Chapter : 25
As my master departed for the royal palace, the spheres created for interrogation all opened simultaneously.
“Finally, freedom!”
“How long has it been since I’ve seen the outside….”
The other magicians, delighted, rushed back to their rooms, leaving me alone in the auditorium.
“Hmm…”
The situation wasn’t ideal—not for me, but for my master.
In this case, I’d have to wait endlessly until he returned.
‘…I hate this.’
My master has no idea how lonely it is to wait.
He’s never waited for anyone with all his heart.
He never needed to.
So I never showed my own feelings of disappointment. I thought that was the line I had to uphold as his disciple.
But every time I found myself in a situation like this, the sense of longing and disappointment quietly built up in my chest.
‘No negative thoughts.’
Right. If I can’t see him face to face, I can find another way, can’t I?
Even after my master left, the spheres he created with magic remained.
I stepped into the sphere that once held my master’s presence and sat down on the floor.
‘Maybe I should wait a little. Perhaps master will return soon.’
I knew he wouldn’t even realize I was waiting here.
But that was fine. I was waiting because I wanted to.
After some time had passed and it became impossible to delay any longer, I took out ink and paper.
The floor was smooth, making it not so bad to write a letter.
I sat cross-legged and dipped the pen deep into the ink.
“To my precious master”
If he returned before I finished, I would speak to him face to face.
If not… the letter would suffice. Either way was fine.
I began writing carefully, one character at a time.
Focusing on the letter made the time pass surprisingly quickly.
As I sat there, I imagined being alone in this space with my master.
‘I’d actually like that.’
Even if it was just for an interrogation, or if we simply did nothing together, I’d be happy.
‘Then I could ask all the questions I usually can’t.’
What did he do at my age?
Was there someone he cared for in his heart?
I thought of things that would surely shock other magicians and stood up from my spot.
‘It’s already dawn.’
It was truly time to leave.
I neatly folded the letter and placed it on the chair so my master could see it when he returned.
Even though I wouldn’t properly greet him, this was a satisfying way to wrap things up.
Leaving the underground interrogation room, I headed for the main gate of the mage tower.
“Themis, where are you going?”
At that moment, I bumped into a young woman rubbing her sleepy eyes as if she had just woken up.
“Ah… Aren.”
It was Aren, one of the top fire magicians in the tower and a rising candidate for the next tower master.
“I have some business outside.”
“Wait, no! Who’s going to deal with the Archmage’s tantrums if you’re gone until the end of today?”
Seeing Aren’s panicked face made me soften. After all, she was the one my master teased the most.
“Don’t worry too much. Once the culprit is caught, the Archmage should feel better.”
“That’s perfect… By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go out alone. When will you return?”
“Hmm, about a week?”
“You’re not someone who goes out often, so I can’t really say anything… Take care, then.”
Aren slumped her shoulders and waved goodbye.
“Yeah, thanks.”
…Strange. I thought I’d leave without a single farewell, but this felt different.
Aren, whom I rarely interacted with, spoke to me so warmly.
‘Maybe I should have a meal with Aren when I return.’
Sharing a meal is the best way to maintain relationships.
Outside, the carriage was already waiting. I glanced back at the mage tower once more before boarding.
Even at four in the morning, the tower was brightly lit, filled with nocturnal magicians.
‘Good luck.’
I silently offered comfort to the magicians who were working to prove their innocence to my master and climbed into the carriage.
“Have you arrived, Themis?”
Everett was already seated, waiting.
“Did something happen at the royal palace today? Didn’t you go?”
“It was to fetch none other than the Archmage’s disciple, Themis. I couldn’t pay attention to anything else.”
I felt honored by his praise.
“Also, Lord Owen will take care of my duties, so there’s no problem.”
“Then by now, my master and Princess Aria must be working together to solve it.”
“All the senior officials of the temple are involved, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
‘This is right.’
My master spends time with Princess Aria, and I accompany the male lead, Everett.
‘You have to be happy, Master.’
I prayed, imagining my master’s face.
Making my master happy—this was something I couldn’t do for him.
Watching intently through the tower windows until Themis’s carriage disappeared into the darkness, Aren smirked.
“What’s going on?”
A bookish girl like Themis leaving the tower, and at such a critical moment.
“What a perfect opportunity.”
Everett was still interrogating people, leaving them terrified.
‘There’s nothing to worry about—they won’t find any evidence,’ he had said, but Aren, having worked under Everett, couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
‘Everett is such a demon of a man!’
They rarely faced the Archmage directly, so they naively thought Everett was innocent.
Even after living for so many years, he secluded himself in the tower and didn’t know the world outside.
Trusting only these naive fools would lead to disaster.
Aren decided to find a way to protect herself.
‘Right, Themis went out from the underground, didn’t she? There’s only the interrogation spheres down there.’
Aren headed underground. After confirming that no other magicians were present, she carefully opened the door.
Seeing the chair inside, her breath caught.
‘I absolutely must avoid the interrogation.’
If Everett discovered she was an insider, he wouldn’t let her off.
For her life, and for her future as the next tower master, she had to get through this safely.
“What’s this?”
Aren picked up the letter on the desk. As she read it, a smile spread across her lips.
‘What a windfall.’
The news that Themis was sent on a mission was welcome.
Once magicians enter a gate on assignment, they are inevitably cut off from the outside world.
Gates exist in isolated spaces, separated from everything else.
‘I’ll use this opportunity.’
From the moment Themis first arrived here, she had annoyed Aren.
Aren believed she was the rightful next tower master, and it irked her that Themis was recognized as the Archmage’s sole disciple.
Moreover, Themis knew things about Aren’s past that no one else did.
Though she hadn’t remembered yet, she could recall at any moment.
Aren had let it slide before since Themis mostly stayed quiet to research, but now she had been appearing in social circles, which annoyed Aren further.
‘I’ll step on her this time.’
In this world, survival means climbing higher first.
Aren was ready to do whatever it took to survive.
Whether others deemed it unfair didn’t matter.
It was the formula that had brought her this far.
“…Are you okay?”
“No, it’s giving me a headache. Really.”
Everett groaned, pressing his forehead.
“Shall I prepare some tea?”
“Go rest. I can’t possibly make a subordinate work any longer after a full night.”
“Thank you.”
Rider promptly left the room.
Everett’s eyes narrowed as he watched her leave.
He imagined the emperor, probably lazing in his room right now.
“I didn’t intend to ally with the royal family.”
Back then, who could have known that such a person would appear and cause chaos in an otherwise fine household?
