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Chapter 2
The Top Floor of the Magic Tower
The place we arrived at after riding the captain’s horse all night was surprisingly plain and had very little to see.
As soon as we climbed the stairs, all we could see was a short hallway and an old door.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Liliana said that, then knocked on the door and announced her name and position.
The door opened immediately, but the moment Liliana entered, it slammed shut.
I wondered what they were talking about inside, but I couldn’t hear a single word.
I stroked Kai inside my arms and waited for their conversation to end.
The cracks are getting bigger… I hope everything is settled before you properly hatch.
Just as I was anxiously examining the egg, the door suddenly swung open and Liliana came out.
“Child. The Master of the Magic Tower wants to see you alone.”
“Without the egg?”
“Take it with you.”
Liliana knocked again.
Then she opened the door and held the handle so that I could enter.
I covered the cracks in the egg with my body as much as possible and went inside.
The door closed behind me with a loud bang.
I stood there nervously for a moment before slowly walking forward.
The room was completely filled with thick books.
In the very center, there were two sofas facing each other, with a small table for tea and snacks between them.
But the Master of the Magic Tower wasn’t sitting on the sofa.
Instead, he was working frantically at a very long desk behind them.
What is this mountain of paperwork?
Even the documents I had seen in the research facility hadn’t been this enormous.
He continued working without paying any attention to me.
His bright platinum-blond hair was neatly arranged.
His eyes were as blue as the sea, but because of their sharp shape, they looked even colder.
The Master of the Magic Tower and Duke of the Croyman family, Luke Croyman.
Harna, the previous-generation hero who had saved the Empire and was considered the greatest archmage in history.
Jack, another hero of the previous generation and the current greatest Sword Master in the Empire.
Luke was born between the two of them and possessed overwhelming talent. He had become the Master of the Magic Tower at only fifteen years old.
Tap.
Luke Croyman placed the quill he had been holding down.
Then he slowly raised his head and looked at me.
Gulp.
I swallowed nervously and met his dark eyes.
…… He really is incredibly handsome.
But I couldn’t let myself be fooled by a face that looked as though it had been sculpted by a god.
Who knew what kind of devil might be hiding inside?
Luke looked at my eyes, then at my entire body, and finally at the egg in my arms.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“Where did you find it?”
Apparently, he had no intention of making small talk or exchanging introductions.
“I didn’t find it.”
“Then did someone give it to you?”
“Actually… I stole it.”
“From whom?”
“……There’s a facility that has been managing me until now.”
“You’re saying they were managing an ordinary child and a top-grade smuggled item together?”
Luke continued in a flat voice.
“And that smuggled item happens to be a dragon egg, something worth more than several countries combined.”
Luke’s eyes were carefully judging whether I was lying.
I lifted my chin and straightened my back.
At times like this, I had to act even more confidently.
“It’s somewhere around there. You should investigate it.”
“Yes. This time, I hope you’re not lying.”
Unlike Liliana, who was weak toward children, Luke was cold.
I already knew that Luke wasn’t the type of person who was warm toward everyone.
“I’m sorry for lying to the captain.”
“Don’t worry about something you did simply to protect yourself.”
……What?
Is he not as sharp and cold as I thought?
I was confused.
He was the first person I couldn’t tell whether he was an ally or an enemy.
I glanced at Luke before looking back at the egg and answering.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Instead of answering me, Luke pointed toward the nearby sofa.
“Sit.”
“Ah, yes.”
I sat where Luke pointed, and he stood up from his desk and came to sit on the sofa opposite me.
He quietly murmured some words I couldn’t understand.
Then the tea set and snacks on the shelf flew toward us, and refreshments were prepared before us.
Steam rose from the warm liquid inside the teacup.
Honestly, I hadn’t been able to drink even a sip of water on the way here, so I wanted to gulp it down immediately.
And the cookies neatly arranged in the center of the table…
I had only ever watched other people eat things like this from a distance.
Now that I’m seeing them up close, they look bigger and more delicious than I expected.
Growl.
…… Was that really the sound of my stomach?
I looked at Luke with wide eyes.
He raised one eyebrow and let out a small laugh.
“My, I should have brought you a meal.”
Was he teasing me?
Why did this have to happen at a time like this…? How embarrassing!
Too embarrassed to say anything, I simply fidgeted with the teacup.
Luke watched me for a moment before using magic to bring the cookies back toward him.
“Children around your age usually love cookies, but you haven’t even touched them.”
“Thank you very much, but my stomach…”
I was about to say that I wasn’t hungry.
Until I remembered the very loud growl my stomach had just made.
I wanted to die from embarrassment, but I couldn’t think of another excuse.
I couldn’t exactly say that I was afraid to eat because I didn’t know what might be put into the food he had personally given me.
That wouldn’t be honesty. It would simply be rude.
“You don’t look very grateful. You look more like someone who was just given poison.”
He said it with a slightly raised corner of his mouth, making it impossible to tell whether he was joking or mocking me.
It reminded me of the sly smile of a researcher from the laboratory who used to secretly mix extremely strong drugs into my food.
For some reason, I felt a chill.
I hugged the egg tightly.
That was in the past. Now I only need to worry about what is coming next.
In any case, Kai had to be my top priority.
What had happened the times I failed…
I didn’t even want to remember that more than I wanted to forget the researcher’s cruel smile.
Luke, who had been watching me lost in thought, tapped his forehead lightly.
At first, I wondered if it was some kind of signal.
Only much later did I realize he was telling me to relax my expression.
While I tried to smooth out my furrowed brows, Luke dropped a bombshell.
“The facility that was managing you. Was it an illegal research facility?”
“……”
I immediately controlled my expression, but I couldn’t hide my trembling hands.
Should I hide it?
Or should I tell him the truth?
From what I had seen of Luke so far, he seemed to dislike lies.
But at the same time, he didn’t seem like someone who would readily offer his hand simply because I was honest.
After thinking about it, I finally took the plunge.
“Yes.”
In this life, I’ve bet my life on him, so I might as well see this through to the end.
I strengthened my resolve again and looked at him confidently.
Luke’s expression became serious.
“That egg.”
Luke took a sip of tea before continuing.
“Is that egg precious to you?”
“Do you want the egg?”
Luke raised an eyebrow slightly, placed his teacup down, and answered.
“Yes. If you give me the egg, I will protect you so that its original owner cannot harm you.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can give you the egg in exchange for that.”
I rejected his offer immediately.
He says he’ll protect me only as long as the head of the research facility doesn’t harm me?
Who knew whether the Magic Tower might secretly come and kill me instead?
Besides, his offer hadn’t mentioned anything about protecting Kai.
Perhaps the Master of the Magic Tower had expected me to refuse.
He took another sip of tea and spoke again.
“Then I will grant you one wish.”
“A wish?”
Got him.
I smiled inwardly and readily said,
“Please become my father!”
For the first time, Luke’s expression became slightly disordered as he put down his teacup.
“Are you serious?”
Of course not.
Even I thought it was an absurd proposal.
My original goal, from the beginning, had been to become affiliated with the Magic Tower.
And yet, the reason I deliberately made such an absurd request first was simple.
If I did this, there was a greater chance that he would more easily accept the proposal I truly wanted.
I shamelessly nodded.
“Yes. I need a family.”
He’s shaken.
He was definitely keeping control of his expression, but for the first time, I could see a crack in his composure.
He must have been completely speechless because of my ridiculous proposal.
Now I just need to wrap this up and change the subject.
Watching Luke’s reaction, I slowly opened my mouth.
He had waited long enough.
Now it was time to make my second proposal…
“I want you to convince me why I should accept that proposal.”
……What?
I was so dumbfounded that I could only blink at him.
Luke rested his chin on his hand and looked at me with interest.
“Convince… you?”
“Yes. Convince me.”
Why on earth… Is he asking me to convince him?
Perhaps I had unconsciously let that question show in my expression, because Luke stared at me for a while before quietly murmuring,
“That way, I’ll be tempted to accept your proposal.”
