Chapter 75: The Fall of Gald Tower

“…What? Did he really pass out?”

As soon as the duration of [Hold] ended, Repel collapsed onto the floor in an unseemly heap.

Judging by how he didn’t wake up, it seemed he had truly fainted.

“I’ll come back when he wakes up.”

With that, the God of Duels, now deflated, returned to his original spot.

Watching the unconscious Repel, Revan frowned in disappointment.

‘This is exactly why Rubix tells us to train our bodies.’

A sound mind resides in a sound body.

If Repel had trained his body like Revan, he wouldn’t have fainted from something this trivial.

Leaving the unconscious Repel behind, Revan turned his gaze and surveyed Repel’s office.

There wasn’t anything particularly tempting.

Even if there were spellbooks, Revan couldn’t learn from them, and if he tried selling them at auction, ‘spellbooks’—unlike other skillbooks—would only fetch a pittance.

Besides, he no longer cared much for money.

Revan decided to wait until Repel woke up on his own.

‘In the meantime, I might as well check my quests.’

Thinking back, it was rather absurd.

Since the epic quest, “Freedom to Conviction,” he hadn’t opened another Epic Cube, so he hadn’t received any new quests.

However, the growth quest he’d received after “Hunting Bandits in the Marshlands” had almost resulted in the imprisoned Masterials dying or being seriously hurt.

The reason being—

[Bandits of the Prison]

-Rank: Special.

-Condition: The Grey Trolls, exiled from the Ashen Marsh, have established their territory around the Marsh Prison. Drive out all Grey Trolls loitering near the Marsh Prison.

-Reward: Rubix’s Growth Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubix’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

…The newly received growth quest was connected to the previous one.

That’s why, when Evan asked about the Grey Trolls, Revan answered it was a coincidence.

‘Well, it’s not like I planned it.’

Originally, he intended to take the request he got from Chloro and visit the royal palace at Gald Castle to negotiate directly with the king.

The plan was to warn that the mages were trying to kill the Masterials and ask for their release before things escalated.

Of course, to prepare for possible refusal, he’d also made sure to curry favor with the Masterials residing in Gald Castle.

But the unexpected growth quest had forced him to rush to the Marsh Prison, and Revan had no choice but to use the Grey Trolls to break the Masterials out.

‘Well, in the end, everything worked out for the best.’

The people at Gald Castle still didn’t know why the Masterials had suddenly disappeared.

But Revan decided not to worry about it.

There were no witnesses or evidence left behind concerning the sudden disappearance of the Masterials.

Shaking his head, Revan claimed his reward.

[You have completed the quest “Bandits of the Prison.”]

[Quest rewards will be distributed.]

[You have gained experience points.]

[Your level has increased.]

“Nice!”

One level gained along with the quest reward.

His heart ached.

With this, Revan reached level 66.

‘Good. I still have about three levels of leeway left.’

After checking the rewards, Revan took out the Epic Cube and Growth Cube.

He then began assembling the cubes in order.

Clack, clack—

[You have successfully assembled Rubix’s Epic Cube.]

[An Epic Quest has appeared.]

[You have successfully assembled Rubix’s Growth Cube.]

[A Growth Quest has appeared.]

[The Return of the Craftsman]

-Rank: Epic, Special, Unique, Linked.

-Condition: Receive at least one masterpiece crafted by a Masterial settled in Pasna as a gift.

-Reward: Rubix’s Epic Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubix’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

[Repel to the Prison]

-Rank: Special, Unique.

-Condition: Imprison Repel, the master of Gald Tower, in the Marsh Prison.

-Reward: Rubix’s Growth Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubix’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

Revan reviewed the contents of the two quests that appeared before his eyes.

And he furrowed his brows.

“Hm.”

A sigh escaped.

The reason lay in the epic quest.

The newly received epic quest, “The Return of the Craftsman.”

At a glance, it looked easy, but upon closer inspection, it meant that for the Masterials to create a masterpiece, they would have to relearn magic.

In other words, he’d have to persuade them to take up magic again.

And as for the growth quest, “Repel to the Prison”—

‘There’s only one option for this.’

It seemed the quest was locked into a single answer.

At that moment, Repel began to moan at just the right time.

“Ugh…”

“Recognize the ceiling? Wake up, you bastard, you’re coming with me.”

“Y-you!”

“Aren’t you tired of being surprised every time? Geez.”

“Uwaaa! What are you doing, you fiend!”

Seeing how he overreacted even without being hit, it seemed Repel had come back to his senses.

Revan looked down at Repel with a pitiful gaze, then took out the Snake Rope and bound him.

[Serpent Bind activated.]

The rope tightened.

Repel cried out in pain.

“Let me go! Let go, you scoundrel!”

“Shut your mouth before I tie you up even weirder.”

“Weirder? What do you mean, ‘tie me up’?”

“Want me to show you?”

“No, that’s fine!”

The others didn’t matter.

Once the head was caught, the tail always followed.

Gripping the taut rope, Revan strode toward the royal palace at the heart of Gald Castle.

As Revan appeared, the guards standing sentry at the palace barred his path.

“Who goes there.”

“Identify yourself.”

“I am Revan, adventurer. I’ve come to report the criminal Repel.”

“Repel?”

“If you mean Repel…”

“T-the Tower Master?”

“Tower Master!?”

At first, the guards didn’t understand what Revan meant by reporting Repel.

It was because the state Repel was in, dragged by Revan, was nothing like the noble Tower Master Repel.

But once they recognized him, their eyes went wide as saucers, and Revan spoke impatiently.

“Enough noise. How about calling someone in charge?”

“P-please wait a moment!”

At Revan’s urging, a guard disappeared, and soon, a rather excitable figure appeared from within.

The newcomer was a woman.

Her name was Shilla.

She introduced herself as the chief lady-in-waiting of the palace.

“I am Chief Lady-in-Waiting Shilla. My goodness…! It really is Lord Repel!”

“I am Revan. I asked for someone in charge—are you that person?”

“It just so happens I was nearby, so I came myself. Please don’t misunderstand and come inside. I will personally escort you to His Majesty.”

“So you are the one in charge. Excuse me, then.”

At last, someone he could communicate with.

Revan followed Shilla’s guidance and entered the palace—still dragging Repel behind him.

Perhaps because of this, people whispered as he passed by.

“Oh my, isn’t that the Tower Master Repel?”

“How could the sage of Gald Castle look so wretched…!”

“Come to think of it, he’s not very handsome.”

Their whispers were barely audible, but as is always the case, whispers are meant to be heard.

Thanks to this, Repel’s face turned so red it looked ready to explode, while Revan hummed a tune as if he heard nothing.

‘This public shaming is gold. I should upload this as a video later.’

Video title: “Tying Up a Mage with Rope for Public Humiliation?!”

With a title like that, the views would skyrocket.

Under Shilla’s guidance, Revan finally met Jagald III, the lord of Gald Castle and king of the Gald Kingdom.

Jagald III was a gaunt man with strikingly pale skin.

With hollow eyes, Jagald III sat on the throne and gazed down at Revan.

“And who might you be?”

“I am Revan, an adventurer.”

“Adventurer Revan. So… do you even know who you’ve brought before me?”

“I do, Your Majesty. He is Repel, master of Gald Tower and sage of Gald Castle.”

“Repel is a treasure to this country—no, to me personally. To have treated such a man in this way, you must have a good reason, mustn’t you?”

The king’s threat.

It was an unspoken warning that he’d better have a valid reason or be prepared for the consequences.

But Revan was unafraid.

He had confidence in his hand.

And, beyond that, he somehow no longer found the king such a daunting figure.

‘Is it because of Evergran?’

Before, just being in a king’s presence was intimidating.

But after becoming friends with Evergran, even kings just felt like another NPC.

So, confidently, he nodded.

“Yes, I have a serious reason. That is why I have brought Repel before you, Your Majesty.”

“A serious reason, you say? Let’s hear it, then.”

“Thank you. First, could you please look at this?”

With permission to speak, Revan pulled out two sheets of paper and handed them to Shilla, who was standing by.

Jagald III, all the nearby ministers, and Repel—bound with rope—all turned their eyes to the papers.

At this, Repel’s face went deathly pale.

‘T-those…!’

Everyone else tilted their heads, but Repel alone went ashen.

Because the papers handed to Shilla were none other than the assassination requests exchanged between Repel and Black Hand.

After receiving the two assassination requests, the king slowly read through their contents.

After a while, his face contorted with rage.

“Is this truly the truth?”

“It is, Your Majesty. Repel’s seal is beneath the contract. If it’s not true, what else could it be?”

“Where did you find this?”

“I subdued an assassin who tried to kill me and took it from them.”

“Are the assassins dead?”

“Yes, I killed them myself.”

“I see…”

Jagald III’s expression darkened further at Revan’s answer.

Then, suddenly, Repel fell to his knees and pleaded to the king.

“Your Majesty! This is a frame-up! I would never dare attempt to murder the Masterials!”

“Silence. That’s enough from you.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Didn’t I tell you to hold your tongue!”

Thundering!

The king’s shout echoed through the hall.

How such a thunderous voice could come from that frail body was beyond imagination.

‘Well, he’s a king after all, I guess.’

Revan shrugged and waited for the king’s verdict.

At length, after deep thought, Jagald III spoke.

“Recently, all the Masterials who resided within the castle have disappeared.”

“Your Majesty!”

Repel pleaded.

But the king ignored him.

“The Masterials are as precious as mages. Yet I could not even track their whereabouts after their sudden disappearance and fell into despair. Now, a clue has come from an adventurer I met today.”

With those words, Jagald III suddenly rose from his seat.

He appeared truly enraged.

Raising his voice, he proclaimed,

“I have endured much. The outrageous tyranny of the mages. But I can bear it no longer. Our Gald Kingdom may be a minor nation, but I will not allow the Mage Tower to remain if it means such humiliation.”

“Your Majesty! This is a frame-up! I can prove it! Your Majestyyy!!”

“Take Repel to the Marsh Prison at once and flog him twenty times.”

“Your Majesty!!”

At last, Repel was dragged away.

His end looked almost pitiable.

No sooner had Repel been taken away—

[You have completed the quest “Repel to the Prison.”]

[Quest rewards will be distributed.]

[You have gained experience points.]

With Repel’s imprisonment, Revan had cleared the quest.

Right after Repel was dragged off, Revan spoke.

“There are still some of Repel’s subordinates left in Gald Tower. What will you do with them?”

“…Imprison them as well.”

“Yes, sir!”

With the king’s order, the soldiers shouted in response and left the audience chamber.

Thus, the Mage Tower ceased to exist in Gald Castle, and only then did Revan finally allow himself a satisfied smile.