– You might not believe it, but it’s true.
“But why............ why would the Tower Master................”
Since Nellin and Presia, who had once been his comrades, acknowledged it, they were almost convinced that the lich before them really was Ventus Frail.
However, the shocking revelation that followed was hard to accept.
– At first, I couldn’t believe it either. Before I fell into the trap, I thought Brooks was a fellow seeker of magic and a comrade. But............ Brooks didn’t see that way. Instead, he saw as an object of jealousy.
“An object of jealousy?”
– He said that without , he would beco the new Tower Master.
“What? Are you serious? He tried to kill you just because he wanted to be the Tower Master?”
– I couldn’t believe it at first either. Anyway, when he tried to blow up the entire room, I took a gamble. I activated warp — which wasn’t even fully tested at the ti — and escaped to my secret workshop. And then.............
“You an... you turned yourself into a lich, Ventus?”
At Presia’s question, Troll nodded.
– It was originally for research purposes, but I knew how to do it. Haha, I didn’t expect it to co in handy like this, though.
“May I ask one question?”
Paulen raised his hand and spoke.
– Ask as much as you like.
“It’s been 30 years since it was announced that you passed away. So, did you stay here all that ti? Why did you co out now?”
Paulen’s question was sothing Nellin and Presia were also curious about.
Why hadn’t he co out earlier?
Why didn’t he co forward sooner to reveal the truth?
The Ventus Frail they knew would have barged into the funeral the mont he beca a lich and condemned Brooks, the real culprit.
– After becoming a lich, I wasn’t in a state where I could co out.
“You weren’t in a state to co out? Don’t tell ... you beca an incomplete lich?”
– No, there was no problem with turning into a lich. The biggest problem was what ca after. Because I beca a monster instead of a human. And it happened right after I was betrayed.
Troll spoke, recalling his state at the ti.
– When you beco a monster, you beco even more emotional than when you’re human. The anger I felt after being betrayed spread uncontrollably like a wildfire. It wasn’t just anger toward Brooks — it spread to humans in general. I wanted to destroy everything, smash it all, and make them pay for betraying .
“How did you manage to stay inside in that state?”
– You could say it was luck. Even after becoming a monster, my passion for magic didn’t disappear. I desperately clung to the last shred of reason I had left and redirected my rage toward my academic curiosity for magic. Thanks to that, as ti passed, the anger subsided, and I was able to regain my sanity like this.
That was a lie.
His passion for magic hadn’t waned, but the real reason was that he had gotten completely hooked on an unexpected discovery called “the system” and ended up watching broadcasts for over ten years.
Troll had no intention of saying sothing so uncool.
Besides, he also wondered if it was okay to explain the concept of the “system,” a chanism only high-intelligence monsters could use, to humans.
To those unaware of the true circumstances, it sounded like the brave tale of a great mage who, even after becoming a monster, fought desperately for the sake of humanity!
“Ancestor.....! You’re truly amazing!”
Gracie shed tears of emotion.
– Thank you.
“So, you only ca to your senses recently?”
At Nellin’s question, Troll scratched his cheekbone.
– No, even though it took ti, I regained my sanity quite a while ago. But I didn’t feel like going outside. As you can see, I’m a lich now. I was afraid............ of showing this monstrous appearance to you all.
“......”
“Co on, what are you so afraid of? You should just co et us. And look — we’re eting now.”
– Yeah. Hahaha! Looking back, it was pointless worry. I ended up wasting so much ti over such needless fear.
After a brief silence, Def cautiously raised his hand.
It seed like the old story had finally co to an end.
It had been revealed that the lich was actually Ventus Frail, the hero.
They now knew why he beca a lich and why he hadn’t co out until now.
So maybe it was finally ti to talk about the sli?
With that thought, Def asked.
“Um...... so, where’s Tongtong?”
– Ah, yes. I should talk about that too.
“Co to think of it, you ntioned that you sensed a special magic from Jiggly back then — what did you an by that? Does Jiggly really have so special magic?”
When the topic of the sli ca up, Alia also recalled what had been said when she first t Troll and asked.
– Ah, that was a lie. That sli doesn’t have any special magic.
“What?”
So bluntly.
When he denied his earlier aningful words so easily, not just Alia but Paulen and Gracie also looked shocked.
“It was a lie?”
– I made that up to explain why I suddenly showed up there. While that sli is quite unique and interesting, it doesn’t possess any special magic.
“Then why did you reveal yourself back then...”
– It was to save that sli.
“To save Jiggly? You did that, Ventus?”
The sli didn’t have any special magic.
And yet he appeared just to save it?
As his explanation beca increasingly confusing, Alia blinked and stared at Troll.
Troll began explaining the reason he had prepared beforehand.
– I couldn’t go outside, but under certain conditions, I could still see the outside world. And by chance, this ti that sli beca the dium that allowed to see outside.
“T-Tongtong beca a dium............. what’s a dium?”
“Ugh, Def! You don’t even know that! A dium is! A dium is............... Bro, do you know what it ans?”
“Hmph, that’s too difficult a word for us to understand.”
Shaking his head, Nellin shouted toward Godrick’s group.
“Ugh. Tongtong basically acted as this guy’s eyes to see outside!”
“Oh, I get it now!”
– Through that sli, I was able to see how the world was going. I never expected that I’d end up seeing you, Nellin, through it.
“What? You were watching all this ti?”
“Then... did you see too?”
— Yes, Presia. Even as ti passed, your kindness and beauty didn’t change. It made so happy.
“V-Ventus.”
Suddenly receiving praise from the man she loved, Presia’s face flushed red.
“What? Are you embarrassed?”
“Quiet, Nellin! Ahem! So if you saw the outside world through the sli, does that an you ca to the Tower after seeing the sli in danger?”
– Yes. I couldn’t stand by and watch my descendant’s efforts go to waste. And just as I expected, it happened.
“Then... pulling out the Tower Master’s beard was.......”
– Hehe, that was revenge. The guy used to cherish his hair, but now that he’s bald, he cherishes his beard instead. He treats it like a treasure. So, I took that away from him. I even added a curse so it would never grow back.
Troll giggled as he explained how he had tricked Brooks, then briefly described his month-long life with the sli in the secret workshop.
– I kept the sli with for about a month. If I let it go too soon, people might suspect that it had been tampered with by the lich. I even went outside to hunt monsters to feed it. Since it wanted to exercise, I made those dumbbells you see over there.
“Ohh! You even prepared workout equipnt! You’re so thoughtful, Ventus!”
– I even saw the sli happily working out with you.
“Wait, you only had it with you for a while? Then it’s not here now?”
– Right, it was getting bored from staying cooped up in here all the ti. Since I can teleport instantly if there’s real danger, I decided to let it outside.
“Argh! Then where is it? Stop dragging it out and just tell us already!”
Seeing Nellin impatiently urging him like that reminded Troll of mories from fifty years ago.
‘Nellin always wanted people to get straight to the point.’
– The sli is in Chilture right now.
“What? Chilture?”
“That’s where we were staying, right?”
“What! So if we’d just stayed there, we would’ve found it?”
“This is truly... the prank of fate.”
– By the way, the sli is currently with a wolf beastkin girl nad Claire.
When he suddenly ntioned the na of the girl they had fought at the Black Dragon Festival, Godrick looked puzzled.
“Claire? You don’t an Frost Fist, do you?”
“What? She’s the one keeping it?”
– Co to think of it, that girl seed to know you guys. She called you Marin, Nellin — though I’m sure you used a fake na............ but wasn’t that a bit too lazy? Marin, really.
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? You’re the one wearing that tacky crown.”
– It’s not tacky!
“I don’t think it’s tacky either. And I also thought the na Marin sounded a bit half-baked.”
“Hey! Presia! Why are you suddenly taking his side!”
“I just said what I thought, Nellin.”
Wanting to know more details about the sli’s whereabouts, Godrick jumped in and asked.
“Then Tongtong is still with Claire right now? They’re not moving around outside Chilture?”
– Yes. That girl was worried they might miss each other if they moved around unnecessarily. So for now, they’re staying in Chilture. Well............ it’s not exactly a situation where they can leave anyway.
“What? What do you an by that?”
– Chilture is currently under attack by a horde of orcs. That girl and the sli are fighting hard to protect the village.
Everyone looked at Troll in shock at this sudden revelation.
***
After taking on a request together with the sli, Claire thought to herself.
‘This is so comfortable.’
The sli was far more competent than Claire had imagined.
First of all, it could find the monsters they needed with incredible accuracy and speed.
Even Claire, who was confident in her own tracking abilities, had to admit that the sli’s detection skills were on another level.
On top of that, its teamwork was excellent.
The sli clearly knew how to “fight together” as a team.
It maintained just the right distance so as not to interfere with Claire’s attacks and moved to cover her blind spots.
The more battles they fought together, the more Claire appreciated how naturally the sli matched her rhythm.
‘I understand now why Marin was looking for the sli. I get it.’
A sli this smart and easy to fight alongside — it made sense that anyone would want to find it if they lost it.
And so, Claire made a decision.
She decided to stay in Chilture for a while and wait for Godrick’s party to arrive.
It wasn’t just because she didn’t want to miss them.
‘I’m going to take down even more monsters!’
Claire was fired up with motivation for the first ti in a while.
Having always taken on requests alone, she was now experiencing the joy of “working smoothly together with a partner who matched her perfectly” for the first ti.
Plus, when she was with the sli, she could enjoy a massage every day!
A few days after she made that decision.
“Ergency! Ergency! A horde of orcs has appeared!”
Orcs sent by the Orc King had shown up near Chilture.
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