The closer they drew to the lake, the more skeletal the trees became. It wasn’t because it was winter. They looked as though they had caught some disease and were slowly dying.

“Damn it...”

When a faint mist began creeping over the ground, Miguel, walking beside Moro, moved his lips and muttered the curse under his breath.

Ian, seated in the saddle, merely glanced down at him from beneath his hood and said nothing.

Step... step...

The others following behind were just as silent.

It wasn’t because they were wary of the surroundings, which were growing increasingly ominous. Right now, they wore blindfolds pulled low over their eyes, their heads slightly bowed, walking wordlessly like prisoners as the rope guided them forward.

—You can feel it too, can’t you? They’re still watching us, my friend.

Just as expected, it hadn’t taken long after they entered the basin for the sensation of a gaze laced with magic to begin.

It wasn’t another mage they had encountered, but crows, rats, and wildcats lurking in the darkness, watching them.

They were a mage’s familiars, unmistakably the watchers of the magic tower.

So we came to the right place.

That was why Ian had been faithfully playing the role of a spellcaster for several hours now. Unfortunately for the group following behind him, it wasn’t difficult at all. All he had to do was sit on the saddle with his hood pulled low and his usual expressionless face.

—I’m liking this more and more. I can’t wait to see what things they’ve been doing down there...

Yog’s whisper continued, not even bothering to keep quiet.

Running your mouth while you’ve got the chance, huh?

Clicking his tongue, Ian sifted through the hazy memories of the game.

Beneath the great Larmut mansion, where he had infiltrated, a literal hellscape awaited. Test subjects were displayed everywhere, their eyes and mouths sewn shut, their brains laid bare.

Of course, the real nightmare began when the mansion detected the intruder and sealed itself off, forcing him to destroy the power sources of the spell circuits just to escape.

Every test subject had been released from their restraints.

Those with severed limbs floated through the air, scattering telekinetic force. Others shot bolts of electricity from needles driven deep into their brains. Some crawled forward while breathing fire and frost, their skulls fused like conjoined twins.

The most revolting one had been the head of the house, the boss himself. But even leaving that monster aside, every single one of them had been grotesque and horrifying. Even the family’s knights had moved like twisted puppets.

Back then, I didn’t care about the settings at all.

However, from what he had heard in passing, the spellcasters of the Gray Magic Tower believed all truth and secrets resided in the brain.

They had likely gathered individuals with exceptional talents to study how their brains differed from those of ordinary people. The experiments he had seen were merely byproducts of that research.

Which meant that the magic tower was almost certainly conducting similar experiments as well.

More time has passed, and the dawn of magic has already begun... so maybe now...

Ian’s eyes twitched just then. He felt a faint ripple of magic whose source he couldn’t identify.

As if resonating with the wave, the insignia pinned to his collar emitted a small vibration.

Some kind of detector, maybe.

Ian brushed the insignia with his fingers and looked around.

There were no trees left nearby. Beyond the shifting mist, the lake’s black surface glimmered faintly. They had reached the shore.

Perhaps they needed to wander nearby until the resonance became clearer.

—Oh... so it reflects the signals like that. How crude...

The mocking whisper brushed against his mind.

Ian glanced down at Miguel. “Can you track it?”

Miguel’s shoulders twitched, though he didn’t startle. Perhaps because Yog had been teasingly tapping his neck with its tail for some time already.

Either way, Yog snickered.

—Of course, my friend. It’s not difficult at all.

Noticing that the creature was looking up at him, Ian jerked his chin as if to say, go ahead.

Yog’s chuckle grew even more relaxed.

—I always enjoy the moments when you ask for my help... Turn your head slightly to the right, Moro.

Snorting as if pushing the mist aside with its breath, Moro obediently turned its head. Even then, it didn’t quicken its pace.

At least they’re keeping up.

After checking on the group following behind, Ian clicked his tongue inwardly.

Nasser and Mev were managing well enough, and even Thesaya showed no signs of struggling. However, walking barefoot with their eyes covered could hardly be comfortable.

Both their Mental Fortitude and Stamina were surely being drained far more than usual. For completely different reasons, Miguel, walking behind Moro, seemed to be in the same situation. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Even after fighting so many life-and-death battles, he’s still this timid...

Ian suppressed a chuckle as he glanced at Miguel, whose neck was slick with cold sweat.

Then again, that was probably the normal reaction.

Clack, clack.

In any case, the damned snake hanging around Miguel’s neck really was guiding them properly. The resonance from the insignia was growing clearer and clearer.

—Hmm, it should be around here...

The whisper came not long after.

Ian could easily guess what Yog was thinking. Aside from the thick mist hanging in the air, the entrance to the magic tower was still nowhere to be seen.

If this thing reflects the signal...

Ian pressed the jewel in his left hand against the insignia and drew up a thread of magic. A small wisp of magic from the jewel’s magic stone flowed instantly into the insignia.

Crackle... crack...

Blue sparks flickered from the insignia.

At the same time, it began emitting a faint magical pulse.

Just as he thought, there had to be a simple spell circuit inside designed to send a signal inward.

Rumble...

A faint tremor began spreading through the ground ahead.

Ian pulled the reins.

Moro came to an immediate stop, and Yog finally let out a low chuckle.

—Ah, so it was also the key.

Ian gave a slight nod and stared ahead as the tremor grew stronger.

Something dark was rising from beneath the earth, pushing through the wavering mist.

“Huh...”

When the rumbling finally subsided, Miguel let out a quiet gasp.

The entrance to the magic tower was a stone structure shaped almost like a cube. Its color was the same dark tone as the surrounding soil, and its surface bore no decorations whatsoever.

Even when exposed, it would have been impossible to distinguish from afar.

Maybe it can only be entered at night.

Ian flicked the reins lightly.

If that were the case, they had stumbled onto it by luck.

Lowering its head slightly, Moro walked slowly toward the entrance.

Rumble...

With a deep vibration, one side of the outer wall split open sideways. Beyond it, a staircase descending underground appeared. It was wide enough for about five people to walk side by side, and it was filled with thick darkness.

Gloomy bastards.

While Yog snickered, Ian clicked his tongue and tugged Moro’s reins. They had to dismount to go down the stairs.

Miguel, who had been swallowing nervously, looked toward him as Ian dismounted.

Holding Moro’s reins in one hand, Ian jerked his head toward the back. It might look like a commanding gesture, but it simply meant: keep an eye on the others on the stairs.

Even with his face stiff from tension, Miguel nodded politely.

Stay quiet for now.

Ian added the thought as he glanced back at Moro, then stepped forward.

With deliberate ease and without the slightest hesitation, he walked into the stairway leading underground.

Moro lowered its head and followed him down the steps.

—Very cozy....

Yog laughed in satisfaction.

Cozy, my ass.

Ian descended the dark stairway, which was filled with stale air, in silence. Even as he did, he listened carefully to the footsteps of his companions entering behind Moro.

Step... Step...

Not a single one of them stumbled as they went inside.

Miguel’s heavier footsteps were the last to echo on the stairs, as if he had deliberately let the others enter first.

Ian stopped after only a few more steps. He had realized that the end of the staircase, buried in darkness, was blocked by a dark wall.

Rumble—

Almost at the same moment, a tremor spread from behind them. As Thesaya inhaled sharply after Miguel, Ian looked back.

The door was closing.

Thud.

And that wasn’t all. The moment the door shut completely and darkness swallowed the space, the entire chamber vibrated with a low rumble. It wasn’t hard to guess that the entrance was sinking back into the ground.

“Eek....”

Miguel let out a gasp, and Thesaya, lowering her stance slightly beside him, panted. At the very least, she was certainly pretending to be frightened.

Of course, Ian’s expressionless face wasn’t an act. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

—How cliché...

Yog whispered mockingly as the vibration eventually faded.

Ian turned his gaze back down the staircase. His eyes could easily pierce through the darkness filling the chamber.

Rumble...

Just as expected, the wall blocking the end of the stairs was descending. Another wall behind it lowered at the same time, naturally forming the next stretch of steps.

“Huh...” Miguel, still hunched slightly, let out a quiet gasp.

The dark chamber glowed faintly right afterward. Spell circuits densely carved into the ceiling and walls gradually came into view. They were clearly very old.

“Get a grip. Move,” said Ian coldly, and began descending the stairs again.

Behind him came Moro with its head lowered, followed by the others in order.

—This one’s far too scared. His heart’s pounding so fast.

Yog snickered as it mocked Miguel, who couldn’t hear a word of it.

Perhaps taking inspiration from Miguel and Thesaya, Nasser and Mev also began breathing awkwardly, as if nervous.

After a while, the corner of Ian’s mouth twisted slightly as he continued down the stairs without stopping.

So there’s another gate.

Even though the end of the staircase was now visible, there was still no sign of anyone. Beyond it, only the faint glow of spell circuits spread through the darkness.

Soon, an octagonal stone chamber revealed itself. It was large enough for about thirty people to lie down comfortably, and the ceiling and walls were still densely covered with spell circuits.

Crackle... sizzle...

Unlike the staircase, bluish sparks occasionally flashed across it.

That wasn’t surprising. If there weren’t spells engraved to deal with intruders, that would have been more surprising.

Ian stopped in the middle of the chamber.

Behind him stood Moro, the group bound by rope, with Miguel taking the last position. He deliberately grabbed the arms of the others and roughly spaced them apart.

With his arms crossed, Ian calmly looked around the chamber.

Aside from the absence of windows, it felt closer to a room inside a castle than a basement. Perhaps that was exactly the effect the builders had intended.

Whoosh—

The chamber began to grow a little brighter. The magic within the spell circuits was flickering to life.

“State your name, mage.”

The voice followed. It echoed throughout the entire room—so mechanical that, to someone from the modern world like Ian, it sounded almost like a machine.

Uncrossing his arms, Ian answered, “Senior Mage, Ivan.”

“A name I’ve never heard before. Whose disciple are you?”

“I am the disciple of Lord Matthias Leroy.”

It was the name of the mage who had once served Edward Kralen, the former ruler of the West, who had fallen into corruption. Of course, the man had ultimately died at the hands of Ian and Thesaya.

Despite his calm expression, Ian felt a flicker of tension. There was always the chance they had a way to identify the original owner of the insignia. That was the only variable he had no way of preparing for.

“Matthias?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never heard that Matthias had a disciple.”

“Are you aware that my master has passed away?” Ian replied with a question of his own, feeling inwardly relieved.

At the very least, they clearly had no idea that the insignia pinned to his collar originally belonged to Ohara, a runaway mage.

After a brief silence, the spell circuits flickered again.

“Yes. I am aware.”

“If he hadn’t intended to break his promise, he would have informed the tower of my existence a few months later,” Ian answered calmly.

Thanks to Thesaya, he knew that it wasn’t unusual for mages hired from outside to take on disciples of their own. Of course, it was far more common for them to exploit those disciples and discard them afterward.

“You could have entered the tower and registered your identity afterward.”

The voice continued.

Ian answered immediately, “I could not. I had to sort through my master’s legacy and continue his research.”

“What research?”

At the question, Ian frowned instead of answering.

Then he folded his arms across his chest again and replied coldly, “That is something I cannot disclose.”