Chapter 41: The Demon’s Disciple (3)

“By the way, oppa! Did you book a place to stay?”

Liana asked, eyes sparkling, as she reminded him of the condition she had set—convincing her master.

“A place to stay? Yeah, I did. Why?”

“Hehe, good job. Convincing my master isn’t going to be easy. There’s no way it’ll be done in a day or two.”

“I’d be lucky if it only took a day or two. Who knows how long it’ll actually take…”

Convincing him, huh.

Could a human like him really persuade a demon like Ronos—someone who thinks and exists in an entirely different structure and timescale?

We want to take your disciple to use as a weapon… to destroy your own kind?

To protect this world… from beings like you?

“Yeah, like he’d actually approve of that.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“So? Where did you book the place?”

“The largest inn in Rostia.”

“Ohh, you mean the one run by that old man? Nice choice.”

“Not sure if it’s that nice. I got the feeling he was plotting something.”

“Plotting? What happened?”

“Well…”

“Ugh.”

Avelin, who had been quietly standing nearby, let out a strange sound as she flinched.

“What’s wrong, Aveline?”

“…Don’t say it.”

“Don’t say what?”

“Don’t tell her about what happened with that slippery old man at the inn.”

“Hmm…?”

Avelin’s voice trembled slightly but was firm.

“What happened?”

Liana, ever the curious mage, blinked at her with inquisitive eyes.

But—

“Sorry. If Aveline doesn’t want to talk about it, then I won’t.”

“Tch, boring.”

“Haha, nothing major happened anyway. You’d probably just be disappointed if I told you.”

“Hmm… okay, fine.”

Liana seemed to give up—briefly. But in the next instant, her eyes sparkled sharply.

“Something definitely happened. Right, Aveline-nim?”

“…Ahem.”

Avelin coughed and looked away from Liana’s piercing gaze.

“Well, it’s good you have somewhere to stay. If not, I was going to offer the guest quarters inside the Magic Tower.”

“Guest quarters… Ah.”

Suddenly, something popped into Kayron’s mind.

“What is it, oppa?”

“Since I’ve already booked a room, there’s no need to stay in the tower. But… could I ask for a small favor?”

“What kind of favor? If it’s something I can do, sure. Just don’t ask me to go with you yet—you know that’s still a no.”

“Do I seem that pushy? It’s not that. What I want to ask is…”

And then he said it.

The moment he made his request, Avelin, Liana, and even the gatekeeper—

All three froze in shock.

Which made sense, because—

****

“C-Could you please reconsider?”

“You know me, Gatekeeper-nim. I have no impure intentions for entering.”

“S-Still…”

Liana walked confidently ahead, while I followed beside her and Avelin trailed close behind. The gatekeeper’s face had turned completely pale.

Because the favor I asked of Liana was to let me into the dormitory…

…where the female elite trainees stayed.

“Yes, Lady Liana is one of our tower’s most outstanding talents. But even so, this is unacceptable! It would cause chaos in the tower’s order!”

“Haah… Gatekeeper ajusshi, that’s enough.”

As he kept objecting, Liana stopped walking, turned around, and scolded him.

“You know this place is supposed to be the most progressive in the world, right? Keep this up, and I’ll start calling you grandpa instead.”

“Well… I am old enough that being called grandpa wouldn’t be inaccurate, so I’m not too bothered…”

“Anyway! Kayron Oppa isn’t entering for any shady reason. You can sense that, can’t you?”

“Of course, I know Lord Kayron wouldn’t do such a thing, but still…”

“And also.”

Liana smiled slyly and raised her voice with confidence.

“I’m the one who invited Kayron oppa. What’s so wrong about inviting an old friend to my room after not seeing him for ages?”

“Haa…”

The gatekeeper, clearly distressed, placed a hand on his forehead.

“Well… what’s the point of me protesting anyway. If you—one of our top elite trainees—have already made up your mind, I can’t really stop you. But what if this causes problems later?”

“Problems?”

“I mean for the High Mage Examination.”

“Ah…”

The excitement drained from Liana’s face.

The gatekeeper’s tone and expression grew serious as he mentioned the test.

“Lady Liana, the time is nearly here. That exam… the one that selects the most exceptional among the elite to become a High Mage, and grants them access to all the tower’s knowledge.”

“I know.”

“You also know that becoming a High Mage isn’t based on magical skill alone, right? Knowledge, conduct, reputation—all of that matters too. The decision is extremely subjective.”

Liana gave a small nod, saying nothing.

“You’re aware, then, that everything currently leans in your favor… except for one thing.”

Just from watching how others like Ronos and the gatekeeper treated her, it was clear that Liana was a heavily favored candidate.

In my previous life, she had been chosen as a High Mage… and even became a candidate for Archmage.

So, none of this came as much of a surprise.

But what kind of condition could possibly hold back someone as exceptional as Liana?

“Ugh, whatever—I don’t care!”

Liana let out a sharp yell, then spun around and began walking ahead again.

“Just follow me! I’ll take care of everything!”

Avelin and I stayed behind for a moment, turning to the gatekeeper.

“Would you mind telling us what those two conditions are?”

“There’s no reason to keep it secret. It’s because Lady Liana’s master is Lord Ronos.”

“And what’s wrong with having a brilliant mage as your master?”

“That’s exactly the problem. Lord Ronos isn’t just brilliant—he’s too brilliant. And Lady Liana is the very first disciple he ever acknowledged. Which means… she’s a genius on par with him. But geniuses tend to be lonely. They struggle to understand others, and others fear them—see them as distant, unreachable stars, and end up pulling away.”

“Hurry up, will you?! If you’re not coming, I’ll just go on ahead and you can catch up!”

The gatekeeper clicked his tongue as he glanced at Liana shouting at us from down the hall.

“Tsk tsk… Relationships. Reputation. That’s the one and only thing standing in Lady Liana’s way of becoming a High Mage. It may seem like a small issue, but it’s not one that can be ignored.”

“I see…”

Thinking back… she really has changed.

Before heading to the Tower, Liana was a timid, shy girl—so soft and reserved.

Now, she’s confident, outspoken… a bright and promising mage.

But in my previous life…

I still remembered it vividly.

***

“Go back.”

“Liana, please. Our resistance can’t hold out much longer without the help of mages…”

“If you’re that weak, maybe it’d be better to fall quickly. Wouldn’t that be easier—for both body and mind?”

“Liana, what the hell are you saying?!”

“…You’re wasting my time. Leave.”

Liana turned away coldly, tossing her words over her shoulder.

“…This is boring.”

***

What if… it was reputation that changed her so drastically?

The gatekeeper said it was a small enough issue not to block her path to becoming a High Mage… but I could feel it.

If I could somehow help her fix that “reputation”…

Then maybe I could stop her from becoming that cold, distant person devoid of all warmth.

Lost in those thoughts, I picked up my pace—Liana was waiting for me ahead.

“What took you so long? You’re the one who said you wanted to come in, remember?”

“That’s true… I was just wondering how I could convince your master.”

“Worry about that later. For now…”

Liana grinned and pointed to the entrance of the dormitory.

“You ready? Ready to step into the girls-only zone?”

“…The way you say that makes me feel like I’m doing something terrible, Liana.”

“You’re not wrong. It’s not an official rule of the Tower, but it’s definitely an unwritten moral one.”

“Then why’d you let me in? You know it could hurt your reputation.”

“Why did I let you in? Well…”

Liana bumped my shoulder playfully with hers.

“I saw something in your eyes—something special.”

“Something… special?”

“Call it a hunch. Like the start of something interesting. Now come on, let’s go!”

“Whoa—!”

Without warning, Liana grabbed my hand and pulled me inside at a run.

“…They seem close.”

“So it seems. Ah—Lady Avelin? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…It’s nothing. Aren’t you going in?”

“N-No. I’ll stay out here. I know why he’s going in… so I just hope he stays focused on that purpose. I’ll be waiting.”

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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