Chapter 10

EP.10 Looking for a New Job (3)

"But a professor?"

"Isn't there an academy where I'm a professor?"

I nodded.

I had been asking because you've been going out a lot these past few days. I remember it was clearly the Aphria Academy.

"The dean there asked me. He said there's no decent teacher nearby. So I thought I might recommend you."

"Me?"

"Didn't you say you weren't planning to return to the tower immediately? From what I see, you've been turning down all the offers that have come your way."

"That's true."

Several towers have been sending letters these past few days. They said they wanted to meet me, offered me high-ranking positions in the tower, and so on...

'I turned them all down.'

I turned down all those offers.

There were two main reasons for this. The first was the nature of those towers. Unlike the Gray Tower, high-ranking positions in other towers were all like drinking poison.

'If I sit in such a position, I'll end up shouldering all kinds of responsibilities.'

That was something I absolutely detested.

And the second reason, of course, was this body of mine.

With rumors about me growing bigger every day, if it were to be revealed that I'm in this state...

"Ouch."

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

It would be a hundred, a thousand times better to remain somewhat mysterious as I am now.

"And didn't you say it yourself? About this body and a second life or something."

"Y-Yeah... I did."

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and trailed off.

-Why did you come back in this body?

-Well, Laniel. You always had your reasons.

-Did you have a good reason this time too? If so, try to convince me.

Back then, to avoid being grilled, I made up all sorts of excuses. About building a record with this body and then returning to the Gray Tower...

I probably made up something like that.

Even though it was a hasty lie, it wasn't entirely false.

I can't live as Laniel.

To be more precise, as long as I am Laniel, I can't return to the Gray Tower.

I had already left the Gray Tower on my own once. I had stepped down from the position of tower master.

Even if there was a 'demon king extermination' as a noble cause, from the tower's perspective, it was just a betrayal.

The elders who had supported me.

The current tower master who had willingly handed over the position to me.

That was a betrayal of their expectations.

And to return to the tower without the achievement of defeating the demon king and demand the position of the next tower master?

'That would just be garbage. Kail would say that.'

It seems the next tower master has already been decided.

If I were to express my intention to return to the Gray Tower as 'Laniel' at this point... it would be a nuisance in many ways.

'Even if I were to return to the Gray Tower, it would be with a new identity. Someone who has built a record from scratch.'

I had no intention of living my second life as Laniel. Suffering through annoying responsibilities and forced obligations once was enough.

Not as Laniel, a member of the hero party.

But as just another mage.

For that, I'm prepared to discard my name. Is a name really necessary for walking the path of magic?

'So, Master, instead of a recommendation from the tower, a recommendation from the academy... huh?'

As I was organizing my thoughts, a question suddenly came to mind.

"By the way, you said you're a professor, right?"

"Yes."

"Is that academy big enough to accommodate someone like you?"

An elder of the Gray Tower.

A mage recognized as a sage by ancient dragons.

My master is such a person.

Thinking about it, he's not the type to be just a professor at a mere academy. Maybe as the dean, but not just a professor.

My master chuckled as if it were absurd.

"Well, five years ago, it might have been."

"Huh?"

"Tell me if you recognize any of these names."

My master spread his fingers and began to list them, folding them one by one.

"Zigbert of the Flame."

"Oh, I know him. He was famous in the second front."

"Lucifer of the Enchantment."

"Oh, that enchanter? Thanks to him, we were able to take down the Black Knights more easily. You know him too, Master?"

"Rox of the Turmoil."

"Oh, the one who caused a landslide."

They were all names I knew.

I had encountered them at least once on the battlefield, and they had always been a great help, so I remembered their names.

"Master, you were interested in the battlefield? You know all their names."

"···They're all graduates of Aphria. They all passed through my hands at some point."

"Oh..."

Indeed.

"Hmm..."

My master sighed and shook his head.

"Sometimes I feel like I know more about the world than you do. Laniel, if you don't want to be called a grumpy old man, you should keep up with the news."

"Huh? A grumpy old man? No, what do you mean? The academy was just..."

"That's exactly what a grumpy old man is, Laniel."

That's too much.

"Anyway, thanks to the achievements of those graduates and the rising prestige of mages, the reputation of Aphria Academy is not something to be taken lightly."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Even the royal family seeks out Aphria Academy. The Fourth Princess has expressed her intention to enroll."

The Fourth Princess...

Wait a minute.

"Stella's...?"

"Yes, the one blessed with mana loved by the stars."

I widened my eyes.

If even the princess is applying...

"Hmm."

I feel like I'm falling behind the times.

Have I become an old man in just five years?

As I stared into space with a despondent look, my master cleared his throat and continued.

"Well, this year, besides the princess, many talented students are expected to enroll. Not just noble children, but also exceptionally gifted children."

"Hmm."

"Teaching such students will naturally raise your reputation. You might also build connections that will be helpful in the future."

That made sense. Indeed, Aphria seemed like a good stage to start anew.

"Will you do it?"

"Yes, I think it will be fine."

I nodded.

"Then let's get it done quickly."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

My master smiled.

"Don't you need a new identity?"

2.

"Huh? What did you say?"

The Fourth Princess, Ayla, blinked.

"Professor Roselle has adopted a daughter?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Suddenly?"

Ayla tilted her head.

Of course, it wasn't uncommon for mages to adopt children. Given the importance of talent in the study of magic, it was common to adopt and raise talented children.

The issue was that the person who adopted the daughter was 'Roselle von Trias.'

An elder of the Gray Tower.

The mentor of the renowned Gray Mage, Laniel.

Such a person adopting a child was not a trivial matter.

"What's her name?"

"Her name, as it appears in the documents, is 'Lania von Trias.'"

"Hmm..."

Something seems off.

"What does she look like?"

"The person has not been seen yet."

"Usually, such things aren't kept so quiet."

The adoption ceremonies Ayla remembered for mage families were excessively grand. They held different meanings from ordinary adoptions.

This was a declaration that the child would be their successor.

It was also a warning to other mage families.

'But, to keep it so quiet and not let it be known...?'

Her fingertips tingled.

Ayla bit her index finger slightly. She had been warned many times that it was a bad habit, but she couldn't help it.

This was a signal from the stars.

'Lania von Trias.'

She repeated the name to herself.

The stars whispered in her ear.

Remember this name.

"Hmm."

A faint smile appeared on Ayla's lips.

Her tingling finger felt hot. It had been a long time since she received such a strong 'signal.'

"Interesting."

Ayla narrowed her eyes.

Lania von Trias, the adopted daughter of Professor Roselle.

She had a strong feeling that she would be deeply involved with this girl.

3.

-Professor Roselle has adopted a daughter.

-...Is that true?

-He never showed interest in Resti.

-...This could be a big deal...

-Is Laniel's identity still unknown? Perhaps...

It's noisy.

-What about Resti?

-Don't call her by name. She's the next tower master for now.

-...Isn't she still young?

-That child... Well, for now...

It was noisy.

-There's no need to worry since she'll be at Aphria Academy for a while. It was her choice.

-And, in terms of talent...

-I'm looking forward to the daughter Professor Roselle has adopted.

-What kind of...

The next tower master of the Gray Tower.

Resti, the girl who had been appointed to the position, covered her ears.

-...Nothing special.

-In terms of talent.

-Rather, Laniel.

-Still...

She walked through the noise, even with her ears covered. No one paid any attention to Resti as she walked.

Was it because they were pretending not to see her?

Or did they really not see her?

After so long, Resti had given up on distinguishing between the two.

'Annoying.'

Resti frowned.

'Rather, don't come back. Just die there.'

She swallowed the words that could get her executed if spoken aloud and walked through the tower.

'Why did you come back? Why now?'

His traces were everywhere.

There was no corner of the tower untouched by the Gray Mage.

Resti lowered her head even more.

She couldn't escape his shadow.

Whatever she did, she was compared to him. No matter what level she reached, she was compared and diminished.

-He achieved that at thirteen.

-Laniel reached that level years before you.

-It's been five years since he left, and you're still...

Voices echoed in her ears like tinnitus.

Resti bit her lip hard.

"..."

Would things improve if she went to Aphria Academy?

Resti hated this suffocating tower.

After walking for a while, Resti suddenly stopped.

'Lania von Trias.'

The name the mages had mentioned earlier.

The person adopted by Roselle, the elder who had never shown interest in her.

'You must be pitiful too.'

Resti repeated the name to herself and smiled bitterly.

'You'll be compared to death. You'll be diminished.'

Just like she had been compared to the previous next tower master.

She would be compared to that man, Roselle's first disciple.

Walking in the shadow of that famous Gray Mage, she would be constantly compared.

Resti felt a strange sense of intimacy with this girl she had never met. She even wanted to see her face.

Author's Note

I wrote this chapter to introduce the characters.

It's a bit expository, but I felt a chapter like this was necessary before diving into the main story.

*The reason the princess calls Laniel with the honorific 'nim' is not about social status, but out of respect.

*I kept to the weekly five updates...!