Within the living room, there was Kalman, seated upon the old couch. Laid out on the tea table before him, there were the corpses of four crows, one mouse, and a glass vial containing seeds. Across Kalman was Theodore, his composed demeanor belied the panic and desperation simmering within him. And finally, there was Fiana, standing by the door while trying to keep a stoic look about her with little success.
From the circumstances leading up to this, Theodore presumed that while Kalman had been keeping a watch on him and knew about his actions, he did not inform Fiana of any of it, which led to the interrogation the night prior, something that would have otherwise be pointless if she already knew. Looking at the distress on Fiana's expression, it appeared that she had only been made aware of Theodore's actions rather recently.
As for Kalman, even knowing what Theodore had been planning and the actions he had been taking, allowed Theodore to do as he pleased for some reason. Had Kalman informed the Circle of this, Theodore would have most likely found himself in the depths of some dungeon rather than his bedroom upon waking up. That did not occur, suggesting that Kalman might have something else in mind.
Theodore looked over the corpses, his undeads, laid out on the table. He had hidden them in his tunnel the moment he realized that Fiana suspected him, along with all but one Aether crystal, and the seeds that he had placed within an Aethervoid glass vial. Kalman must have dug them up either during his interrogation or after he was deep asleep under the influence of the drug used on him.
"I wish to awaken the tower," Kalman finally spoke after much hesitation, answering Theodore's question from earlier, about what Kalman desired of the Demon Lord. "It was said that the Demon Lord was Alvan in origin. The so-called Mage Tower is of Alvan origin as well. It stands to reason that the Demon Lord might know how to awaken it, no?"
"Is the tower not active? It seemed rather functional to me," said Theodore, playing dumb.
From the bright indoor lights to the automatic doors, not to mention the fully functional terrarium, it was difficult to imagine that the tower was somehow 'asleep' this whole time. That being said, Theodore knew that was just the tower at its most minimal functionality. Should the tower be fully functional, the mages wouldn't have waited over five hundred years to access the eleventh floor and beyond.
"It certainly seems so, doesn't it?" Kalman didn't buy Theodore's feigned ignorance at all, but played along regardless. "However, the truth of the matter was, everything above the tenth floor was dead. The Circle claimed that the eleventh floor and above were sealed, but that wasn't quite accurate. There was no eleventh floor. There was, however, what we call the 'vertical corridor,' something that we believe will lead to the top of the tower. It was, unfortunately, nonfunctional when it was first discovered and remained to be so to this day. It was reasoned that this was due to the tower being 'asleep', that only when fully awakened will the vertical corridor function once more."
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"So you want the Demon Lord to figure out why the tower isn't functioning properly, is that it?"
"Precisely."
Theodore was almost appalled. To think that this elder here wanted the demon Lord to fix their machine. He would have felt rather insulted had a new path not just opened up. If the elder truly needed him so, then a multitude of options once out of his reach would be within his grasp. With this, the once slim chances of escape might become closer to being feasible
"How much do you know about the tower?" Theodore asked straightforwardly, showing his interest in the subject matter.
"Almost nothing," replied Kalman. "I've read the documentation within the archives, but none of it provided any clue as to how the tower functions. Although, there have been signs of tempering within the documents, so perhaps someone had simply removed said information. I also believe that the other elders know more than they're letting on. After all, though they all feign obedience before the Archmage, they are, in the end, all rivals striving to obtain the same thing."
"The Alvan ship?"
"Indeed. If there's anything I know about the tower from the archives, it was that the ancient Alva had used it to connect the ground with their ship docked high above the heavens, a ship capable of sailing into the Abyss, filled to the brim with powerful Alvan artifacts. What mage could resist such allure? This is also one of the reasons the Circle decided to let you be for the moment. You spoke of the ship in your dubious 'prophecy', which meant that you may very well hold knowledge about the tower, knowledge that no one else here holds."
"And what makes you think that I won't simply go to the other elders with this knowledge I supposedly have then? You can threaten me all you want, but surely, the Alvan vessel is worth more than a few seeds."
"Because the other elders will surely kill you once the tower is fully functional. As I said, they desire the ship, and they do not need another rival in their race for it. I, on the other hand, do not. You may not believe me, but even if I do desire it, I am but a humble alchemist. I do not possess the power to compete with the other elders. What I desire is the chaos that will ensue after the tower awakens, when every elder, master, and perhaps even apprentice would attempt to reach the top of the tower before anyone else. You wish to leave this place, no? You and that courier girl you conspire with. That would be your chance to escape. I can even provide some aid to that end if you so desire."
Theodore remained silent for the moment. Though it would be convenient for him to simply agree, Theodore couldn't be sure if he wasn't jumping into a trap. He could never be sure. Even so, he wasn't in the position to disagree. In the end, there was only one answer.
"It's not as if I have much of a choice, but very well, I'll do what I can to awaken the tower. However, before we get to the topic at hand, I have one more question."
"Go ahead," Kalman nodded in approval, appearing to be in a good mood due to things going rather smoothly. "Speak your mind."
"What do you intend to do after the tower awakens?"
"Well, that..." Kalman momentarily froze, only for a smirk to surface on his expression a moment later. "I am afraid that, like you, I too have things I rather not say."
"So be it then."
If Kalman wanted to keep it a secret, then there wasn't much Theodore could do. He wasn't in a position to bargain. While as far as Theodore was concerned, whatever happens to this place is of no consequence to him after he leaves, it was better to know what one's opponent is thinking as one makes their move. Just because he had agreed to help, it did not mean that they were allies. There was room for plans to change still and plenty of opportunities for betrayal from both ends.
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End of Chapter 68
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