Chapter 7
The Tower Master’s Chambers
In the topmost floor of the Madam Tower — the Tower Master’s chambers — sunlight streamed in through massive windows that spanned over two meters.
The blazing desert sun softened into a pleasant warmth thanks to the magic cast upon the glass.
A gentle, cozy light fell over the desk. A hand gripping a quill hovered just above a sheet of paper.
> “What on earth should I write?”
Jade couldn’t bring himself to write even a single word.
He had sent numerous messengers before, but not once had he hesitated like this.
Back then, he had only written what was necessary — nothing more, nothing less. But now was different.
He had no idea what to say to Miel. No matter how long he thought about it, no proper sentence would form in his mind.
Several days had passed since time had turned back. Throughout that period, Jade was enveloped in a strange sensation.
At first, he was simply confused.
It was hard to accept the reality — that he had returned two years into the past, before the day he died.
But soon, the doubts that had emerged on that fateful day began to overtake his mind.
And along with those doubts, more questions began to arise — one after another.
> “Why did Miel try to save me?”
That was the question that emerged from the fog of his past memories.
At first, Jade hadn’t noticed it. But eventually, he realized something was off.
All the events he had experienced before time reversed… they felt as if someone had manipulated them from the shadows.
He pushed aside his thoughts about Miel and began retracing his own life. And he found no shortage of strange things.
Most notably, his obsession with Roanne had been bizarre.
Back then, she was the woman he longed for desperately, without fully understanding why.
From the very first moment he laid eyes on her, he felt inexplicably drawn.
His gaze existed only to follow Roanne. His actions were all for her.
He had even fought to the death with Richard, who stayed by her side — and lost.
At the time, his mind had felt shrouded in a heavy fog.
Within that fog, it felt as though someone had ordered him to live solely for Roanne.
And whenever he tried to recall the past in greater detail, it felt as if something invisible blocked him from remembering.
Thankfully, the present was different. Jade’s mind was now crystal clear.
It was as if the thick fog had lifted. He could now recall everything sharply.
Even when he thought of Roanne and the emotions he had once associated with her, he felt nothing.
It was oddly refreshing — no emotional reaction whatsoever.
Even when he thought of Richard, whom he had once hated and despised, he still felt nothing.
His heart felt dry — barren.
> “Why? What did I even see in that woman back then?”
Jade couldn’t shake off the questions. He spent three whole days pondering.
> “Why did I make those choices?”
“Why was I so fixated on her?”
He had countless questions, but only one answer:
> “That past has nothing to do with my present.”
Moreover, it would not dictate his future either.
Unlike the old Jade, the current one had a clear head.
He had no intention of repeating the foolishness of before.
The life he had lived was the result of his own choices.
And if the same choices appeared again in the present, he would make completely different decisions.
Jade finally decided to stop dwelling on the past.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became — and it was exhausting.
He chose to focus on the life he had now.
Once his decision was made, Jade headed to the library.
He wanted to know why he had been given a second chance.
Maybe there was a ‘Time Magic’ unknown even to the Tower Master himself?
He searched through every book in the library, but found nothing on such magic.
So, he turned to the tower’s resident magicians who had an interest in time-related magic.
> “Time magic? I’ve read a lot of research materials on it, but there hasn’t been a single successful case.”
> “According to old records, even the Great Sage tried and failed.”
Even among the magicians, no one knew of any successful use of time magic.
From the moment magic first appeared in the kingdom, mages had researched time magic — yet no success.
Which meant…
> Time magic was impossible.
One possibility surfaced in Jade’s mind — if not magic, then perhaps…
It was divine intervention.
That some god had taken pity on his past life and granted him another chance.
It was a ridiculous thought, especially for a lifelong atheist like Jade, but there was no other explanation.
Jade brooded over it. The idea of divine existence tangled his mind once again.
After a long time spent in thought, he came to another conclusion:
> “Forget about gods, forget about the past. Just focus on what’s in front of you.”
About six days had passed since time was reversed.
Only then did Jade feel ready to act.
> [Miel, I have something to tell you. Return to the Tower immediately.]
—Bilrogun
Jade looked down at the message he’d struggled to write, sighing softly.
Then with a smirk, he tore the paper and began a new one.
Jade was frustrated. The thought of Miel — whom he had momentarily forgotten amidst other worries — returned suddenly.
While dealing with the mountain of work that had built up in the tower, he learned that she was currently out on a mission.
And naturally, the question he had buried resurfaced again.
> “Why did Miel try to save me? She had no reason to.”
Back when Miel first entered the tower, Jade hadn’t liked her from the beginning.
He’d only taken her in because the Great Sage requested it.
She hadn’t proven her abilities, and Jade disliked looking at such a magician.
Even after accepting her as his disciple, he hadn’t taught her any magic — only sent her out on missions.
He’d heard she learned some spells from Elder Solane, but he paid no attention.
It was only natural that Miel wouldn’t like him.
Their relationship had been fractured from the start, and had grown irreparable.
They barely exchanged words — except during annual tower events.
So why had Miel been at the Castle of Shureden on the day he died?
Why had she thrown herself in front of him to save his life?
> “Why?”
There are very few people who would sacrifice themselves for another.
Perhaps family, or friends, or lovers bound by deep love.
Jade arrived at one possibility:
> “Miel must have loved me.”
The more he thought about it, the more everything made sense.
The way she had stared at him with her mouth agape the first time they met.
How she had accepted every order without complaint, going on countless missions.
Even when he was seeing another woman, Miel never said a word — instead, she watched from afar and showed up when he was in danger.
A complex, indescribable emotion surged in Jade’s chest.
Despite having never taught her magic or shown kindness, she had loved him.
Loved him enough to die in his place.
He had never noticed — her cold, stoic expression had hidden it well.
Now he finally realized it — far too late.
Jade sighed, overwhelmed with guilt, gratitude, and emotions he couldn’t even name.
He resolved to do for her what he had never done before.
But to do that, he had to meet her first.
So Jade tried once again to send a message.
But what should he write?
> “I can’t exactly ask Shulien for help on this…”
Running his fingers through his hair, Jade sighed again. He had already torn up nearly ten sheets of paper.
He wanted to deliver the message without expressing too much emotion — something calm and simple.
After much deliberation, he finally finished the message with exactly five words:
> [Return to the tower immediately.]
Wondering whether to add more, he shook his head and breathed magic into the paper.
Infused with his red mana, the sheet glowed and took flight — out the wide-open window, straight toward its destination.
In another part of the tower, Elder Shulien scrambled to grab his notebook.
He had just seen a message fly out from the Tower Master’s room.
He immediately recorded the date and time it was sent.
Shulien had started recording the Tower Master’s actions a few days ago.
On the day Jade had released an ominous magical aura — from that day on, something about him had changed.
He had started investigating time magic and shut himself away in his room.
Shulien suspected he might be trying to research forbidden magic.
So he began secretly observing him, recording every strange behavior in his notebook.
> “I really hope it’s not forbidden magic…”
Shulien stroked his beard with concern.
A fellow mage nearby shouted at him:
> “Shulien! What are you doing? We’re busy right now!”
> “Ah! My apologies! I’ll be right there!”
Shulien hurried back to work — unaware of the delusion he was feeding himself.
