Episode 4
In the northern region of the Hagrand Empire, in a small rural village called Maroon, where even the nearby residents hesitated to approach due to the eerie forest, a carriage bearing the emblem of the Magic Tower stood quietly.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
“No, it’s mine! Move over!”
“Lulu, Lala, don’t fight. Buru’s cloak is over here.”
A noisy ruckus came from inside the carriage.
The childish voices bickered among themselves until a deeper adult male voice calmed the commotion.
Soon, the carriage door opened.
“Wow! It’s such a pretty forest!”
“So pretty!”
The ones who flung open the carriage doors as if to break them were none other than children.
Two children, just over the age of ten, stepped out with identical features.
Though their hair length differed, they both had light blonde hair like ivory and brown eyes. Their physiques and frames were so similar that it was hard to tell them apart.
These two, a girl and a boy, were Lulu and Lala — the youngest mages of the Tower, a pair of twins.
They were still young and hard to distinguish at first glance, but their hairstyles differed slightly.
Lulu, the girl, had short hair that reached just to her ears, while Lala, the boy, had longer hair tied into twin tails that fell to his collarbones.
The two leaped from the carriage, their smiles bright as sunshine, exclaiming with excitement.
The forest they were seeing for the first time was breathtakingly beautiful.
Though the nearby villagers feared the eerie aura that emanated from the forest, the children felt no such fear.
The trees were dense enough to block most sunlight, yet enough beams pierced through to create a soft glow. Occasionally, birds chirped or the sound of monsters could be heard, but the children remained innocent and unbothered.
“Lulu, Lala! I told you not to get off first!”
Eventually, a young man stepped out of the carriage.
In his early twenties, the man quickly approached the twins and picked them up in his arms.
The two children, suddenly lifted off the ground, squirmed in protest.
“Ugh! Put me down, Jack!”
“Lemme down! I wanna walk!”
“Sigh, I told you, it’s dangerous to jump out first! What if a monster was nearby? You could’ve been in real danger.”
The man named Jack furrowed his brow and spoke sternly to the children. At his scolding, the children pouted and quieted down.
“Jack, don’t you think that was a bit too harsh?”
A voice from the carriage made the children’s faces light up again.
The twins wriggled free from Jack’s grasp and jumped down.
They ran toward the woman who had just stepped out of the carriage last.
“Miel!”
“Miel!”
The children each grabbed one of her legs and clung to her, hiding behind her to shield themselves from Jack’s scolding.
Miel smiled at their adorable antics.
Seeing her smile, Jack sighed and brushed back his hair.
“I wasn’t being harsh. I was just worried.”
“But we’re near the carriage. The protective barrier from the Tower is active. There’s no real danger, right?”
“I know. But still… I was worried they might wander beyond the barrier.”
“Come on, Lulu and Lala are smart. They’ve been learning for two months now. They wouldn’t do something dangerous, right?”
The twins nodded their heads vigorously at Miel’s words.
Perhaps carrots worked better than sticks. Jack eventually gave in with a sigh.
The children promised not to leave the 3-meter radius around Jack and Miel.
They skipped around in front of the adults, marveling at the strange plants in the forest.
“Jack, aren’t you being a bit overprotective?”
“Overprotective? Is that how it seems to you?”
“Yeah. I’ve watched you these past two months, and it’s clear. You’re overly protective. They’re mages too, you know.”
“I know… but still…”
Jack, Miel, Lulu, and Lala had been traveling for two months to complete a request that came to the Magic Tower.
Though the mission wasn’t particularly dangerous, it required traveling across the empire, which was inconvenient.
Still, Miel had her reasons for joining — exploring the empire was fun, and she enjoyed the twins’ company.
Lulu and Lala were war orphans Jack had found about six months ago.
They had protected themselves on the battlefield using their innate magical abilities. But there was a limit to their powers, and they were close to death when Jack saved and brought them back.
“Lulu and Lala were accepted into the Tower with the Tower Master’s approval. That means they’re capable.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Still, I guess I just worry because they’re still kids.”
“Don’t worry. Those two are stronger than even I am.”
Miel chuckled bitterly. She suddenly realized why her master never seemed to favor her.
It was probably because she hadn’t earned his approval.
All mages in the Tower needed the Tower Master’s permission to join — except her.
Her father, the great sage, had personally asked the Tower Master on her behalf.
Even worse, her skills weren’t particularly exceptional. Though she had learned many spells, she wasn’t outstanding in any one of them.
Naturally, the Tower Master wasn’t fond of her.
She had sensed it over the past two years, but realizing it clearly now made her feel down.
‘So that’s why he never taught me any magic… he must’ve thought I’d never be able to use it anyway.’
Miel realized she had been slow to catch on. It had taken her two years to understand why her master disliked her.
Probably because she had been too busy to notice.
She hadn’t spent much time with her master anyway.
Other mages had told her he was just being strict out of care, wanting her to learn through experience.
She had heard those words — but deep down, Miel knew he didn’t like her.
Jade had always been a distant person, but he was especially cold toward her.
He never looked at her favorably and barely spoke to her outside of necessary work-related conversations.
‘Even if I had realized it earlier… I still wouldn’t want to learn from someone like him.’
No matter how great a mage someone was, she had no desire to learn from someone so unpleasant.
Besides, in a few months, she planned to leave the Tower.
She had already completed basic magic training with Solien, so there was no reason to beg her master for anything now.
‘I should just finish the rest of the work properly.’
Miel extended her mana-infused hand. The sticky liquid she touched felt unpleasant, but she didn’t hesitate.
She pressed her hand to a giant carnivorous plant called Carta, and with a hiss like escaping air, it began to wilt.
The umbrella-shaped plant, nearly three meters tall, shriveled up in seconds.
Soon, it had shrunk to about the size of Lulu or Lala.
At the same time, foul-smelling sap began to leak from it.
Miel quickly collected the sap and sealed it in a leather pouch with the remains of the Carta.
“Wow…”
Jack couldn’t help but admire her. It was flawless work.
After completing another request — purifying the forest’s energy — with Lulu and Lala, he had come to check on Miel.
His own request had only involved dealing with a few monsters, which was fairly easy.
He had been worried that Miel would struggle with the carnivorous plant, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
After spending two months with her, he was well aware of Miel’s unique abilities — even if she didn’t talk about them.
So, without asking her, he traced the traces of mana in the area and figured out how she had subdued the Carta.
She had used a basic binding spell to restrict the Carta’s movements, neutralized its poisonous breath, and absorbed its life force directly.
Normally, a basic binding spell wouldn’t work on a violent plant like Carta.
But Miel’s control was exceptional, allowing her to manage with minimal mana.
And then there was that surprising power — Absorption Magic.
He didn’t know the exact principle, but Miel could absorb something from living beings — including their life force.
Then, she took the hands of Lulu and Lala and headed back to the carriage. Jack followed after them with a slow gait.
“You’re back?”
As Jack was catching his breath, Miel returned after cleaning up.
With a casual expression, she handed him the leather pouch containing the Carta’s remains.
“Who said she was weaker than Lulu and Lala?”
Miel seemed to consider herself weaker than the twins, but Jack didn’t think so.
He had met many mages, but none had powers like hers.
It was a one-of-a-kind ability. And it was strong — extremely so.
Aside from the Tower Master, she was probably the strongest person in the entire Tower.
‘So that’s why the Tower Master keeps giving her so much work…’
Jack smiled contentedly as he walked toward the carriage — unaware that he was completely mistaken.
