🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 6
“Those who cannot use Teleportation may never set foot in the Magic Tower.”
Those were the words left behind by Igfried Arzen, the first Master of the Magic Tower.
Long ago, during the war between humans and mages, magic users scattered across the continent gathered in Dian.
There, according to legend, the twelve greatest archmages combined their power to build the legendary tower—
The Magic Tower.
Standing in the middle of a storm-ridden sea, the tower could only be reached through teleportation magic.
It was meant to admit only mages.
Ordinary humans who couldn’t teleport were only allowed to enter after the age of peace arrived.
A gateway connecting the mainland to the tower had eventually been built.
However, there was one important rule:
The gate only opened twice a day.
Once in the morning.
Once in the afternoon.
And today… both openings were already over.
Before me, there was no gate—only the endless sea stretching toward the horizon.
I headed toward the small cabin where the gatekeeper lived.
“Yona!”
I knocked on the little window at eye level.
The elderly man, who had been dozing peacefully, jolted awake.
“Hm? Serphine?”
“Sorry for waking you, Yona. But I really need a favor.”
“A favor? What kind?”
“Could you open the gate for me? Just for a little while.”
Yona glanced at the orange sunset coloring the sky before answering.
“You want me to open the gate? This isn’t the time for that.”
“But I have to leave without Roakin finding out. I only need it open for a moment… Please?”
He hesitated before finally nodding.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you’re asking, Serphine, then I’m sure you have your reasons.”
The change happened immediately.
The calm sea began to bubble violently.
A deep rumble echoed across the water.
Then, as though the Red Sea itself were splitting apart, the waves separated to either side.
An arched stone bridge emerged, stretching all the way to the mainland.
“Go on. Hurry across.”
Leaving the door open, Yona leaned comfortably back into his chair and closed his eyes again.
Normally, I’d have been trapped in the Magic Tower until tomorrow when the gate opened again.
I’m glad Serphine had built such a good relationship with the gatekeeper.
She really had worked hard.
Even though the secretary’s office was directly beneath the top floor of the tower, she’d often made the trip all the way down here just to chat with Yona.
She’d never expected anything in return.
But now, thanks to that kindness, escaping had become much easier.
“Thank you, Yona.”
…
Looks like he’s already asleep.
After offering my farewell, I adjusted my bag and stepped onto the dry stone bridge, as though it had never been hidden beneath the sea.
I’ll probably come back someday.
That was…
If I managed to stay alive and avoid being killed by the Empress.
After all, even if I had almost no magic power…
I was still technically a mage.
The moment I reached the mainland—
Crash!
Huge waves surged back over the bridge, swallowing it whole.
The sea returned to its calm, peaceful appearance, as if nothing had happened.
Without looking back, I continued on my journey.
* * *
“Miss… wake up.”
The coachman’s voice pulled me from sleep.
I forced open eyelids that felt as heavy as stone.
“Weren’t you headed to Erden Village?”
“…Ah. That’s right.”
Apparently I’d dozed off in the carriage after traveling all night.
I lightly slapped my cheeks to wake myself and climbed down with my luggage.
Erden Village
The weathered wooden sign at the village entrance had faded with age.
Located on the border between Dian, the land of mages, and the human territories…
Erden Village would become my new home.
“Let’s see…”
I unfolded my map and checked the location I’d marked beforehand.
It looked like I’d have to head deep into the eastern forest.
Passing villagers already busy with their morning work, I continued walking.
Soon, a cozy little house appeared through the thick trees.
There it is!
Before escaping the Magic Tower, I’d already searched for a place to hide.
The house looked exactly like it had in the viewing crystal I’d used when buying it.
Finally.
After an exhausting overnight journey…
I’d arrived at my own home.
Overcome with emotion, I hurried toward it.
The house had two stories, including a small attic beneath the roof.
Its sturdy wooden frame and thick plaster walls were still in good condition.
Aside from showing a few signs of age, it looked perfectly livable.
Suddenly, memories of countless nights spent working overtime flashed through my mind.
My nose stung.
This… this is what all that suffering was for.
…
Or rather…
It wasn’t me who suffered.
It was Serphine.
Every coin used to buy this house had been earned through her hard work at the Magic Tower.
The Tower paid generous salaries.
On top of that, she’d accepted private potion commissions, leaving her bank account comfortably full.
She wasn’t wealthy enough to be called rich…
But she had enough savings to comfortably survive until the Empress was overthrown.
That was plenty.
“…Hello?”
The moment I opened the front door…
A spider descended from its web to welcome me.
I waved away the web and stepped inside.
The house had been abandoned for years.
It was a complete disaster.
“How am I supposed to deep-clean a two-story house by myself?”
For a moment, dizziness hit me.
Then I clenched my fists.
I survived three years in the Magic Tower.
Compared to that…
Cleaning a house wasn’t scary.
I threw open every window first.
Then I found a broom in what looked like a storage room and began sweeping every corner.
The cleaning I’d started that morning still wasn’t finished by nightfall.
“Haa…”
“I’m exhausted…”
I collapsed face-first onto the bed.
Maybe I’d pushed my weak body too hard.
If only I’d brought one mage from the Tower to help clean…
Back there, whenever magical work was needed, I could simply ask another mage.
But now I was hiding.
Everything had to be done alone.
Moments like this made me painfully aware that I couldn’t use magic.
How can someone have absolutely no magic power?
Amazingly, every time Serphine’s mana was measured…
The result was always zero.
Despite coming from a family of mages, people with absolutely no detectable mana were incredibly rare.
Still…
Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
It wasn’t as though magic would suddenly appear.
Even after working all day, there was still plenty left to do.
Just thinking about it made my head spin.
“I’ll finish the rest… little by little.”
Ignoring the ceiling that looked ready to leak the moment it rained, I closed my eyes.
What did it matter?
I was unemployed now.
I had all the time in the world.
* * *
Dark clouds gathered over the mountain ridges.
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
A massive extermination operation was underway in the Valdeas Mountains.
A subjugation force conducting a routine survey had discovered a new monster nest.
Thanks to the Empire’s elite troops, monstrous screams echoed endlessly through the mountains.
Ever since magical energy had awakened across the continent, these grotesque creatures had mutated beyond recognition.
They were several times larger than ordinary animals…
Far stronger…
And carried deadly venom capable of killing humans.
Even the Empire’s highly trained knights had to fight for their lives against them.
Only their determination to protect the people kept the extermination force standing.
It was a brutal battlefield filled with blood and death.
Every soldier was drenched in blood, fighting desperately.
Everyone…
Except one man.
Standing calmly as though untouched by the chaos…
The Master of the Magic Tower.
Roakin.
He was deep in thought.
His mind had been consumed lately by the bombshell his secretary, Serphine Mirabel, had dropped on him.
…Why?
No matter how much he thought about it…
He couldn’t understand why she wanted to quit.
Everything had been fine until now, hadn’t it?
Roakin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Serphine was an exceptional secretary.
Meticulous.
Quick-witted.
Whenever he entrusted her with work, she completed it flawlessly.
Most importantly…
The sleeping potions she brewed worked remarkably well.
He hadn’t expected much when he’d first hired her.
Yet she’d exceeded every expectation.
Her lack of magic had never been an issue.
Everything would have continued perfectly…
If not for—
Resignation Letter
The document she’d suddenly placed before him.
Roakin’s expression darkened as he remembered those indifferent pink eyes staring back at him.
At that moment…
A crimson glow spread across the sky.
Like exploding fireworks, countless fireballs burst into existence before raining down all at once.
Gigantic flaming meteors slammed into the monsters.
Dozens of beasts screamed simultaneously.
Their horrifying cries echoed throughout the Valdeas Mountains.
Yet none of those sounds reached Roakin.
His ears seemed shut off from the outside world.
Only one voice echoed endlessly inside his head.
“I’d like to resign.”
Serphine wanted to quit.
Why?
Was the workload too much?
But she’d never once shown any sign of struggling.
If it had been so difficult…
Why hadn’t she simply told him?
Why hand him a resignation letter first?
At first, he’d assumed it was merely a mild protest about the workload.
He’d even overlooked her unofficial strike, thinking she’d change her mind after taking a break.
Instead…
Serphine Mirabel continued carrying that resignation letter around, searching for opportunities to hand it to him.
One day she even brought him a sleeping potion that tasted absolutely terrible.
It almost seemed as though she was intentionally trying to get herself fired.
“I’d like to resign.”
Remembering those words again, Roakin’s face hardened.
“Why are you suddenly acting differently?”
Why?
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Had Serphine ever hinted at something like this before?
As he searched his memories…
Someone suddenly stepped into his view.
“What are you standing here for?”
A man in gleaming golden armor approached, his long crimson cape billowing behind him.
It was the commander of the extermination force—
The Crown Prince.
Even Rirenzo, the strongest Swordmaster alive, bore clear traces of the fierce battle.
His brilliant golden hair, like molten gold itself, was stained with dark crimson blood like ugly blemishes against its radiance.
