Ch.105105. The Prodigal Son Returns (1)

The Magic Tower is a 13-story building rising on the outskirts of the royal capital. While the term “Magic Tower” actually referred to the entire vast area including the tower itself, to the citizens of the capital, it was just a needlessly tall building visible from anywhere in the city. Occasionally, there were ominous rumors about corpses walking around nearby.

But for mages, it held a different meaning. Being admitted to the Magic Tower in the royal capital meant getting one step closer to the greatest mage on the continent. Whether one pursued the ultimate path of magic or sought power through magic, it was a promised land offering unlimited opportunities to all, a dreamland where gold flowed like water.

“…this book by tomorrow…”

“…must succeed with this experiment… haven’t eaten, slept, or bathed for a week…”

Well, it was also a place where such people voluntarily became slaves to mages more talented than themselves.

“Coffee… where’s the coffee?”

“Stay alert! You can’t fall asleep! Our research performance cannot fall behind!”

And there was one woman watching them with a disgusted expression. She sighed as she looked at the dying mages of the tower, or rather, the minions of the professors. Her leaf-green hair fluttered in the breeze created by someone rushing past.

“Damn Magic Tower.”

The woman muttered, looking down at the book in her hand. Her dull gray eyes blinked. How had she ended up in this situation? She walked heavily down the corridor, swallowing another rising sigh. Since “that day,” she seemed to have lost all motivation, becoming like an empty shell.

“I want to quit this already. What’s the point of all this, really?”

The woman muttered with a sullen expression. As she walked listlessly, someone appeared behind her, seemingly chasing after her urgently. The woman turned her head to face the tower slave following her. Upon seeing her face, the slave hurriedly bowed and said:

“P-Professor Nella, did you know that a new professor and assistant are joining the Magic Tower?”

“A new professor and assistant?”

Mage. Once a powerful offensive asset in the hero’s party and still considered a genius with a bright future. Nella Tarr slightly furrowed her brow. New professors and assistants joining was a common occurrence. Was there any reason to rush over in such panic? Nella deliberately ignored the ominous feeling suddenly rising from deep within her chest.

“Yes. They’re joining the astrology… ah, astronomy now, I guess. Anyway, they’re joining that department. You’re also involved in astronomy now, aren’t you, Professor?”

The slave spoke urgently. So what? I’m just attending one joint course… one academic conference. It’s not even that important. Nella thought to herself while staring blankly at the mage.

“That’s not it. It’s who’s coming that matters. I thought I should tell you, Professor Nella.”

Resisting the urge to ask who exactly was coming, Nella sighed briefly and quietly waited for the assistant professor to speak.

“Um, Daphne Ephiphone, the mage from the hero’s party, and the hero himself are coming. I don’t know exactly why, but I heard it directly from Professor Amos of Astronomy… The Tower Master personally approved and arranged it.”

The moment Nella heard those words, she lost her grip on reason. Forgetting about preparing for her next class, she quickly walked toward the elevator. The voice of the assistant calling “P-Professor!” from behind was lost in the wind.

Seriously, are they coming to rub salt in my wounds when I’m already pissed off?

Her head felt like it was turning white with irritation. As soon as Nella entered the elevator, she pressed the button marked 13 and paced inside.

“Hero… no, Ilroy…!”

Unable to contain her anger, she stormed out as soon as the elevator doors opened and crossed the corridor. The top floor, the 13th floor of the Magic Tower, belonged entirely to the Tower Master. She needed to find out what on earth she was thinking, allowing this.

Nella quickly reached the massive door. She took a deep breath and organized her thoughts. She needed to mentally prepare what to say before opening this door. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Remember, you’ve learned to maintain rationality even when angry.

“Come in.”

However, before Nella could fully collect her thoughts, a thin, slightly lisping voice was heard. The heavy door opened very smoothly with a clunking sound. Nella looked at the opening door in surprise and faced the Tower Master who was lying on her desk like a cat basking in sunlight.

“Nella Tarr. It’s been a while. Is your research progressing well? I can feel that you’re really close to the 6th circle now.”

With a somewhat playful tone and pronunciation, Tower Master Laura Morin greeted Nella with a smile. Nella felt slightly intimidated by the archmage’s aura but cleared her throat and spoke.

“It’s been a while, Tower Master. You seem to be doing well.”

“I know why you’re here.”

Nella frowned, and Laura smiled.

“It’s because of the hero, isn’t it? The new assistant and professor who are joining us.”

At Laura’s words, Nella was about to nod but barely managed to stop herself. Acknowledging this would be too much of a blow to her pride. Instead of confirming it, Nella carefully chose her words.

“…Please explain what’s going on, Tower Master. At this rate, I might end up working in the same academic society as the hero who unilaterally kicked me out. Do you think I can calmly accept that?”

“Don’t you already know why the hero is coming here, Nella, even without me explaining?”

Laura replied, leisurely raising her head. Nella did know. The observation and exploration of the sixth calamity. And research on when that monstrous entity would approach. It was information the hero should rightfully know, and she had thought he might come for it someday… but she hadn’t expected him to come when they had barely begun to understand it.

“Then I’ll leave the academic society. I can’t sit there laughing with those people while looking at the night sky. I don’t want to, either.”

“You’ll still have to face them. I’m thinking of assigning the hero to the academy program. You’ll probably have to work together nicely to educate the new students.”

“No, Tower Master!”

Nella opened her mouth in shock, but Laura just shrugged nonchalantly.

“I can’t accept that. Are you deliberately trying to torment me? Besides, there’s still a month until the semester starts… What am I supposed to do until then?”

“Nella. You can’t keep avoiding them forever.”

Laura lowered her voice. Nella bit her lip with a sigh. Laura’s yellow and blue eyes were piercing through her.

“This is also a test for you, Nella. The only quality you lack as a mage who has most of the necessary qualities is cool-headed judgment.”

Laura spoke as if admonishing her, and Nella frowned. This was advice and teaching from the kingdom’s greatest archmage. Far from feeling offended, she needed to take each word to heart.

“Even if it’s humiliating, even if it makes you angry, the hero is someone you must cooperate with. When you face him again, you might see things differently.”

She wasn’t wrong. While Nella had completely cut off her interest, the hero had been thriving. When she heard that the hero had defeated the fifth calamity after the fourth, she felt neither jealousy nor anything else. She had resigned herself to the thought that she never belonged there in the first place.

She wanted to become the greatest mage. She wanted to stand in the Tower Master’s position. She had returned to the Magic Tower for that purpose. She couldn’t leave just because she didn’t want to see someone’s face.

“I know you’ve been pursuing the sixth calamity more diligently than anyone, Nella.”

At Laura’s words, Nella’s face turned bright red. She shook her head vigorously in denial and raised her voice.

“W-who says I’ve been diligently pursuing the sixth calamity?”

At Nella’s words, Laura let out a low laugh.

“Grow, Nella. You have enough potential. The potential to succeed me in this position.”

With those words, Laura dismissed Nella. Laura’s words kept echoing in her mind. The words about having enough potential. The possibility of succeeding the current Tower Master.

“Ah.”

When she came to her senses, Nella was standing blankly in front of the elevator. She felt as if she had fallen for a sweet temptation, and the reason she had sought out the Tower Master had been glossed over. With a ding, the elevator in front of her opened. Nella entered the empty elevator and quietly reflected on what had just happened.

“…I feel like I’ve been tricked.”

Nella said bitterly as she leaned against the elevator handle. The elevator descended slowly. Outside the elevator, she could see the scenery around the Magic Tower. The Magic Tower, which also served as an educational institution for growing talents, formed its own district. Young students who didn’t yet know the terror of graduate students were walking around in groups. There was a time when she was like that too.

“…Let’s work hard.”

Looking at that scenery somehow brought her a sense of calm. It seemed her anger had subsided enough that she could see the hero’s face without getting angry. Nella took one last long breath, closed her eyes, and stood in front of the elevator door as it reached the first floor.

Ding.

The bell rang, and the elevator opened. Nella briefly opened her eyes and stepped out of the elevator.

“Oh.”

And she heard the bustling sounds of the Magic Tower. There was a tall man staring at her. Nella unconsciously raised her head and faced the man who was about to enter the elevator.

“You seem to be doing pretty well.”

And that hateful smile. Slightly villainous-looking eyes with cyan irises. Nella froze on the spot at the hero’s unexpected appearance. She just stared blankly at the hero boarding the elevator and the mage who had taken her place.

“You…”

“We’ll talk later. Take it slow.”

The hero said lightly as he entered the elevator. The pink-haired mage was staring at her, and Nella twisted her face as she looked at the mage. That woman. Why has she become so strong? She seems to have surpassed the 6th circle level.

“…What is this?”

Nella uttered in a voice tinged with tears as she looked at the elevator that had gone up.

==

“You said you met Nella?”

Laura smiled as if finding it amusing. Daphne, facing the kingdom’s greatest mage, wore a tense expression. A mage who had woven the seventh ring, known as the supreme realm. How much must she have wanted to reach that place too.

“I heard she was staying at the Magic Tower.”

“She’s conducting various research simultaneously. You can think of her as our Magic Tower’s actual ace.”

Laura nodded as she spoke.

“You didn’t stop her from leaving the party, hero.”

“Yes. It’s almost as if I half-kicked her out.”

I said, turning to look at Daphne. I didn’t have the confidence to reconcile those two before facing the giant and make them work as a single party.

“It was a cruel choice, if I may say so. I’m willing to accept any criticism.”

“No, hero. I would have done the same.”

Laura said, turning her head toward Daphne.

“Daphne’s qualities easily surpass Nella’s in all aspects. I don’t know how you recognized those qualities, hero…”

Laura trailed off.

“If I had to choose one of them for a party to tackle the calamities, I too would have chosen Daphne.”

Laura said, then clapped her hands once as if to indicate the end of this topic.

“Now, let’s discuss the sixth calamity. Hero, you were notified that you would be assigned to the astronomy society to continue observing the comet’s movements, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I was.”

“You don’t have anything special to do there; just focus on receiving reports of what Daphne and the scholars discuss together.”

“…Um, is it okay for me to just be there like that?”

“Of course, though there is one thing I’d like to ask of you.”

Laura looked at me with her odd eyes gleaming. At her changed demeanor, I held my breath.

“It seems some strange individuals have infiltrated the Magic Tower.”

At Laura’s words, I also hardened my expression.

“Please help Daphne track them down.”