episode_0146

The Tower of Magic.

Undoubtedly the greatest magical research institution and the forefront of human knowledge.

The Tower of Magic is filled with geniuses like Yulia.

Every day, new magic is developed, improved, and sometimes even destroyed within the tower.

Not only that, but even in the field of applied magic, such as magic stones, magical tools, and magical engineering, anything deemed useful is adopted without hesitation.

Those who live in the tower have no trace of petty pride.

All value judgments are based solely on whether it helps in magical research or not.

Authoritarianism has long been discarded.

Only skill and results matter, and that’s how everything is evaluated and valued.

Those who have visited the tower describe it as being full of emotionless monsters.

“Just looking at it gives me the creeps…”

This might be the second… no, the third visit.

Considering the twelve times I’ve been here, it’s not a small number.

Visiting the tower was not a common occurrence.

There are no prodigies or superhumans here.

There was no benefit in befriending crazy authors who spent days and nights researching in their rooms as their greatest pleasure.

“The White Tower Master…”

There are four types of towers in the tower.

Red Tower, Blue Tower, Black Tower, and White Tower.

The names are not of great significance.

They are named after the colors of the outer walls of the tower.

Each Tower Master exercises full authority over their respective tower.

Among them, the White Tower Master…

Although it is rare for internal affairs of the tower to leak out, the White Tower is famous for being shrouded in mystery.

The research topic is unclear.

The number of researchers is the smallest among the four towers.

Yet, the research budget is the highest every year…

Strangely, despite the limited information, investments keep coming in from somewhere.

Even within the same tower, a considerable amount of funds are being poured into the White Tower.

Externally, the reputation of the White Tower may be the smallest, but in terms of money collection, the White Tower occupies the highest position among the towers, which is a peculiar structure.

Half-jokingly, rumors are circulating that the White Tower is developing magic that will destroy the world.

Of course, that’s not true.

If it were, the other Tower Masters would not leave the White Tower alone.

It is a well-known fact that Tower Masters place spies in each other’s towers to gather information.

“Wow… This is the White Tower…”

“Wow…”

As they cross the mountain, they see the tall, cylindrical White Tower below the ridge.

Mijung and Moomyung exclaim in awe at its grandeur.

Not far away, the Red Tower, Blue Tower, and Black Tower can also be seen.

The towers are densely connected by roads within the same area.

‘What should I say? I don’t want to mention Alicia’s name if possible.’

After all the trouble, Alicia finally returns to Yerina’s side.

If I mention Alicia’s name here, it will be like revealing everything.

So, I want to meet the White Tower Master without mentioning Alicia’s name, but…

It seems like a difficult prospect.

“Have you come to meet the Tower Master?”

“Yes. Um, is he-”

“I will guide you.”

“…?”

But as soon as they reach the entrance.

A robust wizard in a robe seems to be waiting to guide me, leading the way.

The main gate opens with a creak, revealing a long corridor lined with marble.

“Will you come in?”

“Yes, I will.”

Without asking or hesitating, the wizard strides ahead.

Turning back to look at us standing still, he shrugs his shoulders.

We gather our wits and follow him.

“How did you know we came to meet the Tower Master?”

“I didn’t know. I’m just following the orders of the Tower Lord to let you in. Please come in. This is called an elevator-”

“I know too. It’s not only in the Tower.”

“Is that so? It seems like it was invented not too long ago… When was it again? Definitely during the Imperial era…”

“The invention of the elevator was 20 years ago.”

“Ah. Already 20 years ago. Then it must have been widely distributed…”

Muttering to himself, the magician suddenly realized something and clapped his hands as if in applause.

Seems like he has lost a lot of sense of time, mistaking 20 years ago as recent.

His eyes are sharp, but there is no life in his pupils.

Wait… Isn’t this Luna’s puppet?

“What are you doing?”

“Excuse me. It has become a habit to examine people’s pulses.”

Unconsciously, I placed my hand on his chest to check his heartbeat and magical flow.

Everything seems normal.

Both Yulia and those obsessed with magic seem to default to this state.

“By the way, a general order has been issued. Check if the pulse sounds are correct for all visitors to the Tower. If the pulse is not heard, immediately arrest and send them to the Papal Office…”

“Hmm. There’s no room for error.”

The countermeasures against Luna have spread widely and institutionalized even in the Tower.

The impact of Archbishop Nicholas was significant.

If Luna sets her mind to it, she can impersonate anyone, even a king or emperor.

It’s a simple method to check the pulse, so Luna won’t be able to impersonate high-ranking officials in the future.

“By the way… Are you the descendants of the Tower Lord?”

“Yes?”

“Ah. No, I’m sorry. The Tower Lord doesn’t usually receive visitors, so I was just curious.”

Seems like he mistook me and Mijung for the Tower Lord’s children.

But for some reason, Mijung puffs up her cheeks slightly, grabs my hand, and sticks closer to me.

A chilly sensation spreads between our intertwined fingers.

“This is the Tower Lord’s research lab. Just open the door and go in without knocking. When you come down, press the arrow button on the elevator, and when the door opens, go in and press the button labeled 1-”

“I understand. I know. Don’t worry and go see your own research quickly.”

“Oh. How did you know I was going to do research… Anyway, it was nice to meet you.”

Nodding roughly in greeting, the magician quickly disappears.

It’s obvious.

Among the magicians living in the Tower, the only dead ones are those who stop researching.

“I arrived more easily than I thought.”

The White Tower Lord.

She already knew I was coming.

Alicia didn’t give any warning in advance.

Does she use mind-reading magic…?

Slightly nervous, I grabbed the doorknob and entered.

Inside, there were unknown machines and giant stones or monuments scattered on one side.

Books were piled up messily on one side.

After delving inside for a while, I finally found an old man sitting in a comfortable chair with an eye mask on.

A somewhat eerie old man.

“You took quite a long time. I almost fell asleep. I should change this slow, old elevator to a new one.”

“You are…”

“Hmm? Are you a new face? That’s unlikely. I haven’t left this Tower for over 10 years.”

When he took off the eye mask and showed his face, I remembered.

This old man.

He was the grandfather who first taught me magic during the second round.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Sit down first. It’s been a while since a precious guest like you came.”

“Did you know I would come to see you?”

“Every time I know. If it weren’t for someone like you coming to find me, there would be no reason to find the tower.”

“······.”

The old man who gives a vague answer and slips away.

Sitting in front of a shabby wooden table, he hands me a cup of tea.

Watching him, I am once again engulfed in suspicion.

It’s certain.

The gesture of pouring that tea.

It was the grandfather I met at the second meeting.

But could that grandfather possibly be the owner of the white tower?

“Who is this grandfather?”

There are many suspicious parts.

Aside from pretending to be a homeless magician in the alley on the second meeting.

The biggest question is why he only appeared at the second meeting.

From the third to the twelfth meeting, I went out to the same place on the same day without missing a single time to find the grandfather.

But I couldn’t even find a trace of him.

It was like a ghost.

As if someone had noticed my return and only put this grandfather in at the second meeting.

If not, as if this grandfather had noticed my return······.

“Is he sensitive to variables?”

Perhaps because he reacts sensitively even to small variables, it was possible to meet him by chance trigger only at the second meeting.

Could it be that he was stuck in the tower throughout the remaining meetings?

If not······.

Does this grandfather also remember the returns······?

“That can’t be true.”

It’s an absurd statement.

Although the system caused a catastrophe by causing the main characters to remember the previous meetings due to errors.

Even with that error, there is a certain consistency.

A convincing basis.

It is none other than the ability provided by the system, ‘Relationship Chart.’

[Relationship Chart]

[Jeel Diner: It’s pretty good. It’s pretty good. It’s pretty good. Replying to @BellBell When I go to bed, I receive it when I go to bed. I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up, I woke up. I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to have a good time. I’m going to have a good time.]

[Yulia Pentenburg: The sky was clear and the wind was refreshing. The sun was shining brightly outside, and the birds were chirping. It was a perfect day for a walk in the park.]

[Yerina Frost: The sky was clear and the wind was refreshing. The sun was shining brightly outside, and the birds were chirping. It was a perfect day for a walk in the park.]

[Tae: The sky was clear and the wind was refreshing. The sun was shining brightly outside, and the birds were chirping. Hahaha]

Just looking at this, there is a clear difference.

The relationships of the main heroines, Jill and Yulia, and Yerina, are disgustingly long, while Tae’s is concise.

Not only Tae, but also the relationships with people who are not main heroines like Cornelia, Alicia, Mia, etc., are all brief.

My conclusion is as follows.

With memories from previous episodes flooding back, and the relationships from those episodes combined, it seems that only the main heroines have such long-winded dialogue.

On the other hand,

What about the newly added relationship of this old man?

[Temuren: The wind blew gently through the trees, rustling the leaves softly.]

Short.

Slightly longer than Tae’s.

If you remember the second episode, it shouldn’t be this short.

At that time, the old man taught me magic in such a rude manner that I wondered if he had any ill feelings towards me.

It seems like he doesn’t remember the previous encounter.

He must have read my inner thoughts with magic or seen the future.

I felt relieved.

“It’s not very pleasant to bring two spirits to my tower… There must be something you came to ask for.”

The old man spoke while looking at Mijeong and my neck.

He said it was inevitable that Mijeong’s identity as a vampire was revealed.

Even the nameless spirit trembling under my clothes, brushing against my collarbone, seemed to notice.

It might be meaningless to hide something in front of this old man.

“That’s correct.”

“Did you come here after hearing from Alicia?”

“That’s also correct. You are said to be an expert in human memories…”

“Hahaha!”

The old man suddenly burst into laughter.

He stroked his beard for a moment, then stared at me intently with sharp eyes.

“That child still doesn’t know me well. Memories? That’s not my expertise. I, and the White Tower, investigate a different subject. That is the soul.”

The old man’s focus on the subject was strange.

It felt like he was peering into something inside me, rather than focusing on me.