episode_0073

“I think you’ve enjoyed the Mage Tower sightseeing enough by now, right? We should be able to leave tomorrow.”

Back at their lodgings, Arina gave the two a heads-up to prepare for their departure. Millen, who had draped herself in all kinds of accessories—headbands, earrings, and the like—seemed a little disappointed as she trudged back to her room, still bubbling with excitement.

Ian, on the other hand, had been dragged around by Millen all day, but now that he was free, he felt like he could finally breathe again. Still, he lingered behind to ask Arina a question.

“Once you get your magic back, are you going after that man next?”

“Of course. According to Master, Marika and Erwin are recuperating in their respective homelands. Who knows? Even injuries that seem impossible to recover from might miraculously heal for a hero’s party, just like in a fairy tale. Now’s the perfect time to bring him down.”

“Then that leaves two opponents.”

Ian chewed over his memories, recalling his encounters with Leona and Yuria. He had only clashed with Yuria, the Hero, once.

A woman who had effortlessly blocked his sword with a single finger. No matter how many times he imagined it, he knew he could never be a match for her. It was humiliating—Ian didn’t have the strength to protect the woman he loved.

Was it bad luck? Or was it because his opponent was the strongest mage, leaving him in a position where he was the one being protected?

That left Leona, the warrior of the party, who wielded a greatsword wreathed in flames. Could he face her now? He ran a mental simulation of the fight. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t win.

As long as he could buy Arina enough time to defeat the Hero.

“Stop thinking useless thoughts.”

Arina grabbed Ian’s shoulder as he was lost in his calculations. She looked up at him with concern, already knowing the kind of pointless things he was mulling over.

“Yuria and Leona—I can take them both on my own. I practically fought and won against three members of the Hero’s party and the Holy Kingdom’s knights, didn’t I? This much is nothing.”

“But you’ve never fought the Hero before. Even if you win, you could get hurt worse this time.”

It wasn’t exactly fortunate, but last time, he had only lost his memories. Facing a formidable enemy like the Hero, there was no guarantee things would end the same way again.

“I know Yuria better than you do. Her weaknesses, too. And even if I end up getting hurt, that’s fine—but what about you? One wrong move, and you’re dead. Have you ever died before? Because if you do, I’ll die right after you. Remember, your life is tied to mine.”

Arina’s warning was firm, as if daring him to insist on fighting alongside her.

“…Cowardly.”

“If you understand, then go back to the territory quietly and wait. I’ll come find you… I promise.”

Had they ever had a conversation like this before? But unlike last time, this wasn’t just a perfunctory farewell—it was a promise. That she would return.

By then, she might have returned to her original body, and their relationship might no longer be what it was now. The thought filled him with regret, but their bond wasn’t just that of a man and a woman. Both of them believed that Riel Frost and Ian Felix could remain the closest of friends.

Even if the affection in their eyes seemed to whisper that they wanted more.

The silence was broken by two knocks on the door before Ellin stepped inside.

“Hmm, was I interrupting? Should I come back later?”

“No, it’s fine,” Arina answered, but Ellin looked at Ian and asked,

“Mind if I borrow Arina for a bit?”

“Not at all. Go ahead.”

“Then come along, Arina.”

As Arina moved to follow Ellin’s beckoning hand, she paused, turned back, and walked over to the table.

“Just a second.”

She picked up a ring she had set aside earlier, slipped it onto her finger, gave it a brief stroke, then turned back.

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

“Hehe. Cute.”

“What is?”

—

The Tower of Experiments

One of the Mage Tower’s five major towers, the Tower of Experiments was surrounded by walls twice as thick as the others for safety, completely isolating it from the outside world.

Its seclusion surpassed even that of the Tower of Research, which housed records of forbidden studies—there were no windows here, necessitating a separate ventilation system.

Because of this, even with magelight, the darkness never fully lifted, casting a dim and eerie atmosphere. While discovering forbidden knowledge in the research wing would result in severe punishment, the experimental wing was different—unexpected variables here could actually kill people.

And not just one or two, at that. Given that this was the most heavily secured location in the Mage Tower, outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering. Thus, the only ones walking the halls were Ellin and Arina.

“Even though I was here just a few days ago, it really hasn’t changed at all.”

“No reason to care about interior design in a place that gets wrecked all the time. Though, looking at it now, we’ve probably rebuilt it fifty times over.”

“Maybe you should care a little more about that.”

Arina had once been the same, but the people of the Mage Tower had an exceptionally poor sense of financial responsibility. With astronomical funding pouring in as long as they stayed holed up in the tower doing whatever they pleased, reckless spending had become second nature.

Even Arina, who had lost her parents young and had to scrape by with her siblings, had once frowned over the tight budget for the Hero’s party funds. The others were undoubtedly worse.

“No need to worry. We’ve got more money than we know what to do with.”

Come to think of it, the person beside her was the worst of them when it came to frivolous spending.

“You should save some while you can. Money doesn’t last forever, you know.”

“Looks like you’ve learned a thing or two since leaving. But do you really think that’ll happen to me?”

“…Probably not.”

Even if it did, by then, the world would have already ended, rendering money meaningless. It was the same old, fruitless scolding from a disciple to her eternally immature master, but it wasn’t completely pointless—soon, the two arrived at the laboratory.

Ellin spun a key around her finger before using it to unlock the door.

“We’ve kept it as close to the design as possible, but we don’t actually know how it’ll turn out. This is something only you can test with your own body.”

“If it’s made according to the design, there shouldn’t be any problems. I couldn’t have made a mistake.”

“So confident. Then you won’t mind signing this, right?”

The paper she held out listed every possible accident that could occur during the experiment, along with a clause stating that Arina would bear full responsibility.

“You know I can’t sue you even without this. Why bother?”

“Don’t make that face. I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”

“I wasn’t tense in the first place.”

Grumbling, Arina stepped inside the lab, where a single bed and a large glass tank awaited. After carefully inspecting the machinery with a slow circle, she lay down on the bed. Ellin handed her a mask.

“What’s this?”

“A sleep mask. Extracting mana might hurt, since it’s your first time.”

“It shouldn’t take that long, though?”

“Actually, it will. The amount of mana we’re extracting is less than you’re expecting.”

It wasn’t due to lack of resources or technology—they had deliberately reduced the extraction volume. Ellin stroked Arina’s head as the latter frowned, her expression dissatisfied, and added, as if answering her unspoken question:

“This is technically a human experiment, too. I get that you want your power back as soon as possible, but your body is more important, right?”

Even if her master looked like someone her own age, an adult was still an adult. The warmth in her eyes reminded Arina of the mother she had lost long ago, and she couldn’t bring herself to complain further.

“…Fine. It’s too late to remake it now anyway. Let’s just do it.”

“Good. Sleep well, Riel.”

The moment the mask was placed over her face, Arina felt the sensation of sleep overtaking her. Her vision blurred as Ellin’s figure grew indistinct, and with one last blink, everything went dark.

—

“Riel.”

Arina’s eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. The voice was entirely different from the one she had just been listening to—yet it wasn’t unfamiliar. Rather, it stirred a nostalgic longing in her.

Before she knew it, the scenery before her had completely changed. A book lay on the desk where she had been resting her chin, drowsing.

That face, this scene—they had faded from her memory long ago. What had once been a hazy, foggy recollection now stood before her, vivid as reality.

Turning her head, Arina’s gaze fell on the owner of the voice, and without meaning to, she murmured:

“Linia…?”

A flick landed on her forehead. As Arina rubbed the spot, dazed, the silver-haired, blue-eyed woman—who resembled someone she knew—wagged a finger at her.

“It’s ‘Linia unnie,’ got it? Don’t tell me you’re trying to act all grown-up just because you’re back home after so long?”