Chapter 72: Recognition (1)

A few days later…

Creak.

As soon as Dexter opened the door to his home and tower, he sensed something ominous.

Wh-what’s going on…?

Despite having lived here for decades, something felt different about it within just these past couple of days. He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly had changed, but the atmosphere inside the tower felt strangely unfamiliar.

“Hmm…” As Dexter scanned his surroundings, Pablo shook his head from behind him.

“It’s over.”

“What do you mean?”

“…It is not possible, my lord. Such things happen sometimes.” Pablo spoke sparingly. Honestly, there was nothing more he could say.

Although Dexter couldn’t understand Pablo’s words, he raised an eyebrow at his odd reaction.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Louis was the first to greet Dexter. Seeing the youngest member of the group eagerly rushing over brought a smile to Dexter’s face.

Hmm… It seems like bringing him on board was a good decision.

Just then, Louis turned and yelled loudly.

“Everyone, assemble!”

His voice echoed throughout the tower.

Bam-bam-bam-bam!

Four doors swung open quickly amidst loud banging sounds.

What are they doing here?!

The figures emerging from each door were none other than Louis’s disciples whom he had driven away earlier. They rushed to stand before him.

“Number off starting on the left side! One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

“Four! All present and accounted for, sir!”

They stood at attention with enthusiasm, causing Dexter’s jaw to drop.

Then, something even more astonishing happened as Louis opened his mouth.

“Shouldn’t you greet our lord who has returned from afar?”

“Welcome back, Lord of the Tower!”

“You’ve worked hard, my lord!”

“We missed you, Lord of the Tower!”

“Glad to see you didn’t die out there, Lord of the Tower!”

The last greeting was somewhat odd, but Dexter didn’t have time to dwell on it. Although he currently lived alone after chasing away his disciples, they had never acted like this even when living under the same roof with him before. Witnessing such bizarre behavior compelled Dexter to blurt out:

“You lot… Are you all insane?”

“…”

Seeing them freeze without answering prompted Dexter’s thoughts that something must’ve happened while he was gone. And whoever caused this chaos…

“Heh-heh-heh.” It could only be the mischievous brat snickering at him.

That evening, for the first time in ages, all members of the Wish Tower family gathered together to share a meal. As Dexter watched Louis ladling soup with his child-sized utensils, he couldn’t help but ask:

“…What exactly did you do?”

“What do you mean?” Louis’s wide-eyed innocence was met with Dexter’s suspicious glare, yet Louis feigned ignorance convincingly.

Dexter then scanned the others at the table.

“What happened here?”

“Nothing happened!” Victor and Douglas replied stiffly.

Next to them, Erica and Floria nodded vigorously. It was clear something had occurred, despite their denials.

Despite his suspicions, Dexter had no choice but to let it go given their insistence and the pleading looks from all four of them.

“Ahem!” He couldn’t get used to seeing his disciples so stiffly formal around him. Dexter awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking up. “U-um, anyway… It’s good to see you getting along like this…”

Even Dexter felt uncomfortable with what he’d just said, so he quickly changed the subject.

Well, I suppose that’s fine. This isn’t necessarily bad.

Thanks to this arrangement, he could now see his disciples more often than once or twice a month.

“Take care of each other as fellow students and siblings.” With that, Dexter rose from his seat.

With that, Dexter rose from his seat and headed to his workshop after clearing the tableware. Louis observed him before standing up as well.

“If you’re done eating, please clear your dishes and leave,” he instructed the disciples, who hastily complied for fear of being detained again by their master. Once they were gone, Louis quietly made his way to Dexter’s workshop.

Knock, knock.

“Grandpa.”

Louis’s knock echoed through the room, but surprisingly, there was a swift response this time.

“Enter.”

Upon hearing permission, Louis slightly opened the door and stepped inside. There sat Dexter, looking weary-eyed.

As Louis approached Dexter, he asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine. It’s just because I traveled far for the first time in ages. Old age catching up with me…” Despite his smile, a deep shadow lingered on Dexter’s face.

Louis understood that Dexter’s fatigue wasn’t merely due to the long journey. He cautiously inquired, “Is it quite serious?”

Dexter appeared slightly surprised by Louis’s question but then managed a faint grin. “Do I look like an old man nearing death?”

“Yes, sir.”

“…Inseok, when such times come, reassure me even if it seems true.”

“I’m not good at lying, ha-ha.”

Dexter’s face brightened slightly at Louis’s smile.

What a clever young man.

Louis knew very well what was going on—how could he not? After all, it had been Louis who nursed Dexter back to health after his collapse that day. Chances were, Louis had also caught on to how little time Dexter had left. Yet, despite this knowledge, Louis treated him with no change in demeanor.

Dexter stared intently at Louis before asking, “The others… Have they gone already?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see…” Dexter gazed at Louis once more.

This quick-witted lad must have kept my condition to himself, even from the others.

Only his close friend and headman knew about Dexter’s deteriorating health; not even his other disciples were aware of it. To be precise, Dexter had kept this information to himself. Chances were, they also didn’t know exactly why he’d expelled them from the tower.

They rely on me too much.

Each of his nonhuman disciples carried deep emotional wounds. Although it seemed like all they did was hole up in their rooms conducting research, Dexter held strong bonds with each one. That was precisely why he had banished them from the tower—to protect them from further harm and to help them detach themselves from him, however slightly.

The quick-witted Louis seemed to have picked up on Dexter’s concern for his students’ well-being. For a moment, master and disciple regarded each other silently before Louis broke the silence.

“So, Grandpa—”

“Yes?” Dexter had given up correcting Louis about using that nickname.

Louis looked at him curiously. “Do you have any other disciples besides us?”

“Well… I’ve been too preoccupied with my research to take on more apprentices.”

“Oh? Then…the next Tower of Wishes chairman will come from among us here?”

“…I suppose so?”

“You mean me as well?”

“What?”

Dexter narrowed his eyes at Louis’s penetrating gaze.

This cheeky young man.

He had a rough idea why Louis was asking these questions. Dexter let out a big sigh.

“Haaah… So what do you plan to use that sword for?”

“What do you mean?”

“You think I wouldn’t catch on, Yonshuk? From your tone, it’s clear you intend to use the sword once you become the chairman of the Tower of Wishes!”

Louis grumbled under Dexter’s raised voice.

“Old man, you’re too—”

“I heard that, you impudent boy!” Dexter bellowed back.

The shift in Louis’s demeanor indicated he’d decided to brazenly own up now that his intentions were exposed.

“You’re right.”

“Y-you impudent…!”

“Well, there’s no need to hide it now that I know everything.”

“Hmph… Fine, then tell me. What do you plan on doing with that sword?”

“It’s just my hobby to collect rare items…”

“Are you serious?”

“…” Dexter’s expression turned grave, and Louis hesitated at his intense gaze. After a brief pause, he reluctantly replied.

“It is absolutely essential for me.”

“Why?”

“Because this sword might be able to save someone very precious to me.”

“…?!” This time, Dexter was taken aback by Louis’s sincere response.

“You mean…you know its secret?”

“I don’t know everything about it, but I do have some knowledge. That’s why I want to unravel its mystery.”

No one knew more about the Dragon-Slaying Sword than Louis, but there was no need for Dexter to be privy to all that information.

Dexter fell silent, unsure whether he should take Louis at his word. He agonized over this decision for quite some time before finally speaking up again.

“All right.”

“What…?” The unexpected answer caught Louis off guard. “Does that mean you’ll give me the sword?”

“No.”

“…Pardon?”

Dexter took his time before answering. “I will entrust you with the sword, but only after you become the tower’s chairman. Regardless of your circumstances, I cannot simply hand over such a precious treasure to anyone else.”

“Oh! Then please make me the chairman right now!” The peaceful and solemn atmosphere vanished as Louis threw a tantrum.

Dexter exploded at him. “How dare you… Do you think being named the master of the tower is something trivial like claiming unoccupied land?!”

“But why not? Didn’t you say the other disciples don’t want the position?”

“How… How did you know that?” Dexter shuddered slightly.

Louis proudly straightened his shoulders and pressed further. “And didn’t you mention there were no other disciples apart from those four?”

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

“No, but I’m saying those other guys didn’t want to do it, so they forced me even though I also didn’t want to! But look at me, volunteering myself! Leading by example! With this self-sacrificing spirit, I’ve taken on the burden! So why won’t you let me have it?”

“Is that…how things work here?”

As Dexter listened to Louis’s impassioned plea, he realized he was being swayed by his words despite himself. He started trembling and yelled, “What kind of trickery is this?! Absolutely not! Do you know how much hardship I endured under our master to earn this position as chairman? And now you think we should just hand it over to some seven-year-old brat?!”

“I’m ten years old, actually.”

“Seven or ten, what difference does it make?!”

“There’s a three-year gap between us!”

“In any case, there’s no way I’ll relinquish my chairmanship until I die!”

“You think it’s that easy just because you’re made of dirt?! Geez, becoming chairman sure sounds simple!”

“Y-you little brat!”

Dexter grabbed Louis by the back of his shirt as he attempted to go fetch some dirt immediately. The struggle between the thrashing boy and the old man who held him back went on for quite a while until Dexter finally gave up.

“Huff, huff… You might as well kill me now.”

“Oh brother…” Dexter sighed at Louis’s unwavering determination not to relinquish his position even if it meant death. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

“All right then.”

“…What trick do you have up your sleeve this time?”

“What trick?! Didn’t Grandpa become chairman after receiving recognition from our master?”

“That’s true.”

“Well, I’ll earn his acknowledgment too.”

“…?”

“I’m only ten years old, but I will make he realize he has no choice but to pass down her title to me.”

“Heh…” Dexter rolled his eyes at Louis’s grandiose declaration.