Chapter 149

Jacqueline had once told Shannon.

That Professor Winslet’s office was so empty, it felt completely barren.

That’s why Shannon felt a bit puzzled now.

Because what she saw in front of her were so many chairs it was almost distracting.

It was as if they were arranged for an orchestra, each one different in shape, spread out before Professor Winslet’s desk.

Is this some kind of riddle?

“There are a lot of chairs.”

“I asked someone to bring in a few because I had nowhere for guests to sit, and it turned into this mess. Pick whichever one you like.”

Nodding, Shannon pulled over the lightest-looking chair and sat down.

Professor Winslet was very tall.

Even while seated, he was a full span taller than her, so she had to lift her chin slightly to look up at him.

“You said you had something to say.”

She wondered what he was going to talk about.

Now that she had resolved to leave, she actually felt a bit lighter inside.

Shannon decided to think of this moment as a small bonus granted to her.

But Professor Winslet’s question completely caught her off guard.

“Are you enjoying your time at the Academy?”

“…Huh?”

“I meant, are you doing well here?”

Shannon felt awkward and unsure how to answer.

Why ask something like that now of all times?

What’s more, if it had been a question about class material, she would have understood. But this was the first time Professor Winslet had asked something personal.

She managed to squeeze out a response.

“It’s… okay, I guess.”

“Have you made friends? Do you like it here?”

“…Why are you asking me that?”

“The ambassador from Karaf came to see me.”

“…Ah.”

Shannon bit her lower lip.

A chill settled over her heart.

So that man went and blabbed about me to Professor Winslet after all.

It hadn’t been necessary.

Shannon had already made up her mind to leave, so there was no need for Camille to go about it in such a cruel way.

He could’ve at least given her the chance to say a normal goodbye.

Shannon found herself resenting Camille.

“What he said was—”

“You don’t have to tell me. I already know.”

“He asked me… to help you stay here.”

“…What?”

Shannon couldn’t believe her ears.

“He… asked you to help me?”

She had thought Camille Sapin had come to the Academy just to drag her back to Karaf.

Even Dean Kingfisher had said he brought a return request from Karaf.

And now, he was trying to help her?

While Shannon sat stunned, Professor Winslet pulled a small object from inside his coat.

“Take this.”

What he handed her was a small brooch.

Though she had never seen the emblem before, Shannon instinctively understood its meaning.

It depicted two flower blossoms and two pairs of stigmas.

The golden petals reminded her of Professor Winslet’s hair, and the green gemstones embroidered on the stigmas resembled his eyes.

The curved shapes of the stigmas formed letters—

An upside-down “W”.

“Professor, this is…”

It was the symbol representing the mage Winter Winslet.

To give it to her meant…

“Become my disciple, Shannon.”

The words came so suddenly that she couldn’t keep up.

Professor Winslet repeated himself.

“Not just as an Academy student. But as a mage, become my disciple. Then you won’t have to return to Karaf.”

Shannon was intelligent. She immediately understood what he meant.

She had thought of this solution too, back when she first saw the return request from Karaf.

But she dismissed it as impossible.

Because it would mean placing an enormous burden on the person trying to help her.

“But, Professor, if I accept this… if I take it, then Karaf will…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The man standing before her spoke without the slightest hesitation, as if it were the simplest matter in the world.

“No matter who it is, I won’t allow anyone to take what’s mine. Shannon Quinlivan, that applies to you as well. If you accept that item, I will protect you. No matter what the cost.”

Shannon had been too afraid to even ask for help, worried she might be a bother.

So she had never imagined that Professor Winslet would be the one to reach out to her first.

And if she couldn’t imagine it, there was no way she could understand it either.

Shannon asked,

“Why are you… doing this for me?”

“This isn’t kindness given freely. I want something from you.”

“You want something from me? What is it?”

If he had told her sooner, she would’ve gladly offered it without being asked.

To a mage she respected.

Without expecting anything in return.

But once again, Professor Winslet’s answer was something she could never have predicted.

“Stay by my side. At least until next year… no, the year after that.”

“…Huh?”

Even Shannon was surprised by the loud voice that escaped her mouth—

A volume she had never used in her life.

That’s how shocking Professor Winslet’s words were to her.

Stay by his side?

Anyone would misunderstand—

No, of course it was a misunderstanding, but still, it sounded like a confession!

“Why… why do you want me to stay by your side?”

The answer left Shannon dizzy.

“Because you’re special.”

The man standing before her said it.

That she was special.

Shannon couldn’t keep her expression in check.

Before she knew it, the corners of her lips had lifted.

“Special… how special?”

“To the point that I can’t do without you.”

The rest of how rare it was to find a mage with an aptitude for close combat and how irreplaceable she was…. went in one ear and out the other for Shannon.

Because what mattered was that

Professor Winslet had said it himself.

That he couldn’t do without her.

Shannon wanted to shout at the professor to stop talking.

If he didn’t, she really might start to misunderstand.

But against her better judgment, her mouth kept muttering on its own.

“Has anyone else ever received this brooch from you before?”

“No. You’re the first.”

“I see… I’m the first…”

Her brain felt broken.

She couldn’t control her body at all.

Her cheeks tightened, and her face flushed as if she had come down with a fever.

Unable to meet his eyes any longer, she looked away, but her gaze wandered aimlessly, making her dizzy.

She clenched the brooch tightly in her hand.

Just moments ago, she had felt like the tragic heroine of the most sorrowful story in the world, devastated by the thought of returning to Karaf—

But now, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

She felt foolish for having been so down.

The pot of emotions inside her began to bubble and boil.

Even she didn’t know what was inside that pot.

Maybe it was being moved. Maybe it was gratitude.

And along with that gratitude came the desire to give something back.

Not out of obligation, but out of something deeper.

Shannon looked up at the man in front of her.

Don’t say it, idiot. Don’t say it. That’s not something you can just blurt out.

Her rational mind scolded her.

A childhood memory came to mind.

The truth was, she had never been a particularly obedient child.

You’re clearly misunderstanding. What’s wrong with you?

No…something was wrong with her.

Because there was no other explanation for how she was feeling right now.

The faucet of her heart had broken.

Words poured out, unfiltered, uncontrollable.

“I feel the same way. You’re special to me too, Professor. I… I…”

Shannon couldn’t finish.

Because someone came into the office.

Knock knock.

A knock, followed immediately by the door swinging open.

“Ah! Here you are, Professor Winslet. I’ve been looking for you.”

“What is it?”

“The materials for the statement to Karaf are ready… Oh? And the person in question is here too?”

“Let’s talk outside.”

Professor Winslet rose from his seat.

He tousled Shannon’s hair with his long fingers and said,

“I’ll head out first, so take your time.”

Even as Professor Winslet strode out of the office, Shannon remained frozen in place like ice.

Only after he was gone did the embarrassment and the weight of reality finally hit her.

But the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue were too hard to swallow back down, so she just said them aloud into the empty room.

“…I think I like you, Professor.”

Saying it out loud made her feel lighter.

And while she was at it, she asked one more thing.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

Of course, no one answered.

Shannon let out a sigh.

***

A tower is a defensive structure built to repel invaders.

Karaf’s Magic Towers were built for that very reason.

Sixteen towers, one for each of Karaf’s sixteen directions, erected to protect the city from attackers.

Because they were created to stand against powerful foes, the tradition was that the strongest mage of the time would become the master of each tower.

And so, in the present day—

The master of the Magic Tower standing in Karaf’s due south direction was an 8th-class mage said to have surpassed the limits of humanity through countless secret arts and arcane techniques.

The Ascended, Venizelos.

His aged voice rang out in the Tower Master’s chamber.

“What did you say?”

“The request for the young lady’s return… was denied.”

“Say that again!”

Crack!

As Venizelos gripped the armrest of his throne in fury, the tiles on the floor trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

Through surgery and magic, Venizelos’s body had been reconstructed to outlive its natural lifespan. His forcibly expanded mind could control the entire tower as if it were part of his own body.

Thud.

When Venizelos stomped his foot, the mage who had been reporting the mission’s progress was lifted into the air.

As if an invisible hand had gripped his throat, the mage choked and gasped for breath.

“Useless fool.”

With a mere wave of his hand, Venizelos hurled him out of the chamber and turned to face the elders.

“How could something like this happen? Did that old man from the Grand Library ignore my request? I lifted the wanted status on those who stole our school’s secret arts and fled to the Fifth Library, just as he demanded. I even threw in a few unpublished research results. Don’t tell me that wasn’t enough?”

“That’s not the case.”

“Then was it those worm-like royals who dared defy Karaf’s will?”

“That’s not it either. It’s just… the Royal Academy of Laurencia replied that there was no issue with the young lady’s enrollment. Upon rechecking the documents, they say the guardian’s consent form was properly submitted.”

“That child’s guardian is none other than me, Venizelos. Who dares claim guardianship over my successor?”

“Well… it was none other than Winter Winslet.”

“What?!”

Bloodshot fury filled Venizelos’s eyes.

“Winter Winslet? That man?”

“Yes. According to the documents, he accepted the young lady as his disciple five years ago. And five years ago would mean…”

“That was when he was staying as a guest in my tower.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ungrateful wretch! As if rejecting the title of my disciple weren’t enough. He even laid hands on my great-granddaughter!”

Crash!

In a burst of rage, the windows exploded.

Shards of glass scattered like a hailstorm, swirling violently as they slashed through everything in the chamber.

When Venizelos finally calmed down, the broken shards began to move in reverse, as if time had turned back, returning to their original places.

The office was perfectly restored, just as before.

The only traces left were the wounds and dripping blood etched onto the bodies and faces of the elders.

Once Venizelos’s temper had clearly subsided, one of the elders cautiously spoke up to offer his opinion.

“We can no longer regard the young lady’s situation as a simple runaway. This is a kidnapping carried out by an outsider.”

“Indeed. That Winter Winslet scoundrel must have deceived my great-granddaughter with the face of a cunning demon. He surely tempted her, filling her head with foolish dreams.”

“Please punish the man and restore the tarnished honor of our school.”

“Very well. How should we deal with him?”

“Make him pay with his life. The librarian has also expressed regret over this incident. How about asking him to mobilize the librarians of the Fifth Library?”

“No. They only move when hunting traitors to the magical world or recurring offenders. Even if we pressed the issue, they wouldn’t comply.”

“Then…”

“Send someone from the underground prison. We have a hunting dog of our own, do we not?”

“You can’t mean to release him?”

“He’s the one who once stole the secret arts of the Venizelos school and tried to flee in secret. If luck had favored him, he would have become a killer for the Fifth Archives. His skills will be sufficient.”

“But will he submit to control so easily…?”

“Have you forgotten the geas placed on his magic circuits? Tell him this. If he kills Winter Winslet and brings back my great-granddaughter, we will lift the restriction and restore him to his former position.”

A cold smile spread across the elders’ lips.

“Winter Winslet, huh. It seems Karaf is about to lose a most precious genius.”