The Edillen family estate.
On the terrace overlooking the Black Sea, Laghar tilted his teacup.
The black sea stretched out as if nothing existed within it.
Massive lifeforms silently swam within, and from them, immense power was born.
Everything Laghar had built since returning to Famillan.
"My Famillan."
He murmured softly, surveying the island.
Laghar had been absolutely certain.
That everything he had built would last forever.
But last night, a tiny crack had formed in that certainty.
'The Tower.'
There was one immutable truth about the Tower.
Those who climb challenge, and those who remain face those challenges.
An unshakable truth that had existed since the Tower's birth and would remain unchanged forever.
Laghar shook his head.
When had it started?
When had he begun to forget this truth?
Perhaps he had grown too accustomed to peace.
Or perhaps he had grown arrogant from looking down from above.
He was no longer a challenger.
On the contrary, he was now in a position to be challenged.
And the first foreign climber to appear since he assumed that position.
It should have been unwelcome, but why?
Why did he feel a strange excitement?
"Hmm."
He let out a long breath and was about to take another sip.
The door burst open, and his son Marundo entered.
If he dared say so, this man was even more unwelcome than the foreigner who shattered this peace.
"L-Lord Head of the Family!!"
Laghar watched Marundo rush over in a fluster.
"Haven't I told you before? Don't be so hasty."
He decided not to mention that he wanted to smash his face in just from looking at it.
If he did, the coward wouldn't even be able to speak properly.
"Breathe before you speak. I'm already annoyed that you interrupted my time, but if you stutter on top of that, I might actually kill you."
Marundo, who had been about to report immediately, stopped.
Then he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
"The foreigner who came from Rogadu's house has gone to Rick's house in the bedrock zone."
Laghar narrowed his eyes.
This was an unexpected name.
Why? How?
Question marks formed in succession.
The foreigner had entered Famillan last night.
What could he possibly know to seek out Rick?
"The reason?"
"I don't know the reason. The tracker said Rick's house was too remote to follow further."
"Your subordinate is better than you. A good choice. There's no need to let him know he's being watched."
Marundo silently gritted his teeth.
He knew well that Laghar didn't acknowledge him.
But that didn't mean he could throw out such insulting words however he pleased.
His father Laghar, who had left abruptly to climb the Tower.
When he returned just as abruptly as he had left, he took Marundo's place as if it were only natural.
Then, instead of showing any respect, he spoke like that and treated him like a servant.
Tsk.
Laghar clicked his tongue and tilted his teacup.
"So, is that really worth making such a fuss over?"
"But the truth in Rick's bedrock is..."
Crunch!
The teacup shattered in Laghar's hand.
"I'm genuinely curious."
Laghar slowly stood and walked toward Marundo.
Marundo cowered, lowering his head and trembling.
"Have you lost your memory? Have you forgotten that I personally blew that bedrock away with a holy relic?"
"N-no, sir."
"Then why is someone who knows that trembling like a leaf? All the foreigner can see there are fragments of records missing the important core. No matter how much he hears Rick's story and makes inferences, he can't gain anything. On the contrary."
Laghar's finger touched Marundo's forehead.
"Your cowardly reaction like this will only arouse more suspicion in the foreigner. So I'll ask you once more."
Crunch!
"Guh...!"
"Don't be hasty again. Before I stomp you flat."
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Pathetic fool."
Laghar roughly released his hair and sat back down.
Then, treating Marundo as if he didn't exist, he gazed out at the distant sea.
"I'll take my leave now."
He didn't wait for an answer.
Laghar didn't care about him in the slightest.
---
Marundo left the terrace and descended the stairs.
Blood trickled from his lip, bitten with all his might.
It was an unbearable level of humiliation.
He barely steadied his breathing before speaking.
"Silvia."
"Yes."
A woman in dancer's attire emerged from the shadows.
"Did you get it?"
"Yes. It was delivered by the merchant caravan that visited a few days ago."
"Good."
Marundo let out a long breath and continued.
"Summon him. I won't delay any longer."
"As you command."
"Silvia. As you know, this must be done discreetly."
"I will keep that in mind once more."
Silvia bowed and disappeared into the shadows.
Marundo walked to the window.
He glared at the bedrock zone beyond.
'I told him to kill them in advance!'
The head of the family, Laghar, treated his opinions as worse than a stray dog's.
He would wait and see.
How long that arrogant pride of his would last.
---
* * *
[Conditions for entering the 26th floor of the Mythical Tower have been met.]
[You have 1 Mythical Tower ticket remaining. You will automatically enter in 5 seconds.]
I waved at Rick, who was still sprawled on the ground.
"See you in a bit."
I cut the farewell short in two seconds and quickly chose to exit.
I couldn't let this drag on.
The scenery of Latuvia unfolded before my eyes.
After admiring it for a moment, I stepped onto the main road.
"Teacher Momo?"
"Why are you calling me!"
I looked at Momo, who came running out.
Maybe it was from all the rolling around fighting with Kancho.
She was filthy, as if she'd just come out of a chimney.
Her hair was disheveled, probably from being pulled.
I pressed down her hair and continued.
"I was just curious."
"Mm! Ask me anything! Momo knows everything!"
"Why did you put the sickle you used for the Camellia Good into the Infinite Storage, but you can't put my Duram 2 in?"
"That's because it's skinny! Your motorcycle is fat! If you make it skinny like the sickle, it'll fit! Like thiiiiiiiiis much?!"
Momo brought her chubby hands together until they were almost touching.
I swallowed hard.
If it got that thin, my butt wouldn't survive.
"Isn't there a way to fit my Duram 2 in? Unless I'm going to scrap it, making it that skinny is impossible."
I looked at the road stretching out across the plain.
If I had the Duram 2, I could ride it happily, but now I had to run or find another vehicle.
"Hmmmm! That's true."
Momo rubbed her chubby chin with her stubby fingers.
"I wonder if a function enhancement unique trait will appear at level 150. Or maybe when you become a Legendary like Seira."
She seemed to be thinking deeply, but it basically meant she didn't know.
"When it does appear, please make sure to put my Duram 2 in first."
"Mm! I totally remember! Your Duram 3 is priority number one!"
"It's number 2, Teacher."
"Mm! Number 2!"
I gave her a thumbs-up.
Momo would forget soon enough, so I'd have to tell her again later.
After stretching once, I took a small stone and the Yodel Compass out of my inventory.
The Yodel Compass immediately reacted when I brought them close.
A smile spread across my face.
It meant the material and type matched perfectly.
The ruins I was about to visit and the bedrock of Famillan, the Island of Holy Relics.
"Captain! A truck is coming from the other side! It's rattling like it's on its last legs!"
Kancho, who had been acting as a scout without being asked, returned.
I vigorously rubbed his perked-up ears and immediately switched to hitchhiking mode.
I could run, but why not go comfortably if I could?
"Momo pitiful mode!"
"Pitiful mode!!"
Momo grabbed my pant leg and drooped her head.
Squeaaaal!!
The truck slammed on its brakes even though I hadn't waved.
The disheveled appearance from fighting Kancho seemed to have helped.
An elderly woman with a kind face poked her head out of the rolled-down window.
"What are you doing not getting in! You look like you're about to collapse!"
"Thank you!"
I climbed into the back seat with Momo.
Kancho, who was in stealth mode, leaped into the cargo bed, apparently finding it amusing.
"Oh my, a young child in the middle of the road! Have you fed... well, you've fed her plenty."
The old woman let out a sigh of relief at Momo's protruding belly.
At the same time, I also breathed a sigh of relief.
I looked neat while Momo looked disheveled, which was a perfect setup for misunderstanding.
I almost got suspected of not feeding her, but thankfully that was avoided.
Vrooooom!!
The vehicle screamed from every joint as she stepped on the gas.
So it really wasn't an exaggeration when Kancho said it was on its last legs.
"There should be some bananas back there. Have som... you're already eating."
Huh? Eating what... Momooooook!!
Momo was chomping down on bananas held firmly in both hands.
She was stuffing them in until her cheeks were puffed out.
"I'm sorry. She really loves to eat."
"Bananas are super delicious!"
"Ho ho ho! She's at an age where she should eat a lot."
I wondered if this grandmother would faint if she actually saw Momo's eating habits.
It was amazing even for me, who saw it every day.
"So, where are you headed?"
"I heard there's a ruin at the end of the road, so I wanted to check it out."
"Oh my, with this little one?"
"Yes. Momo can't resist ruins."
Poke poke poke poke poke poke!
I poked Momo's side vigorously.
"Momo loves ruins!"
"Ho ho ho! How admirable. Being interested in ruins at such a young age. But what should we do? You can't get in there. The Russian military has designated it a restricted zone."
"The Russian military?"
"Those guys are terrible. They kicked out everyone living there overnight. I was kicked out too. It was a place my family had lived in since my grandfather's time."
The old woman shrugged and continued.
"Since the border is close, Latuvia is very careful about Russia. Even when we protested, they just said they couldn't do anything. The temporary shelter they provided was even worse than before. Haah, I don't know when we'll be able to go back. Lately, it seems like the Russian military has stopped coming, but Latuvia is too scared to even check."
I guess I should call them Russia.
Their level of bullying neighboring countries was almost like gangsters.
"If you're just passing by, could you drop us off nearby? Just around..."
Whoosh!
I quickly turned around at what I saw in the rearview mirror.
Kanchooooook!!
He had been blown away, probably because the truck had sped up.
"What's wrong? Is there something back there?"
"No, I think I saw wrong. Even if it's off-limits, I just wanted to look around the area. Momo likes that too, right?"
Poke poke poke!
"Momo loves looking around the area!"
"Ho ho. Alright then. I'll drop you off nearby."
"Thank you!"
I bowed my head at a 90-degree angle.
The ruins with the bedrock of Famillan, the Island of Holy Relics.
I didn't care about restricted zones or the Russian military. I was going anyway.
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T/N:
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