s far—tell the innkeeper to call us a carriage.”

After tossing a few coins to the innkeeper to fetch a carriage, we settled into the rickety ride and gazed out the window.

Thunk!!

Being tall, I smacked my head against the ceiling. I scowled more from annoyance than pain.

“Damn thing. Is this a carriage or a hip breaker? The guidebook said the southern lands even have mana-cars with auto-drive functions. Meanwhile here, they don’t even bother with suspension?”

Shia stroked Hosik’s head and smirked.

“Told you, this is the countryside. Technology can differ by centuries from region to region—cross a single mountain and it’s like traveling a hundred years in time. From one end of the continent to the other, the gap is massive.”

“Figures…”

She pointed out the opposite window.

“Not everything here is outdated. Look there.”

“…Huh?”

Following her finger, I blinked in surprise.

“…What the hell is that?”

A man in lavish clothes was gliding past on something like a scooter, floating thirty centimeters off the ground with no wheels.

“That’s an artifact too. A Flying Board. Probably crafted at Sinan’s Splitting Flame Magic Tower.”

“…How does a bare plank float like that? No engine, no nothing?”

“By flight magic, obviously.”

“Right… magic. Of course. Only in fantasy would a clunky horse cart and a sci-fi hoverboard exist side by side.”

Not that I had much room to talk. The girl beside me ran on a bread-fueled annihilation engine, puffing along like a steam train.

“Anyway, they’re not common. Too expensive. Usually only young, rich gentry ride them.”

“What about nobles?”

“They’re different from gentry. They’d probably think it beneath their dignity.”

“…Hmph.”

We chatted about Flying Boards for a while until Shia suddenly raised her hand, pointing out the window again.

“There. Do you see it?”

“Hm?”

Following her direction, I soon realized what she meant.

“…A wall? Oh—that must be the wall the peasants mentioned, the one built to exploit them?”

“Yes. It’s called the Darkryu Wall. It divides the outer ring into two zones: the ‘Free District’ and the ‘Peasant District.’ Beyond that wall live fifty thousand peasants.”

“Fifty thousand…”

“They work like cattle day and night, producing wealth for the nobles and gentry.”

• Darkryu Wall.

The massive barrier built by the previous Baron of Sinan immediately after he expelled all the temples from his domain.

As if to spit in the face of the churches that had constantly interfered in his exploitation of the peasants, he brazenly named the wall Darkryu—an archaic word meaning “tears.”

“Tch…”

I clicked my tongue, staring up at the seven-meter-tall wall stretching across the outer city.

“At this point, I’m starting to wonder if the cursed Kim family reincarnated as this baron’s line. The way they act, it’s like a carbon copy.”

“You mean those tyrants in your neighboring country who siphoned off millions over three generations?”

“Yeah.”

“The gods of your world must not care much for mortals. Strange, isn’t it? Even I, a Demon King, think it’s outrageous that they’d allow such a place to exist.”

“If I hadn’t met the angel, maybe I’d have wiped it out myself by now. I’d wanted to climb up there since middle school. I already had my death sentence—so why hesitate?”

“Heh. And now you’ve crossed over to Kion instead. A shame for your old world.”

I smirked.

“Not really. Who knows? Life’s long. I might get the chance to go back someday.”

I stroked the round little head of the girl beside me. She snuggled into my chest and grinned.

“Heehee. Then you must take me with you. I’ll help however I can.”

“Oh? I’ll be looking forward to that.”

About forty minutes later, we arrived at our destination—a seven-story red-brick building that looked more like an office block on Earth than some fantasy tower.

I stepped down from the carriage and looked up.

“This is the Magic Tower?”

“Yes. The Splitting Flame Magic Tower, a branch split off from the Red Tower.”

“I was expecting something flashy when you said Magic Tower. This just looks… ordinary.”

Of course, for these uneducated medieval types, it was probably impressive. But to someone used to twenty- or thirty-story buildings, seven floors was nothing.

“It’s a young tower, so the scale isn’t large yet.”

“You said each Magic Tower has its specialty, right? So what’s this one’s focus?”

“As a branch of the Red Tower, they specialize in fire magic. On the side, they dabble in ores and monsters, I think? Something like that.”

“Magic, huh…”

“What, are you interested?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a supernatural power. I’m in a fantasy world—how could I not be curious about magic?”

Shia climbed down from the carriage behind me, squeezing Hosik like a plush toy, and tilted her head.

“You, who sliced space and fractured dimensions with a single sword, are talking about being impressed by magic?”

“I can’t do that anymore.”

“Well… fair point.”

“And even if I could, to me that’s like breathing—too natural to feel impressive. Nobody brags, ‘Wow, I breathe so well!’ But magic is different.”

“…If you say so. In that case, let’s pick up a few basic spellbooks along with my artifact.”

“Spellbooks? You want me to learn magic? But I can’t even perceive mana anymore.”

According to the angel, the rank I lost when Shia sealed me away was the Martial God’s transcendent rank. Since a transcendent’s rank includes potential, it meant my Martial God “tech tree” was permanently blocked.

Because of that, I could no longer perceive mana, nor grasp how to wield it. In the angel’s words, the Total Universe System—the cosmic OS—had “cut off” that path when I was sealed.

“I heard it’s a rule. No matter what I do, it won’t change.”

Shia shook her head.

“Seems that angel girl didn’t explain everything. Not surprising—most of the nutrients meant for her brain went to her chest and ass instead.”

“…Huh?”

“What you lost was body mana—the kind Steel Body users manipulate. But mages use mind mana. They both share the name, but they’re different in nature, perception, and use.”

“Body mana and mind mana? So if I learn to use this mind mana, I can do magic?”

“Of course. Though talent will still matter.”

“Ohh…”

“Anyway, let’s get inside before it gets any more crowded.”

At the reception desk, several women in mage’s robes looked up at us with disinterest. One asked dully:

“What business brings you here?”

Shia puffed up her nonexistent chest and stepped forward.

“We want a Concealment Artifact. Preferably in the form of jewelry.”

The mage frowned at Shia’s arrogance.

“You’d do better to try a magic goods shop. They usually have—”

Shia cut her off.

“Not some cheap trinket. We need a top-grade artifact. At least crafted by an eighth-circle mage. Do you have that here?”

“Eighth-circle…?”

“An artifact of that level…?”

Murmurs rippled across the desk as all the mages turned toward us.

Then, one robed in a different color abruptly stood, shoving aside the first receptionist. She bowed deeply.

“My apologies—I didn’t recognize you as esteemed guests. Yes, such items exist here. However…”

“However?”

She smiled brightly.

“Two points must first be confirmed.”

I already guessed one, so I pulled a handful of gold coins from my Hero’s Backpack and spilled them onto the counter.

Clatter! Clink!

I didn’t know exactly what a Concealment Artifact was, but if Shia wanted it, she had her reasons. The angel had given me plenty of gold anyway—no need to be stingy.

“And the second?”

Her smile widened.

“…Given the nature of the item, we must know your intended use. As you know, such artifacts are often—”

“For assassins? Don’t worry.”

Shia waved her hand.

“Look at this frail little body. Do I look like I could pick up a sword and kill someone?”

“…Then for what purpose?”

Shia sighed, then tugged the mage a few steps aside. She lowered her hood briefly, then pulled it back up.

“Do you understand now?”

The mage’s jaw nearly dropped. Her face flushed red as she nodded eagerly.

“…Y-yes. I see. With beauty like that, daily life would be impossible.”

“Then bring the item.”

The mage nodded quickly.

“All high-grade artifacts are kept on the top floor. Please follow me.”

Moments later, she led us to a white, ornate door set into the lobby. She twisted the handle left. Above the door, a numbered dial spun before clicking to a stop on 7.

Click.

She pushed the door open and gestured for us to enter.

“Right this way.”