“Being ‘kicked out’… means they were fired, right?”
“Doesn’t it seem that way?”
“And their salary… they got their final pay, right?”
I wasn’t actually interested in their paycheck, but I thought I’d start the conversation in that direction.
“Maybe they did?”
“Didn’t they feel wronged for being expelled over a curfew violation? Surely someone must have complained.”
At this question, silence fell again. The two exchanged glances before Karen finally spoke.
“Rule three: Never speak of those who have been expelled.”
“Huh?”
“We’re not allowed to talk about those who’ve been expelled.”
Not speaking about those who left? I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. This was like blatantly announcing their commitment to a perfect crime.
“So, it’s true they weren’t simply expelled…”
They must have been killed.
“Then no one knows where those who leave actually go, right?”
Once again, Karen and Merilyn sealed their lips like they’d taken an oath. Even this conversation seemed to be violating the rule of not mentioning the expelled.
I could understand their hesitation. But what they didn’t realize was that no matter how faithfully they followed the tower’s rules, all that awaited them in the end was “being expelled.”
Sent to a place they’d never return from. And their death? It would be unknown to their colleagues, their families—everyone.
“I’ll tell you the fourth rule: Never, under any circumstances, enter the room at the far left of the fourth floor.”
Instead of answering my question, Merilyn moved on to the next rule.
“We call it the Forbidden Room.”
“Is that the Tower Master’s room?”
“The Tower Master’s room is on the second floor. We can enter it for cleaning or if summoned.”
A forbidden room, completely off-limits. I couldn’t help but imagine that it might be filled with corpses. Any odor could likely be masked with their prized magic. Hoping my imagination was just running wild, I stopped chewing my nails and pulled my fingers away from my mouth.
“If I asked why it’s forbidden, you wouldn’t tell me, right? Or maybe you don’t even know.”
At this point, I gave up trying to have a conversation. All I could do was sit and listen to them list the tower’s rules.
“That’s right—it’s the Forbidden Room, after all.”
“There are other rules, but they mostly apply to maids. You don’t need to worry about those. The researchers’ rules will probably be explained by another researcher.”
“Got it.”
I turned my gaze to where Tara had been sitting earlier, but the seat was empty. It seemed she had finished her meal and left. I briefly considered asking where her room was, but I shook my head. Any rash actions might put Tara in danger.
Yesterday, after returning from the dining hall, I collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately. I had slept for fifteen hours straight, but I still didn’t feel refreshed.
“How could anyone sleep well in a place like this?”
I couldn’t clearly remember, but I felt as if I’d had a disturbing dream.
Skipping breakfast, I stood before the door at the end of the second floor. This was the laboratory of the tower.
“Time to mix up a recovery potion or something.”
I wanted to regain my ability to walk properly as soon as possible. After what happened yesterday, I didn’t trust Karen enough to rely on her anymore.
Of course, I knew Eon might interfere, but if I factored him into every decision, there wouldn’t be anything I could do.
“Well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
I carefully opened the door, not wanting to disturb anyone’s research—or risk something strange suddenly jumping out at me.
“Does the sun not rise in the tower or something?”
Of course, that couldn’t be true, but the sky was entirely covered with clouds, leaving the room so dim it didn’t feel like morning.
As I scanned the surroundings, a voice came from deeper inside.
“You must be the new arrival.”
It was too dark to make out anything but the faint silhouette of a person. The other person must have been in the same situation because they turned on the lights.
“Nice to meet you.”
The researcher had brown hair and green eyes—by now, not surprising at all. But the oversized glasses set her apart from the others.
“My name is Selena,” I said.
A pair of thin hands clasped mine.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Selli.”
“Selli?”
“That’s right.”
Was this a coincidence? A researcher with the same brown hair and green eyes as me, named Selli?
If this were an ordinary romance fantasy, I’d chalk it up to the misery of reusing similar names for minor characters. But unfortunately, this was no ordinary romance fantasy. And I was in the headquarters of a killer trying to rewrite the story’s genre.
“Is your name really Selli?”
“Yes. Simple, isn’t it?”
She gave a bright smile. After dealing with the stiff maids, her cheerful demeanor felt like a breath of fresh air. The thought that my nickname was also “Selli” felt odd, but I decided to keep that to myself. It wasn’t like she’d know anything about it anyway.
“I heard you went to the dining hall last night?”
“Is that something worth gossiping about?”
“Of course! The fact that you even considered eating in that dreary place… You must not have known what it was like.”
I nodded, agreeing with her assessment. She burst into another bright laugh.
“From now on, just ask for your meals to be delivered to your room. Most researchers do that. By the way, did you eat breakfast?”
“No, I didn’t. I was hesitant to go back to the dining hall…”
“You should eat something.”
She produced some biscuits from somewhere and soon prepared a warm cup of tea. I hadn’t been hungry earlier, but the sight of it all suddenly made my stomach growl. I quickly devoured the biscuits.
“Have they told you about the tower’s rules yet?”
I nodded.
“Oh, the rules here are so strict, aren’t they? It’s like a dormitory for kids or something.”
Her candid tone was incredibly refreshing, and I couldn’t help but like her.
“Still, the researchers have it a bit better. As far as research goes, they can talk about things that happened before they came to the Tower.”
“Are there any other rules specifically for the mages?”
I asked, remembering what Marilyn had said.
“Hmm… I wonder… Do such rules exist?”
selli tilted her head and then smiled brightly.
“I can’t recall them right now, but if I remember, I’ll tell you.”
I nodded lightly. If she couldn’t remember, it was probably just an insignificant rule.
“Anything else? Feel free to ask anything you want.”
While I had some real questions, for now, I asked things that were appropriate for a new researcher to bring up.
“How many researchers are there?”
“There are fifteen of us, and as far as alchemy goes, you and I are the only ones focused on that.”
“You knew I was an alchemist.”
“Of course. You were famous.”
Selli said this while picking up a cookie.
“There were rumors about you even before you arrived at the Tower.”
Hearing that rumors were circulating made me uneasy. I never liked standing out, and being famous here was definitely not a good thing. My expression must have changed, as Selli laughed.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. It wasn’t bad gossip.”
“Could you tell me what exactly the rumors were?”
Selli opened up, as if it were no big deal.
“Do you like the room you’re staying in?”
I remembered what Karen had said. She wasn’t just asking about the room’s quality; I could tell that much.
“I heard it was prepared for my arrival.”
“That’s right. It was unprecedented.”
“Wasn’t it simply a courtesy to a noblewoman?”
“Heh, you’re not the only noble here.”
I hadn’t meant to flaunt the Heybern’s title, but that’s how it ended up sounding, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
“The Tower Master doesn’t care about who visits. Even when the Crown Prince came, it was the same. Plus, the Tower Master himself said it.”
Selli leaned in closer and whispered, almost as though it were a secret.
“He said someone important to him would come.”
She then squinted her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to erase something. It was like witnessing lovers’ private moments. I too felt a chill run through me.
‘Why on earth…?’
In this novel, I was nothing more than an extra character with no name. And yet, a killer was treating me differently? It was horrifying.
‘What happened before the story began?’
But no matter how hard I tried to recall the memories of this body, I couldn’t find any connection to Aeon.
“Well, doesn’t that sound like something worth gossiping about?”
I felt the need to clear things up.
“But it’s really just a rumor. I only met the Tower Master for the first time this time.”
“Hmmm, were you perhaps a famous young lady in the social circles?”
I shrugged my shoulders as if to show my current state.
“I doubt the socialites would expect a flower of society to be locked away in a lab making potions. And I doubt the Tower Master would care about that anyway.”
“Well, there’s only one reason then.”
Selli set her teacup down, signaling that her deduction was complete. I found myself waiting for her conclusion.
“Alchemy skills. He must have been drawn to your extraordinary talent. He probably decided that no matter what, he had to bring you to the Tower. How’s that? A very logical conclusion, don’t you think?”
I stared at Selli, who said this with such confidence. This cheerful researcher, just like the others, knew nothing. But given how differently she acted compared to the maids, it was possible she hadn’t entered into a binding contract.
“You don’t need to be humble. It’s not like I’m going to develop a rivalry or anything…”
“Senior.”
Once my thoughts went there, I couldn’t help but want to confirm it. Calling her Selli felt too much like treating her as a mere puppet, so I found an appropriate title.
“Senior?”
“Yes, since I joined later, I’ll call you ‘Senior’ for now.”
“Hahaha, I like being called ‘Senior.’ That works for me.”
Fortunately, Selli seemed to like the title.
“Could I take a look at your wrist for a moment?”
“Hmm?”
She raised her sleeve, looking confused.
“Palm up, please.”
“What’s this? A new greeting trend or something?”
As expected, there was nothing on the inside of her wrist. But there was no rule that the mark of the contract had to be on the wrist. If I wanted to be sure, I had to ask her directly.
“Did you also sign a contract, Senior?”
The response came from behind me.
“You’re quite curious, Miss Selli…”
“You’re quite curious, Miss Selena
