DMHS 57

Kian racked his brain in the short time he had, but no answer came out.

“I don’t really want anything… Let’s just go with that.”

“Then let’s go check the result of the bet.”

Lucien closed the Master’s door and opened it again. What appeared was the wooden entrance of the Magic Tower. Now that he looked, unlike the other walls that had been built in the same period, the door looked as if it had been made only recently.

‘That must be his doing.’

When it rained, he blocked it. When there was no door, he made one.

‘A dragon that lives life so easily.’

Kian pushed the wooden door open to both sides and stepped outside the tower.

As soon as he went out, he slipped away from Lucien’s eyes and went to the place where he had hidden the princess. He grabbed the soil and let it go, releasing the barrier. Just then the unconscious princess opened her eyes.

“Sir Kian?”

Kian explained the situation to the princess.

“This is in front of the Magic Tower. You, the princess, Lord Lucien, and I have come out of the maze. Let’s wait a while for the others.”

“Then Sister Daisy and Uncle Frederick are not here?”

“That is right.”

“Hmm.”

The princess pouted her lower lip and looked like she would cry. Kian’s feelings were not much different from hers.

‘How are we supposed to find those two?’

The fog was still thick. From time to time the cry of a chimera came with the wind. Kian looked helplessly at the dark forest.

***

At the same time.

Frederick was fighting a chimera that had jumped out of the forest.

‘Damn bastards. Kill them and they never end.’

This was already the fourth chimera he had run into while wandering the forest. Maybe because they were unfinished creations not yet perfected, even with wings they could not fly, and with four legs they could not run fast either.

But Frederick was already exhausted just from stumbling around inside the thickening fog. Because the flow of mana was unstable, he could not even use magic properly.

At last, after cutting down the chimera, Frederick threw his sword away irritably.

“Damn it!”

Just wandering around like this would not solve anything. Only aiming at the enemy in front of him was something foolish knights did. Frederick was a great mage, so he had to take a third path that knights would not.

‘Should I try using a magic tool?’

If Daisy had been next to him, she would have scolded him with, ‘Only now you think of that?’ It was a late realization. But whether it was fortunate or not, Frederick was alone here.

‘As expected, I am a genius.’

Frederick pulled out the magic tools and magic stones he had carried in his backpack.

‘Come to think of it, I brought a magic stone that cancels spells.’

Frederick put the stone on the ground and poured mana into it. With the faint light flowing out of the stone, the fog that covered the surroundings thinned.

‘Good. I am the only one who lost the way, so the others must be at the tower. I should go to the tower.’

He walked a few steps while checking his compass, but the fog thickened again. Frederick activated the stone once more.

‘The ability to deal with a crisis is a person’s true skill.’

Frederick lifted his chin high and headed north.

But the stone soon ran out. Frederick shook out his backpack and confirmed there were no more of that stone. He grabbed his head and fell into thought.

‘The heavens give the genius of the century yet another trial!’

He dug through the items spilled all over the ground. His hand touched something.

‘A wish-granting magic stone.’

The faces of his companions when they had seen it flashed in his mind. How they had shaken their heads when they heard he paid 5 gold.

‘But I will trust you.’

Frederick held the stone tightly and made a desperate wish.

“Please send me to the tower!”

He poured mana in as he made his wish, but the stone stayed silent. Not even the faint light that should come when magic activated appeared.

Frederick shouted his wish again.

“Please, let me leave the forest and go to the tower! That is my wish!”

“……”

“Teleport me to the tower!”

“……”

“Don’t tell me, you cannot do teleportation? Then at least send me to the tower in another way!”

“……”

“Mister Magic Stone?”

……Damn scammer!

Frederick glared at the stone with a face that looked like he would chew it up. He had been swindled after all. He, Frederick Erlesia, the genius of the century, had paid 5 gold for something worth less than a rock rolling on the ground.

Frederick muttered to himself while clutching the stone.

“If you are going to be like this, then at least make my body bigger. I will stomp through this maze.”

The moment the words fell, dazzling light burst out from the stone.

Fwaaash!

In an instant his vision turned white and he could not see. A strange feeling ran through his arms and legs.

“Wha, wha—t is this?”

The voice that came out of his throat was unfamiliar. It was too low, and it echoed loudly.

Startled, Frederick swung his arm. Some tree branch was caught in his grip. He pushed against it with his strength, trying to stand up.

Thump!

At the same time, a heavy sound that shook the ground rang out. Frederick stiffened, unable to react in his panic, as his sight slowly returned.

Frederick was at a loss for words at the scene before his eyes.

‘What in the world is this?’

His view was rising, like he was on the back of a giant bird. But Frederick was not on a bird. His own body was growing without stopping.

As a mage who loved reading fantasy novels, the first thing he checked was his clothes. Many protagonists who grew bigger had suffered embarrassment when their clothes tore.

‘My clothes are growing too? Phew, that’s a relief.’

Even while Frederick felt relief at such a ridiculous yet important detail, his body kept growing. His head shot up into the clouds, the ends of his hair became damp. When he looked down, he saw clearly the tops of trees that had looked impossibly tall from below.

When he turned his gaze, he saw the Fourth Tower rising high toward the sky. While he had been wandering in the fog-covered forest, no matter how far he went it never appeared, but now that his body had grown it looked like he could reach it in five steps.

Frederick tried to move his foot forward.

‘…..?’

But his legs did not move at all. His body had grown instantly, but the network connecting his head and his legs needed time to adjust.

Frederick had no way to know this.

‘Arms, legs, arms, legs, arms, arms, come on, move any way you want!’

‘Still not moving?’

‘Really, what use is it if only my body grows.’

When he was about to give up, his body started to move. The movements were several beats late from his brain’s orders, but to Frederick it felt like his body was moving on its own.

Thump.

Frederick stepped forward.

Thump.

Frederick swung his hand forward.

Thump.

One step back.

Thump.

Swing his arm back.

Each time Frederick moved, the ground shook and several trees fell. He stumbled clumsily, then fell backward and landed on his backside.

“A―gh―gh―gh.”

He groaned. When he looked around, the short rampage had already damaged about a third of the forest.

‘I am ruined…’

Frederick covered his face with his palm. Now even he realized there was a time gap between his thoughts and his body’s movements.

‘There is no choice.’

Frederick pressed his hands the ground to stand up again. Trees that had lived for over a thousand years broke easily with a small press of his hand.

Crack.

At that moment, an ant dodged the falling trees and leapt up high.

“Stop! You stupid magician!”

Those were words Frederick could not overlook. He focused his eyes and saw that what he thought was an ant was actually Daisy. Daisy ran toward him, her red hair streaming.

“I don’t know what you did, but take me with you!”

Truly, a troublesome knight. Frederick looked down at the tiny Daisy and fell into short thought.

‘Should I poke her with my finger?’

As if she had read his mind, Daisy shouted.

“If you hit me, I will die!”

Frederick immediately changed his mind. There was no need to cause more trouble. The annoyance from his enlarged body was already enough.

…It was definitely not because Daisy’s words had frightened him.

Daisy reached his foot and climbed up on her own. She crawled up his boot, found a pocket at the hem of his pants, and slipped inside.

“Move carefully!”

He had no objection to that. Frederick moved forward more naturally than before.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Frederick reached the tower in only five steps.

When he lowered his gaze, he saw Kian and the princess staring up at him with their jaws dropped. Even in that moment Lucien was busy glancing sideways at his mate.

‘What a ridiculous person.’

When Daisy saw that Frederick had stopped, she climbed out of the pocket. Sliding down like on a slide, she ran to the princess and hugged her.

“Princess!”

“Sister!”

The two finished their touching reunion. Then Daisy checked on the lords she served.

“Lord Lucien, Sir Kian, are you both unharmed?”

“Yes.”

“My body is fine too, though the situation here is a mess.”

Daisy glanced back and forth between the tower and the beads rolling at her feet.

“Is something wrong with the tower?”

“To explain would take long. Since it concerns the tower, Sir Frederick must take an active role.”

Catching the hint, Frederick knelt down on the spot.

Thump. Thump.

Before the real talk began, Lucien stepped forward. Holding a small scrap of paper, the gold dragon said,

“First, guess what this drawing is.”

It was clear the drawing was closely tied to the events in the tower. The paper passed through Daisy’s and the princess’s hands, then was given to Frederick. He sharpened his sight as much as possible and checked the drawing.

A round shape with black stripes. There was no need to think long. Frederick shouted the answer with confidence. His loud voice echoed through the entire forest.

“Wa―ter―melon!”