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"What happened to you in these last few months after your banishment?" she asked, taking in his transformed appearance, the changes striking her as much as the pain in his eyes.
"Nothing much… just came to a harsh realization of how cruel the world can be," he replied, his voice steady but tinged with underlying sorrow.
"Why have your hair and eye colors changed? And what is that black mark on your body? What happened to the Transcendent Being that created this world?" she pressed, curiosity lacing her tone.
"Like you and almost everyone here, I encountered him during my first quest as a rookie. But let me ask you this: how did you all end up caught by him, and when did it happen?" Airen's gaze locked onto hers, intense and searching.
The Tower Master took a breath, preparing to recount their ordeal. "It was three days after we left your home. With all the mage students and the other three Tower Masters with us, we didn't accept the knights' offer for help to return to the tower.
"Before we knew it, we were going in circles in the forest for hours, unable to find a way out. When a horde of monsters appeared, we had no choice but to fight. Each time we killed a group, stronger ones took their place, a relentless cycle that wore us down. Eventually, we ran out of rations, and that's when it happened.
"A Transcendent Being appeared out of nowhere, throwing us into this place without a moment's notice. We were all exhausted—hungry and thirsty—and after an hour without any sign of danger, we let our guard down. We searched the forest for food, finding a water source and some wild fruits. But after eating and drinking, we began to bleed out, and one by one, students started passing out. The four of us Tower Masters managed to hold on a bit longer, but in the end, we succumbed too.
"When we woke up, we were trapped, shackled to the walls. Panic set in as we realized what had happened. The one who trapped us was a Goblin King, and the chains were siphoning our mana to sustain this place."
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Airen interrupted, raising a hand. "I get the gist of it. But did you know the penalty of this place when you're a target?"
"No! What are you talking about?" she replied, confusion flashing across her face.
"Hmm, no reason." He paused, his expression shifting. "Then should we get out of this place now?"
"Spell break!" Airen shouted, his voice reverberating in the chamber. In an instant, the chains binding the women to the wall shattered, sending shards clattering to the ground as they were freed.
---
Airen pulled out the pouch he had stored in his ring and fashioned a cloth from the dragon hair within it, intending to cover the mages' exposed bodies from the cold—as well as his own.
"Mud Creation!" He conjured a platform of mud, laying the mages onto it and preparing to carry them to safety.
"Can you move?" he asked the purple-haired Tower Master.
"Ah, yes!" she replied, regaining her strength.
"Then come here now. Do you know how to do a piggyback ride? If you do, do it now so I can carry another one with a princess carry. I can only support two at best with the mud platform."
"Are you ready? Hold on tight, or you're going to fall off. One, two, three! Let's move."
Airen made his way back to the treasure mountain, carefully carrying two of the Tower Masters—one on his back and the other in front of him—while the mud platform supported the remaining two.
Group by group, he brought them to the other cave, resting them against the wall. As he finished, the Tower Master who was still awake turned to him, her expression serious.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" she said, using a long-range communication spell.
"What is it?" Airen replied, his heart racing at her words, his hands trembling slightly as memories he wished to forget surged back.
"What kind of childhood did you have, and what could possibly lead your family to banish you?"
Airen stopped in his tracks, the question striking him like a blow. A chill ran down his spine, and he clenched his jaw, fighting the memories that threatened to surface. It was something he had no desire to recall ever again.
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Airen paused at her question, his gaze dropping to the unconscious mages before him. His words came slowly, as if each one carried a heavy weight.
"Do you… really want to know?"
"Yes…" she replied softly, her curiosity evident. "I've always wondered what kind of life you had before all this. I mean, with your family's honor and wealth, it must have been amazing, right? What kind of food did you eat? What places did you travel to? What was it like, having siblings?" Her voice held excitement, as if expecting a story of luxury and adventure.
Airen's mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "Three."
"Three? Three what?" she asked, confused.
"Three places," he replied, voice hollow. "That's all I remember: my room, the hallway… and the library."
He paused, his expression hardening as he continued. "You want to know what kind of life I had? Then let me start from the beginning. My family—all of them are born mages. It's something they take pride in. But me? I was different. I wasn't born with magic… so they never cared for me."
He took a breath, as if to steady himself. "My 'childhood'… it was isolation. My entire world consisted of my room, the family portrait in the hallway, and the endless rows of books in the library. Those three places were all I was allowed to be. If I tried to go anywhere else, the maids, the butlers, even the knights, would stop me, reminding me where I didn't belong."
Airen's hands trembled slightly. "Every day was the same: wake up, clean myself, and wait for the food they left at my door. Then I'd walk down the hallway, into the library, pick a book, and read. I'd study for hours, even days, stopping only when my nose started bleeding from exhaustion. No one cared."
He looked down, his voice quiet. "In that mansion, I was just an unwanted guest. A burden they were obligated to keep, nothing more. If I didn't ask for food, they wouldn't bring any. And when they did, it was always leftovers, on the verge of spoiling. I got used to it—the constant reminders that I didn't belong."
The Tower Master's expression softened, but Airen pressed on, unable to stop. "When I turned eight… they treated me better, suddenly. The maids brought me fresh food and looked after me. I was even allowed into other rooms. I didn't know why, but I thought… maybe things were changing."
He scoffed, the bitterness returning. "It was all because I was finally 'old enough' to gain a Class. My entire family showed up for it. My mother, who'd never looked at me before. My father, my three older siblings, and my nanny. They all watched as I touched the Pillar of Class, and it glowed, revealing my Class."
He laughed, the sound sharp and hollow. "Scout as my main Class, Mage as my subclass, with fire and air elements. I was thrilled—I thought, 'Finally, I'm a mage, just like them.' But when I looked back… all I saw were disappointed faces. Even my mother, who'd been smiling just moments before, looked disgusted."
Airen clenched his fists, his knuckles white. "I reached for her hand… and she pushed me away. My father, my siblings… even the nanny who'd raised me had the same look. That day, I was once again banned from every room, and all the windows in my room were replaced with walls. The rumors started soon after: 'Talentless.' 'A failure.'"
His voice grew rougher, as if forcing the words out. "The way people treated me got worse. It wasn't just ignoring me anymore—they looked down on me. Some of the knights would point their swords at me, mockingly asking how someone like me was even born. Even when I'd see my father or siblings, I'd bow, greet them respectfully… but to them, I didn't even exist."
He swallowed hard, struggling to maintain his composure. "Two years later, my younger siblings were born. Twins. Born mages, like my family, with all four elements. They even had time and space attributes, on top of it all. My presence was… meaningless. I became invisible, as if I'd never existed. My family went on with their lives… and I was completely forgotten."
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After years of being forgotten by everyone in the mansion, my father, whose gaze always held nothing but disappointment, led me to the dining hall. It was the first time I'd ever been allowed to eat with them. After the meal, he called me over.
"Prepare your things in your room. You'll be going to the academy as a student," he said, nodding to a maid who handed me a letter of application.
I hadn't realized how much time had passed. In their silence, the years had slipped away, and I was already fourteen—old enough to be sent to the academy.
For the first time in my life, after years of being confined to my room, I was finally allowed to step outside. I stood on the grass in the garden I'd only ever seen from my window, back when I still had one. The sun's warmth enveloped me, and I felt a strange lightness. I was allowed to ride in the same carriage my family used, and though no one came to say goodbye, I felt a quiet gratitude just to be going somewhere.
Once I became a student at the academy, I poured myself into my studies. I worked hard to perfect my magic, learning intermediate to high-rank spells. But every time I demonstrated my skills, people only compared me to my family, and my efforts were dismissed as weak.
But I didn't care. I was finally free to explore—to go anywhere in the academy's halls. I bought foods I'd never seen before, tasted sweets that made me realize what I'd been missing. For the first time, I didn't have to worry about being hungry or eating spoiled food. All I had to focus on were my grades, and I managed to rank third in the entire school, my only weakness being teamwork and communication.
A year passed in what felt like an instant. And then it happened—the assassination of the Sword God in the academy. The school ordered all students to return home. Did you know who actually committed that crime? It's a truth that never reached the public. It was the Crown Prince, jealous of the Sword God's talent and reputation.
The King couldn't let the truth be known—that his own son had tried to murder the newly declared Sword God. My father, a close friend of the King, met with him to cover up the incident before the next semester started.
They couldn't blame another noble without causing trouble. But there was one person they could use. Someone considered talentless and a disgrace to a noble family… me. By framing me for the attempted assassination, they could protect the Prince's reputation and rid my family of me once and for all. That's why I was banished.
Airen, carrying the last of the unconscious mages from the cave, gently laid them down against the wall. His face was a mix of regret and sorrow, but no tears fell from his eyes. He knelt down, lowering his head, and spoke softly.
"Hey… since I answered your question, can I ask one of my own?"
He paused, barely giving her time to nod before he continued, his voice tight with emotion.
"Is it a sin to be weak and different? What did I do to deserve this?" He clenched his fists, his head still lowered. "And why am I the one dying from all of their actions?"
The Tower Master, who had been listening in silence, lowered her head, unable to find an answer. Her heart ached with the weight of his words, and all she could think was, Why did I ask that question…
After a moment, she looked up and broke the silence, her voice unsteady. "What… what did you mean by dying?"
She searched his face, confusion filling her gaze as she tried to understand his final words.