87 The Champion Tower
He still wasn’t a fan of breaking-and-entering, but it at least seemed devoid of ask as the garden looked empty, and Reno definitely knew her way around.
Once again presenting the movement abilities not unlike a monkey, Reno hopped down, grabbing onto the branches of one of the old, tall-standing trees before hopping to the garden floor.
“C’mon!” Reno called out to him from below with a smile.
He breathed in before nodding, jumping down and landing with a calm wind guiding him to the paved trail.
It was definitely a change of pace from the rest of the city; the secluded garden felt like a place straight out of a fairy tale. The cityscape couldn’t be seen as trees and hedges lined the gates like a veil of tranquility; the pale, but lively leaves of a verdant complexion were softly tugged at by the passing breeze.
“Whatcha think? Pretty nice, ain’t it?”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
There weren’t many words that he could provide as he was still awestruck by the environment around him–the smell of the flourishing flowers was carried by the soft winds, and the sight of the Champion Tower accentuated the beautiful view before him.
“It’s the complete opposite of the slums, ain’t it?” Reno asked.
“–” He didn’t answer.
Reno nudged him, “C’mon, don’t think I’m in love with the slums or anythin’. A rich place like this is what they want to keep from people like me. I say: screw that! I wanna experience it, too, yeah?”
“Sure…It really is beautiful, though. Are you sure nobody is here?” He asked.
“No,” Reno answered.
“No?!”
Reno chuckled, “Relax! I’ve been here a handful of times–it’s not a very bustlin’ place, ya know? Not much to do here but look, and people are busy!”
“True,” he sighed.
Walking along the stone-paved trail, which was neighbored by the perfect garden of vibrant grass and swaying flowers, he followed Reno towards the famous structure that sat in the center of the hidden garden.
It was an immaculate structure; sculptures of heroes protruded from the building as if protecting it, surrounding its black-steel and golden decorated form in a glorious fashion.
“–” He looked up at the tower, “What is the ‘Champion Tower’, anyway?”
Reno answered, “It’s really famous in Elsia. It’d be the main attraction, but the stupid founders wanted to keep this exclusive!…It’s a holy ground for heroes.”
“Huh?”
“It’s for the heroes of Milligarde! Ya know, to appreciate them and stuff!” Reno huffed, “A lot of adventurers usually come here to pray to these heroes for strength or whatever–I don’t really care about that stuff, though.”
For a moment, he stopped and took in the view of the flower beds that inhabited the garden; the scent of the flowers filled his nose wonderfully as he inhaled then exhaled with a smile.
It was something he never took for granted, something that most people did: simply being able to painlessly enjoy the outside world.
“C’mon!” Reno ushered him.
“Yeah, coming–” he replied.
Following the blonde-haired girl once more, the two of them found themselves in front of the Champion Tower. Up close, it felt taller than ever, looming over like a mighty pillar that stood beneath only the clouds.
“…Have you actually gone in before?” He asked.
Reno slowly shook her head, “Tried, but it’s always locked.”
While he definitely wanted to see the interior of the famous structure dedicated to the heroes of Milligarde, he was also satisfied not diving deeper into breaking the law by entering such a sacred place.
“Alright, well, maybe we should head out–”
Just as he said that, beginning to turn around, he heard the sound of the tall, obsidian door clicking. He looked to see that Reno had already grabbed the handle, turning it as the door actually opened.
“Huh?” He let out.
“It’s unlocked…?” Reno said quietly.
It seemed like even the daring girl was feeling intimidated by this sudden turnaround as she slowly opened the door to the immaculate structure of heroes.
“–” He watched.
Reno glanced back at him with a look in her sapphire eyes that basically said “Are ya comin’ with, or not?”
Should I go in with her…? It’s dangerous, right? Ahh! I came this far, right?! I might as well! He thought.
He begrudgingly decided to follow her into the entrance to the Champion Tower, instantly finding himself in a room unlike any other.
There were many weapons engraved into the walls of the tower, inlaid like jewels into a necklace; they were all legendary in their own right, with the insignia and names of those the weapons belonged to inscribed by them.
[Gared, The Mighty]
Positioned by that name was a massive greatsword, forged of a silver-and-gold steel with a handle dressed in jewels.
[Ezekial, The Radiant]
By that name was a normal sized blade, though it possessed an all-gold handle that was sculptured with the design of angel wings on its hilt.
[Rosemary, The Scarlet]
A two-bladed sword of red steel sat on the wall beside that name, possessing a blood-like appearance.
Woah, he thought.
There were candles lined along the walls, which struck him as odd, seeing as it should be empty, but he only noticed something that confirmed this as he realized Reno was frozen in front of him.
“What’s up?” He asked.
As he stood beside her, he finally noticed what it was that made the girl stand there like a statue: the tower wasn’t empty inside–they were not its only visitors.
Sitting in the room, in front of a shrine of swords that sat at the end of the illustrious chamber, there was a man dressed in an all-white uniform, bearing a scabbard on his back that bore the design of a dragon wing.
The uniform he wore consisted of a coat, pants, and a vest underneath; it resembled something akin to a military uniform, but almost divine in a sense.
He had snow-white hair, though his features couldn’t be seen as he faced away from them, praying to the shrine of blades.
“–” He was silent.
There was an imposing aura that naturally exuded from the man; something inexplicable, yet inspired reverence.
What is this? Is this his natural mana signature…? It’s so dense, but so light…? Who is this person? He thought.