Chapter 54
I quickly corrected my ridiculous assumption. I had let my imagination run wild just because their faces looked so similar.
“Stay calm, stay calm. Think. Don’t nobles often name their children ‘So-and-so the Second’?”
Maybe the name Eon had belonged to the outstanding Grand Mage of the previous generation. Wanting to pass on the glory of their great ancestor, they gave all their children the same name.
I recalled how Eon once wanted to name our children something like Selly II or Selly III. I was horrified, but he had said it like it was nothing. Clearly, this kind of background influenced him.
After a brief deduction, I concluded that this child was simply someone who shared the same name as Eon. Once I added some reasoning to it, it felt like a fairly convincing conclusion.
“I don’t know. I just want to research magic.”
Then came a sulky voice, high and thin, belonging to a boy who hadn’t yet hit puberty.
“You need a strong body to become a great magician, sweetheart.”
“Mm.”
“And wouldn’t a magician who’s good at swordsmanship be so cool?”
“Hm… Selly, do you think that’s cool too?”
“Of course. Besides, you’re doing something I can’t. Just imagine—if a bad guy comes, you’d swing your sword and protect me. Just picturing it is amazing!”
Even just looking at the back of the child’s head, you could tell a smile was spreading across his face.
“All right! Then I’ll practice swordsmanship really hard!”
The child threw himself into the woman’s arms as he shouted.
“That’s our Eon.”
This confirmed that the woman was Selly. And that Selly had lived with both Eons—the adult Eon, the Tower Lord, and the little Eon.
“Master, look at this!”
At the word “master,” I thought the Tower Lord Eon had finally appeared. But it was just a maid running over to Selly.
This one had brown hair tied up, but her eyes were black. Clearly, Eon hadn’t started collecting maids with brown hair and green eyes yet.
“Well, of course—Selly was still alive.”
There had been no need for that yet.
“I thought you’d like this, so I brought it.”
Why was she calling Selly “master” instead of Eon? As far as I knew, Eon was the Tower Lord.
“There’s one possibility…”
Blinded by love, Eon may have referred to Selly as “master” instead of himself. Like a husband handing over the household to his wife, he might’ve entrusted the inner workings of the tower to her.
“Charles’ shop came up with a new dessert!”
What she pulled from the paper bag was a pitch-black chocolate bar that looked like it contained about 99% cacao.
“This is… really a dessert?”
Selly held up the dark chocolate and turned it over suspiciously.
“I want to try too!”
“My Eon, you can have some after I try it first.”
As if she couldn’t possibly feed this to a child, Selly patted Eon’s head.
“They called it their crowning masterpiece… I might have brought the wrong one, so I’ll go back.”
The maid’s voice shrank. She looked worried, as if she might’ve brought something inedible. The way they fretted over one bar of chocolate made it seem like they’d never seen it before.
“It’s not like they were poor. Could it be…?”
I guessed that maybe they didn’t even know about chocolate due to strict dietary restrictions.
“Charles wouldn’t give us anything inedible. Let me just—”
“No, no! Master! If I may, I’ll taste it first!”
“Don’t worry. Did you forget I’m a magician? And this lab is full of all kinds of potions!”
Before she could even finish her sentence, Selly bit into the chocolate. Her determined expression made me tense up too.
“How is it? Is it good?”
Little Eon, watching eagerly, couldn’t hold back any longer. But Selly just kept her mouth tightly shut, her expression stiff.
“Are—are you okay? Should I bring a potion?”
Her answer came a few seconds later.
“…This is really a dessert?”
“Yes, they said it’s a new one.”
“It’s this bitter?”
“It is?”
“Selly, me too! I want to try it too!”
Little Eon bounced up and down, reaching out his hand. But of course, he couldn’t even touch the chocolate in Selly’s hand.
“No. It’s too bitter for you.”
“It’s okay! I’m good at eating bitter stuff. I take all those herbs and potions, don’t I?”
“No, young master. It might upset your stomach.”
Despite everyone’s protests, little Eon managed to get his hands on a piece. Soon, the sound of gagging followed.
“Blegh!”
“I told you, young master! You shouldn’t have eaten it!”
“Let’s rinse your mouth.”
The two of them took Eon into the lab. Judging by the giggles coming shortly after, it must’ve just been the taste. Nothing serious.
I leaned against the wall and sighed. I didn’t know how bitter that chocolate really was, but the sweetness of their daily life was overwhelming. So much so that it was hard to believe this was the same magic tower.
Boom.
Before the warmth had faded, a loud thud rang out from somewhere.
Boom.
I looked around, but the maid continued humming while cleaning, and the lab was filled with laughter. It was as if I were the only one hearing this ominous noise. With my head down, I covered my ears and another possibility occurred to me.
“This sound isn’t coming from here.”
This wasn’t a sound from within the memory—I was hearing it in real life. Realizing this, the scene in front of me began to split. It wasn’t just an illusion tearing like paper. A searing pain split through my skull.
“Ah, ah—aaagh!”
When a mental intrusion spell is interrupted by external forces, the caster suffers excruciating pain.
It’s not that I ignored the warning in the books. I just never thought it would happen to me, and I had no idea it would hurt this much.
I clutched my head with both hands and rolled to the floor. Reality returned in full, and the first thing I heard was someone trying desperately to explain something.
“Tower Lord, it’s not like that.”
I recognized the voice—it was Selly’s. The researcher Selly.
“Why is Selly…”
“Tower Lord, I never intended to break the rules.”
Her words gave me enough context to guess what had happened.
“She followed me.”
She’d been so curious. In the end, she couldn’t help herself.
“You know what happens to those who break the tower’s rules, don’t you?”
The voice sounded like it could end a person’s life without a second thought. I barely managed to stand up. I didn’t want to see someone else die.
“Leave Selly alone.”
The moment I opened the door, a short scream rang out. I must’ve looked like a ghost crawling out from behind the door.
“What on earth did you do?”
Eon helped me up. I didn’t want his help, but I was too weak to push him away.
“I asked you—what did you do?!”
This time, clever Eon turned to Selly for answers instead of me.
“Well…”
“If you know anything, I suggest you speak up.”
Facing a furious Tower Lord, the revered Selly couldn’t possibly endure the pressure.
“She asked me about the mental intrusion spell…”
“You taught an alchemist some high-level spellwork?”
Selly lowered her head in shame at the mocking tone.
“Don’t blame her. I was the one who asked. If there’s any fault, it’s mine. She only recommended a book.”
“Oh, so you still have the strength to talk. In any case, Selly will be punished for trying to enter the Forbidden Room. A few extra crimes won’t change that.”
“She never entered. She didn’t break any rules.”
“She tried, which is the same. The only reason she didn’t succeed was that she lacked the ability.”
“Then what about me? You traded with me instead of punishing me.”
“Is Miss Sellinia planning to make another deal this time too?”
I didn’t know why Selly was now being treated like the one who should trade, not me. But the pain in my head left me no choice but to stay silent.
“Will you forgive her then?”
“If Miss Sellinia keeps her promise, yes.”
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
I turned to Selly.
“That’s a relief.”
With those words, my body finally collapsed. I didn’t pass out, but I could no longer stand. I had no energy to lift my eyelids or move my tongue.
“I’ll take care of Miss Sellinia.”
And so I had to suffer the humiliation of being held by Eon once more.
“You’ve always been foolish. Then and now.”
With those mumbled words from Eon, I was carried back to my room.
