“After behaving for a while, why are you causing trouble again?”

Summoned to the Department of Magic, Givnen fiddled with the water glass in front of him, feigning indifference. The investigator sighed and began reading the documents.

“I’ve repeatedly told you never to remove the control pin under any circumstances, haven’t I?”

“I wanted to keep it in. But it’s not as easy as you say. Do you know how uncomfortable it is?”

“What’s uncomfortable about it? You just have to keep it embedded in your body. It’s not painful, so what’s uncomfortable about it?”

“I can feel the foreign object.”

“If you can’t even endure that level of discomfort, I have nothing more to say.”

“Everyone has different levels of sensitivity. I’ve said many times that I was born with an extremely sensitive disposition, unlike others.”

“That doesn’t mean we can overlook illegal actions.”

“That’s true.”

“Lupla, what did you do going all the way there? What was the purpose of your visit?”

Givnen was in a foul mood.

He had volunteered to come in for questioning, but the impatient investigator from the Department of Magic had summoned him anyway. And early in the morning at that.

As a result, his promise to “show Riley around Horizon” had been disrupted. For someone like Givnen, who prefers everything to be controlled within a plan, the Magic Department’s sudden summons was very unpleasant.

“Where I go is my business. Do I have to explain my personal reasons?”

“The control pin came out there, and checking the Lupla side’s magic meter, two strong pulses were recorded. This is enough to harm a person.”

“Are you saying I used magic to harm someone?”

“Not necessarily, but you need to explain why you had to remove the control pin there, what kind of magic you used, and for what purpose. It wasn’t just simple magic, was it?”

The Magic Department’s investigations are always like this.

Coercive, and they immediately treat people as criminals. Of course, this time he had actually committed an illegal act.

“I went to Lupla to meet my future wife. It hasn’t been announced publicly, but marriage negotiations are currently underway. I’d appreciate it if this information wasn’t leaked outside. It would be very troublesome if an article came out.”

“Who is this future wife?”

“Riley Eadalyn, the first daughter of Baron Eadalyn. Baron Eadalyn is the minor lord of the Lupla region. Lupla is part of Marquis Kiev’s territory, so you can check if you look it up.”

“Then what magic did you use? And for what purpose?”

Givnen answered nonchalantly.

“Well, it was my first time there, and the area was more underdeveloped than I expected. I couldn’t even use a teleporter, and could only use rickshaws and carriages. The distance was far, and I wanted to see my wife quickly. So what could I do?”

“Are you saying you used spatial movement magic? The mana fluctuation seems too large for that.”

“I’ve been suppressing my magic for so long. When I tried to use magic after a long time, controlling mana wasn’t easy.”

“It’s hard to believe that someone like you, who has been skilled at mana control since birth, had difficulty controlling mana.”

“I’ve been controlled for a long time. My body had gotten used to that controlled state. The recognition pin restricts 90% of my magic power, and I removed it. It’s only natural that the overflowing magic power would be uncontrollable for a moment, isn’t it?”

“And then?”

“I used spatial movement magic, but as you know, it was my first visit there, so the coordinates were set to a strange place and I ended up in the middle of a forest. But would you believe it, that forest was a place where all kinds of beasts lived, forbidden to humans.”

“……”

“The beasts there were really big. Just my bad luck, I ran into two bears the size of houses. So what could I do? I had to protect myself. Is my body only mine? No, I’m a national asset, so I couldn’t be careless with my life.”

“So you used magic?”

“This was self-defense.”

“Looking at the magic power levels, it seems like enough to take down not just beasts, but magical beasts and more.”

“Then maybe those bears were magical beasts.”

The investigator looked at Givnen with suspicious eyes, then wrote down the statement content in the testimony report.

Then he handed over a new control pin.

“Insert it.”

“I thought I could enjoy some freedom after a long time, but this is too much.”

“We’ll send the fine bill to Horizon. This time we’re letting it go because there’s no evidence, but if you continue to be uncooperative, it will be troublesome.”

“I’m telling you, this time it really couldn’t be helped.”

“This investigation isn’t over. If additional inquiries arise, we’ll call you, so please come promptly without delay.”

“As you know, I’m a very busy person, so I hope you appreciate that I’m doing my best to make time. I’d like you to respect my intention to appear voluntarily.”

“…You may go.”

Givnen shrugged and stood up. Then he greeted with the kindest smile in the world.

“Well then, take care.”

The investigator remained stern despite his flower-like smile. After suffering several hardships from falling for that smile, he had resolved never to be fooled by that handsome face again.

While there were more than a few suspicious points, without direct evidence, they had no choice but to believe the testimony from his own mouth. Unfortunately, since he had used magic in a remote, underdeveloped area, finding witnesses or evidence was practically impossible.

‘Anyway, that slippery guy wouldn’t spill the truth easily.’

And even if they tried to squeeze the national talent who was the tower master of Horizon,

‘It would only put my position at risk.’

The investigator stamped the investigation report as concluded.

Givnen’s scandal didn’t just cause a stir externally. If anything, the internal commotion was much greater than the external one.

Especially the members of ‘Horizon’, where he was the owner, were still debating about who the tower master was dating this time.

While few among them believed the rumors of a love affair, this time was different from before as the woman’s identity was shrouded in mystery, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the level of interest was at its peak. Isn’t it human nature to become more curious when something is completely hidden, rather than openly revealed?

In that sense, Sack was at a loss for how to interpret the scene unfolding before his eyes.

“I thought you were absent.”

“I am absent.”

“Then why are you here? And not alone, but…”

For the man and woman who had caused a sensation with rumors of an affair to come to work together.

Are you crazy? Sack struggled to suppress the words rising to his throat and managed his expression.

“My wife wanted to see my magic tower, so what could I do? I have to show her around personally.”

He says such embarrassing things with an indifferent face.

Is he really crazy? Sack barely managed to keep his mouth from falling open.

“You were the one who wanted to hide the young lady’s identity more than anyone else, so why are you suddenly doing this?”

If you’re going to be so open about it, why not just make it public?

“Is there a better place to hide than here?”

“There are many eyes watching.”

“I don’t think I need to worry about that particularly.”

“……”

“Those eyes and mouths. They’re all mine anyway, aren’t they?”

“…That’s true, but.”

The magicians of Horizon are not loose-tongued. No, they can’t be.

Magic towers, especially large ones, have strict security due to technology leaks and various other issues. The employment contract explicitly states that they will not disclose anything seen or heard in Horizon to the outside, and this remains in effect until the contract is terminated and the magic cast at the time of contract is removed.

The contractor makes a contract by pledging their magic power. If the contract is violated, a special magic is activated and consumes a significant portion of the magic power in the body. The consumption of magic power means the consumption of life force.

Unless one is not afraid of death, no fool would carelessly run their mouth.

There’s no need to worry about this fact leaking out right away, but… is there any benefit to deliberately catching the eyes of many people? As soon as they quit being a tower magician, they become ordinary citizens, and the magic controlling their mouths loses its effect.

Moreover, the first floor of the tower was open to the general public. Among them were reporters desperate for a scoop, and people sent from other competing towers.

Of course, if they had any sense, they wouldn’t go near the open first floor… but you never know what might happen.

Sack was flustered because he had never once brought someone he had a personal relationship with to Horizon.

Of course, Riley was essentially his fiancée, but still…

“They’ll probably just see Riley as a business guest I brought. Or as you said, they might see her as my lover, but so what? What more can they do than gossip among themselves? It will remain as a rumor. Even the rumors of an affair are just rumors unless I acknowledge them, right?”

Why do you have to act in a way that might inflate those rumors?

Sack sighed deeply, lamenting his position of having to adapt to Givnen’s reckless behavior while being bewildered.

“I’m planning to show Riley around every corner of the tower except the first floor, so Sack, you should go to the Academy.”

“The Academy? Why suddenly…”

“Say I’m calling a council meeting.”

“Why suddenly call a council meeting…”

“It’s an important matter. Convene it secretly.”

“…Understood.”

Although the Academy was an affiliated institution of Horizon, it had a very independent nature. Moreover, since his younger sister Rivne was managing the Academy’s affairs, it was actually a place Givnen had almost no involvement with from his perspective.

‘A person who has had no interaction with the Academy, what is he thinking…’

“Well then, shall we go?”

Thinking it was quite a spectacle to see him playing hooky after submitting an absence request and then coming to work, Sack shook his head.

Regardless, Givnen pulled Riley’s hand.

“Let’s go.”

“Will it be troublesome for you if I come here? If that’s the case, you don’t have to show me around. I’ll go back.”

“It’s not like that.”

“…That person seemed to have a troubled look.”

“Most of the employees are concentrated on the 1st and 2nd floors anyway. The other floors can only be accessed by authorized people and there are very few of them. And they won’t think it’s strange.”

Riley nodded.

Givnen pulled Riley along.

·

·

·

The large magic tower Horizon had 20 floors above ground and 3 more underground.

The 1st and 2nd floors were open to outsiders, the 3rd to 7th floors were work spaces divided by department, the 8th to 13th floors were living facilities for tower workers, and the 14th to 18th floors were educational and research facilities.

And the 19th to 20th floors were composed of personal work spaces for the tower’s executives and Tower Master Givnen, as well as facilities for receiving distinguished guests, with the number of people drastically decreasing as you went up.

“Is this underground?”

“The 3rd basement floor.”

“What’s that huge magic circle?”

“It’s a magic circle that can activate large-scale teleport magic. It can move up to ten thousand people at once.”

The deeper underground, the more top-secret facilities that should not be known to the outside world.

Not only the magic circle that could activate large-scale teleportation, but also the magitech development lab and the magic power storage, which could be considered the core of the tower.

“Is this the magic power storage?”

“Yes.”

“Is all that huge thing magic power?”

Givnen nodded while looking at the huge mana storage.

“It’s the magic power that gathers at this base. After refining it here, we separate it again and supply it to places that need magic power.”

“Do other magic towers have such storage too?”

“Yes, originally the start of magic towers was an institution that managed stored magic power.”

“…It’s amazing. But there’s not a single person here?”

“There’s only one manager here. Not just anyone can manage this. And that guy is probably sleeping in the rest room over there now, as it’s his sleeping time.”

“…It’s much bigger and wider than I thought.”

Riley stared intently at the huge mana storage. The enormous crystal body with a bluish light was very beautiful. Givnen, who was staring at Riley captivated by its beauty, said,

“I heard that Mr. Ryston used to manage this place back then.”

“…Father did?”

“Yes, only high-level magicians can manage large amounts of mana. The position of manager of such a mana storage can be considered right below the tower master.”

‘I can’t imagine it.’

To think that father worked in a place like this.

The only image I had was of him always wearing shabby clothes, covered in dirt, going out to chop wood, gather herbs, and hunt animals.

Riley tried to imagine her father working here. It was so unfitting that she couldn’t imagine it at all. So she just stared blankly at the magic power storage.

And Givnen looked down at Riley like that.

He thought of his dying mentor in this place.

“I didn’t want to hand over my position to you.”

“Yet you passed everything on to me.”

“What can I do, among all those disciples, you’re the one who caught my eye.”

“If I caught your eye, you should have let me live more freely. Locking me in this prison, you’re cruel, old man.”

“I thought you would do well.”

“I cannot live up to your expectations, sir. What on earth made you believe in me……”

The mentor died here, coughing up blood.

“Ryston’s daughter, she flickers before my eyes.”

“Why did you keep putting it off? No matter how busy, no matter the circumstances, if you had just made up your mind, you could have granted Ryston’s request at any time.”

“Ryston overlooked one fact.”

“What is that?”

“That I am small-minded.”

“For an archmage who dominates the empire to be small-minded, everyone else must be less than a thimble.”

“I cannot handle him, nor his daughter. But you’re different.”

“My capacity is that of a thimble, sir.”

The dying man looked at peace. A feeling of finally being liberated. Seeing that face, so peaceful as if finally free, made the mentor’s death not entirely sad. For a moment, I even thought it might be for the best.

“Ryston is truly cruel. Leaving his child in my care. How cruel, frightening, and terrible that is……”

“……”

“I don’t have the confidence to handle his child……”

Ryston asked Yung to take good care of his daughter, but the mentor couldn’t take her in. The reason he kept postponing and postponing taking her in was because he was struggling to escape from that situation himself.

He didn’t have the confidence to handle the daughter his friend had left in his care, and so he even thought of killing her. But he couldn’t do that, could he? As he kept putting it off day after day, quite a long time had passed.

“Givnen.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I leave it to you.”

“…What should I do?”

“Find Ryston’s child, and bring her here. Keep her… adequately. Guard her thoroughly. Let no one touch her, let no one know she is Ryston’s bloodline. Never let her fall into their hands. And if you feel you absolutely cannot handle it, bring her here to Horizon. And then……”

The mentor pleaded desperately while coughing up blood.

“Kill her with your own hands, without anyone knowing. Leave no trace. Here… just as Ryston took in the bloody bundle and killed his wife himself. You too……”

And now she is here in Horizon.

Ryston’s bloodline, his only daughter. Riley Eadalyn.

At the very place where the mentor died coughing up blood.

The corners of Givnen’s mouth, who was staring at Riley, curved into an arc.

‘…Then should I kill this woman here? Sir?’