“This is Ravena.”
She was as cheerful as her sparkling blonde hair.
“And this is Hio.”
After reluctantly sending off the sweet potato girl, Claire introduced the newly arrived Ravena.
“Friends with Claire… I can’t thank you enough. Please take good care of him.”
Claire was the type who had no friends even in her village.
For someone like Claire to have friends—it was nothing short of a miracle.
Ravena smiled brightly as she clasped Hio’s outstretched hand.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Claire!”
“Claire talked about me?”
“Of course! We talk even when we sleep, when we eat, ah, feel free to speak casually! And even while—well!”
Claire sighed as she covered Ravena’s mouth.
With this level of sociability, it was no wonder Ravena could become friends with Claire… It was instantly understandable.
“…You don’t actually believe that, right?”
“Hahaha! So what? As long as it’s not rude.”
“It’s not entirely a lie… uh!”
Covering Ravena’s mouth again, Claire naturally turned to ask Hio.
As if she wasn’t bothered at all, she casually asked, “Did you see me sparring?”
Hio was the one caught off guard.
“…Huh?”
He had completely forgotten Claire while talking with Sirbert.
“Then?”
“Lies. I saw you weren’t paying attention.”
“…Sorry.”
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“I was talking to Sirbert… I couldn’t focus.”
“What were you talking about?”
“Just… this and that. Nothing special.”
“I see.”
Claire nodded.
She unintentionally squeezed the hand covering Ravena’s mouth a little tighter.
“Nothing special,” indeed.
Their expressions were so serious.
…Right.
This was it.
He was only capable of this much.
The skills he had worked hard to develop weren’t even noticeable.
‘Did Hio see it as a child’s game?’
I need to be stronger.
Strong enough to be acknowledged.
Strong enough to make him widen his eyes in surprise at my power.
Strong enough to share serious conversations and important matters with him.
Someday… I will stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Claire reaffirmed this vow once more.
Ravena watched Claire’s increasingly stiff expression from the front.
Gently removing Claire’s hand from her mouth, she peeked her head out to ask Hio.
It was to lighten Claire’s mood.
“Ahaha… But you came all the way here just to see Claire, right?”
Signaling Hio to play along.
She frowned and tried every possible way to get a reaction…
“Huh? Ah, well, kind of?”
That idiot didn’t understand at all and nodded vacantly.
‘Just kind of came to see her?’
Instead of cheering Claire up, it made things worse.
Claire’s expression stiffened to an unbreakable degree.
Ravena’s face began to mirror Claire’s.
“… ‘Kind of’?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’m looking for a building, but do you know any places where you can go underground?”
Hearing that, Ravena couldn’t hold back any longer.
“You idiot!”
She kicked Hio’s shin.
Bowing quickly with precision, Ravena said, “I’m sorry!”
***
Suddenly kicking his shin then immediately apologizing.
“Uh… it’s fine. That’s understandable…”
Hio accepted the apology in a daze.
Avoiding the still-bowing Ravena, he whispered into Claire’s ear.
“I should be careful around her. Maybe she has bipolar disorder or something.”
The absurdity of the comment made Claire burst out laughing without resistance.
It was a laugh born of disbelief.
“Anyway, what’s this building you’re looking for?”
If I put in the effort, it will be fine.
I just need to grow stronger so Hio needs me.
Thinking about it, it’s obvious.
I’m still useless to Hio.
If I’m useless, I’ll become useful. No need to get depressed already.
“A building with access to underground. Something with a strange vibe or something hidden… something like that?”
Saying that, Hio let out a deflated chuckle by herself.
‘Wasn’t that odd even to say?’
‘Are there really buildings like that?’
She was really just asking without much hope.
She planned to search some suspicious places from her memories of the game.
But the answer she got was beyond what she expected.
“A building with access to underground, looks like something hidden, and just has a strange feeling?”
Claire and Ravena exchanged glances.
“That’s this place.”
“…Huh?”
Not somewhere else but the very building where the practice was held.
“This one?”
Claire and Ravena nodded.
“A few months ago, there was an accident during combat practice, and the building got a bit messed up.”
A few months ago, the floor on the first level had cracked, revealing stairs to an underground level.
“There was a lot of commotion for a while, but there was nothing down there. The problem is…”
Some students who went down out of curiosity claimed they saw weird things and were talking nonsense.
If it had been only one student, it could have been ignored. But quite a few complained of the same symptoms.
So they blocked off the area. Since there was nothing there anyway and it felt creepy, no one goes near it anymore.
“…Really…?”
The secretive underground stairs revealed by the cracked floor.
The basement floor was empty despite the mystery.
“What do you think?”
Hearing the question, Furnel’s reply came immediately.
“There’s nothing to see. It’s the Magician’s House. The door of the passage wouldn’t break like that normally… but it probably hasn’t been maintained for a long time, so it’s not impossible.”
‘Okay, the entrance is that, but seeing illusions… isn’t it the Necromancer Branch?’
“It’s not. I would know if it was.”
If it’s not the Necromancer Branch but there are still illusions,
“I have a guess. But we’ll know once we go.”
Though she asked with little expectation, the Magician’s House turned out to be surprisingly close.
“That way.”
Ravena pointed toward a corner hallway in the practice area.
Approaching, they saw the floor was covered with wooden boards in a place no one seemed to care about.
“The passage to the Magician’s House is blocked by wooden boards underground. Makes you really feel the decline of magic.”
Hio agreed with that sentiment.
Although she hadn’t lived in the golden age of magic, this was too shabby.
“This important place left so carelessly…”
As Hio murmured, Claire and Ravena stared at her.
“You’re going down?”
“Of course. I came to find this.”
Upon Hio’s words, Ravena spoke up.
“But there are rumors of ghosts down there. You might not have seen them, but the students who talk nonsense were really strange.”
“Yeah. There’s really nothing down there. Just a creepy feeling.”
Hio couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
Ghosts, huh.
The real ghost is inside me.
Not scary, just annoyingly chatty and obsessed with old stories…
“Ahem! I heard that!”
“Anyway, I’ll go down and come back. Stay here. If I don’t come back… just leave.”
Saying that, Hio removed one of the wooden boards blocking the passage.
She slipped down and then covered the top again with the board.
“Oh, and don’t tell anyone I went down here.”
Descending the stairs, the sound of footsteps grew distant, then fell silent.
“…I told you there’s nothing here.”
“Yeah. She’ll be back soon.”
Claire and Ravena waited there, expecting Hio to return soon.
They knew well the creepy basement was empty.
But Hio didn’t come back quickly.
“Hmm. Why isn’t she coming up?”
“Did something happen?”
‘Should I go down?’
Carefully lifting the wooden board, they headed toward the dark underground stairs.
“Ugh. Scary.”
The faint glow from the magical stones embedded in the wall was the only light in the dark stairwell.
There really was nothing down here.
How many people had come since its discovery? Nothing ever showed.
Just an empty chamber.
The two held each other’s hands tightly as they descended.
And what they saw there was—
“…Huh?”
Still an empty, barren chamber.
They heard about illusions. So that was it.
***
Descending to the second basement level with Furnel’s help from the empty first basement.
Unlike the first, the second basement was filled with dense traces of magical power.
“This is the Magician’s House of Illusion Magicians.”
A single statue stood in the center of the second basement.
I see.
The Magician’s House of Illusion Magicians usually has something like this. It served as a pillar to form the Illusion Barrier.
But perhaps due to the passage of time, the statue was worn and grooved in many places.
As a result, the Illusion Barrier weakened, revealing the underground entrance and causing visitors to see illusions.
“Tch, what a disappointment. Illusion magicians wouldn’t leave anything valuable in a place like this. Let’s head down to the 4th floor and then to the Tower of Mages.”
As Furnel said, like the empty first basement, there was nothing of value on the second and third floors.
“Are Illusion Magicians a school of magic?”
“It’s better to say they are magicians who specialize in Illusion Magic. Of course, there is also a related school.”
“Illusion Magic, huh…”
Reaching the third basement, Hio took out the Pavlenko Necklace, the symbol of the Pavlenko Family.
The necklace pointed the way down to the fourth basement.
“Speaking of which, you should decide now.”
“Decide?”
“You know, from 3rd Circle onward you’re officially a magician. You need to decide what kind of magician you want to be.”
“Decide a path…? I thought you just learn whatever magic comes your way?”
“Oh dear, so ignorant… Didn’t I say the number of spells is different from the 2nd Circle? Like illusion magicians who specialize in certain magic, there’s a reason for it.”
Placing the necklace on the wall, a loud crack echoed as the wall split open, revealing stairs again.
“Efficiency is incomparable. If you learn similar magic, their inscriptions will inevitably overlap.”
Listening to Furnel, Hio descended the stairs.
“Your talent is recognized, but learning all magic is too inefficient. As your circle level rises, the number of inscriptions increases exponentially. Generally, focusing on one path is best.”
Reaching the fourth basement, a long hexagonal portal appeared.
“It’s the same for elemental magic. There are fire magicians, earth magicians, etc. The difference gets more severe the higher the circle is… so choosing wisely is better.”
Standing before the portal, Hio asked Furnel.
“Would it be better to choose magic that suits me well from the 3rd Circle and focus on that?”
“Exactly.”
“Would three types be okay for my talent?”
“That’s just my opinion. You need to specialize by subdividing magic.”
It was unexpected advice.
“Can you give me some examples?”
“Examples… there are so many. From Necromancy, Chronomancy which studies time, shadow magic, fire, water, wind, various elemental magics, gravity magic, black magic, Transformation Magicians, Enchanters, Psychromancy, Illusion Magicians, summoners like Rudra Magicians… That’s what comes to mind. Anyway, with your talent, anything is possible. Think carefully.”
“There were more types than expected, and just hearing the names was enticing.”
“To be efficient, I need to pick what suits me best…”
Murmuring, she placed her hand on the portal, rotating the circle and infusing it with magic.
The portal began to activate.
「The region connected to this portal is the Ancient City of Tetradia—Wizard’s Tower.」
「Do you wish to enter the portal?」
A bright light radiated.
Closing her eyes naturally, she thought.
‘What magic suits me best?’
The answer was already clear.
The magic that harmonizes with my abilities.
The magic I must research and refine intensively.
「Portal is activating.」
“That’s definitely the best choice.”
「Moving to the Ancient City of Tetradia—‘Wizard’s Tower’.」
The bright light suddenly vanished, and Hio disappeared.
The fourth basement was once again swallowed by silence as if nothing had happened.