The Upper Floors of the Sky Tower
We should have struggled somewhat, but that wasn’t the case.
There were no monsters that could withstand Mastema’s black flames.
While Sepia’s magic occasionally allowed some resilient monsters to break through, they would already be wounded, and it was easy to finish them off with her fire sword.
There was a flashy magic duel between Sepia and a magic-wielding monster.
Naturally, Sepia emerged victorious, though her magical energy had clearly reached its limits.
At this point, Noel and Arnella were no longer contributing much to combat, so they stayed in the rear.
The traps of the Sky Tower had grown more intricate as we ascended.
For example, when we encountered a maze made of invisible walls, if we had continued blindly, we could have easily wasted a whole day.
Sepia and Mastema worked together, stretching their fire magic like threads, carefully guiding us through. When the flames reached the stairs, they would extinguish any excess fire, and we followed the safe path.
“Can’t we just break the walls?” Mastema asked.
“With your strength, you might end up destroying the entire tower. So no, we can’t,” I replied.
Relying solely on power isn’t always the solution. Mastema could likely do it, but I thought it was better to teach her to consider other methods first.
We had finally reached a floor that pierced through the clouds. The sun was clearly visible.
You wouldn’t see a view like this unless you climbed a very tall mountain.
But in exchange, the temperature had dropped sharply.
We used fire magic to ward off the cold.
The monsters had grown stronger yet again. Even Sepia’s specialty spells now required two casts to wipe them out, and I finally began participating more actively in the combat.
Though Mastema’s black fire would eventually burn through the monsters, some managed to reach us before being completely defeated.
Mastema might be able to shrug off blows, but Sepia wasn’t as durable. She had set up a barrier using shockwave magic, but the monsters we faced were now strong enough to break through it.
We continued climbing the stairs, ascending further, though our pace had noticeably slowed. It was impressive that we hadn’t slowed down earlier.
Sepia had already expended a significant amount of magical energy, so we stopped to rest.
Strong monsters are often known as gourmet ingredients—dragon steak being a prime example.
The group of dragons we were tasked to subdue by the imperial princess had even been requested to be left intact for this reason.
Carnivorous animals typically aren’t edible, but monsters are a different story.
We decided to eat a four-legged monster with a large horn protruding from its head.
This particular creature’s leg was larger than Sepia herself. There was plenty to go around.
“Let’s roast it whole!” Mastema eagerly suggested.
Since she would be eating most of it, I didn’t mind, but…
“It’s okay! I’ve gotten better at controlling the heat.”
Mastema pulled out her thorny staff and levitated the creature. She was about to roast it whole, so I stopped her.
Even if it’s a roast, we shouldn’t cook it as is. Kasugal had been quite insistent on this back in the day, and I still remembered. At the very least, we needed to remove the internal organs.
The smell and volume would be problematic, so Mastema turned the innards to ash.
With the creature’s stomach empty, I sprinkled salt over it using wind magic and began rotating it slowly.
“Step back a little,” I instructed.
Mastema then surrounded the monster with a wall of black fire.
The mere presence of her black flames raised the temperature of the entire floor, causing the meat to sizzle.
“It’s hot in here…” I remarked, shedding some of my gear.
Noel tried to keep the heat at bay, but with the overall temperature rising, there was only so much she could do.
Sepia began fanning her skirt to cool down, but I stopped her, finding it a bit improper. We resolved the issue by conjuring floating ice nearby.
Mastema gradually shrunk the wall of flames around the roasting monster, and the smell of cooking meat filled the air.
Arnella and Noel had prepared drinks, and we waited while the food cooked.
The smell of burning fat overwhelmed Sepia, and Noel guided her to the window.
“Be careful. Above the clouds, there should be…” I trailed off mid-sentence.
Speak of the devil.
At some point, a massive bird-like creature had begun circling the tower.
It lunged at Sepia and Noel, who were near the window, with its beak wide open.
Sepia, her face pale, raised her right hand and muttered a short incantation. She unleashed fire magic directly into the bird’s open beak, incinerating the creature from the inside out, sending it plummeting back to the ground.
I hope it doesn’t land on any carriages below.
Once Victor was summoned and used purification magic, Sepia recovered her energy.
The roasted monster had charred on the outside, but the inside was perfectly cooked. Cutting it up was hard work, so I took care of that.
However, a thought crossed my mind.
“Is it safe for humans to eat something cooked with hellfire?”
“Yeah, we’ve eaten it several times already,” Mastema replied casually.
“Hey…”
“Don’t worry, the fire’s been contained properly.”
We enjoyed the roasted monster. It was a high-quality delicacy.
There are adventurers who specialize in gourmet foods, and I’ve heard it’s quite lucrative, though that’s not my goal.
After retrieving the equipment we had discarded earlier, we moved to the next floor, as the smell of meat still lingered.
The next floor was empty, except for a fountain.
No monsters, no traps.
“A rest area?” I wondered.
The water flowing from the fountain contained magical energy. Drinking it would likely restore one’s magical power.
After confirming it was clean, I let Sepia drink some while I sat on the edge of the fountain, resting my weary legs.
Maybe I’ll ask for a massage once we’re done here.
“We’re almost at the top. I’d heard stories about the Sky Tower, but this has been quite an enjoyable experience,” Sepia said.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Yeah, I think it’s better to see things in person than just reading about them or remembering them from old tales.”
As we continued chatting, Sepia’s magical power fully recovered, and Mastema’s did as well.
She even submerged her thorny staff into the fountain.
The thorns seemed happy, so I let her be.
