WHFIO 54

Chapter 54

Cedric’s eyes trembled uncontrollably as he stared at Rasiel.

Rasiel could easily read Cedric’s unease just from the color of his eyes.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Who knows.”

Rasiel gave an ambiguous answer as he quietly observed the agitated Cedric. Then, he reached out and picked up the fragment of the dimension floating not far from the center of the magic circle.

Before Cedric could stop him, Rasiel teleported instantly to the side of the black mage.

He struck the startled black mage unconscious, and immediately began casting a teleportation spell.

At that moment—

“Answer me! What do you mean by that?!”

Cedric’s spell shot toward Rasiel.

The magic circle beneath Rasiel vanished, replaced by a defensive barrier that absorbed the attack.

In the next instant, Rasiel dispelled the barrier and launched a counterattack.

Cedric easily dodged it, and Rasiel’s magic struck the ground near his feet instead.

A plume of dust exploded into the air.

That was when Cedric realized Rasiel’s true intent.

That bastard didn’t miss—he did it on purpose, to raise dust…!

When the haze settled a few seconds later, Rasiel was gone.

Not only Rasiel—so were the unconscious black mage and all the sacrificial victims who had fainted on the floor.

Impossible.

It had happened in the blink of an eye.

In that instant, Rasiel had managed to teleport several people over a long distance, including himself. For most mages, that kind of speed and precision was beyond imagination.

Cedric stared blankly at the empty space where Rasiel had stood.

And then, a voice echoed in his ears—the harsh, scornful voice of his late father.

“Useless husk. I should’ve saved your brother instead of you, worthless wretch.”

Cedric clutched his head and muttered desperately,

“…No. He’s dead. He is dead….”

Before his brother’s death, he had transferred all his mana to Cedric. Even if, by some miracle, he had survived, he could never have lived as a mage again—certainly not as a grand sorcerer like the Master of the Tower.

Then what were those eyes?

He remembered the crimson eyes that had stared back at him—eyes identical to his own.

Cedric clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged.

“…He has to die.”

The dead could never be emperor.

His crimson eyes blazed with murderous intent as he glared at the spot where Rasiel had vanished.

The mage assigned as gatekeeper of Portal B-48 that week was dozing off in his chair.

Portal B-48 of the Magic Tower connected to the Heritz Forest on the outskirts of the capital. Ever since rumors had spread that Rasiel was conducting black magic experiments there, almost no one had used the portal.

Thanks to that, the mages responsible for Portal B-48 were living easy lives.

The gatekeeper was snoring lightly when suddenly, the portal lit up.

The bluish glow startled him awake, nearly making him fall out of his chair.

“Huh?!”

He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth in a hurry.

The last person to use this portal had been Rasiel.

If Rasiel were returning now, it would be his first appearance at the Tower since being declared a traitor by the Empire.

Although the Tower was technically neutral, belonging to no nation, Rasiel’s crimes involved the use of forbidden black magic—an act that went against the Tower’s very principles.

Regardless of politics or hierarchy, that was a sin no mage could ignore.

D-Do I have to fight him?

The gatekeeper swallowed hard and fixed his gaze on the glowing circle.

The runes forming the magic pattern grew brighter, and a moment later, a young woman stepped out of the portal.

She had brown hair braided into two pigtails, large glasses that covered half her face, amber-gold eyes, and freckles scattered across her cheeks.

At first glance, her appearance was gentle and harmless, yet her cat-like eyes gave off an oddly sharp impression.

It was an unremarkable face—yet strangely memorable.

The woman blinked in surprise when she saw the mage staring at her, then awkwardly greeted him.

“H-hello?”

“Good heavens!”

Relieved that it wasn’t Rasiel, the mage exhaled deeply.

“You startled me. Hardly anyone uses this gate anymore.”

“Oh, I haven’t been here in a while,” she said with a sheepish smile. “This was just the closest portal, so I used it. Was that wrong?”

The mage was at a loss for words. It was a public portal—meant for exactly this purpose. He was only grumbling because his nap had been ruined and he’d been scared half to death.

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly before checking the portal registry beside him.

It displayed the name: Anna Ritz.

“Ah, I see. No wonder I didn’t recognize you. Haven’t been around for a while, huh?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I got married five years ago, so I’ve been… enjoying newlywed life.”

“Ah, that’s nice! You’re still young, too—married early, I see.”

“When you meet the right person, timing doesn’t really matter, does it?”

She laughed softly, bowing her head slightly to take her leave.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned back toward the mage.

He blinked in confusion, and she tapped her finger twice at the corner of her own mouth.

The mage realized there was dried drool on his lips and quickly wiped it away.

With a polite smile, the woman turned and walked into the Tower, a confident grin tugging at her lips.

Phew. That was an Oscar-worthy performance. No one would doubt I’m a married woman after that.

Of course, it helped that Tracia had handled the disguise so skillfully that morning.

Elses—currently posing as Anna Ritz—recalled what Tracia had told her earlier.

“The Tower’s portals are calibrated to detect a person’s mana signature. I’ve modified the system so it will register your mana as belonging to someone else—‘Anna Ritz.’”

“Anna Ritz…”

“She hasn’t used the portal in five years. Hardly anyone will remember her face.”

“…”

“Age twenty-five, nationality: Artes Empire. Married five years ago, only family member is her husband. The rest? Make up whatever story you like.”

Tracia had carefully glued on the wig, painted freckles across her cheeks, and explained how to use the enchanted tools she’d prepared—while nagging the entire time.

“Don’t get cocky just because you’re wearing my gear. If it looks bad, run. And whatever happens, do not mention my name.”

Finally, she’d handed over a pair of oversized glasses.

“Good luck.”

Now, Elses pushed the bridge of those same glasses up her nose.

If it were up to me, I’d catch the masked man first and rip that mask right off.

That would be the fastest and surest way—but there was one big problem.

We don’t even know where the masked man is.

And since the Crown Prince had just declared the masked man a traitor, he would be lying low for a while.

Rasiel, on the other hand, might still be somewhere within the Tower.

That was why she had come here.

The problem was how to find him in this enormous place filled with mages—especially when he was likely in hiding himself.

It feels weird not having Luti with me.

Normally, she always had Luti by her side, but bringing him into the Tower risked being caught by the scanners.

Feeling the emptiness in her chest, Elses stepped into the Tower’s central hall.

Wow…

The vast chamber stretched as wide as a noble’s entire estate. Magical devices floated and moved on their own—cleaning, carrying, illuminating.

The ceiling rose high above like the night sky itself, dotted with countless twinkling stars. The entire hall was dimly lit, bathed in that surreal starlight.

So this is the Magic Tower…

In the game, the Tower’s interior had never been shown. Seeing it now in person filled her with awe.

Just then, something small and white drifted down before her eyes.

…Snow?

It vanished when she touched it—cold-looking but not actually cold.

Yet, for some reason, she felt chilled anyway.

The artificial snowfall and the endless starry night gave the Tower an oddly lonely, hollow atmosphere.

Then, she remembered something she had once read in the game’s lore.