Elisabetta now had a look of indulgence in her own story. I was slowly starting to feel scared of her again.
“Ghieuspe Ascary is the strongest mage I’ve ever raised.”
“I guess he’s older than he looks. He seems quite young.”
“I raised him in spirit.”
“Oh, I see…”
So she had something like a surrogate parenting role.
“Did you also collect photos of Ghieuspe?”
“What?”
“Have you ever felt that Ghieuspe’s responses were too insincere? He’s the kind of person who would just say, ‘Oh, really?’ If it were me, I would have given up on him.”
“What did you say?”
“It was just nonsense.”
The look in the eyes of the tower master seemed to have changed after I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“So, the important thing is… to make this tower the greatest organization, we need Ghieuspe Ascary. We must keep him in the tower.”
“But why are you telling me this? Wouldn’t it be faster to tell him directly?”
Elisabetta sighed deeply, as if she was thinking of a stubborn child.
“Ghieuspe doesn’t understand my methods. To cultivate great power, it’s natural to absorb the weaker.”
“I don’t think so. I don’t believe that the survival of the fittest is the absolute rule that governs this world.”
“No, it is inevitable if one wants to reach the top. But Ghieuspe’s mind is too weak to accept my way. That’s why he ran away from the tower.”
Listening to Elisabetta, I began to understand why Ghieuspe ran away.
“A mage shouldn’t be swayed by emotions like Ghieuspe. A mage must train repeatedly to think purely with reason. This way of thinking has brought us the prosperity we enjoy today.”
“Okay, I see you worship reason… but…”
Alright, this is a philosophy I simply cannot overlook.
“We must use reason to achieve a more objective morality. Humans may strive to uncover all the laws and mysteries of nature, but it is also our destiny to find and discover moral laws.”
“That’s the kind of idealistic talk someone who has never faced harsh reality would say.”
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law!”*
*Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason
“Morality is just an illusion.”
“No, morality is a great achievement of humanity!”
Although I was a realistic and pessimistic person in my previous life, I never ignored morality and law.
For example, as a top instructor, I often underwent tax audits, but I was never caught for tax evasion.
Perhaps that was the result of my own moral philosophy deeply ingrained within me.
However, despite my strong protest, Elisabetta didn’t listen to a word I said.
“So, I’ve decided to ask for Lady Viviana’s help.”
The moment she said that, the blue wall next to me suddenly opened, revealing a new space.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the floor inside that space.
Outside the wall, Elisabetta was looking down at me with a smile.
“Tower Master? What is this…?”
“I’m sorry, but I think we can catch Ghieuspe if we use Lady Viviana, and also, if we nurture the spatial mage well, it will benefit the tower.”
“Wha… what?”
Still unable to grasp the situation, I stammered. Elisabetta gracefully waved her hand. I heard the sound of a door that had appeared suddenly, clicking shut.
What is this? Am I really…?
“Tower Master!”
“I’m sorry, but please stay locked up for a while.”
With those words, I heard the sound of her heels clicking as she disappeared.
“Moral virtue neither arises naturally within us nor contrary to our nature. We can naturally accept moral virtues, and we complete them through habit.”*
*Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
I made every effort to persuade Elisabetta, but my attempts were brutally crushed.
“Tower Master, don’t abandon human moral virtue!”
She lightly dismissed my words, as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting, and disappeared far away.
I sat there on the floor, dazed for a while, before I realized.
“What the… am I locked up?”
As unbelievable as it seemed, I was indeed trapped….
Aurora Shae, Princess Eva, and now Elisabetta Scilla, the master of the magic tower.
Why do I keep getting entangled with crazy women in my life?
‘Could this be some kind of curse? Am I a magnet for crazy women?’
I seriously reflected on whether I had some bad luck, then looked around.
The place I was in was just an ordinary room. It even had a bathroom attached.
“How on earth do I escape from here?”
The magic tower master Elisabetta probably had unimaginable power, and she might even be watching me right now.
Hmm, whether I’m being watched or not, it’s better to try escaping than to do nothing. It’s certainly better than just sitting here.
“Should I use magic?”
I stood up and pulled the door with all my strength, but it was firmly locked, and there was no way my strength alone could open it. Unless it was Raffaelo or Simone, relying solely on physical strength was impossible.
So, I guess I have to use magic after all….
***
“Lady Viviana has decided to stay in the tower on her own.”
When Elisabetta said this, none of them believed her.
“Seraphina just said earlier that if she doesn’t return, it means she’s been kidnapped.”
“Do you think we lack the intelligence to understand that?”
“…Lady Viviana has declared that she won’t meet anyone during her training. If you have any messages for her, I can deliver them.”
It was obvious to everyone that she was declaring that she had locked up Seraphina, but they couldn’t immediately rush at Elisabetta.
She was considered the strongest among all the previous masters of the magic tower.
“Ha, and Seraphina made that decision on her own, did she?”
Raffaelo responded to her words in a sarcastic tone.
“Yes, Lady Viviana said so.”
“If it comes to this, we have no choice but to file a formal complaint through our respective families. You said there were financial issues; you’d better think carefully about this.”
Raffaelo, visibly angered, openly threatened her, but Elisabetta didn’t even blink.
“Yes, go ahead and threaten me.”
Her gaze was fixed solely on Ghieuspe.
“In the meantime, Lady Viviana will be studying in the tower.”
“……….”
Watching this, Simone sensed that something was going on between Ghieuspe and Elisabetta.
Considering her persistent gaze and the way she was handling Seraphina, it was easy to deduce that Elisabetta’s true interest was not in Seraphina, but in Ghieuspe.
While Simone was contemplating the political stance he should take, the voice of an enraged Arkhangelo shouted,
“I don’t care; hand over Seraphina!”
