~Chapter 15~
Since things had come to this, I figured it was best to quickly finish my report and return right away, so I went straight into the Association building.
The Magic Association, which I hadn’t visited in a while, looked just the same. The grand ivory-colored walls, the green ivy vines climbing over them.
As I passed through the main gate, a “guide” approached me.
[Welcome. Please verify your identity.]
“Relshiz Baltain.”
I looked straight at the glowing head of the guide.
We call them guides for convenience, but they’re not human.
The Association’s guides are automated dolls with white, clay-like bodies and a transparent magic stone instead of a head.
They look harmless, but if they detect someone without permission, they can be extremely dangerous — they’re part of the Association’s security system.
Soon, the white stone glowed blue.
[Relshiz Baltain. First-Class Mage of the Edelheim Royal Magic Department. Identity verified. You may enter.]
The moment the guide stepped back, I hurried to find the relevant department.
From here on, time was precious! I just needed to write my report and head back.
“Hey, isn’t that Relshiz?”
That was my plan… until I heard a familiar voice.
“…Director?”
I turned around and saw an old man with a full white beard standing there.
Even though he was old, his big build and upright posture made him look much younger.
His thick eyebrows and sharp eyes had an intimidating presence.
I quickly ran up and bowed my head.
“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well.”
The man was Ansif Berge — head of the Magic Association and my professor back in the Academy days.
Despite his sharp appearance, he smiled warmly.
“Haha, of course I’ve been well. What about you, our royal mage? Has your research been going well?”
Ahem. It’s actually been a disaster, and I might’ve committed a taboo… but I just gave a awkward smile.
“Yeah, well, it’s going okay…”
“Haha, sometimes research doesn’t go smoothly. Back in my day, if there were no results, your head would be on the chopping block.”
Was that supposed to be comforting or threatening?
I smiled awkwardly, trying to find the right moment to excuse myself. But then he said something troubling.
“It’s been a while since we’ve met. How about we chat for a bit?”
“Ah, I’m actually in a bit of a hurry…”
“What’s the rush?”
“I have to write a crack incident report…”
“Oh, you handled that one? You must be busy with your research already, and you still took that on.”
“Haha… yeah, it just kind of happened…”
Actually, I caused it… but of course I couldn’t say that.
“You only need about an hour for a report, right? Do you have some other urgent plan?”
“Well…”
I couldn’t exactly say, “I left a kid with someone.”
While I was trying to come up with an excuse, it was already too late. I found myself sitting on the sofa in the Association Director’s office.
“Want something to drink?”
“I’m fine…”
Damn it. I got caught.
I nervously fiddled with my clothes.
Is Shiz okay?
Leaving her with him, Aska, kept bothering me. I just hoped nothing went wrong.
“Hm-hm, right. It feels like just yesterday you graduated, and now you’ve already completed multiple royal projects.”
Director Ansif, unaware of my inner panic, looked proudly at me.
“Haha, it’s all thanks to you, Director.”
“Nonsense. It’s all because of your own hard work. I’ve never seen a student work as hard as you. And that’s still true today.”
His warm expression suddenly turned sharp.
“Speaking of which… is that guy doing well these days?”
He had a look that screamed I hope he’s not.
I knew immediately who he meant and smiled awkwardly.
“You mean Aska Willovis?”
“That’s the one!”
Aska was a genius — the kind you only saw once in a thousand years.
Maybe because he was so gifted, he learned at a faster pace than anyone. He far exceeded the Academy’s level.
Students and even professors admired his brilliance.
But not everyone liked him. Some thought he was arrogant, relying too much on his talent and slacking off.
I was one of those people, always stuck in second place, and so was Director Ansif, who used to be a professor back then.
“Hmph. I just don’t get it. How could someone like that slacker, become Lord of the Dawn Tower?”
Agreed. So much agreement.
But if I nodded, we’d be gossiping about Aska for hours, so I just gave a quiet smile.
“I still think it’s a shame, Relshiz. You should’ve become the Lord of the Dawn Tower.”
Director Ansif’s expression darkened.
“I’ve seen countless students over the years, but I’ve never had one as hardworking as you. I truly believed you were the one most deserving of that position.”
I couldn’t say anything in response to his sincere words.
He always said this when we met. There was a reason for that.
Director Ansif is a commoner too.
He really understood how hard I had to work to come this far. I did give it everything I had.
Maybe that’s why the final test against Aska stuck in my mind so much — because I lost by such a narrow margin.
“Yeah. I still think about it sometimes… it’s a shame.”
If I’d become the Lord of the Dawn Tower back then, I wouldn’t be struggling so much now. That thought made me feel really down.
“Anyway, how was the crack situation?”
“Oh, a very expensive mushroom almost got destroyed, but it wasn’t too serious. I handled it quickly.”
“Don’t let your guard down. That crack was just the beginning. If we don’t fix the timeline, things are only going to get worse.”
I nodded heavily.
Yeah… I was the one who caused it. Your precious student did it.
A short silence passed. Director Ansif sipped his tea and suddenly clapped his hands.
A soundproofing spell activated in the office — the kind used when discussing things that mustn’t leak outside.
What now? What’s he about to say?
I looked at him with curiosity. His expression grew serious, and he clasped his hands together.
“Relshiz, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“Yes, Director.”
“I think I’ve figured out who the mage is that tampered with the timeline.”
“…Pardon?”
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck out of nowhere.
“W-Who is it?”
Director Anshif looked at me with a serious expression. Cold sweat started dripping down my back.
Did he find out it was me?
Just as I was mentally preparing to flee in the middle of the night, the Director spoke.
“Messing with the timeline isn’t easy, you know. A regular mage wouldn’t even come close. Whoever did this must be at least first-class.”
Coincidentally, I am a first-class mage. My heart was pounding out of my chest.
“Y-Yeah, that makes sense…”
I nodded blankly, trying to play along. Anshif narrowed his sharp eyes at me.
“Therefore, the only one it could possibly be—!”
Gulp. The sound of my dry swallow echoed in my ears.
“—is Aska Willovis. It has to be him! That guy definitely did it!”
“…Pardon?!”
If I had been eating something, I would’ve spat it out. That’s how absurd the statement was.
“But… he’s the master of the Dawn Tower…”
“Exactly. That’s what’s so suspicious! Why is everyone only investigating random exiles? Do you think people who got kicked out for being useless could possibly mess with the timeline?”
This wasn’t just him being petty—Ansif was completely serious. He truly believed Aska was the culprit.
“Most magic is child’s play for that guy. I bet he got bored and did it just for fun. Probably didn’t even think about the consequences.”
“You think… someone would break a taboo just because they were bored?”
“Don’t even get me started. Do you know what that guy was up to while you were down south?”
And then Ansif started listing off all the things about Aska’s past that I really didn’t care to know.
“Didn’t he apply for leave right after being appointed as master of the Dawn Tower? Said he had somewhere to go all of a sudden. When the staff rejected his request several times, he just started making all the juniors work overtime instead!”
