Chapter 50

EP.50 Resty Eleonoa (1)

Resty Eleonoa, the next candidate for the head of the magic tower, with her ash-gray hair.

Of course, Resty is a talented magician. Her talent was recognized by the ash-gray elder.

She learns quickly.

At such a young age, she can already draw top-tier circuits.

She was born with the talent of a summoner.

It was the elder's recommendation, who recognized the talent of the ash-gray magician Raniel at first glance. There is no room to doubt her talent.

This is not a story limited to absolute standards.

Even by relative standards, Resty is a high-level magician.

Currently, there are two people mentioned as candidates for the next head of the black and white magic towers. The incantation master Belnoa and the battle mage Rack.

-They are rare geniuses.

-They are the ones who will adorn the future.

Many people admire their level.

However, when Resty is placed on the same level as them, the first name called out is Resty.

-Her level is different.

-At her age, to control that many familiars and spirits simultaneously... Only the heretic Gletus could do it.

That is the level of her talent. Even when evaluated relatively, her talent does not falter.

However.

As is often the case with relative terms, the evaluation ultimately varies according to the standard.

"Disappointing."

"..."

A single word makes Resty's breath catch.

"You had a month. To be precise, a month and a half, but... considering your schedule at the academy, let's assume a month."

The top floor of the magic tower, the level of the elders.

Six seats arranged along a semicircular dais.

Four of the six seats are filled.

Two seats are empty.

One belongs to Elder Roselle, who raised the previous head of the magic tower, and the other to the oldest elder, Gileon.

"Is this all the result of a month's research?"

A cold voice rings in her ear.

A voice devoid of any emotion. Resty slowly lifts her head.

"..."

There are eyes that silently look down on her.

Four elders are looking at her. Their gazes hold no expectation.

The result of a month's research.

Despite completing it by sacrificing sleep, the elders' gazes are cold.

Tap.

One of the elders taps the table with his finger, as if bored. Someone rests their chin in their hand indifferently. Another even yawns.

"The research you conducted over a month is just one. Moreover, its completion is far from satisfactory."

Resty bows her head.

"Your grades at Aphria are said to be top of the class, right? Well, you should at least do that much. Given how poor your research results are, you should at least do that much, shouldn't you?"

"Enrolling in the academy while sitting in the position of the next head of the magic tower is quite a laughable situation..."

A mocking voice is heard.

"Looking at you now, you're just at the level you should be."

Resty bows her head a little more.

A pile of documents falls in front of Resty, dropped by one of the elders.

There's no sign that they even read it properly.

The crumpled pile of papers rolls around at her feet, as if it wasn't worth reading.

"..."

Resty bends down to pick up the papers.

She kneels and sorts them one by one.

"I miss five years ago."

"That child... no, that person overturned the magical world every ten days, not to mention a month..."

"Wasn't it our fault for not stopping that person back then? More precisely..."

"Because of the owner of that empty seat."

The elders are chatting among themselves.

Resty is no longer in their thoughts. She picks up all the papers and bows her head slightly.

There is no elder to acknowledge her bow.

Just as Resty is about to leave, a voice stops her.

"The elder is getting old. To have placed such a half-penny in the position of the next head of the magic tower..."

The words halt Resty's steps. Her fingers tremble as she holds the papers.

"Raniel von Trias."

Someone mentions that name.

The same name again. A name she has heard so often that she no longer wants to hear it, rings in her ears.

Raniel.

If it were Lady Raniel...

Lady Raniel, at your age...

Raniel, Raniel, Raniel...

"..."

Resty bites her lip hard.

Her steps are heavy as she walks away, ignoring the elders' mockery. Her head, bowed deeply, shows no sign of lifting.

It's always like this.

No one looks at her. They all seek someone who is no longer here.

For how many years now?

The magic tower is no longer a place of dreams for Resty. It has become a place she doesn't want to return to, where she feels suffocated.

'Really hate it.'

Blood trickles from her bitten lip.

Resty leaves the magic tower with her head bowed.

2.

"Mr. Allen."

"Why is that, Professor Lania?"

At my call, Allen, who was roasting coffee beans, poked his head out.

Allen is a barista who was originally a master alchemist. In other words, the owner of the cafe in Aphria Academy where I became a regular.

I asked him a question.

"Mr. Allen, aren't you taking a break? Isn't today a holiday?"

Aphria had a short break recently. So I naturally assumed the cafe would be closed.

But, to my surprise.

I came to the school just in case, and the door was open. I immediately rushed in, ordered a coffee, and sat by the window...

'Now that I think about it, does this person even have a day off?'

It suddenly occurred to me. The closing time is a bit early, but I've never seen him take a full day off.

As I asked the question and waited for a response, Allen stopped roasting the coffee beans.

"Really?"

"Excuse me?"

She answered my question with another question.

Her voice is strangely low.

"Why can't I take a break, Professor Lania?"

Allen's eyes, which are smiling, are sunken. It seemed like there was some unavoidable reason.

'Is someone bothering her?'

It was something I couldn't know.

I tilted my head and replied.

"Well... I don't know?"

"Fine, if you don't know, that's fine."

Allen grumbled and started roasting the coffee again. I glanced at her for a moment, then shifted my gaze back to the window.

The shiny window.

Aphria, visible beyond the window, is quiet.

'It's a holiday, so that's to be expected.'

The absence of students in the academy gives a strange feeling. Occasionally, a few assistant professors can be seen moving along the floor.

In the past, I would have been shocked... but now, it's nothing unusual.

'Assistant professors always move like that.'

Having seen such scenes often over the past month, I've become accustomed to it. It's not an unusual sight.

I rest my chin and sip the coffee through a straw.

The sunny view of Aphria hasn't changed much from when I first visited this cafe a month ago.

The unchanging scenery gives a strange sense of comfort.

'After seeing battlefields where the terrain changes daily, this feels unfamiliar too.'

Looking at the unchanging scenery, it feels like this is what daily life was like. The past five years of my life come to mind.

While I was lost in such idle thoughts, a figure caught my eye.

It's not a professor. It's not one of Aphria's staff either. It's an elderly man in a suit. His attire and gait exude dignity.

Of course, such attire is not uncommon. It's something you often see. What caught my attention was something else.

The cane the old man is holding.

That cane is given to only six people. And one of them is in my possession.

'Because my teacher gave it to me.'

Originally, the cane belonged to my teacher and five others. The fact that the old man is holding it indicates that he is an elder of the Ash-Gray Magic Tower.

The old man approaches me.

He stands in front of me, separated by the glass. At that moment, I remember his name.

'Elder Gileon.'

The oldest elder of the Ash-Gray Magic Tower was looking at me through the glass.

3.

Tap, tap.

The sound of the cane tapping the pavement echoes. Once, this cane was used to cast spells. It was a cane that burned demons and cleared uncharted territories, laying the foundation for the Ash-Gray Magic Tower.

But that's all in the past. The cane is now used only to support the ground. It is merely a tool to help an old body move.

'Time is merciless.'

Gileon feels a bit of bitterness at this fact.

He tries to stay young, but his body continues to age. While he can prolong his life with elixirs, Gileon does not want such an ugly extension.

He lives according to his own nature.

He is content with what he has been given and polishes it.

He does not seek what is beyond his reach.

That was the belief Gileon held throughout his life. However, even that belief is now wavering.

When a lifelong belief wavers.

Finding the reason is not difficult.

'Because what I have dedicated my life to is now wavering.'

Gileon sighs and thinks.

'The Ash-Gray Magic Tower is currently in a precarious state.'

The Ash-Gray Magic Tower, to which he has dedicated his life. Gileon can feel the tower's instability.

'Caused by the issue of the next head of the magic tower.'

Resty Eleonoa.

Of course, Gileon does not doubt Resty Eleonoa's qualifications. After all, she was chosen by the Ash-Gray Elder himself.

'Besides, she has the talent of a summoner.'

While she may not match the previous head of the magic tower, she has the qualifications to lead a single tower.

The problem is not Resty herself.

The problem is the gazes of others who look at her. Everyone doubts her qualifications.

At the center of this are the elders.

Led by the elders, the old generation of magicians constantly raise questions about her qualifications. They use the Ash-Gray Magician as an example to tear apart her achievements.

'Comparing her to the Ash-Gray Magician is a mistake.'

There is no achievement that remains unshaken in the face of what the Ash-Gray Magician has built. Even the achievements of past heads of the magic tower would waver.

Gileon knows him.

However, other magicians do not. More accurately, they pretend not to know. Thus, they chase only the afterimage of someone who has already left the tower.

A magician should always look forward.

They should explore the unknown, leaving the past behind.

But the current Ash-Gray Magic Tower is not like that.

The current Ash-Gray only recalls the brilliant period of five years ago, dwelling on the past.

'This must not continue. Ideally, the next head of the magic tower should lead this...'

However, the current power of the next head of the magic tower is weak due to the excessive factionalism and pressure from the four elders, excluding himself and Roselle.

'This perception itself is not good.'

The next head of the magic tower has no power.

The elder is not in a state to lead the tower.

Roselle has grown tired of the tower and is half out of the position.

What remains is himself.

How to resolve this situation.

Gileon has known the answer for a long time.

'Resty, I'm sorry, but... bringing in a new next head of the magic tower is the right answer.'

He knows the answer but has not acted on it.

'Because a new magician with a legitimate claim to succeed the Ash-Gray Magician, Raniel, was needed.'

Until now, such a person has not appeared.

'But now, it's different.'

Tap.

Gileon extends his cane one last time.

He stops in front of a certain cafe.

"..."

Inside the cafe, a girl is sitting. Gileon looks at her through the glass. She also looks at him.

Ash-gray hair and blue eyes.

A girl whose appearance reminds one of someone.

Gileon recalls her name.

Lania von Trias.

Roselle's adopted daughter and second disciple.

Her background, which has a connection to Raniel, is more than ideal. There is no one more connected to Raniel than her. So, the next question.

'Does she have the qualifications?'

Gileon recalls the achievements she has built in a short period. Those achievements more than prove her worth.

The Ash-Gray Magician, Raniel von Trias.

She has the qualifications to succeed him.

'This child is the only one.'

Gileon makes up his mind.