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Chapter: 25
Leonard looked like someone on the verge of screaming in frustration.
“It’ll probably take quite a while before the Tower Master can seriously start teaching you.”
“The Tower Master… teaching me?”
“Who else would? You’re his daughter—and a damn genius, at that.”
He whispered the words, but there was an unmistakable edge of resentment in his voice. Almost like his pride had been hurt.
If I’m a genius, I’m a genius. What’s with the ‘damn’ part?
I had the sense not to say that out loud.
“Didn’t your heart suddenly start racing? Or feel tight?”
“How did you know?”
At my response, his expression twisted even more.
“See? You don’t know anything.”
He sighed, as if looking at a walking headache.
“Your mana has awakened, and mana circuits have formed. But because you can’t control them properly, the strain is being put on your heart—the source of mana.”
I froze in shock at the completely new information before speaking again.
“Then… am I in serious trouble?”
“No, not that serious. If you just do proper mana control training right away, you’ll be fine.”
“But the Tower Master is busy. He can’t watch over me.”
“Then you ask someone else.”
I suddenly grabbed his hand.
Startled by my abrupt action, he flinched and stared at me.
Still holding his hand tightly, I looked up at him with desperate eyes.
“Can’t you help me?”
“Why would I? I’m busy.”
I had expected him to refuse outright.
What should I do?
While searching for an effective method, I remembered how Elodie used to handle the Mercenary King.
“Leo, Viscount Landro’s son said I’m not really a Hexwood princess and denied my existence. But no one in the family is willing to challenge him to a duel for me.”
“Leo, did you hear? The Rotara diamond necklace is going up for auction this time. I really want it, but Father won’t allow it.”
Whenever Elodie casually dropped hints like that, Leonard would return sometime later having fulfilled her wishes.
He’d challenge Landro’s son to a duel and crush his reputation, or bring back a diamond necklace that supposedly cost whatever the seller demanded.
Then Elodie would hug him in delight, and Leonard—though embarrassed—would look deeply satisfied.
But that’s not the method I want to use.
Subtle manipulation was Elodie’s style, not mine.
The Mercenary King liked proving himself.
As if he constantly wanted recognition, he always stood out in every field and aimed for the top. I used to admire how hard he worked, believing it was all to win Elodie’s heart.
If he’s still the same, then all I need to do is acknowledge him, right?
“That’s because you’re a genius.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know how old you were when you entered the Magic Tower, but you’re younger than me and already a mid-level mage.”
I pointed to the badge pinned to his chest.
“I heard mages are divided into high, mid, and low ranks, wearing gold, silver, and bronze badges in that order. Most people only become mid-level mages after reaching adulthood—but you’re already wearing a silver badge. Isn’t that impossible unless you’re a genius?”
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
“You said I was a genius. If not a fellow genius, who else could teach me?”
“Hah.”
“No matter how talented I am, it’s useless without proper guidance. I want to learn from someone outstanding—like you.”
At last, a faint smile spread across his lips.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I can teach you a little before I head out on my mission.”
“Really? Thank you!”
When I beamed at him while still clutching his hand, his face changed as if he’d just realized something.
He seemed to regret it for a moment—but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.
And just like that, I gained Leonard as my teacher.
But my happiness at successfully recruiting Leonard was short-lived.
Our training took a turn for the worse far faster than I’d expected.
“Why can’t you do this? You just let the mana flow like this!”
“Don’t explain it vaguely and weirdly. Tell me exactly—how am I supposed to copy you otherwise?”
“No, seriously, why can’t you do this? Are you really the Tower Master’s daughter? Be honest—did you lie about forming mana circuits?”
The problem was simple.
Leonard was terrible at teaching.
“If you can’t teach, why are you blaming the student?”
Explaining things as if I were supposed to ‘figure it out by instinct’—what beginner could follow that?
“Ugh, this is frustrating.”
I’d thought I could learn magic and grow closer to Leonard at the same time, but at this rate, our relationship was about to get worse than before.
“Let’s stop.”
With no progress at all, Leonard finally gave up.
People of all ages were gathered closely together in the classroom.
There were children who didn’t even look ten yet, as well as teenagers and people in their twenties.
The faces of these freshly admitted Magic Tower recruits—those who had just passed the entrance exam—were filled with excitement.
“Hi! My name’s Luna. What’s yours?”
“I’m Josh. Nice to meet you.”
As people introduced themselves to others around their age, the atmosphere grew lively.
There was, however, one person who stood out by being completely isolated.
That would be me.
With my hood pulled low and sitting in a corner, not a single person approached me.
It was an unavoidable choice—I wanted to erase my presence as much as possible.
“Since the first class for new mages is about to begin, go build your foundations there and properly learn mana control. If even that doesn’t help, then you might as well reconsider becoming a mage.”
So when did he call me a ‘damn genius’? Leonard, true to his looks, had a mischievous streak.
“No matter how talented you are, it’s useless if you can’t learn properly. Being taught by education specialists is the best thing for you.”
If he said it was for my sake, what could I argue?
I wanted to ask Pellion to teach me, but he was busy cleaning up the mess I’d caused and I couldn’t even see him.
In the end, I was dragged by Leonard to a classroom in the Magic Tower’s annex.
Still, I hope no one recognizes me.
I didn’t want things to get noisy if my identity as the Tower Master’s daughter was revealed.
Just as I was quietly sitting there—
“Hi, what’s your name?”
Josh and Luna—the two who’d just introduced themselves—approached me.
I couldn’t ignore people who’d come all the way to this corner to talk to me.
Judging by their looks, they must’ve thought I was around their age.
“Ah… I’m Ophelia.”
The moment I spoke, questions followed as if they’d been waiting.
“Nice to meet you, Ophelia! I’ve been waiting for today for so long—I’m so excited! I heard there aren’t many new mages this time, but I’m glad there are at least two people my age!”
“Yeah. Let’s do our best together.”
Luna and Josh naturally sat down on either side of me.
I’d thought they’d just greet me and leave, so I was flustered inside—but their chatter didn’t stop.
“Hey, what department do you want to join?”
“I’m torn between the Research Division and the Elemental Division. I want to study the fundamentals of magic.”
“That’s awesome, Josh! Those sound fun, but I want to join the Magic Tools Division!”
“Why?”
“Because magic tools make money! Even if mages have a bad image in the capital, magic tools sell nonstop!”
“Money, huh. That’s important.”
When Josh nodded in agreement, Luna grinned.
“What about you, Ophelia?”
Perhaps because I’d been quiet, they thoughtfully included me.
“Ah, I…”
Since becoming the Tower Master’s disciple meant not belonging to any department, I hadn’t really thought about it.
“I’m not sure. I’m interested in everything.”
“Haha, figures! By the way, how did you awaken your mana? I—”
Just as Luna was about to excitedly continue—
“Oh my, how noisy.”
A sharp, irritated voice cut through the air.
“Even we nobles are being quiet. Don’t you think you’re being far too loud for your place?”
At the harsh remark, Luna and Josh blinked in confusion.
What is this, all of a sudden?
Not just us—every group that had been chatting fell silent at her words, plunging the classroom into stillness.
Only a few people sitting beside her laughed, agreeing with her.
Hmm… she looks oddly familiar.
“That’s why there’s no helping the uneducated.”
That voice… I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere before…
“What does that have anything to do with this?”
Josh muttered incredulously, but she didn’t even pretend to listen.
The girl looked about our age, but her clothing was clearly different.
Flashy.
As if loudly proclaiming I’m from a rich family, she was decked out in excessively luxurious clothes and jewelry—triggering an unsettling sense of déjà vu.
