Chapter 66: The Wish Tower, III

Douglas panicked upon seeing Louis and Louis.

H-how…? D-dragons?!

It wasn’t just one dragon; the white-haired young dragon was accompanied by another twin behind him. Douglas’s instincts as a dwarf sounded clear alarms in his head.

D-dragons! They’re dragons!

Despite being mere youths around his age, they instilled an irrepressible terror within him. To dwarves, it mattered little how old a dragon was, since any dragon represented pure disaster to their kind.

“U-uhhh…” Stunned, Douglas stammered.

Douglas knew he needed to say something, but with the dragon glaring at him, he couldn’t even muster up a scream.

Meanwhile, Louis’s lip curled slightly. “How long do I have to stand here?”

As soon as he finished his sentence, the door swung open.

“P-please come in!”

“May we enter?”

“Of course! Absolutely!”

Douglas hated this. He despised it more than death itself. What sane dwarf would willingly invite a dragon into their forge? However, justice was far away, and violence stood right before him. In such circumstances, any dwarf who showed displeasure would be considered insane.

Douglas extended his remaining arm respectfully. “P-please, make yourselves at home!”

“Ahem!”

“Ahem!”

The twins strode through the door like generals entering the city gates, with Louis following close behind them. The wall lined with various tools immediately caught his eye.

He’s done quite well decorating this place with only one arm.

It was small but cozy and meticulously arranged. While the twins excitedly explored the house, Douglas quickly fetched chairs for their guests.

“P-please have a seat!”

The furniture might’ve felt cramped and low to regular humans since it was designed for dwarves, but it posed no issues for Louis and the twins. In fact, the chair seemed custom-made for Louis’s height. With his short legs dangling above the ground, he slightly lifted his chin as he asked…

“You must be Douglas, the disciple of the Wish Tower, right?”

“That’s correct! Please feel free to ask me anything! I will answer with utmost kindness and sincerity!”

As expected of a dwarf, his ability to read the dragon’s mood was exceptional. Louis smiled approvingly at Douglas’s prompt response.

This feels like…an interrogation.

The dim lighting combined with the somber atmosphere made it seem like they were in an interrogation room. Inspired by this setting, Louis decided to mimic something he’d seen in movies.

“Age?”

“I-I’m one hundred sixty-nine years old as of this year.”

“Hometown?”

“It’s…the island of Myuil, located in the northeastern part of the Autumn Continent.”

“If that’s your hometown, why are you here?”

“Well…”

Douglas chuckled softly and glanced at his arm.

Noticing this, Louis asked, “Is it because of your arm?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well… You don’t have to talk about it if it brings back bad memories.”

The dwarf appeared slightly taken aback by Louis’s empathetic response.

Douglas came from generations who had heard tales of dragons. If he were to compile all those horrific stories into books, they would fill up an entire bookcase with room to spare. Thus, Louis’s considerate gesture caught him off guard.

Reading Douglas’s expression, Louis grinned. “I’m just one of the good dragons, ha-ha. There are many different types of dragons out there, including some as kindhearted as me…”

Crash!

At that moment, there was the sound of something breaking from one side. Without even turning his head, Louis knew who the culprit must be.

“Ack! Khan, I told you not to pull on it!”

“You touched it first, Sis!”

Louis’s prediction proved accurate once again. Despite the continuous crashing sounds, he maintained his composure and continued speaking calmly.

”…There exist slightly clumsy dragons like them.”

“R-really?”

”…Indeed.”

Louis and Douglas exchanged awkward smiles as they glanced at each other. Having successfully deflected attention away from the situation, Louis changed the subject.

“Anyway, I have a question for you.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Hmm… Let’s see, aside from you, there was one elf, one mermaid, and…what is that red-haired girl? Erica, I think?”

“Oh! Erica is a Jötunn.”

“A Jötunn?” Louis appeared slightly taken aback.

It wasn’t surprising he didn’t recognize her race. According to ancient texts, the Jötunn were known for their beauty rivaling even elves. They were rarer than most merfolk due to living atop cliffs or mountain peaks, making them difficult for humans to encounter.

A Jötunn, huh… Wait, what?

As Louis pondered over Erica’s identity, something struck him as odd.

“She’s a Jötunn? But she doesn’t have wings.”

“Oh, that’s…” Douglas gave Louis a wistful smile as he answered.

“The beings gathered at the Tower of Wishes all have some kind of deficiency.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…Like me.” Douglas pointed to his arm.

“I used to live my life hammering away steel just like any ordinary dwarf until I lost this limb, which shattered everything for me.” Pain and sorrow flickered across Douglas’s eyes.

“You had it originally?”

“Yes, I lost it in an accident.”

“That must’ve been devastating.”

“…Thank you for understanding.” There was newfound respect in Douglas’s gaze.

He never expected that Louis, supposedly the most powerful living creature as a dragon, would empathize with his plight and show him sympathy.

Have I been misinformed about dragons all this time?

Douglas was slightly moved by Louis’s compassion. He spoke to Louis even more respectfully than before.

“I felt like half of my mind had gone mad because I couldn’t continue my lifelong work as a blacksmith. Then, I heard rumors about the Wish Tower.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“The rumor said that if you come here, you can regain what you’ve lost…your deepest wish.”

“…And is that why it’s called the Wish Tower?”

“Yes, exactly. And just like me, everyone else here shares a similar story.”

Douglas continued somberly.

“A werewolf who lost his leg, a Jötunn without wings, and an elf deprived of both eyes.”

”…”

“They all experienced loss and came to the Tower of Wishes seeking what they had lost.”

Douglas’s mouth snapped shut as he finally realized what Douglas meant by “deprived.” It wasn’t merely physical afflictions but also the loss of sensations essential to their beings: a dwarf unable to feel the forging of metal, a werewolf robbed of the sensation of running across open plains, a Jötunn no longer able to breathe in the crisp air of clear skies, and an elf unable to behold the verdant forest. These individuals had lost significant aspects of their lives, and Louis empathized with them deeply. He knew exactly how it felt, perhaps even more acutely than any of them.

Lou Gehrig’s disease struck suddenly and left its victims paralyzed from head to toe, causing immense grief and frustration. Louis understood all too well how those gathered at the Tower of Wishes felt.

When Louis remained silent, Douglas rose from his seat and returned with something that made Louis’s eyes widen.

“That is…?”

“This is my wish.”

Douglas held up a metal prosthetic arm, which he attached to his own limb.

Clunk, clunk.

The metallic appendage moved jerkily, but it seemed unnatural for him to use it. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Ha-ha! It may not be perfect yet, but someday… I believe this arm will allow me to wield a hammer once more.”

“…”

“And it’s not just me. Victor longs to return to his prairie, Erica wishes to feel the freshness of the open sky once more, and Floria yearns to gaze upon the verdant forest again.”

Hearing Douglas’s words, Louis finally understood why they never left their homes. He murmured solemnly:

“They’re all mad.”

Indeed, they were driven insane by their desires—to fulfill their wishes, regain what they had lost, and willingly sacrificing every remaining moment of their lives for these ambitions.

Douglas nodded in agreement with Louis’s assessment. “Yes, you’re right. We are indeed mad. The Wish Tower is our last chance to realize our lifelong dreams, and its lord…he has shown us hope.”

“It certainly is…” Douglas’s response made Louis’s eyes gleam.

The Wish Tower and its master symbolized something quite simple to them.

Louis pointed at Douglas’s prosthetic arm. “This is a trascendence.”

“That’s correct. Conventional mechanical devices cannot achieve the level of precision we desire. To complete this, knowledge of talismans was essential. And there is no better place for such expertise than the Wish Tower.”

Louis gained some insight into the disciples of the Wish Tower, but he still had many questions. He asked one that puzzled him the most.

“But…why were you expelled then? The village chief said it was because the Lord of the Tower kicked you out.”

“…How did you know that?”

“He told me as much.”

“What a blabbermouth for his age.” Douglas pouted unexpectedly given his appearance and sighed before continuing. “Well…uhm…the thing is—”

“…?”

“One day, the tower master asked us who among us wanted to be the next lord.”

“And?”

“We all had so many research projects we wanted to pursue, so none of us volunteered. We kept passing the buck onto each other.”

“…”

“So, we got kicked out.”

Louis stared at Douglas, incredulous.

Embarrassed, Douglas lowered his gaze. “But earlier, weren’t you saying how Lord Dexter showed you hope and all that?”

“Th-that’s not related to being appointed as tower master, right? O-of course, we’re truly grateful for everything he has done!”

“Yes, yes. Of course.” Louis glared at Douglas.

Suddenly…

Hmm?

Something occurred to Louis, and he urgently asked, “How does the Wish Tower choose its disciples? Does it accept anyone who applies?”

“Well, our basic policy is ‘Do not reject those with aspirations,’ but… It’s not like we admit just anyone.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, Lord of the Tower asked us some simple questions before accepting us on the spot… But he turned away several others who came after us without any explanation.”

“He rejected them outright?”

“It seems like the lord conducted a quick test for admission…but honestly, it felt arbitrary to me.”

“How so?”

“The questions posed during our assessment were impossible even when we tried answering them recently.”

“I see.” Louis rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then sprang up with fire in his eyes.

“Twins!”

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong?”

“You stay here and have fun.”

“Gotcha!”

“No worries!”

Douglas was taken aback by Louis’s abrupt command.

“Wh-wh-where are you going?” Douglas asked nervously.

Louis grinned and replied curtly, “To test the tower.” With that, he bolted out the door.

Douglas could only stare after him blankly as loud noises erupted behind them.

Crash!

Stunned, Douglas muttered, “…Please take these two with you.”

Bam!

His once peaceful home had been turned upside down by those two rascals, mirroring his own misery.

Suddenly, a comforting hand rested on his shoulder.

“Hang in there…” Pablo, who was stuck in one corner due to the low ceiling, offered some small consolation to his fellow dwarf, but it did little to ease Douglas’s pain.

Bam-bam-crash!

“Ack…”

“Don’t cry… I can feel my eyes watering too. Hic…”

Their reality remained unchanged. After Louis left, the two dwarves embraced each other tightly, their sorrowful cries echoing throughout the room.