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Chapter 95 – The Envoy of the Lutein Kingdom (1)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 95 – The Envoy of the Lutein Kingdom (1)
A silence hovered in the air.
Everyone present looks at Ketal.
[…What are you suddenly talking about?]
The Tower Master, who had been quiet until now, opened his mouth.
[My name is not Patrick.]
“Didn’t you tell me your name was Patrick?”
Ketal asked with a puzzled expression.
“Now that I think about it, why are you dressed up as a skeleton? You have unique hobbies.”
‘Does this world have the concept of cosplay?’
That was about all Ketal thought.
Elene, who had come to her senses belatedly, stuttered.
“Ke, Ketal. If you mean Patrick…”
“Patrick, who traveled with us to the Kingdom of Denian.”
“…You’re saying the Tower Master is that Patrick?”
“Hmm? The Tower Master?”
Elene spoke with a stunned face.
“Ketal, this is the Tower Master. The great Tower Master. Patrick was a citizen of the Barkan Territory, wasn’t he? Why are you saying that all of a sudden…?”
[Yes. I am the Tower Master. I do not use the name Patrick. You must be mistaken with someone else.]
“Hmm?”
Ketal looked bewildered as if he didn’t understand.
“No matter how I look at it, you are Patrick.”
“……”
The flames in the hollow eyes of the Tower Master flickered.
This barbarian was convinced that he was Patrick.
‘How?’
Although the Tower Master had controlled Patrick, it was just a puppet.
He had changed its appearance, mana pattern, and even personality.
There was no reason to associate him with Patrick.
In fact, the Tower Master had controlled several puppets like Patrick.
He had met people who knew him through those puppets, but no one had ever noticed.
‘…No.’
That wasn’t the issue.
Ketal was convinced that he was Patrick as soon as he appeared.
[The barbarian who helped Elene. What makes you think I am this Patrick?]
“Because your movements are Patrick’s.”
Ketal asked as if wondering why he even questioned it.
“Movements?”
Elene looked puzzled.
Not just her, but everyone present did too.
Except for one person.
The Tower Master.
The Tower Master understood Ketal’s words.
That’s why he was astonished.
‘This barbarian.’
The way he walked.
The way he lifted his arms.
His manner of speaking.
The accompanying gestures.
The posture when he extended his back.
The shape of his legs.
And the very simple, everyday movements in his daily life.
Ketal was convinced that he was Patrick just by looking at those movements.
Indeed, he hadn’t altered that part.
His movements as Patrick and now were identical.
‘What in the world?’
The Tower Master let out a hollow laugh.
If one was a high-level expert, they could infer their opponent by the way they used their mystical abilities or patterns.
That wasn’t difficult.
But to be sure about someone just from daily, routine movements like raising a leg, moving an arm, or shaking one’s head.
This was the first time even for the Tower Master.
While theoretically possible, he never imagined it could actually be done.
No. It could be possible.
The observational skills of a master were beyond imagination.
If someone knew their opponent well enough and observed for a long time, it wouldn’t be impossible.
But this barbarian had called him Patrick as soon as he saw him.
That meant he distinguished him in a very short time.
The Tower Master spoke in disbelief.
[I am not Patrick.]
“But your movements are definitely his.”
[You must be mistaken, but no. Perhaps there’s someone who moves very similarly to me.]
It was practically an excuse.
Movements were like fingerprints.
They were unique to each individual, and Ketal was clearly seeing them.
It was like a child stubbornly insisting to a parent.
The Tower Master felt bitter.
The truth seeker himself was arguing like a child.
He felt a moment of self-loathing.
But admitting he had been stalking as the Tower Master was out of the question.
The Tower Master was quickly thinking of a way to deny it when Ketal spoke.
“Hmm. Is that so.”
Ketal surprisingly didn’t press further.
‘It’s fantasy.’
He thought such a person could exist.
Ketal thought that way, and seeing that attitude, the Tower Master was dumbfounded.
‘He accepts such an excuse?’
He couldn’t understand what this barbarian was thinking.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Elene was looking at the Tower Master with a peculiar gaze.
The Tower Master drooped his head in melancholy.
‘So much for making a grand entrance.’
It all fell apart.
He sighed as he spoke.
[It seems the misunderstanding is cleared. I am the Master of the Magic Tower. I came to help you.]
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. Is everything alright?”
“Of course, it’s alright.”
Elene nodded, still flustered.
The Master of the Magic Tower, the great Tower Master, one of the greatest wizards.
Having someone like him help was a tremendous strength for her.
“But why…?”
[Barbosa. I know this child. It sounded quite interesting when I heard the story.]
“Thank you!”
[I’m just meddling because it seemed interesting, so you don’t have to thank me that much.]
“…Oh.”
Ketal’s eyes slowly began to light up.
He didn’t think much of it since he mistook him for Patrick, but the opponent was the Master of the Magic Tower.
The great magic tower.
Its master.
The one closest to the truth of magic.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Maximus reflexively grabbed his weapon, and Elene took a step back.
The Tower Master chuckled.
[Sorry, but I don’t intend to fight you.]
“I don’t particularly wish for that either.”
[You reveal such momentum and say nonsense. Doesn’t that mean you want to fight?]
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“It’s true.”
He had no particular intention of fighting.
He was just momentarily excited at the name of the Tower Master.
But no one believed him.
Barbosa spoke up.
“Anyhow… The Master of the Magic Tower has decided to help. Barbarian, the part you mentioned, the Tower Master has also prepared for.”
[You called them nanos. You said it would be dangerous if they harbored malice. That’s not wrong. Even superhuman-level wizards couldn’t detect and were replaced, so on a normal level, there would be no response.]
But he was the Tower Master.
The master of the great tower and a hero class.
[I researched with the captured knight. Those things were made up of very tiny and minute particles.]
They were impossible to see with the naked eye.
He had to focus magic to magnify them.
[They were so small, yet they moved normally. I can’t understand how they exist.]
The Tower Master muttered cheerfully.
[But I’ve figured it out. You won’t understand the professional details, so to put it simply, I created a barrier that those things can’t enter.]
“Oh.”
Ketal was impressed.
Seeing his reaction, the Tower Master laughed happily.
[It’s a great feat. It’s worth being engraved in history. So, Barbosa, you should thank me more.]
“Is it such a great thing? I don’t understand.”
Barbosa didn’t grasp it.
To him, it was just an invisible barrier.
He didn’t think it would be difficult for the Tower Master.
[This is why talking to those who don’t understand magic is frustrating. It’s such a great achievement.]
The Tower Master grumbled.
Ketal agreed.
“It’s amazing. Is that really possible?”
[Absolutely.]
“Then what about the air? Breathing would be impossible.”
[That’s not an issue. Only allowed elements can pass through.]
“Is that even possible?”
The Tower Master, enjoying Ketal’s reaction, suddenly paused.
Ketal’s expression showed pure amazement.
It was as if he had seen an impossible miracle.
[…Wait. Barbarian, did you understand?]
“I understand. It’s amazing.”
Nanos are incredibly small.
Their size is probably down to the cellular level.
They can enter through the gaps in matter, so ordinary defense was meaningless.
But the Tower Master said he created a barrier that nanos couldn’t penetrate.
Ketal didn’t know modern science well.
He was interested, but it was too specialized for him.
But even he knew that creating a barrier that even such small particles couldn’t penetrate was impossible.
‘The magic of this world can do that.’
Advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.
In other words, magic can also be indistinguishable from science.
Ketal was genuinely astonished.
And the Tower Master was equally surprised.
‘He understood this concept?’
The small unit at which matter exists as matter.
Understanding that concept isn’t easy.
Humans usually believe their bodies are a complete whole.
Though he grumbled that ignorant people wouldn’t know, none of his disciples understood how great his work was.
They only vaguely understood it as a barrier that blocks everything.
‘This is.’
It’s not possible with simple education.
He knew knowledge far superior, at least unknown at the current level of understanding.
‘What exactly is in the White Snowfield?’
For someone who didn’t know Ketal’s identity, he could only assume that all this knowledge came from the White Snowfield.
“If we have that, there should be no problem.”
[…Yes. There won’t be a problem.]
Barely recovering from his surprise, the Tower Master spoke.
[So who will receive the envoy? For safety, we should withdraw all personnel from the castle.]
Barbosa spoke.
“I can’t withdraw, nor can Elene. Aaron, what do you intend to do?”
“Since the princess will not step back, I also have no intention of withdrawing.”
“Then, Ketal, you should also be here.”
“I have no intention of withdrawing now.”
Ketal smiled broadly.
The discussion was wrapping up.
All that was left was to prepare and wait for the envoy to arrive.
And at that moment, Maximus, who had been quietly observing, spoke.
“Your Majesty, may I say something?”
* * *
“…Maximus.”
Barbosa sighed softly.
He seemed to understand what Maximus wanted to say.
“Must you really do this?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But I believe I must speak. I think I have the right to do so.”
“…Sigh.”
Barbosa, as if giving up, spoke.
“Speak.”
Maximus began to speak.
“I can understand my exclusion. With the Tower Master here, my strength won’t make much difference. And Princess Elene and Aaron, of course, must be present.”
“Then what is the issue?”
“But this, I cannot understand.”
Maximus pointed a finger at Ketal with a contorted face.
“Why is that barbarian involved?”
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]