Chapter 75
Neither of them — not Hilbenzia nor Michael — were behaving like their usual selves.
First was Hilbenzia, looking utterly desolate, as if she’d lost the whole world.
Her usual poised, confident smile was gone, and she just sat there, one hand pressed to her lips, staring down at the floor.
And then there was Michael — chuckling to himself like a lunatic.
“Heehee, hihihit….”
The sound spilling from his lips repeated like a broken music box. He wasn’t even angry, just laughing to himself — what on earth was that supposed to mean?
As Jayna struggled to find her words, thankfully, Hilbenzia was the first to regain her composure and speak.
“It’s not strange to want to celebrate your birthday outside the tower. I understand, truly…”
“Yes…”
“But… I guess part of me still wanted to throw your birthday party myself. You’re seventeen now, yet I keep treating you like a child. I’m sorry about that.”
Hilbenzia added softly that she didn’t think it was bad for Jayna to make friends.
But Michael clearly didn’t agree — his usual expression snapped back into place as he shouted:
“I hate that you’re making friends!”
Come to think of it, Michael had always gotten grumpy whenever she hung out with Rozian.
“Do you really need friends? You can just—fine, I’ll be generous—just hang out with this old hag and your cat! Don’t leave the tower!”
Jayna hadn’t expected him to go that far.
As she stood speechless, Hilbenzia gave him a pitying look.
“I understand it’s sad not to spend the day together, but Jayna needs friends her own age.”
“Why? I don’t have any friends, and I’m fine!”
“That’s exactly why you turned out like you did, Michael.”
“…”
He fell silent immediately. With Hilbenzia’s brutally direct tone, there was nothing left for him to say.
Seizing the moment, Hilbenzia turned to Jayna with a soft, almost fragile smile.
“I’m sorry, dear. We love you so much that we act childish sometimes.”
“It’s okay, Hilbenzia.”
“If we meddle too much, you’ll hate it, but knowing that doesn’t stop me from clinging anyway. Sigh…”
Hilbenzia let out a deep breath, and Jayna felt confused.
‘Is it really that big a deal to spend my birthday outside the tower?’
As if she could read Jayna’s thoughts, Hilbenzia went on,
“You might wonder why we’re making such a fuss. But it’s just… worry, that’s all. You’re still young, and the world outside isn’t safe for someone like you.”
And then Jayna realized what she meant.
She wasn’t just a normal girl.
She was “proof of a forbidden act,” someone who had already survived multiple assassination attempts.
“I’ve always celebrated my birthday here in the tower, but… I thought it might be nice to have more people around to celebrate.”
If it had been last year, she might’ve backed down by now.
But this year was special — her seventeenth birthday.
Before she died at a dragon’s hand, she wanted, just once, to have a birthday surrounded by friends.
“But I can’t exactly throw a party here. The tower forbids inviting outsiders.”
“Why not?”
“…What?”
Hilbenzia’s expression suddenly brightened, and even Michael shrugged his shoulders as if to agree.
“Then just invite your friends here, to the tower.”
“It’s not that simple! What if the Tower Master gets angry?”
“I think he’ll be fine with it.”
“But if Jayna’s worried, maybe we should ask first.”
Jayna was sure Diarmid — the Tower Master — would never allow it.
“I’m nervous even bringing it up…”
But the result the two of them brought back from him left her utterly stunned.
“Jayna! Happy birthday! Here’s my gift!”
Marilyn had just returned from a trip across the continent, and what she handed over was a bottle of perfume — the most famous fragrance from a workshop over there.
“This one takes months to get! I barely managed to buy it!”
“Thank you so much, Marilyn.”
At Jayna’s gratitude, Marilyn puffed up proudly, a grin tugging at her lips.
“Hmph! Nobody thinks of you more than I do. You’ll be a debutante soon — you need a signature scent!”
She urged Jayna to try it right away.
“I knew I picked the right one.”
Marilyn nodded with satisfaction. And indeed, she was right.
“It’s like a refreshing summer sea breeze.”
The scent wasn’t too heavy nor too light — cool and elegant, a perfect match for Jayna.
“You can wear this one for spring and summer. I brought a separate one for autumn and winter.
Even though your birthday’s in spring, you’ve always felt more like winter to me.”
Saying that, Marilyn looked at her friend — so calm and composed for someone only seventeen.
“But wait, didn’t you say you couldn’t stay out overnight? How did you convince them?”
“I didn’t.”
“What?”
Jayna tilted her head, smiling awkwardly.
“This year’s party is in the Magic Tower. I came to pick you up, Marilyn.”
Jayna’s circle of friends had formed years ago, at a social gathering hosted by Princess Ellia.
That’s where she’d met Marilyn and the other young noble girls.
“Invited to the Tower itself… is that even possible?”
“Did the Tower Master really allow outsiders to come in?”
The girls looked dazed, as if they were dreaming.
Even Jayna herself could barely believe it. She scratched her cheek, embarrassed.
“To be honest, I didn’t think he’d say yes either.”
“This is unbelievable…”
When they’d first met, the noble girls had been stunned to learn that Jayna actually lived in the Magic Tower — and was close enough to attend concerts with its master.
But after that, Jayna had avoided mentioning anything about the Tower, and the fact had faded from memory.
Until today — when something incredible happened.
“The other mages are still studying, so don’t make too much noise on the way to the party hall.”
“Y-yeah, okay!”
Like lambs following a shepherd, the young noble ladies followed behind the dignified Jayna in neat little steps.
But the Tower’s strange interior fascinated them too much to stay quiet; they whispered constantly.
Jayna, noticing their curious faces, asked, “Do you want a little tour of the Tower?”
“Honestly… yes. Who knows if we’ll ever get to see it again?”
Jayna thought for a moment, then nodded.
“As long as we stay in quiet areas, it should be fine.
But… there might be some scary things.”
“It’s okay!”
“Thank you, Jayna!”
And so, Jayna led her friends on an impromptu Tower tour.
As they walked, one of the girls whispered,
“Jayna, why does the view from the south windows show autumn, but from the north it’s winter?”
“Those aren’t real windows — they’re magic frames. If you look closely, you’ll see they only show one landscape each.”
A chorus of amazed murmurs followed.
The scenes looked ordinary, but that was what made them even more wondrous.
“Um, Jayna…” another asked after a few steps.
“Why are the ceilings so high?”
“Because people here use flight magic a lot.”
“Then why have stairs?”
“Someone thought spiral staircases looked cool. But you can’t actually walk on them — they flip over halfway up, so you’d need magic to stay afloat.”
“Ahh…”
Jayna led them like a museum guide, her tone patient but lively.
“Don’t touch the wall carvings here — they trigger traps.”
“What? Traps!?”
“If you trigger one, you might die. Be careful.”
The girls went pale. Only Marilyn dared to ask further.
“What kind of trap?”
“Magical arrows shoot out from somewhere.”
Jayna mimed a person getting impaled by arrows.
“If you’re hit, it’s instant death.”
Marilyn stumbled backward, terrified.
“But don’t worry — no one’s actually died inside the Tower.”
“Well, of course not…”
“That’s because everyone who lives here is a mage.”
Seeing her friends so scared, Jayna smiled kindly.
“Want me to trigger one so you can see?”
“N-no thanks!”
“We’re fine! Really!”
But when she explained she could block it with wind magic, one girl’s curiosity got the better of her.
Marilyn, forgetting her earlier fear, crept closer to the wall.
“It’s really safe, right?”
“Of course.”
Once one of them grew bold, the others followed, faces glowing with nervous excitement.
Jayna stood in the center of the corridor and told Marilyn to press one of the square-shaped patterns near the exit.
“T-this one?”
The moment Marilyn touched it—
Whish! Whish!
“KYAAAAAH!”
Arrows of magical light rained down toward Jayna from every direction.
Marilyn screamed, expecting disaster, but Jayna calmly swept her hand.
A gust of fierce wind burst forth, colliding with the glowing arrows—
BOOOOM!
A deafening crash. The air rippled violently.
Even those without magical senses could feel the shockwave vibrating through the corridor.
“…”
“…”
Jayna’s eyes sparkled as she turned to them, as if to say, Wasn’t that fun?
The girls, still dazed, nodded weakly.
“The Magic Tower is… amazing.”
“Yeah, and so is Jayna for living here.”
“If it were me… I couldn’t do it…”
Their resolve only hardened further when they passed a massive stuffed monster — a bear demon easily five times the size of a normal bear.
“Kyaaaah! Jayna, help!”
“It’s already dead.”
We should’ve just gone straight to the party hall.
The girls silently wept inside, regretting everything.
But the moment they reached the grand banquet hall, all those fears melted away.
