What Family is (5)

Morgan and his son, Morgan II, have disappeared.

By now, Cohen City must be in chaos.

After all, the king and the prince have disappeared without a word.

However, Reed knew that this incident was not a kidnapping.

‘The research on possession magic is over.’

The magic that Morgan requested Freesia to research.

As a reward, Freesia turned Cohen City upside down with the ‘Desire Massacre’ and enjoyed her game.

‘I thought it would be completed soon… but it was completed too quickly.’

At least, he thought it would end around the time when the magic reaction gauntlet was completed, but Freesia’s abilities exceeded his imagination.

“What’s the matter?”

“…Nothing. You should take a break today.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no need to hurry now. Rest well today and tomorrow.”

There is no meaning now.

Kaitlyn nodded and went back to her room, and Reed sat down with a serious face and looked at the note.

‘It would be hard to stop Freesia, even if we are fully prepared…’

If a battle breaks out, it will end with Freesia’s overwhelming victory, and the Silence Tower will fall.

Reed knew well that anyone who opposed Freesia always met such a fate.

‘But I can’t back down.’

Running away after bluffing loudly was something Reed couldn’t accept.

The situation was urgent, so he moved first.

Reed walked towards Phoebe, who was waiting in front of his office.

“Tower Master, what’s wrong?”

Seeing his unusually serious face, Phoebe’s face also hardened.

“Can you check where the Master of the Black Sky Tower is now?”

“The Master of the Black Sky Tower? Understood!”

Phoebe manipulated the panel and contacted the Black Sky Tower.

A moment later, Phoebe, who received the response, nodded at Reed.

“Yes! The Master of the Black Sky Tower is currently in the tower.”

Her deal was only developing the possession magic for Morgan and Morgan II.

She didn’t participate in the ritual.

For a moment, he wondered if she intended to take power by seizing Morgan’s weakness, but what she wanted was, after all, only the magic.

“Phoebe.”

“Yes.”

“Tell the Black Sky Tower this. I will visit her to return that item today.”

“…Understood.”

Phoebe contacted the Black Sky Tower once more.

“Can I ask you one last thing?”

Then, Phoebe smiled and answered.

“There’s no such thing as ‘the last’ for the Tower Master. As long as I am alive and breathing, I will fulfill all your requests.”

The loyal servant of the Tower Master.

In the original game, she was dreadfully loyal to Reed.

Although she failed to protect the final boss, her loyalty was so high that she even performed self-destruction magic against the protagonist’s party.

Reed knew of Phoebe’s loyalty well, so he couldn’t help but hesitate about the request he was about to make.

Anxiety crept in, wondering if he might be using her loyalty to bring her to ruin.

“Join me, Phoebe. I need your help.”

***

The eternally floating black sky and barren earth.

Reed, who stepped out of the sky carriage and parked it nearby, felt fear as if his blood was being drained from his body.

Reed’s pupils shone golden.

He drew mana to resist the poison emanating from the land of death.

‘But this is merely a warning.’

It was courtesy of Black Sky, a warning to not approach rashly as this place was truly dangerous.

If that warning is violated, it moves on to the next stage.

Reed looked down at his feet.

‘Death Knights and skeleton soldiers are sleeping beneath this.’

A two-tiered defense to protect the Black Sky Tower.

In case of emergency, the undead soldiers sleeping underground are awoken to ambush intruders.

Exposed to the poison and gradually weakened, the intruders’ lives are cut short to create new undead soldiers, and everything is cleanly erased as if nothing happened when they are sent back underground.

Even if they come back alive, the probability that everyone will survive is 0%.

You should not approach the tower for any reason if you are hostile to the Black Sky.

‘But I must approach.’

Reed, who showed hostility to Freesia, set foot on that land today.

The land where the souls that could not die are asleep.

Reed looked up at the huge gate.

A metal door decorated with dragon skulls.

Reed glanced at Phoebe standing next to him.

As expected, she was looking up at the dragon’s bone with an unfazed expression.

Shortly after, the dragon’s head split vertically and the gate began to open.

“Welcome, Master of the Silence Tower.”

The one who greeted him was a man known as the secretary of Freesia, commonly called the Ma-gun.

The man was not particularly skilled as a magician, but he became Freesia’s closest aide solely through his ability to handle tasks.

And he was the most normal person who didn’t fit in this Black Sky Tower at all.

“This way.”

He led Reed and Phoebe to the reception room.

The inside was filled with fresh air, making the poison that hovered outside seem insignificant.

‘It really is magnificent.’

The Black Sky Tower was so luxurious and dignified in every detail that it made the Silence Tower look shabby.

The place where Reed and Phoebe went up was the top floor.

This is commonly where the tower masters’ offices are located.

“Do you not have a separate reception room?”

“I was instructed to bring you to the office. I understand it’s impolite, but please understand….”

Ma-gun bowed respectfully and apologized.

“And since only the Master of the Silence Tower is allowed, the deputy tower master must wait here with me.”

At his words, Reed and Phoebe exchanged glances.

Her face was full of anxiety.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The most tense one was Reed, but he walked towards the door pretending to be calm.

The door to the office opened, revealing the inside.

A room where darkness spread out like a watercolor painting.

A long red carpet stretched out on the obsidian floor.

A black throne that signified the king of this place.

Freesia was lying there.

With one armrest as a pillow and the other one as a footrest.

“Welcome, Reed. Is this your first time in the Black Sky?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Neither can I. But judging by the fact that I don’t remember, you must have been quite boring back then.”

Reed stepped on the red carpet and entered.

Freesia, who had been lying down, snapped her fingers.

Then the door slowly closed.

There’s no need to check it out.

It will never open unless Freesia orders it.

‘I could be trapped here.’

But Reed was prepared for that.