Chapter 8:
Eliminating Variables
The Guild Master was an exceptionally perceptive man.
The instant Zehar sent out a magical messenger bird, he rushed straight to the Lord’s Castle.
The moment he entered the audience hall, he threw himself flat onto the carpet.
“My deepest apologies, my Lady! My incompetence has caused you needless concern!”
Camellia wasn’t fooled by the obvious performance.
“Dismantle it before sunrise.”
“The adventurers who failed to gather have already been severely puni—… Huh?”
She offered no explanation.
Instead, she lightly tapped the armrest of her chair.
Standing beside her, Zehar spoke in her place.
“Did you fail to understand the Lady’s command? She intends to revoke the Adventurers’ Guild’s operating rights within her territory.”
“Wh-What…!?”
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’ve been under, but the Lady did not ask for your help.”
“She bestowed a favor upon you.”
He was right.
Even without the adventurers, clearing the first floor of the Tower would be easy enough.
As for the adventurers trapped inside—
Whether they lived or died made little difference.
Anyone strong enough to qualify as a companion character usually survived on their own.
The monsters outside the Tower were the same.
Even if left alone, defeating the boss before removing the barrier would make them disappear automatically.
And if time ran out?
Once the monsters had slaughtered each other in sufficient numbers, the city guards could finish off the survivors.
The only reason she’d spent so much money hiring adventurers in the first place was to recruit Netanel.
She also wanted to see whether strategies that were impossible within the game’s systems could work now that this was reality.
It had been an experiment.
Camellia had assumed the Adventurers’ Guild would naturally obey her orders.
Because that’s how it worked in the game.
She’d remembered this wasn’t a game anymore…
Yet forgotten the single most important thing.
The people before her weren’t NPCs following scripts.
They were human beings.
Even capable people who confidently claimed they could handle everything could fail depending on the circumstances.
The adventurers were no different.
They acted according to emotions rather than programming.
Even with the territory in danger, many still prioritized their own feelings.
I was too complacent.
Companion characters like Zehar and Rohengrin always behaved within predictable boundaries.
She’d unconsciously assumed everyone else would too.
But they were people—
For better or worse.
An awful variable.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
At sunrise, they would enter the Tower.
Every minute counted.
She couldn’t waste time coaxing adventurers and considering their personal grievances.
Expelling the Adventurers’ Guild from the territory would certainly be inconvenient…
But not impossible to recover from.
“If a pack of stray dogs refuses to be controlled and prowls around the sheep, it is the shepherd’s duty to drive them away with a stick.”
Camellia looked coldly down at the Guild Master, whose face had gone pale with cold sweat.
“And if those dogs bare their fangs while the fence has already collapsed…”
“They deserve to be beaten to death.”
“M-My Lady…”
“You’re still the pack leader, aren’t you?”
“The choice is yours.”
Persuasion?
Appeasement?
Grinding affection?
Offering additional rewards?
Too slow.
Too tedious.
Too impractical.
Leave.
Or die.
Efficient.
Logical.
Fast.
Wasn’t that exactly the sort of solution modern people preferred?
Camellia asked calmly,
“Well?”
“What will you choose?”
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After the Guild Master staggered away looking half-dead, Camellia immediately gathered the rest of her party.
“You summoned me, my Lady.”
Rohengrin stood before her in gleaming silver armor, a shield strapped to his back.
“I’m ready whenever you are, Employer.”
Netanel smiled brightly, wearing robes embroidered with golden thread while holding a golden scepter.
Both looked utterly dependable.
Just seeing them nearly erased the headache the adventurers had caused.
Right.
As long as my party members follow orders, that’s enough.
Including Zehar, she boarded the carriage with the three of them.
As they rode toward the Tower surrounded by its barrier, she looked at Netanel sitting opposite her.
“Netanel.”
“Have you ever entered the Tower?”
He smiled cheerfully.
“I’ve only recently arrived in the territory, so not yet.”
Wow.
He’s lying without even blinking.
It was true he’d never entered the Tower.
But claiming he’d only recently arrived?
That was a complete lie.
Netanel.
You’ve been secretly sneaking in and out of this territory for over ten years.
Half of his recruitment quest involved tracking down traces of his past.
Who was he trying to fool?
“You may be an excellent priest…”
“But you’d make a terrible merchant.”
“You’re far too poor at lying.”
Seeing that she knew everything, Netanel simply laughed.
“Oh dear.”
“So you already knew and asked anyway?”
“You’re rather mischievous yourself, Employer.”
[Netanel Pragma’s Affection has increased.]
Apparently, the more formidable the Lord seemed, the more worthy he considered her as a business partner.
His affection rose considerably.
What a strange personality.
Still…
At times like this, it was quite useful.
“Do you know what fundamentally distinguishes the Tower from every other dungeon?”
“Hm… the defining difference?”
The Tower was unusual in many ways.
It had remained unconquered for a thousand years.
Every floor contained an entirely different world.
Almost every monster carried a mana stone.
But none of those were truly unique.
The Great Labyrinth had remained unconquered for over three centuries.
Other dungeons also changed environments between floors.
What truly set the Tower apart…
Was that it had an Administrator.
Someone capable of performing miracles impossible by ordinary standards—
Installing gates that prevented monsters from leaving while allowing humans to enter and exit freely.
“If I had to choose just one answer…”
“I’d say it’s you, my Lady.”
“The Tower exists because you exist.”
“Correct.”
“Wonderful.”
“Do I get a reward?”
“Not exactly.”
“But I’ll tell you something interesting.”
“And what might that be?”
“The Tower hates me.”
Camellia narrowed her strangely colored eyes.
“For a thousand years it has been suppressed.”
“Everything within the Tower has grown to hate me.”
“To the point of madness.”
“Whenever I enter… strange things tend to happen.”
“Well…”
“That’s considerably more terrifying than I expected.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I know everything about the Tower.”
“Including how to deal with it.”
Netanel smiled knowingly.
“So this isn’t simply leading to…”
Listen carefully to everything I say, is it?
“You’re asking something of me.”
“I want to place a restriction on you.”
“Ah.”
“So if I ignore your orders and act independently, one of those strange phenomena might occur?”
“Not just one.”
The Tower was filled with malice.
And unpredictable variables.
If luck turned against you badly enough, even someone at Level 15 could die on the very first floor.
The fewer variables, the better.
She trusted Rohengrin and Zehar.
Their loyalty and affection were both high.
Netanel was different.
Rather than trusting him carelessly the way she’d trusted the adventurers, it was better to settle matters beforehand.
“The restriction will only be temporary.”
“It will disappear the moment we leave the Tower.”
“Hm…”
“The restriction…”
“Is it the same method you’re planning to use on the monster leaders?”
Though phrased vaguely, he was plainly asking whether she intended to use mind control on people as well as monsters.
Camellia answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
An ordinary person would have recoiled in horror.
Netanel was anything but ordinary.
“A reasonable proposal.”
“What are the terms?”
“While inside the Tower, during combat against enemies, you will immediately obey every command I give.”
“However, you may refuse any order that endangers your life or violates your duties as a priest.”
“The restriction lasts until we leave the Tower.”
After thinking for a long while, Netanel raised three fingers.
“Three platinum coins.”
“Not one less.”
“Agreed.”
A clean deal.
Netanel looked thoroughly satisfied.
Rohengrin, seated beside him…
Did not.
His blue eyes wavered helplessly.
Anyone would panic after watching one man casually sell away his freedom for three thousand gold coins…
And his own lord happily buy it.
Before Camellia could reassure him, he swallowed nervously and spoke.
“I’ll accept one as well.”
…Huh?
“This is also my first time entering the Tower.”
“So… in order not to disappoint you…”
“I would also like a restriction—”
“No.”
Camellia interrupted before he could finish.
“A restriction exists to compensate for insufficient trust.”
“You don’t need one.”
Rohengrin’s blue eyes widened dramatically.
[Rohengrin Eschen’s Loyalty has increased.]
His loyalty rose once again.
Apparently, her immediate refusal had genuinely moved him.
Actually…
I’ve already used my skill three times today.
I only have enough uses left for the Named Monsters.
Feeling a little guilty, Camellia quietly looked away.
Sorry, Rohengrin.
Well…
I’ll make it up to you somehow.
