Ever since I moved to Alf Town, I—the Tower Master Melty—had been plagued by a single, persistent problem.
"There are... too many visitors," I lamented to the empty air.
The house Yuri had provided was spacious and structurally sound, but the locals were the issue. They were far too friendly, and it left me with no peace. I’d be deep in the middle of research when a boy would suddenly barge through the door. The shock would inevitably cause me to trigger an explosion. This happened several times a day.
It had gotten so bad that the neighborhood children started asking me, "Hey, Sage-lady, is your job just making things explode?"
Back when I lived in that impossibly high tower, I had complained about the isolation and the Monsters prowling the grounds. But looking back, I realized I’d never had a better environment for concentration.
If I could just turn this place into a tower...
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Everyone already expected me to blow things up anyway; if I failed now, it would just be one more explosion on my record. It wasn’t like things could get any weirder.
I closed my eyes and visualized the tower I had called home for years. Without the Monsters, it really was the perfect building. But the moment I began the invocation, a different image forced its way into my mind: the sight of my old home being sliced into segments and blasted into the horizon.
The mental image of that "Daruma-Otoshi" destruction was simply too vivid. As a result...
"W-Why... Why did it turn out like this?"
The tower I had summoned was a disaster. It looked like it had been sliced into multiple rounds, each slightly misaligned with the one below it. The entire structure groaned and swayed. It was painfully obvious that even the slightest impact would send the whole thing tumbling down.
"What do I do? Okay, think... first things first..."
I funneled Wind Magic into the structure to stabilize the swaying and used Earth Magic to dampen the vibrations from the ground. Then, to ensure no one could enter and disturb the delicate balance, I sealed the stairs leading from the first floor with an Ice Door.
I was using high-level spells befitting a Great Sage, but using them for such pathetic maintenance felt like a personal defeat.
"This should... probably... keep it from collapsing immediately. I need to find the man who sent my last tower flying without destroying it."
And so, I set out to find Fritz, the Daruma-Otoshi Dragon Slayer.
◇ ◇ ◇
W-Why did he have to go on a journey right now of all times?
That was the news Sasha gave me when I reached Yuri's Mansion. I’d assumed a trip to the Beast Kingdom would require years of preparation, yet Yuri and his group had packed up and vanished in a matter of days.
At such a critical moment, too.
I wanted to chase after them and beg for help with my architectural nightmare, but I couldn't leave. If I stepped away for too long, the tower would likely lose its magical stabilization and collapse. I refused to let this house suffer the same fate as the last one—shattered into pieces and vanished into the void.
On the bright side, since this was the middle of town, I didn't have to worry about a stray Monster attacking the base. Furthermore, the tower's terrifying, precarious shape had successfully scared off almost all the visitors. In a sense, I had achieved my goal.
...If I ignored the fact that I had to constantly expend mana to keep it standing.
What would Yuri do in this situation? I wondered. I pictured that Genius Mage, the boy who had become a Lord at such a young age. He’d probably just laugh and whip up some Magic Tool to maintain the tower's stability for me. The thought brought an involuntary smile to my face.
Maybe this struggle is a form of research in itself?
It wasn't what I had intended to study, but the thought gave me a sudden, desperate surge of motivation. From that day on, I immersed myself in the "research" of keeping my home from falling over.
◇ ◇ ◇
I, Miranda, listened to Melty’s story with a growing sense of dread.
The girl was so pitiful, and her situation so miserable, that I found myself completely at a loss for words. The guilt was suffocating.
"I-I’ve got it! This is all Yuri’s fault!" I proclaimed.
Logic dictated it: if Yuri hadn't come up with the bizarre idea to blow up her first tower, this twisted replacement would never have been built. If the tower hadn't been built, I wouldn't have accidentally touched it. If I hadn't touched it, it wouldn't have collapsed. Therefore, Yuri was the true Mastermind behind this catastrophe.
It was a total deflection of blame, and it felt wonderful.
I conveniently chose to ignore the fact that my own family had been the ones to drag Yuri into this mess in the first place. Yuri was just as much a victim as anyone, but I pushed that thought deep down. I was already busy planning exactly how I was going to scold my idiot brother for this.
Melty, who had been staring blankly at the rubble, finally climbed to her feet.
"I... I had the foresight not to buy many daily necessities yet," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "So... the actual loss is quite small. Really."
Looking at her trembling form, I didn't believe her for a second.
"The reason you’re in this mess is entirely because of that moron brother of mine," I said, reaching out a hand to her. "Come with us. We’ll go complain to him together."
Melty looked up at me through her lashes, her expression guarded. She probably hadn't understood half of my rant, and she likely—rightly—suspected that I was the direct cause of her homelessness.
Lucille let out a long, heavy sigh.
"If your chest is flat, then take our hands!" she shouted, throwing a conversational straight-ball.
I snapped back instantly. "I am not flat!"
"S-She’s right," Melty added, wiping her eyes. "I’m just... a bit malnourished lately. I’m perfectly normal, I swear."
"Flatty-kind always calls to its own," Lucille muttered.
"In this group, I'm actually on the larger side of normal!" I yelled.
I shouted it at the top of my lungs, but the ruins of the tower offered no response.