Chapter 118: Departure from the Tower

The anticipation for something always had a way of making time pass quickly.

This time was no different.

Between accumulating magic power, crafting new dolls, and managing the tower, a month had flowed by like water.

During that time, yet another treasure had conducted a lecture.

This time, the competition among the treasures had been quite fierce.

By now, most of them had learned how to communicate with humans.

All of them seemed eager to hold a lecture as soon as possible.

It was probably because the treasures that had already taught students had been boasting about it everywhere.

After much discussion among themselves, they finally agreed upon an order.

And so, the one taking the lead this time was the Rank 1 Friendly Entity—Arrow Serpent.

Among the many treasures filling the bulletin board, it was one of the few that could be considered truly amicable.

That was why it was chosen for this lecture.

It desperately wished for its power to be used by mages.

Because of that, it had made many concessions to the other treasures.

Perhaps it was because it had been created by human hands.

Its ability was quite simple.

As its nickname, Arrow Serpent, suggested, it merely shot toward an enemy’s weak point and consumed it.

Compared to the Rank 2 and 3 treasures that had given lectures before, it had a rather straightforward power.

However, its simplicity made it all the more efficient for mages to utilize.

Maybe that was why those who received its power quickly climbed the ranks.

Hao was one such case.

It was already known that Hao would be chosen by Arrow Serpent.

After all, the treasure had been one of those that had observed Hao’s tribute chamber.

Hari let out a small sigh.

In front of her, a translucent window appeared—it was Hao’s tribute chamber.

Hari was removing a few treasures from the room, ones that were making excessive demands.

Soon after, she stretched lightly and turned to look at me.

I gently patted her head.

She had been working hard to manage Hao.

And now, I would have to entrust even more responsibilities to her.

I could only feel apologetic.

“I’ll be counting on you to take care of the tower while I’m away. Please endure it just a little longer.”

Hari looked up at me and nodded.

Along with that motion, a thought was transmitted to me through our connection.

It came from Zero, who was standing beside Hari.

Confidence filled the message, as if telling me to trust them completely.

When I turned to look at Zero, it nodded proudly.

Though, whether that was truly its head was uncertain.

Well, considering the tentacle-like appendage was positioned at the highest point, it was safe to assume it functioned as its head.

Zero’s body wriggled, covered in countless tentacles.

It wasn’t inside a doll’s body either—this was a transformation of its own shadow.

This was its latest project, a unique approach to making itself into a doll.

It was truly groundbreaking.

Even I couldn’t predict what the final result would be.

Zero’s mastery of dollcraft was evolving in ways that even I couldn’t anticipate.

Hari and Zero were both forging their own paths.

They exchanged subtle gestures with one another.

In the mirror bug floating before them, Hao’s image was reflected.

It seemed they planned to focus on handling him while I was away.

It was a reassuring sight.

Even in my absence, they would undoubtedly manage the tower well.

As I nodded in approval, someone gently wrapped their hand around my arm.

It was a familiar touch.

Looking down, I saw Mira.

She met my gaze and smiled warmly.

It seemed she had finished all her preparations as well.

“Fufu, I’ve come down too. What were you doing?”

“I was leaving some final words with them.”

I gestured with my chin toward the two figures.

Leaning against the outer wall of the tower, Zero and Hari were exchanging thoughts.

They looked quite harmonious.

Mira glanced at them before smiling lightly.

“You entrusted love to a doll, and now you’re leaving the tower to one too?”

She playfully motioned toward my chest.

The turtle doll hanging there let out a small cry and nodded in agreement.

I, on the other hand, shook my head.

“I’m not ‘entrusting’ anything. I’m simply assigning tasks to them for the sake of efficiency.”

Mira chuckled softly at my response before turning her gaze to the tower’s doors.

Right now, we were standing at the entrance.

Today was the day we would leave the tower, just as the professor had said.

I gently patted Mira’s shoulder.

She slowly turned to look at me.

“Oh my, what is it?”

“I just wanted to apologize to you. I made plans with you first, after all.”

Mira tilted her head before clapping her hands lightly in realization.

Then, she laughed.

“Ah, you mean our previous arrangement?”

“Yes. Wasn’t it the Dream Theater run by Coit? It looks like our visit there will have to be postponed for now.”

It was a conversation we’d had on our way back from a meeting with the Dollcrafting Association.

We had tentatively planned to set aside time a month or two later to visit the place.

At the time, I hadn’t known I’d have to leave with the professor.

It couldn’t be helped that our plan was delayed, but it wouldn’t hurt to apologize nonetheless.

I bowed my head slightly to convey my regret.

Mira narrowed her eyes and nodded.

“As long as you don’t push it off indefinitely, it’s fine. I’m really looking forward to it, you know. I can’t wait to see how Evron will react when we get there. I think it’ll be quite entertaining.”

She lightly traced her fingers over my chest before slowly withdrawing her hand.

Then, she broke into a bright smile.

It was filled with anticipation.

“Though, I think this trip will be even more exciting. Going out with the professor… my heart is absolutely fluttering.”

Mira leaned against me with a delighted laugh.

A deep rose fragrance drifted through the air, brushing against my senses.

Unlike before, the scent was soft and delicate.

I glanced at her.

The first thing that caught my eye was her functional dress, shimmering in shades of crimson-black.

Mist flowed over the fabric, shifting like waves of blood.

That was where the fragrance was emanating from.

Mira placed a hand on her chest and looked up at me, her smile never fading as her eyes gleamed.

“How is it? Do you think Irien will like it? I changed the scent to suit his taste.”

“You look stunning.”

“Fufu, I really can’t wait.”

Mira murmured, her cheeks slightly flushed.

A strand of saliva slipped from the corner of her lips.

I pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped her mouth.

She blinked, then covered her lips with her hand before letting out a soft laugh.

“Oh my, I’ve been careless again.”

“It’s fine. I’m excited for this journey too. After all, we’re going to meet the Chancellor.”

At my words, Mira lightly touched her cheek.

Then, she nodded slowly.

“Oh, right. That was the main reason, wasn’t it? I was so focused on the professor that I almost forgot. The head of the university, was it?”

I nodded.

Being the Chancellor meant being the strongest mage in the university.

In other words, they had reached an unfathomable level of power.

They might even be stronger than the professor.

‘What kind of person would such a mage be?’

I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

As Mira and I chatted, a faint ripple of magical energy began to spread from beyond the door.

“Mira, it looks like Irien is coming out,” she said.

Just as she had said, the magical energy in the air grew denser, and soon, the door began to rattle.

Then, as it slowly creaked open, a small-framed girl stepped out.

It was Professor Irien.

She gently placed the turtle down on the ground.

The creature let out a faint cry before slowly moving forward.

As it did, its body began to grow.

When it reached about the size of a small carriage, it finally stopped growing and lowered its belly to the ground.

After giving its head a light pat, I turned toward the professor.

“You’ve come out.”

I bowed my head slightly.

The professor waved a hand lightly in response, but her face was full of barely concealed reluctance.

She clearly had no desire to leave the tower.

Now that I thought about it, it had been a long time since we traveled together.

No, in fact, the first and last time had been when I entered the university.

And even then, it had only been a brief journey.

This was the first time we were traveling such a long distance together.

So, I needed to stay by her side and ensure that she found the journey comfortable.

First, I had to dispel her reluctance.

“I’ve prepared a place for you, Professor.”

I carefully extended my hand toward her.

She placed her own hand over mine, and I gently grasped it as I led her toward the turtle.

The turtle, upon seeing us approach, let out a soft cry.

Its shell slowly began to shift and reshape, forming a staircase that extended down to the ground.

Guiding the professor, I stepped onto the stairs.

As soon as we did, they moved smoothly, carrying us upward.

When we reached the top, I gently let go of her hand.

“This way, please.”

At the top of the stairs was a temporary structure I had prepared in advance for her.

It was a living space built into the turtle’s shell, designed to serve as a comfortable resting place.

I opened the door and ushered the professor inside.

At the center of the room was a massive bed, taking up nearly half the space.

The professor naturally settled onto it, reclining slightly.

As she did, the sulky expression on her face faded, replaced by a look of quiet satisfaction.

I nodded slightly to myself.

As expected, it had been a good decision to prepare the bed in advance.

It was an exact replica of the one in her room—only slightly smaller.

The other furnishings were the same as well.

A table sat in one corner, and a massive glass wall filled the front of the room.

Though the scale was different, the atmosphere closely resembled the professor’s actual quarters.

I had spent the past month crafting this space.

The bed’s magic wrapped gently around her, and as she sank into its comfort, the last traces of reluctance disappeared from her face.

“Then, we’ll be departing now.”

“Yeah, do as you please. By the way, this setup is pretty nice.”

***

The professor patted the bed lightly.

I bowed my head slightly in gratitude, then sent a signal to the turtle.

It received my intent and slowly began to rise.

Mira, who had followed us onto the turtle’s back, naturally settled down beside the professor.

She met the professor’s gaze and smiled brightly.

“It’s been a while, Irien.”

She gently placed a hand on the professor’s shoulder and began to massage it.

Her movements were smooth and practiced—so much so that they felt eerily similar to my own.

No, it would be more accurate to say that my actions resembled hers.

After all, I had learned everything from her.

Perhaps because of that, the professor accepted Mira’s touch without resistance.

With a relaxed expression, she gazed at Mira.

“What, you’re coming too?”

“Yes, that’s how it turned out. Since my master, Evron, is going, of course, I have to follow.”

Mira said this as she naturally linked arms with the professor.

A soft scent of roses filled the air—soothing and comforting.

She smiled warmly and continued, “During our journey, I’ll do my best to ensure you have a pleasant experience, Professor.”

The professor looked at her with slight reluctance but soon closed her eyes, surrendering to the fragrance.

Mira, ever so skillful, continued to knead her shoulders.

Her hands moved with practiced ease.

A year of tending to Cassian’s body had clearly honed her skills.

***

After a moment’s hesitation, the professor finally let herself relax under Mira’s touch.

With all of us on board, the turtle slowly began to descend the mountain.

I glanced back.

The towering structure of the tower grew smaller in the distance.

At its entrance, Zero and Hari stood waving at us.

On the map, our tower was located in the southwestern part of the university.

Our destination lay at the southernmost edge—a sea, the closest one to this place.

The professor had said that once we reached the sea, we would be able to head directly to where the chancellor was.

Since she had set our destination, all I needed to do was follow.

The sea… It had been a long time since I had last heard that word.