Chapter 36: Uninvited Guest (1)

Tower of Dawn, 6th Library.

As befits the Mage Tower’s library, it was a treasure trove of knowledge, with an extensive collection of books covering various topics such as the history of the ancient magic of the continent.

Especially when talking about the Mage Tower’s library, it was impossible to overlook the treatment of magic books that were stored there.

The seven Tower masters, considered to be at the forefront of the magic world, were all highly skilled and worthy of the title of Archmage. However, possessing the skills of an Archmage did not necessarily guarantee one the position of Tower master.

While some Tower masters continued their research in their respective fields, others held important positions in institutions outside of the Tower, such as Mitross Gerald, the head of the magic department at the Estellia Academy.

However, the reason why the seven towers could always be at the forefront of the magic world was the history they possessed and the enormous amount of magic books that this history had produced.

A magic book was not simply a book that contained spells for learning magic. Such things were classified as magic books that did not contain mana.

The study of magic was like a path towards “transcendence,” not just to perform miracles. Magic books were closer to by-products created by magicians walking this path.

These books were called magic books because they were left behind to allow others to learn the wisdom they gained in their quest to find their true selves while walking the path toward transcendence. Therefore, magic books gained mana or magical power from the moment they were created, unlike simple books.

Could a mere piece of paper with a few letters written on it truly compare to an object that contains the wisdom of the path to the divine? The difference between a magic book that could embody that knowledge through reading and a book that only contained spells was significant.

The Mage Tower was fundamentally a research institution for studying magic.

It was also a place that fostered a sense of community among its members. The first seven wizards of the Seven Towers, who were considered the creators of magic, left behind numerous spellbooks for their successors. Over time, these accumulated and formed the foundation of the structure that exists today.

Since they held a monopoly on “wisdom”, it was inevitable that the Mage Tower’s position would grow stronger over time.

Even prior to the current Seven Tower masters, there were Tower masters who left behind magic books that were housed in one of the Mage Tower’s libraries. However, access to these books was strictly controlled and limited to the Tower masters alone.

As one might expect from magic books left by the so-called Archmages, some contained powerful spells that could potentially destroy an entire country. Therefore, it was natural that such dangerous objects were closely guarded.

The 6th library of the Tower of Dawn was also a place where such dangerous magic books were stored.

The basis of the magic handled by the Tower of Dawn was ‘Star Power Magic’, which was performed by borrowing the power of the stars, and the 6th Library was a place where magic books on this type of magic were kept.

Since previous Tower masters were also proficient in Star Power Magic, it was natural that the magic books they left behind were kept in the sixth library.

While it was true that the magic books of previous Tower masters were stored in the 6th library of the Tower of Dawn, gaining access to them was a separate matter altogether.

As a result, the 6th library, which housed books on Star Power Magic – the foundation of their magical practice – may have been the most familiar place for the people of the Tower of Dawn.

Merely reading the magic books was not enough to fully acquire the wisdom contained within them. Each person had a unique level of understanding and interpretation of the knowledge. Therefore, even to this day, wizards who were passionate about the study of magic continued to frequent the 6th library, seeking to further enlighten their minds and deepen their understanding.

But there was someone who stole their attention. It was Joachim Edelweiss, the current tower master of the Tower of Dawn, and his daughter, Elena Edelweiss.

The hair of Edelweiss had a pure somewhat pure white body and hair, which was likely symbolic of their ownership of the Tower of Dawn – also referred to as the “White Tower” due to its white exterior.

Although it wasn’t the first time Elena had come to the sixth library, as always, her appearance drew people’s attention to one place, and even a wizard obsessed with magic couldn’t be an exception.

Since Elena had been away from the Merohim for a while, her sudden appearance was inevitable to draw attention. Moreover, with the tower master, Joachim, by her side, it was impossible not to look at them.

However, as soon as Elena and Joachim took out their books, everyone started to focus on their work again.

No matter what position Elena and Joachim were in, as long as they came here, they must have sought wisdom like everyone else. Knowing that, they no longer paid attention to the two, and poured their minds into understanding the magic books they held in their hands.

But contrary to their thoughts, Elena had no intention of seeking wisdom like them in this place.

This was not because she was not interested in magic as a discipline, but because she had already acquired all the knowledge of magic books here. Even if she went back in time through “regression,” her mind wouldn’t go back to the past.

“Elena, every star in the night sky has its name, and that name carries power. Using this, we can cast constellation magic…”

The information that she already knew flowed out of Joachim’s mouth. Nevertheless, the reason why Elena was listening to Joachim’s explanation about magic here was because of what she had said to him.

When Elena told Joachim that she didn’t know something, it was just an excuse she hastily made up for her lonely father.

According to her original plan, she should have been walking in the winter castle with Damian by now and telling him about her memories in the winter castle. However, to prevent Joachim from taking her and Damian somewhere else, it was an unavoidable situation.

If she had left it as it was, all the plans she had previously made could have been in vain, so Elena had to think of something to stop Joachim urgently.

“The barrier that is struck in the Tower of Dawn is also made using the power of the stars. Do you know what those stars are?”

“Hex, Rigel, and Duroa, three of them.”

“You know it well. Then this time, let’s talk about something else…”

However, as time passed, the lesson that Elena had with Joachim, which was just excuses, became more and more pleasing to her.

Upon careful consideration, Elena had never received any real teachings from Joachim during the three lives she had lived.

She was a genius that surpassed Joachim, and it only took a little time to read the magic books in the Mage Tower, but it didn’t take that long to make them her own. After that, she also had a mentor, but it was not Joachim.

Therefore, even for Elena, spending time with her father like this was the first time.

Since Elena had more knowledge than Joachim, the questions he asked her were not a problem for her, but she answered Joachim’s words with a happy face.

Joachim also couldn’t help but smile when he saw his daughter answering his questions with a bright smile. When Elena answered the last question without any difficulty, he spoke to her with a small smile.

“As expected, my daughter. You can answer any question without any difficulty, there’s no genius like you in this century. So, what did you say you were curious about?”

“Ah!…That, so…”

Joachim’s words made Elena aware that her lie had been exposed.

She was enjoying answering so much, that she forget to pretend not to know and ended up answering fluently. But Joachim just smiled at the flustered Elena without any intention of scolding her.

He folded the book in his hand and put it back on the shelf, speaking to Elena in a soft voice.

“Do you really like him that much?”

“……Yes.”

At Joachim’s words, Elena blushed lightly and answered in a small voice.

Seeing that, Joachim gently stroked Elena’s hair without saying anything. To his affectionate touch, Elena, like Joachim, didn’t say anything and just let him stroke her hair.

“You’ve been a kid who doesn’t talk much since childhood. You don’t laugh very often. That made me and Adele worry a lot… But now we don’t have to worry about that.”

Because Elena had always been reserved with expressing her emotions since she was a child, Joachim found it strange to see his daughter suddenly brighten up. He was grateful to Damian for bringing out such diverse emotions in Elena.

‘The moment I see even the slightest traces of water around Elena’s eyes, I’ll put him in an ice prison.’

However, there was something that never changed.

“By now, that guy must have talked enough with Damian. Let’s go back now. We’ll have to prepare again if we want to go outside.”

When Joachim said that, Elena smiled brighter than ever and quickly prepared to leave.

Joachim knew that Elena would react like that, but when he saw her bright smile, he couldn’t hide the bitter smile on his face.

He was happy to see Elena smiling brightly, but he couldn’t help but feel a bitter smile on his lips when he thought that that figure was caused by Damian, not he himself.

***

“Father, you knew already….”

I wonder when he started to realize.

Maybe he knew from the beginning.

My father looked more serious than anyone else in the world, but I knew that there was a mischievous boy inside him. Even though he probably knew it from the beginning due to his personality, he deliberately didn’t say anything.

Still, it was enjoyable.

Even though it was just solving a simple problem, I found myself getting absorbed in conversation with my father without realizing it.

At first, I was definitely disappointed that I was losing time with Damian, but maybe it was because that person was my father. When I actually spent time with him, the disappointment wasn’t as great as I thought it would be.

I just hadn’t realized what this winter castle meant to me, and how precious it was to reunite with the connections that had been broken here until now, because I had been hidden with him all this time.

The comfort that enveloped my body since returning to the winter castle was similar to when I went out on a date with him in Sarham.

Was that why I was able to summon up such courage?

The reason why I, who would normally turn red and harden just by facing him, was able to say the words I couldn’t say to him so easily might be because this place was the most comfortable place for me.

However, it was inevitable that I could not help but smile at the thought of meeting him as soon as my father gave permission, probably because I kept thinking of him.

The pitying eyes of my father who looked at me like that still did not leave my head.

But what could he do? It was almost inevitable to hide his feelings towards him, even if my father looked at him with that kind of gaze. Hiding it was enough just as he had done in his previous life.

“I think he’ll be fine…”

After breakfast today, the corners of my mouth went up involuntarily at the thought of him making an expression of mesmerization at what he had heard from my father.

Perhaps he was in a similar situation now. At that time, his gaze sent toward me as he left the place was cute and reminded me of an abandoned puppy

Knowing Franz’s personality, I knew that there was nothing to worry about.

He already knew who the uninvited guest my father had been talking about at the banquet yesterday was. No matter how good Franz Erthuwen’s barriers to spatial isolation were, there was no way he couldn’t have noticed what my father had noticed.

I didn’t know what happened between him and the Duke of Erthuwen, but I didn’t worry too much.

As far as he could remember, the atmosphere and personalities of Duke Erthuwen and Count Kraus were quite similar.

Thinking back to my father, who had spoken to him with a smile on his face, it seemed like my father already knew that he would be troubled by Duke Erthuwen.

“Elena…”

Undoubtedly, the figure that had just come into my eyes was stretched out to the point that it reminded me of slime.

What kind of hardship must he have gone through to look so worn out? I was curious, but for now, I just smile and greet him.

Above all, it was not often that I had a chance to see him so down. I hastened my steps to see his face.

“Damian, why do you look like this… um… um…”

“I wanted to see you.”

But contrary to my expectations, the moment I stood in front of him, I couldn’t move my body the way I wanted.

Before I could look at his face and talk to him, he naturally hugged me and whispered in my ear in a small voice.

With his sudden warmth enveloping my whole body and his gentle voice ringing in my ear, my mind momentarily became paralyzed. It was not like this was the first time he had held me like this, but it still felt too sudden.

But my thoughts were already melting away in his warmth to the point where rational thinking was impossible.

I couldn’t even begin to think about why he was holding me.

My sanity had been erased and my mind was bleached white, so my only instinct was to get closer to him by burying myself in his arms.

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