Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

The prelude to the visit occurred less than 30 seconds after the communication was abruptly cut off.

“Step back; it could be dangerous!”

In the center of the office, a fierce blaze flared up in the empty air.

Whoosh!

The crimson flames, which seemed ready to consume someone, roared violently before settling into a humanoid shape, revealing their true form.

“This is the sole duke of the Empire, the Tower Lord of the Labyrinth City.”

His platinum hair, slicked back, bore a striking resemblance to Scarlett’s.
Beneath his cold blue eyes were deep, dark circles, perhaps from some recent trouble.
His sharp jawline and well-groomed beard contrasted with his gaunt features, making his appearance even more prominent.

“Scarlett inherited her hair color from her father and her eye color from her mother. As for her beauty… both sides, no doubt.”

As I took in Conrad’s appearance, it was clear there were several resemblances to Scarlett beyond the ones already mentioned. His imposing presence in a red coat adorned with golden epaulets radiated authority, and the flames dancing around him conveyed a savage intensity.

In summary, he was a tall, commanding man with an air of danger that made it hard to approach him.

Conrad spoke in a calm, subdued tone.

“Gardan, apologies for dropping by unannounced. I need a moment.”

“No need for apologies. After all, this isn’t exactly rare, is it?”

“Hmm… I can’t argue with that.”

Conrad raised an eyebrow at Gardan’s cheeky reply.

As the two conversed, I listened while a surge of curiosity welled within me.

‘I could check Gardan’s status without any issue… Should I try it here?’

The Tower Lord of one of the core institutions of the Labyrinth City.
It was safe to assume he was among the top ten strongest individuals in the city.

Though I knew it wasn’t wise to act rashly when Conrad’s stance toward me—whether friendly, hostile, or neutral—was unclear, an odd sense of intuition urged me to try.

‘He’s not someone I’ll deal with only today. If it works, I’ll gain valuable intel on a critical figure. If it fails or he notices, I’ll just apologize immediately.’

Confident that I had Evelin as a backup if things went south, I judged the risk to be worth the potential reward.

I focused on Conrad and activated the ability to open his status screen.

‘It worked!’

Just as I was thrilled at the success of the status read, most of the text began distorting, becoming unreadable. To make matters worse—

────

[Conrad Ennis]
[Magic Power: S]
[Attributes] (Collapse)

• Lord of Infernal Flames
•
• Scorching Hell
•
• Incineration
⋯
•
────

[The attribute Lord of Infernal Flames incinerates unauthorized information.]

In mere seconds, the entire display burned away.

Of the little I managed to glimpse, the key takeaways were that his magic power was ranked S and that he possessed formidable attributes with ominous names.

…For someone not directly blessed by a god or granted a high-level divine authority, nullifying my ability so effectively was extraordinary.

Despite the significant insight, I now had to brace for the fallout of my attempt.

Conrad, mid-conversation with Gardarn, abruptly turned to face me.

His calm, cold gaze locked onto me.

“How interesting… A rather amusing trick you’ve pulled. Now I understand why someone who lived as an empty shell has suddenly changed overnight.”

His lips twitched in a way that made it hard to tell whether he was amused or angry.

“If you don’t want those prized eyes of yours to burn, you’d best stop there, boy.”

“…I apologize. My lack of control over my abilities led me to overstep.”

“Ha! Lack of control, overstep, you say?”

Conrad chuckled briefly.

“This anomaly is intriguing, to say the least. Whether you were chosen by some transcendent being or born with talents destined to reach the heavens, I don’t particularly care.”

“…”

“I only came down because my puppet of a daughter defied me for the first time in her life, claiming she’s madly in love. I wanted to see for myself.”

She defied him for the first time? And madly in love with what?

Scarlett… What exactly are you doing up there?

What am I missing? What plans are hidden in your mind?

I was consumed with curiosity and confusion about the events between this father and daughter, but I maintained my silence and showed no outward reaction.

‘At least he seems to be letting the status-reading incident slide.’

As I steadied my nerves, Conrad, his tone now calm and composed, addressed me.

“What do you think of Scarlett?”

The question came out of nowhere, catching me off guard.

I scrambled to think of an appropriate response before deciding to speak honestly.

“At first, I was furious at her reckless actions, but after learning more about her circumstances, I found her pitiable and tragic.”

Even now, I vividly recall my first act of killing in this world—
The chilling sensation of my blade piercing Scarlett’s heart, traveling up to my hand.
And the contradictory act of wiping her tears and stroking her hair just before she died.

“Pitiable and… tragic, you say.”

Conrad wore a complex expression upon hearing my answer before making a proposal.

“Interesting. I’ve learned more than enough, so I have no further business here. But before I leave, tell me one thing you desire.”

“Something I desire…?”

I couldn’t grasp his intention, but it felt like a test.

Asking for simple material things like money or equipment clearly wouldn’t be the right answer.

“What I wish for… is only this: that my companion Lumia be allowed access to the Tower and her studies proceed without issue.”

“Lumia? Hmm.”

“Ahren, please wait a moment. I, the issuer of the entry permit, will explain myself.”

Gardan, giving me a glance, turned his head and muttered something under his breath. From the lack of sound, it seemed like he had cast some sort of silent magic.

“So that’s how it is. Understood.”

Conrad, who had closed his eyes and opened them again, asked me.

“To summarize, are you asking me to take responsibility for all the damage caused inside the tower by your companion Arrar, breaking the tower’s rules in the process?”

“It doesn’t matter how it’s done. I just don’t want Lumia to be stigmatized and discriminated against after entering legitimately because of the curse.”

I didn’t think it was Lumia’s fault that her life was ruined and she brought misfortune to those around her, but public opinion was different. Most people treated her like a plague, oblivious to her circumstances, merely seeing the nuisance she caused.

“Of course, I know this is an unreasonable request.”

But since the purification of the curse was in progress, I hoped that the fact that the damage was significantly reduced would be taken into consideration.

After hearing everything, Conrad crossed his arms and seemed to ponder for a moment before he spoke.

“Fine. If you were expecting something beyond your reach, I would have been greatly disappointed, but you’ve shown some restraint.”

Snap!

As Conrad snapped his fingers, a ring on his left pinky finger suddenly turned a bright red.

Given the position, it looked like a wedding ring… but was it an item?

Flame.

Then, a large ring of flame appeared in the air, forming only the upper body.

‘It’s a personal space.’

It was very similar to when Evelyn showed me the Judgment Storm, summoning her own personal space.

“Take this. When you and your companion enter the tower, wear it, and if any problems arise, just mention my name.”

This… clothing?

“Feel free to figure out the details on your own. I would like you to leave now. I have an important matter to discuss with Gardan.”

Before I could even examine the clothes Conrad handed me, I was kicked out of the office.

‘He said it’s just for a moment, so I guess I’ll wait by the door.’

I decided to check out the clothes Conrad had given me.

.

.

.

A heavy silence.

In the place where Ahren had left, an eerie stillness settled.

Gardan suddenly let out a long sigh.

“Ha… So, is this enough? What do you think of him, Lord Tower Master?”

“It was interesting in many ways. But it’s still too soon to make any hasty judgments after just one meeting.”

“Hah, you seem to be in a good mood, despite what you say.”

Gardan, despite claiming he could fool other elders, said he could never be deceived by his own eyes.

“It’s an illusion. More importantly, Elder, you seem to have a lot of questions for me.”

“I was wondering… earlier, when you mentioned rebellion, what did you mean when you said Scarlett has gone mad?”

“Hah, she completely lost it while I was away. Apparently, the only thing keeping her alive now is that guy who just left. How dare he, without knowing his place, throw such things in my face?”

“…I’ve been too curious. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Despite Gardan’s discomfort, Conrad muttered, suppressing his boiling emotions.

“I still hate her, and I despise her. But…”

Like the saying that one realizes the importance of something only after losing it, Conrad deeply hated Scarlett, who had caused the death of his wife, burning her from the inside out.

But at the same time, he was deeply confused by the fact that his wife’s biggest traits seemed to have passed on to his daughter.

“I never imagined that Celia’s bloodline would leave more than just those pink eyes.”

Thinking that his wife, who passed away at a young age, had watched from the heavens as her daughter was ruthlessly treated… He couldn’t help but wonder if, by mistreating her, he was effectively killing her twice.

Thus, Conrad was caught in deep conflict and self-reflection.

“If I continue to suppress her, it will only push her further down the wrong path. I know that better than anyone.”

Conrad muttered that a person who was mad could always recognize another of their kind.

“Then.”

“That mad woman manifested the ‘Flaming Hell’ bloodline trait of Celia. She had been hiding it all this time, and it was quite a surprise.”

“…Isn’t Scarlett the only one to have activated two flame-related bloodline traits consecutively in her generation?!”

“At least as far as I know, yes. I thought the White Flame activation would be the end of it.”

Conrad’s eyes gleamed as he continued.

“When you can’t control the reins of a mutant, you must change your approach. For now, we will continue her education in the top floor, but in other matters, it would be best to loosen the reins.”

Gardan, who had bowed his head as solid as rock, replied confidently.

“In that case, unless she requests something or wants something big, I will leave her be until she speaks up.”

“Should she request something or demand something big, I’ll deal with it myself. Report immediately.”

Conrad looked up at the ceiling and spoke with his eyes closed.

“This is my late self-satisfaction for Celia, not because I like that hateful girl. Remember that.”

“Of course. I’ve known you since you were young, Tower Master, so I’m not unaware of that. Don’t worry about it.”

“…I’ll be going now.”

Flame.

Conrad’s whole body suddenly ignited and disappeared without a trace.

Gardan, who stared at the spot where Conrad had disappeared, clicked his tongue and spoke.

“The chain of hatred doesn’t seem to break even after many years… what a pity.”

Tsk.

“It’s not something to blame the child for. Anyway, Conrad… he’s excellent as a noble and magician, but as a father, he’s hopeless. He never listens, so it’s best to act when he’s around.”

Gardan shook his head.

“Well, at least it seems to be turning out for the better. It’s been a while since something interesting came up.”

Gardan shook the bag containing the fragment of Kresdozer that he had received from Aren.

“Scarlett got so upset when she ratted out the truth about the White Flame to her father and ruined everything. I had been pretending to be nice to Ahren on purpose.”

Then, out of nowhere, Conrad came and shook things up.

“Seems like one wrong move in socializing can make you suffer from both sides… It’s so tiring.”

Gardan sighed deeply, wishing he had focused on his own duties like the other elders.