Chapter 10
— What are you going to do with junk like this—an old soccer ball!?
I gently set down the somewhat dim-witted but kind Mirror Artifact and carefully picked up the soccer ball marked with the Magic Tower’s emblem.
How long did I search?
In the foul-smelling pile of trash, I finally found a slightly worn-out soccer ball. On it were today’s date and Calion’s name.
Then I remembered what the servants had been saying earlier.
“The Duke said the gift from the Tower Master is suspicious, so even if it looks valuable, throw it away.”
Now everything started to fall into place like a completed puzzle.
From the Duke’s perspective, a gift from the Tower Master—someone he was on extremely bad terms with—would naturally be suspicious. He probably thought it might be harmful, or even a surveillance artifact meant to uncover the secrets of the ducal household.
‘Does he think everyone is as twisted as he is?’
I snapped out of my stray thoughts and rolled the soccer ball around. A high-pitched voice rang in my ear.
—You expect a wish in something that shabby? Did you wish to play soccer or something?
The mirror spoke as if it was completely absurd.
Still, I examined the ball more carefully, just in case. Honestly, I didn’t fully trust this artifact that even called itself junk, but I needed any possible solution right now.
“……”
Judging from Calion’s ragged breathing, there wasn’t enough time to go out and find the Tower Master.
So I continued examining the ball seriously.
Then—
‘A blue light?’
A faint blue glow appeared inside for a moment before disappearing. I also felt a subtle pull, like it was calling me.
At that feeling, I decided to cut the ball open.
After confirming it had no “will” of its own, I grabbed a dull small knife lying nearby and stabbed it into the ball. The blade was blunt, and my doll-like hands struggled to apply force.
Still, I used every bit of strength I had and tore it open.
Since it was made of worn-out fabric, it took a full ten minutes of struggle before I finally split it apart.
Inside—
“…mana stones.”
They glowed with a brilliant blue light—unrefined mana stones.
It seemed the real gift the Tower Master had given Calion was these.
Mana stones were extremely valuable—practically priceless depending on the demand.
—That’s a mana stone, right? So what?
The Mirror Artifact, created 500 years ago and clearly overdue for an update, screamed at me.
“Watch.”
—What?
Ignoring it, I lifted a mana stone about half the length of my arm and slammed it against the hard ground.
Even with its immense value, it didn’t break immediately.
I raised it again and struck it once more.
—What are you doing!? Are you insane!?
The mirror shrieked.
—Don’t you know? If mana stones break like that, the mana leaks out and ruins their value!
“I know that very precisely.”
Without even looking at it, I struck the stone again.
CRACK.
A fracture spread, and soon it split in two.
The mirror screamed silently in horror, but I kept going.
Blue light scattered across the dark basement, slipping through the iron-barred window.
I didn’t stop.
I grabbed another piece in each hand and smashed them again.
—WHY ARE YOU DOING SUCH A BARBARIC THING!?
No matter how much mana it held, breaking a few more wouldn’t change much. No one would be sensitive enough to detect such dispersed energy.
Except for one person.
Someone with extremely high mana sensitivity.
The Tower Master.
“That’s because I’m calling a mage.”
—What?
“A mage who will save us.”
Outside the Basement
“Boring.”
Leophris—the eccentric genius known as the most unusual Tower Master in the history of the Magic Tower—muttered while lying on his bed, idly spinning a pen.
In truth, social gatherings were unfamiliar to him.
No—more accurately, he disliked them.
But due to a persistent request from the King supporting the First Prince, he had been forced to attend this “birthday banquet.”
‘I hate being dragged into political fights…’
But they had doubled the Magic Tower’s funding this year, so he had reluctantly accepted.
He had thought of the struggling students at the Tower Academy.
After weighing several invitations from the Duke of Button’s household, he chose to attend the birthday banquet for an adopted child named Calion.
Strangely, that child had caught his attention.
Which was why he had done something unnecessary—like hiding mana stones inside an old soccer ball.
Even he didn’t fully understand his own actions.
“Other than the fact he looks vaguely familiar…”
Leophris stood abruptly, rubbed his face, and slowly walked to the window.
He knew exactly where he was—the Duke of Button’s estate.
His expression darkened as he stared out.
He took a sip of cold herbal tea.
“I shouldn’t have come here.”
He clicked his tongue.
Part of the reason was his dislike of the Duke—but that wasn’t the main reason.
The real reason was someone the estate reminded him of.
‘Aria…’
She had been his friend since his early days at the Magic Tower.
At first, they were rivals.
But eventually, he admitted he could never surpass her.
She was more talented than even him—the so-called genius mage.
The reason he became Tower Master in her place was because she and her husband, Duke Valentine, were murdered right before she was to assume the position.
According to her final wish, he became the Tower Master.
And the case… remained unsolved.
Many believed the Duke of Button was involved.
“…Black magic.”
Forbidden arts, now secretly spreading again despite being banned across most nations.
Leophris narrowed his eyes.
He was about to close the curtains and end the night—
When he felt it.
A faint fluctuation of mana.
‘Very faint.’
But to him, it was overwhelming.
“If this level of mana is coming from a person—”
Signs of magical overload.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his thick cardigan and left the room.
He followed the invisible trail of mana only he could see.
How long did he walk?
He stopped in front of an old building.
‘Mana is coming from here.’
The place was dilapidated, eerie, and unpleasant to enter without hesitation.
Still, he went in immediately.
Following the trail, he descended creaking stairs into the basement.
At the bottom, he looked at the locked door and the intense mana leaking from inside.
“…!”
Then he saw it.
Through the crack in the door—something was moving.
He froze.
Did I just see a doll move?
Even for someone like him who had seen countless strange things, this was new.
“…And it’s pretending to be an ordinary doll after noticing me.”
His mutter carried disbelief.
He narrowed his eyes at it.
“Is it a monster…?”
He stroked his chin.
That was the most logical explanation, but it didn’t feel right.
Let’s open the door first.
For the first time in a while, curiosity sparked in the eccentric Tower Master’s eyes.
He casually gestured.
Wind began to move at his command.
With a few flicks of his hand, the seemingly unbreakable lock clicked open.
The heavy basement door slowly creaked open.
Just as he reached to grab the doll—
Something hit his foot.
“…?”
Distracted by the moving doll, he finally looked down.
And his expression twisted.
“Calion Button?”
The birthday banquet’s main guest—clearly on the verge of death—lay collapsed before him.
