“Have you arrived?”
“Ugh, I’m here.”
“Can you stop with that ugh sound? I’ve told you countless times that I’m an old man who can’t see well, so I’m sensitive to noise! If you keep making such weak sounds, it drains my energy! Honestly, a guy built like a bear like you shouldn’t be whining like that.”
“Whining? Ugh…”
“Then what else could it be? Look at your fellow disciples! They’re all walking around fine, but you’re the only one going ugh ugh!”
“Ugh, hahaha.”
Jason chuckled sheepishly, set down his load, and slowly stepped back.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
“Huh? I, um, I was just going to work on my research… Ahahaha, I should be moving past the 3rd Circle soon, right?”
“Tch, if it were that easy, you’d have passed the 3rd Circle long ago. You still don’t understand Mana properly, so the 4th Circle is out of reach for now. Anyway, bring these over.”
The Magic Tower Lord pointed to two huge bundles sitting nearby, even bigger than the ones Jason had just carried in.
“Take these to Ace on the 4th floor. I heard he’s researching the Guardian Concept, so he must’ve requested the materials.”
“T-The senior Ace is going to carry these…?”
“Tch, that weakling will probably take a week just to move those. Are you planning on slacking off?”
“N-No, of course not.”
“If you manage to move those, you can rest for the day.”
“Ugh, yes.”
Jason looked like he wasn’t sure if he was crying or laughing as he picked up the bundles and left the room.
I glanced over at the old man.
Though his eyes couldn’t see, he was intently watching Jason’s retreating figure.
After the door closed, I asked him, “Is Jason a disciple you worry about?”
“Worry? No, it just frustrates me seeing a thirty-five-year-old still struggling at the 3rd Circle.”
“But as Senior Mage, didn’t you take him in because he showed some talent?”
The old man clicked his tongue.
“Talent? No, I took him in out of desperation.”
He’s just a worn-down person who does nothing but tedious chores every day.
“He’s spent ten years here in the Magic Tower with his spirit dead. Tch…”
There was a heavy mix of sorrow and concern in his voice.
It seemed the relationship between the old man and Jason was far deeper than it appeared.
Well, if an 8th Circle Archmage made a mere 3rd Circle Mage a Senior Mage, there must be a reason.
Living here from now on, I’d naturally come to understand it.
“Ahem, enough sentimental nonsense. Let’s start the experiment. This way.”
The old man stood and strode confidently toward the back of the lab.
His steps were so sure, it was hard to believe he was blind.
I followed him, taking in the surroundings.
Magic never ceases to amaze me.
When I first followed Jason in, it looked like a tiny room barely big enough for one person.
But inside was so spacious—an office cluttered with hundreds of experimental tools, a bedroom, a study, even stairs leading to a second floor and basement.
Is this because it’s the Talio Magic Tower, a place that manipulates space?
“This is it.”
The old man stopped before the underground lab.
The gray, limestone cave-like space was covered wall to wall with Magic Circles.
“So… what do I do here?”
“Just lie down quietly in the center of that Magic Circle. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Lie down… in the middle of a Magic Circle…
I blankly stared at the bare stone floor where the Magic Circle was etched.
What happens if I lie down there?
Is a demon going to rise from hell and dissect me?
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and lie down.”
Ugh, I’m reluctant, but I guess I have no choice.
The old man did erase the Magic Circle after all.
I hesitated but lay down in the center of the circle.
As I lay there, the Magic Circle on the ceiling began to glow faintly, and my heart started to beat faster.
This was a spell drawn by an 8th Circle Archmage across the whole lab and then cast.
Maybe the Akashic Record would activate?
Yes, it definitely will.
I wonder where I’ll go this time?
Will I meet Albatron again?
Or maybe Tia will appear and show me future technologies once more?
Or perhaps I’ll end up somewhere completely new.
Wherever it is, come on.
The light on the ceiling brightened gradually and then slowly dimmed.
It’s about to transport me.
“It’s done.”
Then new kinds of studies will unfold, and new caretakers will appear…
“Are you asleep?”
“Huh?”
Done.
Done.
“It’s over. Get out.”
Huh? Why can’t I hear the old man’s voice?
The bright glow of the Magic Circle that filled the room had vanished, but I didn’t feel any change.
“Is the magic really over?”
“What are you listening for? It’s over! Get out already!”
The old man shouted irritably, then strode out of the lab.
What the…
Isn’t the Akashic Record supposed to react to powerful magic, Mana, or ruins?
Is this Magic Tower yielding nothing at all?
When I got back to the lab, the old man was scribbling something with a pen on paper.
“What’s that…?”
“It’s confusing, so just be quiet for five minutes. I’m recording the Mana traces left on your body from the tests.”
I only asked a question, but he shot back an irritable response.
Fine.
I sat quietly in a chair in the corner and watched the old man work.
As he said, it took about five minutes.
When he finished, he was holding over ten sheets of parchment.
“You’re blind, yet you write so much. Can you even read it?”
“When I write by hand, my brain remembers it. It’s all in my head already, so it’s fine.”
“Wow…”
How unlucky.
Is this the common sense of geniuses?
I’d need to study hard for an hour just to memorize that much paper.
“Anyway, what are you?”
“Huh?”
“Do you know what that Magic Circle you were in just now is?”
If I knew, I’d be an Archmage, not an office worker.
“That’s called a Mana Ray. It channels various types of Mana through the body to test which Mana you accept and which you resist.”
“Kind of like a Magic aptitude test Magic Circle?”
“Yes. But you… have you ever learned Magic before?”
“No.”
I shook my head firmly.
“For someone like that, you have a perfect suitability rating for all twelve types of Mana. It’s rare to have a body that accepts Mana so well… but it’s strange.”
The old man scratched his head with the back of the pen.
“For someone like you, why is some Mana suddenly getting pushed out?”
“Huh?”
“I mean some types of Mana get pushed out of your body. It’s like monsters fighting over territory. There’s a huge beast blocking out the smaller monsters. Strange. You’ve never learned Magic, and your body takes Mana well, yet this happens.”
Normally, I wouldn’t have understood a word he said.
But somehow, I had a sense of what he meant and why.
It’s probably the interaction between the Akashic Record’s effect and Albatron’s soul development.
After a few moments of pondering, the old man scribbled more on the parchment.
“When you leave, find Jason and give him these papers. I want to conduct more experiments.”
“Didn’t you send Jason to rest earlier?”
“What are you talking about? If he’d rested earlier, he’d be fully rested by the time you arrived.”
Damn old man.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Jason has only been out of the lab for an hour.
Now I get it.
Why all the old man’s disciples wander the Magic Tower like zombies barely clinging to life.
Why the seniors at the Academy begged underclassmen to never come to graduate school.
Yet those same seniors bought drinks and meals to encourage the underclassmen and fatten them up.
“That’s enough for today’s experiments. Ahem, now I have other work to do.”
Sigh, yes, work.
I didn’t come all the way to Ragna leaving the Estate for nothing.
I approached a table in the corner piled with experimental materials and Magic scrolls.
I roughly cleared the clutter onto the floor and sat down.
The old man, who had waited patiently until now, cleared his throat and waved his hand in the air.
From a box tucked into the corner, a letter flew swiftly over to me.
“Here you go. That’s your first letter. Ahem, there’s probably little to revise! I’m entrusting you with editing because my eyes are like this.”
Yes, sir.
I skimmed the old man’s self-praise and opened the letter.
I wanted to see with my own eyes just how grandiose the wording was for him to be so confident.
[Do you know how relieved I am that you’re dead?]
I nearly threw the letter to the floor.
Is this crazy old man out of his mind?
He said it was a letter he wrote the year his wife died.
And what is this nonsense about feeling relieved?
No, an 8th Circle Archmage wouldn’t be senile.
Surely some cursed disciple doctored the letter to sully the master’s honor.
That’s possible.
Judging by how he treats Jason, the old man must have many grudges against his disciples.
So let’s check.
Is this really the original letter?
“Um… this letter saying you’re relieved… is this really the original?”
“Yes, what about it!”
The old man held his chin high and looked at me like it didn’t matter.
Ah, I was mistaken.
Not a terror campaign against the master?
Old man, your greatest fortune isn’t your 8th Circle rank—it’s having loyal disciples who genuinely care about your future.
So treat your disciples well, you senile old fool.
Why is nothing ever easy?
“Old man, this needs a complete rewrite.”
“What? What’s wrong with the letter?!”
“What’s wrong? Everything, you fool! How can you dedicate this to your deceased wife’s spirit? Don’t you feel sorry for Lady Elcia?”
“Whaaaat?! When did you see my wife to be so nosy? That’s enough about my wife!”
I’m sick of this already!
Who likes such nonsense sentences?!
Ugh, headache.
I clutched my head and stared blankly at the letter.
[Do you know how relieved I am that you’re dead?]
No miraculous change to the shocking first sentence.
Could this be a new kind of narrative hook?
Start with something strange up front, then end with a truly loving and longing message?
I hoped so and read on…
[Now that your nagging is gone, my research is progressing nicely. I think I’m about to break through the 7th Circle. You’re dead, so you won’t advance further. Hope you’re enjoying yourself in the afterlife.]
Is this really the letter he wrote the first time his beloved died?
I even went to Lady Elcia to ask about these feelings, but now I’m even more confused.
Maybe if I take this letter to Lady Elcia, she’ll explain it.
No, better yet, why not just ask the people here?
“Old man, I’m a bit tired today. I’ll just read a bit of the letter and think about how to revise it. I’ll continue the work from tomorrow.”
“No, it’s already perfect. Why would you want to revise it? Are you unhappy with my letter?”
“Not just me. Anyone with common sense would be unhappy with it.”
I grumbled and ended the conversation.
“Old man, do you have any other letters besides this one?”
The old man waved his hand again, and a box full of letters flew toward me.
I randomly pulled out a few and opened them.
[Your voice was sharp and loud, always getting on my nerves.]
[Thinking back on our time together, it was always boring. No magic research, no magic discussions—just walking or chatting. Was that really meaningful time?]
This is all a mess, one disaster after another!
The final cherry on top was this letter.
[Thinking about it, I don’t know why I married you. Were we drunk? Neither of us ever proposed. Why did we marry? We must have both been crazy.]
Ah, it’s truly ruined now.