I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 21

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 21. Forming a Sub-Party
“Master, you do know I’m a High Priestess, don’t you?”
Netanel Fragma, summoned to the Training Grounds, grumbled about being given tasks fit for a junior healer, yet swiftly mended the knights’ wounds.
The men, barely able to rise, kept clearing their throats in embarrassment, though they did not forget to express their gratitude.
“Ahem, thank you.”
“We owe you our lives, Priestess.”
Yet they could not meet the eyes of Camilia, who had summoned Netanel Fragma and commanded the healing.
Some of them quietly slipped behind Rohengreen Ashen, attempting to escape Camilia’s gaze.
‘What is this, Shusu?’
No matter how fearsome the lord might be, I couldn’t fathom what these grown men were doing.
As I stood there in bewilderment, the number of knights taking shelter behind Rohengreen Ashen’s back steadily increased.
Still, Vice-Commander Io did not flee.
Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the ground, stammering out an apology.
“My sincerest apologies, Lord. We were overzealous and… well, we displayed conduct unbecoming.”
Though I had not treated them as traitors, I could not fathom why they trembled so. This was not a situation to be smoothed over with gentle reassurance.
An amateur with strength but no finesse is always the most dangerous—more so than any expert.
When that amateur possessed the raw power to tear apart a bear, the risk of catastrophe became all too real.
Yet I could not reprimand them further.
To have just finished berating Rohengreen Ashen thoroughly, only to dress down his subordinates as well, would be censure in name only—the petty scolding of a tyrant. The Knight Commander’s authority would suffer as well.
There was no choice. I had to adopt the role of the merciless lord.
Camilia kept up the pretense of anger, her eyes narrowing slightly as she spoke in a glacial tone.
“I have no interest in excuses. All of you are dismissed—save for the Commander and Nashu Shumel.”
I had expected the Vice-Commander to offer a word or two more, but instead, as though he had been waiting for precisely that command, he barked “Yes, ma’am!” and led the knights away.
The Training Grounds emptied in an instant.
Those who remained were Camilia, my colleague Netanel Fragma, Rohengreen Ashen, and Shusu.
Ah, and the maid Zehar Al Rashid had assigned to me was still present.
Glancing back, the maid stood holding a tray upon which sat a teapot and teacup, seemingly conjured from nowhere.
“Lord, shall I pour you some tea?”
My throat had grown parched, so I nodded lightly, and the maid gracefully poured and offered me a cup.
She had been holding the tray moments before, yet when I came to my senses, only the teacup remained in her hands.
It was lemon honey tea, steeped to the perfect warmth for drinking.
‘Where on earth did Zehar Al Rashid find such a maid?’
At this point, was she not less a professional maid and more a specialist among specialists?
I marveled at this as I sipped the tea, and my throat eased considerably.
With my voice now more at ease, I spoke.
“In three days’ time, we enter The Tower with this current group.”
The words carried a certain gravitas that belied the warmth lingering in my voice from the tea.
As expected, Nashu Shumel began trembling again, like a vibrating bell.
Rohengreen Ashen wore an expression of concern for the girl.
Yet rather than voice words of reassurance or ask for more time, he offered a brief bow of acknowledgment toward Camilia.
It meant she would follow unconditionally if the Lord wished it.
Netanel Fragma, on the other hand, showed little tension. Instead, she tilted her head with a curious question.
“With this many people… surely you’re not planning to enter The Tower yourself, are you?”
“I am.”
“But isn’t it dangerous for you to enter The Tower since you’re an administrator? The seal hasn’t even been broken, and it doesn’t seem particularly dangerous right now, so why would you go to The Tower…?”
‘Why go to The Tower.’
In the game, no one asked such questions.
Why?
The main scenario didn’t truly begin until The Tower’s seal had been broken roughly five times.
Why did the floors above the first one break in succession?
Because a scheming mastermind, determined to resurrect the First Lord, had drained all the magical power maintaining The Tower’s seal to cast their spell, leaving only an empty shell of a seal.
‘In the game, only the mastermind knew this truth.’
Even as the protagonist, the new Lord, suffered through hardship, they simply watched in silence.
As a result, while constantly dealing with The Tower’s repeatedly opening seal, it took quite some time before discovering the seal itself was fundamentally broken.
Only then did countermeasures develop, and serious leveling and exploration begin—a process that took a full six months.
‘As a transmigrator, how could I possibly tolerate such tedious developments and wasted time?’
In the game itself, clearing the Boss Room in advance allowed event skipping, so standing idle and merely watching in reality would be dereliction of duty.
But explaining the situation in tedious detail didn’t suit a transmigrator.
What was needed in moments like this?
“A bad premonition.”
“A premonition?”
“Did I not say it? There is nothing regarding The Tower that I do not know. My premonitions concerning The Tower have never been wrong.”
Pure bluffing, that’s what it was.
I didn’t really know, but something felt off.
If an ordinary person said such a thing, it would sound absurd, but when spoken by a Lord who had created The Tower and managed it for over a thousand years, it carried the weight of foresight.
Besides, Camilia possessed Charm 18, which granted bonus points to persuasion, coercion, and deception.
Even dubious words became convincing when delivered with a penetrating gaze.
“…Well, it’s true that magical matters are sometimes difficult to explain through logic alone.”
Perhaps the bluff had worked too well, for Netanel Fragma asked with a somewhat worried expression.
“You’re not saying we’ll need to use the Sanctuary repeatedly again, are you?”
“The possibility cannot be ruled out.”
“Please don’t say such frightening things.”
Netanel Fragma seemed displeased, as if the joke hadn’t registered as one.
Camilia smiled faintly and replied.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I merely wish to investigate just in case… and even if there were problems, there’s nothing urgent enough to require immediate action.”
It was true. As long as a floor’s seal didn’t break and monsters didn’t spill out beyond The Tower, we could accumulate quests and resolve them all at once.
To Netanel Fragma, it probably sounded like the Lord was hiding her true intentions.
“Somehow, the ominous premonition you felt seems to have reached me as well…?”
“You’re welcome to withdraw if you wish.”
The moment she took a step back, Netanel Fragma feigned startled surprise as if she hadn’t just retreated.
“No, when did I ever say I wouldn’t come? You’re quite old, sir—why are you always in such a rush?”
“The work I’ve entrusted to you must be pressing.”
“Even so, a true employee should always answer when their employer calls. That’s the mark of genuine service.”
Netanel Fragma clung to me with the obsequiousness of a sales representative whose livelihood depended on results.
Each additional venture into The Tower increased the odds of finding the sacred relic of the Golden Scales—that had to be her reasoning.
‘What is it about that blasted relic…’
Since it lay on the upper floors and I couldn’t locate it immediately, I’d planned to reveal it gradually. But seeing her desperation, I felt compelled to offer at least a hint.
‘First things first—the party.’
Now that recruitment was complete, I needed to establish the party configuration.
With a mere glance, I manipulated the system window and created the party.
Ding!
A cheerful chime accompanied the appearance of the party window.
[Party] (4/4)
Synergy: Bears (2+ characters with Strength 14 or higher – Strength checks gain +1 to dice rolls)
Camilia Lord
Level: 2
Class: Mind Sorcerer
Rohengreen Ashen
Level: 3
Class: Knight
Nashu Shumel
Level: 1
Class: Knight
Netanel Fragma
Level: 15
Class: Apostle of the Scales
Unlike my first party, a synergy had activated.
‘Oh, Bears. This is excellent.’
For lower-floor exploration where physical prowess mattered, it was a genuinely valuable synergy.
I rarely traveled with two characters possessing bear-level strength, so this bonus wouldn’t normally activate.
‘Bears, indeed…’
I glanced back at the knight and the prospective knight who’d granted me this synergy.
Neither bore much resemblance to an actual bear.
If I had to match them to animals, Rohengreen Ashen resembled a Samoyed, and Shusu resembled a capybara.
‘As for Netanel Fragma—a fox of certainty… ah, never mind.’
I cut off the wayward thought and dismissed the three of them.
The expedition would begin in three days.
Equipment preparation and coordination could wait until tomorrow.
For Nashu’s sake—she was visibly tense—it was better to let everyone attend to their own affairs for a day.
Besides, I had one very important matter of my own to attend to.
‘I had no choice but to go in with bare minimum equipment on Floor 1, but from Floor 2 onwards, I need to bring at least one piece of magical gear.’
In other words, it was time to gear up.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————