BXBX NOVEL Chapter 134 - Tower of Recluse (1)
Chapter 134 - Tower of Recluse (1)
The six colossi who have awoken from their millennium long slumber drove the world into extreme chaos. Countless cities were brought to complete ruin and the capitals of kingdoms collapsed and disappeared without any trace. There weren’t that many that were killed directly by the colossi, but the people had lost their way of life. The citizens who lost their homes wandered the wastelands, and the kings and their lords became powerless without their castle.
Even as the situation continued to deteriorate in this way, those in power within the Continent were still unable to put forth any solutions. They were too occupied preventing the colossi from invading their own regions.
The mass destruction caused by the colossi was still in progress, and within some dark place, the ones that had awoken the giants gathered.
“Daltanius and Sajators fell to the Destroyer.”
The Seven Heroes. These people who were once saviors became Calamity itself. They each showed different reactions to the death of their comrades.
“There’s nothing to be said for Daltanius, but it’s kind of a waste that we lost Sajators.”
“Two of us, the Seven Heroes, faced him at the same time and lost? Hard to believe.”
“Kekeke… Sajators. He was the weakest among us.”
“Isn’t the weakest you, Ga Xi Ong?”
“Ugh…!”
“Sajators couldn’t fight properly. He hid like a coward and died without even being able to properly retaliate.”
Meaningless opinions continued for a while before it stopped completely. It was because a single person stepped into the dark room in which the members were residing. This man carrying two swords of different lengths across his back looked at everyone before he sat at the seat of honor at the round table.
Leader of the Seven Heroes, Desfort. This unparalleled Magic Swordsman who was known to have reached the peak of both magic and swordsmanship rested his chin on his hands and looked toward his companions.
“You don’t need to be concerned with the failings of Sajators and Daltanius. It is only that our shares have grown since they have disappeared.”
“…”
These were people of strong character, but before Desfort, none dared to speak.
“Eckheart’s junk are performing their tasks. It means that we need to slowly get involved for real.”
“What do you want to do with him then?”
One man opened his mouth in a tone that was near mechanical carrying not a hint of emotion. It was the man who hadn’t said a word while the others discussed. He was White Shadow, the Assassin with a clean record.
“We ignore him. He’ll come seek us first in any case.”
“But, what happens if he kills you first? Isn’t everything for naught in that case?”
“What do you wish to say, White Shadow?”
Murderous intent manifested within the the darkness of Desfort’s eyes.
“I will eliminate the man.”
White Shadow spoke in a dry voice that didn’t falter in the slightest.
“… Can you do it?”
“I am an assassin.”
Immeasurable pride was infused in his brief sentence. Desfort lifted his head from his hand and fixed his posture.
“I won’t stop you if that’s what you wish to do.”
As Desfort spoke his permission, White Shadow disappeared from the round table without a trace. Curiosity rose in the eyes of his companions.
“That guy… he seems quite excited.”
“But, what do we do if even that guy falls?”
“He’s no use in a group situation anyways. It’ll be great if he gets lucky and manages to kill the Destroyer.”
As the gossiping continued, a single man placed his hand where White Shadow had sat at and grinned.
“That bastard, he hasn’t changed one bit.”
From where White Shadow had disappeared, there wasn’t even a trace of his warmth left.
*
He had seen countless carts, but it was the first time seeing a cart pulled by a gryphon. Sungchul rode on a cart lain with comfortable straws with Bertelgia and enjoyed a leisurely trip for a change. The middle aged monk driving the cart had allowed Sungchul to hitch a ride without much fuss, but it was a trap.
“Giving a ride to a passenger after so long reminds me of old times. My friend and I traveled from battlefields to battlefields for decades, participating in unbelievable battles. If my friend here didn’t hurt his wings, we would have still been in the service. Hell, If Baron or I were still in our prime, then we would have put our abilities to use on the frontlines of the Demon Realm without any regrets.”
The monk was excessively chatty. Not only that, he only boasted about himself. As stories that he absolutely had no wish to hear continued on for 30 minutes, Sungchul began to feel exhausted.
“… Stop the cart please.”
Tsk Tsk. Such a young man has no patience.”
As though the driver was aware of his own faults, he held himself back a bit from then on. The cart pulling gryphon was given the name of ‘Baron’, and although it was now reduced to pulling carts it had a solemn grace and dignity in how it carried itself unlike its owner. As a gryphon with an exceptionally well-trained intellect, it maneuvered through the difficult mountain terrain without any particular input from the driver.
Bertelgia must have been quite fascinated by Baron as she popped out of Sungchul’s pocket while the cart stopped for a break and approached the beast.
“Hey, cutie.”
When Bertelgia approached it playfully, Baron simply rolled its eyes and watched her from the corner of its eye without any other particular reactions. Sungchul approached Baron as well. He looked over Baron a single time before speaking in a low voice.
“Your wing is seriously damaged. The bones of the wing are shattered, and to make things difficult, they were fitted wrong; causing it to heal misaligned.”
He consoled the retired gryphon while brushing its wings with adept hands.
“It looks like you’re familiar with gryphons?” asked Bertelgia.
Sungchul nodded. Memories of past politics faintly slipped by his indifferent eyes.
“Even though I’m walking on my own two feet now, I was always riding something or another in the past: airship, horse, cliff raptor, gryphon, etc. I recall that I rode on gryphons the most in those times.”
“Have you rode on wyverns as well?”
“Not just anyone can ride wyverns. If you don’t imprint one at the moment it hatches from the egg, it will never follow you.”
As they were talking, the driver who was answering the call from nature returned while pulling up the waist of his pants.
“Have you all eaten?”
He was subtly walking toward another direction. Baron lightly brushed the ground with his large claws causing the driver to walk correctly in this direction. Sungchul finally caught on that the driver’s eyes were not normal.
The driver pulled out a dark and hard bread from the sack in his cart and shared it with Sungchul. It was with the hand that he had just finished his business with as well.
“…”
Sungchul received the bread and stared at it for a while. It seemed more like a brick rather than an edible bread.
“What’s wrong? Does it not suit your tastes?”
“Is there nothing else besides this?”
“Young people should eat whatever is given. It’s not good to be picky about food. This is the only thing that can be eaten right away. I have some ingredients in that other sack, but I hate cooking.”
“I’m a bit confident in my cooking.”
Sungchul flashed the brooch that was hidden underneath his coat before standing up without delay to check the ingredients buried under the straws. Potatoes, onions, a putrid smelling butter, and dried meat was all there was. It was enough to make a simple meal with what was provided, but it didn’t satisfy Sungchul.
“Please wait a bit.” He asked to be excused as he left to take a look around the vicinity.
Sungchul soon caught a rabbit. He twisted its body with an experienced hand, and began to cook it after removing its viscera. He had made a Rabbit Stew with the rabbit meat and the ingredients provided.
The driver was wary at first, but once he took a whiff of the aroma, his eyes grew wide as he stared at Sungchul.
“What? This flavor! It’s just like back home…!!”
“Is there perhaps a High Class Chef back home?”
“There is one person who was particularly good at cooking. His skill was so good that people traveled from afar to eat.”
“So, this person was a High Class Chef?”
“I don’t know that much, but what is this High Class Chef thing that is so important to ask about?”
“… It was a personal inquiry. In any case, where is your home?”
The trip resumed once everyone finished their meal. Sungchul watched the passing scenery and felt that the Tower of Recluse was not much further away.
‘It’s been a while since I was back here.’
A clear mirror-like lake was reflecting the rays of the sun to glimmer beyond the towering coniferous forest. Sungchul recalled that the tower lay beside the lake surrounded by the layers of mountains. The appearance of the lake meant that they were getting much closer to their destination.
“So, what’s the reason you’re visiting the Tower of Recluse?” the driver suddenly asked.
“Personal reasons. I also happen to know a person there.”
Sungchul hesitated briefly when he said the word person, as the one he was to meet was too ambiguous of a being to be called human. Half of the blood that flowed within her was that of a dragon after all.
“There’s been a huge influx of Summoned at the Tower of Recluse including mages, warriors, and slaves.”
“Oh?”
“From what I’ve heard, it seems the Holy Priest rates the knowledge of Summoned very highly. I’ve heard that the Summoning Palace intentionally pulls out the Summoned who are masters of their trade ahead of time as slaves in order to aggressively utilize their knowledge.”
“That shouldn’t be useful.”
As Sungchul said, modern techniques and knowledge had little meaning within Other World because the restriction of one of the five gods in control of the world, the God of Order, held the world like an immutable law. It wouldn’t be easy to gather the necessary materials and facilities, but even if the materials were gathered and a complex machinery was created using their knowledge, the God of Order’s restrictions would prevent the operation of the machinery. Strange malignant spirits known as Gremlins would relentlessly seek out and destroy any production of such technology not allowed by the God of Order.
“Whatever the result, it’s true that there are a lot of Summoned at the Tower of Recluse. I’ve heard from the grapevine that something interesting has been made within the tower that barely managed to avoid the restriction of the God of Order.”
“I want to see that too!”
Bertelgia suddenly opened her mouth to speak. The driver looked around from side to side for the sudden voice of a little girl as he asked Sungchul.
“What was that voice just then?”
“I sometimes imitate voices.”
Sungchul firmly pressed down on Bertelgia with his hand before speaking in a calm voice.
“… Quite a disgusting person, aren’t you? I had an inkling when you were talking about High Class Chef or whatever, but still!”
A long period of silence followed before they arrived at the road lined with worn-out tents. There were haggard and shabby looking people watching them with hostile eyes.
“Who are those people?”
Sungchul just had to ask.
“Those are the refugees. All the people that lost their homes due to the colossus gathered here. As you know, the Tower of Recluse is within the jurisdiction of the God of Order so offending existences can’t intrude here.”
The row of tents continued on without end. Unpleasant stench also followed, and it wasn’t uncommon to see people raise their voice or their fists. Sungchul could see the shadow of Calamity within the darkness of their faces.
What awaited him at the end of the numerous tents were the gathering of airships from all over the continent. These were the people that would frequently gather to observe the changes on the Scripture of Calamity after the fall of the Demon King. They kept to their camps and did not give much attention to the surroundings.
Sungchul confirmed the fluttering flags on each of the airships: Ancient Kingdom, Coalition of Merchants, Dwarf Kingdom, military flags from the northern parts of the continent, rich countries of the east, and various other influential factions. Of course, there was an airship from the Human Empire faction as well, but there was a familiar shape of an airship next to it. A beautiful ship with fuselage painted pure white excessively boasted a look more suitable as a piece of art than a military vehicle.
Sungchul’s brow creased into a frown.
‘Isn’t that Aquiroa’s flagship? I’m sure it was destroyed in front of the Demon King’s Palace.’
It was something impossible… no, rather something that shouldn’t be, but Sungchul had to ask the burning question to the driver.
“Is there perhaps news of Aquiroa being at the Tower of Recluse?”
The driver exploded into laughter as he nodded at Sungchul’s question.
“How did you know? That exact person is currently visiting the Tower of Recluse just in case something unsightly occurs in order to protect this place. The village is quite festive now thanks to the visit from the reputable Second Champion of the Continent.
Sungchul briefly recalled the land of fire and ice, at the bloody scene before the Demon King’s palace after listening to the old man’s innocent tale. Sungchul had killed Aquiroa with his own hands before the image of the fire spewing devil that was the massive volcano. Sungchul could still freshly recall the final words that Aquiroa had left him at that moment.
“Aquiroa is not an individual but many. There will be another Aquiroa to replace me from the Floating Isle.”
At the time he had thought it was just a baseless uttering of a desperate woman; a ploy to draw his interest to beg for mercy.
‘I can smell it. The familiar stench of rot.’
He had come to this place to read the Scripture of Calamity, but the moment he laid eyes on the pure white airship, a new objective was added to the list.