I’m the Future Crazy Male Lead’s Mother Chapter 90

The moment I saw that pattern, my heart began to pound, and a sense of unease crept over me.

……It was as if the tower was declaring with its entire being that Axion was Ruben.

Bang! Boom!

I had been standing there in a daze, but a moment later, I heard pounding on the door from outside. It had to be the monster we had encountered outside the tower.

The door wouldn’t break, would it?

“Don’t worry, human. This is Ruben’s Tower. There is absolutely no way that monster could break down the door.”

Despite having been squawking with its beak clamped shut just moments ago, the red bird comforted me in a voice that was somehow brimming with pride.

Being comforted by a bird with a chuunibyou complex……

It wasn’t exactly reassuring, but the tension I hadn’t even realized was in my shoulders began to ease.

“……Well, that’s a relief.”

Still, it was a bird raised by the Guardian, wasn’t it? And it could talk, too. In any case, it must be some kind of mysterious creature, so perhaps I should trust it for now.

I nodded and ventured farther into the tower.

Axion’s pattern was engraved all over the walls, but that alone wasn’t enough to be certain that Axion was Ruben.

For now, I decided to investigate a little more.

Even to someone like me, who knew absolutely nothing about architecture, the tower had been built in a truly fascinating style.

Twisted pillars of some strange design supported the ceiling, and structures of unknown purpose stood here and there.

“This place is really…… bizarre.”

How should I put it? Once I entered the tower, I felt strange.

It was as though I had stepped inside the body of a living creature. As though the tower itself were alive……

It was an indescribably uncanny feeling.

“Of course. This is Ruben’s Tower.”

“……I’ve been meaning to ask. You know quite a lot about Ruben’s Tower, don’t you? Is it because you’re such a great being?”

“Ahem!”

I casually asked, flattering the bird, which seemed to have grown even more confident since we entered the tower.

If someone had the information I needed, then naturally, I had to coax it out of them.

The red bird raised its wings proudly and replied,

“Of course. I am probably the one who knows the most about this Ruben’s Tower. Hmph.”

“Oh, really? More than Dazar?”

“That’s right!”

If I asked why, it would undoubtedly start going on about chaos again, so I quietly waited for the red bird to start chattering.

I had a feeling it would have plenty to say when it came to boasting about itself.

And sure enough, the red bird began blabbering away.

“The reason this place is called Ruben’s Tower is that Ruben’s core resides within it. That doesn’t mean the tower directly affects Ruben, though. It merely contains him. How should I put it? Ah, a mirror. ‘Mirror’ would be a more fitting description.”

“A mirror?”

“That’s right. A mirror that reflects Ruben himself. And the Siasters are protecting that mirror.”

It felt as though something very important was about to be revealed.

“The reason the Transcendents of the Siaster family have been able to recognize Ruben for generations is thanks to this Ruben’s Tower, which they manage.”

The Transcendents of the Siaster family…… could recognize Ruben?

That was the first I’d heard of it.

Then did that mean Dazar could tell Ruben apart as soon as he saw him?

But if that were the case, he hadn’t shown any reaction when he saw Axion.

I was puzzled, but for the time being, I quietly waited for the bird to continue.

“Of course, they also possess a special power besides this Ruben’s Tower. That’s why they serve as the leaders of the Transcendents.”

As we continued walking, I spotted a staircase at the very back.

Instinctively, I began climbing it.

I had a feeling there was something waiting for me up there.

“Anyway, that mirror is at the very top of this tower. That’s why the head of the Siaster family comes here every year to check whether Ruben has appeared.”

“……There’s a mirror? But you said the tower itself was Ruben’s mirror.”

“Right. That’s true, too. This tower changes according to Ruben’s nature. The atmosphere inside the tower changes depending on his current state.”

No sooner had the bird finished speaking than we arrived on the second floor.

And at the sight that unfolded before me, I briefly held my breath.

Something I had never expected to see had appeared right before my eyes.

“……So, the inside of the tower keeps changing depending on Ruben’s state?”

“……That’s right.”

A gigantic golden rattle stood majestically right in the center of the second floor.

For some reason, the red bird answered while avoiding my gaze.

It had seemed so proud of itself earlier.

‘That’s Axion’s favorite rattle.’

Of course, this one was overwhelmingly enormous, but there was no mistaking it. It was the golden rattle Elston had developed and brought over.

I remembered it well, naturally. It had completely outdone the rattle I already owned.

After seeing the pattern on Axion’s neck and now the golden rattle on the second floor……

My belief that Axion might be Ruben was steadily approaching certainty.

“This is a little…… more than I expected……”

But it wasn’t as shocking as I had expected.

Perhaps because I had just encountered something so absurd.

Instead, the uneasiness that had been consuming me earlier was gradually fading, and I was beginning to feel at ease.

Paradoxically, I was actually becoming calmer.

Not because I was happy or pleased that Axion was Ruben.

It was just that until now, I hadn’t known what to do with the worry that Axion might be Ruben.

Now that I had a clear direction, I felt as though I could finally figure out how to prepare for what lay ahead.

Leaving the golden rattle behind, I resumed climbing the tower.

“Ahem. Anyway, the Ruben’s Tower in the previous world was magnificent and splendid inside! The Ruben of this world is quite modest.”

“Really? Is it that different from the Ruben of the previous world?”

“Of course. The previous Ruben’s Tower was filled with all sorts of sinister and dangerous things. You could vividly feel the resentment and hatred that had been nurtured by feeding on misfortune.”

So it had been a truly horrifying place.

“But here…… it’s peaceful enough to make me yawn. And what in the world is that rattle supposed to be? The current Ruben must have lived a rather happy life.”

The bird grumbled as though it found something about this place unsatisfactory, but I saw it.

The brief flicker of envy in its eyes.

Where did that envy come from?

The question crossed my mind, but the red bird soon fell silent, leaving me no chance to ask.

It didn’t say another word until we had climbed the long staircase and reached the third floor.

‘Oh my.’

The moment I stepped onto the third floor, I felt a warm, gentle heat.

The place looked like someone’s room, and at a glance, it felt incredibly cozy.

A fireplace warmed one side of the room, a soft-looking sofa sat in the center, and a plush carpet covered the floor.

There was even a window on one wall, one that definitely hadn’t been visible from outside.

I approached it and looked out.

Naturally, I should have seen the forest we had passed through, but the view beyond the window belonged to another world.

A warm sun shone in the sky, the clouds were fluffy and white, and the ground was covered in all kinds of blooming flowers.

It was an unbelievably beautiful sight.

“……”

While I stood there admiring it, the red bird scrunched up its face.

It even began flapping around, grabbing the hem of my clothes with its feet and pulling me toward the stairs.

It was clearly gesturing that it didn’t want to look at the place any longer.

Since this was Ruben’s Tower, I had imagined somewhere frightening and gloomy, so this warm, peaceful scenery was quite unexpected.

And somehow, it made my heart feel all soft and fuzzy.

I had a feeling that Axion really was Ruben……

If that was true, did it mean our child’s heart was this warm and gentle?

“Hurry up! Come on!”

The red bird had definitely never been here before, either.

It kept looking around the tower and expressing its displeasure with its entire body.

I followed where it led me and eventually reached the top of the tower.

That floor was smaller than the others.

‘It looks just like the mirror from Snow White.’

Just as the bird had explained, there really was a mirror at the top of the tower.

The mirror, which was taller than I was, stood squarely in the middle of the room. It was obvious that this room had been built solely for the sake of that mirror.

I stood in front of it, following the red bird’s lead.

The bird seemed somehow excited, as though it were eagerly anticipating my reaction.

‘Could it already know that Axion is Ruben?’

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

It had led me to Ruben’s Tower, after all.

Something about this seemed suspicious.

Did it have some kind of ulterior motive?

Having already seen the first and second floors, I was practically convinced that Axion was Ruben.

I looked at the red bird suspiciously.

“Now, gaze deeply into the mirror. Heh heh. The terrible abyss of Ruben will gaze back at you. From the very moment Ruben appeared in this world.”

The red bird spoke with an ominous laugh, but I felt a little reluctant.

Now that I had already figured everything out, was there really any need to look into this mirror?

But I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing that golden rattle earlier.

So, scratching my head, I reluctantly peered into the mirror.

I wasn’t sure what it meant to gaze deeply into it, but I figured I should just stare at it as intently as possible.

“……”

However, no matter how long I stared, the mirror reflected nothing.

Just as I was beginning to feel frustrated……

“Huh?”

Something began to appear.

A white dot slowly emerged against a black background, and its light gradually grew brighter.

And then, I thought I heard the sound of a baby crying from somewhere.

Waaah…… Waaah……

There was also the voice of a woman letting out pained groans.

“Why…… why aren’t you dead……! You wretched little brat!”

Just as I was thinking that the voice sounded familiar—

Tap.

A large hand gently covered my eyes.

Startled by the sudden warmth, my shoulders drew up.

When the person covering my eyes noticed my surprise, they gave my shoulder a gentle pat and turned me away from the mirror altogether.

Then they whispered softly,

“It’s better if you don’t look. That little brat was hated quite a lot in the past. By your half-sister, to be precise.”

The voice whispering beside me, the large hand covering my eyes……

Both were familiar.

“……Dazar?”

“Yeah.”

The Guardian of the Siaster family, who protected Ruben’s Tower, and the owner of the red bird that had led me here.

Dazar Siaster.

I swallowed hard.

My shoulders began to tremble involuntarily.

“W-Why are you here? At this hour?”

“I think that’s what I should be asking you.”

His voice was unlike its usual self—so gentle that it was almost meltingly tender.

When someone who was never usually like this spoke so sweetly, it somehow felt even more terrifying.

My eyes were covered, so I couldn’t see his expression.

But I could feel it with my entire body.

Dazar was genuinely angry.