Silence Tower, 32nd floor.
"Please come in."
Following the guidance of the chief magician, a woman entered.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lord of the Wallin Tower."
"..."
"I heard that Lord Wallin, the incarnation of the cold and an Archmage, was coming, so I rushed to prepare but..."
"You don't have to make excuses. I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries."
"Ah, yes..."
"Leave."
As the Wallin Tower Master gestured, the man bowed and left the reception room.
Her cold expression twisted slightly.
'Reed Adeleheights Roton...'
Thinking of that name, her hands clenched involuntarily.
The reason she came here was because she heard a rumor.
The rumor that before Project: Flower Garden was destroyed, a child was adopted through slave trading.
'What on earth is he up to?'
Doubt filled her mind.
It didn't sound good that a twisted person suddenly adopted a daughter.
That's why she wanted to see it with her own eyes.
Footsteps echoed outside the reception room door.
Dolores calmed her heart.
As she maintained her composure, the door opened, and a man entered.
Ashen hair, tied back into a ponytail unlike the old days, neatly arranged hair that reached down to his eyes, revealing faintly shining golden eyes.
Silent lips beneath fierce eyes.
Wearing a black and red uniform, he exuded a sense of weight.
'He didn't used to be like that...'
Reed was known to live a noble life, showing off his wealth.
The last time she saw Reed, his hair was loose, and he wore gold and red clothes.
Now he felt more like a servant than a noble.
He had changed.
Yes, he had changed.
Dolores didn't know what to say about that gap.
This time, Reed observed Dolores.
'This person is the Lord of the Wallin Tower...'
Appearing calm was also a desperate attempt to suppress his nerves.
Her blue hair sparkled as if sprinkled with gem powder.
Her red lips stood out in contrast.
She wore a blue and white uniform, befitting the Wallin Tower.
Reed assessed her with his 「Talent Appraisal」.
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Name: Dolores Jade
Occupation: Lord of Wallin Tower
Age: 26 years old
Alignment: Lawful Good
Health 892/892
Stamina 250/250
Mana: 10,580/10,580
[Traits]
「Archmage」, 「Incarnation of Cold」 「Lord of Wallin Tower」, 「Escolleia Senior Graduate」
[Stats]
[Unreleased Traits & Abilities]
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'Is she really the Lord of Wallin Tower...?'
Reed tilted his head as he looked at her.
The person standing before him was different from the information he knew about
'Wasn't the Lord of Wallin Tower a man?'
Before Reed's ambition was revealed in the game, there was a place in the tower where villains, who would appear as the main villains, plotted to destroy the continent by defeating the Lord of the Wallin Tower.
'He wasn't as bad as Reed, but still a disgusting character...'
His name was Ludis Grancia Jade.
He was a person who would flatter and curry favor, only to stab his victims when they let their guard down.
As Reed wondered why the Tower Master had changed, Dolores bit her lower lip slightly.
Seeing her expression, Reed offered a greeting.
"I am Reed Adeleheights Roton, Lord of the Silence Tower."
A greeting between Tower Masters.
He placed his hand on his chest and bowed as respectfully as possible.
Dolores responded with equal politeness.
"…I am Dolores Jade, Lord of Wallin Tower."
Despite her frightening expression, Dolores showed proper manners.
After exchanging courtesies, they returned to their original roles.
Reed walked to the opposite side of her and sat down.
Dolores was the first to speak.
"You didn't attend the Tower Master Conference."
There was a hint of annoyance in Dolores' tone.
He immediately replied, as it was something he had anticipated.
"I was busy that day."
"…What did you say?"
Dolores made a baffled expression as if she had misheard.
It was not the words themselves but the tone that made her feel uneasy.
Reed caught on to this immediately.
"No, I was busy."
He tried to be polite, but sensing that it wouldn't suit Reed's personality, he hastily changed his approach.
And, as if he had given the right answer, her expression relaxed.
By relaxed, it meant her baffled expression turned back into a guarded face, like a cat that had its territory invaded.
"What were you busy with?"
"Isn't it too hasty to ask that? Let's have some tea first."
"I'm not in the mood for tea."
"Then I'll drink it."
Reed calmly drank the tea and spoke.
"I was wrapping up a project."
"The project must be the Flower Garden. Was it so important that it made you skip the Tower Master Conference?"
"Yes, it was."
"Why?"
"Because it was abandoned."
Her expression hardened further.
It was as if she felt betrayed by the expectations she had.
"Then at least you should have come in person and announced it to us, shouldn't you?"
Her voice quivered with anger.
Reed made a guess based on her words.
'She must have been someone who had high hopes for the Flower Garden too.'
He was right.
Since he had raised their expectations, he should have apologized at the Tower Master Conference for crushing them.
But what could he do?
They had the abilities of adults, but Reed's abilities were still like those of a snotty-nosed child.
So, he acted petty and childish.
"I had a bit of a hard time."
"What kind of hardship did you, with your cold-blooded and thick-skinned personality, experience?"
"…"
'But why does she sound so immature in her speech? She seems more like a child than me. Well, she actually is younger, but...'
Reed suppressed his emotions and answered as politely as possible.
"I have my difficulties too."
"Everyone does. But they don't show it outwardly. Especially not you. You would have participated in the Tower Master Conference somehow."
"Would I?"
"But instead, you changed everything. The Flower Garden, the adoption, and even your attire…"
Dolores' eyes didn't leave his uniform and hairstyle.
It was the most noticeable change in appearance.
"When I'm working, it's too distracting."
Originally, it was unclear how Reed would have looked, but now, just looking at the gold thread on his arm attracts attention.
That's why he added a heavy black color and mixed it with a red color that suits the Lord of the Silence Tower.
Listening to her talking about his personality, Reed could roughly guess the reason for her visit.
She was suspicious.
'She must think that if Reed Adeleheights Roton didn't participate, there must be an important project that needs to be hidden, right?'
A discovery so significant that he was willing to accept the embarrassment of abandoning the Flower Garden.
With Reed's sinister image and a mind honed through five playthroughs, he could deduce that much.
'How should I respond...'
Reed hesitated and took a sip of his tea.
He didn't particularly like black tea.
The tea time was the only moment he could wet his dry throat and buy some time, so he drank it diligently.
"At that time, I was educating a child."
Dolores' expression became puzzled.
Reed, who thought he had chosen the best response, hesitated for a moment after seeing her expression.
"…You mean Rosaria?"
"…You know about her."
"Every Tower Master would know. Around the time Project: Flower Garden was nearing its end, you took in a child through a slave trader."
"Then I don't have to explain it to you."
Reed, pretending to be relaxed, brought the tea to his lips again.
And then he was taken aback.
The warm tea had become cold in an instant.
This change was related to Dolores.
"Didn't you say you don't like children?"
Dolores' hand trembled.
Physiological aversion.
She felt disgusted by Reed's actions themselves.
"Then… was what you told me a lie?"
"…"
Reed couldn't answer.
He didn't know what he had said, so an apology would only backfire.
"I changed my mind after the Flower Garden project failed."
So, he awkwardly moved on.
"So, you're going to pretend to be a good person?"
"I've never pretended to be a good person."
"Right. If you had pretended to be a good person, you would have apologized to me first."
'Apologize?'
"For what?"
"The statement of breaking off the engagement that you unilaterally informed me of."
"…"
Reed nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.
Her expression was filled with hatred.
Thinking that she was a woman who had been broken off the engagement, everything began to make sense.
'This is crazy... this is more complicated than I expected.'
"Why... why didn't you think about how I had to give up Baldschmidt's name...?"
Of course. Reed was meeting this woman for the first time today.
He had no idea about the breakup or anything.
Her eyes, hidden by her eyelids, were trembling with rage.
'What should I do?'
Although he hadn't done it himself, it was something he had done.
In this contradiction, he felt stuck.
But he couldn't just stay like this.
The surrounding air began to freeze.
The teacup in front of Dolores was already filled with red ice.
A woman's coldness can bring frost even in the warmest months.
It was a situation that reminded him of that saying.
Reed carefully put down his teacup and looked into her eyes.
Her eyes were clearly filled with hatred for him.
It felt as if a laser beam could shoot out and burn his face.
"…Fine. After all, it's all in the past. I hope you can forgive me for being emotional."
"It's fine."
"Flower Garden was a significant project… what do you plan to do after that?"
It's unlikely that he would only educate a child.
As a Tower Master, she was asking about his role.
"I plan to study magical engineering."
"Magical engineering?"
The hateful gaze in her eyes flickered with curiosity for a moment.
"Is that so surprising?"
"Well, there are no wizards who like magical engineering. I thought you would surely dislike it too."
That's true.
Why would someone who loves pure magic more than anyone else stuff magical engineering books into their storage magic?
"Since nobody else is touching it, shouldn't I do it?"
"The wizards of the tower will undoubtedly resist."
"But they will eventually adapt. Those who resist will be expelled."
If their intentions don't align, he would have to let them go.
Reed had decided this when he chose magical engineering.
Dolores said nothing and looked at Reed with her blue eyes.
Since no Tower Master cared about magical engineering, she couldn't be certain about what would happen.
"If you want, I can show you the projects I'm working on right now."
"It's fine. It's not like we're close enough for that…"
Dolores, who had been relentless, stepped back.
The cold atmosphere had somewhat eased.
'It seems that her suspicions have somewhat subsided.'
However, she hadn't completely let go of her suspicions.
He could be researching new technology under the guise of magical engineering, so for now, she's just holding her tongue.
Reed took another sip of his tea.
The icy coldness made his teeth ache.
"The tea has gone cold."
"…Ahem."
Dolores coughed, gathering the cold air she had scattered.
Her face flushed with embarrassment at her inability to maintain her composure.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked from beyond the reception room.
"Come in."
At Reed's command, the door opened,
"Abracadabra!"
Rosaria barges in.
Reed turns his head to look at Rosaria, who is standing next to him.
"Rosaria, I'm talking with the Tower Master right now, aren't I? It's rude to burst in like that."
"Noona gave me clothes, and she said I absolutely have to show them off to you! So, I came."
The white dress she had been wearing was gone, replaced by a black dress.
The dress was voluminous and three-dimensional, adorned with Gothic-style frills and a headband.
A black dress.
Seeing it, an ominous alarm rang in Reed's head.
"Did Phoebe give it to you?"
"No!"
He knew it couldn't be Phoebe. She was a girl who only liked bright clothes in the first place.
"Then who?"
"I did."
A youthful third-party voice came from outside the reception room.
Looking up, a girl wearing similar clothes to Rosaria was standing there.
Reed had never seen Dolores before, but he knew this girl very well.
A black dress in the Gothic style, even darker black hair, and red eyes more intense than blood.
The Tower Master of the Black Sky, Freesia Vulcan Darkrider.
"Our dignified Tower Master of the Silent Tower, who doesn't skimp on money for his own dignity, has dressed the child in rags, so I gave her something to wear out of pity. Is there a problem?"