Chapter 48: Privilege (1)
Left and right.
Two groups stood facing the stage.
What stood out was the stark contrast between them—while those on the left looked proud and energetic, the people on the right appeared weighed down, their atmosphere visibly gloomy.
“Congratulations!”
A magician clad in an ornate robe stood atop a high platform and shouted down to those on the left side.
“To all of you gathered here today, you have been granted the glorious opportunity to become members of the Rostia Magic Tower!”
The examiner from the Rostia Magic Tower spoke with a voice full of pride to the applicants who had been selected for a month-long training program.
“This is not an opportunity given to just anyone. We saw in you a blazing courage and noble ambition—that is why this chance has been given to you. So give it everything you’ve got. Understood?”
“Yes!!”
A loud, enthusiastic reply echoed back from the applicants.
The examiner nodded in satisfaction, pleased by their spirit.
“And as for you lot—”
His expression shifted as he turned to the applicants standing on the right, who were visibly dispirited.
“You disappointed the Magic Tower. And yet, the Rostia Tower is generous enough to give you not one, but two chances. Be grateful for that. You’d best make sure you don’t fail again.”
“……”
“Do you understand me?!”
“Y-Yes, sir…”
Though a response came back, it was weak and lifeless, lacking any energy. These were the reapplicants—those who had failed once and returned for another try.
The reapplicants muttered among themselves, avoiding the examiner’s harsh gaze.
“Ugh, I hope I pass this time. Why did you fail, anyway?”
“Me? I’m usually good, but I got super nervous last time…”
“Nervous? That’s not so bad. For me, it was a compatibility issue—the staff didn’t work with my constitution…”
The excuses varied, but no matter how they tried to explain it, the outcome was the same: they had failed.
The examiner looked down on the reapplicants with cold, dismissive eyes.
Then, his gaze abruptly stopped on one of them.
“Especially you, Liana.”
At the mention of her name, all eyes—both successful applicants and reapplicants alike—turned to focus on one person.
“Know your place. You didn’t even qualify to be here in the first place. The only reason you’re standing there is because your father poured a small fortune into this place. And even with that, you failed. Now you’re shameless enough to ask for another chance?”
“What? Examiner, are you saying I received special treatment? I’ve never heard—”
“Silence that mouth!”
Liana had no choice but to close her lips at the examiner’s sharp rebuke.
“Training begins tomorrow. Use today to rest and gather your resolve. From tomorrow onward, I expect nothing but sincerity and discipline.”
The examiner coldly dismissed Liana’s attempt to speak and disappeared into the Magic Tower—his gaze softening only for the new applicants, filled with affection and expectation, while his eyes remained scornful toward those who dared to return after failing.
As expected, murmurs quickly broke out among the remaining applicants.
“Did you hear that? She got in through privilege.”
“So she had an advantage and still failed? That’s actually kind of impressive in its own way.”
“This is huge. No Magic Tower has ever granted someone special treatment before.”
“I don’t even know if I should be jealous. Let’s just wait and see if she actually passes the next test.”
“……”
Liana could do nothing but tightly seal her lips as the ridicule and judgment piled onto her.
She hadn’t received any special treatment—but rumors were a different beast altogether. They couldn’t be silenced so easily.
Creak—
“Everyone, let’s do our best starting tomorrow. Let’s work hard and—ah.”
Back at the dormitory.
The creaking of the old dormitory door scraped sharply against Liana’s ears that day.
Originally, six of them had moved into this dorm.
Now, only three had passed the test.
Naturally, the three remaining should have been supporting one another as they prepared for the next exam.
“…Traitor.”
“She came back. Shameless as ever.”
But the two who had failed alongside Liana didn’t welcome her. Instead, they glared at her like she was the enemy, their eyes burning with accusation.
“Traitor? Did you just call me a traitor?”
“What else should we call a traitor? A friend?”
“I didn’t betray anyone!”
“Oh, really? You hid who you were. You acted like you were the same as us, even though you were getting special treatment. Word’s out now. Your father’s the commander of the Knights of the Vow, isn’t he?”
Liana bit her lip hard.
“…Yes. That part is true. But I never received any kind of special treatment. My father actually—”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
A voice—sharp, from someone who was once a friend—cut her off.
“I’m watching you. None of it makes sense. You showed the best magical ability out of all of us. But suddenly, in an exam you didn’t even seem nervous about, you couldn’t conjure even the smallest flame? Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Liana held the words back, swallowing them.
‘I think it’s strange too…’
But what good would that do? Nothing she said would reach friends so steeped in the disappointment of failure.
Over the past month, Liana had indeed shown the most outstanding magical ability—just as they said.
She had surpassed even the other reapplicants, showing extraordinary skill.
If it was fire, she conjured it hotter and larger than anyone. If it was ice, hers was colder and more solid. So much so that even the mage in charge of training the newcomers had been shocked.
Liana clearly remembered what Grand Mage Ronos, one of the senior figures in the Rostia Tower, had said during his special lecture on the very first day.
“Magic is not about commanding. It is about yearning. The more desperately you desire, the more mana will answer your call. Never forget that.”
She had taken those words to heart.
But who could have guessed—that very Grand Mage would be the one to sow the seeds of suspicion?
***
“A-A Grand Mage?!”
“What’s someone of that rank doing here?”
Following the voices of surprise, Liana turned her gaze as well.
A man dressed in clearly distinguished robes, radiating a powerful aura of mana, was walking toward them.
And not just toward the dormitory.
But directly toward her.
“…Disappointing. Your father is such a remarkable warrior, and yet his daughter is nothing more than…”
Grand Mage Ronos shook his head in disapproval.
“I’ll see you again in a month. You had better not disappoint me next time—if not for yourself, then at least for the sake of your father.”
***
After all that had happened—and after being openly condemned by the examiner—Liana simply couldn’t make sense of it.
Yes, her father, Balthazar, had indeed made a large donation to the Rostia Magic Tower.
But that money was meant solely to help construct Cresnig Fortress, a stronghold where the Order of the Vow was stationed.
It was a deal—meant to provide the bare minimum of living conditions for warriors who willingly volunteered to fight demons in the coldest place in the world.
It was never a bribe to get Liana into the Rostia Tower.
In fact, it was Ronos himself—not anyone else—who had said this in Balthazar’s presence:
“Commander, I don’t know if you can see it too… but I see fire in this girl’s eyes. The fire of desire—a flame fueled by longing, and a desperate will to make her dreams reality. If we refuse to give a child like this the chance to study magic… then the failure lies with us as magicians. Please—allow us to teach her.”
Yes, Balthazar was the one who brought her to the tower.
But it was Ronos who asked—pleaded—to be allowed to teach her.
****
“I’ll be watching.”
The two girls who were once her friends—knowing nothing of that conversation—threw their biting words at Liana with sharpened tones.
“There’s no way your failure was natural. You held back on purpose, didn’t you? So you could hide the fact that you were getting special treatment? You staged it!”
“No! That’s not it at all. Please, just listen to me. Everyone knows I had the best scores in magic. You saw it with your own eyes—why would I mess up on purpose during the exam…?”
“Shut up! We’re not here to listen to your excuses!”
“Then what are you here for? If you don’t want to hear me explain—why are you—”
Liana tried to speak up, unable to suppress the injustice burning in her chest.
But when she looked into their eyes again, she understood.
What her former friends really needed wasn’t an explanation.
What they wanted… was a punching bag.
Something—someone—to bear the weight of their failure.
Just like how you want to throw something, break something, when you’re mad for no reason—
They needed someone to take the fall.
****
“……”
They kept shouting something at her, but Liana didn’t reply.
There was no point listening to baseless anger.
No point giving it any more air.
She simply laid down on her bed and closed her eyes.
Wishing for the day to pass quickly.
Wishing that by tomorrow, their rage and shame would settle, and maybe—just maybe—they’d treat her like a friend again.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Covered her ears.
But the quieter the world became… the clearer the question echoing inside her heart grew.
Why did I fail?
And the truth was…
Liana already knew the answer.
Her staff had responded to her will—her mana and her desire were in perfect harmony.
And yet… it produced no flame.
Liana had heard it.
The desperate, stifled cry of her staff—choked and unable to release the magic inside.
Which could only mean one thing.
“Someone sabotaged me. On purpose.”
The night dragged on in that deep thought.
And yet, Liana couldn’t fall asleep.
Surrounded by people who had once been friends—but were now openly hostile competitors—her mind stayed fixed on the uncertain tomorrow.
But one thing was crystal clear.
Liana was determined.
She would pass. She would become a mage.
“I’ll become a powerful mage. No matter what it takes…”
And as she made that silent vow, her thoughts turned to someone precious.
“So I can be their strength. That warm, kind person—I’ll stand by them one day.”
---The End Of The Chapter---
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