Chapter 44
Meow~
Meow!
Meow!!
As Helene silently grumbled about the arrogance of the mages, a sudden sight caught her eye—feral cats perched atop rooftops.
…And it wasn’t just two or three.
There were dozens.
One after another, the cats appeared, showing themselves as if deciding that Helene’s group posed no threat.
This place, devoid of a single human soul, was a paradise for small animals—especially stray cats.
Each and every one of them looked plump and well-groomed, their fur shining with health.
“Cats have high anti-magic resistance. I’m not sure how they all ended up here, but it’s become a cat paradise.”
Chiwa, ever quick on the uptake, answered even before Helene could ask.
Finally, the entrance to the Magic Tower came into view.
“Is there a reason the Magic Tower was built on the site of the former Lepia Palace?”
“…Both geographically and spiritually, it’s the optimal location. And for the record, the Magic Tower was built long before the Lepia Palace.”
Lucael, even if indifferent about most things, was adamant on clarifying that.
Indeed, the Magic Tower had been constructed far earlier.
At the time of its creation, the surrounding area was nothing but open plains.
Looking now at this place, enchanted to always appear the same to the human realm, Helene couldn’t help but marvel at how much had changed.
‘No wonder the Herssen Empire became the strongest nation. The location of the Lepia Palace was key.’
Helene stared up at the towering structure, which boasted a presence just as formidable as the palace itself.
Before they knew it, they were standing at the door of the Magic Tower.
As the legend said, no matter how far back one tilted their head, the top was nowhere in sight.
Other than that, the exterior was plain—a tower made of dark brick, rough and simple.
And yet, this was the place where mages lived. The place April would now call home.
“……”
They had arrived, but neither Helene nor April knew when or how to let go of each other’s hand.
“We’re here,” Chiwa gently prompted, seeing them both frozen in place.
“…Take care,” Helene said first.
She let go of April’s hand—but April continued to hold on tightly.
April had never left the Count’s estate before.
She had never had a friend.
“I’ve… I’ve never lived with other people before. Do you have any advice?”
Her grip on Helene’s hand tightened even more.
Helene figured April probably needed guidance as firm as her handshake.
“If someone tries to bully you, piss them off first—and make sure you throw the first punch.”
“M-Me? Take the hit?”
“Yeah. The one who lands the first hit has no right to complain, no matter how much they get beat up afterward.”
April’s face twisted in disbelief.
“Don’t people usually say ‘try to get along’?”
“The world’s not that nice, sweetie. Give back what you get. And don’t force yourself to act nice just to make friends, or copy others either. If there’s someone you naturally feel comfortable with, just be friends with them.”
It was advice born from Helene’s previous life as Han Yena and her current one as Helene.
Sure, avoiding fights was better—but if someone picked one with you, it was only fair to answer.
And April? She wasn’t likely to lose in a one-on-one fight.
Helene didn’t want her to force herself into friendships that required her to change or pretend. Relationships born from pretending never lasted.
April could make real friends by simply being herself.
“…Friends.”
She’d heard there were four other children around her age living in the Magic Tower.
She would finally make friends.
It was still scary—but exciting too. She wanted to meet them.
Maybe now… she could let go of Helene’s hand.
“If only we could exchange letters…” April mumbled wistfully.
“If you need to send a message, we can dispatch a carrier hawk. Just send a letter back with it!” Chiwa, watching their farewell, couldn’t help but chime in.
The mages at the tower still used carrier hawks to exchange letters with the human realm.
Giving the hawk instructions to stop by the Emeldia estate wouldn’t be difficult.
“Thank you, mister! You’re much kinder than I expected!”
“Mages are usually so cold… I really missed this kind of thing!” Chiwa felt a lump in his throat as he watched the touching moment between mother and daughter.
Mages, who could solve anything with magic, were notoriously cold-hearted.
Lucael, who had been silently giving Chiwa side-eyes the whole time, was no exception.
“…Wait, but how am I supposed to get home?” Helene suddenly asked, realizing she no longer had April’s hand to rely on for protection.
Lucael was genuinely curious how far this human woman could go in being a nuisance.
He’d never really paid much attention to humans before—but were they all this troublesome?
Like they’d been born solely to be a pain.
Still, he cast a spell and handed Helene a scroll.
“What’s this?”
“A portable portal. Just open it, and it’ll take you straight home.”
Of course. Mage stuff.
Helene had heard of portals before.
They were insanely expensive, though, so she’d never used one herself.
It was basically a magical door that let you travel instantly from one place to another.
“…Wait a second! Then why didn’t we just use a portal to get here from the mansion?!”
Without April’s hand, Helene—who had no resistance to magic—could’ve suffocated and died!
If this existed, they should’ve used it from the beginning!
“This was all a test. Even with a magic amplification ability, anti-magic resistance is a separate matter.”
“Oh, I see! Then April passed the test!”
“…Yes.”
To be able to share her anti-magic resistance with a normal human and still remain unharmed—April had more than passed.
Lucael had brought Chiwa just to avoid dealing with humans himself, yet somehow, he’d been dragged into dealing with this woman directly.
“Then… goodbye, for real this time!”
April let go of Helene’s hand.
The sound of chains clanked as the doors to the Magic Tower slowly opened.
Waving goodbye, April stepped inside with Lucael and Chiwa, toward the intimidating tower.
Only once April had disappeared completely into the tower did Helene open the scroll.
A glowing hole of light floated in the air before her—just like in the movies and games.
Cautiously, she stepped through it.
“Wow… This is amazing!”
The portal led her straight to April’s room at the mansion.
Now empty, the room looked bigger—and much lonelier.
Just then, the sound of a carriage pulling up echoed from outside.
Who could that be?
It was still midday. Liliana should be at the royal palace, and Jaina certainly wouldn’t be back yet from fighting that monstrous giant.
Helene rushed to the window and peered outside.
A red carriage, adorned in gold, bore the emblem of a lion—the symbol of the Lebladian family.
It was the same carriage she saw every morning at prayer, belonging to none other than the Grand Duchess of Lebladian.
No way… Is she coming here?
The carriage stopped right in front of the Emeldia estate, and a servant disembarked, heading toward the front door.
There were no staff left in the fallen house of Emeldia to receive guests.
Only Helene remained.
She hurried down the stairs and opened the door to greet them.
“Greetings, Countess of Emeldia. Please accept our apologies for the sudden visit.”
True to the Lebladian name, the servant was composed and dignified.
Among nobles, an unannounced visit to another noble’s home was considered a grave discourtesy.
But this was the Lebladian family.
One could not afford to be offended.
If anything, it was the host who should feel guilty for not being adequately prepared.
“N-No, it’s quite alright. Please, come in.”
“Her Grace, Grand Duchess Catherine Lebladian, is here to see you!”
The Grand Duchess stepped into the Emeldia mansion.
She had known the Emeldia family had fallen—but to see it firsthand, with not a single servant to greet her, was still shocking.
And once she stepped inside the mansion—more ghost house than noble estate—she realized that the lack of staff wasn’t even the real problem.
As a young girl, the Grand Duchess had once been invited to a party hosted by the former Count of Emeldia.
Back then, the Emeldia mansion was one of the most beautiful in the capital.
It had been one of the finest parties she remembered.
Now, the house before her was so dilapidated it was hard to believe it was the same place she once adored.
The interior fared no better. Not a single painting adorned the walls. Not one decoration graced the shelves.
There wasn’t even a carpet on the path between the foyer and the sitting room.
