Floating Fortress — Dickel's Office
"These are coffee beans from the 32nd Floor, as requested. I hope the two of you enjoy your ti."
Leaving two cups of coffee on the low table, a servant quietly withdrew. I unwrapped a biscuit beside my cup and finally expressed the gratitude I hadn't managed to before.
"Thank you for mobilizing the Family's rulers last ti. It was a big help."
Thanks to Dickel's connections, the rulers from the 90th to the 96th Floor persuaded the Khun Family Rankers to transport themselves at unprecedented speed. Without his intervention, those Rankers would have never reached the 96th Floor in ti—and if they hadn't, Maschenny's Manbarondenna strategy would have been impossible from the start.
And without that strategy, when Maschenny and I ended up separated between different floating ships, things could have turned very ugly… or we might have even lost that fight against the three Princesses.
Well, in the end… I did make a ss of things. But Dickel's help at that ti was undeniably crucial.
When I bowed my head, he blinked once before breaking into a satisfied smile.
"No need for gratitude over such trivial matters. Still, you should have sent word you were coming. I would have prepared sothing proper."
"I only ca back ho for a brief visit. Coffee is more than enough."
"Heh. Hearing that makes regret it more—what an opportunity to treat the great White Ghost himself."
"..."
I almost spat out my coffee. Sohow, with heroic determination, I swallowed it back down. Bitter—either from the coffee or from the nickna, I wasn't sure.
"I didn't even know I had a ridiculous nickna until I got back."
"Why? Isn't it fitting? A white ghost. Considering the rumors about you during the hundred years you vanished, I can't think of anything more appropriate."
I took the last mouthful of coffee and placed the cup back on the saucer without a word.
A hundred years ago… that would have been when I completely collapsed. The mont I tried to dredge up those mories, the scars on my wrists throbbed. The sensation of gripping a sword and cutting down countless lives welled up again.
Bitter coffee, or bitter mories—one of them made smile faintly.
Dickel's gaze softened briefly before he resud.
"You've been climbing the Tower for roughly thirty years. Then, you eluded even the Family's eyes and disappeared into the Outer Tower for a hundred. When you vanished a hundred years ago, it caused quite the uproar."
"Pocket — Thorn Mode."
At his murmured command, a black pocket materialized at his side. With a few gestures, old ssage logs from a hundred years ago scrolled into place.
> — Dickel! Do you know where my little brother hid?! I'm gonna drag him out and beat him senseless! — Orca
— If you know where my younger brother is, please reply. — Nayou
— Of everyone I know, you're the only one who might know. Do you have any idea where my brother disappeared to? I guess it's because of what happened, right…? — Arin
Dozens more ssages flickered down the record. Dismissively closing the pocket, Dickel shrugged.
"Those three were the first to contact . They spent years looking for you, but you hid well—no traces at all."
"…Haha. I was… going through sothing."
Wandering through uncharted Outer Tower wastelands—that must have been when. I hadn't imagined the three of them would be searching for .
Thank god Orca didn't actually find . My body wouldn't have survived the beating.
Still… knowing I had family who worried even within this ruthless Family was oddly comforting. I'd thank them properly if we t again.
Which made think—Maschenny managed to find when even those three couldn't. Her abilities were even more impressive in hindsight. I owed her for dragging out of the dark and back into the light.
"Well, that's enough about the past. Many children went looking for you, but you were drowning too deep to notice. Judging by your current state… you've recovered decently well."
Dickel raised both hands in a gesture marking the end of his side of things. I still wanted to hear more—about my old siblings, old stories—but that could wait.
"Now it's your turn. Ask whatever you wish. I'll answer honestly."
"You're not curious about my past at all? I completely disappeared outside the Family's eyes. Not even you should know what I've been doing."
His answer was simple.
"What's there to be curious about? You were swallowed by lethargy, despair, anger, and grief, and crawled into so uncharted Outer Tower wilderness to rot for a hundred years. That's all."
"…I hate to admit it, but you're completely right."
"You're still young. For soone your age to endure that and stand again after only a hundred years… that's quite fast, actually. Granted, you were always ntally more fragile than the others."
"..."
Co to think of it—if we talk pure age, I was younger than Endorsi. She was over two hundred during Part 1. anwhile, I had only just passed one hundred fifty.
On Earth I'd have outlived the average lifespan, yet in the Tower I was "young." Ti here was immortal and absurd—its scale incomprehensible.
"Now now, don't just space out. Speak. Ask. Whatever it is."
Shaken from my thoughts by Dickel's waving hand, I straightened my posture and let my expression deepen. It was ti for the real purpose of my visit.
I bit into the biscuit, washed it down with coffee, and began.
"There are three things. First—tell everything about what happened that day. Everything you know."
Dickel nodded casually.
"And second—I intend to et my father."
"…What?"
Even Dickel couldn't brush that aside. His eyes widened.
Well, even for a Floor Ruler, that was a tall order.
"Hmph… I trust you already know—our Patriarch is not soone you et simply because you want to. Anything we desire from him is granted solely at his discretion. Whether you're the strongest child among hundreds or a particularly special Arie, it doesn't matter. Before the Patriarch, all are equally insignificant."
"I understand the concern. But if I am to et Father, this is the only path I have. At least for now."
My will was firm, and Dickel recognized it. With a heavy sigh, he relented.
"…Fine. We'll discuss that one in depth later. If that's your 'second,' then how grand must the third be?"
In response, I activated the lighthouse I'd prepared beforehand.
"The third is connected to the second."
With a gesture, the lighthouse—long used purely for storage—revealed its interior space. As the empty dinsional cavity unfolded wider and wider, Dickel's eyes widened alongside it.
"Good heavens…"
"This child is my third matter."
From within the lighthouse, my sister—Anna—rested against . Her body was still icy, her expression peaceful as though asleep.
"I'm going to save her. Whatever it takes."
Even if the devil himself offered his hand—if it ant returning my family, I would take it without hesitation.
.....
99th Floor — The King's 'Forr' Altar
Back when Zahard and the Ten Great Warriors first conquered the Tower, the 99th Floor had originally been designated for Zahard. However, being too close to the 100th—where Arie Hon would later reside—and with the Arie Family spreading its influence across the 90th through 100th Floors, Zahard simply ceded the Floor without protest.
Still, as a Floor once ruled by the King, it retained an altar like those on other Floors. In gratitude for Zahard's gesture, the Arie Family never dismantled it.
After centuries, with the Floor's ownership long transferred and the King's worshipers moving elsewhere, the altar beca abandoned—empty and silent. And because civilian access remained restricted, it made for a very convenient eting place.
Vrrrmmm—
Thick fog shrouded the ancient altar. From beyond the mist, a light pierced through as a dium-sized floating ship erged with a low chanical roar. Cutting through the haze, it slowed, then landed atop the tallest structure overlooking the altar.
A hiss—then the hatch opened. A girl descended the steps from the doorway down to the stone floor below.
Having finally reached her destination, she surveyed her surroundings.
The altar was weathered—its paint peeled away, exposing bleak gray stone. Surrounding it like an abandoned fortress lay a small town, swallowed whole by fog. With such an eerie atmosphere, one could easily believe this place had been built to manifest the idea of a "ghost city."
Hard to believe that once upon a ti, this altar had been a glorious sanctuary dedicated to her father.
Her brief contemplation ended when she sensed movent behind her. Turning, she found a man kneeling before her.
"Princess Maschenny Zahard. We have been awaiting your arrival."
Despite his respectful greeting, Maschenny didn't so much as blink. Instead, she stared down at him with cold irritation—arrogant, sharp, displeased.
"Who chooses a eting spot in a dump like this? Annoying."
"My apologies. In the future, I shall choose a location to your liking."
"No—just don't do this again at all. If you need sothing, send a text through the pocket."
Because of you, I got separated from Hoaquin.
Though she didn't say it aloud, the displeasure radiating from her body was more than enough. The kneeling man lowered his head even further.
"Hurry up and speak. I'm busy."
"Yes. On the 96th Floor, although I still do not know the full details, a major event occurred. The result was the deaths of Princess Yeon Yuhwa Zahard, Lo Po Bia Leta Zahard, and Lainess Blitz Zahard—effectively annihilating Princess Yuhwa's powerful faction."
He paused and tapped his pocket, pulling up a virtual display.
"The surviving princesses aligned with Yuhwa, as well as several Zahard retainers, are petitioning to join your faction. Additionally, a number of unaffiliated princesses are requesting to align under you as well. Everything is progressing in your favor. At this rate, victory in the Khun Family's internal power struggle is practically assured."
That she had to fly to this gloomy hole without Hoaquin irritated her deeply—but the outco presented to her was undeniably desirable. Extrely so.
Faction wars among princesses. Faction wars within the Khun Family. She had expected the latter to drag on for ages—Khun infighting was notoriously vicious even among the Ten Families—but things were resolving far more smoothly than anticipated.
In truth, calling the princess-faction conflict a total victory for Maschenny was no exaggeration, and within the Khun Family, the montum had also shifted fully in her favor.
The man glanced up, awaiting orders—his expression asking whether she would accept those seeking entry into her faction.
Maschenny skimd the list once, then issued her commands.
Unknown nas were to be placed on hold. Those she recognized and found suitable would be accepted. The rest would be discarded.
Given the weight of the matters at hand, handling everything solely through pocket ssages would have been inadequate. Just this once, she was willing to overlook the man's choice of venue.
After all, for soone with one of the higher ranks in Zahard's Execution Unit, he was quite competent.
"...Do as I said. Handle the rest yourself."
Believing the eting finished, she turned her back. Hoaquin had said he was heading to the Floating Fortress on the 99th Floor—he was likely still there. If she went now, she'd catch him easily.
Besides, she had fully learned how to use that new voice-command feature—so the flight wouldn't take long.
Just as she stepped onto the boarding stairs—
"Princess, one more matter—"
"What now."
Her voice chilled instantly. Anyone who knew Maschenny recognized that expression—she was annoyed.
"It concerns the boy accompanying you."
Her eyebrow twitched—barely, but the man saw it.
Execution Unit or not, their role was to eliminate threats to the Royal Family. The re fact that he brought up Hoaquin in that context stirred an undefined disgust within her.
"Do not concern yourself with things beyond your station. Leave him out of it."
The man bowed his head quickly. The Execution Unit was not the type to be dismissed lightly, but he was both a Khun branch descendant and indebted to Maschenny for promised compensation—so in this hierarchy, he was firmly beneath her.
"M-my apologies. I rely thought… he might be qualified."
"Qualified?"
At her slight tilt of the head, he rushed to elaborate.
"Yes. To bear Zahard's emblem. While his feats may be exaggerated to so degree, an Arie direct descendant would be an enormous asset to you."
Maschenny didn't interrupt, so he took it as permission to continue.
"Princess—might I suggest recruiting the boy into the Zahard Army…?"
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