Stepping into the labyrinth-like space, my head spun.
“The Magic Tower is a spire with a sharp peak, made up of about a hundred floors. All the mages use the stairs to get around.”
As the white-haired master of Magic Tower began walking ahead, I had no choice but to follow behind him.
Those old men climb up and down this place all the time. How hard could it be? But by the time I reached the stairs to the seventy-seventh floor…
“Excuse me, but where exactly are you taking me? Is this hell or something?”
…My body felt like it was about to break apart. I had clearly recovered a great deal of mana and strengthened my whole body, yet the spiral stairs up to the seventy-seventh floor were unbearable.
“Of course not.”
Watching the tower master burst into hearty laughter as though he wasn’t tired at all, I could only frown.
He opened the door to a small room across from the stairs and spoke. “This is the place. Please, have a seat, Duchess.”
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I collapsed into the seat he indicated. I was so exhausted I didn’t even have the energy to be polite. Staring straight at him, I spoke bluntly. “Hu… I heard my parents visited you last, Tower Master.”
“Ah, right.” He murmured softly, holding his teacup lightly. “They did…” There was a distant look in his eyes, as if he was recalling the past.
I quietly continued. “I heard my parents spoke with you about the lucky stone. I would like to hear in detail what happened then.”
“For now, let us at least have tea while we talk.”
At that moment, the tower master’s secretary leaned close and whispered something carefully into his ear. Though he was close enough for me to hear, perhaps he used magic, because I could not catch a single word.
“Ah, so that has happened.”
“Yes.”
The tower master stroked his white beard and murmured. “It seems something urgent has come up, so I must step away for a moment.”
“Wait, what? For how long?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before the day is over. In the meantime, you can spend some time in the library.”
Before I could stop him, the tower master stood and quickly departed.
Then what exactly did I climb all those stairs for? All I wanted to hear about was my father’s last words, yet I had been left alone on the seventy-seventh floor of the Magic Tower with his secretary. It’s not like I’m terribly nervous since I’m with my cute pets, but… I guess I feel a little overwhelmed by the size of this room.
When I first entered, it looked like an ordinary parlor, but the moment the tower master disappeared, it transformed into a vast library. I took a deep breath and looked around.
Just then, the secretary spoke up, as if an amusing thought had crossed his mind. “If I remember correctly, the three of them spoke in this very library. The tower master and your parents, Duchess.”
To be honest, I didn’t remember my parents very clearly. Still, it’s a little strange that the secretary remembers them. I rose to my feet and asked casually, probing him. “Then let’s take a look around the library. That’s alright, isn’t it?”
* * *
The tower master’s secretary guided me near the shelves. “You may look through any book you like.”
There’s a watcher, sure, but still, suddenly opening the library to me… Anyone would think this is suspicious. I nodded and scanned the book titles. The shelves were filled with books that looked like the kind Senator Hennessy would love. Just reading the titles was enough to make me sleepy.
“It’s peaceful here.”
“Your parents also stayed in the Magic Tower once. They were such free spirits that not much trace of their lives remains.”
“Is that so?”
“Would you like to take a look?” The secretary gestured with his chin toward a shelf crammed with old, worn books. At the edge of the book, my father’s name was written. “It is a book that won’t open. It seems to be under magic.”
But… I could see it clearly. The words on the cover read, [Will You Regret It When I Die?] Why is that title here, of all places? It definitely didn’t feel like a coincidence, and for some reason, I was getting more and more anxious.
Noticing how intently I was staring at the book’s title, the secretary spoke to me. “Ah! [Will You Regret It When I Die?] Sounds like the title of a melodrama, doesn’t it? We joke among ourselves that even the archmage must have liked melodramatic romance novels.”
I bit my lip hard. No, this isn’t just some silly story. Why this title of all things? This is way too suspicious! Up until now, I’d always thought that [Will You Regret It When I Die?] was a book I’d read in my previous life, and that the female lead, Giselle, was living the very life I myself had once experienced. But if that were true, how could the title of that book be written on a keepsake left behind by my parents?
I tapped the surface of the book and asked quietly, “Is there a way to open this book?”
“Well, there’s a barrier on it, so you’d probably need some pretty powerful mana.” He added one more thing. “Books are divided into two kinds. Books with personalities, and books that are mere objects. This one is the former, so if the book doesn’t wish it, it will not open easily.”
* * *
…Curiosity really does kill. I almost used up all the mana I’d stolen from Duke Reshaniel just to try to open a single book, but I managed to stop myself in time. No way. This isn’t something I can force open with mana!
I sprawled carelessly on the floor. “When will the tower master return?”
The secretary gave me a curious look, then smiled. “He’s extremely busy, so it seems he’ll be a little late. In the meantime, would you like to have a meal while watching the stars?”
…When someone here is dying of confusion, what meal are you talking about? But the food was innocent, so I nodded. “I should fill my stomach first. Lead the way.”
Without much suspicion, I approached the terrace he guided me to. The artificial space, decorated like the night sky, was warm and beautiful, as if a shower of stars was pouring down all around me.
“The stars that appear on this terrace are a little different from ordinary stars.”
I nodded, looking at his head.
“This room was created by the first tower master. It is said that when one arrives here, a star also rises above that person’s head.”
“Wow. That’s amazing!”
“Just like the burning span of a human life, the stars shine white, or sometimes yellow. Each color is different, as if representing the unique fate of each person. So, the stars above everyone’s heads shine brilliantly. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s as if we’re all children following destinies laid out by the stars themselves…” He was explaining enthusiastically, but then he stopped and looked over at me.
“Hmm?”
“…”
For some reason, his expression twisted strangely.
“What’s wrong?”
Only then did I see the top of my own head in the window across from us. Above the secretary’s head, a dazzling constellation floated. But above mine, there was nothing but darkness. Absolutely nothing. What the hell? Weren’t these stars supposed to shine brilliantly? Does this mean my life is nothing but darkness?
I ruffled my hair in disbelief and joked, “What is this? Does it mean my life is only darkness?”
“Mmm.” But the secretary wasn’t joking. He looked genuinely troubled as he stared at me.
What is this? What’s that supposed to mean? With trembling eyes, I looked up at the star above his head. What is with this sudden, random development?
Seeing the expression on the secretary’s face, as though he had expected something, I smiled gently. “Secretary.”
“…Yes?”
“I pick up on things quickly, you know.”
“That, what do you mean?”
“You brought me here on purpose, didn’t you? What are you after?”
At that moment, his expression was colored with embarrassment.
Comments (0)