Chapter 123: The Magical Oath

“I’m sure the Tower Master is waiting. I’ll guide you right away.”

Silpia started walking ahead.

Gaon followed behind Silpia.

They’re everywhere.

As he followed, Gaon could see many people.

Surprisingly, quite a few had received the restriction.

Gaon secretly left tracking magic marks.

So he could track them wherever they went.

And shortly after, Gaon arrived at the central tower and could meet ‘Mild’.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Mild greeted with a friendly face.

Of course, Gaon had no intention of accepting the greeting.

No matter what purpose he had, he was the leader of a hostile force.

Gaon said to Mild.

“You’ll have to make an oath.”

“An oath?”

Mild couldn’t help but ask back.

Out of the blue, an oath?

“Are you referring to the mage’s oath……?”

Mild asked with a skeptical face.

“Yes.”

Gaon nodded as if it were obvious.

“……”

Mild was at a loss for words.

The mage’s oath was absolute.

It wasn’t something to bring up so lightly.

“This isn’t a request.”

Gaon said with a bright smile.

And he stared straight at Mild.

In that moment, Mild realized.

It wasn’t a request, but an order.

Was he this crazy?

Mild was dumbfounded.

He knew Gaon was unreasonable.

But he hadn’t thought it was to this extent.

Mild opened his mouth with a resolute face.

“What are the conditions of the oath?”

He wanted to charge in right away.

But he couldn’t charge in when the result was obvious.

Knowing what happened to Tower of Fire and Tower of Wind because of Gaon, how could he charge in?

Gaon smirked at Mild’s question and mentioned the conditions.

“First, I have not allied with any force belonging to the demon camp. Second…….”

After mentioning all the conditions, Gaon ended with a warning.

“Do it without missing a single syllable. Wordplay would be no fun.”

At Gaon’s warning, Mild swallowed and opened his mouth.

“……I, Mild Piel, have not allied with any force belonging to the demon camp. And I have not allied with any individual belonging to the demon camp.”

With that, Mild started the oath, and Gaon looked at Silpia.

Silpia flinched at Gaon’s gaze.

And Gaon said.

“You start too.”

“……I, Silpia Lapin, have not allied with any force belonging to the demon camp.”

Gaon focused on the two’s oaths.

If they played with words by any chance?

It meant they had something to hide.

Gaon planned to thoroughly find out what they were hiding.

“……I swear.”

Swaaat!

As the oath ended, light glowed on Mild’s chest.

That was it.

There was no change.

Unfortunately, and fortunately, Mild had not allied with the demon camp at all.

“……I swear.”

Swaaat!

Next, Silpia also finished the oath.

Silpia likewise had not allied with the demon camp.

Gaon smiled brightly and said to the two.

“Now you’re a bit more believable.”

Of course, he didn’t completely believe them.

What he could confirm with the recent oath was only that they hadn’t allied with the demon camp.

He couldn’t trust them 100%.

“I heard there are betrayed guys, who are they?”

Gaon asked about the ‘traitors’, his original purpose.

Then Mild’s eyes flashed, and he brought a document from the desk.

“Here it is.”

Mild carefully handed over the document.

Gaon took the document and started checking it.

Too few?

The people listed in the document weren’t just one or two.

There were 20.

However, considering the number of Abyss members Gaon had encountered on the way, it was woefully few.

To begin with, it seemed none of the ones Gaon had encountered were in the document.

“Is this all?”

Soon finishing the document check, Gaon asked Mild.

“Based on what we’ve identified, yes.”

“Hmm.”

Gaon let out a groan and nodded.

They haven’t identified all of them.

After all, they couldn’t see the restrictions like Gaon could, so identifying this many was already impressive.

Gaon put down the document and said.

“The list of those who actively supported the war from the beginning?”

“……I prepared as much as possible, but it’s not perfect.”

Mild swallowed and handed another document that was on the desk.

Gaon took the document and started checking it.

And during the check, his eyes flashed.

Not because there were unexpected people in the document.

It was because of the Abyss members he had encountered on the way, whom he had left marks on.

The Abyss members were heading to the same place as if they had agreed on it.

Gaon looked at Mild.

“Is there a problem……..”

“Do you have a map of the tower interior?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?”

“Yes.”

Mild took a map from the desk drawer and spread it out.

And Gaon pointed exactly to the place where the Abyss members had gathered.

“Do you know what’s here?”

“Uh, that’s…….”

Mild trailed off and looked at Silpia.

Then Silpia opened her mouth.

“There’s a teahouse called Traveler’s Rest.”

“A teahouse?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Gaon let out a groan and thought.

A branch?

Why would Abyss members gather at a teahouse?

To drink tea together?

No, the possibility was close to zero.

Probably, Traveler’s Rest was an Abyss branch.

“Then what’s here?”

Gaon pointed to a place near the teahouse and asked.

Numerous intense auras were gathered there.

It was presumed to be a special place.

“It’s the Elder Council.”

“I see.”

Gaon nodded as if he understood.

The Elder Council—everything made sense now.

Gaon withdrew his interest from the map and continued checking the document.

“……?”

“……?”

Mild and Silpia looked at each other with puzzled faces at Gaon’s reaction.

But looking at each other didn’t reveal anything.

And shortly after.

Swish.

Gaon put down the document.

And he stood up and asked.

“I’m thinking of handling it right away, want to come along?”

At Gaon’s question, Mild and Silpia looked at each other again.

And after exchanging glances, Mild answered.

“Yes, I’d like to come along.”

He didn’t know where they were going.

That’s why he had to follow even more.

At Mild’s answer, Gaon looked at Silpia.

“I have something else to handle…….”

“Then never mind.”

Gaon nodded as if he understood.

And he boldly left the room.

He had memorized the entire structure of the central tower on the way here.

And he knew the way to the destination from the map.

No separate guide was needed.

As Gaon took the lead, Mild was startled and followed behind Gaon.

“By the way, where are you going…….”

While following, Mild glanced at Gaon and asked.

“Traveler’s Rest.”

“The teahouse?”

“Yes.”

“……?”

Mild couldn’t help but be puzzled.

Why suddenly go to a teahouse?

Could it be a secret branch made by Gardion?

At the sudden thought, Mild swallowed.

And shortly after, they arrived at the teahouse.

There was a notice on the teahouse.

Saying they weren’t open for business today.

But Gaon didn’t care and went inside.

Creak.

As soon as he opened the door and entered, several people who were cleaning up inside looked at Gaon and Mild.

And one of them, a woman with striking fair skin, approached and said.

“I’m sorry. We’re not open today.”

At the woman’s words, Gaon, who had been scanning the interior, looked at the woman.

Crackle!

And the woman froze solid right away.

“……L-Lord Gaon?”

Mild called out in a flustered voice.

Wasn’t it a secret branch?

He had thought the teahouse was a secret branch made by Gardion Tower.

But from the situation, it didn’t seem like a secret branch.

Then what was this place?

Right then.

Several inside drew weapons and charged.

Mild was certain.

At least, they weren’t a force friendly to Gaon or himself.

And in that moment.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The necks of those charging fell.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ones who met death collapsed to the floor.

“Wait here a moment.”

Gaon said to Mild and walked inside.

Mild focused his senses to check inside.

But he felt nothing.

It wasn’t that there was nothing.

Something was blocking the senses, so he couldn’t feel it, but there was definitely something.

Shortly after, Gaon came out from inside.

“Don’t touch the guys inside—no, just don’t touch this place at all.”

“Yes, understood.”

He was curious.

What happened inside, what was there.

But he had no choice but to accept Gaon’s words.

Because he didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t accept here.

Gaon left the teahouse.

Mild quickly followed behind Gaon.

Leaving the teahouse, Gaon headed straight to the Elder Council.

“Stop…….”

The one guarding the Elder Council entrance tried to stop Gaon but paused upon seeing Mild behind.

And Gaon passed through the entrance and entered the Elder Council.

Even after entering the Elder Council, Gaon walked boldly.

Mild followed and thought.

The elder conference room?

The direction Gaon was going now led to the ‘elder conference room’.

That’s why he was surprised.

Currently, those in a competitive relationship with Mild were gathered in the elder conference room, discussing.

How did he know?

Mild hadn’t told Gaon about the Elder Council.

Yet how did Gaon know and head to the elder conference room?

Soon arriving in front of the elder conference room building, Gaon stopped walking.

And he wordlessly created a Fireball and launched it.

Boom!

The Fireball exploded against the outer wall, and the blast echoed.

That was it.

No cracks even appeared.

But Gaon didn’t care at all.

It wasn’t meant to collapse it anyway.

It was to call out those inside with the noise.

And soon, as Gaon intended, those inside came pouring out.

Gaon looked at the old man at the front.

The old man had the strongest aura here.

Of course, the reason Gaon looked at the old man wasn’t because he was the strongest.

After realizing the teahouse was an Abyss branch, Gaon had monitored the teahouse with his senses.

And during the monitoring, the old man had appeared at the teahouse.

In other words, the old man was definitely someone connected to Abyss.

The problem was that no restriction was visible on the old man.

Gaon presumed three situations.

First, like Sterun, he hadn’t received the restriction.

Second, he hadn’t fully turned yet.

Third, he belonged to another demon camp force, not Abyss.

He excluded coincidence.

The possibility of coincidentally visiting a teahouse not open for business was close to zero.

Gaon asked Mild the old man’s identity.

“Who’s the guy at the very front wearing the green robe?”

“It’s Council Head Afern.”

“The leader of the Elder Faction?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At Gaon and Mild’s conversation, most flinched.

After all, Mild was using honorifics, and considering Mild’s status, flinching was natural.

Right then.

“Are you perhaps Lord Gaon, the first Tower Master of Gardion Tower?”

Afern stepped forward and asked.

And those who had flinched looked at Gaon with surprised faces.

“Yes!”

“I’ll formally greet you. I am Afern Lipid, head of the Elder Council of Lude Tower.”

Afern bowed politely in greeting.

And at Afern’s appearance, not only those with him but Mild as well was shocked.

Then Mild glared at Afern with eyes asking what his scheme was.

Right then.

Swaat!

A magic circle appeared under Afern’s feet.

And then, extreme cold surged from the magic circle.