Chapter 13
“……”
“Ma. Ster. Lord!”
Even after emphasizing each syllable, Seoden’s voice only echoed through the air. The wardrobe remained completely unchanged.
A vein twitched on Seoden’s forehead.
“If you insist on being this way, then I’ll have no choice but to burn this wardrobe down.”
The moment flames gathered in his hand, a rustling sound suddenly came from the wardrobe. The scene before him distorted.
The illusion magic cast upon the wardrobe disappeared, revealing its true form—and the person perched upon it.
Golden hair that gleamed like spun threads of gold. Blue eyes. A face as flawless as a sculpted masterpiece.
The man sitting on the wardrobe was none other than the Tower Master Seoden had been searching for: Aster Magicos.
“That wardrobe is expensive, you know. If you break it, it’ll cost you quite a bit.”
Aster casually waved his hand. With a single gesture, the flames hovering above Seoden’s palm vanished instantly.
“By the way, impressive work finding me, Seoden. Your tracking magic keeps improving day by day. It makes me so proud.”
Smiling as if he were praising a student, Aster patted Seoden on the shoulder.
Seoden clenched his teeth.
“Indeed. Thanks. To. You. An attack mage like me has been forced to improve tracking magic that I never even wanted to learn.”
“No need to thank me. Helping a great mage grow is simply the duty of a Tower Master.”
At Aster’s shameless response, Seoden’s face twisted.
And understandably so.
He had spent days and nights searching for the suddenly vanished Tower Master, barely getting any sleep.
The man had thrown the entire Magic Tower into chaos, yet here he sat acting completely unconcerned.
If he could, Seoden wanted to grab that shining blond hair and yank it.
Unfortunately, he knew perfectly well that Aster would send him flying before he even got close.
With a sigh, Seoden followed Aster into the reception room.
“Do you have any idea how much turmoil there is in the Tower right now? You disappeared without a word and even interfered with the tracking spells!”
“True, true. But I knew my talented disciple Seoden would find me. And look—you’re standing right here.”
Aster smiled brightly.
“Besides, your tracking magic seems to have improved considerably because of it.”
The smile was so refreshing that Seoden nearly lost his train of thought.
Don’t be fooled by the face.
He quickly regained his composure.
“What exactly are you doing in the Pentium Empire? And why sneak in secretly instead of making an official visit? You know perfectly well that if anyone finds out, all kinds of rumors could start.”
Aster was no ordinary mage.
He was the Tower Master.
Every word he spoke and every action he took represented mages as a whole.
Especially a secret visit like this.
People could easily suspect he was plotting something—or violating the agreements that prohibited interference in another nation’s politics.
“I know. That’s why I’ve been hiding my identity and being careful.”
Aster paused.
“At least until two days ago.”
“Until two days ago…? Don’t tell me…”
Seoden’s eyes widened.
Aster subtly avoided his gaze.
“Something came up. Because of that, I ended up revealing my identity to only two people.”
He paused.
“Actually, make that three.”
“You revealed your identity? To two—no, three people? Who are they? Surely not high-ranking nobles or royalty?”
While Aster remained calm, Seoden nearly had a heart attack.
If I tell him it was both royalty and high nobility, he’ll probably faint.
Seeing Seoden’s horrified expression, Aster decided to keep the details vague.
“…Don’t worry. Nothing serious happened.”
Then he changed the subject.
“More importantly, Seoden, I found something interesting.”
“This is hardly the time for—”
Seoden stopped mid-sentence.
More precisely, his gaze landed on the silver pocket watch Aster was holding with extraordinary care, as though it were a precious mana crystal from the Tower itself.
Aster gently handed the watch over.
“Take a look. It’s fascinating.”
Seoden examined the pocket watch from every angle.
“Fascinating? Aside from the spell that keeps it running forever, it doesn’t seem particularly special.”
Such enchantments were common in the Magic Tower.
Surely that wasn’t what had caught Aster’s attention.
When Seoden looked up in confusion, Aster crossed his arms and snorted.
“Hm. Disappointing. Is that really all you can see?”
The teasing tone pricked Seoden’s pride.
Narrowing his eyes, he inspected the watch once more.
Then his eyes gradually widened.
His mouth fell open.
“Wait… this thing inside… is it real? Am I seeing this correctly? Is this—an actual ancient magic circle?”
Only then did Aster smile in satisfaction.
“That’s right.”
He leaned back.
“A magic circle created by the primordial mages whose art has long since vanished. Even I have never seen a protective magic circle this powerful.”
The protective magic circle engraved within the pocket watch was no ordinary defensive spell.
It possessed enough power to revive the dead.
Although magic had advanced tremendously since the founding of the Magic Tower, spells directly connected to life itself had barely progressed.
Such miracles had belonged only to the primordial mages, beings whose power was close to that of gods.
And now, that extraordinary power resided within this pocket watch.
No wonder it was fascinating.
With trembling hands, Seoden cradled the watch.
“Where in the world did you find something this valuable? Wait… is this the reason you secretly came to the Empire?”
“No. I came because I heard rumors that the Bayern Marquisate had discovered an enormous mana crystal cavern.”
He shrugged.
“Turned out to be nonsense. I simply came across this by chance while investigating.”
“By chance? This is an incredible discovery! If we could study this magic circle, it could revolutionize healing magic.”
Seoden gazed at the watch with shining eyes.
At that moment, Aster’s hand suddenly darted out and reclaimed it.
“No research.”
“What?”
“It belongs to someone.”
“It has an owner? Then we should buy it! Even if it costs a fortune!”
Aster shook his head.
“There’s no point.”
He looked down at the watch.
“The magic circle has been trapped inside for too long. It can’t be extracted.”
“Then… it’s sealed?”
“Yeah. Neglected for so many years that it became tightly sealed. The circle still exists, but nobody can use it.”
“Ah…”
Seoden’s face fell.
Aster felt the same disappointment.
He had never encountered such a powerful magic circle before.
Yet even with all of his power, he could not break the seal.
So he intended to repair the watch and return it to its rightful owner.
It would also repay a debt he owed.
Whether she remembered it or not, the young lady had once helped his younger sibling.
Because of their shy and quiet nature, his sibling had often been the target of ridicule among the nobility.
But Lady Blante had stepped in and helped.
For her, it may have been a simple act of kindness.
For his sibling, it had been something unforgettable.
“I think her name was Ariel. A young lady from the Blante Marquisate of the Pentium Empire. Brother, if you ever go to the Empire again, please take me with you. I want to meet Lady Blante again.”
I think… I could become friends with her.
It was the first time his sibling had ever spoken of wanting a friend.
The smile they wore that day had been pure and full of happiness.
And it had become the last.
They never met Ariel again.
Later, they were abandoned by the one they loved and ultimately died in a tragic accident.
The horrifying memories surfaced naturally.
Aster’s expression hardened.
But only briefly.
Soon, his usual relaxed demeanor returned.
“Tower Master, it’s still such a waste. Shouldn’t you at least try—”
“No.”
Aster cut him off.
“I’m giving it back to its owner.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Who knows? Maybe once it returns to its rightful owner, the seal that’s been binding it so tightly will finally break.”
An ancient protective spell.
A powerful protection magic.
For Lady Blante—someone who had seemed abandoned and alone in a vast empty world—that kind of protection was something she desperately needed.
Even if the magic remained sealed.
And perhaps, just perhaps, a miracle could happen.
Perhaps when the moment came that she truly needed protection, the seal would shatter and the magic would awaken.
Filled with regret, Seoden looked at the pocket watch one last time.
Aster, however, remained firm.
He would return it to its owner.
