Returning to the ground-floor bedroom, Bairon silently shifted the desk, revealing a brick behind it which he carefully removed.
Within the space concealed by the brick was a small iron box.
Reaching in, Bairon retrieved and opened the box to reveal its contents: an unopened letter, two banknotes issued by the Provincial Alliance Southern Bank, with denominations of one thousand and eight hundred gold coins respectively, and a level-3 mana core, spherical in shape and intricately adorned with magical patterns.
Bairon took out the mana core and glanced at the envelope, but put it back soon after.
This little secret was also known to Evelyn.
The letter was left specifically for her.
A long time ago, Bairon had promised Evelyn that, even if he was away on a mission, he would return every three days.
If he failed to return by the fourth day, Evelyn was to retrieve the box and open the envelope, which would instruct her on where to go with the banknotes.
After returning the box and the desk to their original positions, Bairon picked up a mysterious magus ring, immersing his consciousness into it.
After a momentary dizziness, Bairon opened his eyes to once again find himself in a world enveloped by a grey mist, with the Dark Tower looming behind him.
Scanning the environment around the Dark Tower, the statue of Lady Charlotte·Isabella remained on the stairs, her hand supporting her chin as she gazed up at the sky.
The golden knight, still shackled by wild grass in the marshland, remained unchanged.
Bairon sighed in relief.
But his pupils constricted when he caught sight of a humanoid silhouette floating in the sky.
It had moved!
He was certain of this because he had used both himself and the golden knight in the swamp as reference points to mark its position.
Bairon took a deep breath, following the sole muddy path through the marsh to approach the Dark Tower.
"Good evening, my lady," Bairon greeted.
"Good evening, Bairon. The moment you stepped in, the sun was just about to set," Charlotte corrected.
She was attuned to the passage of time in the outside world.
Bairon silently made a mental note.
"I've brought a Level-3 mana core," Bairon declared, retrieving the core from his pocket but making no move to offer it to the Dark Tower.
Charlotte remained silent, as still as a statue, her gaze fixed on the sky.
"Talking to the clever ones always requires extra thinking," Bairon grumbled.
Then, turning his attention to the silhouette high above, he inquired, "Aren't you going to say anything, Mister Shadow?"
The humanoid silhouette hovered in the air, leaving Bairon feeling as if he were conversing with the void of the Dark Tower realm.
"I believe the future me might be of assistance to you, but that's contingent upon the present you cooperating with me," Bairon remarked, casually tossing the mana core in his hand, seemingly signaling to this world that he held the cards.
"You haven't even approached the threshold of a high-level magus. How can you possibly aid us in the future?" At last, the shadowy figure spoke.
A sly grin tugged at the corners of Bairon's mouth.
"Even if the odds of success approach infinitesimally close to zero, that's still a fraction better than absolute zero, isn't it?"
"And how did you discern that I'm male?" the shadowy figure questioned.
Bairon replied succinctly, "A guess."
"Why didn't you guess I was female?" The silhouette pressed.
"You're rather towering," Bairon commented, "Women generally don't prefer to make themselves appear so tall."
"What makes you think I became this way, and wasn't always so?" the shadowy figure probed.
"A guess. When faced with choices, I tend to choose the one with higher odds of being right," Bairon said with a smirk, "Plus, luck has always been on my side."
"Why don't you guess whether the fool in the marsh is male or female?" the silhouette teased.
"Male," Bairon cast his gaze to the Golden Knight, sighing, "I think I know who he is."
From the first glance at the Golden Knight, Bairon felt an uncanny sense of familiarity, a sentiment that seemed absurd because he was certain he'd never been to the Dark Tower realm, nor dreamt of it.
It wasn't until discussing bedtime stories with Evelyn that Bairon recalled a historically renowned Golden Knight whose steed also possessed a hint of the Dragon bloodline.
He was... the last Duke of the Montagne Empire that ruled the Röntgen Continent for nearly two millennia, the final commander of the Old Empire's military, the Golden Knight, Edmund·Stanley!
Seeing Edmund's continued silence, Bairon decided against delving into his past.
"Have you made up your mind?" Bairon glanced from the hovering silhouette to the statue-like lady on the steps.
"I think it's a good idea, if only for a bit of amusement," the shadowy figure mused.
"Help me with a favor, and I will assist you," Charlotte interjected.
Bairon inquired, "What favor?"
"It's too early to discuss this, isn't it, Isabella? Don't tell me you're placing your faith in such a laughable concept as 'hope'? The Dark Tower will mock you for it," the silhouette warned.
Charlotte lapsed into silence once more.
"Forget her!" the figure exclaimed. "Let's focus on you, young Bairon. What do you require?"
"First, I need an answer. Why, after using the 'Flesh' spell outside, do I have this overpowering urge to consume human flesh?" Bairon's voice took on a grave tone.
Not just any human, but Evelyn. An urge Bairon found intolerable!
"It's not a craving for humans, but for raw meat. Since you fashioned the 'Flesh' spell after a Spellbeast, it's natural that you'd crave food in the same manner they do," the shadowy figure chuckled. "It's a twisted kind of humor."
"Good to know," Bairon nodded, then pointing to the scales before the Dark Tower, he inquired, "So, are the scrolls from here all tainted with this wicked humor?"
If so, he might abandon obtaining scrolls from the Dark Tower realm, as he had no fondness for such perversity.
"Of course not, what it offers is quite random, but it adheres to the principle of equity," the silhouette remarked, "See, even the parchment on the balance beam moves in a pattern. It's balancing the user's fortune and misfortune, isn't it?"
Bairon's eyes followed to the golden scales and its balancing parchment.
Indeed, the first exchange guaranteed a scroll, representing good fortune, which caused the parchment to shift slightly to the left from its central position, symbolizing the accumulation of misfortune.
When the parchment moves to either end of the balance beam, acting as a counterweight in place of the scroll, it signifies that one's good fortune has been exhausted, and the amassed misfortune begins to unfold.
"You mentioned earlier that it operates on the principle of 'equity', correct?" Bairon keenly picked up on the word.
The shadowy figure hesitated briefly, replying, "Yes, it is the embodiment of the 'Equity' spell."
"So, it gave me the 'Flesh' spell with high side effects because I provided it with a subpar mana core," Bairon realized, suddenly feeling the urge to smack himself.
Being penny-wise and pound-foolish, indeed!
"Mm-hmm," the silhouette wavered slightly, as if nodding in agreement. "You're quite sharp. Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Old John."
A common name, difficult to trace in historical records or ballads even if it were his true name.
"If I offer this Level 3 mana core to the Dark Tower, what can I expect in return?" Bairon inquired.
"I'm uncertain. Perhaps a Legacy Scroll, or maybe a spell scroll. In any case, it would be one of the two. At the moment, the odds of the parchment sliding to the end to act as a counterweight aren't high, unless you've run out of good luck," Old John said with a playful tone.
Squeezing the mana core in his hand, Bairon continued, "Besides feeding it to the Dark Tower, are there other uses for the mana core here?"
"Of course," Old John replied. "The Dark Tower is a magnificent creation. It not only embodies 'Equity', but also integrates other profound spells."
"Such as?" Bairon pressed.
"Infinity Battlefield," Charlotte suddenly interjected, having been silent since Old John began speaking.
Curiously, Bairon asked, "What is the Infinity Battlefield?"
"It's a mental realm created by a particular spell, materializing incredibly realistic combat adversaries and environments. It allows you to engage in continuous battles, honing your skills," Old John explained.
"So, a Level 3 mana core in exchange for a sparring partner?" Bairon pondered, feeling it might not be the best deal.
In terms of combat experience, no one in Sailport exceeded his expertise.
"It's not that straightforward. Since it's an illusion, you can use any spell limitlessly within it without consuming Mindergy, making the combat exhilarating," Old John explained.
Bairon's eyes brightened; the idea began to intrigue him.
"Secondly, the sparring partner will be... quite interesting for you," Old John said, a teasing lilt in his voice.
"How do I activate it?" Bairon inquired.
"Let me think..." Old John paused, lost in thought.
After a moment, he continued, "It should be in the second room on the left of the first floor of the Dark Tower."
Enter the Dark Tower?
Bairon glanced towards the statue. Lady Charlotte remained silent, which Bairon took as tacit approval.