We… We won?

Leon, looking down at the body of Serion, said in disbelief.

…Yeah.

Adris responded, just as surprised as him.

We won… We won… WE WON! HAHAHAHAHA!

Leon, as if mad, started to laugh out loud.

Hahahaha…

Adris accompanied him in his laugh, sounding a bit forced.

Hehe…

Sylfina, timid, laughed a bit too.

… …

Reed and Anna both stayed silent.

Oh yeah, I guess we should thank you, huh?

Leon said, coming towards Reed. Reed looked over at him, and said:

…No need. Don’t be like that! Come on, tell me, what’s your name? …Reed.

Reed tried to answer Leon, but he was feeling gloomy after what Serion said as he died.

It was no surprise. That was the first time he had recognized him as his son. And it was right as he died to his son’s hands.

Reed? because of your eyes? That reminds me, what happened to yours back then? …My eyes? Did something happen to them? Yeah, they got those vertical slits during those last moments of the fight, and then you got really strong. …Really? I didn’t know…

Mystified by this discovery, Reed tried to come up with an explanation, but came out empty handed. Leon didn’t seem to worry too much about it, as he said:

Anyways, defeating the demon lord is a great achievement! I’m sure if we tell the king, he’ll come up with some kind of reward for you! Who knows, you might even get a piece of land for your achievements! …Rewards, huh.

Reed didn’t think he would get anything out of defeating Serion, or the “demon lord” as they call him, but he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to get a reward like that.

He didn’t want big amounts of money bad enough that he was going to ask for it, but he sure needed to get someplace to live in. not only that, but he also wanted to get somewhere where his wolves could live in tranquility.

He thought about it, and reached a… weird conclusion. Reed was never very normal.

Then, I have two things to ask for. Please, do say it.

Leon looked expectantly at Reed, only to be stupefied by his answer:

First, I want this tower. Second, I want someone to deliver food here periodically. Wha…?!

Reed had a few motives behind his decision. He was sure that if he lived here, close to the forest, he could take care of his wolves. He also wanted to get permission to explore the entirety of this tower, because, considering the cape he found on the second floor, there was bound to be many powerful artifacts around.

More importantly, he wanted to check if his father had left any research or diaries behind. He was sure that after he got out of this tower, the king would claim the tower as his own, not only as an achievement, but also to research anything hi father left behind.

At least, those were the assumptions Reed had made, considering the way Leon’s group introduced themselves as heroes, and the way they reacted upon winning. Still, Reed wasn’t sure his achievement was big enough to get this entire tower and its mysteries all to himself.

…That’s impossible. The magic confederation and their research team will want this tower at all costs.

Unexpectedly the one to answer wasn’t Leon, but Anna.

Reed didn’t know what the “magic confederation” was, but he thought it might have been a team of people bound on researching magic, he guessed. He already expected something like this to happen though, so he had a response ready:

Then, send someone from the magic confederation over to research whatever it is they need to research. I am not opposed to it. …In that case, I think an arrangement could be made… hum…

Anna, seemingly deep in thought, took awhile to answer, but eventually she said:

…Alright. I’ll be staying here as well. “What!?”

This time, the entirety of Leon’s team got surprised. Leon asked:

But Anna, why? …If I stay here, I can make sure Reed doesn’t do anything to any valuable research material, all while I myself research them. Also, I heard this tower was built with multiple chambers in it, so there’s no problem.

Leon seemed shocked speechless, so Adris stepped forward:

What if the king doesn’t agree? Have you thought of that? …I think he will agree. Why? …Defeating the demon lord is a great achievement, on pair with defeating a dragon, which is considered a natura disaster. But also, with two people who helped subjugate the demon lord over here, there would be no need to send people to keep this tower secure while it’s being researched by the confederation. You do know the King doesn’t want to get on the confederation’s bad side, don’t you?

Anna started to talk in long sentences, seemingly out of character for her. Afterwards, Leon and Adris had nothing more to say, so they backed off, with Sylfina looking concerned from the side.

Alright then, if you are gonna say that much, then we have no choice but to leave you be; we’re going to talk to the king, but don’t expect much, and be prepared to leave at any moment, okay? …Alright. …Fine.

Said both Reed and Anna, both making bored faces.

With that, Leon and his group minus Anna went out, and Reed and Anna were left alone at the tower.

…Do you any idea where the bedrooms are? You did say you heard there were multiple chambers… …Sorry, I lied. I have no idea whether there are any bedrooms at all… …Great.

And so, Reed and Anna’s life at the tower started (for now, at least).