Rattle, shake.
A cheap, rickety old carriage creaked along the narrow forest path, swaying with every bump. Pulled by an aged mule, its traveling speed was no joke.
“Honestly, I could probably walk faster than this.”
“Pfffffr.”
“Don’t give him attitude. At his age, just moving this much is already hard work.”
“I’d love to, but I doubt he’d listen anyway.”
The mule flapped its ears indifferently, completely unbothered. It moved with stubborn determination, setting its own pace regardless of any complaints.
Not only did it plod along leisurely, but it also stopped whenever it pleased—to nibble on roadside grass or to take a shit.
Rattle, bump.
“Awhew⋯⋯.”I lay flat on my back in the roofless carriage, staring at the endless blue sky. White clouds drifted lazily, painting a perfect scene.
And yet— my heart was anything but at peace.
It wasn’t particularly because the mule was slow. If anything, I was lucky to have even found a carriage on this remote forest path.
Without it, I’d have had to wander aimlessly on foot, searching for the Red Tower—without even knowing the local geography. By all accounts, this counted as good fortune.
But still—anxiety gnawed at me.
Wooong- peek.
Even trying to draw mana felt off.
Normally, while I wasn’t a powerhouse like some monsters, I could at least draw up as much mana as others could circulate. But now my mana core output was pathetic—like an old mule past its prime.
Would it be too greedy to hope that my magic remained the same after being split into thirty pieces?
Well, whatever.
These were abilities I could regain once I gathered my scattered data. Even though I’d just gone through a forced ability reset event, I was still me. Let’s be grateful for what we have.
There wasn’t anything urgent anyway. The Holy City situation should be resolving itself by now and⋯⋯.
From what I observed while resisting forced teleportation until the very last moment—
‘That’ remained sealed within the Holy City, along with my main body. In my opinion, while security might be a little unstable, there was no way it would break free and be released into the world.
Having Yuna right next to it was also a huge relief.
What kept ‘That’ contained was my insanely high computing ability. So, when I converted my body into pure data, I had deliberately excluded my head from the process.
At the same time, I had carefully designated the 『Modules』, ensuring that only the informatized parts would be subject to 『Forced Exile』, while leaving as much of my physical body behind as possible.
Because of that, there was almost no loss of computing power in my main body.
Which meant—‘That’ remained securely sealed.
In other words.
“⋯⋯I can’t do calculations in the hundred-million unit range anymore.”
Since all my computing power was concentrated in my main body, my separated self had been reduced to an idiot.
Is this… what the world looks like to normal people? Occasionally shooting down falling leaves like paper airplanes used to be a small hobby of mine, but now even calculating wind direction was a bit difficult. Unfortunate.
With my calculation ability and mana crippled⋯⋯ what exactly was left of me?
Neeeeigh-!!
“Keuhahaha! Stop right there! This road is under our bandit group’s control! If you want to pass, pay the toll!”
“Oh dear. How could a poor farmer with just a mule possibly have any money?”
“If you can’t pay, then strip! Leave the carriage behind too!”
What was left, you ask?
I sighed and stepped forward, boldly facing the ragtag band of bandits. Licking my lips once, I activated my concept engine.
“Now, my noble mountain brothers. Lend me just ten minutes of your time, and you may find your outlook on life… changing a bit.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
At the very least— I still had my tongue.
===============================================================
Blocking a narrow, insignificant road and ambushing a tiny carriage that likely carried no valuables⋯⋯ that meant these bandits were bottom-of-the-barrel. Indeed, their gear was shabby, and there were only three of them.
From what I could tell, they seemed to be farmers who had turned to banditry—likely forced into it by hard times. They probably grabbed their blades one day and descended the mountain, hoping for an easy score.
So, I went with an empathy strategy.
Through a tragic, heart-wrenching tale about the hardships of farmers, I managed to receive a few coins in support from the very bandits who had come to rob me.
“Uhheuheuk⋯⋯! I hope your little sister gets better!”
“Yes! Travel safely, big brother!”
I bowed a perfect 90 degrees, earnestly seeing off the bandits who had just paid me instead.
With that, I secured some travel money. I could now properly pay for my carriage fare.
The coachman, after hearing my tearjerking performance, looked at me with deep sympathy—his eyes full of pity for this supposedly unfortunate young man.
“Is your little sister really that sick?”
“Of course that was a lie.”
“⋯⋯Huh. No wonder you’re able to travel the world so empty-handed.”
That’s right.
While my magical ability has decreased, my experience and wisdom remained fully intact. Not to mention—My TRPG roleplay techniques were still as sharp as ever.
Clatter, bump.
The carriage resumed its journey.
Perhaps sensing the earlier danger, the old mule somehow picked up speed—now moving 1.5 times faster than before. Good.
Nothing else happened after that. The kind-hearted coachman eventually dropped me off at a nearby town, and from there, I traveled on foot to the Red Tower. It was massive—roughly three times larger than the Purple Tower
Now, what should I do?
If I were at full power, I could have simply walked home casually, just like Evil God-chan. Objectively speaking, didn’t I still have considerable skills?
Unless some random Sublimation level powerhouse happened to pass by and stab me, I wasn’t exactly easy prey. Even if I couldn’t win, I was confident I could at least escape.
But now…?
Now, I was a little scared. I could have handled those bandits, even if talking hadn’t worked—but what if I ran into an Ogre or a cleaning golem?
That would be farewell to this world.
I needed power to navigate this dangerous world.
So—while waiting for Yuna and Yuri to find me, while trying to contact them, and while securing some emergency combat ability
I decided to become a Red Tower Wizard and learn Fire Magic.
At the Red Tower’s gate, I was stopped by a Gatekeeper-Wizard.
“Who are you?”
“I came to learn magic. Can I join the Red Tower?”
“⋯⋯Well, it doesn’t work like that. Go home. You can’t just show up and expect to become a wizard. You need either a letter of recommendation or gold—one or the other.”
“Ah, really?”
But hey, you understood what I just said, didn’t you?
“By any chance, did you know that one magic circle of mine contains four magic circles’ worth of mana?”
“Eung⋯⋯?”
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
I successfully became an apprentice wizard of the Red Tower.
===============================================================
Studying magic from another school resets proficiency bonus.
This followed the same logic as how one soul cannot manifest two Metamorphoses at once. If you tried to use Fire Magic with a mana core trained for Illusion Magic, the existing optimized structure would shift.
That was why I had been enduring. Even after suffering humiliating defeat at the hands of a golem, I had stayed on the single path of Illusion Magic. I couldn’t afford to throw away my proficiency just because of a moment of temporary frustration.
But now…
Now, I was a special information-based lifeform. I could discard whatever I wanted.
I would learn fire magic at the Red Tower. Then, I’d use that power to return home. And before I merged back with my main body, I would ‘delete’ the now-unnecessary Fire Magic.
This would allow me to eat and spit out.
This was not betrayal. I was absolutely not betraying Illusion Magic.
I had spent countless years working my bones off trying to add physical force to holograms, and I had absolutely never once envied how others could casually hurl fireballs with just a single click.
And I certainly never had any tiny, insignificant thoughts like:
“If I had studied golem control at the Gold Tower instead, I could have made a realistic TRPG without even using Illusion Magic…”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Just a little.
I was only going to try it—barely. Just a small taste of Fire Magic, then I’d leave it behind. I was only learning this out of necessity, just enough to get back home. There was no way I’d fall into the corruption of fire.
There was a target in front of me. The Red Tower provided shooting ranges and practice targets as amenities. Well, of course it did. For a barbaric magic that relied on firing projectiles and blowing things up, it made perfect sense to have such facilities.
Thump thump. My heart was beating like crazy.
I felt a strange sense of sacrilege. Was I really about to use magic from another school⋯⋯.
I stripped away the cumbersome components from the standard Fireball spell. I optimized it—tweaked the inefficiencies and customized it to make it easier for me to use.
And, now⋯⋯.
“『Mini Flame Harpoon』.”
Swooooosh.
A red-hot harpoon of fire shot forward, leaving a burning afterglow in its wake. Its rear thruster ignited, accelerating it mid-flight.
And then⋯⋯
It hit the target.
A sound that Illusion Magic could never produce followed.
BOOOM──!!
Ah.
It was thrilling.
I had broken it.
With just a single click.
This easily.
The first thing I felt was bewilderment.
Was this… allowed?
Could magic really have physicality without constant feedback loops, mana stabilization, and intricate tuning—and still be capable of destruction?
Wasn’t that just wrong?
And yet—this feeling⋯⋯.
It was a bug. A major balance issue. Someone needed to patch this immediately. It was too overpowered.
But right now—
Right now, this magic was mine.
“Heh, heuheu⋯⋯.”
I was a man too, after all.
Of course I had a weakness for large battleships, massive cannons, and overwhelming firepower. Of course my heart burned with excitement at a thrilling explosion.
“There’s no such thing as ‘too big an explosion.’” I had always loved that quote.
And now—I finally had it.
“HA, AHHAHAHAHAHAHA──!!”
I let out a deep, hearty laugh. But as the exhilaration faded, something else crept in. A new desire.
A little more.
A bigger explosion.
This world was too dangerous. I needed to level up. Just a bit more firepower—enough to erase an Ogre in a single shot.
Wouldn’t that be necessary to return to the Purple Tower?
I needed a laboratory. A small, cozy laboratory.
“Hey, rookie! You can’t just use the shooting range as you please! This area is for third-years and up, and there’s a clear hierarchy here, and you⋯⋯.”
“Laboratory.”
“⋯⋯?”
“Give me a laboratory──!!”
I politely requested the senior wizard—“I need to urgently research something. May I borrow your laboratory?”
And—
Luckily, the senior of the Red Tower generously granted permission.
===============================================================
Academy student Selvier finally returned to the Red Tower after a while. There was a reason for this delay— the entire Empire was in chaos after the massive incident that had erupted in Trumpethall, the Holy City.
With manpower stretched thin, the Imperial Family had even drafted Academy professors to help suppress the unrest.
Naturally, most lectures were suspended, giving students an unexpected mini-vacation.
Selvier had learned many things at the Academy. While learning how to beat people with a staff was one thing, if she had to choose one lesson that stood out the most in her memory, it would undoubtedly be—『Countermeasures to Illusion Magic』.
While the course’s purpose was to teach students how to resist Illusion Magic, it was promptly hijacked by a certain crazy wizard and turned into—
“Let’s learn how to survive terrifying tentacle mazes, closing walls, and deathtrap dungeons.
In some ways she learned a lot, it had been pure hell.
“⋯⋯Euheuuu.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Selvier dropped her backpack and rolled her stiff shoulders, trying to loosen up. Just then, a Red Tower wizard she knew approached her, looking troubled.
“Hey, Selvier⋯⋯ a crazy fucking bastard joined our Magic Tower.”
“That’s nothing new, right? What, is this another Jess-level idiot who confessed to the Red Tower Master on his first day?”
“Don’t even mention that. But this is way different. On his first day, this lunatic stole a senior’s laboratory, completely cleaned out the Grade 3 supply warehouse⋯⋯ and now, sigh . Just see for yourself.”
The wizard facepalmed, looking as if he’d rather not explain further. Then, without another word, he led Selvier to the Eastern Facility of the Red Tower.
And there—
“We never realized explosions could be art, brother. We stood so close to them—yet we failed to see their beauty. If we could paint a galaxy with fireworks⋯⋯.”
“We seem to have forgotten about the feelings of those who will die by our magic. Shouldn’t we ensure their final moments are spectacular—so they leave this world with no regrets? While we pursue killing magic, is it not time we also explore the value of funerals!”
“Hey Mr. Explosion, can you hear me? If it’s okay… may I have a conversation with you?”
Some crazy bastards who were holding a suspicious cult-like meeting.
“See? That lunatic kept recruiting people one by one until it turned into this! But the thing is, when you actually listen, it doesn’t even sound entirely wrong⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
It sounded… a bit familiar.
A wizard who had completely lost his mind, who could warp people’s logic in an instant⋯⋯ There was only one face that came to her mind. Last she heard, they said he had gone on a business trip to the Holy City.
Selvier pushed through the explosion-crazed mages, making her way to their center. And there…
Surprise surprise, it was Crazy Wizard.
“⋯⋯Professor, what are you doing?”
“Ah.”
“What in the world are you doing here?! Why are you in the Red Tower?!”
Selvier simply couldn’t understand it. Why was a master of Illusion Magic—a professor at the Academy—now a new Red Tower wizard, leading a cult of explosion fanatics?
***
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