I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 87. Why Are You Coming Out of There?
After clearing Floor 8 without incident, alarms erupted in a cacophony of notifications, but only one held any real significance.
[Territory Reputation has decreased by 3.]
My mouth turned bitter involuntarily.
‘Has the positive rumor effect already worn off? Or is it because of consecutive clears?’
Up through Floor 7, the reputation had at least been climbing steadily, but now it was plummeting.
To verify, I tapped the details button.
[Territory Reputation Log]
Usurers spread malicious rumors about the Lord! -10
City policies are excellent +1
Lord performs re-sealing +2
City aesthetics improve +1
Mayor executes stone-throwing festival (small-scale celebration) +3
My eyebrows shot upward.
The Territory reputation had dropped not because of monsters pouring out of The Tower, but because of the Usurers?
‘These bastards?’
Fury surged through me in an instant.
They weren’t content with squeezing my precious citizens with loans at 600% annual interest—they dared to slash ten points from the small, precious Territory reputation I’d painstakingly accumulated by pouring out gold?
I needed to check immediately whether they’d been caught spreading rumors and subdued, or if they’d lost their minds even after tasting the stone-throwing festival and caused more trouble.
The moment I boarded the carriage Zehar had sent ahead, I declared my destination.
“To City Hall.”
“…Pardon? Not to the Castle?”
Netanel Fragma, who had climbed aboard with me, expressed confusion, but instead of answering, I tapped the carriage wall lightly.
The coachman, not daring to refuse the Lord’s command, urged the horses toward City Hall instead of the Castle.
Unable to return to the Castle ahead of me, Rohengreen Ashen followed for reasons I didn’t fully understand, and Solandir ended up accompanying us as well.
Rohengreen Ashen, recognizing our direction and guessing our destination, sent a swift guard ahead to announce our arrival.
Thanks to his foresight, Noma and the key administrators were able to receive me without panic despite the sudden visit.
Escorted by the Knight Commander, I descended from the carriage and got straight to the point.
“How is the matter of the Usurers being handled?”
Noma straightened involuntarily, tensing her back.
Though she ordinarily carried an aura of intimidation like a head ornament, today was on another level entirely. The pressure was so suffocating it made breathing difficult.
Yet I couldn’t keep the Lord waiting. Noma answered swiftly.
“I have processed it as you instructed, my Lord. The moment the bank establishment announcement was made, those of poor quality were immediately arrested, subjected to the stone-throwing festival, and sent to prison. Those with lesser offenses had their operations suspended and were advised to settle their affairs.”
My brow furrowed slightly.
“I see. You seem to be unaware of something.”
“Pardon?”
She wanted to ask what I meant, but she was too late. Having finished speaking, I boarded the carriage and departed immediately.
The Knight Commander left behind bowed to Noma on my behalf.
“You’ve worked hard, Mayor. It appears the Lord is heading directly to the Guard Prison.”
“The Guard Prison? But why…”
In that instant, Noma’s transcendent intuition flared to life. She hurried after the Knight Commander as he mounted his horse, pressing him with a question.
“Has something happened involving the Usurers?”
Rohengreen answered with an impassive expression.
“I’m not entirely certain, but Lord Camilia has determined that something is amiss….”
Noma cut off his words without hesitation.
“So something has definitely occurred.”
When Lord Camilia pointed out an irregularity or ordered an investigation, it was a hundred percent certainty that an incident had transpired.
Just as she had naturally discerned the emergence of the Plague Lord, Lord Camilia’s intuition regarding her Territory had never once proven wrong.
Something was unfolding beneath the surface that she knew nothing of.
The moment Rohengreen departed in pursuit of the carriage, Noma issued orders to the Priests standing beside her.
“Gather the Information Department. We need to find out what’s happening.”
“It’s Lord Camilia! Lord Camilia is arriving!”
“What are you saying? Why would Lord Camilia come here…? Ahhhhhhh!?”
Since Rohengreen had no chance to deliver the message, the Guard Prison descended into chaos the moment Camilia arrived.
Had the Warden been in his right mind, he might have maintained some semblance of order, but the instant he saw Camilia descend from the carriage, he lost consciousness.
The Deputy Warden fared little better. He remained standing, but his mind had half-fled his body.
“Y-Your Lordship, welcome. W-what brings you h-here….”
‘Even Nashu Shumel doesn’t stammer this severely.’
He trembled like a vibrating bell, pitiful to witness, yet duty remained duty.
“Where are the Usurers?”
“Ah, they’re inside! The ones trying to escape—no, that’s not it—those, well, there are many of them, so we’ve locked them in a heavily guarded separate location.”
“Show me the way.”
“Yes, yes! To the prison at once…!”
“Wait a moment.”
Rohengreen stopped the Deputy Warden and turned to face Camilia, his gaze asking whether he should handle the matter.
Seeing that the situation was indeed chaotic and required organization, Camilia nodded her approval.
Having received her permission, Rohengreen issued instructions in a measured tone.
“Send someone to bring the Guard Captain here. Prepare the Office to receive Lord Camilia properly, and have the prisoners stand ready to be called into the Interrogation Room in order.”
Whether his mind had cleared upon receiving the sequence of tasks, or whether he was simply assenting out of fear of Camilia, the Deputy Warden nodded earnestly.
After issuing orders to his subordinates, he hastily guided Camilia to the Office.
Rohengreen, watching Camilia settle into a chair that was modest but serviceable, carefully opened his mouth.
“The prison administrators are not particularly skilled, but they are diligent. Those with keen judgment have been assigned to the Guard Corps for the sake of maintaining order….”
Rohengreen continued to offer excuses on behalf of the prison guards.
Camilia understood well enough why he was offering such elaborate justifications, so she answered curtly to reassure him.
“The previous Mayor was not dismissed for incompetence, but for deceiving me.”
It meant she would not dismiss anyone unless they committed a major transgression.
Understanding her meaning clearly, Rohengreen’s ears flushed red.
“I apologize for soiling your ears with such words.”
“Enough. How can I fault you for my own lack of trust?”
“Lord Camilia, that’s not it. It’s not like that….”
Netanel, who had followed her in, tapped the stammering Rohengreen Ashen on the shoulder to cut him off. Then he cast a meaningful glance toward Camilia.
“My Lord, you really are something. You glare at me not to mock others, yet here you are putting this young man in an awkward position. Why is that?”
Camilia answered with a soft laugh instead of words—an admission that it had been a jest.
Only then did some of the tension drain from Rohengreen Ashen’s shoulders.
Netanel Fragma patted his shoulder exaggeratedly and spoke again.
“Oh right, the World Tree Guardian is waiting outside. Apparently, this place has too much metal, so they find it uncomfortable to enter.”
“They’re welcome to leave early.”
“My Lord, you look visibly displeased. What’s wrong? Has something serious happened, like with the Plague Lord before?”
“…It’s not critical, but it’s a problem that needs swift resolution.”
One might think I was overreacting to a mere ten-point drop in Territory reputation, but my instincts—honed by countless cycles—were sounding an alarm.
When monsters poured out of the Tower, reputation only dropped by three points each time. A sudden ten-point plunge was decidedly abnormal.
And the fact that mere Usurers had orchestrated it made even less sense.
The Dark Tower was a game that punished complacency—ignore something suspicious, and it would inevitably come back to bite you.
If something felt off, I had to investigate immediately.
‘There’s something here.’
Even if there wasn’t, I’d interrogate them thoroughly. But if there was, I’d be even more thorough.
With that resolve, I suppressed my mounting unease and waited until the interrogation preparations were finally complete.
Camilia entered the Interrogation Room with her mind-reading ability activated, moving with absolute confidence.
I had prepared myself for a lengthy session, but remarkably, the moment I encountered the Usurer, I discovered what that ‘something’ was.
【Damn it. If the connection to the Fallum Empire gets exposed…!?】
It was somewhat absurd, to say the least.
‘Wait… Why does the Fallum Empire appear here?’

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