Chapter 251: Brother? (1)

Duke Haidel had approached the Tower of Wishes with unwavering confidence. But unlike his triumphant entrance, he was now being dragged out by the Tower’s disciples.

“Tower Lord! Please, let me speak with him again!” he pleaded.

Though accompanied by Royal Guards dispatched from the palace, they could only stand by helplessly. They had eyes and ears, and they couldn’t possibly be unaware of how the audience chamber confrontation had unfolded. Despite their duty to protect him, they couldn’t risk further antagonizing the Tower of Wishes, leaving them no choice but to stand down as he was dragged away.

Thud.

Duke Haidel was shoved out of the Tower. He stared forlornly at the firmly shut door, his expression hollow. This disrespectful treatment was unbecoming of a Premier and Duke, but at that moment, such considerations seemed trivial.

W-what am I going to do now?! he thought desperately.

The situation was dire.

Their carefully prepared plan to secure the Tower of Wishes had not only failed but had backfired, further provoking their adversaries. From now on, they had to win back the Tower of Wishes by any means necessary.

The problem was, they couldn’t think of any viable strategies.

As Duke Haidel anxiously chewed on his lip,

Creak…

The main gate creaked open slightly.

Duke Haidel’s face lit up. Perhaps the Lord of the Tower was giving them another chance.

But the figure that emerged beyond the gate was Master Delfina.

She smiled at Duke Haidel, who looked at her as if she were his savior.

“The Lord of the Tower has a message for you.”

“H-how…?”

“Please understand that everything I say from now on is a direct transmission from the Lord of the Tower. There must be no misunderstanding.”

“Ah, of course! What did the Lord of the Tower say?”

“Ahem.”

Delfina cleared her throat faintly, meeting Duke Haidel’s eager gaze.

Soon, a gruff voice emerged from her lips.

“From this moment forward, I never want to see your faces here again. If you have anything to say, send the king himself instead of lackeys like you. Tell him to come here and humbly beg my forgiveness for his transgressions. Only then might I consider hearing him out.”

”…?!”

Duke Haidel’s jaw dropped, and the Royal Guard’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Unfazed by their reactions, Delfina delivered her message and retreated into the Labyrinth.

Silence descended upon those left outside the gate.

”…What do we do now?” the Royal Guard asked.

Duke Haidel answered in a deflated tone, “I… I don’t know.”

“For now… let’s go back,” Duke Haidel said, needing time to clear his head.

With that, he and the Royal Guards turned and departed.

Meanwhile, Louis and the others at the Tower of Wishes watched them leave through the window.

Floria cautiously asked, “Are you really considering moving the Tower?”

“Fifty-fifty,” Louis replied.

“Huh?”

“Part of me wants to leave without looking back, but I hate the thought of wasting time settling somewhere else.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Floria conceded.

“Besides, it feels wrong to abandon this place, our home since Old Man Dexter’s time. So, fifty-fifty. Half thinking of leaving, half thinking of staying.”

“Ah…”

In other words, if things went south, they might actually move.

Louis watched Haidel and his group disappear into the distance before turning away.

Louis gazed at the Grand Master and the Masters.

“Listen carefully,” he said. “As long as we retain the knowledge and technology we’ve accumulated, we can abandon and rebuild this mere foundation as many times as necessary.”

”…”

“But if the value behind the name ‘Tower of Wishes’ crumbles, it can never be rebuilt. Do you understand why nobles cling so fiercely to their honor? Because once lost, honor is almost impossible to regain.”

”…”

“The Tower of Wishes will become the greatest tower in the world. If anyone dares to obstruct us, I will crush them, no matter who or what they are. Remember this well.”

”…We will remember it.”

The Masters bowed their heads to Louis.

Douglas watched with satisfaction.

“Heh heh, if only I could gaze upon the Tower of Wishes, led by the Tower Lord, for a little longer…” Douglas sighed, his voice faint as he neared the end of his life. “With so little time left… Still, now that the Tower Lord has come, I can close my eyes without any regrets.”

A solemn atmosphere settled over the room, but it was shattered by a voice that cut through the air.

“What nonsense is that? Who said you could die?”

”…Huh?”

“Take it.”

A bottle flew towards Douglas, landing effortlessly in his hand. It contained a deep crimson liquid.

“What is this?” Douglas asked.

“An Elixir.”

“Oh! So this is an Elixir! Heh heh, to think I’d see an Elixir in my lifetime… Wait a minute… E-e-an Elixir?!” Douglas nearly dropped the bottle in shock. His reaction was understandable.

“An Elixir?!”

“It actually exists?!”

The world was filled with countless medicines, but the Elixir was considered the ultimate medicinal herb.

A legendary draught said to grant immortality to whoever consumed it.

Its very existence was uncertain, yet in any dragon’s lair, dozens, even hundreds, of Elixirs lay piled up as a troublesome surplus.

This was because the primary ingredient of the Elixir was dragon’s blood.

For dragons, drawing some blood and brewing it was trivial. Among them, the saying went, “A dragon who hasn’t made an Elixir in their youth isn’t a true dragon!”

Of course, dragon blood itself was unobtainable by ordinary means, so it was only natural that the Elixir was revered as a legendary panacea in the human realm.

Gulp-

Louis smiled at Douglas, who was trembling and swallowing hard.

“It’s not quite the legendary elixir you might imagine,” Louis said.

”…Really?” Douglas stammered.

“Come on, where would you find a medicinal herb that grants immortality? It just slows down aging and extends lifespan—the effects have been greatly exaggerated. A single bottle might add a hundred years to your life, maybe a hundred and fifty if you respond well to it.”

A wave of disbelief rippled through the crowd.

Slowing aging, extending lifespan…

Isn’t that every wealthy person’s dream?

All eyes fixed on the Elixir in Douglas’s hand.

Just then, Louis asked, “What are you waiting for?”

“Huh?” Douglas looked up, startled.

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

“H-hoho, how could I possibly drink something so… precious?” Douglas stammered.

“It’s fine. I have plenty.”

“B-but still…”

“Douglas.”

“Y-yes…”

“Don’t try to be clever,” Louis said, his voice chilling.

Douglas flinched, his shoulders twitching involuntarily.

“We’re already short-handed after purging the incompetent Masters,” Louis continued. “Who do you think you are, dying on your own whim to take a rest?”

Douglas recalled how King Sejong had repeatedly rejected Minister Hwang Hee’s requests to retire, forcing the old minister to work until his dying breath.

Louis clearly had no intention of letting Douglas off easily either.

“If you don’t work, who will? Me?”

”…”

“I have plenty of Elixirs. If you start feeling unwell, just say the word. I’ll give you a few more bottles.”

Only then did Douglas realize the truth.

The bottle in his hand wasn’t an Elixir at all.

It was…

Poison!

A terrifying toxin that would trap him in an endless cycle of relentless labor the moment he swallowed it.

Douglas stumbled backward, retreating from Louis.

Just then, someone blocked his path.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“B-birdbrain?” Douglas stammered.

Erica grabbed his shoulder, her eyes gleaming maliciously.

And then…

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you drinking it?” Floria, beaming, personally uncorked the Elixir bottle and pressed it against Douglas’s lips.

“Ugh! Let go! Let go of me! I said let go!”

“Now, now, hold still. We can’t waste this precious Elixir, can we?”

“Say ‘ah~’. Ah~.”

Leaving the squabbling trio behind, Louis turned to the Masters.

“From now on, I have a task for you.”

“We await your command, sir.”

“Spread a rumor in Syron.”

“What kind of rumor?”

“What happened today.”

“Huh? Why…?”

“Why? To show them just how terrifying an enraged populace can be.”

A chilling smile spread across Louis’s lips as he spoke.

That afternoon, a rumor began circulating through Syron, a city already buzzing with unease:

The rumor, originating from an unknown source, spread like wildfire, throwing the entire territory into an uproar. Wherever two or more residents gathered, the news of the Tower of Wishes’ relocation inevitably surfaced.

“Come on, the Tower of Wishes wouldn’t really leave, would it?”

“Well… maybe it’s true. The Tower Lord seemed to have quite the fiery temper when I saw him earlier.”

“The Tower of Wishes has been rooted in Syron for centuries. Why would they abandon such deep foundations to move elsewhere?”

“Haven’t you heard? A messenger from the kingdom came earlier today and threatened the Tower of Wishes!”

“Blackmail? What kind of blackmail?”

“They threatened to shut down all our businesses if we didn’t immediately release Lord Syron and his son. If it were me, I’d leave out of sheer disgust. Tsk, tsk.”

“What? Is that really true?”

“You know my younger brother’s friend’s nephew is a Trainee at the Tower of Wishes, right? He swears it’s true.”

“Ha! Those fools! Why are they harassing the Tower of Wishes when it’s just minding its own business?”

“Exactly! Lord Syron and the other nobles—what have they ever done for us? Look at the Tower of Wishes! Let’s be honest, who do you think keeps Syron afloat?”

“That’s right!”

The residents of Syron Territory trembled with anxiety upon hearing the news of the Tower of Wishes’ impending relocation.

Syron was renowned as a holy city for Transcendent arts, but this also meant that without them, the city would be nothing.

What if the Tower of Wishes withdrew, and other workshops followed suit?

The livelihoods of the Territory’s residents, who depended on the Tower and workshops for trade, would collapse overnight. Moreover, if all the workshop personnel departed, the population would plummet drastically.

In short, the Tower of Wishes’ relocation was a matter of life and death for the people of Syron Territory.

As days turned into weeks, an event occurred that ignited their simmering fears.

“I-is it really true?”

“It’s true! My neighbor’s son, a trainee at the Tower of Wishes, was packing up all his belongings. When I asked him why, he said the Tower Lord had ordered them to prepare for relocation in advance! I heard the other trainees in town are doing the same!”

“I heard that too! And what’s more, envoys from the Kingdom of Connera came begging the Tower of Wishes to relocate there, but they left empty-handed!”

“So it seems they really are leaving Syron.”

News of the Tower of Wishes staff’s preparations spread like wildfire among the residents of Syron.

Seeing the situation grow dire, the people of the Territory decided to take action themselves.

“If the Tower of Wishes actually leaves, we’re all doomed!”

“We have to stop them at all costs!”

“How are we supposed to stop this?”

“I heard the Lord of Cyron’s family is hiding somewhere. What if we hunt them down and bring them to the Tower?”

“B-but… is that really okay? They’re still the Lord…”

“Lord? To hell with him! That bastard deserves to be fried alive! This whole mess is their fault!”

“Exactly! If we capture those bastards, the Tower Lord might see things differently!”

“Pah! This is all the nobles’ fault! What kind of mess have they dragged us into?”

In fact, some people had already begun scouring the territory in search of the Lord’s family.

Day by day, discontent with the Lord and the kingdom grew stronger in Syron.

Duke Haidel, who was monitoring the situation in real-time, watched his face darken with fury.

This can’t go on…

Public discontent had finally escalated into distrust of the kingdom and the Royal Family.

Although this distrust was currently confined to Syron, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t spread to neighboring territories.

Moreover, while public sentiment was a concern, an even greater problem was the growing number of foreign envoys frequenting the Tower of Wishes. The Duke had already confirmed delegations from four different kingdoms, and it was clear that this number would only increase with time.

If the Tower of Wishes were to relocate to another kingdom, the Meldey Kingdom would suffer devastating economic and military repercussions.

A decisive course of action was needed.

“Prepare the airship immediately… I must go to the palace and meet with His Majesty the King.”

That very day, Duke Haidel and his Royal Guards departed Syron, returning just a few days later.

This time, Duke Haidel arrived with an even larger escort of Royal Guards than before. At the head of the procession rode a young man on a white steed.

As the long column reached the main gate of the Tower of Wishes, Duke Haidel called out, “Go and inform the Lord of the Tower that His Highness Prince Lakronia Meldenik, first in line to the throne of the Meldey Kingdom, has come to speak with him.”

Startled by the prince’s arrival, the guard scurried into the Tower.

Moments later, Douglas emerged, remarkably revitalized in just a few days. “The Tower Lord has instructed me to inform you that he has nothing to discuss with you,” he declared.

A stunned silence fell. No one had expected such a blatant dismissal, even for a prince.

Gritting his teeth, Prince Lakronia stepped forward.

“Our Royal Family deeply regrets its responsibility for this incident. We offer our sincere apologies and are prepared to meet all demands made by the Tower of Wishes. His Majesty the King has granted me full authority to resolve this matter, so I request you arrange a meeting with the Lord of the Tower.”

The declaration from the Meldeyck Royal Family was almost humiliating in its surrender.

Louis, observing from a window, smirked—the smile of a victor.

“Let them in.”

At that single command, the heavily guarded main gate of the Tower of Wishes swung open.

The procession from the Meldey Kingdom finally entered the Tower of Wishes.

An hour later, they emerged, each with a grim expression.

Prince Lakronia would forever remember this day as the most humiliating of his life.

The furious members of the Meldeyck Royal Family bit their lips and departed Syron.

Time flew by quickly after that.