Chapter – 03
“Liri? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”
“Let’s go, sister. We—we can’t stay here. Hurry!”
Ignoring Calliona’s dazed reaction, Liriope grabbed her sister’s hand and tried to dash out of the dining hall.
But at that very moment, magicians in deep blue robes opened the door and stepped inside.
“Everyone, quiet. We’ll begin the Holy Feast now. Line up in order and follow the magicians here.”
Her heart, already pounding with unease, seemed to drop like a stone.
The children in the dining hall began filing out one by one, paying no mind to Liriope’s despair.
The Northern Magic Tower had gathered orphans with no family ties that day, and the children, disarmed by the promise of food, obediently followed instructions.
“Come on, sister. Before they notice—let’s slip out quietly.”
Liriope blended in with the crowd to leave the dining hall, then, when the magicians looked away for a moment, she quickly turned down a different corridor.
“Liri, wait a second!”
Of course, Calliona, bewildered by her sister’s sudden strange behavior, had no idea what was happening.
“You’ve been acting so weird. What’s wrong? Is it because of those people earlier? Is that why you don’t want to stay here?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
But if anyone was confused, it was Liriope even more so.
“Sis, don’t you get it? This place is—”
“Hey, you two! What are you doing loitering in the hallway?”
Just as she opened her mouth in frustration, a sharp voice cut through the corridor.
The girls froze mid-step.
A stern-faced woman in a blue robe approached them.
The emblem stitched on her left chest bore two pairs of wings—meaning she outranked the magicians who had brought them there.
“The Holy Feast should be starting soon, shouldn’t it? Didn’t you hear that no one is to wander outside until you’re called? It’s not as if there wasn’t enough food in the hall.”
A dream—this was supposed to be just a dream. So why did it feel so real?
If this wasn’t a dream, if she had truly met Calliona again, Liriope had thought this must be heaven.
But perhaps she was wrong.
If this was the afterlife, then it was far closer to hell than to heaven.
Otherwise, why on earth would the two of them ever return, willingly, to this ant-hill of a place—the Northern Magic Tower?
As the memories of that horrific past surfaced, nausea rose in her throat from sheer revulsion.
All she could think of was escaping this cursed place, taking Calliona with her—no matter what it took.
“You… your expression seems odd. What’s the matter?”
The magician, sensing Liriope’s agitation, fixed her with a cold, glinting stare.
Liriope felt the woman’s gaze scour every inch of her face and tightened her grip on Calliona’s hand.
“You look frightened. How long have you been out here? Where were you going?”
The magician’s tone grew suspicious.
“Come to think of it, this corridor leads to an exit. Were you trying to get outside?”
What should she do?
The exit wasn’t far from here.
If she pushed the woman aside and ran for it, could things change?
If she escaped this wretched tower with her sister—maybe, just maybe, even in this nightmare—she could change the future.
Yes. Just like she had imagined countless times before. Maybe this time—
[Don’t be stupid from the start. Stop right now.]
Just as she was about to give in to that buried, desperate urge and move—
[I was going to let you flail for a bit, but I can’t stand it anymore. If you try to leave now, those Bellegot bastards will kill you.]
A sharp, disdainful tsk echoed beside her ear.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
She almost screamed—but somehow managed to suppress the impulse with sheer willpower.
[You haven’t even undergone the Holy Rite yet, and you think you can outsmart a full-fledged magician with nothing but your bare hands? What a foolish little thing you are.]
Who was that?
Who was speaking to her?
No—judging by the way the voice resonated, it wasn’t really in her ears.
It was inside her head.
Then suddenly, Liriope realized why the voice felt so familiar.
[I’ll grant your wish. Offer me your price.]
Yes… That was it.
It was the same voice that had spoken to her in that dark, rain-soaked forest.
“You know, sometimes there are kids like you. I thought this year would pass quietly, but apparently not.”
[Make up some excuse and go to where the Holy Feast is held. I’m serious—take my advice unless you want to lose your contractor already.]
“You’ve been wandering around—what did you overhear? Or did you just decide a free meal was enough and now you’re thinking of running off? Honestly, disobedient children are such a hassle.”
But she didn’t have time to argue or think deeply.
A sharp, claw-like wave of energy rippled through the air ahead.
“My hand.”
Liriope spoke quickly, following pure instinct.
“My hand… it really hurts. I’m sorry.”
Her thin, watery voice echoed through the hallway—and the killing intent gathering around the magician faltered.
“What? Your hand?”
Dream or not, she was reliving the time when she had first entered the Magic Tower—her body now that of a child’s again.
“Soup splashed on it and it turned all red…”
As she spoke, her soft, bread-like cheeks moved gently, drawing the eye in spite of the tension.
“I know I shouldn’t have come out, I’m sorry.”
Her long, fluffy golden hair framed eyes the color of amethyst—moist and innocent, blinking like those of a newborn fawn.
In truth, the young Liriope looked like an angelic little girl—so much so that even the cold, hard-faced magician’s expression softened.
“I see… So you were looking for someone to help you?”
“No. I just wanted to cool it off with cold water by myself.”
Worried that her sister might get scolded, Calliona stepped forward hesitantly.
“I was the one who brought her out. It wasn’t Liri’s idea. I thought it’d be faster to handle it quietly instead of bothering you, but we got lost… I’m sorry if we caused trouble.”
Fortunately, the magician, after glancing between the two sisters, relented with a sigh.
“Hmph, fine. I’ll overlook it this time. The Holy Feast is about to begin anyway—I’ll take you there myself. Follow me.”
Liriope bit her lip, feeling her sister’s anxious gaze on her.
But there was nothing else she could do now except follow the magician.
Strangely enough, this dream was too real—no matter what she tried, escape from the Magic Tower didn’t seem possible.
“Liri, are you okay?”
Suddenly, Liriope felt Calliona’s grip tighten around her hand.
Whether it was her sister catching her unease, or sensing something off about the magician’s demeanor, Calliona’s face, too, was tense and pale.
Their hands, clasped together, were slick with sweat—she couldn’t even tell whose it was anymore.
