Chapter 29
I could feel Damian, who was standing a few steps behind me, becoming flustered at my words.
“…Master of the Mage Tower?”
By now, a huge question must have settled on his face.
The Master of the Mage Tower was a grand mage easily over 800 years old, a being who had completely shielded the western continent from magic using only his own power.
For such a being, this weasel was far too tiny and cute.
Glancing back, as I expected, Damian wore a dazed, vacant expression. His mouth was half-open.
‘Damian making that face…’
I barely held back a laugh.
Clearing my throat and assuming a proper tone, I spoke politely:
“I apologize for showing up so suddenly. I have something I absolutely must tell you.”
In truth, I had met the Master of the Mage Tower once before my reincarnation. Just once.
When I was eighteen, I had come under the Emperor’s orders to plant the empire’s flag in the western continent, which had been consumed by magic.
By chance, I encountered a weasel in the forest that day. Seeing the lone animal left in the desolate west, I offered it a piece of fruit.
Who would have known that the weasel’s true identity was the Master of the Mage Tower, who had returned to reclaim magic?
‘If back then the Master hadn’t overlooked my intrusion, I would have been torn to pieces on the spot.’
So I already knew one thing: this Master of the Mage Tower had a weakness for food.
That he imposed on himself a strange rule that kindness must be repaid.
Rustle.
The leaves in the forest stirred in the wind. How long had the silence lasted?
“Piii.”
The weasel let out a small cry.
Then, a dazzling light poured out around it.
I reflexively covered my face with both arms and squeezed my eyes shut.
When the brilliant light finally faded, seeping even through my eyelids, I opened my eyes.
“Hello.”
Before me stood a man with dazzling platinum hair, exuding an aura of mystery.
When he had been a weasel, I had barely been able to look down at him if I crouched, but now, even tilting my head back, I could barely see his face.
Sunlight filtered through the multicolored leaves, forming a kind of halo over his head.
His half-lidded, vacant violet eyes looked calmly down at me.
“Unexpected face, unexpected attitude… well, that’s something.”
His gaze shifted over my shoulder.
“The Grand Princess and the Grand Duke, an interesting combination.”
By now, Damian had regained his senses and quickly stepped forward to block me.
“…I am Damian Carter.”
“Yes, I know.”
The Master of the Mage Tower, looking utterly uninterested, leaned against a nearby rock.
“The scent was appetizing, so I had a bit of food… inconvenient, really.”
He sighed, covering one cheek, looking thoroughly bothered.
“I initially tolerated your suspicious behavior, but now that I realize you approached knowing who I am, I wouldn’t have let you have any chance.”
So he knew we had deliberately approached.
“There are restrictions after receiving a favor, yes?”
Golden magic rippled and vanished from the tips of his pure white fingers. His platinum hair flowed gently down his pale cheeks.
“I don’t care for intrusions that are too deliberate…”
Despite his vacant expression, his voice carried an inexplicable pressure. The air suddenly felt heavy, making it hard to breathe. It was similar to the feeling when Carlos had unleashed murderous intent at me the day I first entered the Grand Duke’s mansion.
‘Are all of these mages like this?’
Just as I was about to take out a mana crystal before he became more aggressive…
“But…”
Whoosh.
The pressure on my shoulders vanished in an instant.
“Shall we talk? The jerky was good too.”
The cold intensity from moments ago had completely melted away, and the man now smiled with a loose, almost feeble expression.
“Meeting guests is a pleasure.”
Saying that, he waved his hand lightly. In the next instant, we were seated on a sofa in the middle of a room, covered with a soft golden carpet.
Outside the window stretched a vast plain and a distant horizon, a rainbow spanning the blue sky. Clouds floated below us, and the view was breathtaking.
The top floor of the Mage Tower.
I gaped at the sudden turn of events, then noticed warmth in my hand.
‘Huh?’
Damian had been holding my hand tightly all along, as if genuinely intending to protect me.
I felt a strange mix of unfamiliarity and awkwardness, and fidgeted with my hand.
“Uh… Grand Duke.”
“Yes?”
“Your hand.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Damian, seemingly realizing he had been holding my hand, startle and let go with a flutter.
“Thank you.”
“…It’s fine.”
He grumbled.
Meanwhile, the Master of the Mage Tower observed us, dressed in a white robe with an ornate collar, silently.
Earlier, with the sun behind him and the oppressive aura pressing down, I hadn’t been able to fully appreciate him.
Inside, he was unnaturally handsome, almost sculpted.
Perhaps the only flaw was a slightly vacant look, but even then, he seemed more beautiful than any sculpture. His flawless skin matched his platinum hair, and his long eyelashes framed violet eyes that seemed to shift like the cosmos itself.
‘Well, living for several hundred years… I suppose it makes sense he isn’t exactly human.’
Within the continent, exposure to mana causes physical decay, but the purer and stronger one’s magic, the harder it is to judge their age.
This mage was nothing less than the embodiment of magic itself.
“We don’t have much time.”
His voice snapped me back to reality. The Master of the Mage Tower rested his chin on his hand, studying me intently.
“There are restrictions for repaying a favor, so I’m giving you time. If you have business, you’d better speak quickly.”
Although the tone seemed harmless, I knew it was a warning. If I wasted time, I could expect unpleasant consequences.
After a moment of hesitation, I sought Damian’s permission first.
“Grand Duke, I’ll step out for a moment.”
“So this is a conversation I shouldn’t be in?”
Not exactly.
It wasn’t that, but this wasn’t a matter I could discuss yet.
Seeming to accept my silence as assent, Damian exhaled deeply and shrugged.
The Master of the Mage Tower let out a soft chuckle, his face still vacant.
“Hiding secrets from your companion?”
“Not exactly, I just wanted to speak quietly.”
“Sure, that’s no problem.”
He waved his finger lightly, and instantly, an opaque barrier fell between Damian and us.
“Now, speak.”
Facing his gentle expression, I swallowed nervously.
He could be so relaxed because he possessed the power to kill a young Grand Princess with a single gesture. Status meant little to him.
‘Even before reincarnation…’
Recalling old memories briefly, I quickly returned to the present.
I pulled a box from my arms. Trembling, I opened it, revealing a pure, crimson mana crystal.
The Master of the Mage Tower tilted his head.
“Wow, you’ve brought something interesting.”
“I thought it might be useful to you.”
This wasn’t just power for the Empire—it could save the entire continent from magic.
And if anyone could fundamentally utilize it, it would be him, the man with the purest magic.
‘Above all, it’s bound to pique his interest.’
Mages cannot resist phenomena that intrigue them. The Master of the Mage Tower was no exception.
As expected, for the first time, a glimmer of interest appeared on his otherwise expressionless face. It was subtle enough to miss if you weren’t paying attention.
‘Good.’
Now, all that remained was to negotiate successfully.
At that moment, he raised his head and asked lazily:
“So… is this a trade?”
“No.”
I shook my head as if the idea were absurd, then quickly added:
“I’ll provide as many of these mana crystals as you need. Could you research and produce them in large quantities as quickly as possible?”
