Chapter 47: I Don’t Want a Tragic Ending (3)
“Uh, Liana? Can you calm down for a second?”
“I’m going to kill them. I’ll kill all of them!”
Liana’s eyes had already changed, like she was possessed. It was clear that my voice wasn’t reaching her anymore.
“After everything my dad did for this Magic Tower—and what did I do wrong, huh?! All I ever did was work hard and train in magic!”
This was bad—very bad.
Did Liana even realize it?
That the violet smoke pouring from her body was now thickly filling her entire room?
“Kayron, what’s going on here?”
“I don’t know either, but one thing’s for sure—this isn’t good! But still…”
My hand instinctively moved toward my sword.
And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to draw it.
Because what I felt from the demon standing before me—Liana—wasn’t hatred or rage. It was something else.
It was sorrow. Raw, aching sorrow.
“I’ll wipe it all out. Every last bit of it!”
That terrifying, chilling scream—“I’ll destroy everything”—should’ve frightened me.
But somehow, I heard it differently.
To me, it sounded like a cry soaked in loneliness and despair.
“…Ha.”
I felt like an idiot.
Because only now did I finally understand.
Why Liana had no choice but to turn cold.
I took my hand completely off the sword.
And slowly walked toward her.
“...Kayron? What are you doing? Kayron!”
Avelin called out to me urgently, but she didn’t realize what I did.
This wasn’t the kind of dangerous situation she thought it was.
“I’m going to kill them all, all of them, and then… and then…”
“…Ah?”
Liana’s muttering suddenly stopped.
Squeeze—
It was because I’d pulled her into a tight hug with all my strength.
“Kayron… Oppa?”
“Yeah. I’m right here.”
Even though the demonic energy still radiated from Liana’s body, I didn’t care.
I just held her close—tightly—and gently patted her back.
At first, she only blinked up at me in a daze, but then she slowly leaned into me, letting her weight rest against my chest.
Soon enough, her ragged, panicked breathing began to slow.
“It must’ve been really hard, huh, Liana? Living here in the Magic Tower, all alone and away from your family.”
“…Yeah. I was lonely. Hngh…”
As she whispered the word “lonely”, Liana buried her face into my chest.
And just like that, the storm of demonic energy around her died down.
I could feel her soft breath against my chest and the warmth of her small frame.
Now I was certain.
Liana wasn’t a demon.
Sure, her body might be tainted with demonic energy—but she herself was no demon.
My instincts screamed it, and my reason confirmed it.
“Avelin. Could you make us another cup of cocoa?”
“…I’ll do that.”
Avelin’s voice, which had been tense just moments ago, now matched the calmness that filled the room. She quietly went to do as I asked.
This time, Liana didn’t gulp down the cocoa. She sipped it slowly, carefully.
And as she did, she finally began to open up about everything she had gone through in the Rostia Magic Tower.
***
“Come forth, flame! Reduce that bundle of wood to ashes!”
The applicant’s spirited incantation rang out through the testing grounds of the Rostia Magic Tower.
As soon as the chant ended, the trainee raised her staff and aimed it at the pile of practice wood—but nothing happened.
A cold wave of silence spread among the onlookers.
“Ugh, please! Come out, flame! Burn—ignite!”
With desperate sincerity, she shouted again. Finally, a small fireball shot out from the staff and struck the pile of wood.
After a brief pause, the pile began to crackle softly as flames started to consume it.
“Whoa, I did it!”
“Hailey, you did it!”
“I knew you could do it!”
The other applicants watching erupted into cheers and applause as Hailey returned to the waiting area.
Those hoping to enter the Rostia Magic Tower were given a month of free lodging and basic magic instruction—and today was the day to prove the results of their training.
The Promotion Exam.
Only those who passed this test could officially become members of the tower.
Those who failed would have to start over—retake the training from scratch and take the exam again.
A fair opportunity, given equally to all.
Most of the applicants to the Magic Tower were the poor and hungry—ordinary citizens constantly worried about how they’d survive day to day.
But even they weren’t given endless chances.
Each person could only receive training and attempt the entrance exam three times.
After that, they were deemed unfit and barred from even receiving education again.
That’s why everyone had their own reasons to be so desperate…
“Flames, ignite! Burn brightly before my eyes—reduce that bundle of wood to ash!”
Another applicant’s cry rang out.
As the incantation echoed, the staff in their hand began to tremble and resonate. Then, a massive fireball—far larger than the one Hailey conjured—shot forward and engulfed the bundle of wood in roaring flames.
“Whoa...!”
“A truly impressive display. It’s hard to believe that’s just one month of training.”
“Among all the applicants who’ve showcased their magic so far, this one stands out the most.”
This time, not only the audience but even the test proctors joined in with enthusiastic applause.
Unlike with Hailey, where the room remained tepid and indifferent, this time, they didn’t hold back—even throwing in comments that openly diminished the previous applicants.
“Ugh…”
Hailey, who had barely managed to succeed earlier, let her shoulders droop in defeat.
“Cheer up, Hailey.”
“Liana...”
Liana, a fellow applicant, gently patted Hailey’s shoulder. Hailey couldn’t bring herself to cry out loud, so she simply buried her face in Liana’s chest and began to sob quietly.
“There’s no way I’ll pass. Not with people that good around... I already failed once, and...”
“What are you talking about, Hailey? Come on, chin up. You did succeed in casting magic, didn’t you? And sure, some of us may have started from different places, but nobody knows how the race will end.”
“Liana... just hearing that helps so much. Huaaah…”
It seemed like Liana’s kind words were exactly what Hailey needed—but also what pushed her over the edge.
She finally broke into open sobs.
Even as the sound of her crying filled the air, the cold-hearted exam proctors didn’t spare her a single glance.
“Next, applicant Liana.”
“Yes!”
Liana responded clearly and confidently, then carefully peeled the clinging Hailey off of her.
“I’ll be back soon, Hailey. Wish me luck.”
“You’ll do great, Liana! Way better than me. You were amazing last time too!”
“Aw, don’t say that—I’m already nervous enough...”
Liana stepped forward, clutching her staff tightly.
She took a deep breath as she faced the freshly prepared bundle of wood.
“…I command you.”
Clenching her teeth, she focused her will, determined to create a fierce, blazing flame with her mana.
“Burn, flame!”
Her staff trembled and resonated with Liana’s mana.
‘I did it!’
In that moment, Liana was sure she’d succeeded.
“…Huh?”
But nothing happened.
“T-This… This can’t be happening!”
She had practiced this flame-casting spell dozens of times—and succeeded every single time.
Sure, she was a little nervous. But not so nervous that she should fail something this simple. She knew that much.
“Come out, flame! Burn, flame!”
She channeled her mana again, reciting the incantation over and over—but it was all in vain.
Though the staff responded to her mana and resonated with it, no flame ever emerged.
“Step back.”
“…Yes.”
Liana returned in silence, unable to produce even a single flame.
Hailey stared at her in disbelief.
“What happened, Liana? That’s not like you!”
“I don’t know… I don’t know what went wrong…”
Finally, the moment came to announce the successful applicants.
The examiners, standing before the nervous crowd, began calling names one by one, declaring those who had passed.
Then came Hailey’s turn.
“Hailey.”
“Yes!”
“You’ve passed. Congratulations.”
“Oh my god—thank you so much!”
Hailey, who had been sure she would fail, was now showered with applause as she joined the ranks of the successful.
And then…
“That concludes the announcements.”
The examiner folded up the list.
“Those who passed, follow me. I’ll show you around the Magic Tower. Those who failed, speak to a supervisor if you wish to re-enroll in training—or head home.”
And just like that, Liana was left behind among the rejected.
As the rejected applicants began choosing their next steps, a sudden commotion spread through the crowd.
“W-Wait! That’s the Grand Mage!”
“Why would someone that high-ranking come here?”
Following the noise, Liana turned her head.
Someone was walking toward them—someone cloaked in powerful mana, their very presence radiating authority, even in the way they dressed.
And that someone…
…was walking straight toward her.
“What a disappointment. Your father was such an exceptional warrior, and yet, his daughter is…”
Grand Mage Ronos shook his head in disapproval.
“I’ll see you again in a month. Do not disappoint me next time. For your father’s sake!”
---The End Of The Chapter---
Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release.
Comments