However, Cheion paid no mind to Ceres’s indifferent reaction.
“Just one month.”
“One month?”
“Luca will be away for a month.”
Luca? Who is that supposed to be?
At her puzzled look, Cheion seemed to realize his oversight and quickly added,
“Luca is my secretary, and he has a younger sister.”
“And?”
“I let him spend one month with her once a year.”
“So?”
“So during that time, I hired a temporary secretary. I was hoping you could take the position.”
“Mm. No.”
“Why not?!”
“Watching the way you run things, I can already tell I would die of stress if I took that job.”
How is anyone supposed to keep up with a Tower Master who runs around all the time?
Just imagining it is enough to make her stomach hurt.
“Think it over carefully. Has your secretary been feeling unwell or anything?”
“Why would my secretary suddenly be sick?”
“I mean something like stress. No internal issues?”
What if that “month-long trip” he’s taking is actually for recovery? You might want to look into that.
As if the thought struck a little too close, Cheion, who had been answering brightly, suddenly fell silent.
“...I will behave.”
“.....”
“I won’t make things difficult for you.”
If he had big puppy ears and a tail, they would be drooping right now.
Why does that sulky look suit him so well? It almost makes me want to keep teasing him.
“I will pay you as well.”
“...Pay?”
“Yes. 5,000 gold.”
...5,000 gold.
“Just one month. Please? You promised to grant me a favor before.”
As Cheion clung to her arm and whined, Ceres kept repeating one thing in her head.
5,000 gold.
***
“Most of the work has already been handled, so there’s not much left for you to do. The urgent matters are done, and the rest will be handled by others. You don’t need to worry.”
Ceres never paid much attention to first impressions in her life, yet as she looked at this man, she found it impossible not to form one.
He looks very cold.
The glasses suited him perfectly, which only made him seem colder. The moment Ceres saw him, she knew.
He’s wary of me.
Perhaps that was why his tone carried a sharp chill, though it was nothing she particularly cared about.
“For the next month, you will have only one responsibility.”
“One responsibility?”
“Just ensure that man doesn’t cause any major incidents.”
“.....”
“The standard is simple. If more than half of those residing in the Magic Tower are alarmed, it’s considered a major incident. Otherwise, it’s merely everyday noise.”
So if fewer than half react, I’m meant to leave it alone?
“Most people here have already used to Master Cheion’s behavior, so they’re rarely surprised by his eccentricities. There’s no need for excessive concern.”
“Hmm.”
Then what does that leave me with? Am I just supposed to remain at Cheion’s side and pass the time? And for that, I receive 5,000 gold?
That seemed...
...far too good to refuse!
If it was this kind of work, she would gladly take it. In fact, it felt like a waste that it would last only a month.
Ceres decided to take the temporary secretary position Cheion had offered.
She had been a little hesitant at first, having to stay in the Magic Tower for a month without going home, but—
“Fi...5,000 gold?”
“Yes.”
“For just one month at the Magic Tower?”
“But I would’ve to leave home for a month. I’m worried about Julia, so perhaps I should refuse—”
“What are you saying?! Refuse? What is there to worry about with me here? Just trust me and go!”
...Honestly, it was a little frightening.
My butler... his eyes change completely when money is involved.
“Luca, why are you nagging so much? I will handle things well, so don’t worry.”
“You don’t need to handle things well. Just refrain from causing trouble.”
“Anyone listening would think I cause trouble all the time.”
“.....”
Luca looked at Cheion as if he had much to say, but he simply adjusted his glasses and held his tongue.
He felt sorry for his sister, but given the circumstances, he had originally intended to cancel his leave. With Imperial Council being held day after day and a Black Forest emerging in the capital, leaving his post hardly seemed like a wise decision.
However—
“Do you think I would attend the Imperial Council just because you’re here?”
“No.”
“Do you think the Black Forest wouldn’t appear just because you’re here?”
“No.”
“If your leave gets canceled and your sister finds out, do you think she’ll let me live?”
“No.”
“Then why are you not going?”
As Cheion said, there was nothing that demanded Luca’s immediate attention.
If a request came in, it was simply a matter of assessing it, assigning someone, and submitting it to Cheion for approval. The others could handle that much without issue. That was the point of a proper handover.
So in the end, he decided to keep his leave as planned.
But...
“Ceres, would you like a snack?”
“No.”
...Would it really be fine to leave things like this?
When Luca finally met Ceres today, he was genuinely surprised.
She’s nothing like I expected.
For someone he had assumed to be a schemer, her demeanor and presence were far too indifferent. If anything, she completely lacked the politeness one usually saw in such people.
“Then perhaps something to drink? Shall I bring you some tea with plenty of honey?”
“Have it yourself.”
...He really is like a puppy.
Cheion hovering at Ceres’s side and chattering away looked just like a puppy pestering its owner to play.
In turn, Ceres seemed like an owner who kept pushing the puppy away out of sheer annoyance.
“Haah.”
A long sigh escaped Luca before he realized it.
Can I really leave him like this?
He should’ve been suspicious from the moment Cheion said he would personally find a temporary secretary.
“Then I will leave things in your care for the next month.”
He hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t like the Magic Tower would actually collapse in his absence.
“Ceres, if you go over there, I will show you something interesting!”
...Though at this rate, it was far more likely Cheion would end up completely wrapped around her finger.
With one last silent sigh, Luca took his leave.
Whatever happened next, one thing was certain. He desperately needed to get off work.
***
It has been a while.
She wasn’t able to come here once after falling ill.
Ceres slowly looked around the Magic Tower, a quiet sense of nostalgia settling over her.
The Magic Tower was a place she used to visit often with Artia when they were young.
For Artia, who had shown extraordinary talent from the age of six and could wield magic effortlessly, the Magic Tower was both home and playground. As his friends, she and Kainel had come and gone just as freely.
Nothing here has changed at all.
Although the road leading to the Ellesia estate had changed over time, this place somehow remained untouched, as though time itself had passed it by. Even the small scratches carved into the walls were exactly as she remembered.
“...What is that?”
As her fingers traced the wall, her attention drifted toward the window.
A tower she had never seen before stood there on its own. It looked the part at a glance, but it was small enough that calling it a tower felt like a stretch. Even so, people were constantly going in and out.
“What are you doing over here?”
Cheion approached and followed her line of sight, curious.
“What is that?”
“Which one? That white building?”
“Yes.”
“It’s another Magic Tower.”
“Another Magic Tower? What does that mean?”
It was a term she had never heard before.
When did something like that appear? It didn’t exist back when Artia was still around.
“It’s a space created by a Tower Master from long before my time.”
“A Tower Master?”
“Yes. Inside that small building, there are countless spaces that seem to go on without end.”
...What does that even mean?
When she looked at him, silently asking for a explanation, Cheion shrugged and continued,
“To put it simply, it’s made up of a bunch of spaces created with magic. There are many doors, and you have to solve a problem to open each one before you can move on.”
If one stepped through the entrance of that building, something created by magic would appear and present a problem. Only by solving it could the next door be opened.
“Do you have to open them?”
“You do if you want the rewards. You can obtain long-lost magic formulas, and sometimes even rare artifacts.”
With each door opened, one could encounter unique magical formulas and occasionally items that were impossible to find now.
“That’s why everyone is so obsessed with it. But the problems are... a bit peculiar, so no one has reached the end yet.”
“I suppose they must be difficult magic formulas.”
“If that were the case, people would’ve pooled their efforts and solved them somehow.”
Cheion shook his head.
“They are all personal questions.”
“Personal questions?”
“Yes. Questions about the Tower Master who created that place. Very personal ones.”
Things like favorite foods or preferred colors, the sort of details no one could possibly know without being close to that person. Because of that, no one was able to progress very far, and complaints about it had been ongoing.
A strange sensation brushed past Ceres’s mind, as if something was just within reach but refused to be grasped.
She frowned slightly.
“I haven’t made it past the twentieth door myself.”
“A spell with a strong sense of self...”
Wait.
Ceres turned her head back toward the white building.
Was there not someone she knew, a Tower Master no less, who was both self-indulgent and playful enough to create something like that?
“Could it be the one who made that...”
“Lord Artia. A genius from long ago, said to be just as brilliant as I am.”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter