I found myself unwittingly worrying about the future of the Magic Tower.
Perhaps that sentiment showed on my face, for Xenon, who was watching me, faltered.
He moved as if to approach me, but Mori stepped forward and addressed the Tower Master, forcing him to halt.
"Hoho, still as stubborn as ever. What are we to do with you barging in like this?"
"Why is this sly fox here?"
The nobles, Lilia among them, were once again thrown into shock by the familiar demeanor between the two.
"Because the person to receive the Tower's guarantee is the finest holy knight in our Temple."
"Hah, indeed."
"By the way, I see you still haven't broken the habit of warping when there's a perfectly good door. I hope Her Majesty wasn't startled because of it."
"If you summoned a mage from the Magic Tower and didn't anticipate they'd arrive by warp, that's a problem with your own head."
Until now, every place had been somewhere I wished to leave, but for the first time in my life, I had found a place I wanted to visit.
'That Tower Master seems like someone I could get along with.'
Although he had raised his disciple Xenon to be rather timid, the master, the Tower Master himself, appeared to possess a fiery and unrestrained temperament. And that unceremonious attitude towards the Emperor to boot!
I was admiring him when a hushed whisper reached my ear from beside me.
"B-but, isn't the relationship between the Magic Tower and the Temple supposed to be bad?"
Lilia clung to her mother's arm and asked urgently. Her mother nodded quietly in response to Lilia.
Yet, the question that had surfaced on her mother's face did not disappear.
"But why are they like that...?"
Lilia couldn't finish her sentence. And it wasn't just Lilia.
"They're... not as bad as the rumors say, are they?"
"Indeed."
I heard the nobles whispering. Glancing at them, I shifted my gaze to the Emperor. His face was noticeably stiff.
This made Heinri's placid expression beside him stand out all the more.
Heinri, who had been intently watching the exchange between the Tower Master and the high-ranking priest, inclined his head close to the Emperor and whispered something.
The Emperor's hand, resting on the armrest, seemed to clench, and then he forced his expression to relax.
"This is a gathering of goodwill, so let bygones be bygones. I was unaware my guest was the successor to the Magic Tower. Had you revealed your status, I would have accorded you the proper treatment."
At the Emperor's words, the Tower Master narrowed his eyes.
"Even if he were not the successor, no one may treat a mage of the Tower lightly."
"What insolence before His Majesty!"
"It seems the Tower's long silence has led the world to ignorance."
The Tower Master snorted derisively. The Emperor's guard knight trembled with rage, his face looking as if he wished to draw his sword that very instant.
"Had it not been for my disciple's request, I would not have come to such a place!"
The Tower Master, clicking his tongue with a displeased look, suddenly turned to look at Xenon. Xenon, who had been standing awkwardly, cleared his throat and subtly avoided his master's gaze.
Suddenly, I recalled the magical safety lecture Xenon had once given me, complete with a lengthy speech.
Back then, surprised by how unexpectedly sharp Xenon seemed, I had asked if he had learned it the hard way.
'And Xenon didn't give a definite answer.'
That was probably it. The image of the Tower Master swinging that staff came to mind all too easily.
"Did you accept the invitation in my stead just to receive this kind of treatment?"
The Tower Master's roar was now directed at Xenon. Xenon merely shrugged his shoulders at his master.
"Well. You know very well why I accepted the invitation."
"You rascal, you!"
The Tower Master, about to roar something else, struggled to catch his breath. Then, as if suddenly noticing, he turned his head to follow the direction Nessi and Gamon were looking.
Hmm, towards me.
[It's been a while since I've seen you.]
[Ah, the human who travels with the little one.]
[Thanks to you, the fragile male has matured a bit.]
[He still looks like a child to me, has he already reached courting age?]
I was likely the only one present who could understand what Nessi and Gamon were saying.
I hadn't realized how fortunate that would be.
"The Resurrected One."
"Indeed, the Resurrected One."
Following the Tower Master, Mori also looked at me with a meaningful gaze. I received their stares impassively, but the Tower Master abruptly turned his head away, dismissing me.
"Let's get on with the Tower's guarantee."
Was it my imagination? It seemed the Tower Master regarded me with some disfavor...
'It must be my imagination.'
When has he ever seen me before?
* * *
The Tower's guarantee itself did not require many preparations.
All that was needed was the mana stone to be used for the guarantee, the subject of the guarantee, and the mage to attest to it.
While it was an act of high risk, as it pledged the mage's own magical power as collateral, its reliability was equally absolute.
And in a situation where the Tower Master himself stepped forward, what more need be said?
"H-however, Tower Master!"
The mage brought by the Tower Master stamped his feet, unable to hide his worry.
But the Tower Master showed no particular sign of tension.
"Do you think my disciple would ask me to give a false guarantee?"
"Of course I don't think Sir Xenon would do such a thing. But how can we trust the Temple!"
And amidst this, I couldn't hide my surprise at the unfamiliar honorific 'Sir Xenon'. Sir Xenon. Sir.
"My apologies, but Sir Samuel's faith is beyond doubt, and the oath he swore upon his god is absolutely trustworthy. Therefore, there should be no issue for you, Tower Master."
At Mori's words, the mage looked at Samuel with a dubious expression. His attitude softened somewhat upon hearing that Samuel had sworn upon his god.
"Raise your hand."
At this, Samuel obediently placed his hand over the mana stone. The Tower Master's wrinkled hand covered it.
It was a truly rare sight. The Tower Master channeling his power to verify the truth of a priest's words, who had sworn an oath to his god.
I stared at the increasingly radiant mana stone, then shifted my gaze to Mori.
He was dealing with everyone with a consistently gentle expression.
But a careful observer would notice. There was not a trace of mirth in Mori's eyes.
'Well, of course he'd be displeased.'
The Temple had already officially announced that all these events were due to Monsters. Yet the Emperor not only refused to believe it but insisted on obtaining the Tower's guarantee as well...
That must have seemed like a declaration of disbelief in the god.
Given the differing stances of the Tower and the Temple, Mori likely wouldn't express his displeasure as openly as the Tower Master. He was merely harboring his resentment.
And the one who would probably apologize for that resentment was none other than Heinri.
'And if he subtly hints at the Emperor's unstable mental state on top of that...'
Things would become much smoother. Whatever Heinri was aiming for.
"I confirm it. I pledge my power to guarantee that this holy knight's words are true."
The brilliantly shining mana stone gradually lost its light. Confirming the stone had retained its pristine color, the Tower Master removed his hand and declared curtly.
"Now then, I shall take my disciple and leave this unpleasant place..."
"Since you're here, could you perhaps provide one more guarantee?"
Interrupting the Tower Master, Mori suddenly raised his voice. At his abrupt request, the Tower Master sharply raised his eyebrows, and the Emperor also narrowed his eyes.
Seeing Samuel's puzzled expression, it seemed this hadn't been discussed separately.
Receiving numerous gazes at once, Mori slowly turned to look at the Emperor.
"I heard the divine blessing, proven by oracle, is being tainted by vile rumors."
With a gently smiling face, Mori stared at the Emperor.
"Since Your Majesty seems to trust the Tower's guarantee, why not have the divinity guaranteed as well?"
At this, the Tower Master made a bewildered expression.
"What is this sly fox saying?"
"The Temple wholly upholds the divine will that bestowed the Resurrected One. However, we also understand that not all in the world share the same faith. But as a suitable opportunity has presented itself, I propose it."
The Emperor glared at Mori with fiercely widened eyes. But Mori, without the slightest falter in his smiling countenance, turned back to the Tower Master.
"Well, would it be possible for the Tower?"
"...I'm sorry, but the Tower's guarantee cannot be performed consecutively."
The answer came from the mage beside the Tower Master. He cautiously gauged the mood before continuing his explanation.
"Verification that pledges one's power is extremely dangerous and difficult. It is akin to performing high-level magic and requires sufficient time between attempts."
"Is that so."
Hearing the mage's words, Mori let out a low sigh. He deliberately clicked his tongue with a regretful expression.
"It was a good opportunity to confirm the divine blessing. A pity, Your Majesty."
I was certain Mori had known from the start that the Tower's guarantee couldn't be performed consecutively.
Staring into Mori's eyes, which remained utterly unchanged and preternaturally calm, I was convinced. That priest knew it was impossible.
He merely intended to point out the Emperor's disbelief and metaphorically rebuke him before everyone.
'At the very least, the Emperor has completely fallen out with the Temple.'
And naturally, he would also fall out with the Crown Prince he had chosen.
Heinri would have to work quite hard to placate them, but for now, it was a situation with no regrets for me.
Mori, shaking his head pointedly at the silent Emperor as if to say 'see?', turned away as if there was nothing to be done.
That was the moment.
"I'll do it."
Xenon, who had been standing there with a blank face, stepped forward decisively to the mana stone.
At this, the Tower Master and the mage grabbed Xenon in alarm. Even Mori couldn't hide his bewilderment this time.
"I don't understand why people are still debating about Lady Anelli, but I'd like this to be over now."
"You madman! Do you think the Tower's guarantee is a game?"
"I know it's not a game."
Xenon retorted to his master in an irritated voice and looked at me.
"I just need to pledge my power and prove that Lady Anelli is a blessed person, right?"