The Hero Party Couldn’t Kill Me - Chapter 97



Chapter 15: What Comes After (2)

“If so, I will lead you, at least until the mess is sorted out.”

As soon as I made my decision, the lord of the mage tower of Rogue Magic Tower raised his hand and said.

“Then there is something we want to discuss first.”

“Blanc Magic Tower. Are you going to leave it like this?”

“Leviathan, who was responsible for all the crimes, is dead.”

“But the mage tower she built is still standing. When she thinks of her sins, it is not enough for her to die alone. She must be punished for her mage tower as well.”

Hearing her words, Raphaella tried to stand up as if she had something to say, but I stopped her and said,

“That makes sense. So here’s what I think.”

While doing so, I took a closer look at the masters of the Magic Tower.

“All the magic books and records created by Leviathan. And I think the entire Magic Tower should be destroyed. That’s how to completely erase the traces of Leviathan.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know what a loss that is to the magic world?”

The Mage Tower wizards immediately rebelled. I smiled bitterly at them.

All the magic towers, except for the noir tower, all protested and came out. Only Magnus, the master of the Noir Tower, looked at me with a meaningful smile.

“Magnus, what do you think?”

“I understand your heart, but I think this is too extreme.”

“… Do they all mean the same thing?”

I asked again. The masters of the four magic towers looked at each other and agreed without hesitation.

It would be rare for the Mage Towers, who regarded each other as rivals and fought against each other, to show such unity.

“Apart from the disappearance of the Blanc Tower, I have no intention of revealing the magic of the Blanc Tower to other towers. Do you still agree?”

But as soon as I mentioned the condition, the tower masters immediately began to hesitate. Only then did some Magic Tower Masters bite their lips.

Because it has become a form of revealing their own greed.

“… Why are you not going to reveal the magic of the Blanc Magic Tower?”

“Some of the magic developed by Leviathan could lead to another disaster if someone misuses it. The 2nd and 3rd Leviathan may come out.”

“But all magic has its risks. Blocking the public because of that is an act of preventing the development of the magic world!”

“If you think so, I will come up with a workaround.”

I looked at Rafaela and said.

“It is to maintain the Blanc Magic Tower. The Magic Tower… Apparently, Raphaella, the only mage in Blanc’s tower, would be appropriate. Instead, she will change her name to erase the remnants of Leviathan, and will be strictly regulated to prevent a second Leviathan from appearing.”

“That, what is that… !”

“Why are you allowing that b*tch who was Leviathan’s servant to use Leviathan’s magic?”

“… Did you say you are Leviathan’s minion now?”

I asked coldly. Seeing that, the owners of the Mage Tower flinched.

“It was thanks to Rafaela’s performance that we were able to know the true nature of Leviathan. And after Leviathan was resurrected, the first person to help me fight against Leviathan was Rafaela.”

I said this and explained the details. When my words were finished, none of the tower masters could denounce Raphaella as Leviathan’s subordinate any longer.

“… But apart from that, I think it’s unfair for her to monopolize Leviathan’s magic by herself.”

Instead, the mage master of the rogue mage tower gave this opinion.

“You said well. So, we need to recruit mages who will use Leviathan’s magic in the new Mage Tower.”

“And what is the criterion for selecting that mage?”

I didn’t answer this time. Instead, I gave Raphaella a chance to answer.

Recognizing my intentions, Rafaela looked at the other tower masters and said.

“The magic of Leviathan is… If you use it well, it can bring great benefits to this world. However, there is a lot of room for abuse.”

After saying this far, Rafaela took a deep breath. In an instant, her foolish appearance disappeared, and she was left with only one master of the Mage Tower.

Rafaela brought out her Orb of Truth, she said in a clear voice.

“Thus, I think Leviathan’s magic should be handled only by those who take its risks seriously.”

Hearing that, the Mage Tower owners were at a loss for words.

Already they themselves knew.

That they are not qualified to wield Leviathan’s magic.

Of course, aside from that, they weren’t completely convinced. He kept asking for a way to keep the new Magic Tower in check, and somehow found a way to find out even a little bit of Leviathan’s magic.

We discussed it for a long time, but in the end, we couldn’t come to a complete agreement today.

Nevertheless, one thing was decided during this meeting.

Raphaella was able to take the position of the new Mage Tower’s Mage Master.

***

“… You put a heavy burden on me after all.”

After the meeting. I inquired into the Blanc Magic Tower.

Rafaela lightly complained to me.

“Because the only person I can trust is you. You saw the reaction of the other Mage Tower owners during the meeting. They are only interested in using magic, they don’t care about risk.”

“I know that, but I’m afraid. Is it right for me to handle this alone?”

“Isn’t that why I’m here for you?”

Mina, who was next to her, smiled and put Rafaela on her shoulder.

She was the only wizard who passed Raphaella’s test earlier. Therefore, she was immediately recruited as the second mage of the new Mage Tower.

Previously, the contract to not touch the magic of the Blanc Magic Tower was also canceled.

Noir magic tower? She is already marked as an insider in the Mage Tower. At least Magnus was considerate of her, but Mina, who already knew that her own position was not very good, came out of the Noir Magic Tower without hesitation.

I don’t understand why she passed the test, but I didn’t have any complaints either.

Raphaella was most concerned about the security of her new mage tower because of her lack of fighting ability, but Mina, who specializes in combat, was by her side, so it was relieved.

“You haven’t forgotten that I am the owner of this mage tower, right?”

“… Of course! Oh, you’re afraid I’m going for your spot? Don’t worry!”

“So, this kind of behavior is also difficult.”

Raphael said, gently loosening her shoulder straps.

Even so, when Mina and her eyes met, he burst into laughter. It was awkward for her to reveal her authority or weight yet as her Mage Tower.

“Please take good care of me in the future.”

“I hope you take good care of me too, Lord of the Tower.”

Still, Mina acknowledged Raphaella as the lord of her mage tower without much complaint. After the two shook hands, Mina glanced at me.

“After all, you became the leader of this empire?”

“… I didn’t do it because I wanted to.”

“Still, when I suggested it, you kept bouncing it off, but in the end you accepted it, right? Great. You know that. Right now, there is no one other than you who can rule the empire.”

Mina flashed her triumphant smile. She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today, perhaps because everything was working out the way she wanted.

“Anyway, how are you going to rule the empire now? Just tell me a little bit.”

“How do you do it? Technically, I’m the interim leader. There’s no way I have the power of the emperor. The holy sword will disappear sooner or later.”

“Yes, but… ….”

“… But since I became the leader, I want to change the empire to the best side.”

Of course, I also have no experience in running a country. So, the best I can do is refer to the political system of the world I lived in.

However, if I change this all at once, there will be too much chaos in the empire, so I’m thinking about how to compromise.

There may be things I need to resolutely pursue, such as the Blanc Magic Tower gun, but on the other hand, there will be a lot of backlash if I push myself too far.

“Okay, think about it carefully. I will cheer you on.”

Mina gave me a warm smile and patted my shoulder. Then she said one word, she added.

“By the way, do you really intend to strictly regulate our Mage Tower?”

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“Of course not. It would be better to let go of the idea that you will treat me loosely because of our friendship.”

“Sheesh, I can’t help it. Well, that’s true, but….”

She backed off with her wry smile. Then she glanced at Rafaela, and she let herself slip away.

“Anyway… thank you. Because you made it possible for me to become the master of the mage tower. Thank you for stopping Leviathan’s magic from spreading to this world.”

“I just did the obvious thing. So I’ll ask you too. Please handle her magic carefully.”

“It’s not enough, but I will try my best.”

Rafaela nodded her head with determination. Then, suddenly, she looked at my head.

“Ah, now that I think about it, it’s time to keep our promise.”

“What promise?”

“I will restore your hair again.”

And then she brought out her words that I had been waiting for so long.

***

In the hideout of Blanc’s tower, Rafaela restored my hair.

Although the scalp and hair are restored, anyway, as the base is body restoration magic, it hurts.

When my scalp, which had disappeared cleanly, reappeared, it was as if I had just poked my entire head with a thumbtack, and when my hair grew rapidly, it was as if someone was holding my hair and pulling it hard.

Of course, even the feeling of ‘holding and pulling my hair’ seemed old, so even that made me happy.

That’s how I finally escaped baldness.

When I think about it, the time I was bald wasn’t that long, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, something seemed awkward.

“… Are you satisfied?”

“Of course not.”

I gave a bright smile. And hugged her tightly.

“Thank you.”

“… I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

Raphaella also smiled softly. Before returning to the imperial palace, I looked at Rafaela one last time.

She too was hesitant to say something, but she couldn’t get her words out easily.

“… Both of you will be busy from now on.”

“Yes, I know.”

Starting tomorrow, the emperor and the princess’ funerals must be held at the same time. After that, I will also carry out various reforms as the leader of the new empire, and then I will be busy again.

Raphaella also has to completely repair the tower, and since she has not been given the authority of the owner of the tower, she has to release the barriers and security left by Leviathan on her own.

After that, you must be busy deciphering the vast magic Leviathan left behind.

“And it would be difficult for us to be ‘officially’ lovers.”

Still, the other Mage Tower masters will think that I appointed Raphaella as her new Mage Tower master because of her personal feelings.

Even after Rafaela proved her legitimacy, these suspicions will never subside.

Moreover, the new government I will lead must strictly monitor Rafaela’s Mage Tower. If we become lovers in this situation, my qualifications will be questioned.

“I know. We will get into trouble with each other.”

Luckily, Raphael also understood this. Still, she came closer to me.

Standing in front of me, she looked up at me.

“But tell me one thing.”

“… ….”

“Edmund, do you love me?”

I looked into Rafaela’s eyes. After exchanging glances with her for a moment, I leaned over and kissed her.

Time stopped for a moment.

“… Love you.”

When the time that seemed like eternity ended and our lips parted, I whispered softly.

Tears welled up in Raphaella’s eyes. But she was smiling like a happier person than anyone else.

She said, caressing my face.

“That’s enough.”