Ch.5555. Three Bears

A warning to put away the wand. Those words were actually unnecessary.

“Ugh!”

Before the words could even finish, an invisible force broke the man’s arm. He trembled, letting out a painful groan. The emotion embedded in the magical power constricting his throat was clearly murderous intent.

“O-oh, this is a misunderstanding.”

That’s what the man said first. Even he didn’t know what exactly was being misunderstood. He only knew that Elin was extremely displeased with the current situation.

‘Why?’

Such a question was meaningless. What he needed most right now was to bow his head and apologize immediately.

“Please, forgive me… gack!”

His words couldn’t continue. The moment he opened his mouth, the pressure crushing his entire body intensified. Whoosh! As the ground beneath him caved in, his knees buckled involuntarily. He couldn’t withstand the pressure formed by magical power.

“Be quiet.”

Elin snapped, as if even hearing his voice was irritating.

“Nngh…”

Sprawled on the ground with his limbs splayed like a frog, the man felt shame before pain. The area was now filled with spectators who had gathered after noticing the commotion.

Among them were servants and laborers whom the man had previously looked down upon, and their gazes in particular gave him a sense of humiliation.

‘Why must I endure such disgrace…’

He had always taken pride in being a member of the Magic Tower. Mages were different from clerics. Anyone with good fortune could be chosen by the gods and receive blessings, but using magic required a more special talent. It was an innate quality that could never be acquired through effort.

I am a chosen one. I am far superior to those ordinary people. For a man who had lived with such an elitist mindset, the current situation was utterly humiliating.

Using his status as a mage to lord over others had been his long-standing habit, but it didn’t work on fellow mages.

The man’s position in the Magic Tower was that of a ‘Red Apprentice.’ His goal was to be recognized as a ‘Yellow,’ a formal mage, as soon as possible. He had not yet been acknowledged as a proper mage within the tower. That’s why he was performing duties like guarding the main gate, a task typically assigned to ordinary people…

‘Damn it!’

He never dreamed he would end up like this just for intimidating one insignificant boy.

“Lady Elin. Please stop.”

“…Hmph.”

While she had easily ignored the man’s desperate pleas, Elin immediately released her magic at Rex’s single word. That made the man feel even more miserable.

No matter how he thought about it, this was unfair treatment, but he didn’t dare to protest.

The Elin before him was a ‘Blue’ mage. A rank that could handle high-level magic, one of the few such ranks in the Magic Tower. Even the Tower Master of Lindveil couldn’t treat Elin lightly.

Of course, Elin’s noble bloodline was a major factor in this situation—but ultimately, the fact remained that the man could never stand against her.

“Disappear.”

Elin’s voice was still cold. The man struggled to his feet and hesitated with an anxious expression. A feeling that he shouldn’t retreat like this kept him rooted to the spot.

Many people had already witnessed the situation. Rumors that he had made a mistake with Elin would spread instantly. His life at the Magic Tower would surely become difficult, and that terrified him.

He needed to clear up the misunderstanding somehow, but Elin was already walking away, holding Rex’s hand.

“W-wait just a moment, please!”

The man shouted desperately as he hurriedly followed Elin. His limping made his pace slow, but fortunately, Elin stopped moving.

It wasn’t because she was curious about what the man had to say. Rex had stopped in his tracks, forcing her to wait.

“What’s wrong?”

“He seems to want to apologize. I thought we should listen.”

Rex looked at the man with an expressionless face.

After momentarily feeling indignant under that gaze, the man calmed himself and carefully chose his words. He was beginning to realize that the boy and Elin clearly had a close relationship. Though reluctant, resolving the situation came first. Reassuring himself, the man bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. I was rude. There are many people with impure intentions lurking around the Magic Tower, and I mistook you for one of them. I truly… apologize.”

“I explained the situation several times.”

“Th-that! Ahem, it was my fault. I should have passed on the message. I apologize repeatedly for my actions. If you’re still angry, you can even slap my face.”

Rex sighed deeply and shook his head.

“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again next time.”

He actually wanted to slap the man for real. Remembering how the man had insulted him with derogatory language and threatened to cast magic at him made him angry.

‘Should I really hit him?’

He considered it for a moment but refrained after looking at the man’s plump cheeks. He didn’t want to dirty his hands. Touching those cheeks would probably leave greasy residue, making him feel uncomfortable.

When Rex indicated he wanted to let it go, the man’s grim expression brightened.

“Haha, thank you. You’re not as narrow-minded as I thought.”

Hoping that Elin’s anger might have subsided by now, the man glanced at her cautiously. He addressed her in a much more careful tone than he had used with Rex.

“L-Lady Elin. I will compensate for today’s incident in some way later.”

“…Who are you?”

Contrary to his worry about making life difficult for himself by getting on Elin’s bad side, she had no interest in him from the beginning. She just wanted to quickly take Rex into the Magic Tower. If anything, she was in a very bad mood because the man kept getting in the way.

“…Pardon?”

“I’m seeing you for the first time today.”

Considering that the man was a gatekeeper, this didn’t make sense. She must have passed by him at least once every time she entered or left the tower. In other words, she hadn’t even felt the need to remember his face.

Sometimes, complete indifference can be more painful than outright hostility. Shocked that she didn’t know his name, the man’s jaw dropped.

“Let’s go.”

Regardless, Elin dragged Rex away by the hand. Staring blankly after them, the man muttered in a hollow voice.

“…Who is that guy anyway?”

***

Having been pulled into the Magic Tower by Elin, Rex wasn’t sure if this was okay. He looked around nervously and whispered softly.

“Will this be alright?”

“What?”

Elin tilted her head.

“The people.”

The commotion had drawn dozens of onlookers. Today’s incident might cause Elin some disadvantage.

When he explained this concern, Elin’s robe fluttered gently.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course.”

When he affirmed without hesitation, Elin’s body stiffened momentarily.

“…It’s fine. They can’t touch me anyway.”

Then, a strangely excited voice emerged from within the robe. She strode forward without waiting for a response. Somehow her steps seemed wider and more energetic than before.

Rex stared at Elin with puzzled eyes before slowly following her. In his mind, he was trying to make sense of it. Elin’s claim that other mages couldn’t touch her seemed true. Whether outside or inside the tower, people who looked like mages lingered around but ultimately couldn’t block Elin’s path.

He had been flustered at first, but things seemed to have worked out well in the end.

Yet, his complicated feelings didn’t easily disappear.

Swish, swish.

That was because Elin kept fidgeting with his hand. Her fair skin repeatedly pressed against his palm, making his mind go blank. As a result, he couldn’t properly look around the interior of the Magic Tower on his first visit.

‘What’s going on?’

Wondering if she was doing this deliberately, he glanced at Elin, but she was just walking nonchalantly. Finally, Rex cleared his throat and spoke.

“Lady Elin.”

“What?”

“My hand. You can let go now.”

“…Stay still. You might get lost.”

Elin replied in a deliberately stern tone.

‘I’m not a lost child.’

Rex let out a laugh of disbelief. Still, her warning about getting lost didn’t seem like a joke.

The Magic Tower, which had looked magnificent from the outside, felt even more enormous once inside. It was hard to believe such a structure existed in the world. The corridors twisted and turned like a maze, with dozens of doors leading to various rooms.

“My room is on the fifth floor.”

In the center of the tower stood a staircase that vertically penetrated the entire structure.

“The floors you can access depend on your rank. Rex is my friend… my guest, so it’s fine.”

Elin trailed off as she stepped onto the stairs.

The first floor was bustling with all kinds of people, but when they reached the fifth floor, not even the sound of chatter could be heard.

On the way to Elin’s room, they did encounter one mage wearing a blue robe. But the mage simply bowed respectfully to Elin and left without a word. It was a courteous attitude, as if serving a superior.

Newly impressed by the fact that Elin was an exceptional mage, Rex blinked and stared at her.

“This way.”

Elin naturally opened a door to one side.

Rex, who had been curious about where Elin lived, entered with an expectant face. Then, seeing a scene different from what he had anticipated, he closed his mouth, at a loss for words.

“What?”

“…Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Numerous books were strewn haphazardly across the floor, covered in thick layers of dust. It was such a messy sight that it was impossible to guess when the room had last been cleaned. Just looking at it made his throat feel dry.

She lives in this terrible environment? Rex barely swallowed his rising shock.

‘I’ll need to clean first.’

Elin picked up one of the books piled like mountains on the floor, dusted it off, and handed it to Rex.

“Is this a magic book?”

In Rex’s mind, mages were beings who shut themselves in rooms every day to pursue knowledge. If so, there should be books containing magic.

When he asked with such curiosity, Elin answered promptly.

“No.”

Seeing Rex’s puzzled expression, Elin said in a voice full of delight:

“It’s a textbook. I told you I’d teach you how to read.”

At those words, Rex looked down at the book with round eyes. It looked incredibly thick—this was a textbook?

“What does it say?”

There was a title on the cover, but he couldn’t possibly recognize it.

Elin answered in an indifferent tone.

“Three Bears.”

“Ah.”