Chapter 247: You Know Me, Right? (1)

The Transcendent forces that had departed from the Tower of Wishes were headed east towards Syron. Soon after, a thunderous explosion reverberated through the air.

The deafening roar shook the entire domain, and the people of Syron instinctively knew something terrible had happened.

“C-could it be… a real war?”

“E-eh, no way, right?”

But the ominous sounds from the east made it impossible to dismiss the possibility completely.

The hesitant expressions on the people’s faces quickly changed when a single Transcendent from the Tower of Wishes appeared before them.

“T-the Lord!”

Even though he rarely showed himself publicly, everyone recognized the face of the one who ruled their domain.

Moreover, he was being openly paraded around, bound tightly to the shaft of his Transcendent technique. How could anyone fail to recognize him?

“H-hey! Hey!”

“Did he really invade?”

The residents of Syron, who had naively dismissed the possibility of war, were thrown into utter disarray by this unexpected turn of events.

Anxiety about the future of Syron Territory spread like wildfire.

Meanwhile, Louis, who had plunged Syron into chaos, seemed poised to escalate the situation even further. Instead, he headed straight for the Old Lord of the tower’s quarters in the Tower of Wishes.

Thud… thud…

The Grand Masters and Masters followed closely behind Louis as he strode ahead.

The Old Lord of the tower’s quarters in the Tower of Wishes appeared long-abandoned, with no visible signs of human maintenance.

After hacking through the dense, overgrown thicket, they emerged to find a small, single-story house, now crumbled to its skeletal remains.

Douglas’s eyes grew distant as he gazed at the ruins. “The Tower of Wishes was built on the site of the old Labyrinth, and my Master moved here. He spent his final years in this place before passing away.”

The Masters stared at Douglas in astonishment.

Huh? Could this be…?

The Former Tower Lord’s residence?!

For years, wild rumors had circulated about the abandoned house and the nameless tombstone in the rear garden. The place stood in stark contrast to the ever-progressing Tower of Wishes, making it a natural object of curiosity for many.

But the Grand Masters themselves remained silent on the matter, so no one had ever uncovered the origins of the abandoned house and the nameless tombstone.

Today, however, the truth about the abandoned house was finally being revealed.

As the Masters gaped in astonishment, Louis clicked his tongue at the dilapidated house, surprised it was still standing.

“Why is it in such a state? They could at least maintain it properly.”

“Master left strict instructions in his will,” Douglas explained. “‘Don’t cling to the shadows of the dead. Focus on keeping the newly built Labyrinth clean and polished, and await the Tower Lord’s return.’ That old man, even on his deathbed, raged about how he’d haunt anyone who idly wandered here… tch.”

Even after more than 250 years, the memory remained vivid enough to bring a wistful smile to Douglas’s lips.

Louis chuckled, imagining the frail old man suddenly flying into a rage.

”…That old coot,” Louis muttered.

“Let’s go this way,” Floria said, glancing at the dilapidated house before taking the lead.

Following her, they discovered a small graveyard beside the ruined structure. Unlike the crumbling house, the graves were meticulously maintained, as if someone had tended to them recently. A massive tombstone stood at one end.

It was the infamous Nameless Tombstone, one of the eerie rumors surrounding the Tower of Wishes.

Douglas, Erica, and Floria fell silent, their expressions solemn as they faced the monument.

“This is Master’s grave…”

“It looks like someone’s been taking care of it. But… why is the tombstone like that?”

“We don’t know either. Master said this was enough. He specifically asked us to leave it exactly as it is.”

A misty look crept into Erica’s eyes, as if recalling that day.

Though it had been ages ago, the thought of Louis finally appearing after Dexter had waited so long, and now standing before Dexter’s grave, still brought tears to her eyes.

“Still, when we suggested engraving something on Master’s tombstone, Douglas flatly refused. He said we’d be defying Master’s dying wishes.”

Erica shot Douglas a slightly resentful glare.

Meanwhile, a smile spread across Louis’s face as he gazed at the tombstone.

“That old geezer… still pulling pranks even in death.”

“Huh?”

”…Tower Lord?”

Floria and Erica stared at Louis with questioning looks, but his hand had already reached out and touched the tombstone.

At that moment, an invisible force surged.

Bang!

The tombstone shattered into countless pieces.

“T-Tower Lord!” Floria and Erica screamed in shock.

But what startled them even more than Louis’s action was the black pillar that emerged from within the shattered tombstone.

Louis turned to Douglas. “You made that tombstone, didn’t you?”

Douglas nodded in response.

“Kluk, kluk. To be precise, all I did was encase Master’s creation in a stone monument.”

“Douglas?!”

“Hey, you…!”

Erica and Floria stared wide-eyed at Douglas, who awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Ahem… Master told me to keep it a secret. That’s why I couldn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t can’t, you wouldn’t!”

Ignoring the bickering duo, Louis approached the black pillar.

The pillar stood about a meter tall and featured a small, precisely carved hole near the top. Louis immediately recognized its purpose. He retrieved the Proof of Mastery from his pocket dimension and inserted it into the hole.

Then—

Whoosh—

A blue line etched itself across the black pillar, which began to glow with a soft, ethereal light.

Douglas and Erica, who had been bickering about the sudden turn of events, froze.

Meanwhile, the Masters who recognized the true nature of the light were utterly astonished.

“What is that…?”

“A video recording artifact?”

Such devices were commonplace in their time, but the fact that this one had emerged from the Former Tower Lord’s memorial stele meant it was at least 250 years old.

Everyone present stared wide-eyed at the appearance of an artifact that belonged in a museum—especially since it was still functioning perfectly.

Humming…

Snap!

Moments later, a beam of light shot upward from the pillar, leaving behind a shimmering blue afterimage.

Floria, Douglas, and Erica stared in wide-eyed wonder at the holographic-like video that materialized before them.

More precisely, it was the figure appearing in the video that stunned them.

“M-Master?”

“Grandpa?”

“Ah…”

Not only the three of them, but even the Masters seated behind them were mesmerized by their first glimpse of the Former Tower Lord.

Louis found himself face-to-face with Dexter’s image.

“Grandpa,” he whispered.

Though Dexter appeared older and more gaunt than Louis remembered, a wave of warmth flooded his heart.

As Louis stood there, stunned, Dexter’s image began to speak.

Dexter grumbled and fiddled with something for a long while, looking like he was recording a video by himself.

After fiddling with the recording device for a while, Dexter’s face suddenly lit up.

“Oh! It’s working!”

Grinning, Dexter shuffled back a few steps and straightened his posture.

“Ahem…”

He seemed awkward, perhaps because it was his first time recording a video. After a slight pause, Dexter looked directly at the device and began to speak.

“I don’t know how much time has passed. But if you’re watching this, it probably means the Proof of Mastery from the Labyrinth has returned, and you, Louis, have returned as the Lord of the Tower. Right?”

Dexter’s gaze fixed straight ahead as if Louis were standing right in front of him.

At the end of his line of sight stood the grown-up Louis.

As if addressing Louis directly, Dexter continued his story.

”…That old geezer…”

”…”

Dexter’s blue afterimage wore a bittersweet smile.

That smile gradually softened into one of warm affection.

Dexter pointed forward, as if indicating Louis, who had appeared before him after 250 years.

”…”

With those final words, the blue afterimage gradually faded into nothingness.

Just as Dexter’s image began to flicker and fade, his final words echoed:

“Oh, and go easy on the kids, will you? What on earth did you do to make them tremble at the mere mention of your name? If you ever run into them again, be gentle—real gentle!”

With that, the black pillar crumbled to dust with a rustling sound.

Silence enveloped.

”…”

The Masters, having just heard the Former Tower Lord’s last will, struggled to find the right words. The disciples, seeing their guru’s face after so long, were overcome with solemnity.

Erica was already sobbing in Floria’s arms.

Meanwhile, Louis picked up the Proof of Mastery from the debris of the collapsed pillar and chuckled.

“That old man always knew how to needlessly tug at people’s heartstrings.”

After storing the Proof of Mastery in his pocket dimension, Louis pulled out a bottle of liquor.

Glug… trickle…

Louis poured liquor onto Dexter’s grave. Douglas, Floria, and Erica recognized it as Dexter’s favorite brand and found themselves speechless.

The bottle gradually emptied.

As the last drops fell, Louis emptied his heart as well.

“Grandpa, I’m a little late. But I kept my promise to come back.”

Glug…

Louis drained the entire bottle.

“From now on… watch over us from up there.”

His eyes gleamed.

“The Tower of Wishes will become the strongest.”

It was both a promise and a vow.

Those watching felt something stirring deep within their hearts.

“Let’s go.”

Louis tossed the empty bottle onto the grave and turned away. Behind him, the Grand Master and the Masters followed in a surging wave.

Louis had only taken a few steps when a voice boomed throughout the Tower of Wishes:

Louis tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face. ”…Whose voice is that?”

It sounded strangely familiar.

A faint smile crept onto his lips as Louis vanished like the wind.