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Chapter 35 ‌‌
3. The Tower Master's Circumstances
A grotesquely towering structure stood in ‌‌the center of a vast expanse of land, encircled by towering walls and shrouded in mist.
The Magic Tower, which prized isolation from ‌‌‌‌the outside world.
From the ‌‌‌early hours of dawn, an elderly man had ‌‌crossed through the mist ‌‌‌and entered the Magic Tower.
"Tower Master!"
The moment the elderly man with a large staff entered the Magic Tower, the Secretary sprang to his feet. ‌‌‌‌
"Welcome back! It's been such a long time!"
Though draped in a black robe, his imposing stature could not be concealed.
Long, lustrous white hair and ‌an equally long white beard ‌‌flowing down his chest.
Large, bulbous eyes that gleamed ‌‌‌‌with a pale blue light.
The Tower Master resembled the Grim Reaper himself.
"Yes, it's me."
The Tower Master strode forward and settled into his chair.
"By 'long time,' you mean I've abandoned the Magic Tower, is that what you're implying? Hmm?"
His desk was buried under mountains of documents and letters.
Among them were several bearing the Imperial Family's seal. ‌‌
"Well, yes. In any case, did you have a ‌‌good journey?"
The ‌‌‌Secretary quickly took his staff and spoke.
"Did you achieve anything worthwhile?"
"Damn it."
The Tower Master cursed first. The ‌‌effectiveness of this communication was remarkable—the Secretary immediately understood there had been no success.
He glanced at the Secretary with irritation.
"Don't ever have children."
"Pardon?"
"Raising them well is difficult, ‌and cleaning up after them is even harder."
The Tower Master pressed his forehead as if troubled.
"Since my child caused this mess, I must take responsibility... but even that ‌‌‌‌is proving this difficult. So don't have children at all, you hear me?"
"Well, that's simply a matter of your own failure in educating ‌‌‌your child, Tower Master. It has nothing ‌‌‌to do with my future children, does it?"
The Secretary ‌‌reorganized the scattered documents as the Tower Master sat down.
"In fact, I believe Aran's deviation stems from your problematic teaching methods."
"Problematic? I only told her objective facts from a very young age!"
At the Secretary's words, the Tower Master bounced up and flared with anger.
"How could that possibly lead to such deviation!"
"Looking at Aran, I've learned quite a bit from observing such things."
"Hmph. Aran will only come to her senses after she bears a daughter as reckless as herself."
"I suppose. Though at this point, ‌‌it wouldn't be strange if that daughter had already borne a daughter of her ‌‌own."
The Tower Master let out a groan ‌‌and pressed his forehead.
For nearly ‌‌‌‌‌twenty-five years now, he had been searching for his daughter, who had vanished after causing a massive incident.
Now he simply wanted to clean up the mess his daughter had created. Yet even that ‌seemed beyond ‌‌his reach.
The Secretary spoke in a businesslike tone. ‌
"Since you're here anyway, would you mind reviewing some documents? They've piled up like this."
The Tower Master gazed at the documents with a weary expression, then sighed. After that, he spoke while feigning indifference.
"I'll review ‌‌‌just five important documents and then take a break, so pick them out quickly."
"Well... I have my limitations in distinguishing ‌‌‌priority, but..."
"If you do well, I'll give you a raise."
"I'll do my best."
The Secretary tilted his head and selected five documents. The Tower Master, after glancing through them, became irritable.
"What? Why are two of these five documents stamped with the Imperial seal? Do I have to know about matters ‌‌‌outside the Magic ‌‌‌Tower?"
"One is from the Crown Prince's office, and the other was sent by the Minister of Scroll Management."
The Tower Master picked up the one from the Crown Prince's office first. Then he muttered irritably.
"What, a request for review and opinion? That impudent Crown Prince—it ‌‌‌‌better not be something trivial."
"Ah, well..."
The Secretary interjected with a confused expression while looking at the Tower Master.
"Shouldn't you read the one from the Minister first? It's a petition, no less. Something seems to have happened at the Scroll Management Department..."
"Hmph, what do I care about those people who make their living off magic without even entering the Magic ‌‌Tower?"
"...Then ‌‌‌‌should we perhaps remove the Scroll Management Department from the Magic Tower's jurisdiction entirely? Let the Imperial Family handle everything..."
Hope dripped from the Secretary's voice. He was thinking that maybe his workload would decrease.
However, the Tower Master erupted in anger.
"That's impossible! It's still a department related to magic—why would the Imperial Family handle it entirely? No way!"
"But you said you don't have time to manage it that far..."
"Once the Aran situation is resolved, I'll have time! Once that's finished!"
The Tower Master slammed the desk as he spoke.
"Cleaning up the mess Aran caused is more important than managing a single Imperial department, that's why! For the sake of the entire continent!"
"But at this rate, it will either be forcibly taken away or ‌fall apart on its own."
The Secretary answered with an expression that hadn't lost hope for the Scroll Management Department's dissolution.
"It seems the Crown Prince has taken document access rights. This petition is asking you to stop him. It's clear something serious has happened."
The ‌‌‌Tower Master snorted and made a displeased expression. ‌
He disliked the Minister of Scroll Management, but he disliked the Crown Prince even more for touching the Magic Tower.
"How presumptuous... That green twenty-something Crown Prince dares to touch the Magic Tower?"
The Tower Master's angry eyes scanned the message ‌‌sent by the Crown Prince.
"And he dares ask for an opinion after reading about the incident where ‌‌he nearly died? Does he think the Magic Tower is that idle, this insolent brat..."
The Tower Master's eyes narrowed as he read the documents with a combative expression.
"He can't ‌‌even understand the situation properly, yet he wants an opinion."
He smiled crookedly and expressed his irritation. ‌‌
"A mere subordinate suddenly activated 172 defense scrolls alone? Is this a joke?"
"Ah, I also found that strange, so I asked once more."
The Secretary spoke while tilting his head.
"Namia Loapi, that subordinate, did indeed activate 172 scrolls, and the night before, she apparently created 166 scrolls by herself."
"...What?"
The Tower Master's brow furrowed deeply.
The Secretary, gauging the temperamental old man's mood, added his words with unmistakable pride.
"Surely this qualifies as important documentation? Please give me a raise."
"...."
After a long silence, the Tower Master—who had been staring intently at the report—rose to his feet.
Then he grasped his staff once more, his eyes ‌‌‌gleaming with intensity.
"Don't be absurd."
"Sir?"
"If you were worth ‌‌your salt, you should have shoved this document ‌‌in my face the moment I arrived—forget five of them or any other excuse."
The Secretary had no chance to protest his unfair treatment. ‌‌‌The Tower Master laughed like ‌‌‌‌a madman and spoke.
"I'm going to see this myself."
"Pardon?"
Without answering the Secretary, the Tower Master immediately swept his robes and bolted from the Magic Tower.
* * *
Grant me a wish....
This was certainly the dialogue I had hoped for.
I had helped her precisely to hear these words.
But though the outcome was the same, it differed from my expectations.
[Thank you for saving my ‌‌‌‌‌life. Tell me everything you desire. I ‌‌‌‌shall grant you anything as payment for your life!]
I naturally expected her to say something like that....
But the Empress said instead that thanks to me, the ‌‌‌‌Imperial Family had escaped danger, and she would repay that debt.
Something warm bloomed in ‌‌my chest, and affection welled up within me.
"Yes.... Your Majesty."
I answered, my voice trembling slightly. ‌‌‌
"Thank you. I shall not refuse."
My heart felt strangely unsettled. ‌‌‌‌
It seemed she was acknowledging me not as a personal benefactor, but as a professional ‌‌in my own right....
"You exposed the hidden enemies of the Imperial Family by doubting your superior."
"Ah...."
"Of course you may ask for anything."
I took a deep breath.
And slowly, I opened my mouth to speak.
"Your Majesty, then... would you perhaps listen ‌‌‌to my story? It's rather long...."
"Of course! I have nothing pressing to do right now anyway!"
The Empress laughed heartily.
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince are handling the cleanup diligently! Ahahaha!"
She offered me a seat, then sprawled back with her legs spread wide.
Then she pulled a bell cord ‌‌‌and shouted to a maidservant.
"Let's eat meat first! I couldn't eat properly yesterday, so I must be losing muscle mass!"
The Empress stared at ‌me intently, then sighed and continued.
"Our Namia seems to need to eat quite a bit more."
I laughed awkwardly.
And shortly after, I began recounting old stories while eating the various meats spread across the table.
My birth alongside usurious debt, the circumstances of becoming an adopted daughter, and even my father's disappearance.
The more I spoke, the more serious the Empress's expression ‌‌became.
"...So... if I manage to find my father, no matter how deeply he's involved in criminal organizations, if you could just spare his life...."
"For heaven's sake, do you call that talking, Namia?"
The Empress let out a sharp exclamation.
"That goes without saying, but first we need to deal with that bastard Baron Loapi!"
Her eyes blazed with fury.
"And your mother is no different! What kind of wretch gives their own child a debt like that? Tell me everything you know about your mother ‌‌‌‌right now!"

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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