Volume 20 Chapter 1, Western Continent

Peach was visiting the 79th Floor village to confirm something.

The purpose was to confirm the lore of Succubus from Gizelle.

“A higher species of succubus?”

“Yes~. Anything, do you know any lore about it?”

At Peach’s question, Gizelle crossed his arms and pondered.

“Hmmm… I’ve never heard of it.”

“I see~. I was hoping there was something about it…”

Peach was downcast at Gizelle’s answer.

“I don’t know, but maybe the old lady knows something about it?”

“Old lady?”

The old lady they were referring to was the oldest living representative of Peach’s clan.

Gizelle’s knowledge only served to unite the clan, so when it came to folklore and stories, the old woman was the one to go to.

“I’m not very knowledgeable about fairy tales. If it’s that kind of story, the old lady should know more.”

“I understand. I’ll go there later.”

“Hmm.”

“By the way, how are things here?”

“Better than ever, I guess we’re fortunate to be under the protection of the Tower.”

Before they came to the Tower, they lived a life of hiding and running, and there were a few deaths as a result of their pressured lifestyle.

But after coming to the Tower, those deaths drastically decreased.

The number of deaths among those who were outside the Tower because of their duties was not exactly zero, but it was still a far cry from what it had been before they came to the Tower.

In addition, babies and children were less likely to die because of the stability of life here in the Tower.

Clearly, the clan’s future had taken a turn for the better after coming to the Tower.

“I see~. That’s good to hear. Kousuke-san won’t say anything if the clan doesn’t do anything behind his back, but please don’t take it for granted.”

“Of course not. I will not be so foolish as to give up the good fortune we have received.”

Even if they abandoned the path of living in the shadows, Kousuke would not abandon the succubus either.

However, they would not abandon the path of living in the shadows.

He knows that it was necessary for the Tower, so it was their way of returning the favor.

“Well, be that as it may… I overheard something just a few minutes ago…”

After hearing Gizelle’s report, Peach decided that she needed to tell Kousuke as soon as possible, so she returned to the Administration Floor.

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The training he had been doing for some time to suppress his divine power from leaking, was showing steady results, and then Peach told him about the story.

Of course, he knew that the information came from the Succubus clan, so Kousuke immediately went to the Fifth Floor to check it out.

According to Sylvia, in his current state, he would not be recognized as a living god unless they saw him directly, so he headed toward his destination with some caution.

Kousuke went to Alec’s place.

Kousuke rarely came to the government offices in the first place, so he did not have a direct channel to Alec.

In the past, when due to the commotion Kouhi caused, Kousuke was able to directly go to Alec because there was a high-ranking official guiding him.

However, when there was no such person, it was not that easy to meet Alec in person.

“We cannot allow you to meet with someone without an appointment. Please withdraw.”

At the reception desk, Kousuke was politely refused.

“Just as I thought…”

This was related to the matter of him not coming to the Fifth Floor at all.

When he reflected on it, there were only a few people in the Fifth Floor who knew Kousuke’s face.

The only time he showed his face on a large scale was during the inauguration ceremony of the temple, so his face was not that well known.

Kousuke could not complain about the receptionist’s treatment of him, since some people intentionally try to side-step normal procedures.

He pretended not to notice that Kouhi, who came with him as a matter of course, looked somewhat uncomfortable.

There was no place in the Crown headquarters where one could go without a Crown Card.

There were security personnel on duty, but as long as the card was verified, one could basically go through.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to travel to and from the transition gate, likewise, to and from the Administration Floor. It was a system they adopted from the very beginning.

Since Wahid’s place was very close by, they quickly went to Wahid’s place.

Wahid widened his eyes at Kousuke’s sudden visit, but as soon as he heard what was going on, he agreed to accompany him to the executive branch.

With Wahid there, there was no one to stop them at the government office’s reception desk, and this time, they were immediately let through to Alec’s place.

The receptionist was shocked when she saw that Kousuke, who she refused entry to before, suddenly dragged Wahid, the highest authority in the Fifth Floor, with him.

Having brought Wahid with him, Alec soon entered the room, which Kousuke and the others were seated in.

“Oh. How unusual. You came too?”

Alec said as he saw Kousuke’s face.

“Yes. I was going to come without Wahid at first, but the receptionist stopped me.”

Kousuke laughed and said so, and Alec chuckled.

“Come on, why not install an authentication system over here as well?”

The Crown Card was already the best form of identification.

The authentication system that instantly identified the card itself was the best in the world in terms of security.

The reason why the government was not implementing the authentication system was because they didn’t want to be dependent on Crown, which was an external organization without anything to tie them down.

“Let’s talk about that another time. For now, please, let’s hear what Kousuke-sama is here for.”

Wahid, prompted by the conversation, urged Kousuke to speak.

“Alec, I’m sure you’ve already caught wind of the story, but what’s going on in the western continent?”

At Kousuke’s question, Alec stopped moving.

“…Where did you hear about that?”

“Well, I guess, it’s because of them.”

Alec knew that Kousuke, rather than Tower, employed a clan that acted within the shadows.

It was only natural that Alec would know, since he was also getting some of his information from them. Yet, only a minimal number of people knew about their presence in the Tower.

“I see… No, it was only a few moments ago that I received that information.”

Alec paused and immediately began telling his story.

“I have received information from a city in the west. That a certain kingdom on the Western Continent is moving to send troops toward us.”

It was the kingdom closest to the western city on the Central continent called the Kingdom of Column. It was originally a nation built on trade with the Central Continent, more specifically, western cities of the Central Continent.

Therefore, there was a part of the kingdom that looked at the current situation of Crown’s domination of the Central Continent with bitterness.

It was not surprising that the situation would come to this point. Thus, for Alec, it was just something that was finally happening.

“Hmmm… So? What about the western city?”

“They seemed to have been able to avoid a war so far, but this time, it will be impossible. Also, they have finally made the decision to join our side.”

Normally, it would be ideal for the city to remain as an independent city as it had been until now, but the Column Kingdom’s movements made it impossible for things to remain as status quo.

The Column Kingdom’s objective was clear. They wanted the city to clarify which side they were on.

The army that overtly showed its movements was not seriously trying to invade, this time at least. It was only just for show. It could be said that they were just bluffing to show their resolve. However, that bluff turned out to be crucial in a situation like this.

As a result, the western city was forced to decide, so it could be said that the Kingdom of Column achieved its goal to some extent, no matter what the outcome was.

“On our side… Does that mean we can use that?”

Alec tilted his head at Kousuke’s words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t I tell you about the functions of the Tower before?”

“…. Are you really going to use that?”

“I thought it would be a good idea to show it as an example for the first time.”

At Kousuke’s words, Alec crossed his arms for a while and thought about it.

“As long as they are willing to work with us, with the Tower, we have no objection to that. I’ll make my move based on that assumption, would that be okay?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s fine. Kindly notify me once you have more details.”

” Okay, I’ll get right on it. I will make arrangements immediately.”

Alec nodded in agreement, and Kousuke stood up as if to say that this was the end of the discussion.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the fate of the Central Continent was decided at this time, but Kousuke and the others were not conscious of it..