Chapter 80
I hurriedly smiled and replied.
“His Majesty the Emperor gave Ria a house! It’s an old castle in the south, and the Duke and I decided to renovate it and live there together.”
“In a southern old castle… you? Really?”
A bright smile spread across Tian’s lips as he repeated the words.
“I see.”
He murmured while looking near my neck.
“The relic really must be incredible… I definitely gave it to you, so why is it still having an effect on me?”
An effect?
I tilted my head at the incomprehensible words.
“By the way, Ria. Have you met the head of the Alchemy Institute yet?”
Tian asked.
I nodded.
“I have. We didn’t exactly have an amazing conversation, but…”
“I see. Actually, there’s someone else I’d like to introduce you to. That’s what I came to ask about in the first place.”
“Huh? Who?”
Tian answered with the same gentle smile.
“The Master of the Mage Tower.”
The Master of the Mage Tower?
The one I knew—that Master of the Mage Tower?
Walking along beside Tian, I kept tilting my head in confusion.
‘Why would the Master of the Mage Tower be here? And on top of that, a western noble introduced him to Tian?’
The International Union of Magical Engineering—commonly known as the Mage Tower—was a fortress located on a small island at the western edge of the continent.
Worthy of being the greatest research institution in magical studies, the Mage Tower boasted an immense scale.
Scholars from across two continents—and indeed the entire world—constantly flocked there, and the revenue they generated each year rivaled that of a nation.
The one who led such a Mage Tower was the Master of the Mage Tower.
The current Master was the son of the founding Master, becoming only the second head of the Tower in the seventy years since its establishment.
“Which western noble introduced the Master of the Mage Tower to you?”
“There’s a Marquis Aile. I told him to find a relic as your next birthday gift, and he brought back the Master of the Mage Tower instead.”
My eyes widened.
“My next birthday gift?”
“Yeah. When the Marquis said he wanted to purchase a relic, the Master insisted the transaction had to be handled personally and followed him here.”
“The Master himself?”
“Yes. The Master himself.”
I could only blink at the unbelievable words.
The Master of the Mage Tower had been a mysterious figure even in my previous life.
Considering that even his father—the founding Master—had been shrouded in secrecy, it wasn’t surprising.
For one thing, the founding Master had never once appeared in public during the seventy years he ruled the Mage Tower.
Because of that, all sorts of rumors had always followed him.
That he had forty children.
That he was over two hundred years old.
That he had massive horns on his forehead.
Of course, most people didn’t believe any of it.
They were just ridiculous rumors born from the fact that the Master never showed his face.
Then, four years ago—shortly after I was born—the son inherited the position.
The current Master announced that the founding Master had died of illness and began engaging in more external activities than his father ever had.
He sometimes held meetings with scholars inside the Mage Tower, and every now and then published academic papers.
Occasionally, he even demonstrated newly developed magical tools himself—but always within the Mage Tower.
He never once stepped outside Debokio Island, where the Tower was located.
‘But he came out personally just to sell a relic to Tian? He didn’t even send a representative—he carried the relic himself?’
My eyes narrowed.
In my previous life, I had read his papers and desperately wanted to meet him.
I had even planned to travel to Debokio myself to make it happen.
If he hadn’t suddenly gone missing, it might have been possible.
‘Money really is terrifying. To think he’d lure out the Master of the Mage Tower himself…’
A man who never left Debokio boarded a ship and came all the way here.
That could only mean one thing—he was planning to squeeze a massive fortune out of Tian.
‘The head of the Alchemy Institute, and now the Master of the Mage Tower… Why is everyone so materialistic?’
From the perspective of someone who had admired them as scholars, it was absurd.
Fed up, I shook my head and asked,
“So then, how many relics did he bring?”
“He says the Mage Tower only owns two relics in total. He brought both of them.”
The Master of the Mage Tower was currently waiting for Tian at the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Judging by the situation, he intended to stay until the birthday banquet ended and haggle over the price with Tian.
Feeling uneasy, I said worriedly,
“If they’re ridiculously expensive, just don’t buy them.”
Tian laughed.
“Don’t worry. I plan to make a reasonable deal with him. I’m learning how to negotiate, after all.”
“But what if he asks for an unreasonable price? The fact that he personally carried relics all the way here means he’s definitely planning to drain every last tera from Your Highness!”
“Then I’ll just make him name a reasonable price.”
I stared at Tian in disbelief, but he looked genuinely confused about what the problem was.
“The Mage Tower is currently suffering from a food shortage. The scholars researching inside the fortress—guaranteed—they’re probably eating nothing but hardtack three meals a day.”
“……”
“But if I offer help, it’ll be resolved instantly.”
Tian smiled with his eyes closed.
“The palace tutor said this is how negotiations work. Still, if the price is reasonable, I’m just going to buy them.”
“A… reasonable price means how much…?”
“However much you’re thinking, I have at least that much saved, Ria.”
In the end, I shook my head.
And sighed deeply inside.
‘The Crown Prince’s only friend… this is exhausting…’
Tian liked me far too much.
Of course, I knew he had a lot of money.
But receiving another relic as a birthday gift felt burdensome.
And this time, it was a relic owned by the Mage Tower itself.
Besides, my last birthday hadn’t even been that long ago.
‘Maybe I need to change the way I think.’
The head of the Alchemy Institute, and the Master of the Mage Tower who personally came out to sell relics…
Maybe having a bit of materialism was necessary to succeed as a researcher.
If even such renowned figures were like that, then maybe I shouldn’t feel guilty and should just accept whatever people gave me.
I had just resolved that—
“What are you doing out here? I told you to wait inside.”
Tian, who had been walking through the Crown Prince Palace’s rear garden, came to a halt.
I reflexively followed his gaze.
At the end of the narrow path leading to the palace—
Someone was standing there, hesitating, then staring straight at us.
As I took a closer look, my lips parted.
Red hair.
Golden eyes.
Seeing the Mage Tower emblem embroidered on the light robe he wore, I frowned deeply.
“…The Master of the Mage Tower?”
They said he was over fifty.
Yet a young man—so handsome I almost forgot to breathe—was staring right at us.
No, not at Tian.
His gaze was firmly fixed on me.
“Was it Theo Lyrkian?”
“Yes.”
Tian was the one asking, but the Master of the Mage Tower answered without taking his eyes off me.
His golden eyes were so striking that I clutched my juice glass tightly, stealing glances at him.
“Is this your first time in the Empire?”
“It’s my first time at the Imperial Palace.”
“So you’ve been in the Empire before.”
“Yes.”
“I heard you never leave Debokio Island.”
“…I simply don’t make it public.”
Tian looked surprised.
At that moment, Theo looked at me again.
Noticing his gaze, Tian said,
“This is my close friend, and the one who developed Lubarina and Lubawen—Anellia.”
Theo said nothing and just stared at me intently.
Wondering if something was on my face, I subtly touched my cheek, then hesitantly set my glass down.
I bowed politely and greeted him first.
“Hello, Master of the Mage Tower.”
“……”
But despite the greeting, there was no response.
Unable to endure the awkward silence, I added in a tiny voice,
“Y-you look really young…”
At that, Theo’s expression blanked slightly.
I quickly continued,
“I heard the Master of the Mage Tower was fifty, but you look the same age as Uncle Wendel! Ah, Uncle Wendel is twenty-three!”
A long silence followed.
Finally, Theo spoke in a low voice.
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
I grinned.
Tall, broad-shouldered, absurdly handsome—but the Master of the Mage Tower was still a man who came all this way to sell relics.
In other words, a well-built materialist.
‘Still, no one dislikes compliments.’
If I lightened the mood by praising his youthful looks, maybe I could shave a little off the relic’s price.
Sure enough, the Master of the Mage Tower finally began to say something meaningful.
“I heard you finished the basic magical theory texts at the age of four.”
