Chapter 38
“Yes! You can cross the desert to get out of the tower and go to another place.”
Hugh laughed and added.
“Most wizards have weak stamina, so we made a portal to travel easily. The portal here is connected to Potero’s shop!”
Hearing Hugh’s explanation, Lexion’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Does this mean that you can easily go back and forth from the capital to the tower?”
“Yes!”
“How much?”
“Yes?”
“I asked how much.”
At Lexion’s words, Hugh’s eyes widened.
Ever since he lived in the tower, he had never heard of anyone who had bought a portal before.
Most of the customers didn’t even know the portal existed, and those who knew it said they wouldn’t buy it after hearing the astronomical price.
Hugh wanted to protect the wallet of the Duke, who donated over 10 million gold today.
“This is not for sale.”
He said it so as not to offend him as much as possible.
However, Lexion wasn’t dissuaded.
“Sell it to me.”
“… Yes?”
“How much?”
Lexion asked again. It seemed there was nothing else he could do about it.
Hugh closed his eyes and answered.
“The portal is 20 million gold.”
Twenty million gold.
It was exactly double the amount that Lexion donated to the Magic Tower today, saying it was a gift.
In addition, the amount was enough to buy more than 10 mansions in the capital, the cost of living for several years in the Magic Tower, and the amount the Archmage had nailed to the ground.
He knew that no one in the Empire could afford such an amount.
But Hugh was wrong.
“It’s cheaper than I thought.”
“… Yes?”
“Let me buy it.”
“Ye-Yes?”
“That portal. I can install it anywhere I want, right?”
“Yes, you can. But… Are you really going to buy it?”
Lexion turned around without answering anymore.
Passing Hugh, he tersely said.
“Let’s send someone to install it soon.”
****
It was said that Lexion returned to the manor after being kicked out of her lab yesterday.
She thought she would say hello and see him later.
‘… Ugh. Why do I feel bad for him now?’
She tried calming down, but she couldn’t get over it.
Elena slightly pinched her face and entered the lab.
The setting in the laboratory was the same as yesterday.
Potions and reports were still in the same place.
However, there was one object that was not there before.
‘… Impossible! Why the hell is that in my lab?’
Blue magic was swirling in the full-length mirror. It was none other than a portal.
A state-of-the-art means of transportation created by wizards with running stamina to move quickly.
‘Why is there a portal here?’
The magic tower’s portal was installed in a common space such as a hallway – not in a private space – so that all wizards could use it.
The connected places were also different, so each time they went out, they had to go to the designated portal.
But no one had a personal portal.
‘… Except for the Archmage.’
So it was strange to have a portal in her lab.
‘Is it in my room because it’s a portal that leads to my lab?’
Elena paused as she tried to reach for the portal.
Portals were only available to the owner of the portal and users authorized by the owner.
If this portal was a personal portal, she could use it.
‘… But how did I break through the barrier?’
Was someone trying to destroy her research like last time?
She looked around, but her research was fine.
Not a single thing was missing.
It was just a portal that suddenly appeared in her lab.
‘… Why?’
Elena couldn’t understand at all.
‘Did someone give me a personal portal as a gift? Was it the Archmage? Or Mr. Jeremy?’
It was easy for those two to easily break through the barrier that Elena had strengthened after the “Lupes incident” and leave the portal behind.
But for Jeremy to gift it to her… The portal was too expensive.
Besides, there was no need to give her a portal.
‘Then, was it the Archmage? But there’s no reason for her to give me a present.’
Moreover, its purpose was unclear.
The portal in the tower was already connected to the whole Empire.
So there was no problem at all in moving inside the Empire.
After this, there was only one way to find out the purpose of this portal.
‘I’m going to see….’
If one had obtained permission from the portal owner, they would be able to enter.
Then they could see where it would lead to.
‘Okay, let’s go in.’
Elena cautiously reached out to the portal.
Then the hand went in smoothly without getting caught.
It confirmed that Elena was a user who received permission from the portal owner.
‘Let’s check where it is connected….’
It felt like she was on a new adventure.
Feeling thrilled, she entered the portal.
Then the surroundings changed.
She turned her head slightly and looked around.
‘… Hey, I’m familiar with this space.’
Bookcases lined the walls, a large desk in the center, plush sofas, and antique furniture.
This was Duke Halos’ office.
No way.
“… Sister?”
When she looked up at her surroundings, she saw Lexion coming into the office.
Seeing her, his face brightened.
Elena took a step back as soon as she saw Lexion approaching her.
‘… Oh my gosh.’
Elena staggered back and entered the portal again.
Then, she felt the cool air of the laboratory.
Then, as she was about to turn around from the portal, she saw Lexion coming over the mirror.
‘No. What the hell is this?’
It was a portal connected to Lexion’s office.
“Sister.”
She couldn’t say anything because it felt surreal to her, so Lexion took a step closer to Elena and called.
“… Lexion, what is this portal?”
At Elena’s question, Lexion’s face brightened.
At the same time, her face gradually turned red, as if red ink had been dropped into clear water.
“I bought it to meet sister comfortably and often.”
Then, he bowed his head and aligned his eyesight with Elena.
His mouth was slightly raised, seemingly embarrassed but still glad about it.
Moreover, Lexion was very attractive even that way.
‘… This guy must know I’m weak against his pretty face.’
A little while ago, the sudden appearance of the portal was ridiculous and embarrassing.
But looking at Lexion’s face, she understood his heart in an instant.
Come to think of it, Elena heard in her old life that face was everything.
That was quite understandable.
As she gazed at Lexion and pondered what to say, his lips opened again.
“I also wondered if this portal would make it easier for sister to come to the mansion.”
“… The mansion?”
“Yes. I know you’ve gotten used to life in the tower, but it’s still where you spent your childhood, so I installed a portal so that you can come and rest at any time.”
Elena was sure there must be other reasons.
Looking at Lexion’s innocent expression, she thought that he might have installed the portal out of favor.
As he said, the Halos estate was home to her.
A nostalgic place where she could go back if she wanted to and rest at any time.
After coming to this world, it was the place she lived in from the beginning.
Even though Elena had only lived there for a few years, it was a place with its own memories.
Because she met Jane and Lexion, spent their childhood years together, and learned a lot from Jeremy and Yuri.
Also, Duke Halos was really nice to her.
There were a few bad memories of Killian, but…
It was still ‘home’ to her.
She wanted to visit once when the former Duke was there, but she had a lot of work to do, so she just thought about it and never went there in person.
Meanwhile, Lexion connected a portal to the mansion for her.
It wasn’t bad.
Although the exit was in Lexion’s office, Elena could often go to the mansion to rest.
Besides, the portals were in her lab and Lexion’s office, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem with privacy.
It wasn’t even in her bedroom anyway. And if she asked Lexion not to visit during her research, he would do it.
“Do you not like it?”
As Elena was quietly in her thoughts, Lexion asked. The ruby eyes looked moist today.
He was like a sulking, big, golden retriever.
“No. I like it. I even often thought that I wanted to go and visit the Halos mansion.”
Then, Lexion’s face brightened in an instant.
‘… Doesn’t he look like a dog?’
Suddenly, she recalled her childhood with Lexion.
At the time, he really felt like a puppy. Now that he was an adult, Elena felt he was a big dog now.
Cute!
“By the way, Lexion, did the Archmage allow you to purchase a portal?”
Elena never expected the portal to be sold to humans.
Because it was initially created by wizards to pursue convenience.
In addition, ordinary people did not even know that portals existed to wizards, and even if they did find out, the Archmage has set an astronomical price in order not to give it away.
‘I can’t remember the exact amount.’
In any case, the Archmage’s permission was required to purchase the portal.
The portal was to be sold only to those whom she permitted.
However, ever since Elena came to the tower, no one has purchased a portal.
Lexion was the first.
“Yes.”
Lexion nodded and added that he met Hugh in the hallway yesterday and learned of the portal’s existence.
So Lexion told him that he wanted to buy it right away as he was about to leave the tower, but Jeremy came to see him.
Hearing from him that the Archmage had permitted him, Lexion immediately heard the purchase cost, completed the registration as a portal owner, and paid the price.
Afterward, portals were installed in Elena’s laboratory and his office.
Apparently, Lexion easily approved it as the head of the Halos.
“How much did those cost?”
