Magic Tower Domain.
A land known as the most magically advanced city in the empire.
The Magic Tower, a workplace every mage dreams of, stands tall at the center of this land, making it a cutting-edge place where the most advanced magic in the empire is encountered first.
Because it’s the Magic Tower Domain, satellite cities sprang up around it to benefit from its presence.
Four cities, each positioned to the east, west, south, and north of the Magic Tower.
The city to the east is filled with countless merchants and businesses.
A place where various goods pour out in conjunction with the tower. An area teeming with so-called “idea products”.
However, due to the large lake nearby, fog and rain are frequent, giving it a more commonly known name: The City of Fog.
Harun, the City of Fog.
Ssshhhhhh—
Professor Quinoron closed his umbrella. Rain poured down as if the sky had been punctured.
“Quinoron Schadenfreude. Unique ID 005. Requesting passage authorization.”
What he was facing looked like nothing but a solid wall. A filthy back alley piled with waste.
Wuuuung—
[Quinoron Schadenfreude. Authorization granted]
From the dull gray wall, red letters began to appear, followed by a pentagram. Professor Quinoron waited patiently with a gentle smile.
“You still go through these meaningless rituals. What’s the difference between this pentagram and trash tossed by the roadside?”
Drrr.
Drrrrrrr…
With those words, the wall suddenly gave way.
Beyond it was a place resembling a luxurious mansion. The space inside was far larger than what it looked like from outside. But there were no windows anywhere.
The reason he had come all the way to Harun, despite being supposed to remain at Tane Academy, was simple. It was to make a report to Harunsdel, the organization where he served as the lead research mage.
Normally, he wouldn’t be the one reporting directly, but in such a special situation, it was unavoidable.
Knock knock.
He strolled into the room and knocked on the thick wooden door at the far end before entering.
“You’re here, Schadenfreude.”
“Maria.”
Inside sat a young girl….she couldn’t have been older than fifteen. Yet there was something strange about her appearance.
Being a professor at Tane was a position backed by great social prestige and formidable skill.
Someone like Quinoron should have been overwhelmingly powerful—
Yet in front of this girl, she behaved arrogantly.
A subtle but undeniable sense of pressure radiated from her. But that wasn’t all.
Her eyes were a muddy crimson. Like a single drop of milk had been mixed into pure blood.
A color no natural eyes could possess.
“Thanks for coming all this way.”
Maria.
An honorable title that only a mage who has created a new arcane path can earn.
One who bears the name of Archmage.
Archmage Maria.
Why is a figure from the previous generation who had vanished without a trace here, in such a place?
“Come here and kiss the top of this body’s foot. It’s your reward for your hard work.”
She extended her pale, slender foot and whispered. Despite her still-young appearance, a strange, almost intoxicating aura wafted from her like a scent.
But Quinoron remained silent, as if he had witnessed something unpleasant.
“What’s the matter, Schadenfreude? Why don’t you hurry up and kiss it?”
“I came to deliver a report.”
“Oh dear… how dull.”
She let out a languid sigh.
Despite having been speaking this whole time, her voice lacked any intent to communicate. A tone so faint it bordered on a whisper.
But Quinoron was used to it. Perhaps a side effect of her outwardly youthful appearance. Maria always spoke with a drowsy tone.
Quinoron asked calmly:
“What about the Elder?”
“Before that…”
Maria began preparing tea.
“Drink.”
“…What a hassle.”
Without a word, Quinoron downed the tea in a single gulp. Rather than a fluid, it felt more like a thick liquid, closer to a viscous substance, which churned his insides.
That’s when it happened.
Clang—!
A sound like something shattering in midair.
His expression hardened, and powdered paper began to fall from the jacket he was wearing.
The magical device attached to Quinoron had been destroyed by the effect of the tea he just drank.
“So you were carrying something. Quinoron. A location-tracking spell, perhaps…”
“…What?”
He searched his memory.
Who could have done it?
Since when had he been tracked?
His face which was normally smiling twisted like that of a demon.
Maria spoke.
“Quite an amusing method. A seemingly ordinary magical imprint… but it was coated with a potion to avoid detection. An extremely sensitive one at that… very inventive.”
“…Can you tell when it activated?”
“Let’s see… it’s not that the caster was particularly skilled… it’s more like… threading a needle with an impossibly thin string… Yes, something like the pinnacle of crude craftsmanship…”
“You, as an archmage, should be capable of something like that.”
“Hmm… I hate to admit it, but I couldn’t pull it off.”
A definitive statement from an archmage, one who has lived for over a hundred years.
Which could only mean one thing:
A clear failure on his part.
Quinoron tried to recall carefully.
“…No way.”
What came to mind was something involving a student.
The boy who had murdered the Special Forces Knight Commander right before his eyes and placed Heinel Shifter nearby to prevent Quinoron from intervening—
Professor, there’s something on your coat.
The one who said that while casually brushing dust off his clothes—
Was none other than Adel Bliss, the very subject of Quinoron’s report.
So that’s when he attached it… I didn’t notice a thing.
Had he been under observation the entire time as well?
Realizing that, Quinoron let out a low, bitter sound.
Watching him, Maria tilted her head slightly.
“So then, Schadenfreude, who exactly is reporting here? Is it Quinoron, head researcher of Harunsdel? Or…”
She stared directly into Quinoron’s eyes—
And slowly opened her mouth.
“…is it the report of the fifth-ranked Worshipper?”
***
“…The link is broken.”
I muttered to myself.
The funeral had ended, and I was able to receive my belongings…
But the receiver for the tracking spell I had placed on Quinoron had been destroyed.
“Took a lot of effort to make that… Did he meet with Maria?”
It was highly likely.
And for good reason.
The technique I used on Quinoron was something that normally couldn’t be broken—
An application that defied this world’s common sense.
Here, it’s widely accepted that the more talented a mage is, the worse they are at potion-making.
The stronger a mage becomes, the more powerful their natural mana wave, which in turn interferes with the stability of the potion during the final stages of creation.
Standing atop that common sense, the method I used was something only a magically nullified being like me whose mana wave didn’t leak out could attempt.
And yet, it was destroyed.
Which meant only one thing: Quinoron had drunk Maria’s tea.
Originally, Quinoron wasn’t supposed to make a move until the end of the second semester…
Another change.
Guess the timeline has shifted forward.
This might mean he’ll get involved in the Harunsdel arc earlier than expected.
If that’s the case, things are about to get messy.
I’d better start setting things up at Tane in advance.
Early afternoon.
Heinel, with her owl-like sleep schedule, had just gone to bed.
I quietly left the underground level of the Magic Tower.
***
Time flew by like an arrow.
Three days had passed since I received my belongings and discovered the receiver was broken.
Now, I was bowing my head at Tane.
Of course, I wasn’t returning as a student.
“I’m Adel, and I’ll be managing the maids in the Department of Commerce this time.”
I greeted the maids.
Placing a hand over my chest, I maintained a posture of elegance.
I had disguised my identity and gotten a job at Tane.
As none other than the head butler managing the maids.
It hadn’t been difficult.
First, there was the “experience as head butler for the Shifter family” that Heinel had arranged for me…
“I’m Sally, and I’m joining as an experienced hire!! Nice to meet you all!!”
Second, it was thanks to Sally’s ability “Innocent Purity” and her willingness to help without hesitation.
On top of that, I borrowed just a bit from my “Shape Transformation” trait, changing my body shape, facial features, and hair color to resemble the Rage Demon. With that, there was no way anyone could recognize me as the original “Adel Bliss”.
“Adel, the head maid from another department will give you a direct briefing. And Sally… since you have experience, please take care of the cleaning duties.”
“Understood.”
“Okayyy!!”
By day, I was Tane’s head butler.
By night, I assisted Heinel with her experiments.
Thus began my double life.
There was only one reason for going to such lengths.
The eldest son of the Harunsdel family is enrolled in Tane’s Department of Commerce.
To collect a demon’s form, I needed to get close to someone from the Harunsdel family.
And since I’d secured a status that allowed me to move freely around Tane, I planned to visit Camilla as well.
“The head maid will arrive shortly, Adel. No matter how extensive your experience may be, make sure to show proper respect to your superior.”
“Yes.”
Still, there was one problem.
I’d never actually worked as a butler before. What if I came off as awkward?
Well, I’ll just pick things up quickly.
With that thought, I turned to look at the approaching head maid.
.
Wherever you work, your mentor is important. I wanted to make a good impression.
A blonde woman appeared.
The first thing that stood out was her height.
We were almost eye-level.
Even though I’d taken on the form of a fairly tall adult male, she matched me.
Step—
Even her footsteps were steady, her posture radiating the poise of a true servant.
I returned her graceful greeting and, with a sideways glance, examined her face.
…Strangely familiar.
There was something oddly recognizable about her.
And then—
“I’m Ellis, the head maid.”
“…….!”
At her sudden introduction, I nearly gasped. That’s when I realized who she was.
Her! She’s the one who looked the other way when Awen and I snuck out… Awen’s half-sister!
“I look forward to working with you, Adel.”
“…Of course.”
Ellis Damir.
The way she deliberately avoided stating her last name told me everything I needed to know.
This servant life wasn’t going to be easy.
***
In life, it’s not unusual to hear someone’s name once.
Most of the time, it’s just fleeting gossip that would soon be forgotten.
But what if you hear the same name a second time?
At that point, someone might begin to remember it. Others might start paying attention.
And the third time? The fourth?
If someone keeps coming up in conversation—
“…So the Bliss name still carries weight, even in decline.”
An elite academy, Tane’s youngest early admission student.
The author of a thesis that once shook the magical academic world.
[Adel Bliss]
A first-year who earned two department crests in a single semester. A certified genius.
Some even whispered that he might one day rival Heinel Shifter.
And then, he took on a ring of demon worshippers within the academy, crushed their schemes head-on, and even eliminated a demon the military had failed to subdue.
With accomplishments like that, attention is inevitable.
Especially from powerful noble houses and merchant guilds, always starving for new talent….they’d be foolish not to keep an eye on him.
In fact, had things gone normally, he would’ve been flooded with offers.
If only… he hadn’t been reported dead.
“…Hmph.”
Marquis Damir tapped his desk thoughtfully.
He was one of the very few who knew that Adel Bliss wasn’t actually dead.
He’d heard it firsthand when Adel came to him about the Koskov incident.
“……”
If Adel hadn’t come to him first, he would’ve had no idea the boy was still alive.
Of course, the Damir family was a marquis house of the Empire.
If they had tried to look into it, they might’ve picked up on something suspicious…
“Faking his death to divert attention… That’s not the kind of boldness you expect from someone his age.”
Adel Bliss was clearly no ordinary person.
He didn’t fall short even when compared to the marquis’s own children who were blessed with dazzling talent. No, perhaps Adel even possessed a kind of brilliance none of the Damirs ever had.
After all, while the Damir children had lion-like integrity, they lacked the cunning of a snake.
…I should strengthen this connection. What you lack in blood, you make up for with bonds!
The marquis crossed his arms and began to ponder.
Who would be best?
Which of his children was still unmarried?
“A future archmage, paired with the heir of a prestigious swordsmanship family! Hm! Not bad at all! Truly, water reaching its extreme turns to ice. A perfect union of opposites!”
A truly exhausting line of thought….from Adel’s perspective.
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