Chapter 58: 57. My Baby
1.
Floor 26 of My Tower’s residential district.
Rankers, or climbers, sometimes lived outside the Tower.
But quite a few of them made their homes inside it as well.
Marriage was no exception. It was hardly rare for them to start families.
Yeomhwa had not done anything like get married, but…
She had established herself inside the Tower.
Sigh…
Standing before her base, Yeomhwa looked down at the land before her.
Fwoosh!
Exactly three revolver shots.
The entire area had been scorched to ruin by three bullets.
Yeomhwa raised her head and looked into the air.
There, analysis posts based on the footage of the demonstration she had given in the plaza outside the Company a few days ago filled the space.
Swipe.
Estimates, comparison charts… even graphs.
She could not understand half of what they said, but their conclusions were all the same.
It was the same conclusion she had reached.
"Even eighteen million gold was cheap."
When she had first bid ten million gold, she had honestly been unsure…
But looking at it again, it seemed she had bought it well while it was undervalued.
That price was absurdly low.
Top-tier endgame equipment cost whatever price people were willing to name.
And these bracers were something that surpassed even what was considered the peak.
Yeomhwa looked down at the silver bracers around her wrists.
Her brief assessment of the equipment was:
"It’s on another level."
She had always been skeptical of this whole concept of mana circulation.
That was only because she had never gone somewhere that did it properly.
Its inherent performance was… how should she put it? The moment she used mana, it felt as though her channels suddenly widened.
Then mana circulated through them like mad, pouring out energy.
Her output became enormous.
Only Yeomhwa, with her animal-like senses, could even describe it in this much detail…
Anyone else would have simply said, ‘This is nice,’ and left it at that.
But.
If there was a problem… no, if there was simply one strange thing about it.
When she had grown slightly tired after casting magic repeatedly—
"…Wow, what is this?"
An inexplicable wave of weakness swept over her.
It felt as if her knees would buckle and she would collapse on the spot.
If she had been on an actual battlefield, she probably would have died.
She had tested it a few times, and the results were roughly the same.
"Hmmm…"
Yeomhwa rested a hand on her chin and sank into thought.
Equipment with a side effect like this should not be used.
But now that she had caught the disease of experiencing something on another level, she could not give it up.
Was there some way to solve it?
There were, in fact, several schools of magic.
Dolores belonged to the Formula School, systematic and calculation-first.
Isabella belonged to the Resonance School, which attuned itself to the natural flow.
And she…
"In my judgment, as a member of the Intuition School…"
For the record, she had simply named the Intuition School herself.
The Magic Tower did not classify Yeomhwa as belonging to any school.
‘A gorilla who lives however she wants and uses magic however she wants.’
"…"
Which was precisely why no matter how much she looked into things like this, she could not understand them.
Flick.
Yeomhwa lightly snapped her fingers.
"Well, I’ll ask Dolores."
Talking to Isabella was a little exhausting.
Click.
She carefully fastened the bracers around her wrists.
Then she rose from her seat.
2.
Well, even if I had received an invitation ticket, that did not mean I would be climbing the Tower or entering a dungeon.
I was thirteen years old.
I was too young to climb the Tower.
My purpose was simply to broaden my horizons.
I wanted to see dwarves in person, visit the Enchant Room, and watch enchantments being performed firsthand.
Those had originally been such simple reasons that I had considered not going at all if it did not seem worthwhile…
"It was Lord Voldr."
"…Huh."
I was talking with Harngar, who had come to visit the Formless Divine Furnace after quite some time.
"To think Lord Voldr left behind such arrangements…"
Voldr had already laid down his hammer in Harngar’s active days, and had been dead for a long time.
So Harngar said he had never even seen his face.
I had also looked into Voldr a little, but…
He was a man who had introduced appraisal devices and, in any case, achieved many great things.
But there was one detail that stood out.
"…The records also said he possessed wise eyes that could see the future."
He had supposedly been someone who saw fragments of the future.
Since he was a historical figure, there was no way to verify the facts, but he certainly seemed to have been no ordinary dwarf.
"That’s why I’m going to enter the Tower."
"…"
Harngar stared intently at me as I said that.
He seemed to be wearing a somewhat bitter expression.
"No one can achieve a result that satisfies everything from their very first step."
"I know."
Probably better than most.
"Still, if I’m going to do it…"
I met his eyes as I spoke.
"I’d rather do it well."
It was the same with hammers.
I did not think the hammer I made now would be the one I used until the end.
But if I was going to make one, I should give it my all and produce the best result I could.
The peak that existed in any field—in this case, it would be Harngar’s hammer.
Having seen that peak… I wanted to surpass it.
That was the mindset I had lived with my entire life.
So my attitude could not help but be different.
"…Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow."
For one night and two days.
"Is there anything you’re curious about?"
"…The dwarves inside the Tower. And that Company…"
As he said that, he lowered his head slightly.
I had originally not intended to tell him about the Company, but…
As the time I spent with him grew longer, it was not something I could keep hiding forever.
"I am curious to know what the Sun Dwarves are like now… through the eyes of their descendant."
"I’ll take a good look and tell you all about it."
"…Thank you."
With that promise made—
I woke from the Formless Divine Furnace.
3.
To use a Tower Invitation Ticket, you basically needed one accompanying person.
That person naturally had to be a climber.
And you could only visit residential districts up to the floor that person had climbed.
My guardian this time was Mama.
In fact, I had already attended an event at the Imperial Palace with her as my guardian.
Rumors that I was Dolores’s child had probably spread everywhere by now.
So I figured there was no problem with going into the Tower together.
‘I think it’ll be fine.’
Dolores’s judgment.
[It’s fine.]
That was Yuna’s judgment.
This matter passed with three separate votes of ‘fine.’
Originally, Ruby had wanted to come along too, but…
We could not spend the precious one night and two days focusing entirely on one person.
So we decided I would go this time, and Ruby would go next time.
"…Have a safe trip."
"What about you?"
"…Just don’t come back."
Bleh.
Ruby stuck out her tongue at me, then slipped back into her room.
Was she going through puberty or something?
She would definitely cry if I really did not come back.
Anyway.
I looked down at the golden paper in my hand.
It was time to go in.
"Wait a moment… Lionel…"
Dolores suddenly bent down and crouched before me, staring straight into my eyes.
She wore a worried expression.
"When you tear the invitation ticket and enter… you’ll probably find yourself in a dark space. Something called the Tower Administrator will approach you, Lionel."
"…"
"It won’t hurt you, so don’t be too scared… It may look frightening. I don’t know exactly, because it’s different every time… Just stand still and ask to be sent to the eighty-eighth floor. Understand?"
Honestly.
I had heard this about a hundred times already.
When I entered the Tower, I would be sent to a dark, scary space—or so Dolores said.
And after the frightening-looking administrator confirmed that I had used the invitation ticket—
I was supposed to follow my companion to the floor they selected.
"Yes… I understand…"
Still, that only meant she was that worried about me.
I understood, more or less.
"…"
And to reassure her, I tightly held Dolores’s hand.
"…Are you ready?"
"Yes."
I tore the ticket in my hand.
Riiip…
Along with the sound of paper tearing—
Flash!
My vision turned white.
How much time passed?
I opened my eyes.
"Ugh."
Crazy. I was so nauseous.
Nauseous enough that I wanted to throw up immediately.
This was a warning Dolores had failed to give me.
I raised my head and looked around…
"…Huh?"
Contrary to Dolores’s terrifying warning—
The space I had arrived in was…
Quite warm.
Thickets and densely grown trees surrounded me on every side, with sunlight filtering down between them.
Rustle…
Unknown grasses and flowers covered the ground beneath my feet.
A field stretched out a short distance away, and beyond that lay a forest.
A pleasant breeze blew once…
Rustle…
The sound of it brushing past lingered by my ears.
It was warm.
The temperature… felt practically perfect.
Chirp, chirp.
It even sounded like sparrows were chirping somewhere.
By any measure, this was rather far removed from a scary, dark space.
It was an environment where I could take a nap right away.
According to Dolores’s warning, a frightening-looking administrator should have appeared soon…
Then, at that moment.
Rustle.
I heard footsteps crushing through the grass behind me.
Rustle.
I was more vulnerable to scary things than people might think.
So, after bracing myself, I slowly… turned my head.
Then—
"Welcome, esteemed guest."
"…Hello."
A perfectly normal-looking man greeted me, dressed in a black suit buttoned to the neck, with a pocket-watch chain hanging along his vest and striking gold-rimmed glasses.
He had a folded coat draped over one arm…
She had said he would look scary.
But this man gave a very gentlemanly and pleasant first impression.
Spring.
I got to my feet first.
The administrator was supposed to inspect the invitation ticket, so I should show him that first.
"J-just a moment. The invitation ticket is…"
Rummage, pat.
As I searched through my clothes—
"That won’t be necessary. Your identity has already been verified."
"…Excuse me?"
"The moment you entered this place, you were already verified, esteemed guest."
"…Right. Okay."
That was probably good. Anyway, the atmosphere was much nicer than I had expected.
"Thus, the floor selected by your companion is the eighty-eighth floor."
"Yes."
Dolores must have headed to the eighty-eighth floor.
The gentleman gave a slight bow.
"I shall escort you there immediately…"
"…"
He suddenly stopped speaking.
His gaze had passed right over me toward somewhere else.
His mouth hung open, refusing to close.
"…Um."
"…Ah."
He slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
"Understood."
Understood what?
The gentleman turned in the other direction, then—
"…May Her blessing be with you."
Rustle…
"H-huh?!"
Before I could say anything,
the gentleman’s body turned transparent, and then—
Hop.
He turned into a rabbit and ran off beyond the field.
Hop, hop.
"…Is this a dream?"
The scene before me was so dreamlike that no one would believe it.
I rubbed my eyes two or three times.
"Yuna, is this a dream?"
[I wish it were. What was that?]
"Then what am I supposed to do if it isn’t a dream?"
Had I just been abandoned here?
As I looked around in a panic—
Rustle.
I heard someone pushing through the brush behind me.
Right. There was no way he would just abandon me.
I slowly turned my head.
"…"
And immediately stopped breathing.
A woman stood there.
She was so beautiful it felt as though my entire view had opened up…
Her light-green hair glimmered softly beneath the sunlight.
"…Who are you?"
Holding a white flower in one hand, she stared intently at me.
"…"
She did not answer.
Instead—
Beckon. Beckon.
She slowly gestured for me to come to her.
"…"
Did she want me to come over?
I hesitated for a moment.
Dolores had always told me never to follow strangers.
She had also told me never to follow Isabella, even though she was not a stranger.
But a woman this beautiful was another matter.
More importantly, if I kept standing here, I was clearly on course to become the Empire’s first lost thirteen-year-old in the Tower.
"…"
Step.
I began walking.
As I pushed through the grass and approached her, she slowly came toward me without a word.
Even as we crossed the field, she did not say a single thing.
"Excuse me… ma’am."
"…"
"Where is this? Is this really the Tower?"
Nod, nod.
The woman before me nodded.
Ah… maybe she could not speak.
"I need to get to the eighty-eighth floor. Do you know where I should go?"
Shake, shake.
She shook her head.
Why were you shaking your head?
I really need to get there.
Instead—
Extend.
She held out the white flower.
"…Is this for me?"
Nod, nod.
"Why?"
Shake, shake.
This was driving me crazy.
I should have learned sign language.
"Thank you…"
For now, I accepted the flower.
Then I looked down at my feet for a moment.
"…?"
But.
All the grass along the path I had walked was flattened.
I had crossed through it, stepping on the grass, so naturally it had been pressed down…
I turned my head slightly and looked toward the direction the woman had come from.
"…"
It was untouched.
She had clearly stepped there, but not a single blade of grass had bent.
As I looked up at the beautiful woman before me with a puzzled expression, unable to explain what I was seeing—
The woman suddenly looked up into the air.
"…"
She bit her lip lightly.
And her expression turned anxious.
"Um, what’s wrong—"
Then, at that moment—
Flash!
My body slowly began to turn white.
"Huh?"
It had been like this when I tore the Tower Invitation Ticket too.
So judging by how things were going, I was about to disappear somewhere.
And there was a high chance I was being sent to the eighty-eighth floor, right?
"…"
I hurriedly bowed to her.
"Th-thank you."
Squeeze.
She took my hand and squeezed tighter around the hand holding the flower.
"…"
Then she said something.
Her lips moved, but I could barely hear her voice.
"I-I can’t hear you very well."
"…"
Faaaade…
My body was becoming fainter and fainter.
I concentrated every ounce of my attention on my ears.
"…"
"Don’t overdo it…"
"…!"
"My baby."
I heard her.
And at that moment—
A green light spread from the woman’s ear.
The light gathered and took form.
And there, at last—
"…Huh?!"
I saw something more familiar to me than anything else.
The Cradle of Earth.
The earring I had made… for Gaia.
Then the woman in front of me was—
"Gaia…?"
Smile.
She simply smiled at me.
Leaving that beautiful face behind—
Flash!
My body vanished completely.
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