༺ Piled Up ༻
Upon returning to the Purple Magic Tower, Tower Master Yuna was restless.
Let me explain in a more detailed manner. With a strangely reddened face, she pressed down on the hem of her skirt with one hand while bringing her thighs together, moved very cautiously, and looked at me with raised eyes in a restless manner.
Because she was trying to press down her already short skirt, the top of it was halfway up her pelvis instead of her waist. As a result, a slight part of her underbelly was visible between the skirt and her top: her fair and white skin.
I casted a Self Sexual Desire Suppression Magic once more. Thanks to that, I was able to remain calm.
“Why are you acting so timid?”
“That, uh, because you said it might suit me……”
“……What?”
“N-Nothing! It’s nothing! Did you have a good visit to your hometown…..?”
“Ah, well. It wasn’t bad.”
My home environment wasn’t good in my previous life and I confirmed it didn’t seem to be any better in this life either. And more important than that was a suspicion of human trafficking tied to the Purple Magic Tower.
Pink-Haired Lesbian explained that it was highly unlikely for the entire Purple Magic Tower to be involved in human trafficking. The first reason was that if there had been such large-scale movement, the Imperial Defense Bureau would have obtained intelligence regarding it already.
The second reason was that they didn’t really have a need for humans. It wasn’t like they were Black Wizards. But honestly, about 70% of the research conducted in the Purple Magic Tower did require people. Like for research about turning happiness into pain or something.
The reasons Pink-Haired Lesbian provided did not completely dispel my suspicions. Basically, the only thing that was certain was that nothing was certain.
And, if I had suspicions, all I needed to do was ask.
Going out of my way to investigate behind their backs only led to misunderstandings, thus becoming the dreadful trifecta of regret, obsession, and exhaustion. I decided to ask the fidgety Tower Master directly.
“Tower Master. You’re hiding something from me, right?”
“N-n-n-n-n-n-no, I-I’m not, thOUGH?!”
Even saying that she was hiding something wouldn’t have been as obvious as now. It was the face of someone who had too many things to confess and be guilty about, so she didn’t know where to start. I sat on the office sofa and tapped my knees.
Lately, the Tower Master had gotten used to dangling onto some part of my body like a sloth whenever she was bored, so I prepared a place for her to hang onto for this time as well.
“Let’s sit down and talk. Together.”
“R-Right now, I-I think that’s a bit……. I-I’ll just stand o-over h-here!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I guess it was a bit unsightly and indecent for a grown man and woman to stick right to each other. Even so, I felt a bit sad. After all, if a puppy that always begged to play with you suddenly went ‘I don’t wanna play with you’ and ran away, wouldn’t a cold autumn wind brush past your heart?
Moreover, it wasn’t an animal, but a person. I felt something beyond just emptiness; I was scared shitless. What the fuck? Did I do something wrong? Did she get grumpy because I went back to my hometown with only Pink-Haired Lesbian?
I started overthinking.
No, stay calm. I just need to ask one thing at a time. The Tower Master wasn’t the type of person to play Twenty Questions of ‘Guess why I’m upset’ like my ex-girlfriend did. If I took it step by step, my unilateral misunderstanding would be resolved.
There were two things I wanted to confirm. The human trafficking suspicions of the Purple Magic Tower and in what manner the Tower Master viewed me.
Choosing the Purple Magic Tower was definitely my decision. I remembered that. I liked Purple Magic Tower Master Yuna. I could feel a clear sense of familial love from her. But how did she think of me?
The difference in our status was clear. I was a child of a commoner and she was of noble birth. The difference in level was also clear. She was an Archwizard who had achieved Sublimation and I was a lowly wizard who hadn’t even achieved Metamorphosis.
It wouldn’t be strange if she saw me as a pet or a toy. If thought about from that perspective, many things become understandable. I’m talking about the physical affection that was so aggressive and extreme that it made me wonder if she even considered me a man.
If that was the case, then wasn’t it natural for her to hide things from me?
The favor that the weak received was just a form of sympathy that could be withdrawn at any time.
In the end, even this life was the same. After all, wasn’t a child from a rural village, who merely farmed potatoes, sold by his own father because he wasn’t worth anything?
I was scared.
I had spent a whopping 10 years with the Tower Master. As such, even the courage to ask her now, right to her face, came from the trust that was built over the years. Stay calm. We had been together for a long enough time and…….I think we’re close to each other.
Let’s not get caught up in negative thoughts all by myself. Suspecting alone was not like me. Moreover, the probability of approaching the truth was low if I did so. I had to ask. Human trafficking, how she thought of me, purchases, my father who had sold me, the hillside slums, but ex-girlfriend, family…….
My head was spinning so much that I malfunctioned, thus resulting in my mouth moving on its own.
“Are you perhaps regularly purchasing other men?”
“⋯⋯?!”
“No, I mean, what I wanted to ask is, so like…Do you like me, Tower Master?”
“⋯⋯??!!!!”
“So what I mean is, are you, perhaps, collecting people without letting me know……..”
“⋯⋯!!!!!!!!!”
===============================================================
I was currently receiving emergency Nadenade.
The Tower Master, who issued a Code Yellow Alert to signal OoC1Out of Control upon seeing me spout nonsense with my eyes spinning, said she would give me a lap pillow, so I should lie down. And I promptly did so.
I had lain down in a direction where I could see the Tower Master’s belly and thighs, but she, who was unusually sensitive today, stuttered, ‘I’ll kill you if you don’t immediately turn your head the other way’, in such a pretty manner. So, I had no choice but to lie down facing outward.
The Tower Master’s hand brushed through my hair. She carefully stroked it, before suddenly getting all playful again by tying it up. My hair turned into a palm tree before returning to normal.
There was a ticklish sensation. And it was also a bit embarrassing.
The Tower Master, completely engrossed in playing with my hair, hummed a tune while braiding it. I wonder. What had my hairstyle turned into now?
Thinking I should break this slightly awkward and hesitant atmosphere, I spoke up.
“Can I touch your calves?”
“What’s with that ambiguous request…….?!”
“It’s said that one should always start negotiations with the big things.”
“How trivial of a request were you planning to ask…….”
Unexpectedly, it seemed like she was allowing it, so I gently massaged the back of her calves. It wasn’t meant to really mean anything, you know? I mean, didn’t it feel good to squish something soft? Like slime.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“……Hey!”
When I touched her as if softly stroking fur, thus tickling her, a Yuna-Punch bonked my head. So, I switched back to massage mode.
Seeing that she was staying still, it seemed she quite liked it. When I glanced over to make sure, the Tower Master had her eyes half-closed and was looking straight in front. Something akin to cumulus clouds were floating around the Tower Master.
I hesitated a bit, then calmly talked about what happened in my hometown village. Following that, I mentioned my suspicion that the entire Purple Magic Tower might be involved in human trafficking. It was almost no different from asking her if she was trafficking humans straight to her face.
If the Tower Master really was a human trafficker, my actions were indeed very dangerous. After all, what else would you get besides a bullet in your head if you asked the mafia whether they were criminals to their face? But still, I wanted to tell her, so I did.
While confiding, I realized what exactly I was most worried about.
I didn’t want to be abandoned.
I liked this lifestyle. Even if she acted a bit like she had a screw loose, I still like the Tower Master who took care of me. So much so that I wanted to persuade or be persuaded, even on the off chance that the Tower Master was truly an evil Dark Wizard who captured people alive and sacrificed them.
So, please, I’m on my knees. As long as we can continue to fool around together in whatever manner──.
“ELRELELELLE.”
“HEUAAAAAAH!!”
Suddenly, a reverse ELRELELELLE entered while I was feeling sentimentally vulnerable, causing me to scream in terror. When something tentacle-like abruptly entered my ear, I thought the Tower Master finally revealed her true colors and was about to can my brain.
I know, I know. I know I was supposed to be grateful for this event……!
It was supposed to be sweet, even if not romantic, but the Double-Layered Sexual Desire Suppression Magic had unintended side effects. Removing sexual desire left only horror. I was genuinely terrified.
Seeing my face pale and trembling, the Tower Master trembled as well.
It seemed like she was deeply hurt emotionally; after all, she must have barely mustered up the courage to cheer me up, but the reaction that returned belonged in a thriller. Because of my brain freeze, I couldn’t help but stutter. Where do I even begin to explain?
“W-Why do you hate it so much…….?! Y-Your e-expression was weird, so I tried my best…b-but this is what I get?”
“No, t-that’s n-not it. I have Sexual Desire Suppression cast on me, so……”
“You had that kind of thing cast on y…… No wonder!”
“Tower Master, wait, wait a moment. That’s a really bad idea, don’t smash apart the mag…….!”
Slap.
With a light flick of the Tower Master’s hand, all the Sexual Desire Suppression Magic shattered. Past memories flashed through my mind like a panorama. The times she rode on my shoulders, slept together, bathed together, and the curves of her body I vividly felt with all five of my senses th───.
“Ah.”
“…….Y-You have a nosebleed!”
“Euuuuuh.”
“W-Where’s the t-t-tissues…..?!”
To exaggerate by 30%, I thought I was going to die from excessive bleeding.
===============================================================
Was completely fucking demolishing a serious atmosphere a tradition of the Purple Magic Tower?
After bathing and making a cup of hot herbal tea, we sat face to face at the table; elegantly, so we could have a cultured and dignified conversation.
I casted the Sexual Desire Suppression Magic again. Knowing that double-layering it would only cause side effects, I only applied one layer this time, though.
Slurp.
“The tea is quite fragrant, Mademoiselle.”
“T-The t-tea tastes quite good, umm…….. M-Mister?”
“You haven’t even drunk it yet.”
“…….It’s what we always drink!”
Slurrrrrp.
After blowing on it, the Tower Master took a sip before speaking.
“It’s not that I’m not hiding anything. But the things I hide are only those that would be good for you too.”
“So, do you admit to the allegations of human trafficking against the Purple Magic Tower?”
“……That’s not it. At the very least, ever since I became the Tower Master, buying slaves for experiments has been banned. I’ll investigate the village and the Purple Tower. If someone is actually gathering people, that person will become a cactus.”
The thought of how she would turn someone into a cactus was so unimaginable that it was scary.
I could see heavy emotions swirling slowly in the Tower Master’s eyes. She ‘really’ hated the idea of buying and selling people.
I felt relieved. The Purple Magic Tower was not a den of human trafficking, after all. I eagerly erased Question No. 2 from my mental whiteboard. I was happy. Now, only Question No. 1 remained.
- Someone from the Purple Magic Tower / Someone impersonating them has been consistently receiving people.
“If the culprit does exist here, who do you think it could be in the Purple Tower?”
“……I don’t want to suspect anyone recklessly. They are all family. Instead of pointing fingers and investigating someone, I plan to set a trap. There’s also a possibility of impersonation, after all.”
“What if you get backstabbed and hurt in the process?”
“I’m strong, so it’s okay……! I can win against anyone……!”
Her words filled with certainty were a bit cool. How strong must she be to declare victory without a single moment of doubt? It seemed I could leave the matters of the Magic Tower to the Tower Master and rest assured.
“Then, onto the second matter.”
“Eung?”
“Do you have any idea why my head is strange?”
“…….Isn’t it just that your head was always strange?”
“Seeing as you’re dodging the question, does it mean I shouldn’t know?”
“Eung.”
Her answer was firm. However, a twinkle akin to a rising star flickered in the Tower Master’s eyes. When I kept blatantly staring at her, the Tower Master slowly blinked like a cat. If roughly interpreted in cat language, it meant we were kkanbus2appeared in Squid Game, so may be well-known to some. It basically means a very intimate relationship/friendship where the two are buddies that can trust each other no matter what. Basically, they’re on the same team and they won’t betray each other..
Was she asking me to trust her?
Mm.
I trusted her.
In exchange for my trust, I playfully asked.
“Will you save me even if I don’t do anything?”
“Eung, I’ll save you.”
“But why?”
“Because you’re my first friend……”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Before you came, the people of the Purple Magic Tower were afraid of me. They saw me as something more……distant than a human like them. Although we were in the same Magic Tower, we only researched on our own. And I deliberately tried not to approach them either.”
“But you were cute even when we first met.”
“E-Eung, it’s thanks to you that we could joke around with each other, share stories, and all that.”
“I only remember doing research, though.”
“Yes, that research. Like when you went around asking to hear the ‘sad masterpieces’ of everyone you met while saying it was to collect data for sessions, or scattered ‘One-Time Wish Vouchers’ in order to get body data scans……..”
“It was tough retrieving all those. I had a headache making excuses to Senior Scarface who kept wanting to swap bodies just once.”
“Are you perhaps going off-topic because you’re shy?”
“……Yes.”
……Friend, she says.
Yuna said it was thanks to me, but strictly speaking, I was the one being helped. Even now, I was still receiving help, wasn’t I?
The simulation I had longed for was already completed. Now, it was just a matter of occasional maintenance and gradual version updates while enjoying my hobby of playing TRPG.
I had so much I wanted to show. The charm of TRPG lay in the ability to enjoy worlds across a tabletop. With simulations, the experiences could be broadened even further. I could show what the sea looked like to those who had never seen it before and provide a family to those without one.
If they dreamt of being a Hero, I could make them one and if they aspired to be knights, I could grant them a sturdy body. A lover to those desiring love. A formidable foe for those seeking a battle.
If I managed to obtain the Dragon Heart by slowly coaxing the Imperial Prince and Princess, it would be the icing on the cake. With nearly limitless energy, it might even be possible to run a ‘server’ that operated indefinitely like in game fantasy novels. Perhaps, an entire Open World could be created.
But these were as good as achieved already.
Thus, the section where I had to fill out my life’s goal remained blank.
Even if I couldn’t repay the kindness I received tenfold, I did at least want to give as much as I received. I thought it would be nice…if I could be of help to Yuna, who had always been looking out for me.
In order to not forget this thought, I made a note of it in the highest place in my mind, where it could never be submerged.
I was about to head to the Academy soon. I would be separated from the Tower Master for a while.
For a moment, I pondered what I could do to help the Tower Master from there. And then, it dawned on me. What a wizard needed most was a greater budget. And the higher the Magic Tower’s popularity, the more budget they would receive.
“…….You’re not having some strange thoughts, right?”
I should lure the Academy students by making Illusion Magic go viral.
And creating wonderful memories for their school days would be great too. After all, there were plenty of events stored in my head that could make academy life enjoyable. Whether it was the Tower of Trials, Hidden Pieces, raising Illusion Pets similar to Tamagotchi, or even suspiciously suspicious martial arts manuals. I had it all.
===============================================================
“Imperial Prince.”
“Next, I’ll explain the power dynamics within the Academy. There are two major factions. They are called the Gold Faction and the Rose Insignia Faction. The Gold Faction is centered around the best disciple of the Gold Tower Master, who is a key figure, and is based on the overwhelming wealth of the Gold Magic Tower──”
“Imperial Prince.”
“The Rose Insignia Faction is also known as the Nobility Faction, formed around the Duke of White Purity’s only daughter and is an Anti-Gold Faction group. Though lacking in wealth, their unique leadership and broad-mindedness hold the academy’s──”
“IMPERIAL PRINCE……!!”
“Stop interrupting the flow, Crazy Wizard. What is it?”
Second Prince Irid looked down at me with an annoyed expression and crossed legs. I was definitely taller than him even if we were sitting, so how was he able to look down on me? Was this some secret technique of the Imperial Family?
I wore a genuinely curious expression and asked.
“Why do I have to listen to all this?”
“Because someone like you is only able to cause less trouble if you know the Academy’s power structure.”
No, that wasn’t enough. What I envisioned was the curiosity of a seven-year-old boy. An endless barrage of 『Why?』 until his curiosity is satisfied──!
With determination, I bombarded him with Whys.
“Why?”
“Because you can only fulfill your duties as an Academy Professor without getting fired if you cause less trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because only then can we use your abilities to enhance overall strength and provide practical experience for all the students in the academy.”
“Why?”
“Because boosting the Academy’s overall strength elevates the Empire’s national power while also solidifying your position within the Academy.”
“Why?”
“Because a strong position in the Academy ensures long-term employment, thus allowing you to closely monitor and capture any Black Wizard fraktsiya3means spy in Russian that are hiding inside.”
“Wh……. No, wait, seriously why for that?”
“Because I told you to.”
“Ah.”
No wonder the conditions were so good. It turns out I wasn’t being sent to the Academy to have fun.
