Prologue
How did it end up like this?
I was climbing a tower in the middle of the night, past midnight.
“Huff, huff… I won’t let this slide. Shouldn’t you have warned me if I had to climb a tower?”
My voice echoed loudly as it reverberated through the walls.
How much longer do I have to climb until this ends?
I looked up at the seemingly endless staircase. The ceiling soaring high above looked like a tiny dot. Just looking at the immeasurable height drained my strength.
If you asked why I was climbing this tower at such a late hour, I would say it’s related to my survival.
“Haa… But the information provided was really insufficient.”
It was already absurd enough to be thrown into an unfamiliar tower, and then they told me out of nowhere to climb all the way to the top.
There was also a peculiar phrase that was bothering me.
“When you reach the top, swallow something that looks like a gem. Don’t hesitate. Remember, it’s your last chance to survive.”
The way they said it made it feel like something bad would happen if I hesitated.
Though I was out of breath, I climbed the stairs again.
I doubted that swallowing a gem could save a body on the verge of death, but I had no choice but to believe it for now.
If that was the only way I could survive, I would climb the stairs again and again.
‘If it’s a gem, it’s a gem. Why say something that looks like a gem?’
It’s no use complaining now, but my guide had always seemed suspicious in more ways than one.
I still hadn’t figured out exactly who he was.
Even though I didn’t know who he was, I had no choice but to trust him because of how desperate my situation was.
How long had I been climbing?
Just as dawn was breaking, I finally arrived at the long-awaited final floor.
“Wow!”
A cheer involuntarily burst from my lips.
I momentarily forgot how tired I was as I stepped inside, looking for the gem that the guide had told me about.
But the joy was short-lived. The inside was disappointingly shabby.
“What… Is this it?”
Moss grew between the bricks, and the ceiling was covered with cobwebs.
At a glance, it was clear that this place hadn’t been maintained for a long time.
Could there really be a gem in a place like this?
“No way… Surely not.”
I started to worry that I might have come all this way for nothing.
I tried to shake off the growing unease and looked around. Since the guide had promised me a huge reward, he surely wouldn’t deceive me.
As proof of that, I soon found a treasure box. I had stumbled across something with my foot.
Thunk.
“Huh?”
When I looked down, a faint silhouette appeared in the darkness.
This is it!
I immediately reached for the treasure box. But I hesitated before opening it.
“…Why does this seem so easy?”
If this really was a gem capable of saving someone on the brink of death, shouldn’t it be stored in a more secure place?
Surely everyone would want to get their hands on something like that.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the treasure box.
“Remember, it’s your last chance to survive.”
“…I’m not exactly in a position to be picky.”
Click.
I grabbed the treasure box and opened the lid.
A blinding, intense light burst forth from the crack. It was a mesmerizing blue color.
I squinted against the sudden brightness but couldn’t tear my eyes away.
The gem was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was hard to believe that such a treasure was hidden in this desolate tower.
I muttered in a daze.
“This really gives me the creeps.”
I wondered how the guide knew that the gem was here. And swallowing it?
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I had a strong feeling that swallowing the gem would lead to something irreversible.
I carefully touched the surface of the gem.
The cold sensation traveled up my fingertips. I also felt a strange, tingling sensation.
Which shouldn’t have been possible.
“Well, here goes. I’m swallowing it.”
I decided to end it quickly and closed my eyes tight. There was no point in hesitating any longer.
Gulp.
Contrary to my expectation of pain, it went down smoothly.
Surprised at how different it felt from how it looked, I rubbed my throat.
And then…
Thump!
“Huh…?”
My heart pounded, and a strong shock as though I was falling overwhelmed my entire body.
My vision blurred and doubled, and my breathing became labored.
“Why… Why is this happening…?”
I staggered and quickly leaned against the wall to steady myself.
I had no idea what was happening.
No one had told me to expect these kinds of symptoms.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart was beating rapidly.
Even without moving, I could feel the pulse through my skin. When I pressed my hand to my chest, the powerful throbbing echoed through my palm.
I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself.
Focusing on this, I failed to notice.
That someone besides me had appeared inside the tower.
“A rat has sneaked in, so I came to see for myself.”
A cold, chilling voice came from behind me.
Startled by the appearance of a stranger, I froze on the spot.
“You’ve done well to sneak into my tower. I’ll give you that much credit, even though I don’t know how you found this place.”
The man’s presence drew nearer.
Anxiety tightened around my chest, and I bit my lip.
The strange sense of unease I had felt while climbing the tower was all because of this.
My mouth went dry.
The man who had approached me grabbed my chin and tilted it up.
My black hood was pulled down, and my long silver hair tumbled out like a waterfall.
As the man confirmed my face, a twisted smile spread across his lips.
At the same time, I was struck with a huge shock as I met his eyes.
‘W-why is this man here?!’
“So the rat turns out to be the Princess of Tuniate? This is an unexpected turn of events.”
“R-Rahitrian…”
“You seem to know who I am.”
The end of my voice quivered. My mind went blank, and it felt like I was about to stop breathing.
I had fled to survive, only to encounter my second crisis.
Rahitrian Ikarsen.
That was the name of the man standing before me.
One of the characters who signals the start of the original story.
Rahitrian’s face showed a flicker of interest as he recognized my expression.
As my lips moved soundlessly, he glanced at the now-empty treasure box.
“So, you’ve already swallowed it.”
“…Was that yours?”
Then, does that mean this place is the Mage Tower?!
My face went pale as Rahitrian looked down at my chest, where my heart was still beating fiercely.
His expression became somewhat strange.
“Do you even know what you’ve swallowed, Princess?”
“N-no, I don’t.”
“Of course, if you knew, you wouldn’t have done something so foolish.”
He laughed in disbelief.
What was that gem, really?
Now that I think about it, the guide didn’t say it was a gem. He said it looked like a gem.
“I’m in a difficult situation now, Princess. Thanks to you swallowing my heart.”
“…Excuse me?”
“What did I swallow?”
I knew from various mentions in the story that Rahitrian had lived eternally in a human body…
‘But no one ever said he kept his heart outside of his body!’
No wonder he never died, even when everyone thought he had sustained fatal injuries.
Rahitrian looked at me coldly.
Between his long black hair, I could catch glimpses of the crimson control device that managed his magical power.
I forced an awkward smile, trying to lift the corners of my lips as much as possible.
“Well, it seems like I’ve caused you some trouble…”
“……”
“…What should I do?”
Tears welled up in my eyes.
I had no idea what to do to ease his mood, but I waited for his answer, desperate to grasp at straws.
But he just stared at me without saying a word, as if lost in thought.
Maybe he wasn’t aware, but that gaze alone was enough to freeze me to the core.
I felt like biting my tongue and passing out.
As I anxiously waited for his response, Rahitrian frowned.
“Princess.”
“Yes, yes!”
I stood at attention, stiff as a board, filled with nervous energy.
I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, so I desperately lowered my gaze.
Suddenly, Rahitrian leaned in closer.
I gasped, feeling a hint of violet brush past me, and reflexively shut my eyes.
“This is an unexpected side effect.”
“…W-what is?”
“Perhaps this works out better.”
He muttered something I couldn’t understand.
I subtly leaned back to create some distance, but the thought that he might pierce my body and reclaim his heart at any moment made me feel sick with tension.
“You understand how important the thing you just swallowed is to me, right?”
“Well… y-yes.”
Judging by his tone, it seemed like he wasn’t planning to let me live after all.
I couldn’t really blame him—this was more than enough to get him upset. And on top of that, I had been caught red-handed.
Still, I felt it was unfair.
I just did what I had to in order to survive.
‘It’s not like he’s a rabbit… If it was so important, he should’ve kept it inside his body.’
I could feel my eyes getting misty.
Of course, I didn’t dare to voice my thoughts out loud.
If I did, I could only imagine what Rahitrian would do.
He started to laugh.
The sound of that ominous laughter sent chills down my spine, and I hunched my shoulders and stiffened even more.
“L-let me live, please…”
“How could I possibly harm the descendant of Tuniate?”
“Th-then?”
Was he going to spare me?
Not just anyone, but the Rahitrian Ikarsen? Was he really showing such mercy?
I blinked in disbelief, as if a glimmer of hope was finally appearing.
But at that moment, Rahitrian grabbed my hand and whispered in a low voice right by my ear.
“From now on, Princess, you’re coming with me.”
A magic circle I hadn’t even noticed drawn on the floor suddenly began to glow, and light erupted from it.
…To explain how I ended up in such a situation, I need to go back just a little bit in time.
