Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 18: Tower of Light and Rebellion (3)

The Tower of Light and Rebellion.

The tower stood alone on the vast Mireverk Plain.

To reach its central location, one had to pass through three encircling walls, one at a time.

Rubin stood before the first gate.

“Are you… Miguel Vantes, of the Leather Merchant Vantes family?”

Instead of responding, Rubin simply nodded.

At that, the tower’s guide lifted the edge of his white robe and made eye contact with Rubin.

“Ah, yes, I was informed that you’re mute? Then, we’ll take that as a yes.”

Step, step.

The guide turned around and began walking ahead.

Whether it was due to an order from the Imperial Edict Office, the inspection ended just like that.

Rubin passed through the remaining gates without inspection.

Finally, he reached the entrance to the tower.

When he raised his head, he saw two massive towers standing as if to hold up the sky, the “Tower of Light” and the “Tower of Rebellion.”

“Please, go inside.”

The guide gestured toward the passageway situated between the two towers.

The passage was vast and dim.

As soon as he set foot inside, the dark interior was suddenly filled with light.

‘Mana?’

Rubin sensed something filling the tower’s interior.

It was then that Haneke, within Rubin’s inner world, stirred.

-Ugh, mana vibrates from every direction.

‘Can you sense mana too, Haneke?’

-With such a dense amount of mana, even a non-mage could feel it. However, I do feel… far more attuned to mana than I did before my death.

Sensing mana was a privilege reserved solely for mages.

Neither ordinary warriors who used aura nor common people could feel it.

That was true for the Assassin Blade Family, which used Dark Ripple, as well.

However.

‘It’s the same for me too.’

Both the deceased Haneke and the reincarnated Rubin were inexplicably more attuned to mana than they had been in their previous lives.

Every time he moved, it seemed like he became entangled with the mana filling the tower.

It felt like walking underwater. His entire body felt sluggish and heavy.

‘Walking is getting harder and harder. I didn’t expect there to be so much mana here.’

-It’s all used to guard the tower.

‘Does that mean there’s magic installed here?’

-Exactly. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of spells could be embedded here.

‘There are thousands of spells in this place?’

It was something Rubin had never heard before, making him even more intrigued. Haneke, his face looking reminiscent, continued speaking.

-Before I died, I once oversaw the maintenance of the magic embedded in this tower in my capacity as a Grand Marshal.

Step, step.

Though he was deeply engaged in conversation with Haneke, the only sound filling the long passage was that of the guide’s and Rubin’s footsteps.

Pulling his scattered thoughts together, Rubin focused on Haneke’s words.

-The spells included a wide-area defense magic against external attacks and security spells to purge any enemy who might infiltrate. Mages from the Empire’s Magic Brigade personally came to maintain them. This amount of mana is inevitable, don’t you think?

The mana filling the “Tower of Light and Rebellion.”

Without Haneke, Rubin wouldn’t have known these details.

Even though he had read various books in the family library after reincarnating, nowhere did it mention that mana surged within the “Tower of Light and Rebellion” or that numerous spells were embedded there.

But right now, such details didn’t matter. What unsettled Rubin the most was that he would have to climb to the top of the tower in this state.

‘Having to walk up all these stairs… It’s impossible in my current condition.’

Climbing the tower’s spiral staircase was the standard way to tour the place. For Rubin in his previous life, it wouldn’t have been a problem. His body back then couldn’t feel mana at all.

But now, things were different.

‘My mana sensitivity is too high.’

Dark Ripple, by nature, repels both aura and mana.

For this reason, neither aura nor mana could coexist within a Ring imbued with Dark Ripple.

However, the dense mana here was permeating his body and constantly clashing with Dark Ripple.

This was why his body was gradually weakening. His entire body felt sluggish, as if infected by a poison.

‘Will I be able to withstand it?’

-You alright there? You look like you’re about to collapse.

He couldn’t collapse here.

There was something he had to show Haneke at the top of this tower.

That was the true purpose of this journey.

If he collapsed here, he would lose the chance to inherit the Brion Sword Technique forever.

“Are you alright?”

At some point, the guide, who had stopped walking, turned back to look at Rubin. Rubin gave a bitter smile and nodded.

“You’re mute and unwell, aren’t you, Mr. Miguel? There were orders to accommodate you as much as possible. You don’t need to climb the stairs directly like others, so please bear with it a little longer.”

The words were so welcome, they felt like an auditory hallucination.

Soon, Rubin understood what the guide’s words meant.

When they reached the end of the passageway between the two towers, a square platform suddenly rose from the ground.

Looking closer, a transparent mana barrier surrounded the platform.

It looked like a glass cage.

‘It’s magic. Does this mean I can use it?’

Whirrrr.

As soon as both of them stepped onto the platform, it shot up into the air.

The stability was incomparable to riding the Granbird.

With each floor they passed, the interior of the floor lit up. Then, as the platform moved away, the floor returned to darkness.

As they moved to the upper floors, the mana that had been pressing down on Rubin gradually thinned.

The higher the level in the tower, the lower the concentration of mana.

“Huff….”

Before he knew it, his body was moving more naturally again.

“Don’t be afraid. This type of travel is only permitted in special cases. The imperial family has decreed that we assist you in taking one more step toward the Empire’s glory, Mr. Miguel.”

Whirrrr.

The platform, which was ascending at a steady pace, came to a stop with a thud.

“Please, step off.”

They had arrived at the top of the tower in no time.

The guide stepped off the platform first, and Rubin followed.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, light seeped into the dark space. Before long, a massive hall came into view.

-Ah, how long has it been?

Haneke sighed in admiration.

Rubin scanned the enormous hall.

The hall’s structure allowed observation from both directions with the center as the focal point.

“Welcome to the Tower of Light and Rebellion exhibition hall. This place records the Empire’s light and shadow. It is where all of the Empire’s history is contained.”

The guide gestured left and right along the hall.

“The Tower of Light and Rebellion is built in a connected form. The left is called the ‘Tower of Light,’ and the right is called the ‘Tower of Rebellion.’ We will first tour the Tower of Light. Let’s begin here.”

The hall of the Tower of Light was vast and grand. Covering the walls of the hall were enormous paintings.

These paintings recorded the Empire’s 700-year history and the heroes of that history.

“The Empire has had countless heroes. Follow along, and I will explain them one by one. Now, the first painting. This person was the first emperor’s….”

Rubin followed the guide, pretending to admire the paintings with interest.

In contrast, Haneke was eagerly observing each painting as though he wanted to remember every detail.

His emotions carried a sense of anticipation, and the meaning of that was clear.

‘Do you think there might be a painting of the Grand Marshal in the Tower of Light?’

Rubin asked, to which Haneke replied cautiously.

-I’m not sure, to be honest. But even if there isn’t, I can understand. I was a soldier, and he was an emperor. I don’t believe he saw things the way I did. Still, I tried to be as loyal as possible. I’m sure he recognized that much.

‘Yet he killed you.’

-He must have had a reason to do so. I don’t know what it was… but I respect his decision.

‘Are you sincere?’

-Of course. The emperor is everything to the Empire. And I devoted my entire life to that emperor and the Empire. Telmach is a man who knows how to honor loyalty. I can vouch for that.

A steadfast response.

The Grand Marshal’s firm conviction was palpable. This time, Haneke asked Rubin a question.

-Rubin, you’re a regressor. Don’t you already know the answer? Whether my name is recorded in the Tower of Light.

Naturally, he did know. That was why he had requested a tour of the “Tower of Light and Rebellion” as his prize for winning.

However, Rubin delayed his answer.

“The next person to be introduced is….”

Following the Empire’s history in chronological order, the guide’s explanation was finally nearing its end.

They were in the deepest part of the Tower of Light, with a passage next to them leading to the Tower of Rebellion.

As he looked at the final painting illuminated by the lights, Rubin felt a tremor shake his body.

It was Haneke’s reaction to seeing his own death.

“This person here, lying gracefully in his bed, is the late Grand Marshal Haneke Brion.”

In the painting, Haneke Brion, dressed in pure white ceremonial robes, lay alone in a large bed.

No record was made of his battle with Seiren, nor of the scars that covered his body from it.

Upon the chest of the Grand Marshal, along with his favored longsword, was a small inscription indicating the cause of his death.

-Suicide.

That was it.

-So, it was indeed staged as a suicide. I expected as much.

Surprisingly, Haneke was calm.

Since the Assassin Blade Family had carried out the mission, it was natural that the cause of death wouldn’t be revealed as it truly was.

The emperor creates heroes and defines traitors through the Assassin Blade Family.

The deaths of heroes were often glorified as “natural causes” or “honorable death in the line of duty.” Meanwhile, the deaths of traitors were depicted with cautionary tones.

Beheaded by the Empire’s heroes.

Or exposed and executed by loyal subjects just before launching a rebellion.

Every single one followed that pattern.

“Haneke’s distinguished achievements are among the greatest in the Empire’s history. He was the most exceptional man in the Brion family, which produced countless soldiers. His dazzling loyalty to the Empire’s glory is beyond doubt.”

Then the guide lightly touched Rubin’s shoulder and pointed in a different direction. It was the passage leading to the “Tower of Rebellion.”

The guide continued walking ahead as he continued to explain about Haneke.

“As you’ve seen, Grand Marshal Haneke Brion ended his life with suicide. It was a regretful end compared to the heroic acclaim he received throughout most of his life, but even so, he was worthy of being enshrined in the Tower of Light.”

A regretful end, yet worthy of being enshrined in the Tower of Light.

It was a difficult expression to understand. Just a moment ago, hadn’t he said that Haneke’s achievements were among the greatest in the Empire’s history?

Haneke, too, was skeptical.

-What do they mean, ‘worthy of being enshrined’?

At that moment, the guide, who was walking ahead, came to a stop.

“Grand Marshal Haneke was a man who did not lose his loyalty to His Majesty until his final moments. Now, look at this.”

A massive hall unfolded before them. It was hidden in shadows, making it hard to see.

“Ah, I should explain first.”

With a kind smile, the guide spoke.

“From here on, we are entering the Tower of Rebellion. The paintings you’re about to see record the final moments of traitors.”

The guide clapped his hands lightly, and light flooded into the hall.

The number of paintings was as numerous as those in the Tower of Light.

The guide and Rubin stopped in front of the first painting.

Unlike the chronological order in the Tower of Light, the paintings here started with the most recently executed traitor.

“Our first traitor. The one who died most recently. Before I explain, you should first see how miserable his end was. Right here, in this painting.”

Inside the frame, a market scene bustling with people was depicted.

In the center of the market were two wild dogs.

One of them had a severed human head in its jaws.

The head was covered in dirt, its severed neck mangled and torn from how long it had been carried around.

“The paintings of traitors are drawn much more intricately than those of heroes. It’s a warning to remember the faces of those who rebelled against the Empire. This painting is no exception. The traitor’s face is depicted in fine detail. Now, take a closer look.”

The face was too small to see well.

Rubin took a step forward.

Now he could make out even the saliva dripping from the dog’s mouth.

“The owner of the head those dogs are carrying around is none other than….”

The guide’s brows furrowed, as if even speaking that filthy name disgusted him.

“Felchion Brion. The grandson of the Empire’s hero, Haneke Brion.”