MTIC 08

Chapter 8

Before long, the Magic Tower’s carriage had left the capital.

As they gradually approached the western desert, the territory belonging to the Magic Tower, the air became increasingly hot and humid.

As the inside of the carriage grew warm, Lulu and Lara became drowsy and fell asleep.

Jack laid the two children across his lap and quietly cast a cooling spell.

A cool breeze soon circulated inside the carriage.

Miel nodded at Jack in thanks before turning her attention back to the paper bird.

How strange. It’s been a long time since I received a messenger.

It had truly been a long time since she had received a paper bird from her master.

When was the last time? I think it was long before I left for this commission.

Back then, Jade had been away from the tower because he was busy.

He had used a bird infused with magic to communicate with her from outside.

But he’s at the Magic Tower right now, isn’t he? We’re going to arrive soon anyway, so why send a messenger?

Could something have happened at the Magic Tower?

However, nothing serious had ever happened while the Tower Master was there.

If that was the case, there was only one possibility.

He probably had another task for her.

I wanted to properly rest after finally returning from such a long commission.

Normally, Miel had planned to take a shower as soon as she arrived at the Magic Tower, eat a meal, and then go straight to bed.

She had also planned to visit one of the famous hot springs in the Empire and soak away all the fatigue she had accumulated.

But now she had to handle another assignment.

Miel felt irritated for a moment.

Normally, mages who returned from lengthy commissions weren’t immediately given more work.

They were allowed to rest for at least a few days and recover completely before receiving another assignment.

Miel had always worked that way, too.

So why is he calling for me all of a sudden?

Miel pouted.

If he doesn’t like me, he should just say so.

She crumpled the paper in her hand and turned her gaze toward the window.

The scenery outside was no longer filled with lush trees.

Instead, they were looking at trees that had withered and dried up under the scorching heat.

They had entered the territory of the Magic Tower.

Should I just pretend I didn’t see the message?

As the Magic Tower gradually came into view, her desire to rest grew even stronger.

She wanted to soak in a hot bath, fill her empty stomach, then lie down in bed and sleep for hours.

The more she thought about it, the more the Tower Master was pushed to the back of her mind.

Yes. My fatigue comes first.

In the end, Miel decided to leave the report about the completed commission to Jack.

If he has something for me to do, he can give it to me through Jack.

At least, that was partly what she was thinking.

“Ugh, it’s hot!”

“Let’s get inside quickly!”

As soon as they got out of the carriage, the hot and humid desert air enveloped their entire bodies.

Lulu and Lara immediately ran toward the Magic Tower.

Jack followed behind them, carrying the jewelry box.

Miel stood there for a moment, observing the Magic Tower.

Seeing it again after such a long time felt strangely nostalgic.

The Magic Tower stood majestically in the middle of a desert covered in nothing but sand, its peak impossible to see properly.

From the outside, it looked exactly as gloomy as ever, its entire surface covered in gray.

“Miel! Come quickly!”

“Mieeel!”

At the children’s calls, Miel started walking.

The entrance to the Magic Tower was a massive wooden door.

Although it was made of nothing more than wood, it was extremely thick and enormous.

Yet Lulu and Lara opened it with ease.

The door had been enchanted with a detection spell that allowed only people from the Magic Tower to open it.

“It’s cool!”

“The Magic Tower really is the best!”

As soon as they entered the Magic Tower, cool air brushed against their skin.

It was so cool that it was hard to believe the building had been constructed in such a barren desert.

After saying goodbye to the children and Jack, Miel headed toward the end of the corridor.

The circular corridors of the Magic Tower had magical devices on both sides for moving between floors.

Once you stepped inside one of the devices, it would transport you directly to whichever floor you wanted.

Miel immediately headed to the floor where the mages’ living quarters were located.

She entered her room, which was at the very end of the corridor.

“It’s been so long, my dear bed!”

The moment she saw her soft, fluffy bed, she practically threw herself onto it.

Miel sprawled across the mattress and began taking off her clothes.

For a while, she simply lay there without thinking about anything.

The soft yet cushioned feeling against her back seemed to melt away all the fatigue in her body.

“Ugh. I’m hungry.”

Grrrroooowl.

Her stomach rumbled loudly enough to be heard.

In the end, Miel got up from the bed.

After taking a quick shower, she changed her clothes and left her room.

“Oh, Miel!”

When she arrived at the floor containing the dining hall using the magical transportation device, an elderly man she hadn’t seen in a long time greeted her.

It was Schlien, who was smiling broadly while stroking his thick white beard.

“Master Schlien! It’s been so long.”

“Looks like you’ve returned from your commission today!”

“Yes. I just got back.”

“Good, good. You worked hard. You really did. Are you going to get something to eat?”

“Yes! I’m so hungry.”

“Then let us go together.”

The two headed toward the dining hall together, chatting as they walked.

Miel told Schlien about the dangerous region of the Empire she had visited during her commission.

Schlien said that he had been there several times himself and told her about the area’s specialties and some particularly delicious foods.

“Talking about food is making me even hungrier.”

“Indeed. Let’s ask Puck to make something especially delicious for you today.”

“Okay!”

Before long, the two entered the dining hall.

Since it wasn’t dinner time yet, there was no one eating.

Miel and Schlien immediately headed toward the kitchen, where Chef Puck was likely to be.

Puck, a large and generously built man, was already preparing dinner in advance.

“Miel! It’s been a long time!”

“Puck! It’s been so long!”

Miel immediately ran over and hugged Puck.

Puck was one of the people who brought joy to Miel’s life in the Magic Tower.

He always made delicious food, and Miel ate his cooking with great enthusiasm.

Naturally, Puck liked Miel, too.

“Puck, Miel has finally returned after a long time, so please take extra care of her. Oh, and give me the rest of that cherry beer.”

“Got it. Miel, wait just a little while. I’ll make something for you right away.”

“Yes!”

Miel smiled brightly and began setting out a fork, knife, and spoon.

Then she took a sip of the water Schlien had brought her and waited for Puck’s cooking.

“And that’s how we successfully completed the commission. This is the commission fee, along with the special reward.”

After explaining the long two-month journey, Jack handed the jewelry box to the Tower Master.

But the Tower Master wasn’t even looking at the jewelry box.

Jack quietly called out to him.

“Tower Master?”

“Ah, yes. This is the commission fee?”

“Yes.”

Only then did Jade place his hand on the jewelry box.

When he opened the lid, the jewels inside glittered brilliantly without pause.

It was obvious at a glance that they were extremely valuable.

The client was the Crown Prince, wasn’t he?

I wonder what happened. He doesn’t exactly like the Magic Tower, so why would he give us this much?

Suspicion appeared in Jade’s eyes, and Jack spoke again.

“I think he gave it to us because we completed the commission a full month ahead of schedule. That’s what he told Miel.”

“……To Miel? You didn’t meet the Crown Prince yourself?”

“No. I was enjoying refreshments with Lulu and Lara. Miel was more than capable of handling it by herself anyway.”

Even if it was a reward for completing the commission early, the amount was far too large.

There was enough here to make one wonder whether the Crown Prince had some serious problems with his sense of money.

Moreover, the fact that Miel and the Crown Prince had met alone bothered Jade for some reason.

Surely not.

Did something like this happen before I regressed?

To be honest, he couldn’t remember.

Back then, he hadn’t paid much attention to Miel.

“So where is Miel?”

Jade pushed the ridiculous thoughts from his mind and asked.

“Huh?”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. She should probably be in her room?”

“What?”

Jade’s brows drew together.

He had even sent her a messenger, yet not only had she made Jack report the commission instead of coming herself, she was apparently in her room?

Jade wondered if he had heard incorrectly.

“She probably accumulated a lot of fatigue over the past two months, so maybe she’s resting in her room?”

“I see. You may leave.”

After sending Jack away, Jade leaned back in his chair.

Just as Jack had said, Miel would probably come after resting for a little while.

It was understandable.

She had just returned from a long journey, so she probably wanted to wash up and rest first.

Fine. I’ll wait a little longer.

One hour passed.

But there was still no sound outside.

Perhaps she’s taking a long shower.

Two hours passed.

The situation outside remained just as quiet.

“Why isn’t she coming?”

In the end, Jade stood up.

He had grown tired of waiting and decided to find her himself.

He headed straight for Miel’s room.

As soon as he arrived, he knocked on the door.

But Miel didn’t come out.

He couldn’t even sense anyone inside.

“Where is she?”

Jade wandered around the Magic Tower searching for Miel.

Whenever he encountered a mage, he asked where she was.

But none of them had even known that Miel had returned.

Then, as he passed near the dining hall, he noticed the smell of food drifting through the air.

It wasn’t even dinner time yet.

He immediately entered the dining hall.

Inside, two people were sitting together and enjoying a meal.

Schlien and Miel.

There was a huge amount of food between them, apparently because Puck had gone all out.

Miel was hurriedly eating while holding a plate.

Neither of them had noticed that he had arrived.

“Oh? Tower Master. What brings you all the way here……?”

Puck, who had been happily watching Miel eat, was the first to notice Jade.

At his words, both Miel and Schlien turned their heads toward him.

“Tower Master!”

Schlien immediately jumped up from his seat and tried to approach him.

Jade gestured for him to stay where he was before slowly walking closer.

Miel’s face looked even younger than the last time he had seen her.

Seeing that youthful face made Jade’s chest tighten.

A strange emotion began to stir inside him.

Jade couldn’t even think of what to say.

He simply stared intently at Miel.

Miel became flustered under his gaze.

She had been eating so quickly that she suddenly choked and began coughing.

Why did that man suddenly show up here? He never comes here normally.

I was so startled that I even choked on my food.

But Jade had no idea what Miel was thinking.

Instead, he interpreted her expression however he pleased.

As I thought.

Judging by how flustered she is just from seeing my face, she really must like me.

Miel gulped down water to calm herself.

After coughing hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, she finally managed to catch her breath.

Then Miel spoke.

“Master, what brings you to the dining hall all of a sudden?”

Normally, she wouldn’t have spoken to him first.

But since she had received a messenger from him, she couldn’t completely ignore him.

“I sent you a messenger, but you didn’t come to see me.”

I knew it.

So that’s why he came looking for me.

But Miel wasn’t going to back down.

Right now, getting some proper rest was her priority.

“The message only said that I should return to the Magic Tower. It didn’t say that I had to come find you, Master.”

Miel spoke bluntly.

At first glance, her tone sounded almost confrontational.

She hadn’t intended to sound quite that cold.

But her rest had been interrupted, and the words had come out harsher than she intended.

Miel expected her master to become angry because of her tone.

So she had already decided that even if this became the first real argument between them, she would fight to get the rest she deserved.

Schlien and Puck, who had been watching their exchange, both sucked in a sharp breath.

They knew that despite being master and disciple, the two had never had a particularly good relationship.

Still, Miel had always obediently completed whatever tasks she was given, so they had never had any major conflicts.

But now the disciple who had always been so obedient was actually talking back to the Tower Master like this!

Given the Tower Master’s personality, he would surely explode with anger.

And Miel would probably be kicked out of the tower.

No.

Considering the Tower Master’s temper, they might actually be lucky if she were thrown out in one piece.

The two men knew the Tower Master’s temperament well enough for horrifying images to flash through their minds.

A creature torn limb from limb and slaughtered beyond recognition.

They absolutely had to prevent the worst possible outcome.

Schlien and Puck exchanged glances.

Then they nodded.

The two were prepared to immediately restrain the enraged Tower Master.

But the voice that came from the Tower Master was much calmer than they had expected.

“……You have a point.”

Huh?

At his answer, the three people other than Jade wondered whether they had heard correctly.