Chapter 75: The Weight of Gaon’s Return

To Luna’s shock, the figure seated inside was Vice Tower Master Graxios. She bowed deeply in greeting.

“Greetings, Princess Luna,” Graxios responded warmly.

“This is our first direct meeting, isn’t it?”

“…!”

Luna was taken aback. Graxios was addressing her with respect.

She was royalty, but this wasn’t Varta Kingdom—it was Gardion Tower, where royalty was commonplace and held little weight.

Yet Graxios was no ordinary figure.

As Vice Tower Master, he held the second-highest rank in Gardion’s hierarchy and was vying with Tower Master Sterun for leadership.

His status far surpassed Luna’s.

That he would speak to her so courteously was astonishing.

Is the rumor true…?

It was said Graxios addressed everyone respectfully, regardless of status, but Luna hadn’t expected it, given his lofty position.

“Please, come in,” Graxios invited.

“Oh, yes!” Luna hurried inside. Farsha closed the door, and Graxios continued.

“You must be quite confused right now.”

“…I’m sorry,” Luna replied hastily, snapping out of her daze.

“No, the fault is ours for bringing you here without explanation,” Graxios said with a gentle smile.

Luna, cautiously gauging his mood, asked, “I heard you had something to tell me. May I know what it’s about?”

“In truth, I have no specific message,” Graxios admitted.

“What? Then why…?” Luna couldn’t hide her confusion. Why summon her if there was nothing to say?

“To protect you,” Graxios answered.

“Protect me?” Luna echoed, puzzled. Protection, out of nowhere?

“It’s not certain, but…” Graxios’s expression turned bitter. “There may be those targeting your safety.”

“Targeting me?” Luna asked, stunned. Coming from Graxios, this wasn’t a jest—it was a credible threat. “Is it Nail Kingdom?”

Nail Kingdom was the first to come to mind. Varta and Nail’s relations were abysmal, with rumors of imminent war circulating widely.

Could Nail be plotting against her?

“No,” Graxios shook his head.

“Then… the Meliad Duchy?” Luna ventured.

Varta had two ducal houses: Dale and Meliad. Meliad had betrayed the kingdom, aligning with Nail and neighboring nations.

“That’s unlikely…” Luna dismissed her own thought before Graxios could respond. This was Gardion Tower.

Even Meliad wouldn’t dare act here.

Nor, frankly, would Nail Kingdom. But another question gnawed at her.

“Why would you, Vice Tower Master, protect me?”

Graxios and Varta Kingdom had no ties. Why would he go out of his way to protect her? Luna was desperate to understand.

“Because of Gaon,” Graxios replied.

“…?”

Luna froze, caught off guard by the unexpected answer.

“You mean… my great-great-grandfather, Gaon?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Luna was speechless, her mind reeling.

Protecting her because of Gaon? She knew Gaon’s significance—founder of Gardion Tower and her ancestor.

Her admission to the academy was largely due to her lineage. But why now?

Varta had faced countless issues, yet Graxios had never intervened.

Why invoke Gaon’s name and offer protection now?

Is it because this is different?

Past problems hadn’t threatened her life.

Was this a graver danger?

“Haha,” Graxios chuckled, noticing Luna’s deep thought. “You’ll understand everything soon.”

“Oh… yes,” Luna replied, still hesitant.

At that moment, Farsha spoke. “They’ve arrived, thirty minutes away.”

“Thirty minutes…” Graxios trailed off, pondering briefly before continuing. “Inform everyone to prepare for a general assembly.”

“…!”

Luna was stunned.

A general assembly required the attendance of all Gardion’s key figures—Tower Master, Vice Tower Master, and others. It was a rare event, held only once every few years.

Who could prompt such a gathering?

Luna wasn’t alone in her shock.

“Vice Tower Master, others may refuse,” Farsha said, equally surprised.

A general assembly required a majority vote from the top twenty in the hierarchy.

Even if Graxios called for it, without that approval, it wouldn’t happen—and he might face ridicule given the current tensions.

“If they refuse, all the better,” Graxios said with a sly smile. “I’ll prepare to greet them.”

Turning to Luna, he added, “Would you join us, Princess? This is someone especially significant to you.”

***

Lilith sat in silence, staring incredulously at the figure in the mirror.

The stillness didn’t last—both were busy people. Lilith broke the quiet.

“You think that makes sense?” Her voice dripped with disbelief.

“Gaon? Not an imposter, but that Gaon?”

A great mage operating under Gaon’s name had appeared.

Naturally, Lilith assumed it was a fraud. Yet the figure in the mirror claimed this was the true Gaon.

“I find it as hard to believe as you do,” the figure replied calmly, contrasting Lilith’s agitation. “But all evidence points to it. The head of Belmar Duchy declared it himself—that Gaon.”

The figure’s voice carried a bitter edge, which Lilith noticed. Clenching her teeth, she spoke. “Lord Sterun!”

“Speak.”

“What’s your plan? Don’t tell me you’re cutting ties with us now that Gaon’s back, especially since you never took the seal?”

Sterun wasn’t an Abyss member but a collaborator, unbound by their seal. He could sever ties anytime.

“Haha, of course not,” Sterun laughed heartily. “I wouldn’t abandon my allies.”

Few, including Sterun, were free of the seal. Most of his associates bore it. “Besides, we’ve come too far.”

The seal wasn’t the issue anymore. Even without it, there was no turning back. Abyss’s intelligence alone could ruin Sterun.

Lilith calmed her anger. Sterun was right—the seal was irrelevant now. “What’s your next move? I hear he’s arriving soon.”

“I’ll start with a conversation,” Sterun said. “To understand what’s happened and what his plans are. I’ll contact you after. Don’t reach out until then. You know Gaon better than anyone, so I trust you’ll comply.”

Lilith was speechless, stung by Sterun’s final remark.

Swish!

The connection cut off.

“That damned bastard,” she spat, fury in her voice. Sterun had crossed a line. If he were here, she’d have struck him.

But she quickly suppressed her anger.

This wasn’t the time for emotions.

We need another grand meeting.

It wasn’t an imposter—it was Gaon, Abyss’s calamity. She had to inform the others and devise a plan immediately.

***

“Wow,” Gaon exclaimed, gazing at Gardion Tower in the distance. Its prestige had waned—no longer the greatest, just one of the top ten towers—but its scale had grown, rivaling a major city.

His eyes settled on the central tower, the heart of Gardion’s founding. Memories flooded back: building the tower, crushing its attackers, passing the Tower Master role to Reudi.

A smile spread across his face.

“Gaon,” Rotes called, pulling him from his reverie. Her expression was complex.

“Is it about Graxios?” Gaon asked.

“Yes. Why summon a general assembly through him?” Rotes understood the need for the assembly but not why Graxios was involved.

“You still suspect him,” Gaon noted.

“…Yes, he’s the most likely,” Rotes admitted.

Gaon hadn’t told Rotes about Graxios’s suspicion that Sterun was the traitor, knowing how much Sterun meant to her.

If Sterun was indeed the betrayer, it would devastate her. “Trust me, I have a plan.”

“…Understood,” Rotes relented.

“Uh-oh,” Taylor interjected, startled. “Someone’s blocking the road ahead.”

“What?” Rotes peered out the window, frowning. “Graxios…”

To their surprise, Graxios stood in their path, accompanied by Farsha, several high-ranking mages, and a dark-haired girl Rotes recognized instantly—Luna Varta, Gaon’s descendant.

Why bring her here?

Rotes’s first thought was a hostage.

Was Graxios planning something?

“Stop the carriage,” Gaon ordered.

“Yes!” Taylor slowed the carriage to a halt. Gaon stepped out.

Twenty people stood before him, led by Graxios, who bowed deeply with utmost respect. “I greet Gaon.”

The others gasped in shock.

“What?”

“What’s that mean?”

“Vice Tower Master?”

Gaon realized Graxios hadn’t informed them of his identity.

But that wasn’t his concern.

No seal. Graxios’s mind and heart were free of Abyss’s seals.

Gaon’s gaze shifted to a portly, middle-aged man on the right, looking bewildered.

“You, what’s your name?” Gaon asked.

The man glanced at Graxios, still bowing, before answering.

“B-Baos, sir…”

Gaon turned to Graxios.

“Did you know?”

Graxios, still bowing, didn’t respond, but Gaon saw the bitterness on his face. “I suspected,” Graxios said. “Now it’s certain.”

“I see.”

Gaon waved his hand.

A magic circle appeared beneath Baos.

“What—?”

Baos gasped as a chill surged, freezing him solid.