Chapter 168

How could anyone trust the words of a street rat?

If someone asked him that, Ihan would answer—

That brat’s guts and confidence were proof enough.

…Well.

‘His heartbeat is steady too.’

Not to mention, his lie-detection ability probably made up 80% of his trust in the kid.

And—

“Ah, I-I know this because I once overheard a drunk merchant talking about it. He used to trade with the Magic Tower.”

The boy even revealed his source, perhaps fearing he wouldn’t be believed.

His legs were trembling as if he were scared, but his eyes remained steady—like someone who couldn’t afford to miss this one chance.

Ihan asked the boy—Patrick—

“Kid, are you sure about this? Not asking for money, but a deal like this?”

“Yes! Just take me to the South. That’s all I need!”

“…Doesn’t sound like the best choice to me.”

The boy, Patrick, wanted to escape the Empire—or rather, the Central Continent.

That was the price he set for his information.

Patrick nodded firmly.

“The Central Continent is like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. The cities ruled by lords and dukes are at each other’s throats, and the Imperial Family has neither the strength nor the authority to stop them. If even a single shot is fired, the whole continent will erupt into war. And kids like me will be conscripted immediately. Heading south is a better option.”

“…You figured that out on your own?”

“Anyone can see the math if they think about it.”

“…What was I doing at his age?”

Ihan let out a small laugh.

This kid was sharp.

Fearless and confident, but also remarkably intelligent.

If the Empire wasn’t such a mess, he’d probably have been recognized as a prodigy.

While Ihan admired the boy—

“Why us, though? What makes you so sure we’ll get you to the South safely?”

Raq’s sudden words.

They almost sounded threatening, but Ihan knew better.

This bastard…

‘He’s testing him.’

Sizing him up like a gemstone.

Patrick—

“…I’ve dealt with merchants before, and they say successful business requires boldness sometimes. Of course, you can’t just jump in blindly—you need to be sure it’ll work out. Based on that, I figured you knights were worth the risk.”

“What made you think that?”

“Your strength, obviously, but also the fact that you don’t treat a kid like me as beneath you….”

“……”

“…And because you came here to deal with those mages.”

“Mages?”

“…Yes. I hate mages—those spell-casters.”

“……”

The two knights fell silent.

He might’ve been trying to hide it, but Patrick couldn’t completely conceal the resentment and hatred in his voice.

No matter how smart he was, he was still a kid—unable to mask his emotions entirely.

“……”

But neither knight pressed him for answers.

They simply followed him in silence.

If anything, their expressions looked like they’d found his anger oddly convincing.

Finally—

“We’re here.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. The only entrance to the Magic Tower.”

In the heart of the city.

A massive structure maintaining the Colony’s barrier, always monitored by mages tasked with its upkeep.

But Patrick, fueled by resentment, revealed it wasn’t just used for that purpose.

The device for reaching the Magic Tower—called,

“Merchants call it a [Portal].”

“Huh.”

“Sir Knight?”

Patrick blinked at Ihan’s odd reaction.

Was there a problem?

Ihan shook his head.

No, there wasn’t a problem—

“It’s just that….”

It looked more like a capsule launch device than a portal, but he stopped himself from saying it aloud and scratched his cheek instead.

*****

Would there be enemies in the Magic Tower?

—“A lot!”

Patrick was certain.

He said enemies would practically be tripping over themselves in there.

Apparently, countless groups had tried to infiltrate the Tower before.

And honestly, it would’ve been stranger if such a powerful institution didn’t have enemies.

In that sense, the Magic Tower had been attacked countless times.

But no one had ever succeeded.

Why?

—“Because the Magic Tower is protected by a magical force field. And it’s supposedly indestructible.”

A magical barrier.

It was essentially a mage’s bread-and-butter ability, but the Tower’s barrier was on a completely different level in both quality and scale.

—“Once, they even used siege weapons in a massive assault, but after a month of nonstop attacks, it didn’t even budge.”

Rumor had it that during that attack, the mages inside the Tower sat drinking tea and chatting about the nice weather.

That’s how impenetrable the Tower’s barrier was.

Utterly impossible to breach.

Given that—

“No matter how strong you knights are, breaking into the Tower won’t be easy. Historically, no knight or army has ever succeeded. The only way in is through that portal.”

Whoosh!

As Patrick finished explaining, a spherical object shot out of the peculiar building’s launcher.

It soared smoothly through the air, flying toward the Magic Tower.

From their vantage point in the Colony, they watched as the capsule approached the Tower—and disappeared inside.

“See? If you can hijack one of those, you’ll get into the Tower somehow. …Of course, it won’t be easy.”

Sigh….

Patrick finished his explanation.

But the moment he did, exhaustion hit him like a wave, and his body felt cold.

‘Did I just make a huge mistake…?’

Now that his mind was clearer, the Tower seemed even more impossible to infiltrate.

No matter how strong these knights were, taking on the Tower might be impossible….

‘And the portal, too. Even if they steal it, it probably won’t work unless you’re a mage.’

Actually, it was almost certain—only mages could operate it.

The Tower’s mages weren’t fools.

Patrick hated them, but he also had to respect them.

After all, understanding your enemy was the first step toward defeating them.

Yet the more he learned about them, the more hopeless the situation seemed….

‘Dad… Mom….’

Clench!

Even so, Patrick couldn’t let go of his resentment.

His parents’ unjust deaths left him burning with anger.

The Tower had gained even more power after creating the Colonies.

They became more arrogant than nobles, more extravagant than merchants, and more authoritative than royalty.

Knowing no one could survive the blizzards without them, they exploited their status to the fullest.

Eventually, the mages’ tyranny spiraled out of control, targeting commoners—those they deemed inferior.

Patrick would never forget.

His family, poor but warm-hearted, torn apart in an instant.

The mages had spread a deadly plague under the guise of experimentation.

And as people—his parents—died screaming—

—“Hmm. I see. So this pathogen is that lethal to ordinary people? Annoying. No point in wasting medicine on them.”

Cold, detached voices that didn’t even see them as human.

Patrick could never forget.

The mage left, and Patrick was left waiting for death.

But fortunately, Patrick survived by drinking the only potion available in the village.

…His parents had secretly given it to him to save his life.

Afterward, Patrick became the sole survivor of his village and never let go of his resentment toward mages.

Some people say—

Mages are a necessary evil.

They’re wicked, but still helpful to humanity….

‘Bullshit!’

Patrick wanted to scream.

There’s no such thing as a necessary evil. People just turn a blind eye to it.

How many atrocities had those mages committed? And yet, people ignored them all!

That’s why Patrick hated the world—and trusted only money.

What about God?

‘God is just a bystander.’

God never intervenes.

He only watches.

That’s why God isn’t helpful or trustworthy.

But money—money doesn’t lie or betray.

That’s why Patrick believed in it.

And he had a dream—

—To become a merchant. To amass so much wealth that I could destroy the Empire—or even the Magic Tower itself.

It was Patrick’s life goal.

He knew it was nearly impossible.

But even so—

—Someday…!

It was a goal he couldn’t give up on.

Yet now—

“……”

Standing before the massive, imposing Magic Tower, Patrick felt small.

Too small.

The Tower was overwhelming—so powerful it seemed untouchable.

Patrick hung his head low.

His dream suddenly felt childish.

“Sir Knights, are you really…?”

Patrick struggled to finish his words, hiding his frustration and doubt.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no way just two knights could bring down that fortress.

The more rational he became, the more their charge seemed suicidal.

Patrick wanted to stop them—for their own good.

He wanted them to treasure their lives….

But—

“Do you see anything?”

“Stay still. If you break my focus, you’ll be responsible.”

“…I’ll stay still.”

“Hmm. I see… so that’s the structure.”

They were already preparing to attack.

“…Sir Knights?”

Patrick blinked, unsure of what they were doing.

Then—

Tap.

“You did well bringing us here, kid. Thanks to you, I think we’ve figured out how to approach this.”

“…What?”

“In the end, it’s just about not charging in recklessly.”

“??”

“Just wait a bit, kid. We’ll show you.”

“……?”

Patrick couldn’t understand them at all.

Still—

‘For all their roughness, they’re surprisingly gentle.’

The calloused hand ruffling his hair felt strangely warm, calming the anxiety that had been gnawing at him.

*****

Ihan’s words to the boy weren’t empty.

He genuinely meant it.

Patrick had been helpful, and Ihan was grateful.

‘So, it really is an impenetrable fortress. The energy radiating around it is no joke.’

Ihan could sense it—hundreds of mages using telekinesis to reinforce the Tower’s defenses.

Only Aura users could hope to break through something like that.

But Ihan didn’t give up.

So what if it was sturdy?

When had anything ever been easy?

And the capsule Patrick showed them—the one that carried people to the Tower—gave Ihan an idea.

There was a weakness.

‘Of course there is. No matter how strong a barrier is, nothing is perfect.’

Nothing in the world is flawless.

Everything has a gap—and exploiting that gap is how you break through.

With that thought—

“I see it.”

Ihan was lucky.

The guide Galahad had sent them had exceptional eyes.

With his tricolored gaze fixed on the floating Tower, Raq memorized the flow of energy as the capsule passed through.

In Galahad’s thousand-year history, Raq de Duron was the only knight who had successfully refined seven Mystics into techniques.

And now, he had found a weakness in the Magic Tower that no one else had ever discovered.

But finding the gap was one thing—getting through it was another.

To breach it, they needed something as fast and destructive as the capsule.

And just then—

“Brute, do you have a technique that can launch you into the air like that capsule while breaking through a wall?”

“…What kind of person even asks that?”

“You’re not a person, so I’m asking.”

“……”

“Well? Do you?”

“…I mean, I do, but…”

“……”

“Wait—why are you looking at me like that after asking?”

“…You beast.”

“!!?!”

Turns out, they already had a weapon.

BOOOOOM—!

[Year 1,024 of the Imperial Calendar.]

[The Magic Tower—or rather, the tower inhabited by a monster in human form—was split in half and came crashing down. Fortunately, there were ‘no casualties.’]

—Excerpt from The Golden Merchant Patrick’s journal.