When you think it’s too late, it’s really too late. (3)

-Master. I intend to track down this woman’s recovery and the demon who created the potion. Before that… please don’t tell Rudis about me until I completely destroy whatever the demons are planning.

“… A disciple like a fool.”

As I left the rooftop and took a taxi to another destination alone, I muttered to myself.

He had found his disciple, and if possible, he planned to have him meet his disciple Nora as well, quickly restore their relationship, and have him return as the disciple of the Black Tower after he graduates from the Imperial Academy. However, if the kingdom objects, he planned to plant Rudis as the main lord of the new tower in the Empire and have Nora be the sub-lord there.

Why don’t his disciples all move as he pleases?

“… No. I guess I was like that when I was young too.”

If you think about it, I was in my early twenties, when I was at my most energetic.

No matter how smart, mature, and judgmental you are, you are still in your 20s.

Just look at the mistake Nora made with Rudis.

It was only a month. Of course, I didn’t eat or drink anything and didn’t even take care of myself, but in that short period of time, as soon as I tried to find out about Rudis, didn’t I quickly find out facts that surprised even me?

If only he had been a little more calm, tried to understand his disciple’s actions, and approached him more deeply to find out more, our relationship wouldn’t have ended up like this.

In the end, it means that he is still young.

“… Before the idiot loses his timing completely from being too worked up, I have no choice but to arrange a relationship. “

Nora wants to completely deal with the demons, or the demon gods, and ask for forgiveness from Rudis, saying that she worked hard to create a place for you to return to, but I can’t wait for that, and I won’t let her do that.

To begin with, he was a genius and all, but he was just a rookie in his early twenties who had only reached level 3 in black magic.

That is his disciple Nora.

Even if she tries hard from now on, there’s no way she’ll be able to fight and win alone against a stronger demon than the one she’s encountered before, or defeat a demon-like being from a fairy tale.

So, let him work hard enough, and when he gets tired and loses strength in his shoulders, I’ll have to force him to go and meet his disciple.

While I was thinking and organizing my thoughts, the taxi arrived at my destination and I got out and went inside.

“So… Huh? That kid… “

“Hey, what’s that?”

“That’s ominous.”

“What kind of demon are you? Why are you so black?”

“Did you get some kind of black magic trait? Man, I don’t know shame for a child… “

Royal Frisian Infirmary.

This is the so-called best hospital in the country, where those who use light attribute recovery magic gather.

Piana thinks it’s ridiculous that such a hospital is called the best hospital, considering its ridiculous record of not being able to treat Rudis’ arm or Ellis’ hand.

In any case, there were only a few people with light-attribute traits, and even fewer who were proficient in recovery magic, so she thought it couldn’t be helped and approached the information desk.

“Hey!”

“?”

When I ignored the noise around me and there were only a few steps left.

A fairly large boy, who looked to be about 15 years old, wearing ill-fitting, flashy clothes, blocked Piana’s path and shouted.

“What are you that makes you so black? You’re so dirty.”

Piana, who immediately realized that he was some noble brat who had come to spew out some nonsense, tried to just ignore him and pass by, but her steps were stopped by the boy who extended his arm to block her path.

“Hey! I asked you! You dirty bitch! You’re so fucking black, you know where this is?!”

“Twice.”

“What?!”

“I’m telling you there’s no next time. You little punk.”

Piana looked at the boy who looked like a lump of blood with her cold, dark blue eyes and changed her thoughts.

What grudge does this damn country have against black magic, the color black, and anything close to black that makes them so discriminatory?

I am not currently using black magic, nor am I advertising myself as a black magician.

Moreover, since I have never appeared in front of the public ‘in this form’, not many people know that I am the Black Tower’s Magic Tower Lord.

Of course, if I had known that I was a magician, my guardian would not have let such an idiot approach me.

That’s that and this is this.

I looked at the lump of blood in front of me and sighed as I compared myself to Rudis and Nora, thinking that they were quite well-behaved at this age. At that moment, the boy who thought that I was ignoring him raised his fist and screamed.

“[Blue Magic][Lv. 2][Birdcage]”

-Clang!

A barred window appeared between the boy and me, and the boy suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at me like a caged animal.

But I ignored the clot of blood in front of me and looked at the human who had used magic to block me before I could activate my black hand.

“What the hell is that? Do you know that kid?”

“Kkeulkkeul… Neither the coarse mouth nor the hot-bloodedness has changed at all.”

“I don’t want to grow old like you. Besides, I’m still in my 30s.”

“Do you think you won’t age even though you’re turning 40 tomorrow?”

“Look at me, who thinks I’m 40? And after I’m done with the fable, I’m going to live my whole life with the body of an 18-year-old. I’m different from you, a denture that can’t reach it.”

“That’s right… It really hits the sore spot.”

An old man who appears to be in his 70s, with blue hair and a white beard, characteristic of the royal family.

The worst Katram of the Blue Tower’s Tower Lord.

He stood between me and the boy, then called other adults to help get the boy out.

“So, what’s that crap?”

“Kkeulkeul… He’s my grandson. I’m sorry.”

The old man, a level 7 magician who had been a level 6 magician since his 30s but had never been able to become a wizard in his entire life, smiled bitterly and bowed his head slightly as if he was truly sorry.

“Take good care of it. You held back from hanging it upside down.”

“I guess so, thank you.”

“So, why are you here? Is something finally starting to break down? I heard you don’t have any disciples, so at least decide on a successor before you die. If you’re thinking of handing it over to that kind of idiot, I suspect you have dementia.”

“… It started to break down a long time ago. I just stopped by for a moment at the crown prince’s request. “

The name of the human, who was the Crown Prince’s nephew, made Piana tilt her head.

Of course, you can learn the healing magic of the blue magic at a low level, but its peak is low. Could it be that you asked the blue magic tower master to heal the wounds that even the light attribute magic couldn’t heal?

If this old man had treated the daughter of the wet nurse clumsily at the request of the crown prince, it means that he would have lost his place.

If it is a wound that has already been ‘healed’, it cannot be healed with black magic recovery magic.

“Kkulkul… Are you here to see that girl too?”

“Some idiot asked me to cure him. But if you did, I’d be out of business.”

“I couldn’t do it. If I touched it, I would live with the aftereffects for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to destroy the future of a talented child.”

“That’s too bad.”

Nora and Ellis are both ungrateful, worthless bitches who worked hard to banish Rudis, but Nora is still my disciple.

But what about Ellis?

She is merely the daughter of a rival, and even she knows what Rudis did for her.

Although neither of them is superior in terms of ingratitude, if I were to put Nora and Ellis on the scale… no, even if I didn’t put them on the scale, it would be natural for me to favor Nora.

I don’t think it would matter if it just left me with aftereffects that didn’t interfere with my daily life or if I couldn’t swing my sword, but seeing that he came without even treating this problem made me feel a little annoyed that I had to go and see him.

“He’s in a private room on the 25th floor. I’ll tell my kids and have them go through the process for you.”

“You want me to ignore your grandson’s bullshit with that?”

“Oh, right.”

“That’s right.”

It has been known from the beginning that in this country, black magicians, people with black hair, and eyes that are almost black are treated.

Even my grandfather was a relative of the royal family and the head of the Magic Tower, so knowing his background, I think it’s natural that my grandson would grow up to be a jerk.

Anyway, I thought it was better that I didn’t have to bother proving the fact that I was a ‘Piana Stone’ in this way, so I waved my hand to the old man in front of me and moved on.

“Wait.”

“What now?”

“It seems like you’re thinking of doing business in the Empire… “

“Oh, that? I’m thinking of planting a tower in the Empire. Clark, I just talked to that old man. “

“… … “

The blue magician’s eyes widened at my words calling the world’s greatest wizard an old man, but I paid him no attention and told him to keep that in mind before continuing my walk.

“Wait a minute… “

“No shit. Is it trendy these days to stop talking and then pick up again? Am I behind the times?”

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about. What I want to say hasn’t even started yet.”

“Sigh… I don’t have time. I have to go to Wangseongdo after this is over.”

“… I see. Are you thinking of going today?”

“Uh.”

“… Okay, I got it. Well, I’ll talk to you later. “

Finally, seeing the fallen blue tower, I clicked my tongue in response to the old man’s words that seemed to suggest that we meet again, indicating that I was annoyed, and got on the elevator to the 25th floor, the highest floor.

And I, who was able to be guided straight to the private room where the daughter of the titular tit, Ellis Portward, was, saw a girl who reminded me of the disciple I had seen just a few minutes ago, rather than the silhouette of my rival.

“… Huh?”

“Every time I see those guys who banished my disciples, they all look like shit.”

“… … “

Messy hair, right hand shaking awkwardly even when still.

Her face looked like it hadn’t been washed and her eyes were swollen, as if she had been crying.

And it was said that he was half-human and half-beast, so his human characteristics were stronger, but he even showed off his beast-like ears, just like his mother.

I instinctively clicked my tongue at the sight of the girl who seemed to have become weaker than she could be, and I moved my mouth when I saw Ellis shrugging her shoulders as if she was watching my actions or feeling fear.

“I made a deal with your mother. Show me your hand.”

“… Yes? Oh, Mom? “

And the girl’s expression upon hearing what I said became even more distorted, as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have heard.

*

“… What the hell. What kind of kid cured this?”

“, yes? “

“Your hand, didn’t someone treat it?”

“Uh, that, that’s… “

The teacher of Rudis, who suddenly came to visit me, and the master of the black magic tower, Fianna Stone, whom I had met occasionally until a year ago, came to my hospital room and offered to treat me, looked at my hand, and now, about 3 minutes have passed.

She frowned and moved her pouty lips in annoyance at my answer.

“Why did those fucking idiots use magic to stop the bleeding?! No, if that punk knew about this, he should have told me, he wasted my time by coming here!”

“T, what the heck? No way… “

“Just now, an old man came and went. Didn’t that kid say anything when he saw this?”

“Ah… “

I nodded, slightly embarrassed, at her story, which was about the blue-haired lord that Albert, the crown prince and student council president, had wanted for me.

He also said that my hand could not be treated.

“Shitty. This can’t be cured right now. If you treat it like this, you’ll end up half-crippled. Those royal kids really can’t do anything right!”

“Then I… “

“Huh! Don’t worry, I made a promise with your mother. I can’t cure you right now. And if someone else comes and tries to cure you with magic, don’t accept it.”

I thought she was going to tell me that I would never be able to do anything for the rest of my life, but she told me about the deal she made with her mother, who left with Rudis, and that she would absolutely cure me.

I am the bitch who banished the man who was her disciple and our benefactor.

“Look at your expressions. Are you doing this on purpose, to look pitiful in front of me? “

“Oh, no… “

“What the hell. It’s obvious that I was wrong, but why are you taking care of me like this? It’s obvious that you’re thinking something like that?”

“… … “

Is it really visible?

The truth that Nora told us that day, that we had really done something terrible to Rudis, made it painful to even ask her for help.

However, she spoke as if she was laughing, as if she already knew what I was thinking.

“You won’t be disabled for life, but you’ll have to stay disabled for about three years. Don’t even think about swinging your sword during that time.”

“… Yes?”

“If I become a wizard and gain a level of magical power control that is different from what I have now, I can twist and cure any crippled person’s current condition. And my fable has 3 years left. Just live quietly and get cured after 3 years.”

“That, that can’t be…!!”

Now, he was almost at the level of Aura 2, and his swordsmanship was slowly advancing to the next level. Telling him to stop here and not swing his sword until his mid-twenties was no different from telling him to just give up on swords.

“Oh, how can it not be! I know you have no shame, but…!”

“If you know I’m shameless, just shut up and bear it. Do you think I’m coming to treat you because I’m pretty?”

The lips that were trying to hold on to her words are shut.

Yeah, I’m a bitch who banished her precious disciple for an innocent crime.

I still don’t know the exact story or process, but I don’t think at all that Nora’s actions and the words she said with her dead eyes could all be lies.

Now that I think about it, Piana’s deal with my mother to cure me suddenly started to seem strange.

Because my mother and she were bitter enemies who would growl and bite each other every time they met.

“Then, see you in 3 years… “

“Just a moment!”

“… Tell me, wash it.”

Already the third.

Ellis, who had no way of knowing that the third person to grab Piana’s back was herself, shrugged her shoulders at her slightly annoyed gaze and words, but she couldn’t help but voice the question that had come to her mind.

“You and my mom don’t get along well, right… “

“Ugh. This is fucking bad. It’s so bad I want to bite off that huge tit.”

“… But, why my treatment… No, is it possible that it wasn’t my mom who asked me to treat her?!”

If Nora’s story is true, and why the timing?

Seeing her come at such a late hour at her mother’s request and not at the crown prince’s, I can’t help but have a hypothesis.

The hypothesis is that my hand has finally reached where ‘he’ is.

“… Tsk. Those perceptive bastards, when that kid was acting up, did they all just eat rice together? Oh my… Is that all you have to say? I’m starting to get annoyed when people catch me walking behind. “

“… … “

I couldn’t help but gasp at the words that sounded like affirmation.

And this time, not with words but with actions, he grabbed the hem of her dress and let out a voice that was filled with emotions that threatened to burst.

“… Ah, no. I, please…!! Ru, Rudis…! I, I told her to work hard at swordsmanship…! J-I have talent, so if I want to be filial to my mother…!! I have to work hard to repay her kindness…! Ugh… Ah, aah… !”

My right hand, which I stretched out without realizing it, feels hot and tingly, and my heart pounds as if the pain is telling me that this is the result of you abandoning him.

But despite my actions, she coldly said, “If I tell you not to, then don’t write. It’s three years later.” Then she shook my hand lightly and left the hospital room.

“Ahhh…! What should I do…!! Ru, Rudis…!! I’m sorry!! Mi, I’m sorry!! Ahhhh…!! Hey, Mommy!! I’m better…!! What should I do…?”

-Daughter. Don’t you really regret it?

-Rudis, have you really forgotten how good he’s been to us?

-I think you’re crazier. It’s really out of character for you to do this based solely on circumstantial evidence and testimonies from strange people.

-Right. So I’ll ask you one last time. Do you regret it?

As I was left alone in the hospital room, clutching my chest and sobbing, I suddenly remembered the last contact I had with my mother.

Oh, that’s what it meant.

I should have believed, but I asked if I could not regret not believing, and this is what it was like.

Without realizing it, the text message from that day came to mind vividly, so I stretched out my good left hand, turned on the cell phone on the table, and looked at the text message from my mom.

“… Ha, haha… I said I wouldn’t do it. I regret it, I said I wouldn’t do it. That guy is crazy, here… I wrote it all down… ?”

It was I, and no one else, who didn’t believe him until the end, didn’t try to find out, and distanced myself from him because I thought there was another, better man.

Here, the last contact with my mother, the last texts, speak to me.

This is the ugliness of a human being like you.

This is the ending you chose.

“I really am a bitch… Is this what you say to your benefactor, to your mother who protected that person…?”

As she stared at the text like that, her golden eyes dying in emptiness, she began to take on a murky light as she read the end of the last text.

-I’ll change my contact information and my cell phone. If you really regret it and want to apologize to Rudis, do it on your own. I think Mom really gave you every chance she could. So, don’t get sick and stay healthy.

“… I have to… apologize. Don’t get sick, stay healthy… and go… I was wrong… Apologize… with my own strength… Rudis… said I was talented… “

Her eyes and face, as she lifted her right hand, which she had told him never to move, and chewed her fingernails, began to take on a murky light that no one had ever seen before.

Still, I hope it’s not too late.