“Hunter is coming.
I froze as if I had been hit by that sentence.
‘I told him that you woke up. But whether you go back or not is your choice.’
Cain said that, leaning towards me.
‘You’re not going, are you?’
His red eyes shook mercilessly like a child afraid of being abandoned by his mother. I gently withdrew my hand held by him. Cain’s face darkened. But he didn’t need to worry. The male lead I chose was ultimately Cain, and regardless of having positive feelings for Hunter, I had no intention of going back to him.
“From today, I am an apprentice of the Magic Tower”
“A crazy bastard, that’s crazy about magic, that sounds good.”
***
Cain, hearing my answer, happily turned away. He would immediately contact the palace and tell them to find another princess or something. He is a person with a twisted personality.
I sat in my room, finely chopping thistle grass and thinking. It’s better this way. I’d rather Hunter hate me completely after hearing Cain’s teasing. A weirdo who claimed to have left to cure his illness but got stuck in magic. A cold-hearted guy that treats feelings and memories between us as if they were nothing special. I wish he would think of it that way.
In front of me, finely chopped thistle grass was piled up like powder. I swept them with my hand into a bag, waved my wand, and cast a spell.
“[Mito].”
It was a transmission spell Heron had taught me. I had often witnessed magicians here making letters or objects disappear into thin air without a spell or wand. High-level magicians living in the towers could use transmission magic without a spell or wand, but as an inexperienced apprentice, I was lacking in that aspect. Still, thanks to Heron’s training, I could cast transmission magic without any failures.
The bag containing thistle grass disappeared fast. That was what I had sent to Herba.
When I had too many distracting thoughts and felt anxious. I liked refining my magic potion ingredients. It had a kind of meditative effect. I tapped my finger on the empty desk and got up from my seat. It was probably a good idea to get more ingredients.
I took the elevator to the 75th floor. Phlos was, as usual, tending to plants buried in the greenhouse.
“Phlos, I’m here.”
“Wow, apprentice, you came at the right time!”
Phlos jumped out of the grassland. Her hair was messier than usual. I approached her and removed a few small leaves stuck in her tangled curls. Phlos didn’t pay any attention and just said what she had to say.
“My VIP is coming soon!”
“VIP?”
“He’s the biggest customer of my greenhouse! A wealthy customer who comes to the Magic Tower once a year to buy the herbs I’ve grown. He’s like my sponsor.”
Phlos had mentioned that since she was an apprentice magician, a high-ranking noble had been supporting her with a large research grant. He was the lord of a barren region where plants didn’t thrive, so he had made a personal contract with Phlos because of the constant shortage of herbs. Every year, he came to the Magic Tower to purchase herbs in bulk and listen to research results, and that day was tomorrow.
“He really has great insight! My family and I may not get along well, but he is a great supporter”
Phlos cheerfully said. As it turned out, Phlos was also the daughter of a high-ranking family, but she had abandoned the family name and struggled with life for a while, and the person who had solved her financial difficulties was her sponsor.
“He seems like a good person.”
When I agreed, Phlos scratched her chin with a hesitant look.
“…. A good person? Maybe, I’m not sure.”
It didn’t sound like he was a good person.
“Anyway, anyway! So, all the herbs for His Grace need to be preserved with magic. I’ve been doing it from time to time, so there’s not much left, but still, I have to invest a few hours. So, apprentice, you’ll take care of that area.”
“Yes.”
…But wait, I feel like I heard a familiar word just now.
“His Grace?”
“Yeah, his excellency Archduke Alexis!”
My body stiffened. Like a rusty machine, I turned my head to look at Phlos.
“Khan… His Grace Alexis? The… Northern Duke? The owner of the Ice Prison?”
“I hate repeating the same thing twice. Go and work, quickly!”
Suddenly, it felt like the temperature around me dropped by about 2 degrees. I arched my neck at the suddenly chilly air around me and quickly walked towards the door.
“Apprentice? Where are you going?”
“I’m sorry, Phlos, please ask someone else! I, I just remembered something urgent!”
My feet got tangled up. I grabbed the wall of the greenhouse to avoid falling and hurriedly exited the greenhouse.
What’s happening? First, Hunter is coming, and now Khan too? Unbelievable. Is this also a trick of the system? I had reasonable suspicions. The system had been quiet for the past few weeks. Maybe it was silently plotting this big ‘event.’
I almost ran to the elevator. However, in the distance, I saw the doors of the elevator opening smoothly. It seemed like someone had just arrived on the 75th floor. Thinking it was fortunate, I rushed to catch the elevator, but before the doors fully opened, a large hand suddenly came out from behind, covering my mouth and pulling me into a room.
“Uh!”
When I turned around in surprise, there was a face I hadn’t seen in three weeks.
“…!”
“Shh.”
Andrea whispered sincerely and affectionately, then gently lowered the hand covering my mouth. Then he gestured outside. Through the slightly open door, I heard footsteps approaching.
“Are you sure that Narcissus is here?”
“It’s information from the palace. I happen to know a magician here, so let’s ask him.”
My heart sank suddenly. I couldn’t believe the voice I was hearing.
“When on earth did you come up to the tower… and on top of that, with mana deficiency…”
“He’s a clever one. He was a prisoner who was sent to the Ice Prison in the first place. Claiming to be sick could also be a trick.”
“Do not insult Narcissus.”
It was Khan and Alan. I covered my own mouth to avoid screaming and peeked through the crack in the door. I saw Khan and Alan passing by, heading towards Phlos’s room. Khan, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, with a black leather boots, and Alan in a white and soft priest robe, walked side by side.
Andrea grabbed the collar of my clothes from behind and carefully closed the door to prevent any noise.
“Lord Alexis is a knight, so his senses are more heightened than others. If you keep staring, he’ll sense it.”
He whispered quietly.
“Why on earth are those two… No, I thought he was coming tomorrow?”
As I muttered in confusion, Andrea provided an answer to my question.
“That priest was making a fuss looking for you. Of course, His Grace got wind of it, and when he found out that Del had disappeared, he started searched for you.”
Andrea, who was well-informed about Narcissus, explained that Alan had been actively searching for me, thinking I had encountered an unfortunate accident. So, he searched all the hospitals and small medical centers in the north and informed the temple of my disappearance, so he and the temple searched for the walking miracle of Eura
In the process, Alan revisited the Ice Prison. Upon hearing the news the prisoner who was thought to have gone to the “Garage village” was missing. Khan started tracking me as well, using his position as a Duke to inquire about my whereabouts throughout the continent. Among the high-ranking nobles in the North, Khan heard a rumor circulating that the Imperial Daffodil had promised to marry the Crown Prince of Del Narcissus.
“When you think about it, Del is still a prisoner in the North under the responsibility of His Grace, so His Grace can forcibly bring Del back.”
“So, right now… Khan came to take me back to the North?”
“Yes.”
Since when did you become so responsible!
Even hiding in the room, I couldn’t resist the urge to hide in a more secluded place. How do I escape from the North! The male lead I need to conquer is here!
Anxiety surged. As I bit my lips anxiously, Andrea gently grabbed my lips with his thumb.
“It’s okay, Del. I’ll hide you. Let’s escape together.”
His voice was extremely seductive.
And at that moment, I remembered something Cain had said before.
“You’ve probably been living a similar life until now. When problems arise, you avoid, escape and find another path.”
When I heard those words, I felt so frustrated and irritated. At the same time, I felt so embarrassed. To hide such complicated emotions, I even acted hostile towards Cain for no reason.
Maybe now is the time to change, to stop hiding, avoiding, and running away. It’s a moment to face challenges head-on and leap beyond the level of survival. Shouldn’t I gather the courage and make a different choice?
However, as I was contemplating this, Andrea, who had been silently watching me, gently touched my lips with his thumb and said,
“Del, there’s nothing more important than your safety.”
“Hunter is coming.
I froze as if I had been hit by that sentence.
‘I told him that you woke up. But whether you go back or not is your choice.’
Cain said that, leaning towards me.
‘You’re not going, are you?’
His red eyes shook mercilessly like a child afraid of being abandoned by his mother. I gently withdrew my hand held by him. Cain’s face darkened. But he didn’t need to worry. The male lead I chose was ultimately Cain, and regardless of having positive feelings for Hunter, I had no intention of going back to him.
“From today, I am an apprentice of the Magic Tower”
“A crazy bastard, that’s crazy about magic, that sounds good.”
***
Cain, hearing my answer, happily turned away. He would immediately contact the palace and tell them to find another princess or something. He is a person with a twisted personality.
I sat in my room, finely chopping thistle grass and thinking. It’s better this way. I’d rather Hunter hate me completely after hearing Cain’s teasing. A weirdo who claimed to have left to cure his illness but got stuck in magic. A cold-hearted guy that treats feelings and memories between us as if they were nothing special. I wish he would think of it that way.
In front of me, finely chopped thistle grass was piled up like powder. I swept them with my hand into a bag, waved my wand, and cast a spell.
“[Mito].”
It was a transmission spell Heron had taught me. I had often witnessed magicians here making letters or objects disappear into thin air without a spell or wand. High-level magicians living in the towers could use transmission magic without a spell or wand, but as an inexperienced apprentice, I was lacking in that aspect. Still, thanks to Heron’s training, I could cast transmission magic without any failures.
The bag containing thistle grass disappeared fast. That was what I had sent to Herba.
When I had too many distracting thoughts and felt anxious. I liked refining my magic potion ingredients. It had a kind of meditative effect. I tapped my finger on the empty desk and got up from my seat. It was probably a good idea to get more ingredients.
I took the elevator to the 75th floor. Phlos was, as usual, tending to plants buried in the greenhouse.
“Phlos, I’m here.”
“Wow, apprentice, you came at the right time!”
Phlos jumped out of the grassland. Her hair was messier than usual. I approached her and removed a few small leaves stuck in her tangled curls. Phlos didn’t pay any attention and just said what she had to say.
“My VIP is coming soon!”
“VIP?”
“He’s the biggest customer of my greenhouse! A wealthy customer who comes to the Magic Tower once a year to buy the herbs I’ve grown. He’s like my sponsor.”
Phlos had mentioned that since she was an apprentice magician, a high-ranking noble had been supporting her with a large research grant. He was the lord of a barren region where plants didn’t thrive, so he had made a personal contract with Phlos because of the constant shortage of herbs. Every year, he came to the Magic Tower to purchase herbs in bulk and listen to research results, and that day was tomorrow.
“He really has great insight! My family and I may not get along well, but he is a great supporter”
Phlos cheerfully said. As it turned out, Phlos was also the daughter of a high-ranking family, but she had abandoned the family name and struggled with life for a while, and the person who had solved her financial difficulties was her sponsor.
“He seems like a good person.”
When I agreed, Phlos scratched her chin with a hesitant look.
“…. A good person? Maybe, I’m not sure.”
It didn’t sound like he was a good person.
“Anyway, anyway! So, all the herbs for His Grace need to be preserved with magic. I’ve been doing it from time to time, so there’s not much left, but still, I have to invest a few hours. So, apprentice, you’ll take care of that area.”
“Yes.”
…But wait, I feel like I heard a familiar word just now.
“His Grace?”
“Yeah, his excellency Archduke Alexis!”
My body stiffened. Like a rusty machine, I turned my head to look at Phlos.
“Khan… His Grace Alexis? The… Northern Duke? The owner of the Ice Prison?”
“I hate repeating the same thing twice. Go and work, quickly!”
Suddenly, it felt like the temperature around me dropped by about 2 degrees. I arched my neck at the suddenly chilly air around me and quickly walked towards the door.
“Apprentice? Where are you going?”
“I’m sorry, Phlos, please ask someone else! I, I just remembered something urgent!”
My feet got tangled up. I grabbed the wall of the greenhouse to avoid falling and hurriedly exited the greenhouse.
What’s happening? First, Hunter is coming, and now Khan too? Unbelievable. Is this also a trick of the system? I had reasonable suspicions. The system had been quiet for the past few weeks. Maybe it was silently plotting this big ‘event.’
I almost ran to the elevator. However, in the distance, I saw the doors of the elevator opening smoothly. It seemed like someone had just arrived on the 75th floor. Thinking it was fortunate, I rushed to catch the elevator, but before the doors fully opened, a large hand suddenly came out from behind, covering my mouth and pulling me into a room.
“Uh!”
When I turned around in surprise, there was a face I hadn’t seen in three weeks.
“…!”
“Shh.”
Andrea whispered sincerely and affectionately, then gently lowered the hand covering my mouth. Then he gestured outside. Through the slightly open door, I heard footsteps approaching.
“Are you sure that Narcissus is here?”
“It’s information from the palace. I happen to know a magician here, so let’s ask him.”
My heart sank suddenly. I couldn’t believe the voice I was hearing.
“When on earth did you come up to the tower… and on top of that, with mana deficiency…”
“He’s a clever one. He was a prisoner who was sent to the Ice Prison in the first place. Claiming to be sick could also be a trick.”
“Do not insult Narcissus.”
It was Khan and Alan. I covered my own mouth to avoid screaming and peeked through the crack in the door. I saw Khan and Alan passing by, heading towards Phlos’s room. Khan, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, with a black leather boots, and Alan in a white and soft priest robe, walked side by side.
Andrea grabbed the collar of my clothes from behind and carefully closed the door to prevent any noise.
“Lord Alexis is a knight, so his senses are more heightened than others. If you keep staring, he’ll sense it.”
He whispered quietly.
“Why on earth are those two… No, I thought he was coming tomorrow?”
As I muttered in confusion, Andrea provided an answer to my question.
“That priest was making a fuss looking for you. Of course, His Grace got wind of it, and when he found out that Del had disappeared, he started searched for you.”
Andrea, who was well-informed about Narcissus, explained that Alan had been actively searching for me, thinking I had encountered an unfortunate accident. So, he searched all the hospitals and small medical centers in the north and informed the temple of my disappearance, so he and the temple searched for the walking miracle of Eura
In the process, Alan revisited the Ice Prison. Upon hearing the news the prisoner who was thought to have gone to the “Garage village” was missing. Khan started tracking me as well, using his position as a Duke to inquire about my whereabouts throughout the continent. Among the high-ranking nobles in the North, Khan heard a rumor circulating that the Imperial Daffodil had promised to marry the Crown Prince of Del Narcissus.
“When you think about it, Del is still a prisoner in the North under the responsibility of His Grace, so His Grace can forcibly bring Del back.”
“So, right now… Khan came to take me back to the North?”
“Yes.”
Since when did you become so responsible!
Even hiding in the room, I couldn’t resist the urge to hide in a more secluded place. How do I escape from the North! The male lead I need to conquer is here!
Anxiety surged. As I bit my lips anxiously, Andrea gently grabbed my lips with his thumb.
“It’s okay, Del. I’ll hide you. Let’s escape together.”
His voice was extremely seductive.
And at that moment, I remembered something Cain had said before.
“You’ve probably been living a similar life until now. When problems arise, you avoid, escape and find another path.”
When I heard those words, I felt so frustrated and irritated. At the same time, I felt so embarrassed. To hide such complicated emotions, I even acted hostile towards Cain for no reason.
Maybe now is the time to change, to stop hiding, avoiding, and running away. It’s a moment to face challenges head-on and leap beyond the level of survival. Shouldn’t I gather the courage and make a different choice?
However, as I was contemplating this, Andrea, who had been silently watching me, gently touched my lips with his thumb and said,
“Del, there’s nothing more important than your safety.”
