Chapter 223 - Episode Eighteen - High Elf Sorcerer, Devin (11)
After finishing the analysis of the wards of the sixth level without difficulty, I opened a hole in the ceiling to keep the wards intact and sprouted a staircase to the seventh level.
On the way up the stairs, I showed off the vestments I was wearing.
The leather of the vestments was hard in parts, and it was difficult to put on.
In addition, it had magic stones and gems embedded in it, making it difficult to stretch.
The size of the robe was XL, so it was too big. The hem rubbed, making it difficult to walk.
I complained about a lot of things, but I don’t mind this kind of design.
“What do you think, Mea?”
“It’s cool! It looks much better on you than that elf guy from earlier!”
“Really?”
I thought it might not look good on me, and it was too big, but Mea praised it.
I don’t feel like taking it off when I’m praised. It’s hot, heavy, and hard to walk in, but since I’m at it already, I’ll wear it.
It was too much luggage to carry around in my hands.
I climbed up the self-made stairs and was stunned by the sight of the seventh level of the Witch’s Tower.
In the middle of a vast grassland, a huge beanstalk tree grows, intricately intertwined.
It looked as if it was saying, “Climb this if you want to go further”.
The bean tree stretches high into the sky as if to pierce it.
I couldn’t tell how much of it was just an illusion, but it seemed to be quite tall.
Even if we were to build a staircase, we had no idea how far we would have to climb.
I thought about ignoring the beanstalk and exploring the grasslands, but I couldn’t find anything of note except the beanstalk.
There were no magical beasts, no insects. The grass and flowers were beautiful but common.
“I’m not sure if this is possible …… I’ve come all this way……”
They make you expect a lot and then remove the ladder at the last minute.
If this is the witch’s way of doing things, then I don’t think I can forgive Altamir.
“Abel…… should we go home now? I’m sure the stairs you just took were pretty tough …… And even if you do, you might not find much, because there are only eight levels.”
I’d like to think that the seventh level isn’t just a way station, but I’ve looked up …… and can’t find anything in particular.
At most, there are huge clusters of beans.
“It’s not that there isn’t a way, but …… It’s a little dangerous and I don’t really want to try …… But if you don’t have any other options ……”
“Well, let’s not do that, shall we?”
Mea’s expression twitched slightly.
It was no use, after all.
I was going to heap up a bit of soil in this area, but.
“So, why don’t we cut down this beanstalk? Maybe something worth seeing will come down.”
“Let’s just go home straight away! Abel, you’re tired, aren’t you? Your knees are shaking, you know! You’d better not be reckless! I have a feeling that if we cut this down, someone will be very angry with us!”
“Don’t worry. Don’t worry, after I cut it down, I’ll be responsible for its growth.”
It’s not a bad idea to transfer the magic circle far away and repeat the transfer, but if you slip when you land, you could die at worst.
I’m not going to risk my life on something like this.
“I’ll just give it a try, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll go back……”
I raised my wand and made a magic circle appear.
“Soil, form, stairs.”
Soil flooded into the air from underneath the ground, forming a staircase parallel to the beanstalk.
“I hope it’s not too high ……”
I muttered to myself, staring up at the depressingly bright blue sky that seemed to go on forever.
Climbing. Climbing.
I continued to climb the stairs that ran parallel to the beanstalk.
“Abel …… Why don’t you take off your vestments? You look like you’re having a hard time walking …… And you’re sweating like crazy.”
“But …… isn’t it harder to walk with it?”
“Why don’t you just leave it? We’ll be back as soon as we see this level, after all ……”
“Hm~…… It is said to be the national treasure of the High Elves. I don’t feel like it to just leave it there and go on or something……”
I wiped the sweat off my face with my sleeve.
The material is hard and difficult to wipe off sweat. The sweat doesn’t soak in very well.
The only thing is, my sweat was all over the high elf’s national treasure.
“…… Somehow, I think this is an unused treasure for me.”
It’s just a hard, heavy, bulky robe.
It’s true that it looks cool, but that’s about it.
In addition, it’s too flashy to walk around the city without being noticed.
“…… Can I give it back to the elf person?”
“I don’t want to do that. Besides, it was given to me in a legitimate duel.”
I don’t care who my opponent is, I’m not going to rob him.
These vestments were given to me on the basis of a mutual agreement and a legitimate promise.
In other words, Devin judged that I was worthy of these vestments and handed them over to me of his own volition.
It would be an insult to the proud High Elves to turn it back on them. That must be it. It must be.
I don’t remember forcing my own desires on them at all.
“I, I see. ……”
I sat on the edge of the landing of the homemade aerial staircase on the way up.
I can’t stop my legs from shaking.
“Ha …… ha ……”
“Do you want to take a break?”
I looked at the sky.
The beanstalk was still leading to the sky.
The stairs were cut off in the middle, so I would have to rebuild them once I got up there.
Even though I looked all over the place, I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
How far should we climb?
I turned my back and looked down.
The sheer height sent chills down my spine.
Far below me, the stairs and the beanstalk had shrunk to nothing.
“…… Mea.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go home……”
“Oh, yes.”
Mea replied like she is relieved.
I think I’ve done pretty well so far.
But this is my limit. I’ve lost to Altamir.
I’m tired of walking to an unknown end.
I’ll collect the phantom copper Orichalcos…… take a look around the sixth level and then open a hole in the tower, build some stairs or a slope, and go home.
I just want to take a break before I go down.
As I casually looked up at the edge of the sky, I felt a chill.
I felt as if something was coming from the edge of the sky.
“Abel …… Didn’t you just hear a noise from down there?”
“Hmm? Really? I didn’t notice it, but ……”
I was completely distracted by the sky.
“Mea is going to go check it out a little …… Abel, please rest. If anything goes wrong, I’ll holler and let you know.”
Mea put down her luggage, grabbed her bow, and went downstairs.
“We’re on the seventh level of the Witch’s Tower, so don’t move around too much. You don’t know what’s up there ……”
However, the danger seems to be coming from above.
It’s a good idea to have Mea come down a bit.
Then, I suddenly felt the surrounding spirits’ movement.
It was a trace of teleportation magic. I was paying attention upward, and I noticed it a moment too late.
“Mea! Go back!”
“What?”
Immediately behind Mea, who looked back at me, she saw Devin in a terrifying form, with his bright red eyes wide open.
One of the odd-eyed eyes was bleeding from a direct hit from the stone doll, and was tightly closed.
“Fufufu …… I finally caught up with you.”
As she turned around to aim her bow at him from close range, Devin flicked Mea’s hand and let it drop, and then put his elbow on Mea’s neck.
“Kyaa!”
Devin shouted as I pointed my wand at him.
“Don’t move! If you try anything, I’ll snap this woman’s neck right then and there! If I feel any strange spirit movements or try to turn that wooden puppet against me, I will kill her first!”
The High Elf who had smiled so gracefully at being the chosen one of the Sky God was already gone.
The High Elf had lost his pride, his confidence, and even his style, and his action was simple and straightforward: taking the girl hostage.
I couldn’t believe that the High Elf, who had been so adamant about the integrity of their race, was the same man in front of me, smiling happily as he took a hostage in the form of blood and mud.
I wondered which was faster, my magic or Devin’s movements.
I was confident, but I couldn’t bring myself to try. As I bit my lip, Devin indicated my wand with his chin.
As I slowly lowered my wand, Devin smiled with satisfaction on his bloodied face.
“It was still okay If you mocked me only…… But I never thought that you would degrade the most precious thing in the world, the sky god, and even treat my national treasure, the vestments, so roughly…… Fufufu…… You can die a thousand times and it still won’t be enough.”
Devin held the ring in the air with the opposite hand that was holding Mea.
A magic circle appears around Devin, and he and Mea disappear. Then he appeared on the branch of the beanstalk, higher than me.
“Y, you! What the hell were you thinking?”
“Fufu…… Fufufu…… Alright, let’s start the duel over! Although, if you do anything, my hand might accidentally slip! Fufufu! Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
“I thought High Elves were a proud lot, but I guess not! They’re just a bunch of mean, evil people! Taking a hostage, what duel is this!”
“Shut up! Choose your words! You’re the one who forced me to do this! How dare you mock me when you’re of a lower race! How much more do you want to humiliate me!”
Devin shouted in anger, tears streaming from his eyes.