TPM 17

Chapter : 17

Fortunately, my master didn’t seem to think Everett’s dispatch was anything worth fussing over.

“Ah, so it’s that time already? When are you leaving?”
“In a week.”
“Then tell him to come straight to the Magic Tower.”

There weren’t many people who could so casually order the High Chancellor around.
What might have sounded arrogant from anyone else came out as completely natural from my master.

“Understood. I’ll relay the message exactly as is.”
“By the way, has there been anyone from the Tower volunteering for dispatch lately? …Well, I suppose they’ll handle it.”

His voice was small and flat—so utterly devoid of interest that it almost hurt to hear. It was the tone of someone who truly cared for nothing.

“Um…”

I considered saying, I’ll be going, but stopped myself.

‘He wouldn’t care anyway.’

He was surely busy enough already with everything that had been happening recently.
I didn’t want to bother him with something so trivial.
So in the end, I didn’t tell him that I would be leaving with Everett.

To be honest, it was petty.

I had always been the one waiting and missing him.
So this time, just once, I wanted him to wait for me.
A small, childish bit of mischief born of longing.

‘I don’t really think Master would ever miss me…’

But still, maybe he’d be a little surprised to hear that I’d gone on my first solo dispatch.
Maybe I had at least that much of a place in his heart.

That’s not too much to hope for, right?
Even if it’s just my selfish wish.

I found myself reminiscing about the past.

It was, to me, a rather embarrassing memory.

The daily life of a magician in the Tower usually fell into three categories:
either going out on missions or gate dispatches,
conducting research in one’s private room,
or studying in the Tower’s grand library.

Right below my master’s room at the very top of the Tower was that enormous library.

It was organized by year and contained all the Tower’s past research and dispatch reports—a place where most magicians spent the second most amount of time.
The place they spent the most time, naturally, was their own room or laboratory.

Each room in the Tower was protected by a barrier that minimized magical shock and potential accidents—allowing magicians to focus safely on their research.

Like most others, I spent the majority of my time in my personal lab.

I loved being with my master, but he was far too famous.
He spent more time outside the Tower than within it.
Sometimes the Imperial Palace summoned him, sometimes a dungeon, sometimes the temple.

The Empire would make full use of him whenever damage control was needed for an unclosed gate.
Eventually, Master seemed to realize that staying in the Tower only meant being constantly called away, so he simply stopped staying there much at all.

And so I had to grow used to loneliness.

When he wasn’t around, I buried myself in my research and books.
I read fervently and studied the properties of darkness.

Shamefully, I was arrogant back then.

“Themis, could you bring the Archmage here?”
“Please, Themis. The Archmage actually listens to you, after all.”

I had grown drunk on the sweetness of being the exception.

And maybe, I thought, that exception meant something more.
So I wanted to be recognized.
If I could show him results as brilliant as those of the others, perhaps he’d love me more.

‘But darkness draws too much attention…’

Then maybe I could use darkness to create something else.

That’s how I began developing a stimulant and a sedative.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.
I had less field experience and no notable research accomplishments.
It was far too difficult a task to complete overnight.

But I didn’t give up.
I locked myself away for a long time, dedicating everything to perfecting those potions.

They were to be presented before my master.
If they weren’t flawless, I couldn’t forgive myself.

Days turned into weeks.
So much time passed that I lost all sense of it.

At last, I emerged from my lab holding a completed prototype.

The first things I saw were the worried faces of fellow magicians.

“Themis! Long time no see! Where have you been?”
“You’ve been gone a month! We thought the Archmage sent you somewhere.”
“Look how skinny you are! You’re half your size!”

Since I’d been eating sparsely and hardly leaving my room, people had begun to wonder if I’d gone somewhere.
I didn’t tell them what I’d been doing, of course.
I wanted to report my results to Master first.

So I asked if he was currently in the Tower.

“The Archmage? He’s been staying here lately. Must be over a month now.”

Apparently, Master had been in the Tower the whole time I was buried in my work.

‘Did he… worry about me, maybe?’

I was his exception, after all.
I was always the one waiting for him.
Maybe, for once, he had felt lonely without me.

‘No… I can’t really imagine Master being lonely.’

Alright, correction—maybe not lonely, but perhaps a little empty.
Since I, who was always by his side, hadn’t been there.

That wasn’t wishful thinking; it was only natural.
Even magicians who barely knew me noticed my absence and asked after me.
Surely my master, who had accepted me as his only disciple and listened to me, must have felt it too.

With growing excitement, I knocked on his door.
It was about evening—after dinner, the perfect time to show my results.

Knock, knock.

“Master, it’s me.”

When I visited him, I was the only one who never needed to say a name.
Just me was enough for him to know.

“Themis, is it?”

See? He knew right away.
His voice was soft, still carrying a drowsy warmth. Maybe he’d just eaten and was about to nap.

“Yes, it’s me.”
“Come in.”

At his words, I entered.
As always, he was sitting on the sofa, chin resting on his hand, eyes fixed on me.
It wasn’t the first time he’d looked at me like that, yet I still felt shy.

“I’m sorry for not showing up for so long. I had some research to do. As you know, I work with darkness…”

I avoided meeting his eyes, talking a little faster than usual.
Pulling several bottles from my bag—sedatives and stimulants—I held up the first one.

“I thought about how we might reduce the pain we feel.”
“The pain when one fails to stabilize the mana core?”
“Yes. It’s only temporary—it can’t completely eliminate it.”
“Even so, the fact that there’s a way to block the pain at all is remarkable.”

Master picked up the sedative and examined it, his voice betraying a hint of genuine admiration.
My shoulders straightened with pride. He was impressed.

“However, the Temple or the Palace wouldn’t like this sort of thing… best to keep it hidden for now. Still, well done, Themis.”

My heart soared. His praise made me feel like I could fly.

“And this one’s the stimulant. It’s only usable by me, but it can amplify power in a short burst…”

I excitedly rambled on about my research, the explanation long and disorganized from excitement, yet Master listened through it all.

“Excellent work, Themis. You’re the only one who could’ve made this. With this, it might even be possible to strengthen the mana core faster…”

He praised it as an extraordinary invention—but also warned me of its dangers.
The research had been a success, but the fact that it had to remain secret left me disappointed.

After a long discussion, I suddenly felt something missing.
As though I’d forgotten something important.