How Did Gordius, the Academy Student, Become the Apprentice of the Golden Tower Mage?
To answer this question, we first need to explain who the Golden Tower Mage is. She is a towering woman, standing at 240 cm tall, with long hair and a wide-brimmed hat.
Ten years ago, during the “Mage Tower Assembly Incident” in Sanjebi Village, a crazy magician witnessed the Golden Tower Mage and remarked, “Isn’t that an eight-foot ghost?”
The Golden Tower Mage herself thinks that skirts that rise above the knee are more flattering, but when she wears them, due to her height, the view becomes unavoidably revealing. Therefore, she opts for long dresses that flutter around her ankles.
More importantly, she harbors a desire to gather land from across the continent to create a new planet.
“The earthly realm is tainted and dirty. I shall float a new moon in the sky and live there. Should I call it ‘Moon Country’ ... hehe.”
To fulfill this dream, she has been purchasing land across the entire continent, buying up properties that are cheap and available, regardless of whether they belong to the Empire or Kingdoms.
Thus, she’s also known as the ‘Queen of Real Estate,’ continuing to buy and sell land, amassing her wealth and expanding her real estate holdings.
She still needs about 67% of the land required for her ‘Moon Country’ project.
Once she achieves 100%, she will use an earth-shattering magic to amass an enormous amount of dirt. Another moon will appear in the sky above the continent. Naturally, such an action would cause the planet itself to suffer.
According to documents from the Empire’s Homeland Defense Agency, if her plan were executed, the continent’s size would shrink by approximately 5%. The collateral damage that would follow was so overwhelming that they didn’t even bother to calculate it.
So...
“...Buy it back. We can tolerate her messing around outside the Empire, but we can’t allow such nonsense within our borders.”
“Yes, Lord Irid.”
The royal family and the Golden Tower Mage had their share of disputes over capital.
Despite this, the Golden Tower Mage wasn’t considered a public enemy of the Empire because she offered technologies that could make barren land fertile, and aided in mineral exploration and mining development.
Her dreams were far from ordinary, and it was questionable whether they could be achieved even with a lifetime of effort. But the Golden Tower Mage didn’t care. For her, dreams weren’t something you pursued based on their success rate.
You chase them to the end, and then see what happens.
So...
“What’s your dream?”
“I want to create a gigantic golem, at least 50 meters tall.”
“Wow, that’s... a brilliant idea! A 50-meter golem would be perfect for large-scale planetary construction! But wouldn’t it be even better if it were a little bigger...?”
Naturally, she chose Gordius, who dreamed of building an enormous excavator (which, to the Golden Tower Mage, sounded like a planetary molding machine), as her apprentice.
Their will to achieve their grand dreams was as great as the dreams themselves. Together, they saved money by eating the crusts of bread and tightly managing the Mage Tower’s budget.
“Wizard Jeep, your research budget has been cut by 30%. Based on an internal review of the Golden Tower’s regulations, your progress this quarter fell below the standard.”
“Wizard Jeep, I heard you got a budget cut. If you were to offer me a ‘token of appreciation,’ I could perhaps speak to the Golden Tower Mage on your behalf...”
Thus was born the miserly duo of the Golden Tower: the crazy money-hoarding Mage and her apprentice.
That’s not to say they were entirely harsh. They understood that money had to be invested and circulated in order to grow. When they did invest, they went all in, even if it meant risking failure.
The more successful mages at the Golden Tower received more funding, while the less competent ones got less. Because of this policy, the Golden Tower felt more like a stock trading company than a Mage Tower.
In any case, both planetary construction and giant robot-building were projects that required a massive amount of money. Just as the Golden Tower Mage expanded her wealth through real estate speculation, Gordius also needed a way to earn money.
He tried investing in art and jewelry but failed because he lacked both the knowledge and an eye for aesthetics, being of non-noble birth. He lost money on each of his investments.
He invented various devices to solve daily inconveniences, but lacked investors to mass-produce them. Unfortunately, no investors had appeared just yet.
So how did Gordius make money?
“Gordius! The princess’s wristwatch broke! This is a national disaster!”
“I fixed it. If you pay extra, I can add a dart-shooting function...”
“Gordius, my chain sickle broke. It lost to a rock.”
“I’ve repaired it. For an additional fee, I can add an automatic retrieval function...”
He earned money through his extensive craftsmanship, from simple repairs to full custom modifications, showcasing a level of speed and skill that rivaled master blacksmiths. This level of talent was enough to cut the academy blacksmiths’ profits by 50%.
This caught the attention of the crazy magician.
“...Professor? Welcome to Gordius’s forge. This week’s limited-time offer includes breathable, projectile-firing gauntlets...”
“Student, let’s forge a cursed sword.”
“Pardon?”
“I need a sword with a highly stable structure. I plan to seal an incredibly strong and evil spirit inside it, and I need the ‘sword’ to serve as the vessel. You know what I mean, right?”
The more absurd the order, the more difficult it usually was.
Make it modern yet classic. Make it hot but cold. The moment the request included ‘identity,’ the difficulty of this commission shot up exponentially.
“I’m currently swamped with other orders...”
Gordius tried to politely decline.
Thunk!
A heavy purse of coins hit the table, leaving an indent. The crazy magician, who had already swallowed most of the Purple Tower’s budget, wielded financial power that could hypnotize anyone.
“This is the advance payment.”
“I’ll push everything aside and start working on this immediately.”
And that’s how Gordius became the Golden Tower Mage’s apprentice and joined the cursed sword crafting party.
‘It’ Has Been Extracted
After approximately 32 hours of surgery—using Aisha’s control "mad movie," the computational assistance from the "Promise" in our minds, and Yuna’s precise scalpel work with the "subtraction" technique—we successfully extracted a portion, around 1%, of "It." That night, we were too exhausted to even think about holding a celebration party; we all collapsed and slept.
The presence of the "Promise" was a huge help.
In the previous session, I had to enter a deep sleep state, but this time there was no need for that. I participated in the extraction while fully conscious.
So, what made this extraction so difficult?
“This crazy bastard is pulling away! Hold him down!”
Whenever we tried to grab hold of it, "It" would try to run away.
“This lunatic is trying to come out! Push him back in!”
Then suddenly, "It" would switch tactics, trying to force more than 1%—2%, even 3%—out into the open with a head-on assault.
“Oh, brother, I’m feeling so hot all of a sudden...”
“Selvia, don’t take your clothes off! Damn it, is she hypnotized? Anyone free right now?!”
“No, no one! Yuli is inside the mental world, Aisha’s also in there, and I’m... damn it, stop running! Could I just break part of your mental world, please?!”
“Calm down and breathe deeply! Selvia, hey! Don’t unzip my pants...!”
We let our guard down for a second, and somehow Selvia, who was outside, was hit by hypnosis waves, and she started harassing me, breaking my focus.
—It’s me, Aisha. The operation’s done. Can you open the door for me?
“...Password! Red!”
—Huh? What’s up, Mima? We didn’t set up any passwords.
“This time we agreed you’d call me ‘Daddy,’ you bastard! Golden Tower Mage, don’t open the mental barrier, that’s a fake!”
They even tried to escape through voice phishing.
Who would have thought extracting just 1% would be such a nightmare? Yuna had successfully separated and extracted 7% by herself before, hadn’t she?
My guess is that back then, "It" took a gamble. Surrendering 7% of its body, but as if to say: "Fail to suppress me, and you’ll die."
I realized how miraculous Aisha’s existence was all over again.
Without her change of heart, there were several moments during this extraction when "It" could have broken free. Thank goodness my daughter ultimately turned out to be kind.
So, after all that effort, was it over once we extracted the 1%?
No, it wasn’t. Once "It" was released into the material world, the 1% was so dangerous that radioactive material paled in comparison.
Bubbling.
In the tank filled with condensed magic liquid, something black squirmed around. It kept changing its form—one moment it was a lizard, the next a snake—while continuously slamming against the glass walls.
If "It" were to escape, it would be chaos all over again. A second containment and processing operation was needed to safely handle "It."
The first priority was to block "Its" shape-shifting ability.
Just like how Aisha could freely alter her form, the separated 1% could transform into anything it wanted. It could disguise itself as a person and hide in a crowd, or burrow underground as a mole or a worm, making it impossible to find.
The second priority was mental magic.
“......”
Selvia, standing with a sign around her neck that read ‘I sexually harassed a defenseless crazy magician,’ and her hands raised, was a living example of the mental attacks it could perform.
The way she still wriggled her left hand, which had groped me, made me blush with embarrassment.
If that mental magic was left intact, who knows what further disasters could occur. To seal these two abilities, we decided to turn "It" into a cursed sword.
More specifically...
Aisha had previously been swept up in my malicious data dump of "gothic-lolita-female-human-is-best" malware. The side effects were still present, allowing her to change her appearance at will—but she mostly maintained a female form.
We decided to apply the same logic. By injecting the concept of "sword" into the 1%, we could force "It" to invest most of its resources into "hardness" and "sharpness," locking its identity into that of a blade.
When I explained the theory, Yuli asked from the side:
“Isn’t there a form less dangerous than a blade? Like, say... underwear?”
“Well, you see...”
There’s a reason. It just so happens that Bennett has returned to the academy.
We plan to borrow a bit of the unchangeable nature of Bennett’s "Hown," which is why we chose a sword. If "Hown" had been a shield, we would have made a cursed shield instead.
With all the magical and conceptual preparations complete, it was time to handle the physical aspects.
We couldn’t afford to make it a cheap knockoff like other fake cursed swords. If it exploded, who knows what kind of chaos would ensue.
The best-case scenario would be the sword shattering and the 1% being destroyed simultaneously.
But if the sword shattered, allowing "It" to infest each fragment like floating cherry blossom petals, that would be a nightmare. "It" always exceeded our imagination.
So, we called in some help to create a sword that was durable and would not shatter, while properly expressing the concept of a sword.
A week later, the delivery arrived.
“...Professor, as requested, I’ve made a sword that adheres strictly to the design. But there are a lot of people here, aren’t there? Even Saint Bennett...”
“Excellent. Perfect. Student, since you’re already here, why not stay and watch us create the cursed sword?”
The sword was a simple design, with no embellishments. It was the very definition of a classic longsword—thick enough that it didn’t seem like it would bend or break easily.
I positioned the longsword over the tank and gave the signal.
“Alright, let’s begin the final stage. Aisha?”
“Containment barrier confirmed. Secondary and tertiary defenses are active. Time detection shows no discrepancies with perceived time. The magic circle is operational... Ready for insertion at your command.”
“Bennett, bestow your ‘Hown’ properties onto this.”
“...Understood.”
Woooong—
The magic circle began spinning, weaving threads of magic. The flow carried meaning, and the meaning gave shape. The image was of restraint. As soon as I finished the incantation, I hit the switch.
Clang. Splash!
The entrance opened, and the longsword dropped into the tank, submerging into the condensed magic liquid along with the 1%. Simultaneously, I concentrated all my magic to hold "It" in place, preventing even the slightest movement.
Screech. Squeal—!!
The magic liquid inside the tank bubbled violently and evaporated.
The black mass thrashed wildly, swirling like a storm inside the tank, clawing at the glass walls and leaving sharp scratches. But slowly, it began to be absorbed into the sword.
Just then, Aisha furrowed her brows and shouted.
“...Hey, Dad—no, I mean, Mima. The resistance is stronger than I expected! The containment barrier’s durability is sufficient, but it’s dragging on!”
“Isn’t dragging it out still within the safe zone?”
“We’re wasting mana stones!”
That was true. This damned 1% was trying its hardest to cause trouble until the very end. So, I had no choice but to give it a final blow.
“Golden Tower Mage, hit it with something! Anything!”
“Uh, um... ‘Mental Burst’ .”
Bang!
Schwooosh!
With a sharp mental impact, the black form wavered, stumbling as it was sucked entirely into the longsword. We waited cautiously for about 10 minutes, keeping our guard up...
“...Is it done?”
“Looks like it.”
“It’s not moving.”
It was over.
We had successfully extracted and sealed the 1% with the power of love and friendship!
But just to be safe, I decided to run a quick verification. I opened the containment barrier and grabbed the cursed sword.
Yuna looked up at me anxiously.
“...So, how does it feel? Does anything feel off? Do you need me to mentally cleanse it for you?”
“If you think a kiss might break any lingering mind control, I’m ready to give it a try. I can muster the courage anytime.”
“No, no, I’m fine. It feels completely stable.”
I could feel some slight mental probing, but it was easily suppressed. At this level, none of our party members would be entranced by it. Since we’d locked "It" into the form of a ‘sword’ , there was no way for it to shift forms or move around.
Satisfied, I put the cursed sword down and gave myself a round of applause. Success!
Now that the sealing was complete, what could we do with this thing? We could extract data from "It," analyze it, and safely run simulations.
We’d be able to figure out what kind of properties it had, its weaknesses, and everything else. Eventually, we’d find a way to completely erase "It."
“Since the job is done, shall we go out for a celebratory meal? Bennett, you can join us too. I’ll cook something nice. You can bring both of your wives and your little sister too.”
“...That doesn’t sound bad. But, crazy magician.”
“Hm?”
“The sword seems to be making a clicking noise. Is that normal?”
It shouldn’t be.
Clunk.
I quickly turned to look at the sword. The handle of the cursed sword started clicking and shifting, with boosters emerging from its sides. I blinked in confusion.
There was nothing wrong with my theory. We’d meticulously engraved the magic, and both Yuna and Aisha had cross-verified everything. There was no way it could transform.
Unless the sword had boosters built in from the start...
Wait a second.
“Golden Tower Mage, did you by any chance add that?”
“I got a nice bonus from this job, so I threw it in as a free service...”
“I asked you to make me a ‘sword,’ you idiot!!”
“But Professor, isn’t it ‘common sense’ for a sword to have propulsion mechanisms?”
“...”
There was no hesitation in his eyes. He genuinely believed what he was saying. No one in this academy is sane.
Whoosh—!!
While I was in shock, the cursed sword began emitting flames from its rear, slowly rising into the air.
“Should we shoot it down?”
“No, we’ve installed a barrier on the windows. It shouldn’t be able to escape, no matter how much it flies around. When it runs out of energy, we’ll catch it and remove the boosters...”
But before I could finish my sentence, with a loud bang, the sword pierced through a gap in the barrier and shot into the open sky.
“...”
“...”
“Catch it! Get it, now!”
“Chase it! Hurry up!”
We all scrambled out of the lab, rushing to capture the runaway cursed sword.