CHAPTER 21
“Gami…”
Someone had used forbidden magic to target her. This was already the second time.
Roziana had already sensed that the intruder in the Imperial Palace last time and the one in the Grand Duke’s house yesterday were different. She also figured out the identity of today’s assailant—it was a sentinel from the Demon Realm.
But she hadn’t told Asterios.
This was the perfect chance to assess his trustworthiness and capabilities.
“Let’s see just how capable the descendant of Tenebres truly is.”
There were many suspicious things about him.
His behavior and strength were not childlike. He knew too much about royal powers.
And occasionally, he displayed emotions that only she could see.
“It was definitely sadness.”
When she was injured, his eyes were filled entirely with sorrow.
There had even been a glimpse of despair on his face.
It left Roziana feeling a mix of confusion and inexplicable emotions.
“That wasn’t the look of a child.”
Occasionally, there are those who know far too much despite their young appearance.
Like herself.
But that was usually because an old soul had taken residence in a new body.
“Or because they’ve just lived for a long time.”
Witches and magic tower masters with powerful abilities often lived for hundreds of years without ever dying.
“Which one is Asterios?”
As people believed, is he just a genius young noble born with extraordinary powers?
“Or is he someone who’s never died due to a special ability?”
If it was the latter, that meant he was pretending to be a young noble while hiding his true power and identity.
“Why? For what purpose?”
What kind of powerful being would go through the hassle of hiding in the form of a child?
To Roziana, Asterios felt completely out of place.
Like a puzzle piece at the very top of a completed puzzle—only it was made from a completely different material.
All the pieces were made of paper, and that one piece was glass.
“Anyway, there’s definitely something fishy about him.”
She hadn’t observed the young noble for long. That’s why Roziana couldn’t even guess at the reason yet.
“Is he really a descendant of Tenebres?”
She didn’t know the full reason yet, but if he was harboring another agenda, she had no intention of staying close to him.
“He probably is a descendant. His face is so identical to Tenebres that people might believe he’d come back to life.”
Not to mention his power, the Black Breath. Tenebres had also been a famous black dragon during the war of the Three Realms a thousand years ago.
Asterios now hid his strength and identity—and was cunning to boot.
“Even the fact that he stays in the form of a child proves that.”
He was, in truth, one of the hardest beings to figure out.
The only relief was that he seemed to be on her side—for now.
“Anyway, there are four main objectives.”
Roziana began listing what she needed to uncover, in order of urgency.
First, the identity of the person who sent the sentinel.
“Second, where Nox is hiding.”
Third, the secret behind Izeph’s holy power.
And lastly—
“Asterios’s…”
The truth.
And—
“I’m going to fully control my power with this last outburst.”
Roziana clenched her fists with determination. For the first time in a long while, the witch’s violet mana surged around her.
Maybe it was because her powers as a witch were flowing again.
The voices of her long-lost sisters echoed in her ears—sisters she longed to see again, even if it meant making a contract with the suspicious Nox.
“Erika!”
“Erika, come here! I’ll tie your hair.”
“Oh my goodness! How could you be so precious?!”
They had saved her life when she was just a baby thrown into the mouth of a monster.
They had given her the name Erika, shared their power with her, and turned her into a witch.
“Here, try this, Erika. I made this pie just for you.”
“Erika? I’ll teach you an easier spell. Just follow my lead.”
“Wow, Erika, you’re amazing! You already memorized it?”
“My sisters…”
The only reason she had been able to become a central witch was thanks to her sisters.
She wanted to go back and save them. As soon as possible.
“Just a little longer… wait for me.”
Now, along with the violet mana, white mana began to swirl around her tightly clenched fists.
Edwin returned to the magic tower and set down the wooden box.
Then he called for one of the attendant mages.
“Bring Wickler to me.”
Shortly after, an old mage with a long gray beard entered Edwin’s chamber.
“Greetings, Tower Master. I hope Drea— Oh! Tower Master, how did you obtain this rare item?”
The oldest mage in the tower, Wickler, immediately recognized the box.
“You’re certain that’s the tree?”
“No one can replicate birchwood from the Witch’s Forest. Not even with illusions or magic, as you well know.”
Yes. He knew that very well.
But it still felt like a dream, so he needed to hear it from someone else’s mouth. That’s why he called the oldest and most skilled alchemist in the tower.
“The box is sealed, but it doesn’t require strong magic to open it.”
“Then… why call for me?”
“There are remains inside, hundreds of years old. If I open it, what are the odds that they’ll deteriorate immediately?”
“…If it suddenly comes into contact with the outside air, the spell preserving the remains may break—leaving nothing but bones.”
“I thought as much.”
“What did you place in this precious birch box? Did you, perhaps, secretly preserve a beloved pet?”
Among the wealthy, it wasn’t uncommon to preserve the corpses of cherished pets with magic. That’s what Wickler seemed to suspect.
But Edwin replied with a command instead.
“Wickler, I need you to do just one thing.”
With sorrowful eyes, Edwin looked calmly into the old mage’s face.
“I need to open this box. So I want you to use your alchemy to create a vacuum around it when I do.”
That way, whatever was inside would be preserved when the box was opened.
Wickler’s alchemy could not only transform and alter substances—it could also preserve ancient things indefinitely.
“I understand.”
The old mage nodded.
Just as Edwin was about to break the seal of the birchwood box with magic—
“Tower Master!!”
An attendant mage called out urgently from outside the door.
“What is it?”
Edwin’s face showed irritation at being interrupted during such a crucial moment.
“I-I’m so sorry, but… y-you have a visitor.”
“Tell them to wait. I’ll be there shortly.”
He assumed it was nothing important and gave a casual order.
“W-well… the person who came to see you…”
“What about them?”
Now curious, Edwin straightened his body from the box.
Who in the world had come that would cause such panic?
“T-the guest…”
The attendant’s voice was trembling. A dreadful sense of foreboding surged through Edwin.
He strode to the door and opened it himself.
“Who’s the guest that’s got everyone so—”
There stood the terrified attendant, trembling violently.
“T-that person…”
He had a bad feeling.
No, it was worse than that.
A chilling aura of darkness was approaching from the end of the corridor.
Edwin’s eyes moved past the attendant and slowly shifted to the figure walking toward them.
And then his brown eyes went wide.
“…It’s been a while, Edwin.”
That harsh, low voice cracked with age sent a shiver down Edwin’s spine. It felt as if it could choke the life out of anyone who heard it.
“Or should I call you Tower Master now?”
Edwin stared at the man who spoke, who raised one corner of his lip in a mocking smirk.
Black hair. Black eyes.
A pale, bloodless face that was even more unsettling because of its smile.
Most of all, eyes darker than any shadow in existence.
Unfortunately…
Edwin knew this man.
And this visitor from the Demon Realm announced the reason for his visit.
“I came to reclaim what I lent you.”
At those words, Edwin finally murmured the name of the guest.
“…Mephisto.”
He now stood face-to-face with someone who had once been a dear friend—but was now a mortal enemy.
Little did he know, the dark mage would soon demand “that item” in the tower.
Had he known, Edwin never would have let Mephisto inside.
The magic tower, a fortress in the center of the land of mages.
Now that Mephisto had entered, Edwin quickly hid the precious birchwood box and sent Wickler away.
“Old mage, I’ll consider your proposal and get back to you. You may go now.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
It was a signal to forget everything they’d discussed and wait for a new summons later.
Wickler, understanding the message, hurriedly left.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Edwin politely led Mephisto inside.
“Please, have a seat. You must’ve come a long way. You could’ve at least sent word.”
Even after over a hundred years, the two acted as if they’d seen each other just days ago.
“Have we ever been the type to coordinate meetings? No point pretending after all these centuries.”
“You say that now, but you know how infamous you are in the middle realm. Just your presence scared the life out of my people.”
“Live in the Demon Realm long enough and your aura seeps out whether you like it or not.”
He was an unwelcome and unpleasant guest, but Edwin knew Mephisto’s temperament all too well.
If things went wrong, there was no telling what crazy stunt Mephisto might pull. Best to placate him and minimize the damage.
“So… what exactly did you come to retrieve?”
“I told you, Edwin. What I lent you. What was mine to begin with.”
