“What is it?”
“Aurora was helped by the Magic Tower.”
Ghieuspe, who knows the most about the Magic Tower, spoke, and we all listened carefully to his words.
“No matter what kind of leverage Aurora had over the Magic Tower, they wouldn’t lend a mage, let alone an airship. The Magic Tower has always refused to lend its magicians to civilians, no matter how much money was offered.”
Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve had such a long line. This means that the Magic Tower’s actions are extremely unusual.
“That’s right. Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that the Magic Tower only cooperates with the royal family or public institutions. The magicians affiliated with the tower have too much pride to be hired by civilians.”
Simone also agreed with Ghieuspe’s statement, making it seem like a reliable story.
“Ghieuspe, was the leverage you had that significant?”
“Not significant enough to borrow a mage.”
Then why did the Magic Tower cooperate with Aurora?
“Did Aurora have any connections with the Magic Tower?”
“No, Aurora has no association with any mages. The only mages she knows are me and Raffaello.”
“Then why?”
“I will explain.”
Ghieuspe began to lecture us about the Magic Tower.
“The Magic Tower forfeits rights. Therefore, only those with strong aspirations enter it.”
“If you belong to the Magic Tower, you give up your rights as a human? It sounds like a complete violation of human rights. So only those with a strong desire for magic enter the Magic Tower on their own accord?”
“Magic Tower mages do not earn money. Instead, they have pride.”
“Unlike the mages outside the Magic Tower, who are hired by civilians and earn money, the mages within the tower cannot do that. They voluntarily give up wealth and power, so they have pride in being part of the Magic Tower?”
“Seraphina, how do you even understand that?”
“Actually, when I was about ten years old, I dreamed of being an animal communicator.”
“No, you’re still treating him like animals….”
Ghieuspe continued speaking with an indifferent expression, unconcerned by how I was handling things.
“So this is strange.”
“Indeed. Could there have been a change within the Magic Tower?”
Just as we were wondering about this, the doors of the Magic Tower began to open slowly without any warning.
The doors of the Magic Tower were so massive that they must have been at least 5 meters tall. They were so thick that I couldn’t have moved them even with all my strength. Yet, the doors began to open on their own, without anyone touching them.
As the doors slowly opened, a thick mist began to seep out. We all frowned and waved our hands in front of us to clear our vision.
Only Ghieuspe stood still, wide-eyed, as if he had sensed something.
For some reason, Simone let out a small laugh.
When the mist finally cleared, a woman stood there in a tight-fitting black dress. However, instead of being seductive or beautiful, she exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down my spine.
It wasn’t just the heavy eye makeup or the black dress; it was as if—
It was like meeting a tiger in the mountains. Even if you normally thought tigers were cute, if you met one alone in the wilderness, you would be terrified. You might feel the urge to run away before the tiger even got close.
Or like encountering a shark in the ocean, where you would instinctively feel fear.
It was something like that. The woman standing in front of us was far stronger than I was. I could sense it instinctively.
If she wanted to, she could kill me as easily as crushing an ant.
My survival instincts recognized this, and that’s why I was terrified the moment I saw her.
“Who…?”
I reflexively backed away from the woman as I asked, but Ghieuspe didn’t budge.
Instead, he looked at her with a tense expression and spoke.
“Magic Tower Master.”
“Yes, Ghieuspe. It’s been a long time.”
Ah, so this woman was the Master of the Magic Tower.
Now I understood the powerful, bone-chilling aura she exuded.
The Master of the Magic Tower gave Ghieuspe a strange smile and then turned her back to us, signaling for us to follow her.
“Shall we talk inside?”
The woman walked away, her footsteps echoing, and Ghieuspe hesitated for a moment before following her.
Raffaelo, watching his reaction, spoke up.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“…It seems the Master of the Magic Tower has something to say to me.”
“Well, that’s convenient. While you’re at it, let’s also discuss why she helped Aurora.”
Raffaelo replied, as if this was a good thing. The others seemed pleased that the doors to the Magic Tower had opened so easily.
However….
I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling caused by the expression on Ghieuspe’s face as he spoke those last words.
It wasn’t just the overwhelming presence of the Master of the Magic Tower that had affected him—Ghieuspe had spent enough time in the tower to be familiar with her aura.
“Ghieuspe, let’s go inside.”
When Simone said this, Ghieuspe rarely made eye contact with him.
“Are you alright?”
“I have to be, don’t I?”
“Even so….”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
‘It seems like those two know something.’
While I was pondering this, Ghieuspe seemed to come to a decision, and with a resolute expression, he looked towards the Magic Tower and began to walk.
We followed Ghieuspe into the Magic Tower.
The ceiling of the Magic Tower was incredibly high, and through the open center, we could see each floor.
In the darkness, remnants of magic sparkled like starlight in various places. It felt as if we had entered the depths of the universe.
As I was marveling at the surroundings, a blue door, which I had thought was just a wall, opened.
We followed the Master of the Magic Tower inside.
It was a simple reception room. Since it didn’t seem dangerous, we took our seats.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all like this,”
The Master of the Magic Tower spoke in a refined tone.
“I am Elisabetta Scilla, the Master of the Magic Tower of Boleno.”
“I am Simone of the Marquess of Monteverdi.”
“Ah, the Marquess of Monteverdi.”
Simone was the first to receive Elisabetta’s greeting. He responded with impeccable manners, accepting her greeting with perfect formality.
“I have heard much about the many achievements you have accomplished since taking the position of the Master of the Magic Tower.”
The discontented expression he had when looking at the tower earlier was gone, replaced by a very friendly face. It was a flawless performance.
“Ah, I have also heard about the many contributions you’ve made as the Minister, Marquess of Monteverdi.”
Though their conversation appeared to be amicable, I could sense a subtle tension between them. They were carefully assessing each other.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Raffaelo Nesta.”
Raffaelo’s voice broke through the tense atmosphere.
Despite his fierce appearance, he had a sly personality that was useful in situations like this.
“Thank you for opening the door for us. I never thought I’d get to visit the Magic Tower, but thanks to you, here we are. Haha!”
“Indeed. It’s quite far from the mainland of the Kingdom of Boleno, after all.”
“I am Arkhangelo Phyro.”
Elisabetta glanced at Arkhangelo with a slight look of surprise but didn’t say anything further.
Then her gaze turned toward me.
“And what is the name of this beautiful young lady?”
“S-Seraphina Viviana.”
“Ah, Lady Viviana.”
Elisabetta’s golden eyes gleamed sharply as if she had just realized something.
“You must be the spatial mage who recently awakened.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm, that’s good. While you’re here, you might as well register as a mage.”
“Yes, I suppose I have to. You sound as if you might kill me if I don’t, so of course, I’ll do it.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing, I’ll just keep quiet because I’m scared.”
Elisabetta looked at me with disbelief, but I didn’t care.
Phew, I feel like I’ve met too many scary people since coming to this world. The worst part is that I have to pretend to be fine in front of them.
It’s truly frustrating. Having to say “It was a pleasure to meet you” to people I’d rather not meet is really tiresome. But if I want to keep living in this world, I have to say such things. Otherwise, I’d quickly become an outcast.
“Lady Viviana, why do you look like that?”
“I was just deep in thought, wondering why I keep encountering terrifying people.”
“…….”
At that moment, Ghieuspe, who had been silent, finally spoke, and the Master of the Magic Tower turned her attention to him.
“…Magic Tower Master, I have a question.”
“Yes, Ghieuspe. What do you want to know?”
“I understand that Aurora Shae received help from the speed mage of the Magic Tower, Andrea Buffon. I want to know why the Magic Tower decided to cooperate with Aurora.”
“Hmm, that’s a good question.”
Elisabetta smiled softly, but that smile only made me feel more afraid.
“Yes, it was our principle not to cooperate with civilians. It was our pride… Even if Lady Shae had threatening information against us. But, Ghieuspe…”
Elisabetta’s golden eyes fixed on Ghieuspe.
“Things have changed. A lot has happened since you lost interest in the Magic Tower.”
“I….”
“I’m not blaming you, so listen. The royal family has cut off our support. They drastically reduced the budget for magic research. Magic research had been controlled by a cartel, but they declared they would break it.”
