TTM CH 03

The next day, Kinemia sat in the underground dungeon, staring blankly at the boy.

“…Why?”

“I got caught.”

When Eian said this in an almost playful tone, Kinemia covered her face with both hands and turned away.

What is wrong with this guy? Is he trying to make me hate him on purpose?

Whether he understood her thoughts or not, Eian only smiled and asked:

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No!”

Kinemia gripped the iron bars tightly.

The guard beside her was explaining that the boy had once again trespassed into the territory. When the knights tried to stop him, he simply walked into the dungeon without any resistance.

What is he? Does he want to die by my hands or something?

“Just… release him…”

At Kinemia’s words, the guard went in and removed the shackles. Eian sprang up lightly.

Kinemia frowned as she watched him continue his absurd, playful behavior.

This is the last time.

This is really the end!

That’s what she thought—until she ended up saving Eian, who had been imprisoned in the dungeon for an entire week.

Watching Eian now casually sharing snacks with the guard, Kinemia pressed her forehead against the wall.

“Do you have some kind of grudge against me? Or some reason you want revenge on me…?”

“Me? Have we met before?”

“No way.”

“Then we haven’t.”

Eian smiled brightly and casually fixed Kinemia’s messy hair.

Since she had rushed over half-asleep, Kinemia just ran her hands through it roughly.

So what is this? She rolled her eyes.

Now without shackles, Eian could simply walk out of the dungeon—but instead, he stood in front of her.

“So why do you keep getting arrested?”

Meanwhile, Eian casually bit into an apple and asked:

“I heard you’re recruiting a personal knight.”

“No.”

“I heard that from the guard.”

“Ah!”

The guard inhaled sharply in surprise.

So he told him…

Her current knight was retiring, and she was in the process of finding a replacement. She had only vaguely mentioned it, yet the rumor had already reached the dungeon.

Fast…

Kinemia pouted.

“So?”

“I’m applying. As your personal knight.”

“Isn’t the Magic Tower busy?”

“As you can see.”

“You’re a rank-4, right?”

“Talent makes things easier.”

“What if I don’t hire you?”

“Then I’ll just end up in the dungeon again.”

“This position is temporary.”

“Perfect.”

Perfect?!

Why?!

She almost said she should just make it permanent—but stopped herself.

Even if she tried to change her words now, what if he said that was fine too? A terrifying possibility.

No. Don’t say things you can’t take back.

But… keep this guy as my knight?

Just standing next to him felt like grudges would start forming in the air.

Maybe she should make him beat all her knights first?

No, that’s worse.

He might actually defeat all of them.

And he had the ability to do it, which made it scarier.

In the end, it would be digging her own grave.

And Kinemia was not that foolish.

He definitely has some hidden motive.

She glared suspiciously, but Eian only smiled serenely.

A staring contest would get her nowhere.

“Haa…”

She had something more important to do.

“Fine…”

As she squeezed the words out, Eian smiled brightly.

“…But only temporarily.”

Temporarily.

She would observe him, then get rid of him somehow.

Somehow.

—You’ve really done it this time.

On the other side of the communication orb, Eian’s master tapped the table impatiently.

It clearly showed dissatisfaction.

“I didn’t start it.”

—You did provoke Lyon, though.

Eian curved his lips politely.

“Did I?”

That tone of his was worse than an admission.

Among the Magic Tower, Eian was infamous. Even the injuries he had sustained from magicians’ joint suppression were his own doing.

…And he seems to enjoy it.

—Enough. If you don’t present yourself well to the elders, you won’t become Tower Master. You know that.

“Then I’ll just kill them all. Simple enough.”

—EIAN—!

“I’m joking, Master.”

Eian smiled lightly.

“So don’t be so serious.”

But his master knew he was capable of it.

And that his “jokes” were not always jokes.

—Stay out of trouble until things calm down. And limit your transmissions.

“Was planning to anyway.”

Eian thought of Kinemia and smiled faintly.

His master noticed it and frowned.

“…What did you do?”

“I met someone who can see magical seals without any mana.”

—…What?

Seals could normally only be seen by those with sufficient mana.

Without mana, they should be invisible.

—Where? How? That’s impossible… unless they’re hiding their mana… but how could we not know of such a person?

For mages, curiosity was instinct. His master immediately became eager to meet them.

But—

“I refuse. I won’t show you.”

—You…!

Click.

Eian cut the connection.

His master slammed the table.

“Eian…!”

Because he had been too lenient—no, not really. Eian had simply never listened.

“Someone with no mana who can see seals…”

He murmured.

“I want to meet them.”

“Tower Master, is that Eian… no, that bastard Eian not coming back?”

His assistant Benjamin spoke quietly from the side.

Normally silent, Benjamin was clearly asking to confirm the news he was already hoping for.

“That’s right.”

“…!”

Benjamin’s hand briefly clenched into a fist in celebration.

“I see. Hm, as expected—hm. It is appropriate that Eian is outside the Tower right now. Cough.”

“Benjamin. Your mouth is twitching.”

“Cough, no—absolutely not.”

The Tower Master shook his head.

This would spread quickly.

And it did.

The news that that bastard Eian had left the Magic Tower spread rapidly, and the entire Tower erupted in relief.

“If he stayed three more days, I might’ve quit magic.”

“You did well! You endured!”

Mages hugged each other in relief.

“God is real… that bastard Eian is gone. Thank you, gods.”

Even a mage from the hostile faction of the Church knelt in gratitude.

In the Magic Tower, saying “I hope you meet Eian tomorrow” was considered one of the worst insults imaginable.

Since entering the Tower, Eian had tormented countless mages with his genius.

Most famously, he once split a person in half and teleported their upper body into the desert and lower body into the snowfields.

Even the principle behind such magic was incomprehensible.

And that wasn’t all—his spells were as cruel as they were bizarre.

No one even remembered why he did it.

Because it was Eian.

And so, for the first time in a long while, the Magic Tower celebrated his absence with unrestrained joy.