Moving along the White Mountains, I decided to make my final stop at Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor. I didn't have high expectations since the human villages and cities had mostly been disappointing so far, but having come to the world of the Lord of the Rings, I couldn't miss seeing Minas Tirith.
At this time, Minas Tirith was ruled by Turgon, who succeeded the Steward Turin II. His reputation was quite good. Gondor was in a peaceful period then, and although his grandson would eventually be an issue, Turgon himself seemed to be a fairly capable leader.
Passing through the plains, I was struck by the grandeur and beauty of the city as soon as I arrived within sight of it. Built with white stone against the end of the mountain range, Minas Tirith was formed in layers like a giant tower. According to the lore, the lower tiers are commercial districts and residential areas for commoners, while higher ranks and nobles live further up.
"I'd like to go up to the very top..."
The reason I wanted to go to the top was to see the White Tree in person. However, it wasn't a place where travelers could just wander in, and it was a tree guarded constantly by soldiers, making it difficult to view.
"Hmm... Should I sneak into the city and head up?"
I decided to enter the city first.
Fortunately, the streets of Minas Tirith were quite clean, and the security seemed solid. The goods sold in the market were fresh. However, even here, the bread was as hard as a rock.
'I'd make a fortune just selling decent bread here.'
I explored the city as I walked along the path. As I climbed higher, I saw people hanging laundry and children running around, indicating I had reached the residential area. After ascending a fair distance, I encountered a large gate where soldiers were controlling the movement of people. It seemed commoners weren't allowed past this point.
I debated whether to declare myself a wizard, but figured it would be too much trouble. Instead, I used stealth to slip inside and explore the upper city. Perhaps because it was where the elite and nobility lived, people wore clean, luxurious clothes, and there were far more guards.
Looking at the smiles on people's faces as I walked through, it seemed Turgon was indeed ruling well. Finally reaching the citadel, I saw the famous White Tree and the White Tower of Ecthelion.
The White Tree stood at the center of a circular lawn with cross-shaped paths, and guards were stationed at the four paths leading to the tree. The White Tower was incredibly slender and tall, appearing to be nearly 100 meters high.
I used teleportation to reach the top of the White Tower, which gave me a clear view all the way toward Mordor. Despite it being daytime, that direction was gloomy and plagued by constant lightning. I could see a large volcano in the distance; that was likely Mount Doom.
After taking in the sights, I teleported back to the Dragon Tower. As soon as I arrived, I saw an old man in white robes along with Gandalf. No matter how I looked at him, the man in the white robes appeared to be Saruman. Seeing that they had set up a tent, they were clearly determined to meet me.
"Oh? What's going on?"
When I asked, Gandalf, who was already acquainted with me, stepped forward first.
"You're finally here. So, was your journey enjoyable?"
"It was pleasant. The only disappointing part was that the food was terrible."
I quickly put the miniature tower model into my inventory and placed the real tower. Because I did it so fast, the tower might have only looked blurred to them for a moment.
"What magic is this? The tower has changed. It was just a block of stone a moment ago."
Saruman, true to his great magical prowess, noticed the change immediately.
"It's just security magic. Why don't you come inside? Since you've spent several days out here, the least I can do is offer you some hot food."
They didn't refuse and followed me inside. I had tried to avoid meeting Saruman because of the original story, but since things had turned out this way, I couldn't help it.
Saruman was looking around everything with intense curiosity. Gandalf, being on his second visit, simply sat in a chair. I served them food. The menu was Cheese Tonkatsu.
"Oh~ this is delicious. I didn't know such food existed."
"Remarkable. To think of combining meat with something like cheese."
Gandalf and Saruman marveled as they ate. Well, compared to the cuisine of this world, which mostly consists of rock-hard bread, it was on a completely different level.
"Didn't you two come from Valinor (The Undying Lands)? I thought there would be plenty of delicious food there?"
"There or here, it's not much different."
"Living all those years, it seems you've all lived in vain."
"Hmm... Well, regarding culinary arts, that might be true..."
Gandalf surprisingly admitted it quite readily. After the meal, I served black tea and cookies for dessert.
"Whew~ I ate well. It's been a long time since I've feasted like this."
"So, what brings you here?"
I asked Gandalf the purpose of their visit.
"My friend, you should join the White Council."
Gandalf made a surprising proposal. I thought about it for a moment before replying.
"I refuse. I plan to live quietly and focus on my magic research. I don't want to be tied down by such shackles."
As a fan of Lord of the Rings, part of me wanted to join, but considering the original plot and the fact that it would just mean more tedious work, I wasn't interested.
When I declined, Saruman spoke to Gandalf.
"See, what did I tell you? Dragons only care about what interests them and ignore everything else."
"Hmm... You're right. I think I let my eagerness get the better of me. Still, confirming that he is not an enemy is a great achievement, isn't it?"
"That is true."
After we finished talking and eating, the sun began to set, so I suggested they stay the night.
"It's late, so why not sleep here?"
"Thank you."
I led them to the guest rooms prepared in the tower and showed them how to use the shower and the toilet. Saruman listened intently as if he were seeing a whole new world. Gandalf was much the same; since they were encountering such facilities for the first time, they were equally fascinated.
When I finished explaining, Saruman asked several questions.
"So, where is the water stored?"
"I collect rainwater with magic and store it at the top of the tower, so it's always available below."
"To think of such a convenient system... May we use the water as we please?"
"Yes. And towels are in the dresser in the changing room, so just take what you need."
"I see. Understood. I'm learning a lot. I'll have to implement this in my own tower."
It seemed Saruman was planning a major renovation for Isengard as soon as he returned.
Anyway, the next day, they ate breakfast and departed. When I went into the rooms to clean, they were a complete mess. Perhaps because they had been camping before I arrived, there was sand and mud on the beds, and the shower was full of hair. If I didn't have [Life Magic], I might have been truly angry.
"Honestly... These primitives are unbelievable."
I grumbled while cleaning with magic.
Fifteen days passed since I returned from my journey. Life was so relaxed that I started wondering if it was okay to live like this. Then, an elf woman visited the tower; looking closely, it was Arwen.
"Hello."
"You actually came."
"You don't seem very happy to see me?"
"It's not that. I just didn't think Elrond would permit you to come here. I was just surprised."
"I came secretly."
"I... I see."
Arwen was quite the rebellious daughter. That's why she didn't listen to advice and married Aragorn, eventually suffering through a long period of unhappiness due to their different lifespans.
"Have you eaten?"
"No, not yet."
"Then come in."
I served Arwen some delicious vegetable dishes and gave her ice cream for dessert. Arwen enjoyed the meal immensely.
"That was wonderful. I've never tasted anything so delicious."
"I'm glad."
Looking at Arwen reminded me of her using water magic in the original story, which made me curious about the magic system in this world. So, I decided to ask.
"Could you perhaps show me some magic?"
"Pardon? Surely your magic is far superior?"
"I'm just curious about how elven magic works."
"Ah, I see. Then let's go outside. I'll show you."
Arwen and I went outside, and I watched her use magic, analyzing it with my [Naked Eye]. She used magic to call the wind; my analysis showed that her magic worked by using herself as a medium to borrow the power of nature.
Ding~!
[You have acquired the (D) Elementaris ability.]
"I'm sorry it's so unrefined."
"No, it was plenty."
Honestly, it was a style of magic that didn't suit me very well. This type of magic allowed for powerful spells with little effort, but because it relied on the power of nature, it definitely had limits. One couldn't cast magic beyond what nature allowed, and it required a high affinity with nature. In other words, you had to be born with it to use it effectively.
"Now, please show me your magic. Oh, wait! Come to think of it, I don't even know your name yet. What should I call you?"
"Call me Cassian."
"I see. Understood."
Using the [Freezing (MHA)] ability I got from the gacha, I created a massive block of ice, then used [Control] and [Telekinesis] to compress it and sculpt it into an ice statue that looked exactly like Arwen.
"Wow~ Amazing."
"Should I make one more?"
Using the same method, I created a statue of Arwen's father, Elrond, but I purposely made it in the ridiculous pose of the North-North Old Man.
"Hahaha~ What is this?!"
Arwen started laughing out loud because the pose of her father's ice statue was so hilarious. At that moment, I saw someone approaching on horseback.
"Eek! Father."
The rider was Elrond.
"Good grief, you left without a word and here you are. By the way, what is this ridiculous-looking statue?"
Elrond spoke with a frown as he looked at the ice statue I made.
"She asked to see some magic, so I made it."
"It's impressive, I'll admit. But I am the Lord of a realm. I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from such things."
Elrond was getting upset and failing to be cool about it. His daughter loved it, though.
"I see. My apologies. Let's head inside first. I'll offer you some tea."
We went back into the tower and talked over tea.
"Arwen, why did you come here?"
Elrond spoke first.
"I wanted to get some more of that magic white powder (MSG) from last time. And also to see the magic... pfft... cough... Sorry."
Arwen couldn't help but laugh as she looked at her father and remembered the statue's pose.
"Hmm... I see. Still, next time, tell me before you leave."
"I will."
I brought out some macarons as a snack. Arwen said they were delicious, so I packed some for her to take. Of course, I gave her several more bags of MSG as well.
"As I said before, don't use too much. The pure, natural taste of the food will vanish."
"I understand."
After seeing off the father and daughter, I researched [ (D) Elementaris], the magic of the Lord of the Rings world. Since time was the one thing I had plenty of, time flew by as I studied. A few days later, Arwen visited again.
"Did you already use up all the magic white powder?"
"No, I was just bored... Do you dislike me coming here?"
"No, it's not that, but..."
Arwen ate meals with me, talked about magic, and then returned to Rivendell. This cycle of visiting, eating, talking, and returning continued for two years. During that time, we became very close, and I even taught her some of the magic I had developed through research—specifically adapted to the form of magic used in this world.
Thanks to that, my mastery grew quickly, and my [Elementaris] ability reached S-grade through two years of research and training. However, the magic seemed to have a ceiling, as it wouldn't rise any further from S-grade. This seemed to be its limit.
"The magic you teach me, Cassian, is always fast and very practical. But somehow, magic that uses wind like blades seems a bit too aggressive."
"I believe a wizard should have at least one spell they can use quickly. I see the most dangerous moment for a wizard being when they're chanting. Having a spell like that can save your life in a crisis."
"Hmm... That's true."
I took a ring out of my inventory and gave it to her. The ring was a mana storage bank made with a red diamond. While not quite as good as the 'coronatite' banks I'd made before, I thought it would be more than enough for this world.
"This is... have you finally decided you want to marry me?"
"Huh?"