Chapter : 8
He had Wiz copy the cipher exactly once more, then, looking at it, he demanded an interpretation. They confirmed that her step-by-step decoding matched the original almost perfectly.
Finally, he made her write the decryption key, and using that as reference, he decrypted the cipher himself on the spot.
It seemed that the only way to persuade the Tower Master with her name was through the ciphered letter. In that case, he minimized any potential mishaps that could arise from sending it. The Silver Fox Guild had nothing more they could do.
He put the cipher into an envelope and handed it to Wiz.
Wiz placed the ring against the envelope and muttered something. Instantly, the letter vanished.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
The problem was what she had muttered.
When they had excused themselves to let in the escorting knights and left the newsroom, Ellysier couldn’t help but hear the overwhelming wails erupting from the observation room.
“Kkibuk, kkibuk, kkibuk activated!”
“I… uuuhhh, my stomach… my stomach… I don’t want to laugh anymore… uuuhhh.”
“Kkibuk… my jaw, my jaw hurts… uaaaaah.”
“Kkibuk, kkibuk activated. Kkibuk, kkibuk… bahahaha, uuuhhh, do it.”
“…Uhhahaha! P-please… save me…!”
“….”
He moved forward with a conflicted heart.
That morning, the Tower Master finally organized all the decryption keys.
He ground his teeth as he read through the cipher, thinking if “Today’s chocolate milk was delicious” had been stretched into twenty-nine lines of code again, he would have killed someone this time.
Then, as he realized that according to the decryption key, the lines didn’t seem compressible, he reached the second line of the letter after the greeting. That’s when the nightmare began. No way. No way. No way. No way. No way.
No way, no way, no way.
Before even reaching the middle of the letter, “no way” had already been betrayed. The 83-year-old Tower Master tilted his head back as if tears would fall.
This was Wiz’s handwriting, Wiz’s cipher, and Wiz the speaker—but this was not what Wiz wrote.
After being asked to just leave the Tower alone, she was selling it out.
The current Wiz was a genius to the Tower Master and the scholars alike—a calamity from the heavens. It was even more terrifying because it was a disaster she herself intended.
Finally finishing the decryption of the long letter sent by Wiz, the Tower Master almost cried genuinely. How could something this important be sent in cipher? Twenty-eight days had already passed since receiving it. Twenty-eight days. Pronunciation matters—twenty-eight days.
Taking a few trembling deep breaths to clear his mind as much as possible, the Tower Master calmly—very calmly, though strangely shaking all over—wrote the decoded text. Huh, his hands felt paralyzed… was it just a feeling? Or was it his respiratory system truly failing? Breathing felt difficult.
It was his blood pressure.
The Tower Master showed the decoded message to the sub-Tower Masters staying in the Tower and discussed the situation.
This time, they all wanted to become heroes and go defeat this genius calamity, but the Tower Master regrettably stopped them.
After a three-hour meeting, they summarized ideas to handle the situation from different angles.
At the end of the meeting, the two sub-Tower Masters shook hands with the Tower Master and wished him luck. The Tower Master nodded after a deep breath and first sent a signal to Wiz. Then he quickly changed into fine clothes and prepared to go out.
The Central Tower possessed a considerable number of artifacts.
This was thanks to scholars—especially those researching magic or magicians—who maintained good, deep relationships with magicians.
Kkibuk was actually an artifact obtained from a magician who had been the Tower Master’s first love, and the teleportation necklace linked with Kkibuk to allow the Tower Master to appear instantly was also from that connection.
Upon appearing at the Ario Royal Palace, the Tower Master glanced around.
At that moment, the Silver Fox Guild’s knights sensed it—they were looking for Wiz.
Knowing the situation could get messy, they used their bodies to shield Wiz. It was only a temporary measure, but they had no other choice.
Even so, Wiz was being shaken by the collar.
The old man was moving energetically as if forgetting his age. Wiz was shaken no matter how she tried. The Tower Master shouted, trembling:
“Be careful! Be careful! Candy isn’t the whole world! Hey, you! Didn’t I tell you?”
“Auuuuu… uuuuuh… auuuu…”
“I forget my age whenever I see you! What’s dignity? What’s experience? Didn’t I say! Don’t make the concept like that!”
“Uweee…”
“Don’t pretend to throw up! Uuaaah, uuaaah! I, I… repeatedly… please don’t cause us harm…”
The Tower Master spoke, his voice choked and trembling. Slowly, the old man’s grip weakened.
Wiz opened her mouth, staring at the old man with drooped head.
“Eeehweuuu.”
“….”
Silence filled the room.
…This person was rhyming all the while!
But they couldn’t laugh, because the Tower Master grabbed Wiz’s collar again with a scream. The veins on his wrinkled hand stood out. His presence was so overwhelming that one genuinely wondered if he should intervene.
The Tower Master, now level with Wiz, glared at her and spoke in a completely calm tone, unlike before:
“I cannot expect you to reflect or regret, but why must you cause damage to the innocent Central Tower?”
The previous collar-grabbing was apparently just for show; his aura changed quickly. Wiz no longer made desperate sounds.
She watched the Tower Master silently, then sighed lightly.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“About what?”
“Given your age, to avoid dementia, you should handle some complex tasks…”
Ah, no way. Ah. Really. Please.
Feeling a bad premonition, the Tower Master spoke heavily:
“For example.”
“Politics or adventure. Now you just need to save the Tower from Ario. I’ve already set the stage. You’ll work hard, but it’s fine. For the Tower Master. Your hardship is my happiness.”
“….”
The Tower Master wanted to break the thumb Wiz raised so confidently.
Now he gave up entirely and buried his face in both hands. At least until this matter was concluded, he would not speak properly. Damn concept. Impossible to reason with. He felt like jumping madly.
That inner turmoil crept out through clenched teeth—a thin creaking sound.
The watching knights understood the old man. If Wiz had belonged to their side, they would have been twisted inside just like the Tower Master. It was fortunate they hadn’t worked together.
Truly.
They never imagined that in the near future, they would be in the Tower Master’s position.
The King of Ario had been favorable toward the ingenuous fool who helped Ario from the start.
To prevent potential diplomatic issues from escalating beyond his control, the King ordered Wiz to summon the Tower Master.
Since the Tower Master would be present, it was better for Wiz to stay nearby to ensure he remained comfortably at the negotiation table for a few days.
Thus, Wiz, who became friends with the King’s third daughter, was allowed to stay in the palace from the Tower Master’s arrival.
Of course, the third daughter did not know she had a friend, and Wiz did not know she had become a princess’s friend. It was merely a pretext to bring a commoner into the palace temporarily. The pretext would vanish in three days at most, so there was no issue.
The King voluntarily opened the royal library to prevent Wiz from getting bored during negotiations.
The King’s son had just returned from being held hostage, souring the atmosphere, so this small favor to someone who brought liveliness into daily life was acceptable.
“Books!”
Wiz shouted as if screaming. Her excited voice made it surprising she wasn’t bouncing in her seat.
The King personally guided her to the library, smiling contentedly. Wiz, catching her breath, stopped, sparkling her eyes at the King.
“Really, I can read them?”
“Yes.”
“Praise the King. Best in the world. Please tell him thank you. And thank you for bringing me here, uh, I mean…”
“Balombrosa.”
“Sir Balom. Thank you.”
“….”
Anyway, the King couldn’t avoid it.
Balombrosa’s expression grew slightly serious. What was this? He could have been upset if he hadn’t been told it was unusual beforehand.
He forced a laugh.
Although he introduced himself as a passing knight, he had no intention of revealing his identity—he had no desire to get entangled with a mere scholar.
Seeing the clock on the wall, Balombrosa shrugged and left the library. He had to pick up the pace to meet the Central Tower Master. Though he wandered lazily, enjoying this rare break, he moved diligently and eventually reached the Central Palace audience chamber.
The King entered quietly, without announcement.
The Tower Master stood and offered a simple bow.
Damn old man. Balombrosa muttered to himself but smiled warmly as he received the greeting. This man, roughly twenty years older, represented the Central Tower’s pride and the most renowned scholar of the current generation.
His beard ribbon was now blue with polka dots.
It would have been easier if he were simply solemn, but his sensitivity made political scheming surprisingly difficult.
He was prone to tears.
If rumors spread that he made the Tower Master cry, it would cause trouble. Yet he wasn’t ashamed to let it be known if necessary.
The King, sitting at the head seat, asked immediately:
“How have you been? Two years, was it? You don’t look well.”
“I am healthy. And Your Majesty?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Regrettable.”
When would you die, old man? You die first, damn king’s son Balombrosa. They exchanged snide jabs, leaving them both in a mildly foul mood.
A moment of calm silence followed.
With a small smile, Balombrosa asked:
“So, do you know why you’re here?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You rushed here because of that lady’s letter, didn’t you? Ah, maybe not rushed. About a month has passed. Was the cipher that difficult?”
“….”
The opening move.
But the Tower Master remained composed, smiling kindly.
“Dr. Wiz is a born scholar who knows little of worldly matters, so she will inevitably rush whenever there is trouble. She is like a child left by the water, and I am the father anxiously watching over her.”
“….”
…Persuasive.
Wiz had accused the Tower of candy and summoned the Tower Master with a basket of candy. Only someone genuinely naïve could do that.
Additionally, he remembered Sir Balom, who, though he couldn’t openly admit it, had been slightly shocked.
A brilliant counterattack by the damn old man.
Yet ultimately, the advantage lay here.
Balombrosa placed his intertwined fingers on the desk. He considered comforting them, but changed his mind. He had to finish this before the old man could cry.
He spoke:
“No more beating around the bush. I heard you sold an artifact, one difficult for the Tower to manage, to our Ario. The artifact consumed one of the Tower’s scholars. Because of it, eighteen of our citizens died.”
“That is not true. There is no evidence; it is only one scholar’s word.”
Of course. The King laughed softly. That’s what he would say. In a teasing voice, he added:
“The scholar who holds the precious Tower Master’s protection certificate, I presume.”
(To be continued in the next chapter)
