Upon arriving in Pandemonica, we immediately secured accommodations and unpacked our belongings.
The banquet was scheduled to take place in three days.
Until then, we had no official obligations—just time to rest and recover from the journey.
At least, that was how it should have been.
“Well then, we’ll be heading out.”
“Be careful. I’ve arranged for your visit, but there will be people looking for an excuse to cause trouble.”
“I understand. Thank you again for your consideration.”
“…W-We’ll be going now.”
After expressing her gratitude, Mari left the room alongside Poltuga.
To be honest, when she first asked for permission to visit the Magic Tower here in Pandemonica, I had been a little taken aback.
But I quickly understood.
At the end of the day, she was a witch—someone who lived to study, refine, and teach magic.
Of course, she’d be interested in this place.
And given how underdeveloped black magic was among the free races, it was only natural for her to want to explore it while she had the chance.
So, after granting her permission, the two of them departed for the tower.
“Well then… now that they’re gone, we should—”
“Hehe~”
“Hehe~♥ Yes, finally, it’s just the two of us! Now, no one can get in the way of—”
“…”
“…Ahem. My apologies.”
“It’s fine to act as usual, but try to restrain yourself for now. Something’s off.”
“…That means—”
Flantsu’s expression turned serious at my words.
I gazed out the window, watching Mari and Poltuga leave, and spoke in a low voice.
“…It’s begun. They’re moving now.”
The Magic Tower, Olymph.
Located in the western district of Pandemonica, it was one of the city’s five great towers.
Unlike the others—used as government offices, academies, or granaries—this one served a singular purpose.
A pure Magic Tower.
Mari and Poltuga approached the Magic Tower.
Then.
“Excuse me.”
“Hm?”
A sudden voice called out.
Both of them turned to see the source of the voice.
Standing there was a demon woman.
She was slightly short, reaching only about Mari’s shoulder.
Her blonde hair was tied into twin tails, and her red eyes were framed by a pair of glasses.
She had a youthful appearance, but despite that, there was an undeniable sense of confidence in her posture.
With a composed smile, she addressed them.
“Are you the ones sent by Lord Kesar?”
“Ah… yes. Are you from the Magic Tower?”
“That’s correct. I was worried we might miss each other, but thankfully, our timing is perfect.”
With those words, she gave them a slight bow.
Even in such a simple motion, there was an unmistakable air of refinement about her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Teriya. I am a witch of Olymph and will be your guide today. It will be a short visit, but I look forward to assisting you.”
The witch, who introduced herself as Teriya, spoke in a polite and formal tone.
Finding something oddly familiar about her demeanor, Mari felt a strange sense of curiosity.
Matching Teriya’s composed attitude, Mari responded calmly.
“My name is Mari. As you can see, I am human… but I now serve under Lord Kesar.”
“I have heard of you. Once again, welcome to Olymph. Please, this way.”
Teriya responded with another polite bow before gesturing toward the entrance.
Mari followed her lead, quietly surprised that Teriya showed no discomfort toward her, despite knowing she was human.
After passing a brief security check at the entrance, the three of them stepped into the Magic Tower.
The moment they disappeared inside.
One of the demon mages overseeing the checkpoint muttered in a hushed voice.
“They’re in.”
Mari couldn’t help but marvel at the grandeur of Olymph, the Magic Tower constructed entirely of black crystal.
The moment she stepped inside, she was struck by its sheer scale—the walls, floors, and every interior surface were made of smooth, obsidian-like material.
“I already got a sense of its size from the outside, but the interior is much bigger than I expected. It’s comparable to the Empire’s Magic Tower.”
“It stands over 80 meters tall. And more than that, the entire structure itself is one massive piece of black crystal. Just by size alone, it’s considered a remarkable work of art.”
The tower appeared as though it had formed naturally, but in truth, it had been grown—rapidly expanded through specialized magic, after which its interior was carefully hollowed out.
“I can’t imagine that was an easy process… Still, was this method used to help absorb the shockwaves from black magic experiments?”
“No. The person in charge of construction was just trying to embezzle funds.”
“…Oh…”
It was yet another reminder that, for all its terrifying power, the Demon Nation was still run by people.
Though the details were a bit absurd, Mari could only nod at the realization.
“There was a lot of backlash at the time. The shock absorption turned out to be mediocre at best, and yet, the usable space was significantly reduced because of how the structure was made.”
“People questioned why such a flawed approach was used—until it was revealed that a massive amount of funds had been siphoned off. The official in charge was executed in the public square.”
“I see.”
Teriya frowned slightly as she spoke, a cold irritation clear in her voice.
Seeing her reaction, Mari couldn’t help but empathize.
“After a hundred years, most people have stopped complaining about it… but the structural limitations remain frustrating. The cramped design makes it difficult to work efficiently. The real regret is that the issue wasn’t caught before construction was finalized.”
“Hmm… If I think about it that way… I suppose the Empire’s situation was even worse.”
“…The Empire’s Magic Tower had similar issues?”
“Yes. During construction, some of the World Tree roots that were meant to reinforce the structure mysteriously disappeared. Because of that, the building was later nicknamed the ‘Instant-Collapse Tower’ and had to undergo extensive reinforcement.”
“…That’s… not good. What if there had been a major accident?”
“There were accidents. Not within our department, but still… Even after all that, the officials in charge never took responsibility. To this day, they keep shifting blame and avoiding accountability.”
“People like that should be executed in the town square on the spot…”
Grumbling over the corrupt history of both races’ Magic Towers, the group continued deeper inside, sharing mutual frustration and understanding.
“This way. The materials here are publicly accessible, so feel free to look through them as much as you like.”
“…”
Mari’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly scanned her surroundings, moving from shelf to shelf, while Teriya followed close behind.
Despite only having just met, the two seemed to be getting along quickly, their enthusiasm leading them straight toward the archives.
Unlike her usual composed demeanor, Mari now looked like a child filled with endless curiosity.
“Try not to get too carried away. If you knock something over, it’ll cause a mess.”
Poltuga let out a quiet sigh as she warned Mari, though a small smirk tugged at her lips.
Witches and mages—those who devoted themselves to the arcane—always had this same reaction in places like this.
While the black crystal architecture of the tower was certainly impressive, that wasn’t what truly captured their interest.
Their real focus lay in the grand archives at the center of the tower.
As a research and educational institution, the library contained a mountain of tomes and documents related to black magic.
And, unsurprisingly, Mari was no different.
“I see… So by applying the Felgrant Formula as a foundation, black mana consumption can be significantly reduced…”
“The method is quite similar to human magic. The key difference lies in the formulas used to stabilize its inherent instability.”
At some point, Mari and Teriya had shifted into full academic mode, engaging in an in-depth scholarly discussion.
Once witches got into an intellectual debate, it was common for them to completely lose themselves in it.
As a warrior, Poltuga found it all rather difficult to understand.
“Well, I figured it would turn out like this… Witches are all the same, no matter the species.”
“Like you warriors are any different? You lose your minds the moment you start talking about weapons or combat techniques.”
“Huh?”
Hearing an oddly familiar voice, Poltuga turned her head toward the source.
There, standing with a smirk, was a demon mage she recognized.
Cross, a high-ranking mage of the Magic Tower.
Poltuga’s childhood friend, Cross, spoke in a warm, familiar tone.
“It’s been a while. Never thought we’d run into each other like this.”
“Well, Lord Kesar ordered it… and since that human needs someone to keep an eye on her, here I am.”
Poltuga replied casually, her demeanor relaxed.
Cross, however, glanced toward Mari—the Great Witch—who was still absorbed in her studies, her eyes practically glowing with curiosity.
With a quiet voice, he remarked,
“Unexpected. I never thought I’d see you talking so casually with a human. You must be quite close.”
“…Well, what can I say? There aren’t many people who can handle someone as unlucky as me. So yeah, I guess you could say we’re close.”
For a moment, Poltuga felt like she had become Mari’s caretaker of sorts.
At the same time, she couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease.
Her misfortune sensor had been quiet so far, but…
Would it really stay that way?
She instinctively began raising her guard again, just in case.
Of course, realistically speaking, what could possibly happen in a situation like this.
BOOOOM!!!
“?!?”