Libby stumbled into the tavern, where Heiberg's massive frame was crouched beneath the counter.
Shattered bottles littered the floor, the planks slick with spilled liquor.
The heavy stench of alcohol filled the tavern, enough to make anyone dizzy just stepping inside.
"Heiberg, are you all right?" Libby shouted in worry.
"Shut it, Libby," Heiberg snapped, having banged into the cabinet. "Damn banshee."
He hadn't managed to close the door in time, and the spilled liquor had cost him at least a dozen silver coins.
Libby grabbed a broom to help sweep, but Heiberg shooed him away. "Go check whether that traveler fainted upstairs."
The building had good soundproofing, but Heiberg worried John might have opened a window.
"Aye!" Hearing this, Libby dashed upstairs.
He hurriedly pushed open the door. "Yadani, are you all right?"
Stepping inside, Libby froze.
"I never thought this place could look clean," he said in astonishment.
Then he asked, wide-eyed, "You did this?"
It never crossed his mind that John had used magic to tidy the room. Seeing him unharmed, Libby finally relaxed.
"Normally, banshees don't wake once night falls," Libby said in puzzlement. "The sun's already down—today was an exception."
John didn't dwell on it, but he felt he had to see that color-changing bell for himself.
"Libby, where do you stay at night?"
The streets outside were deserted—everyone had likely gone home, too afraid of the banshee to linger.
Scratching his head, Libby said, "I sleep in the tavern's stable. Just a copper coin for a night."
"How about earning a little extra, then?" John smiled faintly. With a flick of his right hand, two gold coins spun between his fingers.
Gulp.. Libby's eyes locked onto them, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.
John, like the serpent tempting Eve with the apple, lured Libby with the promise of easy coin.
In the end, Libby couldn't resist and gave in.
He agreed to take John to the Central Tower the next day.
At dawn, Libby was already knocking on John's door.
Though John had only slept two hours, he was full of energy.
They stepped out of the tavern, and Libby invited John to ride his deaf horse.
"This horse can't hear," Libby explained, "so it isn't afraid of the banshee's cry."
It was thanks to this horse that Libby had managed to secure the position of timekeeper.
They rode together toward the Central Tower.
Though the horse didn't look strong, its stamina was impressive; carrying two riders posed no problem at all.
Along the way, they passed scattered pedestrians. Even with the threat of the banshee, people still had to toil for their livelihoods.
Many would live their whole lives without ever leaving their small mountain town, let alone glimpse the world beyond.
They hurried about, yet the dreams they carried in their hearts would remain just that—dreams.
At last, they arrived beneath the Central Tower.
John gauged it with his eyes: the structure was built from solid, jet-black stone.
The Central Tower was the tallest building in Konsang.
It wasn't for lack of attempts—plenty had tried to tear it down—but every effort had ended in failure.
The stone was too hard. Not even a hammer could chip off so much as a single piece.
In time, everyone had come to accept the tower as the work of wizards.
Standing beneath it, John's eyes fell upon the color-changing bell.
It was no larger than a human head, set just under the Central Tower.
Right now, the bell hadn't changed color—it looked like plain brass.
Libby had discovered by chance that before the banshee let out her cry, the bell would darken in hue.
That gave him just enough time to warn others to hide.
The Central Tower itself couldn't be entered—only that fool, the Black Iron Viscount, had ever pried it open.
John circled the tower once. The more he looked, the stranger it seemed.
"This tower's function… it feels like some kind of amplifier."
His gaze lingered on the lines etched into the black stone, as though the surface were pieced together from overlapping magic arrays.
"A magic tower," John murmured.
Such ostentatious structures were rare; unless they served a special purpose, wizards seldom bothered with them.
To others, it appeared an ordinary black tower, but John could tell—it was a magic tower, constructed entirely of runic formations.
The bell was more like a tool for detection, akin to a scrying glass or a soul-revealing mirror.
As John studied it, Libby's voice rang out in alarm.
"The banshee's awake."
John looked up. The bell was slowly turning blue.
Libby called out for John to leave, but John told him to go on ahead.
Drawing his sword, John lowered the tip until it touched the ground.
The instant the blade met the earth, an invisible ripple spread outward from the tip.
Sensory Charm.
He closed his eyes, and the world around him unfolded vividly in his mind.
Libby hesitated for a long moment before finally deciding to run off and warn everyone to hide.
Neaaaacccccccccrrrriiiiiiiikkkkk!!!!!
A while later, the banshee's shriek rang out.
That horrifying sound could render someone unconscious—or even dead—within three seconds.
John struck the ground again, sending another invisible wave rippling outward.
This time the reach was wider, a flood of information rushing into his mind all at once.
Watching from the outside, Alexei marveled. "Why isn't he affected by the scream anymore?"
Just yesterday, John had been vulnerable to the sound. Yet today, it didn't faze him at all.
A faint metallic gleam flickered in John's ears.
Alexei squinted, then couldn't help but praise, "Smart move."
Andrei looked over and realized it was a pair of earplugs.
That left him puzzled—why would John have earplugs?
What he didn't know was that John had crafted them through alchemy.
As the saying went: clap your hands, and whatever you want appears.
With the earplugs in, John couldn't hear a thing.
But rather than being a hindrance, it actually made his Sensory Charm even more effective, letting him perceive his surroundings with greater clarity.
In his mind, sound rippled outward in waves, spreading across the entire city.
The source of the sound had appeared on the eastern side of Konsang.
Then, the screaming stopped.
John opened his eyes again, just as Libby came galloping back on his horse.
It seemed he still couldn't rest easy leaving John alone.
John noticed that the horse was completely unaffected, and his eyes lit up.
"Libby, will you sell me your horse?"
"???" For a moment, Libby thought he was hearing things. Was John… insulting him?
Couldn't quite hear it—better look again.
Seeing John's earnest expression, Libby figured he hadn't been insulted after all.
But when John asked to buy his only companion, the deaf horse, Libby hesitated.
"Price is negotiable. How about five gold coins?"
With a flick of his hand, John displayed his money-handling skill.
"F-Five..?"
The five shining gold coins made Libby's eyes go wide.
He had only paid five silver coins for the horse in the first place.
Selling it now could make him rich.
Yet after a moment of struggle, he still shook his head.
"Sigh.. Sorry, Yadani. Without it, I can't keep the time for everyone." His refusal was pained but firm.
More than money, he needed to ensure the safety of the townsfolk.
Hearing this, John regarded Libby with newfound respect.
"All right. Then could you lend it to me?" John didn't press, simply shifted his request.
Thinking that the banshee had just awakened once and likely wouldn't again so soon, Libby agreed. "But only for one hour."
"That's enough." John tossed Libby a gold coin.
"As a deposit."
He mounted the deaf horse and charged off in one direction.
Libby stayed behind, staring worriedly at the warning bell, silently praying it wouldn't turn blue.
…
The eastern side of Konsang was far more desolate—this was where the viscount had lived.
After the Black Iron Viscount left, only servants had remained.
But now, the vast estate had become nothing but wasteland.
John pulled on the reins, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
He drew his sword and tapped the wall, sending out a pulse of the Sensory Charm.
There were hardly any living people here.
Most likely, the banshee had killed them.
Guided by the memory of where the banshee's scream had come from, John and the deaf horse worked together seamlessly.
The thought crossed John's mind—perhaps he should bring this horse along on future travels.
Passing through a withered garden, John stopped once more.
John triggered the Sensory Charm and saw a figure resting in the garden.
A girl in a white dress stood there with her eyes closed.
Riding closer, John caught sight of her.
The sound of hooves crushing dead leaves startled the girl awake.
Her once pure, delicate face twisted in an instant into something hideous and terrifying.
A mouth filled with jagged teeth opened wide, issuing a warning at John.
Despite her frail appearance, her leap carried enough force to shatter stone.
John yanked the reins, making the deaf horse rear up, its forehooves slamming into the banshee and kicking her flying.
Light flashed in his eyes—his right hand gripped his sword, his left hand steered the horse forward, charging straight at the banshee.
The deaf horse surged in speed; just as the banshee opened her mouth, John's blade came down, severing it in a single stroke.
The silver gleam grew sharper still.
Enchantment: Knight.
With his mount beneath him, John's strike silenced the banshee's voice completely.
Three seconds later, blood finally began to seep from her neck.
Like a fountain, the blood sprayed out, quickly tainting the surrounding plants black.
"This banshee showing up here doesn't seem like an accident."
John's gaze swept over and landed on the iron ring clasped around the banshee's leg, a chain running from it to the base of a massive statue in the garden.
The statue depicted a scholar holding a book—but in his other hand, he carried a staff.
"A wizard?"
A male wizard's statue, here in the viscount's estate?
John immediately sensed there was something fishy about it.
________
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