“Seeing it through. You…” Dorothea hesitated to speak.

She, too, rationally understood.

Whether Gale and the White Knight were defeated, or the Tower of Protection forces suffered irreversible heavy losses, either way, it shouldn’t happen if they aimed for complete victory. Also, that if they were to proceed with sending reinforcements and conquering the tower simultaneously, dividing personnel was the best option.

But that was an act that placed a tremendous burden on those left behind.

The gap left by the departure of the Tin Knight, who could be considered their strongest allied force, and Dorothea who would supply him with mana, would truly be enormous.

“It’s okay, Miss Witch. I can do it,” as if seeing through Dorothea’s hesitation, Adelaide asserted.

Not “I’ll try,” not “I’ll do my best,” but “I can do it.”

Dorothea seemed to have various words rising to her throat, but whether she liked it or not, the witch was wise.

Instead of wasting time with unnecessary arguments, she spoke briefly, “Don’t die. I won’t take care of your soul.”

At that blunt irony, Adelaide smiled brightly instead of answering.

Cap’n Bill, who was sneering that it was good the cheap melodrama wasn’t long, grumbled after receiving a body blow from Trot, and Sophia silently stood behind Adelaide.

Just before the regrouped party was about to part ways.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that since they’ve endured well so far, they should sometimes go all out!]

Leaving only those words, the Tin Knight embraced Dorothea and jumped out through the gap after smashing the tower wall.

It was truly a carefree departure, disappearing without even hearing a response.

Adelaide briefly looked at the place he had left, then sprinted towards the next staircase.

***

Those who protected a country’s king were often people who combined both skill and loyalty.

If they only had skill or loyalty, those with loyalty ended up guarding the king’s body.

No matter how skilled, those without loyalty might turn their swords around at any time, but even if they lacked skill, those with loyalty could at least be used as meat shields.

Control, which was both a tower and a kingdom, was no different in this respect.

Lotbart Rognir, the tower head and king.

Those blocking the way to the top floor where he was, whether they liked it or not, were only those far from betrayal.

“Long live Aeolia! Glory to the blood of Rognir!”

One who heard about the glory of the ancient Aeolia Kingdom from ancestors and considers that glory as their own.

“Where do you think you’re entering with dirty feet, you lowly ones!?”

As descendants of Aeolia nobility, they believed they could regain their old power if the royal family reclaimed its true place.

“Die! Die! You damn bastards!!”

As the upper echelons of the tower, those struggling to protect the power and authority they’ve wielded so far.

“Block them somehow! Not a single one should reach the Tower Head—no, Father!!”

Or even those trying to protect Lotbart purely as blood relatives.

All that resistance, all that interference, all that hostility, Adelaide faced head-on.

She avoided the rain of magic arrows with mobility, blew away the spread poison mist with sword wind, and cut down anything blocking her path, be it spirits, golems, or people, without discrimination.

“…Amazing.”

Watching this sight, Trot involuntarily let out words of admiration.

She knew it wasn’t the time to leisurely comment while in battle, but Adelaide’s performance was so terrifying that she couldn’t help but be in awe even knowing that.

Even Trot, who could easily handle herself as at least a silver rank adventurer, 3rd rank mage, or full-fledged knight, could only avoid attacks in the current situation.

Cap’n Bill and the three executives—Eel Head, Viking Hat, and Octopus Head—were also performing quite well, but that was possible because they could infinitely revive without being recalled to the pirate ship no matter how badly injured, as long as Trot was nearby, thanks to Dorothea and Gale twisting the contract line in cooperation.

But Adelaide was showing performance no less than—no, even surpassing all of them combined with a living body.

No, beyond that.

Hasn’t her movement become faster than at first?

The act of combat itself consumed an enormous amount of stamina.

Moreover, in an environment where attacks came from all directions and each one directly led to a life-threatening crisis, this was even more so.

It was natural to get tired as time passed, but Adelaide showed no signs of that at all.

On the contrary, she showed signs of becoming more skilled in response and her reactions heightening as she fought.

While crisis and real combat made people grow, this seemed to go beyond that to an unbelievable degree.

Breaking through the 6th floor took more than 3 times longer than before the Tin Knight and Dorothea left, and Sophia had to heal wounds with holy magic several times.

Breaking through the 7th floor took about twice as long, and there were several dangerous scenes where the immortal pirates had to block attacks with their bare bodies.

When breaking through the 8th floor, she rampaged while strangely offsetting the tempo of her movements as if reading the pattern of mages launching attacks. It took 1.5 times as long.

9th floor.

A golem made entirely of metal, about 5m tall, stretched out its hand in front, and beyond a barrier that blocked enemy attacks while letting allied attacks pass through, several 4th rank mages poured attack magic all at once.

After violet lightning flashed from Adelaide’s head, the golem was cut into five pieces and thrown at the mages.

The mages met their deaths, crushed along with the barrier.

Yet those who survived still tried to stop the group somehow, but eventually all fell silent.

It was a quick breakthrough, almost no different from when the Tin Knight was present.

“…Phew.”

With the final floor remaining, Adelaide took a deep breath.

Sophia lightly patted Adelaide’s shoulder.

The holy power leaking from Sophia’s body soothed Adelaide’s fatigue and wounds.

“I think I’ll just be a hindrance from here on.”

Saying so, Sophia sat down on the floor as if collapsing.

Perhaps due to continuously using holy power, a burning smell vibrated from her entire body, and even the dazzlingly white holy power no longer gushed out as if it had hit rock bottom.

“Our pirate crew be stoppin’ here too. Without this arrogant newbie, if we move on our own, we’ll get recalled n’ that’s it. Plus we need to block those sneakin’ up from below.”

Where Cap’n Bill pointed with his chin was Trot, who had lost consciousness after being hit on the head during battle.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be life-threatening, but even if she hadn’t lost consciousness, it was too much to take her further as she had already reached her limits both physically and magically.

Adelaide briefly bowed her head to greet them.

“Thank you for helping me this far. I couldn’t have come up alone.”

“Ha! The monster kid is showing uncharacteristic modesty. We be movin’ accordin’ to the contract, anyway. If ya have time for sentimental words, hurry up and finish things.”

Bill waved his hand as if truly annoyed, making a gesture as if shooing away insects, and Sophia smiled silently.

Adelaide turned her back and began climbing the stairs.

In contrast to all sorts of traps and attacks that had come flying every time she climbed stairs until now, the last staircase was extremely quiet.

Perhaps it was their own aesthetics.

The idea that while it was understandable to thoroughly guard outside the castle, they couldn’t cover the space where the king stayed with traps and such.

At the end of the stairs, a maid wearing clothes that combined antique charm and practicality was waiting.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

Though she was trying hard to maintain a calm expression and attitude, the maid’s body and voice were trembling finely as if afraid of Adelaide.

Her hair color was silver, and her age looked even younger than Adelaide.

Indeed, such a trick, Adelaide thought with a somewhat carefree impression.

While seeming to care about dignity as a monarch, he was a thorough pragmatist that didn’t hesitate to do dirty work himself or even use his own bloodline if necessary.

Truly, it couldn’t help but be a sight that revealed the character of the person called the gray old man as it was.

The maid glanced at Adelaide’s expression and began to recite what was probably exactly what she had been ordered to say.

“I didn’t know. It’s right that Rognir’s bloodline rises to high positions in the tower, but you’re not supposed to until you reach a certain age, so…”

“Would you open the door, please?”

Calmly.

Without showing particular anger or hatred, Adelaide cut off the young maid’s words.

The maid flinched and trembled greatly, then silently bowed her head and opened the door.

As Adelaide passed by, the maid spoke in a voice so small that only Adelaide could barely hear it, “…I’m sorry.”

Was it a sincere repentance for the sins committed by her family?

Or was it just an apology to gain even a little sympathy and favor from the opponent?

If even this was part of the old man’s plan, well, that would be quite something in its own way.

Adelaide didn’t answer and just passed through the door.

Whether it was originally such a space or a specially prepared stage for the current situation, the 10th floor had a structure with almost no furniture or decorations despite its large space.

But that didn’t mean it looked desolate or empty.

Rather, because unnecessary things were excluded, something existing at its center stood out clearly.

It was a throne integrated with a huge crystal pillar.

Tremendous mana was constantly gushing out from the crystal, and the splendid and majestic throne itself exuded a heaviness that seemed to press down on those facing it.

Someone was sitting on such a throne.

He was the tower head ruling the Tower of Control.

He was the king of this small but great nation.

He was the Witch of the North’s top student and the betrayer who stabbed his teacher’s back.

He was one of Friedel’s enemies.

The gray old man, Lotbart Rognir, gazed at Adelaide.

“—Impressive.”

***

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