episode_0069

“Heheheheh.”

Having teased Arina to her heart’s content, a satisfied Ellin smoothed down her ample chest as she finally stifled her laughter.

“Alright. Enough jokes for real now. First, let me confirm one thing—that you truly are my disciple, Riel Frost.”

“…Only now? Isn’t that a bit out of order?”

If she was going to ask, she shouldn’t have teased her in the first place. Arina, whose inner thoughts had already been laid bare, shot her master a disgruntled glare.

“What else can I do? Could I have ever imagined that my once-flawless, iron-willed disciple would turn out this adorable?”

“So you could at least tone down the whole ‘treating me like a child’ bit… Ugh, whatever. Where should I even start? My research on lions? My attempts to peek at classified documents? Or maybe I should list the titles of those indecent books stuffed under your desk drawer? I’m sure—”

“Stop right there. I believe you. You really are my disciple.”

Though she had teased Arina relentlessly earlier, Ellin hastily clamped a hand over her mouth the moment her own secrets threatened to spill. The fact that she dreaded having her private… inclinations exposed more than all the illegal incidents racked up within the Magic Tower was downright infuriating—Arina’s brow twitched.

“You were always like this, so it’s not even surprising anymore. Can we move on to the main point?”

“By all means.”

With her master’s permission, Arina briefly closed her eyes. Taking a moment to steady her breath, she gathered her thoughts before speaking.

“Inside my body now exists Magi—a previously undiscovered form of energy.”

“I’ve heard rumors of this ‘Magi’ as some strange energy. The Hero’s party once visited me seeking the Saintess because of it.”

At those words, Arina’s gaze abruptly sharpened.

“Is Marika here?”

“Interesting. Weren’t you two close friends? What happened that you’d make such a terrifying face?”

Those of the Magic Tower were, by nature, uninformed about outside affairs. Part of it was due to the strict control over entry and exit, but above all, it was simply because they didn’t care. At best, news spread through whispered rumors—like the incident involving Riel Frost—thanks only to the rare few with an ear to the outside world.

And that was only because it concerned Arina, whose presence within the tower was utterly unmistakable. Anyone else? They likely wouldn’t have even known such an event had occurred.

“Marika and I fought each other to kill. No—more accurately, it was worse. She betrayed me and tried to hand me over to her lover.”

“Mm… That doesn’t sound trivial. Care to elaborate?”

Ellin uncrossed her legs and leaned forward attentively—clearly expecting a story.

“Fine.”

Once more, Arina repeated the tale she had already recounted countless times.

“Hah.”

Once everything had been laid out, Ellin reheated her coffee with magic and took a sip—her reaction markedly different from the others. While people usually doubted their ears, wore expressions of shock, or struggled to find words, she remained calm from start to finish.

“I see. That being the case, your refusal to forgive is only natural.”

“…That’s all?”

“Did you need more? Do you think empty sympathy and comfort would serve the great Riel Frost any real purpose?”

Though harsh at first glance, this was simply the norm within the Magic Tower. Born from a world where reason and logic were paramount, excessive sentimentality—teary outbursts or warm encouragement—simply didn’t exist.

They neither sought solace in such things nor knew how to give it. While Riel Frost, who once had an emotionally expressive childhood friend, leaned slightly more toward understanding, she ultimately remained closer to this side.

“No. You’re right.”

“Aren’t I?”

“Anyway, in the process, I ingested Magi I had extracted from Dullahan. It’s why I’m in this state now.”

“So you came to the Magic Tower to remove the Magi. But our knowledge on it is far too limited. Researching from scratch will take considerable time.”

Given Magi’s nature—devouring mana to grow—any attempt to forcibly extract it with magic would be like pouring oil on fire. Not impossible, but undoubtedly time-consuming.

And the longer time stretched, the higher the risk of Arina’s whereabouts being exposed.

“That won’t be an issue.”

So saying, Arina retrieved a thick stack of densely notated papers from her bag and handed them over.

“Schematics? You drew these while traveling here?”

“I had plenty of time and little else to do.”

“Even so, to produce something like this alone… A conduit linking mana circuits designed to let Magi expel itself as mana flows through it? Can this truly work?”

“No doubt. When I fought Marika, I expelled the last remnants of my mana toward her. My body was completely emptied—so the Magi chased that mana out and attacked her. Consider it proven.”

Thinking back, it had been a moment of sheer terror. Until then, it had only been a theory—had it failed, she likely wouldn’t even be standing here now.

“Hmm… No theoretical flaws, then. Though verification is still needed.”

Flipping swiftly through the pages, Ellin paused at one section.

“We can gather everything else in time—except one thing. Adamantite, a metal highly reactive to mana. We currently have none to spare.”

“Procuring it won’t take too long, right?”

“Using my name, it shouldn’t pose much trouble.”

Whether that referenced the prestige of the Tower Lord or something else…

“In any case, I’m counting on you.”

“But Arina—aren’t you misunderstanding something? I never actually agreed to help you yet.”

The atmosphere instantly chilled.

“Since when do you back out after squeezing someone for answers?”

Millen scoffed in disbelief.

“She’s your disciple, isn’t she? And yet you’ll just pretend not to see her?”

Ian stiffened, his face paling slightly.

“……”

Arina clamped her mouth shut.

“I am your master, yes—but above all, I am the representative of the Magic Tower. Aiding Riel Frost at this juncture would be gambling the entire Tower’s standing. Even as its lord, I cannot force others to shoulder such risk. Surely you understand? Magi is intriguing—even invaluable—but that alone isn’t enough.”

“In short, you want a stronger justification. Is that it?”

At least she hadn’t outright refused. A reason—that was all. And Arina still had one suitable bargaining chip left. Balling her fists briefly, she steadied herself.

“What if I told you I possess a means to end the war with the Demon Army?”

“Do enlighten me.”

Ellin smiled faintly, lifting her coffee cup once more.

“This world is caught in repetition. When I first used Magi and lost consciousness… That was what the Demon King revealed to me within the subconscious world.”

Explaining required recounting the Demon King’s memories of the cycles he endured.

“Endless loops of the same era centered around the Hero and the Demon King. But it’s him we’re talking about. What reason is there to believe his words?”

“The mere fact he refuses to emerge on the battlefield is proof enough. He harbors no ambition to conquer the world now—not like before those memories. Because once Yuria or Naiad dies, everything just loops anew. He told me himself—he wants to end this meaningless cycle.”

This timeline already differed starkly from prior iterations, but if regression occurred again, she’d merely lose her memories—doomed to endless repetition.

“But ending it—how?”

“Death triggers the reversal. The solution is simple—prevent them from dying. The Demon King intends to seal himself away eternally—alongside Yuria. We made a deal—seal Yuria, and he’ll willingly vanish.”

“His disappearance wouldn’t end the war outright.”

“The outcome remains unchanged. Without him, mopping up remnants may take time, but the Hero’s party wouldn’t even be necessary.”

“Uncharacteristically meek from you. Weren’t you brimming with far more confidence when you left?”

That was an old story—the youthful bravado of a hot-blooded teenager vowing to slay the Demon King alone and return triumphant.

“What choice do I have? As a mage, defeating him is outright impossible.”

Not even Dullahan, with only a fragment of Magi, could be felled alone. No matter how she racked her brain, imagining victory against the Demon King was impossible. This path was her sole means of achieving vengeance—and humanity’s long-sought peace.

“And if you fail?”

“I, uh—”

Abruptly, Arina hesitated, her gaze flickering toward Ian before hurriedly looking away.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

With everyone watching, she couldn’t delay further. Swallowing hard, she forced out the words certain to stir chaos.

“…It goes against my personal wishes, but… I’d likely end up bearing his child.”