Chapter 73
The Tower of Mages.
In short, it was called the Mage Tower.
A simple, unembellished name. Perhaps because of that, the city that had formed around it was equally plain in name.
Mage City.
Woojin walked toward the city gate with the wolves.
Naturally, the guards’ attention shifted toward him.
Clank, clink—
Each step the wolves took produced a light metallic sound.
They were clad head to toe in steel armor.
This armor served as a kind of formal wear.
People might panic at the sight of demonic wolves, so he dressed them like warhorses in steel plating—making it obvious that they were well-trained hunting beasts.
“May I enter the city?”
“Well, that is…”
The captain of the guard hesitated.
Allowing wolves into the city was highly unusual.
Yet stopping him was difficult as well.
Pinned to Woojin’s left chest was a shield-shaped brooch.
The Silver Shield Medal.
An honorary decoration granted only to those of great merit.
In other words, not someone a mere captain of the guard could bar.
It was a no-win dilemma.
Sweat beaded on the captain’s brow.
Seeing this, Woojin offered an alternative.
“If bringing the wolves inside is difficult, I can leave them here in your care.”
“…Can I truly manage these monsters?”
“It’ll be fine. They’re very gentle.”
Since spending time with the Order of Harmony, the wolves had completely lost their aversion to humans.
Entrusting them to the guards would pose no real problem.
“I’ll leave them to you.”
As he spoke, he pressed two gold coins into the captain’s hand.
The captain accepted them and nodded resolutely.
“…I will do my utmost.”
“Good.”
He had secured a man’s loyalty with gold.
It wasn’t a trivial sum, but Woojin did not mind.
“Wait quietly.”
Rex and the other wolves nodded.
Woojin removed the medal from his chest and tucked it deep into his coat.
He had no intention of flaunting it.
He had worn it only to avoid the nuisance of gate inspections.
Explaining the wolves over and over was tiresome… Having something like that certainly makes things easier.
Without lengthy explanations, simply displaying the medal granted passage.
Such were the benefits of honor within human society.
Woojin entered the city alone.
Looking around, he noticed numerous refined buildings.
Looks like a wealthy district.
Artifacts, scrolls, and potions crafted by mages carried immense value.
Merchants from afar came to trade for them.
The city was not particularly large, but its buildings were sturdy and elegant, and its roads were smooth and immaculately maintained.
There were so many carriages that, exaggeration aside, they seemed more frequent than pedestrians.
No wonder the captain hesitated.
Horses would panic at the sight of demonic wolves.
If something went wrong, distinguished guests might be injured.
He roughly gauged the surroundings and made his way toward his destination.
Though it was his first time here, finding the path was easy.
All he had to do was look up.
In the city’s center stood the Mage Tower.
It jutted upward like an awl in a pocket.
Before long, Woojin stepped inside.
“For what purpose have you come?”
A male mage seated at the reception desk addressed him.
Woojin stated his business directly.
“I’m here to see a friend. A female mage named Claire. Is she here?”
“Claire?”
“Yes. About this tall, brown hair…”
In case of a namesake, Woojin roughly described her appearance.
But as he did—
The mage’s expression subtly changed.
A faint wariness entered his eyes.
Woojin frowned slightly.
“…Is there a problem?”
“N-No. Please wait a moment.”
The mage cleared his throat and rose from his seat.
He hurried off somewhere.
Woojin watched him go, puzzled.
“What was that?”
The moment he mentioned Claire’s name, the mage’s attitude had shifted.
Could Claire be in trouble?
As that thought crossed his mind—
Footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Someone was rushing down.
Soon, the source appeared.
Claire.
She beamed brightly.
“Jin!!”
She ran toward him.
Anticipating what was coming, Woojin opened his arms.
They embraced tightly.
They held each other for quite some time—
Until they finally noticed the stares around them.
“…Shall we catch up outside?”
“Yes!”
They left the Mage Tower together.
There was so much to say.
They had parted ways to pursue their own dreams, and after a considerable time, met again.
“Let’s have lunch and talk leisurely. Is there a good restaurant nearby?”
“That place is nice. It’s my regular spot.”
Claire pointed toward a small shop tucked into an alley.
It looked slightly worn but carried a sense of history—like a beloved local gem.
Not a bad choice, but—
“…It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Let’s go somewhere nicer. My treat.”
Woojin scanned the area.
A refined restaurant caught his eye.
“How about there?”
“Uh… I’ve never been.”
“Then let’s try it today.”
They entered the restaurant.
After securing a private room, they sat down and examined the menu.
As expected of a high-end establishment, the prices were intimidating.
Woojin ordered several dishes without hesitation—and even requested an expensive wine.
Claire nearly choked.
“Isn’t that too much?!”
“It’s fine. It’s not my money.”
“Whose money is it?”
“There’s a man named Edwin.”
After Duke Edwin’s failure in the second expedition, all the wealth he had brought became spoils for the gnolls.
The gnoll great warrior Braknark had presented the most valuable treasures to Woojin as tribute.
On top of that, the Order Alliance had awarded him a large sum of gold, and Cindy had gifted him multiple artifacts.
A considerable fortune had accumulated.
“I could order meals like this several times over and it wouldn’t matter. Somehow, I’ve become quite wealthy.”
“May I hear that story in detail?”
“Of course. Now, where should I even begin…”
He began to speak.
After handing Claire one hundred gold coins and leaving the Walled City—
From his arrival in the Demon Realm to everything he had experienced since.
One story led to another.
The leech rats, the wolves, the Order of Harmony, the spider cave, the Archbishop’s banquet, the second expedition—
He tried to keep it brief, but whenever Claire grew curious, she asked questions.
As a result, he was still recounting his tale when dessert arrived.
When he finally finished, Claire smiled, deeply moved.
“Wow… you really went through incredible things. I’d heard rumors about you, Jin, but it sounds like they were toned down compared to the real story.”
Woojin blinked.
“You’ve heard rumors about me here?”
“Yes. Quite often.”
“Really? It spread that much?”
“Of course. The downfall of the second expeditionary force was prime gossip material.”
Konrad had thrown a grand banquet to celebrate the expedition’s departure—
And then the expedition had failed spectacularly.
The Archbishop and the Duke’s reputations had fallen straight into the mud.
When some fall, others rise.
As those two prominent figures declined, the reputation of one man within that expedition began to burn brightly.
Woojin had negotiated with the gnolls and prevented the complete annihilation of the second expeditionary force.
Saintess Cecilia and the Holy Knights testified to it, and in recognition of his merit, the Order Alliance awarded him the Silver Shield Medal.
“You’re the youngest ever recipient of the Silver Shield Medal. No bard would pass up such a story.”
When a remarkable person achieves something great, it becomes a heroic tale.
What Woojin had done was turned into song and passed from mouth to mouth.
…Honestly, he didn’t like it.
“That’s embarrassing.”
“Why? I think it’s cool.”
“Well, if you say so… but people here really enjoy over-the-top praise.”
He already considered it a dark chapter that mercenaries once called him “Skullcrusher.”
He hadn’t imagined something even bigger would follow.
In any case—
“Enough about me. Let’s hear about you. How have you been?”
“I’ve been great. The Mage Tower is like paradise. Being able to learn all kinds of magic—it's wonderful. I owe this luxury to you.”
Claire smiled brightly.
She genuinely seemed satisfied with her life.
But Woojin remembered the mage at the reception desk—the way his expression had stiffened at Claire’s name.
“Are you sure there’s no problem?”
“…Hmm.”
Woojin pressed gently.
Claire hesitated, then spoke.
“…There is a small issue.”
As expected.
“What is it?”
“Well… among those who come to the Mage Tower, there are some problematic people.”
Anyone who paid one hundred gold coins could enter and study magic and alchemy.
The issue was that the tuition was extremely expensive.
A large number of students were children of wealthy merchants or members of noble families.
“Some of them don’t take their duties as mages seriously. They focus more on socializing in the city’s upper circles.”
Not everyone possessed talent for magic.
It wasn’t uncommon for nobles who entered with heavy sponsorship to give up on the difficult studies and indulge in high society instead.
And where there is high society—
There is romance.
“There was someone who kept pursuing me.”
A noble had confessed to Claire.
She rejected him.
He did not give up.
Repeated rejection eventually turned into anger.
“One day, he and a few others cornered me against a wall and started saying things. About status and background… telling a country girl to know her place.”
“…Who?”
“Oh, you don’t need to get angry. The real problem starts here…”
Claire let out a small sigh.
“Honestly, I got angry too. So I hit him.”
“You kneed him somewhere sensitive?”
“Hey! Don’t be crude! Not that. You know the thing you’re good at? Standing like this and using the top of your foot.”
Claire mimicked a stance with her hands.
Woojin caught on immediately.
“A low kick?”
“Yes! That. I remembered how you used to do it when fighting mercenaries. So I gave him a low kick…”
She grinned.
“He started limping… then sat down on the floor crying like a child. I think I may have kicked too hard. After that, things became… awkward.”
“…What’s his family’s rank?”
“Apparently a count.”
Claire had knocked down a noble of considerable standing.
His pride had been shattered.
Since he was the one who started it, she wasn’t formally punished—
But from that day on, the mages who used to be friendly with her began to distance themselves.
“I guess they were afraid that associating with me would anger the nobles.”
“You’re being ostracized?”
“…Yes. Well. But it gives me more time to focus on studying. So maybe it’s not so bad.”
Woojin shook his head.
“That’s not good at all.”
Before he left, he should make time to find that bastard and teach him a lesson.
As that thought crossed his mind—
“…Wait. Claire. You’re saying you dropped a grown man with one low kick?”
“Yes.”
“That’s strange… You don’t exactly exercise regularly. Do you have some kind of talent?”
Now he was curious.
Woojin stood up.
“Low kick. Try it on me.”
“Uh… here?”
“It’s a private room.”
“Well… okay.”
Claire stood in front of him.
“Ready?”
She hesitated briefly—
Then kicked Woojin’s thigh with full force.
Smack!!
“How was it?”
“….”
Woojin tilted his head.
…Why does that hurt?
It didn’t make sense.