Chapter 52
“Ah, is that so? I’ll be cheering you on.”
Eden replied soullessly.
His complete lack of interest made Sierra raise her voice.
“Just wait and see! Something amazing is going to happen soon! Right, Glaster?”
“Of course, Leader.”
The two exchanged knowing glances and grinned mischievously. It was obvious they were plotting something, but the conversation ended when the elevator doors opened.
They entered a quiet corridor and finally stepped into the greenhouse.
Inside were gathered countless rare magical plants.
The man-eating Mandragora, the Purple Heal that helped regenerate skin, and even the Lucid that showed illusions.
“There are so many kinds.”
“They’ve been collected over many years.”
Eden began proudly explaining each plant, his tone so serious that the atmosphere naturally turned into a classroom lecture.
“…And so, by recreating habitats for endangered magical plants, the Tower has been able to conduct a wide variety of research.”
Unlike me and Lottie, who were yawning openly, Sierra and Glaster listened intently, faces serious.
Just then, Edwin leaned back, supporting his neck with clasped hands, and drawled,
“Well, we’ve seen enough plants. Isn’t it about time we go see that famous ice dragon?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Eden’s expression turned icy.
“That’s not possible. No one can approach it except the Tower Master.”
Eden’s words carried two clear meanings.
First, that the corpse of the ice dragon belonged to the Tower Master.
Strictly speaking, that was natural. The Ainruk family had slain the beast—it was their trophy. And since the Tower had always been under the Ainruk family’s care, storing it there was only expected. Outsiders had no right to lay eyes on it.
Second, that no one other than the Tower Master could even get near the corpse.
It had been a corrupted dragon. Even in death, its miasma and lingering grudge were enough to devastate its surroundings.
Unless you were someone of Alperen’s level, simply managing the corpse was nearly impossible.
“How disappointing.”
Clicking his tongue, Edwin smacked his lips as if the fun was over.
Sierra secretly stomped on his foot in warning, while Glaster fidgeted nervously, sneaking glances at Eden’s darkening face.
The mood said it all—they had stepped on a landmine.
I checked the time and quickly intervened.
“Shall we take a break?”
“Certainly.”
Eden smiled politely and led us to the lounge.
Snacks and coffee were prepared there.
“Please rest here. I still have work to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
After bidding farewell, Eden exited the room.
I had been waiting the entire tour for a chance to speak with him alone. Without hesitation, I darted after him.
“Wait a moment, Eden.”
“Do you need something else?”
“I actually came to talk with you in private. Do you have a moment?”
I asked quietly, as if requesting a secret audience. Eden blinked, confused.
He glanced at his watch.
“Will it take long?”
His eyes said clearly: If it’s not important, don’t waste my time.
But if I missed this chance, I’d never get another to sound him out.
Looking around to make sure no one was near, I lowered my voice.
“You’ve looked like you’ve wanted to tell me something for a while now.”
“Ah.”
At that, his dull, lifeless gaze sharpened. Clearing his throat, he extended an arm.
“Shall we go to my laboratory and talk?”
The sudden shift in attitude was almost comical.
I placed my hand lightly on his arm and grinned.
“Lead the way.”
***
Inside Eden’s laboratory, I asked quietly,
“Did a thief break in here or something?”
“This is already the cleanest it’s been.”
Eden scratched his cheek awkwardly and nudged an empty cup rolling on the floor into a corner. Then, with a flick of magic, he roughly stacked up the scattered papers.
It was the kind of half-hearted cleaning that fooled no one, but I didn’t bother pointing it out.
Choosing the least dirty sofa, I sat down.
“So, what exactly did you want to tell me behind Ren oppa’s back?”
I went straight to the point. Eden cleared his throat.
“Ahem.”
Though he had brought me here, he wasn’t sure if it was right to ask this of the Tower Master’s lover. What if something happened to me because of his experiment? He could be expelled—or worse, killed.
But giving up research because of danger? That wasn’t in his nature.
Eden Maker—the Tower’s eccentric researcher, infamous for pushing boundaries—even to the point of experimenting on himself.
And yet, for six years, even he had produced no significant results in this particular study.
It was like trying to crack a mountain with an egg.
But now, a new variable had appeared. And Eden was determined to test it—even if it meant defying Alperen’s orders.
“Do you remember the flowerpot you touched the first time you came here?”
Eden’s eyes gleamed sharply. Rodelia realized he had made up his mind and answered calmly.
“I remember. The dead sapling suddenly turned green.”
“Exactly. That flowerpot was an experiment. A magical plant called Testie fused with the scale of the ice dragon.”
The ice dragon’s scale.
For anyone else, his words would have sounded insane. But he said them casually, as if it were nothing.
‘So this is the experiment Sophia mentioned…’
I steadied my racing heart and looked at him.
“It was supposed to be inspected by the Tower Master and then sealed in quarantine, but unfortunately…”
Eden trailed off. I finished the sentence for him.
“Unfortunately, I happened to touch it.”
“Yes. That’s right. Since you didn’t show any immediate danger, I decided not to alarm you by explaining.”
He gave an awkward smile.
The corrupted scale of an ice dragon was so toxic that simply touching it could spread frostbite through the body, freezing a person alive.
And yet I had touched it directly—and suffered nothing.
“That’s strange. I felt completely fine that day.”
“Exactly. And that is the key. The Tower Master dismissed it as a fleeting anomaly in the dragon’s corruption, but I believe there’s another factor at play.”
“Another factor…?”
“I looked into your history, Lady Ferris. Something unusual caught my attention.”
“You investigated me…?”
“Ahem—r-research purposes only. If there had been no leads, I would have scrapped it.”
Eden turned his gaze aside, muttering excuses.
I just gave a small smile and let it slide.
“I heard you trained in swordsmanship alongside Lord Adrian since childhood. Do you still handle a sword?”
“I do. Not as much as before, though.”
I quietly hid my hands.
I hadn’t held a sword in so long that the calluses on my palms had long since disappeared.
“And what does that have to do with the plant’s reaction?”
“This may be a delicate question, but…”
Eden paused, uncharacteristically hesitant, before continuing.
“They say you’ve never been able to manifest aura. Is that true?”
“Ah.”
Heat rushed to my face.
Among the direct line of the Ferris family, everyone manifested aura—everyone except me.
When I was younger, I had dreamed of being like Adrian.
He looked so dazzling when he wielded the Ferris sword style perfectly.
But as an adult, I no longer even dared to hope.
The Ferris sword style was founded on aura. Without it, the style was impossible.
Thanks to a good teacher, I had reached the level of an ordinary knight—but when faced with the wall of talent, there was no way forward.
I covered my tense lips with my hand and admitted quietly,
“Yes. That’s right. I can’t use aura.”
