With a mighty roar, the “Express” set off.
Clad in all sorts of defensive magic, the hunk of iron ascended the tower by literally smashing through everything blocking its path and circled the outer perimeter of the Magic Tower.
While most of the connected areas were restricted for safety, occasionally groups of attackers would emerge, intent on launching assaults.
It was a kind of trickery for ascent.
If one could successfully board the Express, landing on higher floors was not merely a dream.
====
[Is it worth taking the Express?]
I spent my entire fortune to buy a third-class seat because it said it could quickly ascend to the middle floors. But if it seems too difficult for my level, can I turn back?
— Did you actually take it? LOL
— Are the return tickets handed down by our ancestors…?
— It’s not too late even now, just jump off right away.
— The ones who went in and couldn’t come out were all kids like you.
— You can still do some sightseeing there, so it’s fine.
— Well, it’s better than going far away~
====
====
[Who’s going to the final destination?]
I’m boarding from the 19th floor and getting off again at the 21st floor.
The trials on the training floors are damn tough, so I can’t handle them.
— Isn’t there a button to get off in the middle of the Express?
ㄴ Nah, if you just jump off, they say both your legs are brakes, LOL.
ㄴ Those who succeed are all in Paradise Lost.
ㄴ And if you fail?
ㄴ You’re trapped for life, what else?
— You know you’ll be expelled from the school if you get caught, right?
— With the skills to break through the defense magic created by the elders of the White Families, are you just wasting time on the training floors?
====
====
TrappedOnThe44thFloor
[Trapped on the 44th floor, please help]
I’m trapped on the 44th floor. Please help. I’m trapped on the 44th floor. Please help. I’m trapped on the 44th floor. Please help…
— Oh, a steady stream, hi.
— Looks like they still haven’t gotten out LOL.
— How come there’s no one to help?
— Just wait, friends will come soon~
====
“The bathroom is separately prepared on the right side of the room, and the bed will be made by the stewardess in the evening. If you need anything, please feel free to call anytime.”
With its grand appearance and excellent service, the facilities of the first-class were indeed superb.
Not only did I not feel the sensation of ascending the tower due to gravity adjustments, but also, through the window, I could see a variety of landscapes woven with illusion magic floating by.
As the vibrations of the train began to diminish due to an unknown force, I closed my eyes for a moment.
Directly employing a tactical nuclear weapon was a risky technique that even the owner of the forum had to endure injuries.
Although stored in the ‘B-Rank Restricted Access Folder’ like the ‘Commission Compilation for Paying a Suspicious Amount of Money’, which I had recently sent to Arthur upon his request, the isolation level was even higher here.
Just as I glanced briefly, a strange figure appeared and disappeared among the clouds floating above the prairie.
Nausea rose involuntarily, but there was no regret.
The reason I came this far was not for tasks on the forum, but solely to ask Vina for her magic.
“Don’t worry too much. Celusia is quite high-ranking even among the White Families, but as long as we’re here, we won’t let any harm come to you, Supervisor.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be back soon as I’ve been called by the assistant conductor. Have a good time!”
As Christina left, Vina and I were left alone.
“…”
“…”
A neat skirt covering her knees, adorned with delicate stockings and flats.
Basking in the pouring sunlight, she flipping through her documents seemed like a painting.
Even disregarding her status as a pureblood mage, her beauty was breathtaking enough to make it difficult to even strike up a conversation.
Of course, once you knew her true nature, she was somewhat easygoing.
====
FreezingMeteor
[This investigation committee was hosted by our Glesia.]
Certainly, among elemental factions, we’re the most renowned.
Compared to Kaleidos, who abandoned the position of the Seven Sages, it’s incomparable.
From now on, only ice water from our Glesia will be placed in the vending machines of the Epsilon Hall.
(Photo)
So, from now on, don’t drink from the water cooler for free.
— ㅇㅇ(1.1): Are you babbling nonsense again? Is this your personal diary for the forum?
ㄴ FreezingMeteor: It’s you again, but it doesn’t matter. No matter what pitiful life you lead, it doesn’t affect me at all…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1.1): Are you so great that you were whimpering in the Abyss for so long, barely climbing up holding Mittier’s hand? They say because of your tears, the trees in the Dark Forest grew 5 meters taller.
ㄴ FreezingMeteor: Where are you right now? Tell me right away, I’ll nail an icicle through your head.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1.1): Haha, scratch that?
====
“Addeuk…!”
Seeing Vina trembling, I stopped teasing her and brought up the matter at hand.
“Miss Vina.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I make a request?”
She heard my words about receiving one of her spells, she made a mysterious expression.
“Magic?”
“Yes, for the Haeju School to ascend the training floors, they need to obtain the totality of magic from another…”
“That’s not what I meant. Supervisor doesn’t understand the significance of receiving the entirety of magical power from a pureblood mage.”
Indeed, something like family secrets couldn’t be easily handed over to someone like me, right?
Interpreting and exposing magic naturally meant weakening the power of a school, so it was only natural to be cautious.
Just as I was about to give up, seeing her surprised reaction, Vina spoke up.
“Alright.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but on one condition. If Supervisor can completely destroy the cake I gave you until we leave the Void.”
I took out the luggage I hastily brought before arriving at the platform.
Inside the green fabric were various items, along with the ice cake I had always carried and cherished.
Completely destroying this seemed impossible, but I thought of it as a test she gave me.
Even a minute or a second was precious until I got back on the Express, so even if it seemed like a waste, I poured all this leftover time into it.
Using interference on the cake, I felt a small gap between the top layer of the three-tiered sheet and the strawberries.
Now, with some skill, as long as I was careful not to damage the magic circuit, I could access the enchantment without interference.
I began to slowly remove the strawberries placed along the edge.
Since I couldn’t destroy it all at once, my plan was to remove the decorations one by one.
“…”
Rather than cutting or slicing, it was more like creating cracks with saliva and membranes.
The cake didn’t attack back, but there was an unconscious defense mechanism for the caster.
I had to delicately pry between the layers, transmitting my body heat while gently removing them, as if coaxing and soothing.
And then, in a moment of carelessness due to familiarity, I exposed my teeth and bit down, “Ah!” piercing with my fangs.
Squish.
Tap.
Crackle.
Crunch.
Squish.
Tap.
Crackle.
Crunch.
.
.
.
Snap!
Concentrating solely on interference, even to the point where sweat dripped despite the transparent ice placed on my knees, an hour seemed to pass by.
I had successfully removed one strawberry.
Admiring the fine lines drawn on the transparent ice, I was suddenly interrupted by Vina, who had been sitting across from me, abruptly standing up.
“…!”
“Vina?”
Uncharacteristically, she bit her lower lip slightly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Her posture and expression seemed somewhat uneasy.
Vina immediately opened the cabin door and quickly walked down the aisle, turning to the right.
When I tried to follow, the doorknob froze in an instant.
“Where are you suddenly going?”
“…room.”
“Pardon?”
“Please don’t come.”
*
What was that just now?
I furrowed my brow, staring blankly in the direction Vina had disappeared, while brushing away the ice fragments from my hands.
It would have been nice if she had informed me of any urgent matter beforehand.
Contemplating whether to finish removing the remaining strawberries from the cake, I decided to explore the train instead.
It seemed that we were occupying an entire section of the car, even among the first-class cabins, it seemed to be a special compartment reserved only for pureblood families.
“Well, since the front is probably the engine room…”
“Hey, you there!”
However, as soon as I opened the door to the rear cabin, a mage dressed in a firmly pressed robe approached me, as if he had been looking for me.
He grabbed the hem of my clothes and dragged me down the deserted corridor.
Judging by the number 38, he seemed to be from the White families faction, but there was no trace of familiarity whatsoever.
As I was puzzled, he spoke in an angry voice.
“What’s going on? You said you’d contact me once you succeeded in contacting Niflheim!”
“Yes?”
A slight tremor, barely detectable unless concentrated, reminded me that the train was climbing the Magic Tower.
I recalled the mage from Celusia who had spoken to Vina and Christina on the platform. It seemed that he had not approached the two simply to gain favor.
“You didn’t…… change your mind and decide to send them up into the Void, after all the hype on the message board that you could do it, did you?”
Just because I approached them after coming out of the first-class section, it doesn’t mean they recognized my face. I realized they must have communicated only within the forum.
The mage in front of me, confirmed through the location note, had a recent record of accessing the abandoned ‘Honeybee Bulletin Board’.
The guy who would probably be rolling around on the platform floor by now was likely in the same boat.
If I were to infiltrate their ranks, perhaps I could prevent the imminent chaos.
“What’s with you? You had the Witch Note, why didn’t you respond? And where did the family emblem disappear to?”
But could I really succeed?
I had never told a lie in my life, and I was a heretic of the Haeju School, knowing nothing about cursing others.
Trying to infiltrate a t*rrorist organization and extract their information would surely get me caught in a matter of seconds…
Wait, this account isn’t ‘Beloved Grandson’, is it? You wouldn’t happen to…”
“Seems foolish. Who in their right mind would write down such an important plan on a single note?”
…But despite those doubts, I immediately donned the disguise.
Since the moment I plunged the spear into the dragon’s heart, my heart began to beat again after a long time.
