Chapter 83
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Chapter 83
In the meantime, Kibon's words continued to flow.
"Rather than saying I'd be merely upset, I would have grabbed him by the collar first."
"No, but I couldn't do that to a young person either...."
"If it were me."
Before Victor could even finish his good-natured excuse, Kibon cut him off with a chilling tone.
"I wouldn't have had the luxury to hesitate, nor the self-control to hold back."
Victor's friends, who had been chattering loudly outside until now, fell silent.
Nothing could be heard except Anastasia's ragged breathing.
That was when it happened.
Kibon spoke, as if sensing something amiss.
"My apologies. I didn't quite catch that."
Seriously.
That's not what you use that phrase for....
"Ahahaha, our Intern friend here is listing his shortcomings in a rather strange context. Well, a foreigner is a foreigner, right?"
Victor chuckled and patted Kibon's shoulder repeatedly.
This man truly had an admirable disposition.
Then he gave his friends a subtle wink.
"You all go on ahead. Our Intern friend seems to have some grievance with me, so let me clear it up real quick."
Victor's friends eagerly nodded in agreement.
"Sure, Victor! We'll be waiting."
"Hey, don't... be too lenient. Just because he's a foreigner doesn't mean you should go easy on him. Got it?"
"Right. If you've come to the Empire, you should follow Imperial law."
Having each offered their parting words, they filtered out like a receding tide.
Victor threw an arm around Kibon's shoulder with a grin.
"There might be some misunderstanding between us... and you know how these things get more complicated when others are around. Let's step away for a moment, friend. Yeah?"
* * *
A Southern Alley.
"Ha...."
A sturdy elderly man ground his teeth as he leaned on his cane.
"...This is maddening, truly."
The identity of the old man who had laid waste to the entire alley was none other than the Tower Master.
Standing amid the ruins, the Tower Master let out a sharp whistle.
At the same moment, a carrier pigeon arrived with a piercing cry.
"What in the world...."
Deep furrows etched themselves across the Tower Master's brow.
"How am I supposed to handle this.... Aran, truly... you... I...."
Glistening tears welled up in his eyes.
"This is... something I cannot possibly resolve on my own...."
His only daughter, Aran, was his most precious treasure. That is why he had raised her like a princess within the Magic Tower.
[I want to use magic too....]
[Magic? You don't need to! Our Aran just has to lift a finger, and Dad will do anything for you, understand?]
[Dad uses magic well, so why can't I?]
[Ah. Magic ability isn't hereditary, so our Aran has absolutely no talent for it, you see?]
Looking back now, I realized I'd spoiled her rotten and ruined the child.
[But I want to become the Tower Master and follow in Dad's footsteps too!]
[Oh dear, that won't do, Aran. The Magic Tower is an organization that values ability above all, so there's no place for a talentless fool like you, understand?]
Yet I believed I'd raised the Tower Master reasonably well, teaching my daughter about reality.
[Aran lives so comfortably because of Dad's influence, but originally our Aran doesn't even have the ability to assist a low-rank mage, let alone become the Tower Master, you see?]
[I hate this! I want to use magic too!]
Since Aran was so upset about lacking magical talent, I'd even come up with a solution for her.
[Marry the next Tower Master. Then our Aran can live by ordering him around instead of Dad, understand?]
[I want to do it myself!]
[Oh my, even your temper tantrums are adorable. But that's something our cute Aran can't change no matter how much you throw a fit, you see?]
In truth, magic wasn't such a tremendous power. There were plenty of scrolls released for ordinary people too.
In the world outside the Magic Tower, magic wasn't particularly valued.
But the problem was that Aran's entire world was the Magic Tower.
During her teenage years, when she returned after running away for a while, her eyes began to change subtly....
'She must have met those Gaejo Faction bastards back then.'
The Tower Master let out a groan.
Normally, I would have tried to hold onto Aran and keep her in the Magic Tower no matter what. I was afraid she'd face punishment from the Imperial Family.
'But... now I understand.'
The Tower Master stroked the messenger bird for a long while, thinking.
'Aran has gotten in too deep. And now the Gaejo Faction... is not a problem I can solve alone.'
Secretly bringing back a daughter who had briefly involved herself with a wicked organization.
I'd decided to give up on that. If things continued this way, that wicked organization would overturn the entire Continent.
'If I don't, even that child will be in danger....'
The Tower Master slowly closed my eyes.
The face of Namia Loapi, whom I'd last seen at the Imperial Palace, flickered before me.
[It feels like I'm intruding while families are spending time together.]
According to my deduction, Namia Loapi was Aran's daughter and my granddaughter.
My granddaughter had grown up so lonely, habitually reading the atmosphere among other people's families.
Was it thanks to 'modification'?
That child possessed the innate magical ability Aran had always wanted. Yet her eyes were filled with loneliness.
'There's no helping it.'
Though I'd always been cautious and bickered with them, the only ones I could trust were the Imperial Servants.
I wrote down the information about the Gaejo Faction that I'd been investigating alone all this time, then tied the paper to the messenger bird's leg.
[Our cute Aran, Dad loves you. I love you more than anything in this world.]
[But I'm a talentless fool who can't even use magic, so why do you love me?]
[Because you're my daughter. That alone is enough for me to give everything.]
The memories of the love I had poured upon my daughter pierced my heart.
'Aran, I must stop this twisted love.'
Was this the price of that love? And was the outcome already predetermined?
'No matter who I am, I can no longer cover for you. You... must face the consequences of your sins.'
However, the note attached to the carrier pigeon did not mention that Namia Loapi appeared to be Aran's daughter.
I simply could not bring myself to write it.
'The Imperial Servants show no mercy. If they discover Namia Loapi's true identity, they may execute her on the spot.'
The Tower Master closed his eyes tightly for a moment.
'Namia Loapi will grow stronger without even realizing it. Stronger than anyone could imagine.'
In the meantime, the carrier pigeon flew swiftly toward the Imperial Palace.
'Then I...'
The Tower Master opened his eyes again. He swung his staff once and began to walk.
'I suppose I should go rescue that worthless son-in-law.'
* * *
Victor led Crown Prince Kiaros to a secluded corner of the Imperial Palace Garden.
'Hmm?'
Crown Prince Kiaros pondered with sharp eyes.
'This place... I never even considered it existed.'
Even Crown Prince Kiaros, who had been born and raised in the Imperial Palace, found this place unfamiliar. He knew such spaces existed, but he had never paid them much attention. It was a desolate corner that few people ever passed through.
"Sigh..."
Victor rummaged through his pockets while facing Crown Prince Kiaros. The bright smile that had always graced his face had vanished entirely.
Crown Prince Kiaros frowned at Victor's sudden change in demeanor.
He had expected Victor to laugh cheerfully and ask, "Is there something you resent about me?"
Surprisingly, what Victor pulled from his pocket was a cigar.
'A smoker? I never caught any scent of it.'
Despite his keen sense of smell, I had never noticed.
Feeling a sense of dissonance at this revelation, Victor lit the cigar and exhaled smoke.
"Listen."
Through the hazy cigarette smoke, Victor with his murky eyes spoke in a low voice.
"Keep your indulgence within limits from now on. Got it? You're just a kid..."
Crown Prince Kiaros stood expressionless, but he was bewildered.
"Act like a three-month-old should act."
It seemed that neither Namia Loapi nor anyone else knew of this side of Victor.
Was he showing this face to me precisely because I was a three-month-old?
"You treasure her? I find it so cringe I can't even listen, you bastard..."
Or was there another reason?
"That woman, I've had my eye on her for a long time, so you foreign brat should go back to your homeland and find another woman. Understand?"
It seemed to be the latter.
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