episode_0070

“What do you mean by that, Arina?!”

As expected, Ian was the first to react with explosive emotion. Right after, Ellin, unable to hide her bewilderment this time, stiffened and asked rigidly.

“Are you saying you made a deal with the Demon King? Even so, that’s a bit…”

“The terms of the deal were as I mentioned—up to the point where I seal Yuria. But if I fail and the Demon King steps in, what happens afterward is obvious.”

That day, in the underground city occupied by Dullahan, the Demon King had asked Arina to bear his successor. The reason for this was something she heard again on the day she reunited with Naiad.

“He needed a way to ensure no one could interfere with the seal after Yuria and he himself were sealed away. That’s where his child with me comes in.”

“The successor of the Demon King, born from the strongest mage. If such a being were to exist, not even a hero could stand against them. If that child were to block the way, no one would be able to break the seal.”

“Yes. It’s the surest way to end this regression, just as the Demon King desires. If I fail, he’ll come to capture me by force.”

Ironically, it was also the best outcome for Arina. Even if she succeeded in taking revenge on the Packmule as she wished, returning to the past would render it meaningless. She would just lose her memories and be helplessly toyed with by the Packmule all over again.

“Of course, I have no intention of handing my body over to the Demon King. So I must succeed in sealing Yuria.”

With a look that seemed to ask, “Is this enough?” Arina met Ian’s gaze. Though his expression was still full of dissatisfaction, Arina had merely stated the facts calmly, leaving him with nothing to say as he sat back down.

After studying his face for a moment, she turned her eyes to Ellin.

“Is this sufficient?”

Since they needed justification, she had even revealed the secrets she had kept from Ian. If they refused now, she was prepared to overturn everything.

“The part about sealing the hero is a bit… but well, with this, I think I can manage to persuade them. There’s no one in the Magic Tower who isn’t friendly toward you, after all.”

“Except for the bald gatekeeper.”

“Don’t say such ungrateful things. Azul was so regretful when you left.”

“Exactly. Even if he says he hates it, I knew he’d be bored without me.”

Taking another sip of coffee, Ellin picked up the bundle of blueprints Arina had given her and spoke.

“We should start preparing now, so go downstairs and rest.”

Following her lead, she glanced at the other two.

“You two, head down as well. Azul will show you to the guest rooms. I won’t be able to show my face for a while if I’m to craft the magic artifact.”

“Arina, you should rest too. We have the blueprints, after all.”

“I can’t just sit back when I’m the one receiving help. At least let me assist in the production.”

“It’s fine. Just give your fiancé a tour of the tower.”

Arina’s brow twitched as she shot Ellin a glare. Was she still planning to joke around like this? If Ian actually started misunderstanding, what then? If he ended up confessing or something, it would be unbearably awkward.

Confession? A confession…?

She shook her head.

“Cut the nonsense. If you keep this up, I really won’t help.”

“Don’t worry. How much help could you even be, given you can’t use magic now?”

It was true, so she had no retort. She had handed over the blueprints, and from there, tasks like error correction and verification experiments weren’t difficult for the elite mages of the tower. She could give detailed instructions, but it wouldn’t be the most efficient work.

—

On the way back down in the lift, the lower floors were noticeably noisier than before. Peering down, they saw a crowd gathered, waiting for them to descend.

“There are so many people.”

“From up here, they look like an ant swarm. Kind of creepy.”

“The fate of a celebrity.”

Even among fellow mages from the tower, the name “Riel Frost” seemed to carry a special weight. Millen thought it was like royalty making an appearance, but for Ian, this wasn’t an unfamiliar sight. He’d experienced similar scenes occasionally when visiting larger cities.

The only difference was the gender ratio—completely opposite, given the nature of the tower.

Whoosh.

As the lift smoothly stopped at the first floor, the surrounding mages immediately buzzed with excitement and surged forward.

“Riel! …Riel?”

“Is that really the same Riel? No, I’d heard rumors, but…”

“I’ve seen the wanted posters, but seeing you in person makes it even harder to believe.”

“Possible.”

“Hey, are you really Riel?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Link, Jin, Ruster, Beral… and the rest.”

They were all familiar faces. Still, there were too many to name them all one by one.

Arina’s eyes widened as she scanned the friends staring at her.

Friends. Yes, they were friends. Back in the day, they had caused trouble together, debated, fought, and laughed endlessly in the tower.

It was almost laughable how she had once despaired over having lost everything—when so many friends still remained. This, at least, was something the Packmule couldn’t take from her. Especially since they were all men.

Feeling her chest swell, Arina straightened up and declared:

“I’m the Riel you all know. Long time no see.”

Instantly, the murmuring quieted. Their gazes, once filled with shock, confusion, and suspicion, softened. The scorn and ridicule she had once feared turned out to be nothing but delusions—instead, cheers erupted.

“Whaaaaaaaaat?!”

“For real?! Riel Frost became a woman?!”

“That beauty is really the same Riel? The one who told women to study culinary magic instead of combat magic?”

“The guy we called the biggest misogynist among us turned into a female?!”

“I still can’t believe it. Pinch my cheek.”

“Well, it’s good to see you all—wait, who just said that?”

Arina, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly narrowed her eyes. It was a term she hadn’t heard before, but somehow, she had a feeling she knew what it meant—and it was deeply unpleasant.

But before she could get angry, someone roughly pushed through the crowd.

“Rieeeeeeeel!”

The man dropped to his knees before her, tears streaming like a waterfall. His eyes shone with the clarity of a devout believer who had just witnessed divinity.

“You found it, didn’t you?! The transcendental magic I’ve been researching for over a decade without a single clue! The TS magic! Does this mean I can become the kingdom’s most beautiful genius mage now too?!”

“…Jenner. Sorry, but I only ended up like this because I fell into a trap.”

She didn’t know why she was apologizing for this, but the sheer devastation on his face made it impossible not to.

“Damn it! Why you?! Why not me?! Whhhhyyyy?! Who the hell discovered TS magic?!”

“Well… I plan to kill him, but if it’s you, I’ll ask before cutting his head off…”

She was about to add that it wasn’t actually magic, but someone had already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.

The empty space was instantly filled by others, surrounding Arina. Naturally, Ian and Millen were pushed aside, left to watch the spectacle.

The sight of old friends reuniting, laughing, and chatting—though it made Ian slightly uncomfortable to see Arina smiling at other men, he understood. These were friends she had known far longer than him.

It was just a little… uncomfortable. But he could endure it.

Until the line was crossed.

“Damn, you got hot. Let me have a turn.”

A vulgar joke, spoken with lustful eyes. Ian’s rage flared so violently he nearly drew his sword—but he held back. Causing a scene in the Magic Tower would only make things awkward for Arina. And though she couldn’t use magic now, she wasn’t foolish enough to let such remarks slide.

Arina, more than anyone, hated being seen as a sexual object. He expected her to slap the guy immediately, but—

“Piss off, creep. Just imagining your face makes me want to puke.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh. Are you drawing lines just because you’re a woman now?”

What flew wasn’t a slap—but a fist. A light, theatrical punch to the ribs. Then, as if it were all a joke, she giggled.

Of course, Ian wasn’t unfamiliar with the banter culture among men. But seeing his woman engaging in it made his vision go red.

As if his mind had short-circuited, he moved without thinking, pushing through the crowd around Arina.

“…So, what do you think I did?”

“You probably burned that bastard’s beard off!”

Arina was laughing uproariously at some joke when Ian approached.

“Hey, Riel. Even as a woman, you haven’t lost your edge.”

“Of course not. Who do you think I—”

Her wrist, wiping away tears of laughter, was suddenly grabbed. She turned her head to look at Ian.

“Ian?”

“Who are you? Riel hates having her body touched without permission.”

“Who am I? Arina, you tell them. Who am I to you?”

“Well, a frien…”

She was about to say friend, but something about Ian’s expression made her hesitate. But since she had already half-answered, Ian pulled her away from the crowd.

“H-Hey! Ian, even for you, this is crossing a line as a friend!”

She forced an angry expression, realizing she had to draw a clear boundary here.

“Arina, I did say I’d stay as your friend—but that didn’t mean I’d just watch you get close to other men. If that’s how it’s going to be…”

His gaze was so intense it could devour her. Arina’s face turned bright red.

“…Th-Then what? What are you gonna do?”

Trying not to back down, she glared back—but her eyes betrayed a hint of anticipation.

“Figure it out yourself.”

With that, he took her hand and led her out of the tower.

Silence fell over the research hall. The center of attention had been taken away.

Someone muttered like they had fired a signal flare.

“The face of a female…”

“Who would’ve thought the day would come when Riel made that expression.”

“So even Riel Frost can’t defy hormones…”

Each mage voiced their thoughts, but in the end, they all converged on one conclusion.

“Fascinating.”

They were researchers to the bone, after all.