IWRU 12

Chapter 12

An unwelcome guest who had suddenly appeared at the party.

Gray hair. Brown eyes. An ordinary face.

The man who had stood in front of Miss Bayern while she performed a cheap play that looked more suited to a marketplace.

And…

The man who had helped Ariel.

As he left the party hall, Kailuns had ordered Daryl to follow him. That was because he knew who the man was.

Unlike his appearance, the man was anything but ordinary.

He was someone far removed from the word “ordinary”—the most famous 9-circle Archmage on the continent, Aster Magicos.

He was also the youngest Master of the Magic Tower.

And the reason Kailuns had recognized his identity was because Aster Magicos had deliberately revealed his own mana.

Mana detection.

That was something only mages could do, and Kailuns was not a mage.

However, the imperial family of the Pentium Empire had inherited mana in their blood to some extent due to the blessing of a great mage during the empire’s founding era.

Because of that, quite a few members of the imperial family in previous generations had become mages.

Nowadays, that blessing had faded, making mage-born royals extremely rare.

In any case, thanks to that blessing, Kailuns possessed a small amount of mana even though he could not become a mage.

Enough to sense the mana of mages below the 5th Circle.

But he should not have been able to sense the mana of a 9-circle mage like Aster first.

Yet Aster had openly released his mana.

Enough for Kailuns to notice.

In truth, even if Aster had not intentionally leaked his mana, Kailuns would eventually have realized who he was.

As the Grand Duke of the empire that possessed the largest territory on the continent, Kailuns had met Aster several times before.

Moreover, he was a man approaching the level of a Sword Master, the complete opposite of a mage, making him even more sensitive to Aster’s overwhelming aura.

And the Master of the Magic Tower would know that as well.

Then why had he deliberately revealed his mana in front of him?

Was he afraid Kailuns would fail to recognize him? Why go that far?

If he wanted recognition or special treatment after revealing his identity, he could have simply entered the empire openly from the beginning.

The Master of the Magic Tower was equivalent to a king among archmages.

When the Tower Master visited a nation, every country treated him with the highest honors.

The Pentium Empire was no exception.

Yet Aster had not come officially.

He merely released his mana while keeping his identity hidden behind a Polymorph spell.

That meant this was not an official visit, but a private one.

Then what was so urgent that he even released his mana as if giving a warning?

Surely…

It couldn’t be because of Ariel.

For a moment, the image of the Tower Master standing beside Ariel resurfaced in Kailuns’ mind.

Ignoring the uneasy pounding of his heart, Kailuns forced his thoughts elsewhere.

More importantly, why had he disguised himself and infiltrated the Bayern Marquisate?

No matter how much the Magic Tower avoided involvement in national politics, the secret movements of the Tower Master could not be viewed separately from political concerns.

Was there something in Bayern?

As Aster’s inexplicable behavior began to raise political implications, Kailuns frowned deeply.

However, his contemplation did not last long.

“Not long after my lord departed… that person boarded a carriage belonging to the Blante Marquisate and got off at Teiran Street. After that, he disappeared using magic, so I could not continue following him.”

Hearing Daryl’s report, Kailuns paused before slowly asking,

“That man… boarded a carriage belonging to the Blante Marquisate? Together with Miss Blante?”

The heartbeat he had been trying to ignore began racing again.

Lowering his gaze, Daryl slowly nodded.

“Yes. He was escorting the young lady from the moment they left the party hall. After speaking with her briefly… when Duchess Biastes left the party, the young lady brought him into the carriage.”

Ariel had been escorted by the Tower Master…

At that moment, the possibility that had been making him anxious became certainty.

“Hah.”

Kailuns let out a bitter laugh, his expression twisting strangely.

The Tower Master had really stepped forward because of Ariel.

But why?

He could not understand Aster’s intentions.

Yet what irritated him even more was the simple fact that the Tower Master was interested in Ariel, regardless of the reason.

Kailuns recalled the two figures he had seen at the party.

More precisely, he remembered the favorable look in Aster’s eyes whenever he looked at Ariel.

And now those two had left together in the same carriage.

What had they talked about?

What expression had Ariel shown while looking at Aster?

As those thoughts continued against his will, a burning emotion suddenly surged inside him.

Jealousy.

Kailuns froze as he recognized the emotion heating his chest.

What am I thinking right now…?

Jealousy?

A sigh escaped him in disbelief.

Wasn’t it ridiculous?

He was the one who had cruelly abandoned Ariel.

He was the one who had sworn to forget her existence completely.

And now he was jealous?

Even a passing dog would laugh at him.

Get a hold of yourself.

Kailuns harshly reprimanded himself, but the boiling emotions refused to settle.

Just as he could not forget her green eyes staring directly at him in the party hall.

She is the daughter of Marquis Blante.

The daughter of my enemy.

Closing his eyes tightly, Kailuns slowly regained control of himself.

“…Did it seem like the two of them would meet again?”

“I could not hear their conversation inside the carriage, so I could not determine that much. My apologies.”

Daryl lowered his head.

Ariel did not know he was the Tower Master.

But the Tower Master knew exactly who Ariel was.

Kailuns had no idea why Aster was interested in Ariel, but he had a feeling their meeting would not end after just once.

Aster Magicos was as indifferent to others as Kailuns himself.

For such a man to reveal his own mana for Ariel’s sake…

There had to be something between them that he did not know.

And if the Tower Master intended to help the Blante family because of Ariel…

“That cannot be allowed.”

Kailuns muttered in a cold voice, his eyes flashing.

Then he ordered Daryl,

“Find out where the Tower Master is staying in the capital. Watch him closely. If he… visits Miss Blante, report it to me immediately.”

“I obey.”

Daryl bowed and left the office.

Running a hand through his hair as a dark depression weighed on him, Kailuns glanced down at the documents on his desk.

They contained the debt records of the Blante Marquisate.

The largest debt among them was money borrowed from the Kuno Merchant Guild.

And the guild was putting tremendous pressure on the family.

After silently staring at the papers, Kailuns rang a bell.

A moment later, Lowell entered.

“You summoned me, Your Highness?”

“Lowell. Prepare one million krang in cash by tomorrow. There is somewhere it needs to be sent.”

The order came immediately.

“Yes. Where shall it be delivered?”

“To the Blante Marquisate.”

“…Pardon?”

Thinking he had heard wrong, Lowell stared in shock.

But Kailuns’ expression did not change.

His ears had not deceived him.

Lowell quickly concealed his surprise and lowered his head.

“…I will prepare it immediately.”

After Lowell left, Kailuns stared at the documents for a long moment before flipping them over so he could no longer see them.

“…This is the last act of pity.”

Yes.

Not for the daughter of Marquis Blante.

But for Ariel as a single human being.

His final act of pity.

And perhaps it would also extinguish the immediate crisis before Ariel became entangled with the Tower Master.

If Ariel became connected to the Tower Master, the Blante family might gain a new opportunity.

The Blante Marquisate must never be given the chance to rise again.

It had to be completely destroyed.

So this…

This is absolutely not because I still care about you.

Repeating those words to himself, Kailuns let out a heavy breath.

Then he closed his eyes tightly, trying to drive thoughts of someone from his mind.

Teiran Street, home to the most expensive shops in the capital of the Pentium Empire.

Inside the most luxurious hotel there—the Mondra Hotel’s presidential suite—a small commotion was taking place early in the morning.

The reason was a red-haired man who had suddenly appeared in the suite’s sitting room without making a sound.

The man was none other than Seoden, one of the Magic Tower’s great mages.

At present, he was desperately searching for his superior, who had vanished from the Magic Tower without a word.

Seoden’s crimson eyes widened as he carefully examined every corner of the room.

But nobody was there.

Frowning, he stopped walking through the living room and muttered,

“…This should be the right place.”

At the same time, a magical map appeared before him.

A single golden light was still blinking on it.

And the location marked by that golden light was exactly where he was standing now.

Perhaps he had made a mistake?

Yet no.

He had come to the correct place.

With a casual wave of his hand, Seoden dismissed the map and closed his eyes.

Then he activated a tracking spell.

Red light spread throughout the room.

One by one, the lights disappeared until only a single red light remained.

Seoden opened his eyes.

Following the light, he walked onward.

He arrived once again at the bedroom.

The red light stopped at an open wardrobe made from expensive wood.

It was the same wardrobe he had already checked once before.

Back then, there had been nothing unusual about it.

Now, however, things were different.

Mana was overflowing from the empty wardrobe.

Letting out a sigh, Seoden finally spoke.

“…I know you’re in there. Please come out now, Tower Master.”