An unidentified wizard of the Purple Tower selling fact-based slander to a minor information merchant in a nondescript territory—normally, such slander wouldn’t spread far.

Selling uncertain information can ruin a business in the long run. It breaks the trust with customers. So, such information must not be sold without solid evidence.

Thus, the information merchant rated the credibility of the testimony from “Evil God-chan” as low and tucked it away in a corner of the cabinet.

Usually, such information never sees the light of day.

Unless a major client is in a dire situation… For example, ‘Bring me all the information on this person, no holds barred,’ akin to ‘I’ll buy everything in this store,’ kind of reckless spending.

But this is Elmest territory. Just a few weeks ago, succubi were scheming beneath the buildings of the Goddess Church within the territory.

Naturally, the hands of the black wizards reached deep from top to bottom, and all the black wizards had recently received a top-priority order from above to “collect all information on the mad wizard.”

Why did the mad wizard attract such aggro?

Each named black wizard, while independent, loosely cooperated—so the news of the “Pleasure-Drinking Virgin,” who suddenly went out of contact, had already reached them.

One of the four pillars of their system had vanished overnight.

Therefore, Duke Redburn, “The Noose of Despair,” raised the threat level of the mad wizard to the extreme. This was a weight equivalent to that of a Tower Master of each tower.

Wasn’t the Succubus Queen in an incomplete state of the Evil God statue? If she could fully wield the power of the Evil God, she could even defeat transcendental beings.

There are several reasons one could think of for the Queen’s defeat.

For the demons, who are unimpressive in physical abilities without mental manipulation, the illusion magic of the Purple Tower was the perfect counter.

The black wizards had seen at least a year before they would master the powers of the Evil God statue, so the Queen at that time would have been inexperienced in manipulating the Evil God’s powers.

And it’s highly likely that the Purple Tower Master was also present, which means she essentially fought against a transcendental being plus the mad wizard.

So, the mad wizard may not be as strong as one would think… It’s a plausible thought. In fact, it’s even more likely. Because if we assume the worst,

the mad wizard could be a force capable of sublimation and combat without even undergoing metamorphosis. It’s a ludicrous idea. If that were true, would he be akin to a dragon?

Hardly.

The mad wizard’s past deeds are well-documented. Born to human parents on both sides, he was untouched by any magical experiments and came into this world as a human.

But still── it’s always best to assume the worst.

“Should I have intervened then…”

Had Roderus pushed the mad wizard to the brink of death back then, had he used the “Lantern of Foresight” despite the cost to ensure his demise. If only he had taken the lamb’s advice more seriously.

No, it’s no use. It’s too late for regrets. It’s fortunate, however, that we’ve had the chance to re-evaluate the variables now.

The metamorphosis of Duke Redburn, the “Lantern of Foresight,” requires gathering information about the opponent. And with that information, it enforces fate.

The more information you have beforehand, the stronger the enforcement becomes. If the mad wizard is a potential archenemy, preparations must start now.

Gather. Gather all the information about the mad wizard!

Thus, the scandal spread by Evil God-chan flowed directly into the Redburn family.

Duke Redburn, with his long-standing political acumen, made a decision.

“This could be useful.”

The public perception of the Purple Tower is negative. Their lack of significant external activities and their dealings with the human psyche make them seem maniacal.

The head of the Red Tower may have a bizarre temperament, but their public perception is positive. The Red Tower’s social contributions defend their reputation.

So, the Purple Tower gets pricked as it stands.

Until now, the connection between the Second Prince and the Purple Tower wasn’t clear, so they refrained from provoking Yuna Yurensto Violet Iris.

But now, it’s time for scheming.

Having received the information, Duke Redburn Maximus commanded an attack on the reputation of the Purple Tower and the mad wizard, also as a check against the Second Prince’s power.

“The mad wizard is by the Second Prince’s side! He’s clouding the prince’s judgment!”

“The mad wizard of the Purple Tower is crazy, collecting all sorts of perverted hobbies!”

“According to internal documents of the Defense Ministry, his identifier is ‘Mad Wizard.’ How bad must it be for them to name him that?”

“Before the mad wizard lays hands on the academy’s girls and boys, someone said we must drive him out!”

Despite the radical claims… it was just a rumor.

For now, it’s just a subtle rumor spread by an unknown source. It’s the kind of talk that goes, “I don’t know the details, but someone said…”

However, the moment the mad wizard makes a public mistake, the powder keg will explode. The dark wizards will see to that. Duke Redburn quietly prepared for a social assassination.

—

Of course, Roderus Redburn was aware of the plan.

But he was utterly enchanted by the magical girl “Blue Rose,” and ended up leaking the family secrets.

Magical Girl Odaesu shared it again with Envers Redburn.

Envers couldn’t help but look at the verdant Magical Girl with a feeling of discomfort and displeasure. He said bitterly,

“…I told you not to approach my brother.”

“Then you should raise your standing within the Redburn family.”

“That, I’ve even attended classes under the professor. These days, I’m under even more suspicion. Wondering if I’m an internal spy… If my brother hadn’t trusted me, I would have been dead long ago.”

“So manage yourself better internally.”

Odaesu clicked his tongue. This damn brother of his just didn’t know how to manage his reputation. To show a bit of materialistic and evil nature, to intimidate the family members, to act like a true villainous executive, that’s how you earn the duke’s trust.

‘If I win the duel fairly, do not insult me anymore. Lowly servant.’

At this rate, when would he ever earn trust? If it were Roderus, he would have half-killed him before even considering it.

Speaking of which, the mad magician.

Odaesu shuddered as he recalled the sensation of the Pashimhyeonjeon drilling into his head. Thinking back, he fought in a bizarre way too. Alien-like.

In a world where ‘fables’ exist, ‘special abilities’ are not strange. Suddenly commanding Living Armor, a magician casting close combat spells, it’s barely understandable.

But, should it be called confidence…?

Perhaps it’s best described as a gaze looking down from a higher level. Even as he bled profusely from Roderus’s attacks, he did not seem desperate.

If── he were to fight desperately, burning his soul and throwing his whole body into it. What would happen then? It was a story too dreadful to confirm or even imagine.

Odaesu sorted through his thoughts and returned to the main issue, asking Envers casually about the rumor the Redburn family was spreading. Was it really true, or just baseless slander?

Envers, having observed the mad magician at the academy, would be able to judge.

“…That professor, what do you think. Is he really as the rumors say?”

“Hmm. I don’t think he’s a bad person… But he did seem to have a peculiar fondness for tentacles.”

“?”

“The female students were persistently targeted by the tentacles…”

“……..”

Odaesu shuddered once more as he remembered the nightmares of the past. The relentless tentacle attacks of the Four Heavenly Kings “Yuri Frostraver.”

And that’s a bit strange.

In this life, she was a fighter who mainly engaged in close combat, unable to handle plants or tentacles. Of course, the power of a monster is separate from fables, so it’s possible to have different abilities…

Usually, one would capitalize on their strengths, wouldn’t they?

Even Odaesu’s main weapon was a rapier. He didn’t abandon the skills he had practiced and trained with all his life to learn some other strange technique.

This is just a what-if. But perhaps, among those Four Heavenly Kings… was there also a mad magician?

Those slimy tentacles, were they the product of some joint development…?

If so, then he truly is a mad b*stard.

I set aside the unverifiable doubts for later. There was much more to think about.

Daesu Oh and Cheonghwi Namgung decided to stop leaking internal information, leaving the countermeasures against slander and political machinations to the Second Prince’s side. They had more important matters to attend to.

“Let’s use the throne competition as bait. As the rivalry intensifies, the empire will boil over, and the schemers won’t be able to resist reaching out.”

“Once they reach out, we’ll pin down that hand and strike at the neck.”

“Yes, the opportunity will come eventually… Just stay focused, and it will happen. Just like how I finally got my hands on the famous patissier’s roll cake.”

“Your analogy is quite girlish, isn’t it?”

It was the plan to hunt down Duke Redburn.

—

In a tavern in the Elmest region, a man and a woman clinked their beer mugs together.

The man, with a 2:8 side parting in his hair and a notable teardrop mark by his eye, had a fox-like gaze that emphasized charm over suspicion.

His leather armor was unmistakably high-end. Those with discernment could tell he was a veteran adventurer.

He was Rowillen, the silver-badge mercenary who once traveled with a mad wizard. To the Mima, he was known as Teardrop Guy.

Opposite him sat a woman in practical adventurer’s attire, with a large scar crossing her left eye.

She was known as “Puppet Lorei,” the mage of the Purple Tower, and to the Mima, she was Face Scar Senior.

Lorei had hired Rowillen as a vanguard for monster hunting, necessary for gathering materials for her magic research. Now, they were having a drink after finishing their work.

Lorei tilted her mug, took a sip of beer, and with a hearty “Kha,” wiped her mouth. She then inquired about recent events.

“How have things been lately? I heard both your colleagues are pregnant.”

“It’s good. Everything’s good. I never knew happiness could be so daily. The thought of becoming a father soon does weigh on my shoulders, though…”

“It’ll work out. If you had only one wife, I would’ve advised having twins. Hmm. Even with one child each, you’ll have siblings, which is an advantage for a harem.”

“The wives… seem to want a bit more. So, I’m taking on more requests. As you said, there will be twice as many mouths to feed.”

Rowillen said he needed to earn as much as possible during the pregnancy, so he’d stay by his wives’ sides once the children were born.

That’s why he had taken on a long-distance job all the way to the Elmest region, far from the capital.

“Hmm… If you keep appealing like that, I might have to add a little extra to your payment. I don’t want to be a bad person.”

“Ahaha. Was I too transparent? Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, send me a portrait of the baby later. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the birth of a half-elf and a half-beastkin.”

“Yes, I’ll definitely send it.”

Lorei mentally calculated. The reagents needed to extend the duration of body swapping were mountainous, but… with a child on the way, how could she skimp on money?

Children need parents. If opening her purse a bit more could gift peace to a family, it wasn’t a bad deal.

Amidst the warm atmosphere, Rowillen lowered his voice and cautiously asked.

“By the way, Lorei, I’ve heard some not-so-good rumors about the Purple Tower here in Elmest recently. Is something going on?”

“Ah, that… There’s a rumor about a tower wizard who’s a bit off his rocker, right?”

“Yes. It seems to be the person who called me a ‘tear point guy’ at first sight. There’s talk that he even laid hands on a young girl, so if I’ve asked something out of line…”

“No need to worry. Those rumors, they’re fake. Our junior may be a screw loose, but he knows his boundaries. Probably the rumors got twisted after seeing him getting cozy with the tower master…”

Thud!

A purse fell onto the table.

Startled by the sudden noise, Lorei and Rowillen’s eyes went wide as they turned their heads. There stood a girl with a sullen expression, arms crossed, looking quite irate.

The girl declared with conviction.

“No.”

“?”

“The rumors are fact. At least the part about him touching a young girl is true. Because it happened to me!”

“…Who are you? You are.”

While Lorei was stunned by the direct slander against their junior, the seasoned adventurer Rowillen casually opened the purse the girl had thrown to check the amount.

It was enough to be a client.

The girl, Aksin-chan, puffed out her chest and said proudly.

“The mad wizard’s b*stard.”

“What.”

“And your client. I’ll give you all this money, so I’d like you to escort me to the academy. You claim to be competent adventurers, don’t you?”

“…No, a b*stard? With the tower master? That’s not it. It didn’t go that far. Then who exactly…”

Aksin-chan had found her guides.

From noble mtl dot come