Chapter 67 – Baldur’s Nightmare (1)

I woke up. It felt like a refreshing late morning when you’ve slept through your alarm, savoring the lingering drowsiness. Fortunately, the clock in my house couldn’t even tell time properly, let alone have an alarm function. Not having to attend classes or go to work was one of the perks of being the Store Owner.

The house was spotless.

Rising from the sofa, I made my way to the bathroom. The man staring back at me from the mirror looked slightly different than I remembered. I recalled Darling visiting… Was this her doing? It wasn’t bad—manageable for a while without becoming bothersome.

But how did she even get in? I had the Iron Dogs stationed outside.

Sigh.

As my head cleared, I realized it was time to find and meet with Liv and Adela. I’d thrown them out without hearing their side, so they must be upset. Communication is crucial, after all. Even Lehel had said that a person is defined by their words and actions, so I, too, needed to act accordingly.

First, I had to find out where they were…

“Huh?”

When I got to the first floor and opened the store shutter, I found the daily Academy student newspaper tucked into the doorframe, as usual. But the front page featured a familiar face.

[Featured in this month’s Farencia Academy Sightings: The Weeping Lady’s Fountain]

[Picture]

[In the central park near Apas Hall’s main gate, first-year student Adela Silvesta is showcasing her magic.]

[A perfect date spot for couples! Just don’t get too close.]

“Why is she crying over there?”

The picture showed Adela surrounded by dazzling ice crystals and sprays of water, her eyes brimming with tears. The Academy thought this worthy of the front page? The Headmaster and the Broadcasting Club must have lost their minds.

It seems students here revel in the most bizarre phenomena. Even after all this time, I still found it hard to understand how these magic users operated.

I quickly changed into the clothes lying on the sofa. A faint, fresh scent clung to them. As I slipped on my worn-out slippers and stepped outside, I noticed something was different. The atmosphere around me had shifted.

What was it? Every student on campus was staring at me as I walked by.

Was this some kind of dream within a dream?

Bump.

“Ah, sorry.”

I apologized as I lightly bumped into a female student. She looked up at my face and began awkwardly shifting her gaze, lowering her head.

“Oh, n-no problem… um, excuse me…”

“Yeah?”

“Are you… new? I haven’t seen your face before.”

I’m the Store Owner.

“Would you like to come to a ball? Our family runs a salon under the Kanophe name…”

I don’t know how to dance.

Leaving the flustered girl behind, I headed toward the central park in front of Apas Hall. The park featured an artificial stream and towering trees that reached up toward the sky. Magic was truly incredible.

There weren’t many people around, so it was relatively peaceful. As I ventured deeper into the park, I began to hear a familiar voice, carried along by the sound of running water.

Waaaah… Ahhhhhhh…

There she was—Adela, crying at the top of her lungs. That’s… a campus attraction?

“Sob, sniffle… Hic, sniff…!”

It had been days since the incident. While she was the one who damaged the store without offering an apology, seeing her sob so miserably still tugged at my heart.

Her eyes were puffy, her voice hoarse from crying. Yet amidst the mess, her innate magic created a stunning display of shimmering ice crystals floating around her.

It looked beautiful—if you ignored the fact that it was an uncontrolled magical outburst, as usual.

Concerned for her safety, I approached her without hesitation, stepping into the fountain she had frozen over.

Crunch, crunch.

The ice began to form on my legs as soon as I waded in. Tiny, sharp ice crystals cut through the air. As I got closer, I saw her body trembling.

“Adela.”

“Hic, T-Teacher…?”

As soon as she saw me, Adela’s tear-filled eyes widened, and she reached for me, her arms flailing pitifully. Before I could say anything, she was already clinging to me, spilling apologies.

“I-I’m sorryyy…! Sniffle, I won’t fight anymore! I won’t be jealous, hic…!”

“Jealous? Wait, forget that—about the store…”

“I won’t use magic anymore! I won’t cause you any more trouble, I promise!!”

Her tearful pleas and desperate apologies made it impossible for me to scold her. Truthfully, I hadn’t even been that angry… She’d made her choice to stay close to me, and in a way, I was responsible for that. I gently patted her head.

“I’m not mad… I’m not upset anymore, so stop crying. Just be careful next time. Don’t use magic unless you’re confident you can control it.”

“Y-yes, sniff… okay…”

“And what’s this about jealousy? Was that why you and Liv fought?”

“That’s…”

“Come on, tell me. How can I handle it if you don’t?”

“…”

She stared at my shorter hair for a moment, her fingers brushing it, before speaking in a hesitant voice.

“I… don’t know.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“…”

“Teacher.”

Rather than answering, Adela flipped the question back at me.

“Do you… like her?”

***

Liv Labre de Greenwood.

The only heir of the Greenwood family, living a near-commoner’s life without lands or vassals to support her. She had lost her father, her only family, during the Great War. Despite her family’s financial troubles, her extraordinary talent had earned her the top spot in Farencia Academy’s Magic Department. A bright student who worked harder than anyone to carve out her own life.

If you asked anyone whether they liked Liv, every single one of them would answer yes.

Honestly, I felt bad for keeping her tied to the store for as long as I had.

“What? She already left?”

“Yeah, a few days ago. The only second-years left are those waiting for their escort to Alkaid Tower.”

That’s why when I learned that Liv had already left for her magic training, a mix of guilt, regret, and frustration gnawed at me.

She had wanted to talk over dinner that day—to tell me this, I realized.

Farencia Academy’s second-year students had all scattered to the various towers and knightly orders for their internships. They would return before final exams, bringing back their evaluation scores to determine their grades for the semester.

Liv wouldn’t be back until early summer.

“Well, is there any way I can find out where she went?”

I had a bad feeling. She’d always been stubborn about going to dangerous places, and I couldn’t shake the worry that she might be heading into another battlefield. Thankfully, the students heading to Alkaid Tower hadn’t left yet.

“Hah, I don’t know who you are, but there’s no reason for me to tell you the personal information of a student…”

The administrative officer who had been busy poring over paperwork raised his glasses and gave me an irritated look.

It’s a long shot, huh?

I mean, I didn’t expect them to give away personal information when they couldn’t even be bothered to stop a student’s magic from spiraling out of control in a public fountain…

“She went to Phecda Tower.”

“What?”

“Liv Labre. She left three days ago, at 4:30 PM, heading for Batudis on a magical carriage.”

…Well, that was easier than expected.

“By the way, do you have any plans this evening?”

Out of nowhere, a woman I’d never met slipped into the conversation, filling the space Liv had left behind.

“I know a nice restaurant. Would you like to grab a drink?”

“No, I’m busy. Thanks anyway.”

“Wait! At least tell me your name…!”

Flustered, I hurried out of there, half-running to escape the strange invitation.

It had been ten years since I’d settled in this quiet corner of Farencia, and over five years since the Academy had been built nearby.

At this point, everyone—students, professors, staff, even the security guards—should know me as the sole Store Owner. Yet, until today, I’d never received a single dinner invitation, salon invitation, or request to share my name.

Was this all just a dream?

“What the hell… is going on?”

Feeling uneasy, I returned to the messy store. Unlike the sudden friendliness of the people, the Iron Dogs barely acknowledged me as I passed by.

Things had subtly shifted while I’d been lost in thought and wandering half-conscious, but there was only one thing that mattered right now.

Phecda Tower.

According to the Moirai sisters, Phecda Tower was where I needed to go to investigate Baldur’s Nightmare and the cursed idols.

The fact that Liv had gone there made it inevitable.

Regardless of what I intended to say when we met, it was only natural to worry about her.

“I have to go.”

The decision was quick. I’d already planned to head there right after returning from Sandalphonia.

I tossed some scrap metal at the still-indifferent Iron Dogs guarding the store shutters and packed my things. I considered asking Lehel to come along, but her magic limitations made me hesitant. The things involving demons were always dangerous. I didn’t want to risk her life for something that might turn deadly.

That same reason was why I had to go after Liv.

Adela’s question—whether I liked Liv—wasn’t entirely wrong.

I had felt obligated to look after her because of the guilt I carried over Paris Greenwood’s death. If Liv ever found out the truth, she would undoubtedly fall into despair, and I didn’t want her to face that alone.

“Do you like Liv as much as you like me? Do you care for her the same way?”

In noble circles, it wasn’t uncommon to have concubines, but I wasn’t a noble, and human emotions were too delicate to define by mere titles or customs.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to deny it outright when confronted by someone as pure and earnest as Adela.

Because deep down, I knew that denying it would be deceiving myself.

And because if I’d ever claimed I could love only one person my entire life, I wouldn’t have been able to accept her, either.

***

Boom! Crash! Thud!

The carriage rattled violently, crashing through every obstacle in its path. Liv rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly out the window. Her friend Karen couldn’t help but worry about Liv, who had chosen Phecda Tower despite being one of the top-performing students.

“Liv, aren’t you hungry? You haven’t touched the food they gave us on the carriage.”

“I’m fine. I feel nauseous, no appetite.”

“But…”

Liv’s gaze drifted toward the window, where storm clouds crackled with distant lightning.

WEEEE-OOOO WEEE-OOOO!

A siren wailed from the towering spire ahead, occasionally visible through the storm’s flashes of light.

The warning: severe storms approaching, with the risk of falling into Baldur’s Nightmare. As the carriage pulled to a halt on the barren, fog-shrouded land—no station, no staff—the students cautiously stepped out under the supervision of their professor.

“We’ll do a headcount. No wandering off! Don’t use magic recklessly!”

The second-year students, wearing their blue capes, were tense as they waited. Soon enough, a guide from the tower emerged from the mist.

He had a monocle over one eye, three laurel leaves pinned to his chest, a Commandeur insignia. His left arm was missing from the elbow down, but he raised his remaining hand toward the towering black shadow looming through the fog.

“I am Dominic Artzentz, the Vice-Tower Master of Phecda Tower.”

With a warm smile, he greeted the Farencia students.

“Welcome to Phecda Tower.”