Chapter – 35
Could this woman really smile like this?
Silla recalled Rosia as if she were wearing a thick mask—a face devoid of life, always painting on a forced smile.
But seeing Rosia now, smiling so radiantly, full of life, Silla’s heart began to race.
So that’s why ‘he’ said not to kill you… You’re strange, aren’t you?
Even as Rosia scolded herself in her mind, she kept smiling.
She looked so genuinely happy that, fortunately, she didn’t seem to pay any attention to Tolle’s words.
Our master… is someone interested in all sorts of rare and strange things in the world. He is weak for things that pique his curiosity.
“Damn you… spouting off so casually.”
If Tolle had still been alive, Silla would have killed him herself.
Even while Tolle was threatening her, Rosia’s smile didn’t falter. On the contrary, it deepened, sending chills down Silla’s spine.
Her laughter in the face of possible death was not eerie—it was tragic.
Die!
Rosia’s face began to turn a bluish hue, and then she disappeared. What came into view next was Lexian.
Perhaps overwhelmed with power, blue energy poured from the sword of the knight facing Tolle, who was radiating dark, violent energy.
‘Lexian Lishiansh… a Sword Master after all.’
Silla remembered the knight she had met at the royal ball—the man who had looked at her with a gaze that didn’t hide his displeasure.
No!
“Are you crazy?”
Before Silla could think deeply about Lexian, she saw Rosia leap in front of Tolle, and she shouted instinctively.
Fortunately, darkness soon fell.
‘Tolle is dead.’
After discovering the ‘center of the world,’ Blue Bird had been organized to find those suitable to become the ‘Axis.’
They searched everywhere—empires, kingdoms, nobility, even back alleys—which turned them into a criminal organization. Because of this, Blue Bird was separated from the Tower of Magic.
The Tower was neutral, more like a nation.
If the Tower were found committing illegal acts, multiple countries would form alliances against it. While Silla alone might be fine, she wasn’t sure the other mages could survive.
There were weaklings too, like novice mages or magic aspirants.
Fortunately, Tolle left no trace of the Tower, but Silla erased any residual magical traces nearby just in case.
“Rosia… you really are strange. You’re the strangest person I’ve ever seen.”
She wasn’t gravely ill, nor old—yet she could remain so composed in the face of death.
“The only person who ever displayed such an attitude was the old man at the center of the world.”
No, that person was practically not even human, so that’s an exception.
Silla murmured this as she rose and gestured into the empty air.
The figure in a white robe appeared, mask removed, brushing back disheveled hair.
“What should we do…”
Silla’s method to meet the Empire’s high-ranking noble, Lady Levian, was surprisingly straightforward.
After the day Stella and Pony fussed over sending medicine for my neck and forehead, I hadn’t received any visitors.
Calvin, however, would come home and follow me around every evening.
“Calvin, if you care about me, shouldn’t you let me rest?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Calvin, wearing a foolish expression, said he would go train and left for the practice hall, leaving me alone in the bedroom.
My mother had been fussing over me constantly as well, and my father would check on me whenever he returned home. Now that the marks on my neck were fading, I finally felt free.
“Phew… finally some peace.”
I fetched the ‘Mirror of Truth’ from the study attached to my bedroom.
This mirror only answers three questions, and always with a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ so you must phrase your question carefully. Otherwise, you waste the opportunity.
As soon as I removed the leather covering, a knock came urgently.
Knock knock!
“Ah! Miss!”
I hurriedly hid the mirror under the pillow as Cassie entered, carrying a scarf and shawl.
“What’s the matter, Cassie? I said no visitors.”
“W-well! Madam said it’s a visitor you simply can’t refuse!”
I briefly wondered if it was the crown prince, but Cassie’s face was too bright.
“Our young lady has such natural beauty, even without makeup.”
After saying this, Cassie stepped back, and another knock came.
When the door opened, my mother appeared, and to my surprise, a man I hadn’t expected.
“Hello, Rosia.”
A man with water-colored hair greeted me with a gentle smile.
“Master of the Tower?”
“I heard Rosia was unwell.”
His long sleeves swayed as he appeared, his eyes slightly drooping at the corners.
“I’m not an Empire noble, I’m just late on hearing the Empire’s rumors. Will you forgive me for arriving now?”
“I’ll think about it.”
I answered calmly, and the Master of the Tower laughed out loud. My mother blushed at the sight—a scene that would have alarmed my father.
“Master of the Tower, please, take your time while talking.”
Although she had met him before, my mother could not take her eyes off his face.
“No need to prepare tea. I’ll have to leave soon.”
My mother left the door half-open, still seemingly enchanted by his presence. The Master snapped his fingers.
“From outside, our conversation will sound like a low hum.”
“Is it really necessary to go this far to discuss something important?”
I assumed the Master had come only to try to kill me. But even he probably wouldn’t dare in the heart of the Empire. Killing me would mean eliminating everyone in the mansion to cover it up. Easy to kill, but hard to deal with the aftermath.
Fortunately, Ted had gone to the provincial estate—thankfully.
“There’s a strong magical presence in this room.”
Pretending not to hear me, the Master continued.
“Right there, under the pillow.”
He pointed to where the Mirror of Truth was hidden.
Caught, I decided hiding it was pointless, so I slowly took it out.
“A hand mirror?”
“Yes. It was also a prize for the winner of the hunting tournament, bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor.”
I gave him a look that screamed, ‘If you take this, you’re defying the Emperor!’ The Master smirked.
“Do you know how to use it?”
Yes, I did. But I couldn’t show I knew.
“Besides the mirror’s intended use, is there another way to use it?”
“Perhaps, since it seems an ancient relic. But I haven’t seen it before, so I need to study it. Lend it to me.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Because I already knew exactly how to use it.
“Why? It’s a waste to keep it unused. Afraid I’ll tell the Emperor? I won’t.”
“Master, I appreciate your offer, but I’m fine.”
I secretly hid the mirror again.
“Why? It’s better to know how to use it than let it sit. I won’t ask for a reward.”
“I’m really fine.”
“Show me. I’m curious.”
So now he’s openly flexing his authority?
“His Majesty the Emperor personally granted this to me. I have to return it. If His Majesty asks where it went, I’d have to say you took it.”
So he had been investigating the Tower and me all this time.
The Tower is neutral, and Tower mages can travel freely across the continent, except for the Rossa Mountains, home to fairies and elves.
But the Tower itself is like a nation, and diplomatic conflicts could arise.
For example, if the Master ignored the Emperor, friction was inevitable.
“Are you trying to say I can’t take it by hinting at me? You’re petty for not wanting to show a single mirror, Rosia.”
“I’m just stating the facts.”
“You, who aren’t afraid to die, are so attached to a mere object? Once dead, it won’t matter.”
The mirror is essential for dying perfectly.
I smiled instead of answering, and the Master’s expression changed.
“Call my name, Rosia.”
“I’ll do it if you promise not to kill me no matter what.”
I half-joked, knowing he would likely say, ‘No.’
But what came from his mouth was unexpected.
