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After unlocking the door with a special key, we entered the interior of the tower. The spacious atrium-like space greeted us, with stairs running parallel to the walls.

Known as ‹The Tower of Sinner›, this tower was enchanted with a powerful and unrelenting ‘Erase’ magical spell, preventing even players from using their skills to escape. Princess Oliana proudly boasted about the impenetrability of the walls, stating that not even the finest Imperial Knights or several dozen Commander-level Knights could leave more than a scratch on it. Moreover, any damage inflicted on the wall would miraculously repair itself over time.

Intrigued by this information, I pointed at the wall and asked a question.

“May I test my abilities against it?”

“Of course, feel free to use any method you prefer,” Princess Oliana responded.

With permission granted, I stepped forward, retrieved ‘Gilles de Rais’ from my inventory, and positioned it facing the wall. Adopting a stance, I propelled myself towards the wall with maximum speed, ready to unleash my skill.

My chosen technique was the most formidable in my arsenal, depleting all of my MP to deliver an incredibly powerful blow. It was known as the Holy Sword Technique ‹Swan Song of the Chirping Wind›.

“Haaaaaaaah!”

As I shouted, the tip of my sword emitted a dazzling light, effortlessly piercing through the sturdy tower wall. But I didn’t stop there. The attack unleashed a shockwave that spread from the point of impact, causing cracks to radiate outwards. While the target was an inanimate wall, had it been a living being, this attack would have instantly disintegrated their bodily fluids and cells, resulting in immediate death.

Bursting through the pulverized wall, I emerged from the cloud of rubble and dust, leaving behind a trail of destruction within the tower. My unstoppable charge came to a halt only when I created a massive crater on the opposite wall from the inside.

“Seems like the ‘Erase’ effect is much stronger on the interior,” I remarked, assessing the aftermath of my attack.

A resounding thud reverberated through the tower, causing dust to cascade from the ceiling, but to my surprise, the structure remained intact. My suspicions were confirmed—this tower was made of the same material as my castle, a former peace zone in the game.

While it was originally indestructible, the tower had deteriorated to the point where I could smash through it with focused intent. However, its self-repair feature ensured that it would eventually return to its original state if left undisturbed.

On a side note, the members of the round table often showcased their strength during parties and events, sometimes causing unintentional damage to our castle. Well, our castle is so stupidly big that these holes often went unnoticed.

In essence, this place wasn’t as secure as Princess Oliana had believed. Turning towards the bewildered group, I shared my assessment.

“It’s clear that this place can’t withstand an attack from the outside. Locking it down won’t deter players with max-level combat jobs. I highly doubt it could hold him back. Once we’re finished here, I’ll take Kagerou into my custody.”

Princess Oliana, finally regaining her composure, reluctantly nodded while gazing at the wall now adorned with a large, gaping hole, her expression fraught with complexity.

◆◇◆◇

After discussing the mutual trade treaty using teleportation magic equipment and the mutual defense treaty during emergencies, I couldn’t help but interject.

“Wait a minute, aren’t these two completely separate topics?”

In the moment of confusion, the discussions seemed to have gotten jumbled together, but they were clearly not within the same spectrum.

Princess Oliana let out a faint laugh when I pointed it out. She was quite sly.

“You’re right, they may be unrelated, but wouldn’t it be more meaningful from a safety perspective?”

“However, this peace treaty has nothing to do with trade. Let’s clarify the trade treaty first.”

After employing a few tricks and tactics to outmaneuver each other, we reached a compromise. We decided to first establish a separate mutual trade agreement and then base the mutual defense treaty on that agreement. Explicit points were mentioned in the agreement for future reference.

“Though I suppose it’s not my place to say anything. It’s a matter between the leader of a respected nation.”

I glanced at Revan, who awkwardly lowered his head, while Asmina became angry and shouted, “Please pull yourself together, big brother!”

“It’s just a hypothetical scenario, but let’s say the Graviol Empire concludes a mutual defense treaty with Cres. In that case, the decision of Imperial Crimson… I mean, Your Highness, would take precedence over others. I wonder what decision you would make?”

Oliana’s question aimed to gauge my opinion, although my answer was already clear.

“Well… It’s up to them to choose.”
“So you’re implicitly agreeing to it?”
“It’s all about self-responsibility. I won’t interfere with their decisions, but I won’t provide any assistance either.”
“That’s quite a heartless decision.”

Oliana pretended to be grief-stricken, but deep down, she probably would have made the same choice if she were in my position.

“I can’t always have them rely on me. It might hinder their progress. I want them to be self-sufficient.”

I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

On the other side, Asmina smacked Revan on the head.

◆◇◆◇

After sorting out the basic details, I listened to Princess Oliana’s account of the records from the mythical age, or the lost age as it was previously known. Time seemed to fly as I was engrossed in her story, but then I decided to check on the situation of Kagerou, who was confined in the aforementioned tower.

However, it wasn’t appropriate for a princess to visit such a place without guards. Princess Oliana asked her attendant, Rina, to call them.

Although it didn’t really matter, I couldn’t help but wonder how she would explain our presence to the guards.

As we chatted and sipped tea, Rina arrived with two guards trailing behind her.

“You’re late, Rina.”

I assumed it must have taken some time to explain the situation, and Oliana called out to Rina, who arrived just as we finished our tea. Rina silently bowed her head in apology.

We were then guided to the Tower of Sinner, located on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace. The guards took the lead, with Oliana and her maid, Rina, walking behind them within their security circle. We followed a few steps behind them, and this was how the earlier scene of testing the tower had unfolded.

I had tested the durability of the tower, and now it was time to see if it was still functional. I attempted to take out a necklace from my inventory inside the tower, but I failed.

Alright, so it seemed that the inventory, an individual’s subspace, couldn’t be accessed.

Continuing from there, I tried to retrieve the «Teeny-Weeny Hiyuki V.3», which I had obtained earlier, from the ribbon-like pouch fastened to my waist, and I succeeded. (By the way, Mikoto had discovered both the V.0 and V.1 dolls, whose whereabouts had been shrouded in mystery for a long time, in her search. However, she didn’t disclose where she found them and even disposed of all the discovered dolls.)

I see, the inventory was considered magic, but magic tools could still be used. That was quite a convenient loophole.

Did that mean Kagerou might have already escaped at this rate? He was a remarkable man who had even learned to hide a storage bag inside his stomach.

I shifted my gaze to Oliana, who observed my actions with deep interest, and then to the stairs above us.

“Let’s hurry. This place can’t contain someone like a player. It’s not safe if Kagerou is still here.”

“Understood.” She nodded, her expression stern, as she quickly urged the guards and began to climb the stairs.

Gasping for breath, we made our way towards our destination. When we opened the door to a prison room in the middle section of the tower, all that remained were the remnants of iron shackles, as if something had devoured them.

“―!!”

I had already anticipated a similar situation, but it was truly impressive how skillfully he had managed to escape despite everything.

“No way, how did he do it!?”

“I don’t know the exact method he used, but he has definitely escaped! However, it couldn’t have been that long ago, so if we hurry― No, it’s strange that we didn’t encounter him when we climbed the stairs earlier. Is there something beyond the stairs?”

“It’s a special isolation prison for aristocratic convicts. Currently, Baldum Indrenius Zarevskiy is on the top floor.”

Revan and Asmina’s expressions changed as soon as they heard his name.

“”President Baldum?””
“…Who is he?”

Princess Oliana explained as I tilted my head, vaguely recalling the name.

“He was the leader of the former Cres-Cent’luna Federation and also the Archduke of Yuzu Grand Duchy. He was captured when Cent’luna was defeated and has been under house arrest here… or rather, the Prime Minister forced him upon us while conducting ransom negotiations with various parties.”

“Not even a penny is worth paying for a b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ like him.”

Revan flatly denied his worth in his indignation.

“Indeed, after the Cres Freedom United Nation, the true successor of the federation, categorically refused to pay a single dime for him, negotiations have been ongoing with the Yuzu Grand Duchy, his former domain, but it seems they have yet to come to an agreement regarding the ransom…”

Well, the area occupied by the Empire in this conflict is apparently in a terrible state. So it seems that Cent’luna doesn’t have the funds to reclaim their former king either, as the saying goes, “you can’t squeeze blood from a stone.”

Moreover, instead of even considering paying a single dime for their enemy, Revan must have been cursing why the Empire hadn’t simply put an end to his life.

“There’s no time to waste now. Let’s hurry to the top floor.”

Everyone nodded, and we rushed once again up the spiral stairs.