MTM 115

Robert lightly stepped over the window sill and landed on the cool stone floor inside the tower. He immediately placed his hands on the wall and began etching intricate runes.

“It’s quiet. I expected it, but… it seems they were fully prepared and waiting for us.”

Zed and Harto followed him inside, and Robert withdrew his hand from the wall. The carefully drawn magic circle immediately lost its light and vanished without a trace.

“This is…”

“The entire tower is controlled by immense magical power.”

Robert’s gaze shifted to the window they had just crossed through. But there, as if the window had never existed, a solid wall now stood in its place. To make matters worse, communication with the rest of the group, scattered elsewhere, had gone dead.

“Does that mean… we can’t use magic at all?”

“No, that’s not it.”

In response to Zed’s question, Robert closed his eyes and concentrated. Geometric magic circles then blossomed across the backs of both his hands. Unlike Leon, this was his unique magic, visualizing and manifesting complex incantations as magic circles.

“Fortunately, I can see through the magic within the tower itself. Please wait a moment.”

He closed his eyes again and murmured softly, as if scanning the entire tower’s structure.

“The entrance is completely sealed off, and the staircase leading to the lower floors is covered in thorn vines on all sides. It seems they’ve set a trap to contain us, anticipating we might seek an escape route or request outside support.”

Robert’s brow furrowed.

“On the top floor of the tower… there is someone. But it’s hard to say for certain if it’s just one person. It feels like countless shadows are mingling together. The magic fluctuations are too chaotic to measure, skillfully concealing their true nature.”

Having said that much, Robert opened his eyes. It also meant that further scanning was beyond his own capabilities.

Zed’s gaze grew cold. The moment they entered the tower, their plan had gone up in smoke, but there was no turning back now.

“Um…”

Just then, Harto, who had been sitting quietly on Zed’s shoulder, summoned the elementals. Spi, Mir, and Krom circled around Harto in turn, then bounced up and stuck themselves tightly to the wall.

“If they scout around… maybe they could find even the tiniest weak spot where the magic has weakened…”

Robert’s eyes widened at Harto’s cautious suggestion.

“Excellent idea! Magic is ultimately the caster’s will, so it can be imperfect. As you say, Harto, there must be a gap where the mana flow is slightly disrupted.”

“Really? Ah, and if that thing on the lower stairs really is a thorn vine… Spi could burn it all away with fire.”

“It’s a trap imbued with the enemy’s mana, so it might not burn easily… but it seems worth trying.”

Robert smiled for the first time in a while, impressed by Harto’s cleverness.

“Thank you, Harto.”

“Yes…?”

“Thanks to you… I feel a little… energized.”

“Ah…”

Harto finally understood the meaning behind Robert’s words. Though he always reassured the group with his gentle smile, it seemed Robert too had been significantly tense under the oppressive weight of this tower of immense magic. But now, with Harto offering a small measure of courage, he seemed to have returned to his usual self.

“Then I should say hello and ask these little ones to take good care of things.”

“Yes…!”

Zed said this, lifting Harto from his shoulder onto his palm.

“Everyone, be careful!”

“Krrn!”

Harto waved his hand toward the elements, cheering them on, and Krom responded with a hearty voice on their behalf. The elements disappeared down the stairs, chirping and whistling as if heading out on a picnic.

“Let’s move.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

The three began climbing the spiral staircase in earnest, heading toward the upper levels of the tower.

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Thump, thump…

How far up the tower had they climbed?

‘What is it… Why have I been feeling this way since earlier?’

The higher they climbed, the more intense the fluttering in Harto’s chest grew. Zed noticed this and occasionally stroked his head to reassure him, but the feeling Harto experienced wasn’t mere anxiety.

It was an indescribable, alien longing. An almost unbearable anticipation, like facing something he’d waited his entire life for, was blossoming within his chest.

‘Why am I feeling like this? I’ve never even met the Crown Prince…’

‘…This is unexpected. A fragment of the Demon God here?’

In that instant, the unfamiliar voice he’d heard at the Grenhardt mansion on that day of torrential rain struck his mind like lightning. Harto’s skin prickled, and his body shook.

‘Ah, no. I can’t go any further up…!’

“Harto…?”

It was the moment Zed, sensing Harto’s unusual state, was about to say something.

“This is…!”

Robert, who was leading the way, halted his steps. He immediately used the light from his palm to illuminate the stairs.

“Thorn vines…?”

The stairs, walls, and even the ceiling were completely covered in lush, pure white thorn vines.

“Why are they here…?”

Robert was flustered. This obstacle hadn’t been visible at all when he’d scanned the tower’s interior with his magic vision earlier.

“Looks like it just appeared.”

Zed ran his fingertips along the white thorn vine, which spread wide. Instead of sharp thorns, sticky, long strands of thread clung to his fingers.

“It’s not a thorn vine…”

“Huh?”

“It’s spiderweb.”

It was true. What looked like white thorn vines were actually tough spiderwebs, as thick as ropes. The entire staircase was blocked by the webs, making it difficult to proceed.

“Everyone step back. I’ll burn it all!”

At that moment, Robert activated his magic circle. Red flames slowly rose from his palms, instantly forming a massive fire fist.

“Wait, Robert…”

Whoosh-!

Zed belatedly sensed the ominous sign and tried to stop him, but it was already too late. 

The flames raced up the spiderwebs and instantly engulfed the staircase. Just as it seemed like success, the webs, instead of burning away, began to melt, dripping black viscous fluid.

“Get back!”

“……?!”

Black liquid dripping from the webs, now spreading to the ceiling, fell onto Robert’s shoulder.

Sssssssss!

The fabric of Robert’s cloak where the liquid touched instantly melted away, filling the air with a foul stench. Before he could react, thick, viscous liquid poured down onto his arm.

“Aaah!”

A deathly scream erupted. Zed swiftly swung his greatsword to strike away the pouring liquid, roughly pulling Robert down the stairs.

“Harto! Strip Robert’s clothes off first!”

Sssshhhhh!

Harto extended multiple tentacles, mercilessly tearing apart Robert’s cloak and garments soaked in the viscous liquid and flinging them aside. Fortunately, his shoulders were only burned, but his arm, directly drenched in the liquid, was already horribly melting, its muscles charred and disintegrating.

“Guhh… P-potion…!”

Harto frantically pulled a potion from Robert’s bag and poured it over the wound. The horrific scene of flesh melting, mixed with dark red blood, barely stopped.

Squish! Squish! Drip, drip….

“Damn it! Cutting it won’t do any good!”

Zed shouted in frustration. Fortunately, the greatsword’s steel seemed impervious to the corrosion, but each time he sliced through the web, a viscous fluid gushed forth like a fountain from the severed edge. Worse, the splattered fluid quickly hardened into more rigid spiderwebs, further narrowing the passage. Clearing the webs for a direct breakthrough seemed impossible.

“You two….”

Robert leaned against the wall and cast healing magic with one hand; his face was pale.

“I… I’ll follow as soon as my wounds heal. Ugh…. I’m sorry I can’t help. Go ahead without me.”

“But…”

“Hurry… go. There’s no time.”

Robert’s condition was severe at a glance. An ordinary person might have gone into shock and lost their mind.

Zed was reluctant to leave his comrade behind, but as Robert said, there was no time. Communication with the others had been lost, and the longer they delayed, the more disadvantageous their situation became.

Moreover, Zed read the stubborn resolve in Robert’s eyes. It was the last shred of pride as a comrade, a desperate stubbornness refusing to be a burden.

“Let’s go, Harto.”

After a brief silence, Zed called out to Harto. Harto seemed unable to take the first step, hesitating with tears welling in his eyes before climbing onto Zed’s shoulders.

“Just hold on a little longer. I’ll send reinforcements as soon as I see an opening.”

“I’ll return… as soon as possible, Mr. Robert.”

“Thank you both… so much.”

Robert forced a smile through the pain at Zed and Harto’s promise. That smile made Zed’s heart ache, but he didn’t linger. He turned and stepped onto the staircase, tangled with cobwebs.