Ascending the Five Towers
Vol. 1 - Ch. 5 - A Challenger's True Strength

"You like to sit facing one another, huh." Leo remarked.

"I never know what you'd do to me if I sat next to you." Ash replied.

"It seems I've flopped my first impression then."

Leo said, but despite calling it a failure, he didn't appear depressed at all.

Rather, he was smiling.

Ash couldn't fathom what he was thinking.

A Milma brought their order, saying, "I've brought your order. Here is the Walnut Juice and ale."

Ash stared at the white juice in front of him and then at the bubbling yellow beverage in the background.

"The sun hasn't even set yet. Aren't you starting way too early?" he remarked.

"Everyone's desperately climbing the towers right now. Which in turn makes it the perfect time for a drink. Ahhh... This is the best. Now this is what being alive is like." Leo said, promptly drinking his ale, which left him with a fine white mustache.

Contrary to his rough speech, he didn't seem all too bad.

"You're a cool guy, Leo." Ash said, sipping his Walnut Juice.

Because Uru had praised the Walnut Jelly so much, Ash had gotten curious and ended up ordering the Walnut Juice. However, it was too sweet for his tastes.

And it had some small piece inside of it which released sweet juices when he chewed them.

It was an unusual drink but not unpleasant.

However, it would be better if he viewed it as a dessert rather than a drink from now on.

With this in mind, he put down his glass, which is when Leo spoke to him.

"So, why did you come here?" Leo asked.

"Isn't that obvious. There's only one thing to do here."

Leo wiped his white beard and responded calmly, "So you're aiming for the top too?"

"What else is there?" Ash responded with a question.

"You're right, but still, everyone has different goals and wishes they want fulfilled."

Leo was referring to the wishes that one could have granted upon completing the God's Challenge. Ash swallowed the remaining pieces in his drink and spoke,

"Wish huh... I haven't thought about it."

"So it's a secret?"

"No. I'm just here to test my strength."

"You're a young man alright. I have to say, I quite like that."

Leo nodded in admiration and took another sip of ale, which was already more than half gone.

"And you're an old man alright."

"Hey, that's rude. I often get told that I look quite young, you know!" Leo commented.

His face appeared ageless and could easily deceive anyone who approached him about his true age.

"That aside. Are you thinking about it? The wish you'll ask of the gods?"

"Actually, I'm just like you, Ash. I don't really care about the wish. I came to Dural Island for a fresh start."

"And your fresh start involves chasing after men's asses? You sure that's okay?"

"I do find it regrettable, but it's one of the pillars of who I am. It's a part that can't change."

After this light-hearted exchange, Leo gazed into the distance as if reminiscing about the past.

"A lot of things happened in my past. I came here to run away." he admitted, forcing a stiff smile.

It became evident that the situation was more complex than initially assumed.

"Do you regret it?" Ash asked.

"No. I grew to understand that it all happened for a reason. And this place is quite pleasant to live in, so it all turned out well."

"Haha, I knew you and I could become best friends." Ash remarked, refraining from prying further.

Perhaps because he had glimpsed at Leo's human side, Ash didn't reject this so-called best friend, as much as when they first met.

"Oh, but don't get me wrong, people like me are only a small handful. Everyone who comes here is really committed to climbing the towers."

"And yet none of the towers have been ascended."

At that moment, the air around them shifted.

Not realizing this Ash continued, "Are they really doing their best?"

"You're right about saying that Ash, but you should've picked the right place to say it." Leo replied, his expression unchanged.

Simultaneously, half of the table, including the Walnut Juice, was cast in shadow.

"Hey, brat! Who do you think you are, looking down on us like that?!"

A deep, gruff voice came from right behind Ash.

Startled, Ash stood up and turned around to find a large man wearing a bandana standing behind him.

The man exuded an aura of roughness.

He was glaring at Ash, his anger about to explode.

The corners of Ash's mouth lifted up slightly and he spoke, "Judging by how angry you are, I must've hit the mark."

"You know nothing, you damn rookie!"

The big man unleashed his fist, swinging it mercilessly.

His fist was as substantial as his massive frame, making him a formidable presence.

Ash didn't back down; instead, he caught the big man's fist with his right palm.

The tremendous impact almost sent his arm flying, but Ash gritted his teeth and stood his ground.

As Ash felt the wind of the impact on his face, the man drew his face closer.

"It seems you aren't here on a field trip," he said.

"Does that mean that you're here on one?"

The two men glared at one another aggressively, their bodies trembling.

"That just now was nothing more than a greeting."

The big man mumbled as he pulled his fist back and prepared to strike again.

"This one's going to be serious!"

"Stop right there!"

A voice echoed. Although it was quiet, it easily cut through the air.

Immediately afterward, the big man's fist froze in place.

The voice belonged to a Milma who was standing nearby. 

She appeared to be one of the workers in the establishment.

She was dressed like the other wait staff with a headdress and a blue maid outfit.

"This is a place where one comes to eat, not pick a fight. Any more and I will get angry."

She warned, raising her shapely eyebrows.

Her presence was nothing to scoff at.

The large man clicked his tongue, saying,

"You should thank the Milma."

After which he departed while still keeping his guard up.

Ash couldn't help but wonder if the big man was genuinely afraid of the Milma.

Meanwhile, the Milma let out a sigh and approached Leo.

"Sir Leo, does trouble follow you wherever you go?"

"No. I never imagined that something like this would happen."

"I wonder about that." she said, puffing her cheeks.

Ash found it somewhat strange to see her like that. He believed that it was probably because she seemed somewhat older than Uru.

Just as he was about to chuckle, the Milma redirected her anger towards him.

"And you, rookie! What's wrong with you? Why did you have to go and say such provocative things? Didn't you assume it might get you in trouble?"

"It was just a joke. I never thought someone would get so pissed over it."

Unsatisfied with his response, the Milma confronted Ash, looking at him seriously.

She was so close that her long eyelashes were clearly visible, and her soft, sweet aroma filled the air.

"You have an air of trouble about you. You smell just like Sir Leo."

"Please, anything but that." Ash pleaded sincerely.

After one final glare, the Milma stepped back.

"Did you hear her, Ash? We smell the same." Leo commented happily, but Ash paid him no attention.

The Milma bowed gracefully and glared at Ash.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be going back to work. Please try not to cause any more trouble."

With one last warning, she returned to her duties, her long hair tied up high.

Ash watched it sway for a while before Leo provided unsolicited information.

"Her name is Iris. As you can see, she's a Milma, and she's one of the employees here."

Ash acknowledged her beauty but wasn't admiring her.

What bothered him was that the large man from earlier had obediently followed Iris' commands.

"Is she strong?"

"If you make her angry you won't be able to eat."

"That's a big problem alright." Ash remarked.

He knew that no one could win against hunger.

"Well then," Leo said before taking his seat.

The glass in front of him was already empty.

"Now that we've caught Lady Iris' attention I suggest we part ways here." 

"Sounds good to me."

Ash agreed. He then was about to reach for his glass with his right hand, but then decided to grab it with his left.

After downing the juice in one gulp, he chewed the sweet pieces in his mouth.

"Say, Leo. What's the highest floor that the guy from earlier has cleared?"

"He's probably a regular at the Red Tower, and from what I can judge, I would say no more than the 30th."

"I see." Ash replied casually, but his mind was not at ease.

Suppressing his emotions, he thanked Leo, saying, "Thanks for inviting me today. I've learned a lot."

"I'm glad that I was able to be of help. And I also got to enjoy a good drink."

"Drink in moderation, okay?"

"Of course. Though, I'm going for round two in a bit."

It seemed like Leo was planning on drinking more.

Ash couldn't help but wonder what would happen if the usually aloof Leo ended up drunk.

He couldn't envision it, but he could imagine that it wouldn't lead to anything good.

"Take care of yourself." Leo said, turning his back to Ash.

He was a weirdo who had a smile at all times, but he was definitely not a bad person.

If he hadn't groped Ash's butt during their first meeting then they might've become friends, just as Leo had wanted.

"Still, take care, huh... It seems he noticed that I injured my right wrist."

Ash had injured it during his confrontation with the large man just now.

Although it wasn't broken, he wouldn't be able to use it for some time.

Ash had picked a random challenger to test his strength against, however, he hadn't anticipated that it would lead to this.

(And that guy is only on floor 30...)

Ash looked up towards one of the towers stretching to the heavens.

"I can't wait!"

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