"..."
After that single word, the conversation did not continue, and they stared at each other.
The one to give up first was Freesia.
"Boring."
The chair Reed was resting his hand on boiled and melted.
Similarly, the seven projects Reed had presented also melted away.
Freesia stood up from her seat.
"I'll drop by next time. Tower Master of Silence."
"Excuse me?"
"If our conversation is over, shall we go together? Let's take a walk, just the two of us women."
"I, um..."
Dolores swallowed her words.
What else was she going to say? She had even forgotten that.
Not wanting to show her pitiful appearance any longer, she stood up from her seat.
"See you next time, Reed."
Freesia called him by his name, not as the Tower Master of Silence.
Leaving those words behind, Freesia and Dolores exited the reception room.
"Phew..."
Reed leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers against his eyes.
He utilized the cool air remaining from Dolores as a form of cold compress.
'I never thought she would target Rosaria...'
What would Reed have done originally?
If he had been carrying out Project: Flower Garden and had suggested exchanging the girl for the seven projects?
If they had switched, his garbage-like nature would have been exposed.
'Rosaria is my daughter.'
She is not Codename: Cosmo, nor an intended failure of Project: Flower Garden, but Rosaria Adeleheights Roton.
So he had no regrets about this decision.
"Tower Master..."
With a drawn-out tone, Reed turned his head.
He saw Phoebe, who was peeking her head through the door gap.
The half-dragon girl, like a frightened puppy, was asking for permission from Reed.
"Come in."
Upon receiving permission, Phoebe cautiously approached.
She squatted down and looked up at Reed.
"I heard everything you said about the young lady."
"Did you hear it all?"
"It wasn't like I was trying to eavesdrop..."
Phoebe mumbled with a sullen expression.
Seeing her worried face, Reed said to her.
"Don't worry. Even though Black Sky came out so forcefully, the tower is still intact."
"But my clothes are like a beggar's rags..."
"..."
So that's what she was worried about.
He had thought she would be shocked.
But comforting her at a time like this would be foolish.
"Focus, Phoebe."
"Yes..."
Phoebe, who had been making a heartbroken expression, lifted her head again.
"Starting today, our tower will implement a reformation."
"Reformation?"
"Yes, there will likely be some resistance this time that we haven't seen before."
Upon hearing that, Phoebe's gloomy expression instantly disappeared.
Resistance meant standing against Tower Master Reed.
To Phoebe, the Tower Master's proxy and secretary, those who would try to take her life were no different from bandits.
"What should I do?"
"Prepare a summary of the current status of the projects we're researching and how many people are involved in each."
"Understood. What do you plan to focus on for the reformation?"
"Magic engineering."
Upon hearing that, Phoebe hesitated with her mouth slightly open.
"Magic engineering... You've decided for sure."
Her expression was one of satisfaction as if watching a lost child find his way.
It seemed she knew why there were books on magic engineering on Reed's desk.
"Yes."
"Understood. I will push forward with magic engineering!"
Phoebe's face seemed strangely excited.
* * *
The Tower of Silence, elevator.
Two people, the Tower Master of Wallin and the Tower Master of Black Sky, were on it.
Contrary to the tense atmosphere earlier, they didn't even look at each other.
They waited for the elevator to reach the first floor.
"It's so slow."
"..."
"Jumping down would be faster."
"...Of course."
As Dolores glanced at Freesia with disbelief, she giggled and laughed.
"What's the reason for that?"
Dolores asked Freesia.
"What?"
"I'm talking about offering seven projects to Reed, or the Tower Master of Silence. It's a big deal that could turn the Black Sky Tower upside down."
"What if it turns upside down? If they're only rebelling that much, they don't deserve to be in the tower. I can't tolerate those people being under Black Sky Tower."
As expected of Black Sky Tower.
She was a ruthless person when it came to rebelliousness.
Why did Reed leave her alone on such an issue?
As Dolores pondered, Freesia opened her mouth again.
"About your fiancé..."
"I've told you many times, he's not my fiancé."
"He's quite handsome."
"...Why did the conversation go there?"
Dolores wore a flabbergasted expression.
She thought she might have misheard Freesia.
However, Freesia looked at Dolores seriously and said,
"He may have looked like a parasitic worm, but he surprisingly had a manly side. When he secretly approached me, I couldn't help but watch in a daze, you know?"
"...Is that what made you lose your mind?"
"I may be old, but I still like handsome men."
From their expressions, they seemed to have had a battle of nerves on both sides.
'Ignorance is bliss...'
Dolores clicked her tongue.
"Well, if that worthless parasite had done that to me, I would have turned his face into ugly orcs and castrated them. I liked him because he had conviction."
"Conviction, as in... not giving up on the child?"
"If it were the old Tower Master of Silence, he would have definitely given up on that child. He had an excellent vision for talent, but still, he was a person who valued profit and honor more."
"..."
Dolores didn't respond, but she agreed with the opinion.
Freesia's smile did not disappear from her face.
"It's been a long time since I've felt something interesting. Kid, how many years have you had the name, Jade?"
"The name Jade... It's been 11 years."
That meant she had been in the Tower of Wallin for over 10 years.
The wizards of the tower had an additional surname.
In the case of Silence, it was Roton, for Wallin it was Jade, and for Black Sky, it was Darkrider.
They would insert that surname after their full name to both announce their affiliation and strengthen the bond within the tower.
"I have lived for 100 years and 3 months as Freesia Vulcan Darkrider. During those 100 years, I have lived as I pleased as a Tower Master, but I have never experienced any fun."
Everything was boring.
She had attained everything to the point where there was no reason to become an adult.
"But for the first time, I found something I want."
"Why are you telling me that?"
Freesia turned her head and looked up at Dolores.
"Can I take him?"
"Uh, I have nothing to do with that man..."
"It doesn't matter. I know. I just wanted to tell you to give up any lingering feelings you might have."
"How could I have such feelings?"
An age-inappropriate sinister smile.
A face that could only come from a heart full of malice.
As they conversed, they somehow arrived at the first floor.
"Well, slow isn't always bad. It's been a long time since I've had such a calm conversation."
Freesia saw wizards holding magic books and dyes walking.
They must have been the wizards in charge of the tower's security magic.
"Ah, hello!?"
"We greet the Tower Master of Black Sky!"
They politely greeted her, and in response, Freesia glanced at the wizards.
"Hi, hiik!"
Just making eye contact was enough to make them flustered.
Freesia retracted her intimidating aura and smiled.
"If you ever make a magic formula like this again, I'll break down the front gate. Got it, kid?"
"Ah, understood!"
"Good work."
She waved her hand briefly and walked away.
Freesia stretched her hand into the air and swirled it around.
Her shadow deepened like a swamp, and from it, a broomstick and a wide-brimmed witch's hat emerged.
"I'm annoyed that I couldn't get what I wanted, but I had some fun. Keep an eye on the Tower Master of Silence."
"...I will."
As Dolores hesitated, Freesia hopped onto the broomstick and flew into the sky.
Freesia's figure turned into a black dot in an instant.
Dolores, who had left the tower, stood there blankly for a while.
It was as if she had a fever.
"Tower Master?"
At the secretary's words, Dolores jumped in surprise.
The driver of the sky carriage, which had its engine running, was looking at her.
"You need to depart."
"I know."
As Dolores boarded the sky carriage, it silently rose into the sky.
Usually, she would have opened her planner to check her next appointment, but she just stared blankly out the window.
'Reed...'
A name she usually wouldn't have cared about.
A name she avoided thinking about as it made her emotions fluctuate.
For some reason, she couldn't get his image out of her head today.
She should have hated him, should have disliked everything about him...
Why weren't those feelings coming first now?
Why?
Why?
- Even if it costs me my life, I won't hand over that child.
'Damn it, cursed, despicable man.'
That single sentence wouldn't leave her mind.
Normally, the man would have trembled and retreated, emitting his energy in fear, but now he stood proudly as an equal to Freesia.
Only she, the Tower Master of Wallin, looked pathetic.
It was a foolish appearance that should have made her angry.
So, was this anger directed at herself?
No.
It was half due to the emotions of seeing Reed again.
And the other half was an unknown emotion.
As the two emotions mixed, a bizarre anger made her heart race.
"Don't ruin your pretty nails that you just had done."
"What?"
The witch driving the sky carriage glanced up at the rearview mirror and grinned.
It was only then that Dolores realized she was biting her left fingernail with her red lips.
She hastily withdrew her hand.
"It's unusual. Tower Master, you're biting your fingers, which must mean you're troubled. Was it that difficult?"
"It wasn't difficult. I always resign myself when I have to meet such trash."
"So you mean something hit a sore spot?"
"Just focus on driving."
"Yes, I apologize."
Yes, she had been hit in a sore spot.
She had unconsciously recalled her childhood with that man, even if just for a brief moment.
A young girl and an old man with gray hair who gently held her hand.
She always looked at his back when they walked, but even that made the girl happy.
She utters the name she can never call again.
"Brother..."
She whispered it softly and returned to her adult self.
* * *
There are 13 towers on the Cloud Continent, and each tower has its strengths.
The Black Sky Tower, led by Freesia, specializes in Necromancer magic.
The Beollin Tower, led by Dolores, focuses on ice magic.
Magical research and project operations vary across all fields, but the primary direction of development usually depends on the Tower Masters' magical expertise.
Thus, entering a specific tower as a student meant learning that particular field of magic.
That was also the reason why people mocked the Tower of Silence as the weakest.
Having no notable strengths, the Tower of Silence was inevitably weaker compared to the other towers.
With no particular advantage, it was a mediocre existence, and its prospects for magical development were continuously declining.
That's why Reed, the Tower Master, decided to push a concept he couldn't achieve otherwise.
Magical engineering.
A field of study that applied magic as electricity to operate machinery.
Magicians fundamentally disliked magical engineering.
The reason could be summarized in one sentence:
- Studying magical engineering is like giving up being a magician and becoming a merchant.
Magicians believed that expanding the popularity of magic, which only the privileged class could possess, would degrade its quality.
And the magicians in the Tower of Silence were also among those who held such notions.
"The Tower Master is focusing on researching magical engineering?"
"He's only researching it himself for now, and we're told to continue with our research as it is."
"Idiot, it's a reform. Once the project is over, we'll have to gradually shift our research in that direction."
Opinions were divided, but the opposing views were stronger.
However, to Tower Master Reed, it was the most optimal choice.
What Reed was looking at was the research status and personnel allocation data organized by Phoebe.
Phoebe smiled uncomfortably and said,
"It's a mess, isn't it?"
"It is."
One didn't need to look at the data of other towers to know.
Everyone was focused on research with potential results, leaving the trivial ones empty-handed.
"Rearrange everything. Make it mandatory for all students and apprentice magicians to study magical engineering, and evenly distribute personnel among the projects I've currently presented for those of general rank or higher."
"It will cause quite a stir."
Action and reaction.
Bold initiatives often meet with resistance.
In response to her words, Reed said,
"Tell them to come see me if they have any complaints."