Chapter 76
“Where Is He?”
Allen swallowed hard as he stared at the tightly closed reception room door.
Until now, he had always thought there was nothing in the world that could scare him.
After all, he was a wizard—a man with almost limitless power. What could possibly be frightening?
But the one who broke that arrogant belief was the man sitting beyond this door.
Calliere Esperos.
At only thirteen years old, he had crushed a magic circle Allen had spent years crafting, and destroyed in an instant the offensive magic tools Allen had designed to sell for self-defense.
At the time, Allen thought maybe his own magic was weak. But later, when he saw Calliere easily block Lafer’s magic, he finally understood—Calliere’s strength was on another level.
And Lafer… Lafer was the genius everyone already whispered would become the next Tower Lord.
“That means Grand Duke Esperos has abilities close to Lafer’s.”
Allen later learned that Calliere was also the only man Prince Delphian Xeros—renowned as a genius of swordsmanship—had never once defeated.
It was shocking.
Still, nobody knew the true balance between the three now. Calliere had last fought Delphian ten years ago, and Lafer and Calliere were no longer enemies. All their present power remained a mystery.
Some gossips said Calliere was overestimated compared to the others. But Allen thought differently.
Calliere’s weakness wasn’t his strength.
It was his will.
His will to live, and to protect something.
“Ever since his only family died in an accident ten years ago, he lost that will.”
Allen believed that if the Grand Duke ever regained that desire to live for something, he would be no weaker than the other two.
“Y-you’re not going in, sir?”
“…I am, you fool.”
Allen snapped at Melburn, but he still hesitated.
It wasn’t Calliere’s sword skills that frightened him most.
It was his power—his wealth.
The Esperos lands were full of Lemstone, a magical ore with endless uses. The Mage Tower bought vast amounts every year. To Allen, Calliere was a VIP above all VIPs.
After checking his appearance once more, Allen finally opened the door.
“I-I apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Grace.”
Smiling weakly, Allen approached the sofa—only to flinch at Calliere’s expression. His face looked ready to kill.
Before Allen could even sit, Calliere spoke coldly.
“I came here to meet Wizard Lafer. Just how long does the Tower intend to keep me waiting?”
“La… Lafer-nim?”
Allen’s mind went blank. That was exactly what he wanted to know too! If anyone in this world wished to know where Lafer was, it was him.
Trying to calm himself, Allen sat down carefully.
“W-we are looking for him as well, but as Your Grace knows, finding the Tower Lord’s whereabouts is nearly impossib—”
“Allen.”
The low, heavy voice made Allen shudder.
“I’m not asking you to find Lafer for me.”
“….”
“I’m ordering you.”
Allen stammered. “E-even so, impossible things are—”
“Even if Lafer kidnapped my guest?”
Allen jumped to his feet.
“To slander the Tower Lord is to slander the Tower itself!”
The man who usually smiled kindly now glared fiercely.
Calliere glanced at Zember, who immediately placed a small stone fragment on the table.
Allen frowned.
“This stone came from my guest’s room,” Calliere said in a cold voice. “A wizard like you doesn’t need to check it to know—it’s a broken teleportation stone.”
Allen’s gaze shifted to the fragment.
‘…He’s right.’
Even faint, the trace of teleportation magic remained.
“This requires further explanation, Your Grace,” Allen murmured.
Calliere’s eyes gleamed.
“Magic is like a fingerprint. Check for yourself whose mana is left inside.”
Allen hesitated.
“If it belongs to Lafer,” Calliere continued, voice like ice, “you will bring me his whereabouts immediately—before I punish both a Tower Lord who breaks the rules by playing with lives, and the Tower that failed to restrain him.”
His words struck like thunder.
Allen swallowed, facing those dark red eyes. This was no joke. It felt truer than anything he had ever heard.
At that moment, Lafer’s old words echoed in Allen’s head:
“All I wish… is that I can at least protect the legacy left by the former Tower Lord—that one Lady.”
“…Ah!”
Allen snatched the stone, closed his eyes, and reached inside with his mana.
The trace of magic rushed into him—wild, bouncing, refusing his control. Shocked, he dropped the stone.
There was no doubt.
“This damn Lafer…!”
The unique, uncontrollable flow of that magic—it could only be his.
“Allen.”
Calliere’s icy voice made him lift his head.
The Grand Duke’s crimson eyes bore into him.
“Where is Lafer?”
Allen looked at the stone on the floor. He didn’t doubt Lafer.
But in this situation, with no one to defend himself, there was only one answer he could give to protect the Tower.
“Why the face?”
“…Lady, are you cursing me right now?”
“…What?”
“My ears are burning. Feels like someone’s badmouthing me.”
I stared at Lafer, who rubbed his ear.
“Can you think of anyone?”
“Someone cursing me?”
“Yes. But it wasn’t me, okay?”
He chuckled, then frowned.
Thinking for a moment, he finally shrugged with a playful grin.
“Honestly, I’ve sinned a lot. It’d be quicker to ask who doesn’t resent me.”
Yet even as he joked, his eyes flicked around sharply. The broom and mop that had been floating a moment ago dropped to the floor.
“…Something feels off. Like eyes watching me.”
“What?”
“…No, nothing. Anyway, I should head back for a bit.”
“Back? Where—ah!”
A blanket suddenly flew at me, knocking me down.
Covered like a child playing ghost, I flailed my arms—then heard his voice whisper close to my ear.
“Just in case.”
“What does that mean?”
“Lady, count to ten before you take off the blanket.”
“What? Wait—when will you come back?”
His voice faded with his final farewell.
“…Lafer?”
My voice cracked as I called for him.
It seemed I was truly alone now.
