Ch. 168 - Ghost Story (5)

Chapter 168: Ghost Story (5)

When Stella's students usually gather for a meeting, they have a snack party at places like cafes or terraces.

It could be said that it was the epitome of an aristocratic gathering...

But, wasn’t there a need for even commoners to do that?

So, Flame went to a fried chicken restaurant.

" … Chicken?"

"Seasoned chicken."

"No, uh, chicken..."

"Seasoned chicken. Are you eating or not?"

"I'll eat it, but..."

"Oh. You like this kind of stuff."

Eisel hesitated for a moment and then stabbed the chicken with a fork.

Anella, who was sitting next to Flame, was already tearing off a chicken leg.

"You greedy little... There are only two drumsticks, and you took one of them?"

"Uh! Uh!"

It appeared like she had been robbed in a not very peaceful way by Flame.

"Oh. You eat it. I'll allow it."

"Yes..."

It seemed unnecessary to ask for permission to eat something like this, but it felt quite noticeable to just eat it without permission.

"Eat a lot. This big sister is paying!"

Eisel liked fast food.

Pizza, chicken, hamburgers.

Of course, since they weren't affordable for commoners, she couldn't eat them often.

Later, when invited to a grand noble dinner, instead of enjoying a luxurious meal, she eyed the cheap chicken pieces, which caught the attention of Jeremy and Hae Won-Ryang, setting the stage for a love story.

‘In that respect, she's similar to me.’

Flame preferred instant food over aristocratic cuisine.

Caviar, foie gras, truffles?

She hadn’t tried them, but she probably wouldn't like them much anyway.

It would be better to just grill the steak or pork belly, cover it with lettuce along with ssamjang, and it would be best eaten wrapped up.

The three girls sat silently, enjoying chicken and cola while chatting.

"So, what's the sudden reason for coming?"

"Oh, that... "

"Why did you become curious about the old man’s whereabouts?"

"No! It's not that! How ridiculous."

When Eisel got angry, Flame chuckled.

She put a straw in her mouth and subtly dropped information about the rumors involving Baek Yu-Seol.

"He's staying in a city in the west. Something about business or whatever. I don't really know, but since it's what the old man does, it must be important."

"I see..."

Suddenly, Eisel began to doubt her daily routine.

‘Is there really any meaning in my current life where I do nothing except study like crazy?’

While someone out there was painstakingly building a tower to save the world, was it right to just focus on studying?

‘… No. I'm wrong.’

The reason why Baek Yu-Seol didn’t study was because he had accumulated a wealth of knowledge through countless regressions.

‘To approach someone like him, shouldn't I study even harder?’

"...”

The atmosphere at the academy was unsettling.

It seemed undoubtedly connected to the ghost stories circulating around the academy and the current incident, but she couldn’t even fathom how to resolve it.

However, in reality, Eisel might know how to enter the 7th Tower...

She didn’t have confidence because she heard this story a long time ago from her father.

Her father's ghost stories were spoken in a playful tone as if to scare a child.

She pondered whether she should tell Flame about this story.

'Hmm...'

Flame patiently waited for Eisel.

In the original web novel, Eisel didn't consider the information about the ghost stories regarding the 7th Tower to be very important.

As a result, she casually mentioned it to Hae Won-Ryang, and the curious boy delved deeply into it, which later proved to be a great help in solving the Dark Magic Corruption incident.

But reality wasn't like that.

The connection between Eisel and Hae Won-Ryang was practically zero, and currently, only the two of them knew about the ghost stories.

However, Flame couldn't freely use the knowledge Eisel knew.

That knowledge... was something only Eisel’s father could know.

So, she patiently waited.

She waited for Eisel to make up her mind and bring up the topic first.

"Nom."

While Anella unabashedly devoured the chicken alone, Flame and Eisel spent time in silence, lost in their own thoughts, and didn’t even touch their forks.

Eventually, Eisel had firmly made up her mind and spoke first.

"... Well, there's actually a secret about the 7th Tower."

"A secret?"

"Yes. There are rumors that the 7th Tower never existed from the beginning, and if you look at old photos, some say it was there at first but disappeared."

"That's right."

There was still much debate about whether the 7th Tower actually existed.

"It did exist. Until 50 years ago."

Eisel slowly began to speak.

"Do you know who Abeline Starberg is?"

"... I do."

It was a name that readers who read the original web novel would have heard at least once.

In this world, there have been individuals who had left remarkable achievements and gained fame in every era.

200 years ago, it was ‘Elthman Elwin,' and half a century ago, it was ‘Abeline Starberg.'

Abeline Starberg left such tremendous achievements that it was hard to believe they were accomplished by one person.

It was said that there would be more than dozens of volumes of fantasy novels if his saga were to be made separately, but unfortunately, in the original web novel, the content about him was summarized quite briefly and didn't properly appear.

However... in the end, his fate was far from that of a protagonist.

"The betrayal of dark magic."

He committed the worst crime recognized in the magic world and became a dark mage.

He killed three members of the Elder Council, maimed the former head of the Full Moon Tower, and fled. It's said he still lives, ruling over dark magicians.

Many believed Abeline had quietly hidden away after betraying the magical realm, but Eisel currently had a good grasp of his whereabouts.

'The Dark Mage King.'

It was Abeline Starberg himself, known to possess the strongest power in the world, one that no one could rival.

Why he betrayed the magical realm or what happened didn't matter much.

What mattered now was one thing: Abeline Starberg had isolated the 7th Tower in an invisible world and hid something within it.

"What lies dormant inside the 7th Tower isn't treasure or legendary artifacts. Abeline said he hid the 'truth' there."

"The truth..."

"Yes. Nobody knows exactly what the truth is."

Perhaps there was a clue there.

The clue behind the betrayal by Abeline Starberg.

Anella remarked nonchalantly.

"But isn't that truth is nothing special? Even Principal Eltman isn't looking for it."

"Well... I'm not sure either. But perhaps, we might be able to find it. If so... Do you have the intention to enter there?"

This part had to be approached cautiously.

It was like forcing Flame into sacrifice and adventure.

However, Flame showed an unexpected response.

Without a moment's hesitation, she nodded firmly.

"Of course, we should go. Wasn't that what you were talking about?"

"Well then..."

Feeling reassured by the thought of having such a skilled mage as Flame by her side, Eisel felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"Then, first..."

Just as Eisel was about to bring up a rumor she knew.

At that moment...

"Hey. Something's going on near the 4th Tower, right?"

"Hurry. Come here! Something's happening."

"What's going on? What happened?"

Suddenly, there was a commotion around them.

Even if it was just noisy up to the restaurant, it usually meant something unusual was happening.

As soon as the students' conversations reached them, Flame dashed out of her seat.

Eisel followed suit, and Anella didn’t understand a thing, but she also followed.

Fortunately, the 4th Tower was nearby, and as they ran along the source of the rumor, they arrived at corridor D-17 on the 30th floor, where the academy staff were already controlling the situation.

"Quiet! Students, move back!"

"Everyone, return to your dormitories! If you don't listen, you'll receive demerits!"

Amidst the bustling crowd and the staff attempting to control them, nothing could be seen clearly.

The corridor's windows were all shattered, and the floor was completely soaked with water, but there was something particularly noticeable about it.

[Great Mage, are you afraid of the truth?]

[What are you trying so hard to hide?]

On the soaked corridor floor... red letters were floating around.

The professors were sweating profusely as they tried to erase it with magic, but it seemed futile.

"It's impossible."

Flame understood why the professors couldn't erase it with magic.

Those letters were written in the 'otherworld,' not reality.

Ordinary magic that could only interfere with reality couldn't even erase such simple text.

"Stop."

Suddenly, at the sound of a sharp voice from somewhere, all the commotion ceased.

The students couldn't speak as if they were dumbstruck, and the professors stiffened and stepped back.

As the crowd parted miraculously, a boy walked forward.

Elthman Elwin, who always showed a relaxed demeanor and a smile, now had a quite stern expression.

Walking calmly over the water-filled corridor, he glanced at the floating letters and clicked his tongue.

Then he pulled out a scroll and sealed all the characters inside.

People reacted with, 'As expected of the Principal,' but Flame looked at him from a different perspective.

Why did he pull out the scroll instead of using his own magic?

It was obvious.

His spatial magic couldn't touch it, so he had to retrieve the scroll containing magic from 'another mage.'

Eltman glanced around with a shadowed expression and asked the professors in a low voice, "Are there any injured?"

"No casualties, but..."

The professor answered gloomily and gestured towards the back.

There, three girls were huddled together, trembling.

Their aura was familiar.

A dignified presence flowed through their bodies.

Girls adorned with brooches decorated with proud red ribbons. It proudly boasted their affiliation.

'Huh?'

At that time, a thought crossed Flame’s mind, suggesting that something was amiss.

Unbelievable words sprung from the professor's mouth.

"First-year class S, student Hong Bi-Yeon... has disappeared beyond an unknown spatial dimension."

That was...

For Flame, it was a colossal accident that she hadn't anticipated or imagined in the least.

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