As I left the clinic, I headed to the **Chrono apprentices' training ground** of Spade Tower. All the apprentices were swinging their swords in unison under the command of an instructor. Outsiders weren’t allowed to watch—but they permitted me since I was the new advisor.
Then, the instructor halted the training and **showed off** in front of me, demonstrating the **first form of Spade Swordsmanship**.
*Just from a glance, I understood how it worked and could easily replicate it in reality.*
But I wore a **confused expression** to play the fool.
The instructor displayed **all the forms** of Spade Swordsmanship. I memorized every one, then discreetly slipped away to my dorm to **review what I’d learned**.
Days passed, and I had **nothing to do**. The city was peaceful—**Tower Masters** had recently wiped out a horde of evil creatures approaching the walls.
**Boredom gnawed at me—until a scream shattered the calm.**
A maid was being chased by a **snow wolf**. I stepped outside and confronted the guards.
[Kael] "Why is no one stopping that snowwolf?" I demanded of the guards.
[Guard] "That's the Tower Master's pet!" The man paled. "Last week, three guards were frozen solid for raising weapons against it."
The juvenile beast barely reached my shoulder. I could snap its neck barehanded... which gave me an idea.
The juvenile beast barely reached my shoulder. I could snap its neck barehanded... which gave me an idea.
That night, I infiltrated the Spade Tower’s territory. The ground was littered with **Chrono-detecting magic circles**—but since I had **no Chrono energy**, I slipped past undetected.
The snow wolf slept soundly, unaware. I even **controlled my steps and scent**, then—
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***Snap.***
I **broke its neck** and retreated to my dorm, saving my progress.
---
**The Next Morning — Chaos**
Investigators from Spade Tower stormed the streets, interrogating everyone about the wolf’s death. Eventually, they **knocked on my door**.
**[Guard]:** *"Did you see who killed the snow wolf?"*
**[Kael]:** *"No, I’ve been here the whole time."*
**[Guard]:** *"Before I leave… may I shake your hand?"*
I obliged. The guard’s grip tightened—**his face lit up with triumph.**
**[Guard]:** *"Come with me to Spade Tower. The Tower Master is throwing a **celebration** for the new advisor."*
**[Kael]:** *"If that’s the case, I’ll go."*
I knew something was wrong—**but I followed anyway.**
We ascended to the **seventh floor**, where the Tower Master awaited. The guard whispered to him—**but my enhanced hearing caught every word.**
**[Guard]:** *"I read his memories. **He’s the killer.**"*
A **blinding cold aura erupted**, freezing me instantly. Normal people would’ve died—**but I wasn’t normal.**
**[Guard]:** *"Why execute him without questioning?!"*
**[Tower Master]:** *"I trust your ability, Leon Sphere. Now, **clean up this corpse.**"*
They thought I was dead.
But I **woke up in my bed**—back at the **save point**.
Now, I knew Spade Tower had a **memory reader**. And I had a **new plan**.
---
**The Next Attempt**
The guard knocked again. Same questions. Same handshake.
But this time—**I altered my memories.when the memory-reading guard came, my fabricated memories showed Corvin Duskblade slaughtering the wolf.
The guard rushed back to Spade Tower, **empty-handed**.
I’d **framed Corvin Duskblade**, Tower Master of Clover Tower. By afternoon, I watched Glorfromious Tower's roof as Darien Frostvein stalked toward Clover Tower, his cloak billowing like a stormcloud. Soon, **Darien Frostvein** stormed toward Clover Tower—only to leave moments later. **Corvin wasn’t there.**
The investigation **halted**. Peace returned.
But that night—**I saw Darien slinking into a shadowed alley.**
Curious, I watched from the **roof of Glorious Tower**, enhancing my vision.
**Darien waited.**
Then—**Corvin arrived.**
---
**The Confrontation**
The scene unfolded on a **desolate dirt road**, flanked by overgrown grass and a **crumbling wooden house**. The air reeked of **impending doom**.
Above, **storm clouds churned**. Lightning flashed.
Two figures stood **ten feet apart**—their powers already clashing.
Moonlight bled through the clouds as two silhouettes faced each other in the abandoned lane.
**[Darien Frostvein]**
His icy-blue hair shimmered as frost spread beneath his feet. His silver-blue eyes **glowed with lethal calm**.
*"So, you’ve come."*
**[Corvin Duskblade]**
A jagged bone scythe hummed in his grip. Black mist coiled around him, **cracking the earth**.
[Darien] "You overstep, Duskblade."
Across from him, Corvin's bone scythe pulsed with necrotic energy, the ground withering where its shadow fell.
[Corvin] "Says the man who murders pets to frame rivals."
The very air crackled as their opposing powers collided—winter's fury against death's decay. From my vantage point, I drank in every detail: the way Darien's frost formed fractal patterns, how Corvin's shadows swallowed the moonlight. This... this was worth remembering.
[Kael, Internal Monologue] *Let the Tower Masters play their games. I'll be the knife in the dark when the time comes.*
*(To be continued...)*
---
