Chapter 27: Request From the Western Magic Tower Part 2

The western border of Roshan bordered the land known as the "Altan" which was inhabited by barbarians.

Under normal circumstances, the journey would have taken at least a fortnight or perhaps even a month, but we were able to cover the distance with ease thanks to Johnson's teleportation magic.

To be honest, receiving such esteemed treatment to the extent of using teleportation magic just for me was quite astonishing.

"I'll show you to your quarters immediately."

"Ah, could I also request a meal?"

"…Yes, of course."

Johnson who seemed to have exhausted a great amount of magical power for the teleportation nodded his head with a noticeably paler face.

Well, teleportation is considered advanced magic.

We passed through hallways and staircases lined with grand and detailed sculptures before arriving at a door. Upon opening the smaller door, we were greeted by a room much larger and more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

Johnson showed us the room, provided a brief explanation, and then hurried off. Perhaps he went to prepare our meal?

"El, don't unpack just yet."

As usual, I advised El against unpacking.

The magic tower had yet to accept my terms.

If they were to reject my terms, I would have no choice but to return.

I wonder if they would still offer teleportation magic then.

Regardless, the unpacking could wait until after the negotiations were over.

"For now, just rest."

"Yes, Master."

I moved past El and Ayla to stand in front of the window.

Because the magic tower was much taller than ordinary buildings, it made everything below seem much smaller than usual.

Could living at such heights be the reason why the wizards have such high opinions of themselves?

Yet, it's still much shorter than the 63 Building.

Could it be that magic still can't surpass modern science?

Regardless, I found myself staring at the distant red lands for quite some time.

Altan.

The land of barbarians.

A major event is bound to occur there soon…

-Knock, knock.

Just as I was about to delve into my memories, someone knocked on the door.

El hurried to open it, revealing Johnson's still-pale face.

"Sir Theodore."

"Is it time for the meal?"

"…The master of the magic tower has invited you to dinner."

Dinner?

It seems I'll be feasting heartily after a long while.

Since I ate a lot of fish while living in Rabata, I was starting to miss the taste of meat on the land.

El and Ayla too who made me spend a lot of money on food would finally fill their bellies with land meat after a long time. It was indeed good news.

"El, Ayla, prepare…"

"Sir Theodore."

"Yes?"

"It is only you who has been invited by the master of the magic tower."

Just me?

I discreetly glanced at El and Ayla.

Ah, I disliked the idea of discrimination, especially when it came to food.

"What about the children's meals, then?"

After a brief glance at El and Ayla standing resolutely behind me, Johnson cleared his throat.

"Of course, we will prepare something separately for them."

"Then, let's start with four veal legs, four racks of lamb, four turkeys, and for the sides, please prepare a suitable assortment."

"..."

Johnson looked at me with a pale face. Perhaps he was astonished at the amount of food being requested.

"Our kids do eat quite a bit."

"..."

"Thank you in advance."

***

After entrusting El and Ayla's meal to Johnson, I made my way to the banquet hall. The banquet hall was dazzlingly splendid, befitting the reputation of the western magic tower with the glow from the raw rubies suspended in the air feeling slightly eerie at times.

Seated at the far end of the elongated table was the master of the western magic tower, Agni.

With her brown hair, red eyes, beautiful face, and voluptuous figure, she was surely a beauty to the point of being intimidating.

But one must not be deceived by appearances.

I was already aware that Agni was a grandma well over two hundred years old.

There were rumors of her making a deal with a demon to look young but they weren't true.

She had simply been too closely involved with magic stones.

You could say she was in a state akin to half a magical creature.

While researching magic stones, she ended up using herself as an experiment, which is why she ended up looking like that.

Currently, she's controlling it with her own magical power, but…

Given her age of two hundred years, she was certainly not an opponent to be taken lightly.

"Theodore! I've heard much about you."

Agni was the first to break the ice pleasantly.

"The saint of purification and the nemesis of evil. It's truly an honor to meet the renowned Druid."

"It's I who am honored to meet the master of the western magic tower."

"Do you like claw camel steak?"

"I believe I will."

"Then let's east. We can chat leisurely as we go."

We moved our forks and knives while making small talk about the claw camel.

"But."

When more than half of the steak had been consumed, Agni's tone became subtly serious.

It seemed the time had come for the heart of the matter.

"John… what's-his-name mentioned there was a 'condition'?"

Poor Johnson; not even his name is remembered.

"Yes, there is."

"Shall we hear it?"

Even for someone like me, it was a moment of tension.

Even though I have recently gained fame, I was still just an ordinary druid and she is Agni, the western magic tower master, one of the three major magic tower masters.

"There are three conditions."

I began to speak slowly and earnestly.

The first condition was to provide an unlimited supply of magic stones.

Given that the western magic tower had been sweeping up magic stones from the Swamp of Death all this while, this condition didn't seem too difficult to fulfill.

The second condition was that the party be organized the way I want.

Although this might be annoying for them, it wasn't a difficult condition.

The third condition was to hand over all resources from the core area, excluding the black dragon's bones.

"….."

As expected, Agni did not seem pleased with the third condition.

"Do you know what lies there?"

"Of course not."

"And yet you make such a condition?"

"It's a sort of gamble."

I looked at Agni with a calm expression.

In truth, I had no idea what lay in the Swamp of Death.

I only had some guesses.

'It could be wrong, but…'

Agni narrowed her eyes at me and then burst into laughter.

"A gamble, you say? You really are amusing!"

"….."

"Very well. Shall I set a condition of my own then?"

"I'm all ears."

"In return for meeting all your conditions, the payment will be a single gold coin."

"….."

Risking my life for a single gold coin?

It was a ridiculous proposition.

Just as I was about to rise from my seat,

"Whatever comes out of the Swamp of Death, it will all be yours. We only need the bones of the black dragon. The rest is entirely yours. Will you accept?"

Agni was wearing a devilish smile.

It was the kind of smile that made me understand why there were rumors of her making a deal with a demon.

"How about it?"

Agni was nonchalantly rolling a single gold coin between the fingers of her left hand.

"…All right."

I nodded impassively. Then, the gold coin rolled precariously from the end of the table to right in front of me.

-Clunk.

I picked up the gold coin and slipped it into my pouch.

"So, the deal is struck."

"Yes, the deal is struck."

Agni was confident. She seemed to think that, aside from the black dragon's bones, all I would gain were mere fragments of magic stones or monster materials.

But…

I am not a fool, nor do I care for gambling.

There is bound to be "something" in the center of the Swamp of Death.

Perhaps something far more valuable than the bones of a black dragon.

I remained unshaken by Agni's demeanor and calmly rose from my seat.

"I shall take my leave now. Thank you for the invitation."

"We had a good conversation. Rest well."

I bowed my head in acknowledgment and then exited the banquet hall.

***

Having accepted the terms at the magic tower, it was time to start preparing in earnest.

Just like I anticipated, the temple opposed this venture. A priest is an essential member of any expedition into a place like the Swamp of Death, but this time, I could not rely on them at all.

That means the purification is entirely up to me…

I requested a fortnight of research time from the magic tower.

I fully expected them to complain, but to my surprise, they readily agreed to my request. And it turned out that it would take precisely two weeks for the mercenaries they had hired to arrive.

I'm in luck.

Even for someone like me, attempting to get through the Swamp of Death was akin to a suicide mission.

Thorough preparation is necessary to avoid failure.

What I needed were three things.

A new totem,

This was the easiest task.

The place where I was now was the magic tower.

Could there be a better place to acquire special materials than this one?

I politely requested the materials from the wizards.

"Here are the heads of the Hydrus (three heads)."

I placed each of the three small vials Johnson brought on the table.

The Hydrus.

Just like its name suggested, it was a serpent with three heads.

The left head contained a neurotoxin, the right head contained a blood toxin, and finally, the middle head contained an antidote.

The Hydrus was small enough to not be easily spotted, but a single drop of its neurotoxin or blood toxin was lethal enough to kill ten orcs. Moreover, the antidote from the middle head was famously the only cure for their venom.

The antidote obtained from the middle head of the Hydrus was an exceedingly rare and valuable item that was capable of neutralizing nearly all poisons.

However, due to the Hydrus's ferocity, one could only obtain a very small amount by killing it.

"Are you planning to make some sort of poison?"

Johnson asked curiously.

"Of course not. I'm not a wizard."

"Then what for…?"

"I'm creating a totem."

"A totem?"

Johnson looked at me with the unique curiosity of a wizard.

Ah, it dawned on me that totems were indeed unfamiliar to wizards.

Unlike magic, which manipulates magical power through spells and magic circles, a druid's totem draws upon the power of nature. It was a completely different concept.

"Can I watch?"

"…Well, suit yourself."

I said with a shrug before proceeding to open the lid of the glass vial.

"Be careful."

As I reached for the first head, Johnson urgently warned me.

"Don't worry. I'm quite familiar with handling snakes."

I casually but accurately removed one of the heads of the Hydrus while avoiding the poison glands.

Thanks to that crazy old woman who kept dozens of venomous snakes as pets, this task was a piece of cake for me.

"Oooh…!"

"It's dangerous, so stay away."

"Ah, y-yes."

Ignoring Johnson's admiration, I began to carefully dismantle the venom glands and fangs from the Hydrus's head.

– Sssss…

A single drop of venom fell and dissolved the cloth on the table with a foul odor.

I'd be done for if any of it got on me.

The moment I extracted the two fangs from the left head,

"Ku, kwaaaaaaa!!!!"

A terrible scream pierced my ears.