Make Dark Fantasy Great Again

Chapter 109 "Tower Lord...!" The name that came from Rona's mouth hit me like a blow to the back of the head. "What, is it really that surprising?" "No, I just suddenly thought about it and it's ridiculous." "Ridiculous? What is?" “The fact that the concept of the Tower Lord completely slipped my mind.” Just before, my concern was 'Is there anywhere I can observe a 7th Rank?' but thinking about it now, that was a ridiculous concern. Of course it was. I belong to a Magic Tower, and at the top of that organization is the Tower Lord. For someone affiliated with a Magic Tower like me, when wondering 'Is there any inhumanly strong person around?' the natural conclusion should be 'Oh right, the Tower Lord' without any hesitation. Yet here I was, unable to think of that Tower Master and agonizing alone in my thoughts. (E/N: more accurate translation is Tower Master but it is too confusing with "Magic Tower Master" which is a rank so I sometimes use Lord instead) 'Where did our Tower Master go anyway.' I realize anew that our Magic Tower was far from normal. Well, it's precisely because it's such a tower that they took in a bastard like me and appointed me as an Honorary Mage, letting me get by. Perhaps reading my complex feelings, Rona burst into laughter. It was such a refreshing smile that any woman seeing it would have screamed 'Kyaaah!!! Prince!!!' "From what I hear, he's afflicted with wanderlust or something and can't keep his backside still. You've never seen him either?" "According to people at the Magic Tower, his visits are measured in years." "...Then the Magic Tower operates without its Tower Master?" "No, there's a Tower Master Proxy for that." "A Tower Master Proxy must be as remarkable as the Tower Master, right?" "There's Demiya, a doll the Tower Master created based on his past self to handle his duties. She's called a doll, but until she told me directly, I just thought she was human." "...You're talking so casually about creating a being that's essentially human." "That's the weight the title of Tower Master carries." Monsters who have reached the pinnacle of magic. The weight their names carry equals that of Sword Masters, and sometimes even exceeds it. In that sense, this was perfectly timed. 'Such monsters should be able to easily reproduce the realm of 7th Rank, right?' For me, who was thirsting to witness the 7th Rank, this was an opportunity worth its weight in gold. With joy, I grasped Rona's hands and said, "Rona. You really are the only one. How do you match exactly what I need like this- How did I even live before I had you? I can't even remember." "Eh!? Uh..." Perhaps I was being too dramatic, as Rona's body trembled and stiffened. But that was only momentary. "Unexpected? It's the complete opposite of the reaction I thought you'd have." Rona glanced at our clasped hands once, then continued speaking in a strangely pleased tone. That was probably part of his prince mode's charming atmosphere. Every action made me think 'Is this why women go crazy for him?' "Expected reaction?" "I thought you'd hate this kind of thing. A gathering where accomplished people come together to show off, saying 'You're great but I'm greater.'" "Ah." "So I came prepared, thinking about how to persuade you- What's gotten into you? Did hanging around with the City Councilors make you finally develop a taste for power?" Rona laughed playfully and lightly hit my arm. "Hm?" But suddenly the prince's expression became serious. I became serious too and said, "Why, is there something wrong with my body?" You're the doctor and I'm the patient. When Rona checked my body and showed that reaction, it was natural for me to become serious. "Huh? No- Um..." Then Rona, as if remembering something, placed one hand near his mouth and began massaging my arm with the other. It was truly the diligent appearance of a doctor conducting an examination with a sense of duty. I too had no choice but to faithfully submit to the examination and wait for the doctor's verdict. "How is it?" "Hmm... surprisingly... you've been... training hard?" "Until I got injured, yes. Why, should I cut back a bit?" "No, you're doing well. It's just right." Can doctors in this world tell a patient's condition just by touching their arm? Modern medicine, you've been defeated. It's a natural result when facing divinity. You lost but fought well, you ordinary field that can't even cure baldness. "Is that enough?" "Huh?" "Just by touching the arm, you know everything?" "Uh, um..." The doctor seemed lost in thought. Separately, his eyes were sparkling. Probably a manifestation of the noble sense of duty he possessed as a Saint. "Then just a moment-" After that, Rona pressed my chest firmly and massaged my thighs, conducting the examination with sincere dedication. Shortly after, Rona nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent." "Excellent?" "Huh? No, what I mean is- your physical condition, no, physical condition is-" "So you're saying that thanks to my regular training, my physical condition is rapidly improving?" "Exactly, that's what I was trying to say." "Ah, having it confirmed by the Saint puts me at ease." With the examination over, our conversation continued. I explained to Rona why I had shown interest in the banquet. "You're on the verge of 7th Rank, so you want to witness the 7th Rank?" Rona looked stunned for a moment but soon nodded in understanding. "I see. You're on the verge of 7th Rank. Of course you are. It's so natural it's not even surprising." "Your tone is somehow strange." "That's probably your problem." "Maybe so. Well, anyway- So, do you know more about that Tower Master? Something that might be helpful when I make that request- Oh, I didn't ask this. Which tower is that Tower Master from? For reference, I'm hoping for the Gray Tower Master." "That's unfortunate. The Tower Master attending the banquet is from the Blue Magic Tower. To be precise, the former Blue Tower Master." "Ah, a retired one. So that's how he can attend a merchant's banquet held in a foreign land. That's a shame." "A shame?" "If other Tower Masters were also afflicted with wanderlust like ours, abandoning their towers to travel around, I think I'd feel a bit more at ease." "Are you twisted..." "A twisted environment breeds twisted children. Wait, thinking about it- I've been abandoned by all my superiors, haven't I? The Bendel Family Head, our Master, and the Tower Master too-" "This doesn't seem like a topic I should laugh and agree with, so I'll change the subject. About that Tower Master- that Tower Master is apparently infatuated right now." "Infatuated?" Has he fallen in love? Did he step down from the tower because of forbidden love? As I was letting my imagination run wild, Rona continued. "That Tower Master recently picked up some woman-" "Whoa, this story is taking a dangerous turn?" "That woman apparently has exceptional natural magical talent?" "Ah, I thought it was something else." "To what extent? He's apparently seriously considering returning to the Magic Tower because of that woman. To take her as a disciple and teach her seriously." "If a Tower Master is that interested, she must be a truly ridiculous monster." "?" When I said that, Rona looked at me with a strange gaze. "But Rona, how do you know such details?" "It was written in a letter that came to the Trading Company Head." "?" "Caria told me." "...That young lady Caria, she's alright, isn't she?" When I asked carefully, Rona showed his characteristic princely smile. "What are you saying? She's such a precious young lady. Of course I'm treating her well." How exactly are you treating her well? The words rose to my throat, but lacking confidence to handle the consequences, I swallowed them back down. "Ah, right and- one more thing." "One more thing?" "Great Nobles. A young master and young lady from a Great Noble house are also scheduled to attend the banquet. Have you heard of them? The Mastien House." Great Nobles. Nobles among nobles. Those who reign as rulers of this world. Even people ignorant of and indifferent to the noble world knew all the names of Great Nobles. I was no exception. Among those Great Nobles, the name Mastien was particularly familiar to me. (E/N: Oh That's Heinya's home!) "You call that a question? How could I not know the name of the genius mage who is the pride of our Gray Magic Tower?" "...The genius mage who is the pride of the Gray Magic Tower?" "Yes. A source of pride representing our tower that we wouldn't be ashamed to present anywhere." "...You, never say the same thing in front of the person involved." "?" "Anyway, you know the Mastien House young lady? That's great. Make good use of this opportunity." "Make good use? I can't do it like you." "?" "Huh? You didn't mean for me to, like you do, capture women's hearts, like, huh?" I rubbed my hands together vigorously to express Rona's genius talent. The prince let out a weary sigh. "Am I crazy enough to ask you to do something like that?" "Ah. True. I have virtually no talent in that area." "..." "?" The prince looked at me with a strange gaze and continued speaking. "Anyway, what I'm saying is, use that connection well to establish ties with the Great Noble house." Recently, I had been getting a bit arrogant from associating with City Councilors and other urban nobles. But Great Nobles? Ruling over a substantial city like Bondaless is no easy task. However, Great Nobles were those who ruled over the entire continent. The scale was completely different. "Me, in front of such people... hmm..." "What are you worried about? Just do it like when you captured the City Councilors' hearts, right?" The prince said playfully, mimicking my hand gestures from earlier. "Is that so...? But what worries me is that I'm not very used to such occasions." "Ah, don't worry about that." Rona tapped my arm and gave his princely smile. "I'm here, aren't I?" "...Damn, is this how those young ladies fell for you? I might have just fallen for you myself." After that, Rona explained the banquet's schedule. "Starting tomorrow morning, people attending the banquet will begin gathering at the mansion. The banquet proper starts in the evening. What do you think? Should we meet people and go around together starting tomorrow morning? Or should I come pick you up when the banquet starts in the evening?" “What about you, Eron?” "Me? Well, I'll have to go around from morning. There are many people I don't know attending this banquet. I'm thinking of expanding my network while I'm at it." "...Just to be safe, go easy on the young ladies who have partners... Your existence is a kind of disaster for those poor men." "If you're that worried, you should stick close to me and keep watch, shouldn't you?" "Ha. Fine. I get it. Then let's meet in the morning." Rona gave his princely smile while patting and massaging my forearm. "Good thinking. Actually, someone of your caliber making a protagonist-like entrance at the last moment wouldn't be bad either- but this banquet has so many big shots." "Right. After all, a former Tower Master and Great Noble young master and young lady are attending." How long had we been talking like this? "Ah, look at me. I've delivered all my business, so I'll be going now." "Why the rush?" "Of course I should be in a hurry. It's late. Rather, I was too relaxed. Visiting at such a late hour." "Don't worry about it. I don't particularly mind either. Between us, what does it matter." "Between us...?" Like the prince had done, I tapped his forearm and smiled. "Stay comfortably. You can even stay all night if you want." "..." Rona's eyes lit up briefly at my words. "...Ah." As if realizing something, she sighed, and her expression changed. Tomorrow, definitely a dress... some words slipped from the prince’s mouth like a sigh. "What did you say?" "I said I'm leaving." Rona left the room with strangely irritated steps. *** "Earrings?" "Hm? How did you notice?" "Because you keep pushing your hair behind your ear." "Whatever, I tried them once. How do they look?" "...Aren't they too pretty? What if people find out you're a woman?" "Not really, I've never gone around deceiving people that I'm a man? By the way, you said pretty?" "Ah, sorry. Did that offend you?" "...Well, I suppose? I'm not some mere woman." The next day. I followed Rona, who seemed to be in a strangely good mood, around various parts of the mansion. "This is Sir Coldor, the eldest son of the Dvadium House." "Oh, by any chance, the Dvadium wine-" "That's right. The wine from our vineyards is our family's pride." "Sir Coldor. This is Risir- have you perhaps heard the name?" "Risir... Ah, that, surely not the one who completely wiped out the criminal organizations in the back alleys...!" "No, I haven't completely wiped them out-" "What an honor to meet you like this! Risir! Let's meet often in the future!" Rona introduced me to acquaintances among the attendees who had connections with him, so I could better blend into the banquet. After meeting several people like this, I suddenly felt something was off. "This is Sir Dovaf, the second son of the Kalenon House." "This is Sir Kezen, the third son of the Duvian House." Was it just my imagination? 'Why do they all seem to be men?' Just then, speak of the devil. "Ah...!" A woman who spotted Rona from afar approached with her face beaming with joy. "We're about done here- shall we move to the next location?" "Huh?" But before the woman could approach, Rona led me away to another location. "Is that okay? Just now, some young lady seemed to recognize you and was about to greet you." "Must have been your imagination. Don't worry about it." After that, I met many nobles and became acquainted with them. They were all men. The strange feeling was probably just my imagination as Rona said, so I decided not to assign unnecessary meaning to it. As we busily went around like this, I could feel the population density of the mansion increasing. Before I knew it, it was afternoon. The banquet attendees began gathering in earnest. Having finished our rounds, Rona and I strolled through the garden looking for new prey(?). "Let's go over there." A crowd subtly gathered. A subtly stirring atmosphere. It was the kind of atmosphere that emerges when there's someone you want to get close to but can't readily approach. Sure enough, when we arrived there, I saw a familiar face. Vivid blonde hair that seemed to have different saturation settings and white skin. An appearance that seemed to scream with her whole body 'I am of noble bloodline!!!' Heinya Ye Mastien, the young lady of the Great Noble Mastien House and our fellow student at the Magic Tower, was standing there. 'Huh? Could that be-' Together with a blonde man who likewise looked very noble. I could tell at a glance. He was Heinya's older brother. The nobles scattered around seemed to be forming an invisible line. The order of the line was determined by status. They carefully took turns approaching the Great Noble siblings to offer their greetings. "Huh?" Then, the young lady who had been standing beside her brother dealing with the nobles turned her gaze toward me. "You! What brings you here!?" Despite her accusatory tone, her expression was clearly delighted. Heinya paid no attention to the surrounding nobles and immediately approached me. "Heinya?" The Great Noble house's young master also followed Heinya and approached me. "What? He has a relationship with Lady Heinya?" "That's Eron...? Don't tell me he has connections with the Great Noble house too?" "I've never seen the one next to him, who is that?" The attention of the entire place immediately focused on us. "Risir, what perfect timing!" As if the attention of those nobles was of no concern whatsoever, Lady Heinya spoke to me with a spirited smile. "Follow me!" "Pardon? Where to?" "Anywhere! Right now, duel with me!" "A duel?" "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. This moment when I can repay the humiliation from back then!" A small whirlwind bloomed above Heinya's raised palm. "See? I've also reached 5th Rank like you! You better prepare yourself!" "..." "..." Rona and I became solemnly quiet for no reason and averted our gazes. *** ───── [Title: What is this infatuation Fate Quest?] Content: The Mastien young master suddenly said "Then she's not officially a disciple yet." said this bullshit and then the former Blue Tower Master's disciple started a trading company bidding war and they began having a fucking feast, but now I'm supposed to rationally persuade these two excited people? What do I do? Should I just kill the former Blue Tower Master's disciple? - : Split her in half and share? What is this, Solomon? - : Remove the infatuation ㅇㅇ -[Author] : How do I remove it? -[Author] : Shit, it won't come off? -[Author] : This disciple bastard's specs are a bit strange ─────