Page 226

Sharin and I lay together in bed, both undressed.

And this was happening in front of none other than my father-in-law, the Blue Tower Master.

“Ugh, so hot…”

Sharin tossed off the blanket and rolled over.

Watching her, it was easy to guess how things had escalated to this state of undress.

My body temperature is high because of the ashes of the flame.

Naturally, anyone lying next to me under the blanket would feel overheated.

She didn’t want to get out from under the blanket, but she was too hot to stay fully clothed—so she reached her own conclusion.

A very Sharin-like decision.

The problem was… this shouldn’t be happening right now.

An awkward silence passed between me and the Blue Tower Master.

Given that I’m currently her fiancé, the tension with my future father-in-law was unbearable.

“You’ve finished engraving all the magic sigils, I see.”

The Blue Tower Master was the first to speak.

Apparently, even he found the atmosphere uncomfortable.

It was a relief to know he still had some human emotions left.

“Yes, Sharin engraved them all.”

“If that’s what I came to check, then it’s done.”

The Blue Tower Master pointed to something on the table.

Looking closely, there was a staff wrapped in fine cloth resting there.

“It’s a staff made from wood soaked in the waters of a pure mana spring for a thousand years.”

Just hearing that made it clear how valuable it must be.

And I knew exactly what that staff was.

It’s the final staff used to max out your stats in the last chapter.

I couldn’t believe he actually found it.

Now I understood why he said it would take time.

“I originally intended to replicate the staff used by Zerion.”

The Blue Tower Master clicked his tongue, unsatisfied even with this final staff.

“But that was impossible with modern techniques. Zerion crafted his staff himself.”

His admiration for Zerion was still going strong.

I couldn’t quite understand what about Zerion had captivated him so much.

It was honestly fascinating.

“Still, this staff should be able to handle that girl’s mana.”

The countless staffs that had exploded from trying to contain Sharin’s immense magical power…

Now, they would finally find peace.

“Give it to her when she wakes up.”

The Blue Tower Master stood to leave.

I wanted to see him off, but I was only in my underwear—it felt a bit wrong to step out from under the blanket.

“Oh, by the way.”

He turned back as if remembering something.

“The palace’s head mage came to see me recently.”

“You mean Lord Arcadium?”

Arcadium, the royal court mage.

A system established to keep the power of the towers in check.

But most mages still stuck to the towers, and the court mage’s position became more like that of a civil servant seeking job stability.

Still, the head of the court mages held considerable authority.

They could at least offer opinions to the towers.

Of course, even the court mage was still just a minor figure before the empire’s tower masters—who were among the world’s elite.

“He was oddly nice to me.”

I blinked.

“Are you bragging about being on good terms with the court mage?”

“That’s just it—it is odd.”

The Blue Tower Master slowly stroked his chin.

“He doesn’t like me much.”

Given that the court mages were created to counter the towers, it was only natural that he and the Blue Tower Master wouldn’t be close.

“To be precise, I’d say he dislikes me.”

Frankly, the Blue Tower Master wasn’t exactly the type to be well-liked.

The saddest part was that he didn’t seem to realize this himself.

“It’s just a hunch.”

He fixed his gaze on me.

“Be careful.”

A warning from one of the world’s most powerful mages—worth remembering.

“Any chance you could explain that hunch more clearly?”

“When a mage acts, it’s always for one reason. He’s up to something magical.”

Looks like I’ll have to find out for myself.

The Blue Tower Master wasn’t one to get involved in the world unless the Blue Tower was threatened.

There was no point in expecting his help.

With that, he left.

Now alone with the still-sleeping Sharin, I reached out and gently patted her head.

Please, put on some clothes already.

* * *

Sharin woke up around four hours later.

She had stayed up all night studying magic, and again all night engraving sigils.

She had every right to sleep that long.

“Time to brush your teeth.”

“Ugh…”

I dragged the groggy Sharin out of bed and helped her wash up.

Even then, she kept dozing off while trying to get dressed, so I had to wake her and dress her again.

Now I understand the daily struggles of Isabel, who always battled with Sharin.

“…Why am I undressed?”

Sharin finally noticed her lack of clothing.

Then she glanced at me, her eyes filled with a suspicious kind of hope.

“We didn’t do anything. You just got hot in your sleep and took them off.”

She looked disappointed.

I have no idea why she expects things like that.

“Still a baby…”

I should probably have a talk with her soon about keeping her mouth shut.

“Here. This is the staff the Blue Tower Master brought for you.”

Sharin, now somewhat awake, accepted the staff.

Her drowsy face changed the moment she held it.

“…This is good.”

Recognizing its value instantly—that’s a true mage for you.

“So, think this’ll work?”

Sharin spun the staff once in her hand and gripped it tightly.

“Yeah, it’ll do.”

With this, the preparations were complete.

Now we just had to meet the Duke of Whitewood, inform her, and defeat the ancient dragon again.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

She was fully rested and full of energy.

Time to sweep them away!

* * *

The prestigious Zerion Academy, known as the best in the world—

There, a woman with honey-blonde hair sat deep in thought.

Her name was Isabel Luna.

A second-year student at Zerion Academy, soon to be promoted to third year.

Lately, she had become increasingly pensive and prone to sighs.

And it was all because of one person.

Vikamon Niflheim.

The man who had captured Isabel’s heart.

He had once attended the academy as a student from Hannon, but he was no longer here.

The reason?

Her once-close friend, Sharin.

“That fox.”

At the thought of Sharin, Isabel ground her teeth.

They used to be best friends, but now Sharin had become more than a friend—she was a rival in love.

To be fair, Isabel had fallen for Vikamon later than Sharin had.

Remembering that pricked her conscience, but it was too late to turn back now.

Every night, the mere thought of him robbed her of sleep.

“Sigh.”

Isabel let out another sigh as she stared out the window.

Vikamon’s face floated before her wistful eyes.

“…I miss you.”

How had it come to this?

Even she had to admit she was in pretty deep.

Just then, a familiar face walked briskly past the window.

A girl with fiery red hair and a confident face.

It was Seron, a close friend of Isabel’s.

“Seron.”

When Isabel called her name, Seron turned to look.

She had just finished another round of training—her clothes were a mess.

But her face showed not a hint of discouragement.

Always confident, no matter where she was.

That was Seron’s way.

“Hey, Belle. What are you doing?”

“Thinking about him.”

Isabel spoke honestly, and Seron nodded knowingly.

She too had been furious when she found out that Sharin had taken Vikamon.

But a person who’s already left can’t just be brought back.

Seron had poured all her emotions into her training instead.

Lately, Aisha and even Eve had joined her.

Thanks to that, smiles had returned to Aisha’s face.

She was happy to have more training partners.

The training sessions were growing more intense by the day.

“Seron, how can you focus solely on training?”

Isabel asked frankly, and Seron blinked.

Then she scratched her cheek and answered.

“Because Prince Sweet Potato wouldn’t get distracted.”

Vikamon was the kind of person who, once he had a goal, moved straight toward it.

Even if he encountered temptations or obstacles along the way, he would push through.

Isabel knew this well.

That’s why she never asked for more love than he could give.

“Makes sense. That’s just who he is.”

“Yeah, it’s frustrating, but I’m waiting. I’m sure he’s off doing something incredible again.”

Seron just hoped he wouldn’t get hurt.

Then she suddenly smiled brightly.

“And most of all, because he got angry—for me.”

Isabel froze.

It was true—Vikamon had regained some of his emotions.

And the trigger for that had been Seron.

She found comfort in the simple fact that he had gotten angry for her sake.

A situation Isabel hadn’t even considered.

She felt a sense of crisis.

She had yet to help Vikamon recover any of his emotions.

She and Seron were never on equal footing to begin with.

Seron looked like a new bride waiting for her husband to return from a journey.

She had that calm, confident air about her.

Something Isabel completely lacked.

If Sharin happened to help him recover another emotion during all this…

“I’ll be the only one who…”

Her eyes trembled slightly.

An increasing sense of urgency welled up inside her.

While everyone else was moving forward, she felt like she was falling behind.

She could see Vikamon laughing joyfully between Seron and Sharin.

And she was sitting miserably to the side.

As for Nikita… she didn’t even want to go there.

“I’m off to shower.”

While Isabel was still in shock, Seron, covered in sweat and grime from training, casually walked off.

Isabel couldn't bring herself to stop her friend, who seemed so composed.

She buried her face in her hands.

She knew that panicking wouldn’t change anything—but her heart was still restless.

“If only I were by his side…”

Maybe she should’ve gone with Sharin.

As Isabel wallowed in deep regret—

She suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

And saw another familiar face.

“Rina?”

Rina, one of Isabel’s closest friends and fellow second-year, was standing in front of her, panting for breath.

“Be—Belle!”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Isabel tried to calm her down.

But what Rina said next made Isabel’s eyes widen in shock.

“Lucas—Lucas’ grave has been dug up!”

It had been a few days since the anniversary of Lucas’ death.

The grave built in his memory had been disturbed.