Chapter 56: 56. The Bastard Who Tries Making Everything That Sounds Good...

Is there anyone in this world who would be happy to be called a male prostitute?

You might find one if you searched hard enough, but it certainly was not me.

Calling me a male prostitute out of nowhere when we had never even met?

Even if I was soaked and looked like a complete mess right now, this was still unacceptable.

Though I already knew the answer, I asked the disheveled woman anyway.

"Are you talking about me?"

The woman suspended in midair casually ignored my question and shouted at the Blue Tower Lord instead.

"You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!! You must be feeling great, full of energy like that!"

The Blue Tower Lord’s eyes widened as she reached toward her granddaughter.

"Adela! What kind of language is that in front of a guest?!"

A tightening ring of water.

Whoooosh!

"Aaaah! Let me go! I said let go! Gulp! Ngh! Mmph!"

I looked away from the woman whose mouth had been sealed shut with water.

I prided myself on having encountered plenty of people who suddenly picked fights with me throughout my life.

At times like this, the best course of action was not to get involved at all.

Seeing her strain the veins in her neck while screaming, even my desire to make her apologize vanished completely.

In a sour mood, I looked at the Blue Tower Lord.

"..."

The Blue Tower Lord pressed a hand to her forehead as if she had a headache.

"Haa... Let me apologize on her behalf. She normally is not like this..."

No, no. It was none of my business.

"Ah, hello, Blue Tower Lord. You told me to come by anytime, so..."

Mid-sentence, a pulse erupted from the woman’s body and shattered the ring of water.

Thump! Splash!

Adela landed, and the Blue Tower Lord jumped in surprise.

Then water was splashed all over me again. I had nearly dried off, too...

"Ah, fuck!"

"Adela! You little—!"

"Aaargh! I’m leaving, aren’t I?!"

This person called Adela... no, this beast, strode toward the entrance and tried to shove me aside.

"Move, male prostitute!"

My irritation reaching its peak, I violently shook off the woman’s hand.

Smack!

"Ow!"

"I’ll move, so get out on your own."

The woman stared for a moment at her hand, which had been flung away.

Her eyes rolled.

Blue light gathered in her hand.

I, too, drew my sword halfway from its sheath.

With every intention of cutting off her arm if necessary.

Then...

[Do not cross the line.]

Boom!

The Blue Tower Lord’s thunderous voice rang out, and Adela was slammed into the ground.

An attack I could not even see.

With a horrible sound of bones twisting, the woman foamed at the mouth and passed out.

Crunch!

"Gurgle..."

The Blue Tower Lord wore a pained expression as she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

Quickly composing herself, the Blue Tower Lord drew in the water soaking my body and bowed her head.

Whoosh...

"I am sorry. My granddaughter has committed an unforgivable offense against our guest..."

The grief in the bowed Blue Tower Lord’s voice was palpable.

It would be a little much to snap at her just because I was offended... I should simply put it on her tab as a debt.

"I’m fine, so please stand up, Grandma."

"...No. I cannot face you."

"Grandma, this is making me uncomfortable. You’re my master’s acquaintance, so please stop here and call me as you normally do."

Grandma abruptly raised her head, her face touched with emotion.

"Ah... How can you be so kind-hearted... Today, I find myself terribly envious of Arin..."

To be honest, I let it go because I owed her already, and I figured she would give me something.

I had to receive a settlement, after all... compensation for my emotional damages.

As the mages nervously watched the Blue Tower Lord’s reaction, they dragged the woman upstairs.

"Good grief, young lady... Why is she acting like this? Did a banshee get to her?"

"Could she be getting bullied at the academy?"

"Her? If anyone got bullied, it would be the entire world getting bullied by her..."

Murmur, murmur.

Keeping my expression under control, I asked the Blue Tower Lord.

"May I ask why you called for me today?"

"Ah."

The Blue Tower Lord glanced at the woman being dragged away like a defeated soldier.

"Surely you were not planning to set me up with your granddaughter...?"

"Ahem! Cough! Of course not! I called you over because you are Arin’s disciple, and I wanted to give you a few things! Hahaha... Shall we head up first, young man?"

"I knew it! Thank you, Grandma! And for the record, I would prefer not to run into your granddaughter if possible!"

"...That... would... be best, yes. Of course..."

Sigh...

Hearing the Blue Tower Lord’s deep sigh, I smiled broadly.

I would never get involved with her. It was not as though we would somehow run into each other again, right?

The Blue Tower Lord had a splitting headache.

She had planned to bring in a decent young man and pair him with her strong-willed granddaughter.

But after only a month, her granddaughter had become a wreck and spewed words that should never have been spoken at Ryu-o.

She was never like that before...

Apparently, she had neglected her granddaughter for too long.

She would have to personally find out what had happened at the academy.

That aside, attending to her guest came first.

When she turned around, Ryu-o was standing there blankly, muttering, "A major corporation? A research institute? This is a magic tower?"

The Blue Tower Lord beckoned to Ryu-o, who stood with his mouth hanging open like a country bumpkin.

"Haha, young man! Come here quickly."

When Ryu-o approached, the Blue Tower Lord activated the movable platform.

The glass dome closed, and the floor rose.

Whirrr~

Ryu-o stared openly through the glass dome.

"I-It’s an elevator..."

"Hm? Young man, you know what a movable platform is?"

"Ah, no. I’ve never seen one before."

Just as I thought. This technology had not even been presented to the imperial family yet.

Feeling proud, the Blue Tower Lord asked Ryu-o a question.

"Hehe, what do you think of the magic tower?"

"It’s different from what I expected, so I’m surprised."

"Hm? Different? What did you think it would be like?"

"Mages and magic flying everywhere, furniture decorated with wood..."

The Blue Tower Lord gave a knowing little laugh.

"Hm, I hear the magic towers in those frontier kingdoms are like that."

Tremendous pride showed on the Blue Tower Lord’s face.

Seeing her puff herself up, Ryu-o praised her as though he were impressed.

"As expected, the magic tower of Labyrinth City Velanis is on an entirely different level."

Though she knew it was flattery, hearing it from such a handsome young man made the Blue Tower Lord feel good.

As she puffed out her shoulders, the door opened, revealing an interior whose uppermost level was made entirely of glass.

Neat solid-wood furnishings, and a massive laboratory table strewn with medicinal ingredients.

Even the floor was transparent, offering a clear view outside.

"Do you not have any privacy, Blue Tower Lord?"

Laughing, the Blue Tower Lord clapped her hands.

Clap, clap!

In an instant, the glass room was enclosed in white marble.

What emerged was a clean, orderly interior.

"Wow..."

"It was built with special materials. The technology it uses is..."

As the Blue Tower Lord excitedly explained, Ryu-o nodded along and made appreciative noises.

What a shame... He would have been perfect as my granddaughter’s husband...

Wanting to forge a solid connection with him somehow, the Blue Tower Lord began rummaging through her spatial storage in her memories.

"Sit down first."

"Yes."

Sitting across from her, Ryu-o kept glancing at the Blue Tower Lord with a grin on his lips.

Oh, what a sly brat... Tsk, tsk. Still, I cannot bring myself to dislike him.

The Blue Tower Lord gave a helpless little laugh and immediately got to the point.

"Yes, it is best to be transparent. Here! Take this!"

The Blue Tower Lord pulled out a book from her spatial storage.

Staring intently at the cover, Ryu-o spoke.

"A book? [Miracle Worker]? What is this?"

"Do you know that Easterners who form a dantian cannot use magic?"

Swordsmen who created a dantian—a mana core—could not form a mage’s circle.

And the reverse was true as well.

It was an unquestionable law of the world.

"Yes, I know. Could this book be...?"

The Blue Tower Lord had taken out the thing in her possession that would likely be most valuable to a martial artist.

It pained her to part with such an incredibly precious book, but she decided to consider it an investment in the future.

"That is right. This book was written by a madman who used magic with a mana core. It is the only book of its kind in the world."

Clearly excited at first glance, Ryu-o fidgeted with the book.

"Are you giving me this book?"

"Yes, read it. If there is anything you do not understand, ask me as much as you wish."

"Thank you, Grandma!"

"Hehehe! Good, good~ Seeing how happy you are is wonderful!"

He probably would not grasp it in a short time.

Magic was difficult enough to use even with a circle, and he wanted to use it with a mana core?

Still, there was an actual precedent, so it was not impossible.

Even if he gave up and sold it, it would fetch several gold coins... Tsk...

"It will be difficult. It is a method that defies the natural order."

Watching Ryu-o become absorbed in the book, the Blue Tower Lord took a sip of tea.

When one grew old, time was all one had left. Watching over the sprouts of the future was the most fulfilling way to spend that time.

And she had another, darker ulterior motive...

Come visit often. Even if I have to beat my granddaughter senseless, I will make her come to her senses...

The more she looked at him, the more she wanted him.

Not long ago, the Blue Tower Lord had worked together with the guildmaster.

As the rumors about Ryu-o were redirected as the magic tower’s fault, news about Ryu-o naturally reached her ears.

The long-winded tale of Ryu-o, who had reached only the tenth floor.

His unbelievable progress, the broad road laid out before him.

But...

Who can I blame? It is my fault for raising her too indulgently.

She had gently lured him here, only for her granddaughter to leave the worst possible first impression from the very beginning.

As she repeatedly let out heavy sighs over the unfortunate timing, Ryu-o sat cross-legged and began circulating mana.

???? Did he find a clue already? This fast?

The Blue Tower Lord’s mouth fell open as she stared blankly at Ryu-o.

Blue energy flowed from Ryu-o as he closed his eyes and inhaled.

My goodness... How long has it been since I last saw him? A month? A month and a half?

The Blue Tower Lord swallowed her admiration upon seeing how well-refined Ryu-o had become in such a short period.

...How old did he say he was? He may be far stronger than Arin was at that age.

Then Ryu-o began emitting a sinister energy from his opposite side.

Red! That circulation is the [Heavenly Demon Divine Art]???!?!? Wh-What is this?! Did the Heavenly Demon capture and take Arin... No, that cannot be it? Hm?

Today as well, Ryu-o had broken someone.

The Blue Tower Lord stared blankly at Ryu-o, her jaw trembling.

The energies emerging from Ryu-o’s body gently rotated, forming a circle.

But no connection formed between the energies; they merely repelled each other.

Still, Ryu-o groaned as he tried to join the blue energy and red energy together.

How could she tell? Because the two energies chased each other’s tails while pushing one another away.

The energies that seemed as though they would never merge rotated as they repelled each other.

It was slow at first, but it gradually gained speed...

Whirr, whirr, whirr!

Ryu-o’s eyelids twitched as cold sweat trickled down him.

It was a sight that even the mighty Blue Tower Lord had never seen before.

At a glance, the rotating circle almost appeared purple.

But the two energies remained unconnected.

It was merely an optical illusion.

Wheeeeeee!

"C-Crazy? Huh?"

Faced with the ominous sight, the Blue Tower Lord reached out, then hesitated.

Whether it was martial arts or magic, one should not touch someone who had entered such a state.

Even so, worried for him, the Blue Tower Lord empowered her eyes and stared intently at Ryu-o.

A beautiful sight, mana steadily draining away.

What an astonishing body, no matter how often I see it... If I had discovered him first... No. What use is that now?

The Blue Tower Lord cast aside her stray thoughts and continued monitoring Ryu-o’s condition.

So that she could save him somehow if things truly went wrong.

Ryu-o gritted his teeth and began shrinking the circle.

As it decreased in size, its rotation grew faster and faster.

Thus a circle that looked purple was formed.

It shrank as if tightening around Ryu-o’s body, then...

Woom!!

A ring settled over Ryu-o’s chest.

"!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

"Gasp! Whew, they absolutely won’t mix... Huh? What is this? A Transmigrant..."

"YOUNG MAAAAAAN!!!!!!"

The Blue Tower Lord, veins standing out in her eyes, grabbed Ryu-o’s shoulders and shook him vigorously.

"How?! What?! I told you to use magic with your dantian! If you make a circle—!"

Ryu-o recoiled in alarm at the sight of the Blue Tower Lord trembling all over and snorting furiously.

"G-Grandma! What is wrong?!"

"Why? That is what I should be asking! How did you do this?! A warrior forming a circle..."

Having touched Ryu-o directly, the Blue Tower Lord closely examined his body.

"Uh... Two mana cores? And a circle on top of them... Gah! Aaaagh!"

"G-Grandma!"

Ryu-o urgently shook the Blue Tower Lord after she collapsed clutching the back of her neck.

"S-Someone, call for help!!!!"

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