Chapter 173

Eye of the Typhoon (3)

I offered Kkobong a bite of ambergris, but unfortunately, the experiment fell through.

Kkobong had eaten everything I’d given it until now without suspicion, yet it adamantly refused the ambergris. It must have sensed something unusual.

Maybe it possessed that peculiar intuition animals were known for.

’Then again, it might smell nice, but the texture is pretty unpleasant.’

It wasn’t merely soft. It was sticky too.

I considered pushing a little harder, but even Fastsloth intervened as if telling me to stop, so I decided not to force the issue any further.

’For now, I’ll put the ambergris in my bag.’

I stored the ambergris inside my subspace backpack.

If I left it lying around in the open, it might attract ants and all sorts of other insects.

I had insect repellent, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility that ants might break through it.

The ambergris didn’t weigh much, making it easy to store. However, there was one drawback.

Float—

At some point, the subspace backpack had begun floating into the air.

It startled me at first, but I could make a reasonable guess as to the cause.

The fish that had eaten the ambergris had flown through the sky like a bugged game character.

It wasn’t particularly strange for the subspace backpack containing the ambergris to float as well.

’At least it’s easy to store because it’s a subspace backpack.’

I securely tied down the floating backpack with a rope.

The ambergris aside, losing the subspace backpack would be an enormous blow.

Wonmo occasionally grew curious and pawed at it, but I had anticipated even that and tied it down tightly enough that it wouldn’t budge.

’Anyway, a flying Mage Tower...’

After playing with the ambergris for a while, I checked the topic causing an uproar in the gallery.

Apparently, the Mage Tower—the symbol of the Iris Kingdom—had risen into the sky only an hour or two ago.

Since a structure floating into the sky was an unprecedented event, the gallery was flooded with posts about it.

Title: Not a lie. This is real

(Photo of the Mage Tower floating in the sky)

(Video of the Mage Tower high in the sky and citizens murmuring beneath it)

(Video of an order of knights arriving and forcing people back)

(Video of the evacuated mages and scholars)

I live in the capital of the Iris Kingdom.

There was an earthquake at first, so I went to see what was happening. Then the Mage Tower gradually started rising.

I initially thought it looked fascinating, but the debris falling while it ascended made it extremely dangerous.

It’s fortunate there weren’t any other buildings around the tower. If there had been, a huge number of people probably would’ve been killed or injured.

An order of knights has arrived and brought the situation under control, but everyone is looking at that thing anxiously.

└ Whoa; What the hell is that? That isn’t the Forest of Four Seasons, is it?

└ No. That’s the capital of the Iris Kingdom, and that thing is the Mage Tower.

└ Why is something you’d expect to happen in the Forest of Four Seasons happening there?

└ The world really is ending. Protests erupt in El Dorado, and then the Mage Tower starts floating in the Iris Kingdom. Hahaha.

└ Maybe an invisible giant pulled it out of the ground like a radish?

└ I applaud your imagination.

└ Excuse me, but how old are you?

└ Why are you asking my age?

└ Because that sounds like something my son would imagine. For reference, he’s five.

└ I’m five too. Thirty-five. Haha.

└ Fucking hell. Hahahaha. The first digit is completely different! Hahahaha.

└ This is ridiculous. Hahahaha.

└ Goo-goo, ga-ga.

Even after reading the trending post, I could... make no sense of what had happened.

There weren’t any structures floating around in Earth’s skies either.

It was such an incredible situation that it was difficult to believe without witnessing it firsthand.

’At least people can’t create composites or edited footage in this world.’

On Earth, AI could create things ranging from the bizarre to the awe-inspiring, but this world was different.

What people saw and heard with their own eyes and ears was all there was. If editing were possible, the gallery’s credibility would have hit rock bottom.

Even so, I found it difficult to believe that the Mage Tower was truly floating.

’It has nothing to do with me anyway.’

It felt like news from another country.

To put it in Earth terms, it was like hearing that an earthquake had struck Japan.

Most countries other than the Iris Kingdom probably felt the same way.

Still, I hoped the situation would be resolved without anyone getting hurt.

’But could ambergris make a building like that float?’

The thought suddenly occurred to me.

After all, the ambergris had made my subspace backpack float.

Considering the difference in size, the idea sounded completely absurd. Still, I needed to focus on the fact that it had successfully lifted something.

’Nah. If that were the case, All-Father would’ve messaged me.’

If the ambergris had caused that incident, All-Father would have contacted me first.

But I hadn’t heard a word from him.

He was probably busy researching the ambergris.

The Mage Tower could handle its own problems. I only needed to focus on my own work.

’It’s getting dark. I should start cleaning up.’

I intended to resume my activities tomorrow, so I began putting everything away.

My plan was to train in the morning and resume exploring in the afternoon.

As for where I would explore, I intended to investigate the area near the region I had already visited.

Previously, I had traveled there in a straight line. This time, my goal was to thoroughly examine every corner of the surrounding area.

There might have been places I’d unknowingly passed by, so one could say I was trying to uncover more of the map.

Judging by how consistently the father raccoon brought me medicinal herbs, there had to be an area where they grew in abundance.

I could search for it myself, or perhaps look for more mysterious substances like the ambergris.

I could now control cold energy, and the weather had grown warmer, so I needed to move while I had the opportunity.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of going anywhere near the gorillas’ territory.

At most, I would simply observe what the kangaroo mob was doing.

’Should I scout them out?’

Come to think of it, the kangaroos’ territory wasn’t far from here.

In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if they invaded my territory at any time.

Any beast that entered my fence without my permission was an enemy.

If they were human, we might resolve matters through conversation, but they were animals.

I decided to prepare thoroughly and visit them tomorrow, then began formulating a plan.

’I’ve finished everything I needed to do, so now...’

Time to browse the gallery.

Nothing beat browsing the gallery when I had time to spare.

When I logged in, posts concerning the flying Mage Tower poured in one after another.

There were occasional posts about the protests in El Dorado, but the Mage Tower still dominated the discussion.

I also preferred fascinating topics like the flying Mage Tower over tiresome political posts.

[Come to think of it, isn’t the imperial succession ceremony happening soon?]

[Who Is Crown Prince Arnold, the Next Emperor of the Messiah Empire?]

There were posts about subjects other than the flying Mage Tower as well. This one concerned the Crown Prince of the Messiah Empire.

In fact, it had been one of the gallery’s recurring topics for the past several days.

It had been overshadowed by El Dorado, but I had seen the gallery discussing it extensively.

At the time, I had been occupied with Kkobong’s situation and numerous other matters, so I hadn’t paid much attention.

’Would it be like the president changing in a global superpower on Earth?’

The Messiah Empire was a great power. It wasn’t called an "empire" for nothing.

It still had little to do with me, but the subject came up so frequently that I opened the post out of idle curiosity.

Title: Who Is Crown Prince Arnold, the Next Emperor of the Messiah Empire?

(A lengthy explanation about how Emperor Robert had diligently managed the Empire’s internal affairs)

...Therefore, Crown Prince Arnold intends to focus on foreign relations going forward.

The elves have been behaving suspiciously lately, and to make matters worse, protests have erupted in El Dorado.

From Robert’s perspective, I think he is handing over the throne at a very appropriate time. But the Empire’s future direction will depend on how well Arnold conducts himself.

└ What’s Crown Prince Arnold like? Is he a good-for-nothing?

└ Definitely not. He’s reasonably ordinary, I guess?

└ InvincibleArnoldIsTheBest: One thing is certain: he is handsome and competent.

└ Are you Arnold?

└ That’s obviously Arnold himself. Hahaha. Nobody else would leave a comment like that.

└ But that’s actually true... He really is handsome.

└ I’m a noble, and every time the Crown Prince appears, all the young noblewomen swarm around him. It gives me a serious reality check. Hahaha.

└ Setting his looks aside, is he actually competent? Emperor Robert governed domestic affairs well, but we know nothing about this guy.

└ That’s exactly why he needs to prove himself. People dismiss Robert as being suited only for domestic affairs, but he’s honestly an extremely capable man.

└ Do you know what Robert’s greatest achievement was? Sponsoring Ash the Swordmaster. Haha.

└ Absolutely. Hahaha. He handed the previously unknown Ash the title of countess and gave her the political foundation she needed. Hahaha.

└ What’s Ash doing these days? Didn’t she suddenly become a recluse and vanish from public view?

└ I heard a rumor that she found a man and got married.

└ That’s nonsense. I saw her shopping with her mother yesterday.

└ How did you manage to see that?

└ Plenty of people besides me probably saw them. Ash’s mother drags her outside pretty often.

└ Ah, hahaha. I’ve seen that too. Think she’ll attend the succession ceremony?

└ She probably will. The emperor is changing, after all.

└ Wild Grylls: Do people from other countries attend the succession ceremony?

└ ??? What kind of nonsense is this guy spouting now?

└ Why would people from other countries come? Are they the Empire’s lackeys?

└ Grylls, unless they’re from a vassal state, people from other countries don’t attend.

└ Showing up would practically amount to declaring yourself the Emperor’s vassal. Hahaha.

└ Unless they’re attending in a personal capacity, foreign nobles almost never go.

Come to think of it, when a new president was elected, other countries merely sent messages of congratulations. Their leaders didn’t attend in person.

’Did the Ming dynasty and Joseon... do that? I’m not sure.’

Either way, it had little to do with me.

It might have been different if my name was being discussed among the nobility.

People outside the forest could handle outside affairs themselves.

’They said nobles are reluctant to mention the gallery because it’s connected to their private lives, right?’

Given the nature of the community, even ordinary people were reluctant to mention it.

No one wanted to experience the nightmare of someone suddenly asking, "Wait... you look at that kind of stuff?"

People wanted to keep their embarrassing private lives buried in the gallery.

"Kyu. Kyu."

While I browsed the gallery, Wonmo tapped me with its front paws.

It resembled a cat kneading someone with its paws, making me smile involuntarily.

"Wonmo, what is it? Do you want to play again?"

"Kyu!"

Apparently, it had become addicted to the experience of floating through the air.

However, I had already used up all the incense. If I wanted more, I would have to message Praise the Sun.

I felt a little awkward asking him for another favor, so I decided to use a different method.

"Heave-ho. This should work, right?"

"Kyuuu!"

I decided to use the floating subspace backpack.

When I tied Wonmo to it, it floated around as though attached to a helium balloon.

Wonmo seemed delighted to fly freely and traveled all around the cave.

Thud!

"Kyuuuuu!"

"Ghurk?!"

There was a minor accident along the way, but Wonmo was cute, so I let it slide.

While Grylls spent his days in peace, the Messiah Empire was busily preparing for the upcoming succession ceremony.

The succession of the imperial throne heralded the dawn of a new era, and the Empire’s citizens were each making their own preparations to see the face of their next emperor.

The commoners repaired roads and prepared flowers for the crowds that would gather.

The nobles acquired all manner of fashionable items for the party that would follow the succession ceremony.

The nobles were particularly busy because the occasion could herald the rise of a new center of power.

Naturally, they needed to make an impression somehow if they wanted an easier time in the future.

"Mom! Do you know where my uniform is?"

"Why are you asking me? You must have hung it somewhere."

"You took it away to wash it."

And Swordmaster Ash was no exception.

Although she had been born a commoner, the current emperor, Robert, had recognized her talent and sponsored her.

She might currently be living in seclusion, but merely showing her face at the succession ceremony would be of great help.

It would demonstrate that she still stood with Robert and intended to serve as a steadfast supporter of Arnold, the next emperor.

This was exactly the sort of occasion for which she had honed her political skills ever since her days as a commoner.

"Mom, I can’t find it."

"And what will you do if I find it?"

"Tell you I love you?"

"Good grief. You certainly know what to say. Here."

Ash’s eyes widened.

The uniform she had been unable to find despite searching until moments ago was now in her mother’s hands.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, she gazed at the perfectly pressed uniform and became lost in thought.

’It’s been a long time since I wore this.’

She still vividly remembered receiving the uniform for the first time.

She had been granted the title of countess and admitted into the Imperial Guard at the same time.

Back then, countless factions had tried to keep her in check, but Robert had dealt with all of them.

Afterward, the realization that she had passed thirty without marrying had given her such an intense existential crisis that she withdrew from public life.

Ash examined the uniform from different angles before slowly putting it on.

Although it had been a long time since she last wore it, it wasn’t tight anywhere.

Her constitution made her stronger merely by breathing, so she retained a perfect physique without needing to exercise.

’Hmm. Perfect.’

Ash studied her reflection in the mirror.

The unemployed homebody had vanished without a trace, replaced by a dignified and gallant knight.

The white trousers accentuated her sturdy thighs, while the predominantly white jacket gave her a pristine appearance.

She looked so magnificent that she almost wanted to photograph herself and upload it to the gallery.

She possessed elegance and beauty in equal measure.

’Well, most people who wear this uniform are in excellent shape.’

There was originally an overcoat symbolizing her position as commander, but she was already retired.

She carefully inspected herself for the slightest imperfection.

After examining herself for quite some time, only one thought remained.

’Ah. I don’t want to go.’

It was the desire of a true homebody.

She didn’t want to go, yet she had no choice—a truly ironic situation.

She had no idea how much trouble she would endure once she arrived.

Some people would undoubtedly bring up the possibility of her returning to active service.

She decided that she would deal with everything as quickly as possible and come straight home.

"If you walked around in that uniform, men would line up for you... No, you don’t even need that. Just bring home one reasonably decent man..."

"Take this opportunity to find yourself a suitable husband. Otherwise, don’t even think about coming home."

"Come on, Mom."

No matter what anyone else thought, to her mother, Ash was simply an unemployed daughter.

While Ash bickered with her mother—

"Selena, do you truly have to attend? Your health still..."

"I’m fine. This is also an opportunity to show everyone that I’ve recovered."

"This father of yours can explain the situation perfectly well. Your mother agrees with me, doesn’t she?"

"No. Besides, I need to introduce Mary to everyone, don’t I? I’m going, no matter what."

Selena, the Starlight Princess, was also throwing herself into preparations for the succession ceremony.

Unlike the Forest of Four Seasons, which remained as tranquil as the eye of a typhoon, the world beyond it was changing at a breathtaking pace.