Yuna's VPN ended up getting wrecked by censorship.
[No no no, that can't be!!]
Denying reality doesn't change anything. It's not like there's a clever solution.
Good grief, I've ended up becoming a Dwarf living in the Outer Tower.
"Just kidding."
Honestly, I can't even blame Yuna.
If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have even dreamed of disguising myself.
"The location info definitely says Inner Tower, right?"
[Yeah yeah yeah T_T I really did fudge it thoroughly…]
Then, no harm in trying.
For now, let's try bluffing once.
Anyway, there keeps being ■ stuck in the middle.
Is communication bad where Dwarves live? The messages appear corrupted.
It was like that when I opened the document last time too, and it even feels a little ominous.
"I live in the Inner Tower, you know?"
For now, I'll bluff.
Yuna wrote it immediately.
[Sun Dwar■]: Aha! Is that so?
It's still a crappy error message, though.
[■un Dwarf]: Then, if I may ask, when do you plan to enter the Inner Tower?
Damn, it didn't work.
They've got some nerve, no wavering at all.
I get the feeling bluffing won't work at all.
They seem incredibly strong-willed, or something like that.
For now, I felt that whatever I said, I'd end up getting something shaken out of me.
In that case, I'll answer this question with only the minimum information.
"Sorry, but could you get to the point?"
It's a bit rude, but this is the right move.
[Sun Dwar■]: Hmm.
[Sun Dwarf]: Is that how you're going to play it?
"What kind of Dwarf says 'Hmm' like that?"
The interjection is a bit strange, like the image I had in my head is being shattered.
Let's not even answer. They're testing me, testing me.
"What are you going to do if I act like this?"
But then, it happened.
[Sun D■arf]: Do you know of a way to enter the Tower without obtaining the qualifications to climb?
Flinch.
"Huh…?"
[…Huh?]
I'm a kid who knows nothing of the world, and even if I don't know things, I'm hopelessly ignorant, but.
"That's not something you say to a Dwarf, is it?"
In the first place, why would a Dwarf born inside the Tower climb it?
It's not that I'm not curious about that statement itself.
It's actually quite an interesting statement. But it's as if they already know I can't enter the Tower.
"Yuna."
[Yeah.]
"I'm a little scared, you know?"
[I'm analyzing every possibility I've witnessed.]
Yuna instantly became very composed, and then calm.
That's how strange the situation is.
How much do they know about me right now?
And even whether the person on the other side is really a Dwarf.
[We can't know everything]
[What we know for sure is that these messages are being sent from the Inner Tower]
[Even if you are exposed as much as possible, oppa, the only information about you is that you live outside the Tower]
And a new question arises now.
"That black square error message, isn't it similar to the one I saw last time?"
[There's no problem with the connection right now, though]
Then….
"Let's block them."
Block them right now and eliminate all variables.
Ah, wait, then one last test.
Let's ask just this one thing and cut them off.
If the other side is a Sun Dwarf, they should definitely be able to answer this question with their eyes closed.
"Light the furnace~ Hammer the iron~"
[Oh?]
"…Send it."
The traditional Dwarven national anthem I just heard for four hours.
According to Kim Yuna, for Koreans it's something on the level of 'East Sea Waters and Mount Baekdu'.
Even if I send only this without any other words.
If they're a real Dwarf… there's no way they can't answer the next verse.
I even memorized the whole first verse in four hours.
I swallowed my saliva as I waited for a reply.
If some nonsense comes back here.
One….
Two….
Five seconds, at least within five seconds.
"…Hammer it a thousand times~ Temper it ten thousand times~"
Feeling anxious, I unconsciously hummed the next verse quietly.
And then.
[Dwar?!$%■?]: Fun!$%Interesting■.?
Jolt.
Along with the sensation of every hair on my body standing on end.
"Block them, hurry!!"
[Kyaaaaaaah—!!]
I slammed the button at the top left of the DM window.
Block [■■■■■]?
"Yes! Yes!"
[■■■■■] has been blocked.
"……."
I wiped my face.
I had just experienced the greatest terror of Lionel's life.
For reference, the terror that was just pushed to second place is the handling of the first spotted cow's dung I encountered after coming to this world.
When I closed the block window.
[■■■■■]: Interesting.
[■■■■■]: See you again later.
"……."
The name had been completely changed to blacked-out ink.
As if it had originally been that kind of name.
With trembling hands, I scrolled the chat window upward.
[■■■■■]: Aha! Is that so?
[■■■■■]: Then, if I may ask, when do you plan to enter the Inner Tower?
[■■■■■]: Hmm.
[■■■■■]: Is that how you're going to play it?
[■■■■■]: Do you know of a way to enter the Tower without obtaining the qualifications to climb?
All the messages exchanged just now had returned to normal.
The only thing changed was the name.
Dumbfounded, I sat in the chair and stared blankly at the sky.
Why is this trial coming to me, who was happy about gaining Potential Ability…?
I feel like I've had a similar experience before, too.
This unease, this unknown chill, or something like that.
To be precise, I've opened a document that felt similar.
"Yuna, could you bring up the name of the document I opened last time again?"
[🔒] [■Λb■y■■s5■]
Uh, this one.
It's the document I thought was the Sun Dwarf's document.
I've opened this document before. It clearly appeared to be the Sun Dwarf's, but.
"For now, don't open it."
[Abyss…?]
"Abyss?"
[If I were to force a reading… it's ABYSS, Abyss]
I'm good at English, so I know what Abyss means.
It's the abyss. The abyss.
What a name.
"Yuna, I'm scared."
I strongly feel that I shouldn't get involved with this.
Enough that I want to throw myself into Dolores's arms and cry loudly right now.
Mama, please get rid of the scary things.
Still, I have to do what I have to do….
I steeled myself and called Yuna.
"Abyss… ha, could you search that for me…."
That's when it happened.
"……Abyss?"
"?"
A familiar voice cut in from behind my head.
I turned my head, and….
There stood a woman with violet hair hanging down, a giant ribbon stuck on the back of her head.
Isabella stood there, her eyes sparkling and round.
It's the same look in her eyes as during the chess opening.
"……."
"……."
"…Abyss?"
"…Something like that."
I tried my best to evade the situation, but.
"Lionel, you just said Abyss, right…?"
"……."
Isabella covered her mouth with both hands.
She seemed a little moved, too.
What is that reaction?
An ominous premonition is creeping up.
Then.
[I just looked into Abyss, and it seems to be a fairly legendary concept]
[It's based on the concept that the Tower doesn't only go up, but has floors downward as well.]
[No one has ever been there, but there are records of unknown mana and energy being observed.]
[There's apparently a school of thought that studies it and tries to draw dimensional power from that abyss.]
"……."
[People call them 'Abyss Scholars,' and the most famous figure among them is….]
[Isabella….]
Ah, what the hell.
I slowly turned my head.
Before I knew it, Isabella was right in front of my face, her eyes shining brightly.
"As expected of Lionel…!"
"No. I don't know what you're thinking, but no."
"You didn't even answer back then…."
Whoosh.
My small body was lifted up in an instant.
At times like this, I resent my small body.
Smack.
I was placed right onto Isabella's lap.
I ended up looking exactly like I was cradled in her arms.
"Actually, Lionel, you wanted to become my disciple too, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't."
"Originally… the head and the body are honest."
Isabella lowered her voice as if whispering into my ear.
"……Are you curious about what Abyss is?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Not above but below, a world where everything is reversed. That is the Abyss."
Since I still had the memory of completely ignoring her and turning her away a few days ago.
Because I felt a slight sense of debt, I eventually calmly conversed with her.
Actually, I was a little curious too.
Rather than being chased by some incomprehensible monster, being chased by Isabella's acquaintance who lives in the Abyss is somewhat better.
"…Then have you ever been there?"
"No."
"……?"
As if refusing my expectations, Isabella calmly shook her head.
"I'm researching it hard!"
"……Ah, yes…."
She clenches both fists and her eyes sparkle.
[But… I don't think you should see her as completely pathetic, oppa]
[She's said to be the first among climbers to discover and study the concept of Abyss.]
[…The person you're sitting on, oppa]
This soft woman I'm sitting on seems to be a pioneer of knowledge in her own way.
If it's about respect and such.
Pioneers of knowledge are originally bound to have a hard time.
[Looking at the evaluations of a person named Isabella, they say she's incredibly scary and sharp…?]
That can't be.
It's definitely all lies.
"If you ever have questions about Abyss, contact me anytime."
"Yes… I will…."
Honestly, for now it's impossible to ask more about Abyss.
Especially since I've never even climbed the Tower.
'I got a message from the Tower's messenger, what do I do….'
I can't exactly say that.
Since no problem has arisen at present, it seems I have no choice but to watch.
She must be an amazing person.
Just as my evaluation of Isabella was about to rise high.
"…But you came by once last time, didn't you?"
"…Huh? Yeah, I did."
"Sorry about then. I was too busy."
"Hmm?"
Isabella tilted her head, and then….
Soon she let out a small laugh.
"……An Archmage doesn't cling to things like that."
"Ooh…."
She's more broad-minded than I thought.
"You ignored me for exactly 27 minutes and 31 seconds, and even while chewing over my words, you stitched the stocking toe about 181 times, but that's just a trivial matter."
"……."
I was already starting to feel exhausted.
Just as my energy was draining in real time.
Isabella suddenly turned her head.
"Anyway, Lionel, can I take it that you've become my disciple now?"
"No."
I smiled and shook my head.
This person doesn't listen to others well.
I understand, she's a noble Archmage and all, so she probably wouldn't show outstanding ability in human relationships.
"I'm Dolores's disciple."
"……."
For a moment, Isabella's eyes turned melancholic, then she soon turned her gaze away.
Slide.
Her hand reached toward the gloves on the table.
"……These are the gloves Dolores wore, aren't they?"
"R-right?"
Flinch.
I unconsciously avoided her gaze.
I mustn't let it be discovered that I made them.
Unfortunately, a few days ago, this woman clearly saw me knitting the stocking toe.
"She said they had a hole… so I sewed them for her."
"Then I should try them on once."
Before I could say anything to stop her, she put on the Apprentice Blacksmith's Warm Gloves.
"How is it, do they suit me?"
Holding me tightly, she showed off one hand then the other.
Regardless of that, in front of my eyes.
-----------------------------
[Apprentice Blacksmith's Warm Gloves][★☆☆☆☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility][9/40]
[Enchant Level: Enhance 16]
-----------------------------
[It's not harmful, but there's no particular reason to wear it.]
[…The person it suits is 'definitely' someone else.]
-----------------------------
The honest Compatibility is 9.
I couldn't exactly read that out loud.
"Yes, well, they suit you."
I praised her half-heartedly, without soul.
Fwoosh.
"Oh, this even produces fire, amazing."
She was holding me and enjoying the first activation of the enchanted gloves….
Creak.
The door opened.
"……."
I had to meet eyes with Dolores, who had opened the Workshop door.
"My gloves, my Lionel."
The temperature inside the Workshop instantly.
"Put both down."
Dropped.
