If the Imperial Academy was an organization that studied a wide range of knowledge, then the Magic Tower was one that focused exclusively on magic.
And Olga Hermod, the master of that tower, revealed the existence of her disciple to the tower’s elders.
“Hmm, a disciple all of a sudden…?”
“Well, this is unexpected.”
The elders’ reactions varied.
Some welcomed the news as if it were a good thing, others found it unsettling, and some even expressed open opposition.
It was only natural.
How could they welcome the existence of a successor they hadn’t even known existed. Someone whose face they had never seen until now?
With no proof of merit, their only possible stance was to step back and watch.
“Well, at least this means we finally have someone to lead the next generation of the tower.”
“The Tower doesn’t exactly offer generous pay. Honestly, no one’s eager to become Tower Master, so this might be a blessing.”
Those who welcomed the disciple’s existence also expressed concern.
Because so many of the Cradle’s talents had perished in droves, it was clear that the future would suffer from a severe manpower shortage.
If the newcomer’s talent was mediocre, that was one thing. But the survivors from the Cradle were so exceptional that they could secure a place for themselves anywhere.
Would such people even consider the Magic Tower worth their time?
“But is the Tower Master’s disciple really a capable person? To be honest, the Tower Master is far too soft…”
“If you have something to say, Elder Karok, by all means, keep running your mouth.”
“Khmm… No, forget I said anything.”
Those who felt uneasy were concerned about Olga Hermod’s gentle personality.
Olga Hermod was by nature a kind person.
That could be considered a virtue, but when it started to affect matters of great importance, it became a cause for worry.
However, Olga Hermod had intended to offer another explanation instead of calling Yuna her disciple if Yuna had lacked even the minimum qualifications.
It was only because Yuna had been so confidently self-assured that she had pushed forward with the “disciple” title at all.
“A disciple or not, shouldn’t we see her skills first?”
Those who opposed the idea or rather, everyone in the room shared one pressing curiosity.
What kind of ability did someone worthy of being the Tower Master’s disciple possess?
Even if this was the Magic Tower, without a certain level of proven skill, it would be hard to accept someone as Olga Hermod’s disciple, regardless of her personal support.
“Hmm.”
While the elders raised their voices, Olga Hermod quietly lifted her teacup. The thought of having to persuade them made her throat feel dry.
She took a sip of the bitter tea, then set the cup back down and began to explain about Yuna.
“She’s a child I rescued from the Cradle.”
“Is that so? Who exactly…?”
It wasn’t unusual for some of the Cradle’s teaching staff to be affiliated with the Magic Tower.
In fact, even here in this room, there were three or four elders who also taught there.
After all, the Magic Tower was the only organization left with enough accumulated knowledge to teach magic—
Why?
Because the Emperor had eliminated every other group capable of doing so.
“Her name is Yuna. She’s currently a second-year student in Class D.”
“Did you just say Class D? That’s the class with the lowest academic performance after the recent curriculum restructuring, isn’t it?”
The elders without Cradle connections immediately voiced their disapproval.
To them, the Tower Master’s disciple should at least be in Class S. If not, then at least Class A.
But the elders who had actually taught at the Cradle saw things differently.
“I see… so that’s what happened!”
“In that case, it makes sense.”
“Hah, no wonder it felt strange.”
They all knew that Yuna had entered Class D of her own volition—
And that she had done so after infiltrating a faculty meeting, deceiving everyone’s senses in the process.
For teachers already accustomed to dealing with constant threats and attacks, that experience had left a chilling impression they wouldn’t soon forget.
“As some of you already know, there’s no one with greater talent for deceiving others than that child.”
“Well… if we’re talking about a successor in that sense, then I suppose there’s no helping it.”
Olga Hermod was an illusionist.
And for an illusionist, the ability to deceive another’s senses was essential. Not only magical talent but also a keen sense and intuition.
Still, if that was all Yuna had, it wouldn’t be enough to fully qualify her as the next Tower Master.
“Even if her magic skills are somewhat lacking, with the Tower Master personally teaching her, she’ll surely make some progress.”
“That would be fine if she were only going to remain the Tower Master’s disciple. But isn’t she, barring any unforeseen events, going to be the next Tower Master? It’s not like the Tower Master is going to suddenly marry at this age and produce an heir… Most likely, she’ll adopt the girl later as her successor…”
“That’s enough.”
Olga Hermod let out a sigh as she looked at the still-divided elders.
At least they were quick-witted, as one would expect from scholars.
The only thing they had wrong was that Yuna was already her adopted daughter.
“I intend to show you her abilities right now. If anyone still has doubts, feel free to see for yourselves.”
“In that case, I’ll be the one to check.”
One of the elders who had been particularly combative from earlier raised his hand.
Olga Hermod stared at him for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“I’ll say this in advance. The child doesn’t know many spells.”
“What?”
“She has remarkable magical potential, so I planned to start teaching her from here on.”
“What is that supposed to…”
“Well, she said she’d explain it herself, so why don’t you ask her directly?”
With that, Olga Hermod turned her gaze toward one spot in the room.
There, Yuna was sitting at the meeting table with perfect composure.
“When did she get there…?”
“Puhihihihi! Why the surprise? I came in together with the Tower Master, but it seems none of you even noticed me.”
Yuna glanced around the room with a meaningful smile.
“Oh, but I must say… I’m a little disappointed.”
“Haah…”
Olga Hermod could already feel a headache coming on.
She had given Yuna the stage after Yuna assured her she could handle things, only for the girl to start tap dancing all over it.
“Wh-What…?”.
Even the elder who had been openly hostile and had volunteered to test Yuna found himself stammering, momentarily at a loss for words.
Should he get angry? Should he attack?
Yuna waited, ready to handle either reaction with ease.
“I’ll admit your talent for deception, but your magical ability still needs to be tested!”
“Oh, a surprisingly moderate response…”
Even though he looked ready to explode with rage, he was still making a calm, rational decision.
In a way, Yuna’s provocation had only made her look like the bad one here.
“Alright then. How are you going to test me?”
Yuna grew intrigued and deliberately asked in a way that sounded like another provocation.
“Before we begin, we should know exactly how much you….ahem, how much Miss Yuna understands about magic.”
“Uh, well…”
He truly was a calm and principled man, someone who kept business and emotion strictly separate.
No wonder he had reached the position of elder.
In the end, Yuna had to abandon her plan to rattle him with needless taunts.
“I don’t mind. Show me whatever magic you’re most proud of.”
“Hmph! Then watch closely!”
At that, the elder jumped to his feet and swung his staff.
Yuna watched carefully, waiting to see what spell he would cast.
“Behold! A rainbow!”
“….…”
“Bwahahaha! Isn’t it beautiful? If you thought magic was nothing more than a tool for attack, you’ve made a grave mistake!”
It was an incredibly harmless spell and, from Yuna’s perspective, it was clearly a low-level one at that.
An illusion spell that manipulated light refraction, but one that seemed to rely heavily on creative application.
In other words, a spell meant purely for testing.
Yuna imitated the elder’s spell with a sheepish expression.
“Is that enough now?”
“Hmph! At least you have the bare minimum of skill.”
Then the elder took his seat.
That was it. He didn’t comment any further.
What? That’s it?
The acknowledgment had come far too easily.
In fact, it was so simple that she began to wonder why she’d felt any animosity toward him in the first place.
“Then, I’ll give it a try next.”
“Ah, yes.”
Perhaps noticing the expression on Yuna’s face, the elder who had been relatively quiet until now let out a sigh and rose from his seat.
“Elder Ged may be a bit rough around the edges, but he’s not a bad person. That test just now was too easy, wasn’t it?”
“Easy? For a beginner who’s just started learning magic, it’s actually difficult!”
“Ah, yes. Elder Ged, I respect your… generous standards. Still, I believe it’s important to clearly understand one’s limits. You can’t teach effectively without knowing the student’s level, can you?”
“Mm….”
“Then, Miss Yuna, would it be alright if we proceed the same way as before?”
“Yes.”
The one stepping forward to test Yuna now was another elder called Talia. She was a woman around the same age as Olga Hermod.
With a light swing of her staff, she began preparing the second spell.
“Now, follow this…”
“Done.”
“Hmm.”
Though Elder Talia deliberately cast the spell slowly so Yuna could follow it easily, she still seemed slightly surprised to see Yuna replicate it so effortlessly. The corner of her eye twitched.
Then, as if pleased, she allowed a faint smile to form on her lips and promptly demonstrated a more difficult spell than the last one.
“Here you go.”
“Oh…”
And once again, Yuna copied it immediately.
Her eye for detail was remarkable. Or… could it be that her claim of knowing little about magic was actually a lie?
For a more thorough assessment, Elder Talia this time demonstrated a spell far more difficult than the one she had shown earlier.
Just as the gust of wind she had conjured began to sweep through the council chamber—
“Huh?”
Yuna copied the spell with ease once again, causing Elder Talia’s composed expression to crumble.
It was a spell not yet made public. More precisely, it was an unfinished and unstable spell still under research.
Yet Yuna had replicated it effortlessly.
“Tower Master, where on earth did you pick up a monster like this?”
“She walked right in on her own.”
“You caught a fine one.”
Perhaps because the words came from the ever-calm and collected Elder Talia, the other elders soon exchanged subtle smiles as if they too had taken a liking to Yuna.
Yuna, however, felt a strange sensation. How should she put it?
It’s like I just put on a little talent show in front of a group of old folks. Is this really the Magic Tower?
***
After the meeting ended, Yuna followed Olga Hermod into her office while letting out a sigh and grumbling.
“…You never told me they were such nice people.”
“I never said they were idiots, either.”
“You did say they were picky.”
“They are picky. But if they were truly malicious, do you think I would’ve left them be?”
Illusion mages were skilled at deceiving others, but that also made them quick to see through other people’s deceptions. And Olga Hermod, who had reached the very pinnacle of the field, could often tell what kind of person someone was with nothing more than eye contact.
“Still, I was on edge the whole time. I didn’t expect… that kind of ability.”
“Puhihi, it’s a good ability, isn’t it?”
“Never show it in front of others. You’d be better off pretending to be just a magic prodigy.”
Olga Hermod let out a faint sigh, as if she was genuinely concerned.
Yuna’s awakened ability was as exceptional as her magical talent.
But it was far too dangerous to simply call it a “good” ability.
“To be able to copy not only another’s magic, but even their awakened abilities…”
The ability of Copycat.
A ridiculous awakened ability that could mimic anything visible. Whether it was magic, divine power, or other awakened abilities.
“I can’t copy abilities that are beyond my own capabilities anyway. And once I use it, I can’t copy it again until I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
“In other words, as long as your capacity allows, you could even replicate the awakened abilities of the imperial family. Be careful.”
“Yes~”
“You really don’t understand the seriousness of this.”
Every time Olga Hermod became involved with Yuna, she felt her headaches getting worse.
Beautiful looks, the profession of an assassin, talent, and now even a dangerous awakened ability—
Every part of Yuna was like a ticking time bomb.
“Please, live quietly.”
“How is the daughter of the Tower Master supposed to live quietly?”
“Somehow.”
“I’ll try.”
Olga Hermod shut her eyes tightly as she looked at Yuna’s playful smile. Try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike her.
Once again, Olga Hermod realized she was far too soft on children. She rose from her seat, thinking she should prepare a fresh pot of tea.
But then—
“Tower Master, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Who could possibly…?”
“…It’s a member of the imperial family.”
Olga Hermod and Yuna both frowned before tension crept into their expressions.
For an imperial member to visit the Magic Tower at this timing….could this really be a coincidence?
Olga Hermod subtly glanced at Yuna. Yuna simply shrugged, as if to say she had no idea what this was about.
“Who is it?”
“Her Highness, the Third Princess, Lobelia.”
“Phew… well, that’s at least some relief. Tell her I’ll be down shortly—”
Upon hearing that the imperial visitor was Lobelia, Olga Hermod let out a sigh of relief.
Since Lobelia wasn’t a malicious person, it was unlikely she had come to use Yuna’s existence as leverage against her.
It was probably just a coincidence.
Relieved by that thought, Olga Hermod only then noticed the absence of the girl who had been sitting right in front of her.
“…No way…”
Yuna was gone.
The realization sent Olga Hermod into a fresh wave of inexplicable headaches.
***
Lobelia was feeling guilty toward Ariel.
After all, she was the one who had told Ariel’s romantic rival how to become a noble.
Even if it was information anyone could find with a little research, the fact that it had come from her own mouth was something she simply couldn’t stomach.
That was why Lobelia had come to the Magic Tower in secret to offer Ariel some sort of gift as an apology.
And now, Lobelia was…
“Hello, Your Highness.”
“H-How did you…?”
“What do you mean, how? Ah, you didn’t know? I’ve become the Tower Master’s disciple. Well, I’ve always been naturally gifted, you know.”
She was standing face-to-face with Yuna who was wearing a Magic Tower robe.
Lobelia who was quick-witted instantly grasped the situation.
“Ah, could you keep this a secret? It would be better for you as well, Your Highness.”
“Ugh…”
At that moment, the number of people suffering from a splitting headache increased by one.
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