Chapter 79

“Th-this lowly giant bastard!!”

Even in that situation, I had to admire the audacity of a Baronet acting that arrogant.
Did he seriously think he was some emperor of an empire?

“Lowly, you say? Who, me? Talos—the Battle Mage ranked among the top of the Purple Magic Tower, and a 7th-level mage—am I lowly?”

When Talos revealed his identity, the once-confident Baronet finally faltered, his voice tinged with panic.

“Purple Mage Tower? Talos? Wait… are you saying you’re the infamous ‘Talos, the Tiger Calamity’?”

“That’s right. And the beauty standing over there? That’s Sodin Cross. She hasn’t been active lately, but… a seasoned lord like you should recognize her.”

“…The Tower’s Heavenly Flower?”

“You know her well.”

“Wow… that embarrassing nickname really has stuck, hasn’t it.”

“My goodness… why would people like you commit such shameless acts!?”

Talos chuckled at the Baronet’s outraged protest.

“Well, you sent assassins after us first. Personally, I might’ve let it slide as a mistake… but if we did, the Tower’s honor would take a nosedive.”

“What…?”

Talos didn’t explain further.

Instead, I spoke to him as if giving an order.

“You—let’s make a Geas contract. From now on, you’re going to be my—and the Tower’s—faithful servant.”

To be honest, at first, I wanted to kill him. If he failed while trying to kill an innocent(?) person, shouldn’t he just die for it?

But if that happened, all the promises I’d made with the guild and the two priests would be void. And all the weaknesses we’d painstakingly discovered would go to waste.

So, since it had come to this, we decided to turn him into a proper puppet Baronet and use him however we liked—my plan and the two mages’ plan aligned perfectly.

“Scala.”

“Yes, Sword God?”

“Here’s the Geas contract. Take it over.”

“Yes.”

Scala approached the Baronet, flattened like a frog under Talos’s foot, holding the Geas contract I had handed her.

“After reading the terms, just sign here and here.”

“W-wait. You… you look familiar. Aren’t you Hank’s… mistress? Why are you…?”

“Mistress my ass.”

“Wh-what?”

“Shut up and just sign. The most humiliating thing in my life is being tied up with your little brat anyway.”

Ouch. That burned.

By the way, unlike during the early brainwashing phase when she still had feelings for that little brat, now she hated him more than anyone.

Why? Because I changed the setting so that he sometimes glitches out, thanks to her.

“Y-you…!”

While the Baronet trembled under Scala’s verbal assault, Sodin spoke for the first time, her tone calm but lethal.

“If you refuse, the Central Tower will intervene personally. And when that happens, it won’t be gentle. You, your offspring, your wife, everyone up to your ninth cousin—will become test subjects for the Tower. If you don’t believe me, swear by magic.”

“…!”

“You think our Tower is a joke just because we stayed quiet? It’s true that we usually uphold some standards as humans… but at the core, we’re just a bunch of mad mages. If there’s work to be done, any ‘standards’ can be crossed anytime.”

“Th-then… if you do that…”

“And if we do? What can a lowly provincial lord like you even do?”

“……!”

“Do you think Viscount Seol will help you? Not a chance. Even his master, Marquis Kesra, is not on equal footing with us.”

“……!!”

“Especially since you’ve insulted the Tower so openly, who in Kesra’s domain would even take your side? Consider yourself lucky if no one applauds your stupidity.”

“…….”

“When the ‘real ones’ are in front of you, you’re nothing more than a pebble underfoot. Even if there’s sand beneath you, a pebble is still a pebble. Know your place, you lowly, insignificant thing.”

“…….”

“If you understand, now sign. If you want your family to remain intact. And don’t forget—this is an extraordinary act of mercy. Be grateful for it.”

“Ughhh….”

I added a word to Sodin, who was smirking so coldly.

“Wait a second. Sodin.”

Her beautiful face, which had been radiating frost, instantly bloomed like a flower.

“Huh? Huh? Sword God, did I say something wrong?”

“No, but thinking about it… do we really need to obsess over this old man? Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of him and bind his spry little brat with a Geas contract instead?”

“Ah, true. That way we can manipulate him much longer. Should we implant one in his head too? There are some amazing new implants these days. Then…”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I’ll sign! Just leave the little brat alone!!”

Sodin and I exchanged a glance and snickered quietly.

“That’s more like it.”

Outside, thanks to Hosik’s rampage, the knights realized something strange was happening in Rose Palace (pfft) and rushed in—but by then, everything was already over.

“My lord! Are you alright!?”

“R-retreat! Nothing happened here!!”

“B-but my lord… you’re injured…!”

“I said nothing happened!!”

“Th-then those people behind you…?”

“Th-they are…”

“I’ll introduce them. This is Talos of the Magic Tower.”

When Talos stepped forward and introduced himself, one of the knights flinched in shock.

“Truly… you are Talos, the Tiger Calamity…?”

“That’s right. Need proof?”

“Oh, no. I’ve seen you once from afar on a previous battlefield.”

“Oh… a fellow comrade, then.”

“B-but… what brings you here…?”

“We were passing through with some comrades when we noticed some chaos. We came to find that your lordship was being attacked by some bizarre monster. So we joined forces to defeat it and secure your safety.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Y-yes! We’d like to continue our chat with these grateful individuals, so you may step back!!”

“Understood. Then… please take care of my lord, Mage.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll handle it just fine~.”

As the knights and soldiers withdrew, the lord immediately dropped to his knees before us.

No wonder—just minutes ago, he’d been rolling around in tears and snot from the pain of the Geas contract.

I left him one final warning.

“You, servant.”

“…….”

“Servant?”

“…Y-yes. S-S-Sword God.”

“Use any money, connections, or whatever it takes. If you can, shake off the Geas and take your revenge. I’ll be waiting for that day with pleasure.”

“…Ah, no.”

“Until that day, crawl like you’re dead. Don’t reveal anything. Don’t expose your connection to me or the Magic Tower. If I order something, don’t ask questions—just obey. Honestly, I doubt there’s anything I’d need in this backwater town, but… oh, and make sure to donate plenty to the Lumina and Kanan churches when the time comes.”

“…Yes.”

“Good. Let’s do well, alright?”

“Yes, S-S-Sword God.”

Then Sodin added a word of her own.

“Ah. The Magic Tower is running low on experimental subjects these days. If there’s a death row inmate, just pretend to execute them and notify the Tower. They’ll come get them.”

“Ah, understood.”

My companions and I cast one last glance at the dull-witted baronet, who was still bowing his head, and then leisurely departed Ferom Village.

Shia, enjoying the ride on her horse, tugged at her hair and asked.

“Is that it? Done?”

“Of course not. We’re heading to East next to deal with the assassination guild. If you start something, you see it through. Half-done work leaves you with nothing. Sodin, you’re helping, right? And you too, old man?”

“Helping? This is our business too.”

“Exactly. That’s why we’re doing it together.”

After a light meal, we immediately teleported to Seol West. Any delay, and the assassination guild could vanish entirely.

Flash!

“Wow. We’re already here…”

For reference, it took barely ten seconds to teleport from East District 3 to West. Truly, nothing beats teleportation for speed.

As we appeared in the plaza in front of the Seol lord’s castle—coordinates we had set in advance—those who had been pre-warned by the Magic Tower were waiting for us.

Unlike before, Sodin and Talos showed proper respect to the knights before them.

“I am Sodin Cross of the Purple Magic Tower.”

“I am Talos of the same Magic Tower.”

The knights stiffly placed their fists over their chests and replied with equal courtesy.

“It is an honor to meet such renowned heroes. I am Reload, commander of the Totum Mountain Knights.”

“Heroes… for a washed-up, aging mage like me?”

“I’m not washed-up yet, senior.”

“Hah, and you draw lines while we age together?”

Reload, holding back a faint smile at their banter, quickly regained his composure.

“I’ve been briefed. Filthy vermin dared to attack the central figures of the Magic Tower here in West… Just to be clear, our lord knows nothing about this. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Of course. I know the character of Viscount Seol well enough. I can’t imagine him being involved in such a matter.”

“Thank you for understanding. Our lord said that while he bears no responsibility for this incident, he feels a moral duty for such shameless acts occurring under his domain. Therefore, he instructed us to actively cooperate in rooting out these vermin.”

“Oh… words of gratitude indeed.”

“In that spirit, all fifty knights of the Totum Mountain Knights will support you fully. Consider us your hands and feet for today. Treat us like horses if you wish.”

“Hm… I’d rather not trouble you that much.”

“Nonsense. This is our business as well, happening in our territory. Let us help.”

“Very well, then. That’s reassuring.”

Thus, a polite exchange of words occurred:

“We’re not responsible. Truly unaware. But since this happened here, we’ll help. Just don’t punish us.”

“Hmm, some effort shown. Fine, accepted.”

“So we want to pitch in…”

“No need to help. That way we owe nothing.”

“No, we don’t want to owe you. Please, let us assist.”

“Alright. Fine. Go ahead, help.”

…After that ceremonial back-and-forth, Commander Reload narrowed his eyes at Scala and me (Shia remained hidden by her perception-blocking earrings).

“And… the two behind you?”

“Ah, these friends? The girl is Sodin’s apprentice, here to assist her, and the young man… well, let’s just say he’s a ‘friend’ of Sodin and me.”

Commander Reload’s eyes widened.

“…A friend…?”

“Yes. That’s the simplest explanation.”

“Ah…”

The commander temporarily left the two in the care of his subordinates and summoned his deputy aside.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“What do you make of it?”

“…Calling someone a friend who matches them in status, age, and skill… there’s only one explanation, isn’t there?”

“Exactly. If they’re sincere, that’s master-level. And anonymous at that.”

“They must know and have disclosed it deliberately.”

“…Perhaps.”

“…Do we report it?”

“No. Not yet. Let’s wait a little longer. This could be an opportunity.”

“…Understood.”