Chapter 252 : Chapter 252
Side Story 11. Sylvia (1)
After catching up with the Rohan brothers, my next destination was Valois Island.
Whenever people heard the name Valois Island, most of them thought of the Tower of Illusions.
This Magic Tower was home to one of only two Archmages in all of Kalia.
It was also where my former companion Sylvia served as the Tower Master.
As an aside, several troublesome incidents occurred before we reached the island.
The Hatchling named Leviar attempted to escape no fewer than three times.
The first time, I deliberately pretended to let my guard down, and he immediately fled.
The second time was while I was asleep.
The final time, the bastard simply made a sudden break for it without any preamble.
Of course, none of his three escape attempts lasted very long.
No matter how far he ran, he was still trapped in the palm of my hand.
“Considering you ran away three times, I suppose I did not punish you harshly enough. Would you not agree?”
“Not harshly enough? You beat me so badly my eyes nearly popped out!”
Leviar protested indignantly.
“I suppose it was still tolerable by a Dragon’s standards.”
“Dragons are living creatures too! Pain still hurts!”
“Then perhaps Dragons are simply stupid. You know perfectly well that you will be beaten half to death if you get caught, yet you keep running away. What else would you call that besides idiotic?”
“Idiotic? Have you forgotten that Dragons are the progenitors of magic? When it comes to intelligence, Dragons stand above all others!”
“I wonder.”
After meeting Leviar, many of my preconceived notions about Dragons had begun to crumble.
Even if he was only a Hatchling, I had never imagined a Dragon could possess so little dignity.
Even Rosie, who was considerably younger, had never been this bad.
“But must you really drag me around wearing a dog collar like this? I am a Dragon. This is a little humiliating....”
The length of the leash in my hand determined the extent of his permitted freedom.
He had complained about it throughout the entire journey.
“Just keep pretending to be a dog. Would it not be even more humiliating if people discovered you were actually a Dragon?”
“Just wait and see how long you can keep acting this arrogant! Once the Red Dragons arrive in droves, I will be watching closely to see whether you can still behave like this!”
“I told you. That is exactly what I want.”
At my answer, Leviar shook his head from side to side.
The bell around his neck jingled along with the motion.
“I can finally see it!”
The Tower of Illusions, our destination, came into view.
Archmage Sylvia.
The corners of my lips rose naturally at the thought of how much she might have changed.
***
“You cannot enter right now.”
The one who stopped me was a little girl.
“Are you the guide for this Magic Tower?”
“Yes. I am also an apprentice mage here.”
“You must be fairly talented.”
If Sylvia had accepted her as an apprentice, that alone meant she possessed considerable talent.
Her bright, intelligent eyes certainly made it seem plausible.
“The Tower Master is currently conducting important research.”
“Could you at least tell her that an important guest has arrived?”
“She ordered that no one be allowed inside. That includes even me, despite being the guide.”
Sylvia had occasionally been like this in the past as well.
Whenever she became absorbed in important research, she would shut herself away for months and devote herself entirely to it.
Those were also the times when her peculiar obsession with cleanliness became especially pronounced, so just as the girl said, Sylvia was probably the only person inside the tower at present.
‘I once waited for ages only to give up and leave.’
“Then I suppose you do not know when her research will end?”
“No. It has already been almost two months, but the Tower Master has not come outside even once.”
Judging from the situation, there was no chance she would finish within a day or two.
But I could not simply force my way inside either.
Whenever this Magic Tower was sealed shut, it could never be opened through ordinary means.
“I think it would be better if you returned another time.”
“I am not really in a position to do that. Is it still possible to enter through the Passage of Illusions?”
“The Passage of Illusions?”
The girl’s eyes widened.
“Judging by your reaction, I suppose it is.”
“It is, but are you truly intending to enter that way? I heard it became far more dangerous after the Tower Master modified it again.”
The Passage of Illusions.
It was known to remain open at all times, even when the doors of the Magic Tower were sealed.
Only one person in all of Kalia was capable of passing through it.
Dejan Berger, the only other Archmage besides Sylvia.
Anyone was technically allowed to enter the passage, but overcoming the illusion magic placed within it was another matter entirely.
It was Sylvia’s way of saying that unless someone was an Archmage capable of contributing to her research, they should not even bother coming inside.
“I do not mind. Would you show me the way?”
“If ten people enter, nine come out dead, and the remaining one barely escapes alive. And those are records from before the Tower Master improved it. She said it is far more dangerous now. You still intend to enter?”
“Yes. I will be fine.”
The girl sighed before handing me a sheet of paper.
“Then sign here.”
It was a waiver stating that anyone entering the Passage of Illusions accepted all possible dangers and that the Magic Tower would bear no responsibility for the consequences.
I signed the paper and handed it back to her.
“By the way, are you planning to take that puppy inside with you?”
“Yes. I am.”
“The Tower Master is extremely particular about cleanliness, so she does not like animals very much. She especially despises ugly puppies like this one. Though I suppose you will never make it through anyway—N-No, never mind. Just take him with you.”
The girl apparently realized her mistake midway through speaking and hurriedly cut herself off.
She had not said it outright, but she clearly assumed I was as good as dead.
‘So she still hates animals.’
Still, there was no helping it today.
Disabling the traps installed throughout the Passage of Illusions would be this puppy’s job.
Leviar merely glared at the girl, apparently irritated by the entire situation.
***
The Passage of Illusions.
I had known that such a place existed, but this was my first time entering it personally.
Even reaching the realm of Sword Master was useless here.
Only magic could contend with the mysteries that unfolded within this world of illusions.
“That damned little brat!”
Leviar was still complaining even after we entered the Passage of Illusions.
“Enough already. What is wrong with calling a puppy a puppy?”
“She did not just call me a puppy! She called me an ugly puppy!”
“...That actually bothers you?”
After spending so much time in the form of a puppy, the bastard seemed to be suffering from a genuine identity crisis.
Considering that his tail now wagged whenever he was pleased, he had become indistinguishable from an actual dog.
At this rate, he might even wag his tail happily if someone scratched him gently around the neck.
In any case, the mysteries of the passage began almost immediately.
No sooner had I sensed mana surging than a barrage of Fire Arrows came raining toward us.
They were merely illusions without physical substance, but that did not mean we could simply let them strike us.
The pain they inflicted would still feel completely real.
FWOOOSH!
I created a small Freezing Barrier in front of myself.
It was a technique I had learned from Rosie not long ago, and I was already putting it to practical use.
Leviar smiled with interest.
“Not bad. You are probably the only swordsman in Kalia capable of using magic at this level.”
But hidden beneath the words not bad was a hint of condescension toward my magic.
Naturally, to a Dragon—the progenitor of magic—it must have looked like a child’s trick.
Forget the level of an Archmage. I had not even fully reached the 6th Circle yet.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!!
Ice and fire collided violently, and my Barrier was already beginning to fade.
Apparently pleased by the sight, Leviar wagged his tail.
“My Barrier is this sturdy! Can you feel the difference in our strength?”
How impressive.
Leviar, thoroughly excited, leisurely bounded around from place to place.
Of course, he could only move within the range of his leash, but he looked like a fish finally returned to water.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“How could I not? And I just had a wonderful idea!”
“A wonderful idea?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he answered, Leviar fired two blasts of Flame Wind at me.
“WOOF! WOOF!”
His fourth escape attempt.
This time, he had even dared to attack me.
He was becoming remarkably bold.
Of course, I had expected him to try something at least once after entering this place.
That was why I had remained on guard the entire time.
Even while fending off the illusions, I had deliberately kept a minimum amount of strength in reserve.
SWISH!
SWISH!
I cut through Leviar’s attacks with my sword.
His attacks were real rather than illusions.
There was no reason to use magic against them.
FSSSS—
The severed Flame Winds dispersed into the air.
Leviar’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
He must have assumed his attack would work.
YANK!
I pulled hard on the leash.
Leviar was helplessly dragged through the air and landed neatly in my arms.
“Y-You had this much strength left?”
“Your idiotic little scheme was painfully obvious.”
“Do not hit me!”
Leviar flailed all four legs desperately.
“Just maintain the Barrier properly.”
It was becoming difficult to continue blocking the mysteries of the passage with my own magical Barrier.
In that case, I had no choice but to use Leviar as a shield.
Still trapped in my grasp, Leviar expanded his Barrier without even being told.
He knew he had done something deserving of punishment and was voluntarily paying his dues.
Using him as a shield, I was eventually able to advance until we reached the end of the Fire Arrow section.
***
WHOOOSH!
WHOOOOOSH!
Blizzards raged from every direction.
I clicked my tongue at the absurdity of the Passage of Illusions, which alternated between extremes of scorching heat and freezing cold.
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
Then enormous walls of ice appeared both in front of and behind us.
In an instant, we were completely sealed in.
Normally, I could simply break through with Sword Qi, but swords were useless against illusions.
“Th-This is impossible! It is Eversnow!”
“Eversnow?”
“These walls! They were created with the highest class of Freezing Magic! Even if it is only an illusion, how could a mere human use a spell like this?”
“She is one of only two Archmages in Kalia.”
“Even an Archmage is still human. I have never heard of a human capable of using Eversnow!”
“You are talking an awful lot. That makes it sound as though you are not confident.”
“O-Of course I am confident! I may be young, but I am still a Dragon! You think I would lack confidence against magic created by a mere human? Even a passing dog would laugh at that!”
A dog talking about dogs made the situation rather amusing.
In any case, even to someone as ignorant of magic as I was, the wall before us looked formidable.
Had it been real rather than an illusion, it would have taken a tremendous amount of Sword Qi to break through it.
‘No wonder nearly everyone who enters this place dies.’
At least in the Flame Wind section, one could retreat if things became too dangerous.
Here, however, the walls of ice and snow completely trapped anyone inside, leaving them to slowly freeze to death.
There was no chance Sylvia had created this place with the genuine expectation that people would pass through it.
It seemed her eccentricity had only grown worse with time.
“In any case, you can handle it, right?”
“Of course! I may still be young, but I am a progenitor of magic!”
Well.
He might not inspire much confidence, but there was no denying that the bastard was a Dragon.