Chapter 150. A Worn and Faded Person

No, don’t say such crazy things.

She needed to get up right away and convey those words, but it was difficult to raise her body. Someone approached Ellen, who was groaning. It was none other than Nov. He took out a green stone from his pocket and placed it on Ellen’s forehead.

Surprisingly, her physical condition gradually stabilized, and it became much easier to move. Ellen belatedly realized that Nov had used a magical tool with healing power on her. The cold sensation that had touched her forehead when she collapsed coughing blood had also been a magical tool.

“You should be able to move now, Grand Duchess.”

“Ah……”

Ellen slowly tried to raise her body. Her joints were still a bit stiff, but it was bearable. The healing magical tool that Nov had used on Ellen had turned pitch black at some point. As if it had served its purpose.

Noticing Ellen’s gaze fixed on the magical tool, Nov smiled awkwardly and explained.

“This is disposable. And it needs to be used at 10-minute intervals. There are many magical tools like this in the Mage’s Tower. Don’t worry about it.”

Ellen, who had been concerned that an important magical tool might have been wasted, finally nodded silently in relief. And she expressed her gratitude sincerely.

“Thank you for healing me, Master Victorian.”

“I only did what was natural. Don’t feel burdened.”

Ellen gave a faint smile towards Nov, who was smiling kindly. She, who had been sitting with her legs stretched out on the sofa, carefully moved her body to sit in a more upright position.

Enoch, who had approached Ellen, supported her as if embracing her. Ellen reflexively grabbed his clothes and looked him in the eye intently. With a firm intention that such madness was not allowed.

“Well, it would be good to hear the Grand Duchess’s opinion as well. After all, she is the one concerned.”

Nov finally spoke up, and Ellen, as if she had been waiting for this, expressed her opinion.

“I’m against it. I won’t allow it, Enoch.”

“Why not? There’s no other way. This is the best option.”

“Your lifespan will be reduced. I don’t want that.”

Just as Enoch opened his mouth to rebut immediately, Sion, who had approached, offered Ellen a glass of warm water. Ellen hesitated for a moment before accepting the glass, saying thank you.

After Ellen took a few sips of water, Nov, who had been silent until then, spoke up again.

“Then, how about this?”

“……?”

Both Ellen and Enoch looked at Nov with puzzled eyes. Nov smiled at the two and continued.

“I will give the Grand Duchess 10 years of my remaining lifespan. It’s alright for me, who possesses time magic, to share my lifespan with others as it doesn’t violate any taboos. This way, the Grand Duchess’s lifespan will increase, so even if we choose the second method, the burden on the Grand Duke will be less. What do you think?”

“What? But……”

Ellen could only gape at this unexpected proposal. Giving 10 years of lifespan. It was an unbelievable offer. Various thoughts jumbled in her head, wondering what Nov’s intentions were, if there might be a trap.

“……Why are you showing such mercy? Sharing one’s own lifespan with another person isn’t an easy thing to do, is it?”

When Ellen cautiously expressed her doubt, Nov let out a strange laugh and stared into space for a moment. His eyes, which seemed lost in thought, had an empty light.

“I have my reasons for doing so.”

Nov said this and looked back at Ellen. Ellen suddenly realized that his eyes looked older than his young appearance. Come to think of it, how old is Nov? Considering what he said about stopping time long ago…… He might be older than he looks.

“Would you listen to my story from now on? It’s not a very complicated story.”

Ellen quietly nodded at Nov’s subtle request. She was curious anyway. About what kind of person Nov Victorian was.

Nov smiled gently at Ellen and calmly began his story.

“Well, where should I start…… Ah, first, I should introduce myself again. Nov Victorian is a name I changed arbitrarily, and my real name is Novaseus Victorius. I am the founder of the Mage’s Tower.”

“……What?”

“It may be hard to believe, but I have lived for over 2,000 years already.”

Ellen blinked in astonishment. ……This was indeed an unimaginable story. She doubted for a moment if he might be joking, but he didn’t seem like someone who would tell such a lie.

After briefly scanning Ellen, who was frozen in bewilderment, and Enoch, who was glaring with his arms crossed, Nov continued his story with a smile still on his face.

“In my younger days, I was more emotional than I am now. I was full of a sense of justice and had big ideals. So…… I believed there must be some kind of mission in my innate time magic.”

There was no trace of emotion in the voice that flowed monotonously. A worn and faded feeling. Ellen was suddenly struck by such an impression.

“I thought my mission was to watch over human history and control the mages. Magic has been the cause of conflicts, big and small, both then and now. To mediate and resolve those conflicts, I wandered the world. Then one day…… I looked into my own lifespan with time magic and found out. That I only had 10 years left.”

“……”

“Upon learning this fact, I stopped my time, becoming a state where I neither age nor die. And I’ve lived until now.”

“……”

“But now…… Yes, I feel like I’ve lived for too long. It was about 50 years ago, I decided that I should prepare to leave this world someday. So I’ve been educating Sion as my successor, and carefully preparing so that the Mage’s Tower can run well even without me.”

“……”

“The reason I proposed the option of inheriting time magic to the Grand Duchess is because you are more suitable to inherit that magic than Sion. A mage’s aptitude is…… to use an analogy, like a vessel. Those who possess a large and sturdy vessel can contain several powerful magics, while those who don’t will eventually break or crack. Like Navaroa Castile, who had to suffer from multiple personalities.”

“……”

“Grand Duchess, you possess exceptional qualities comparable to an ancient witch. For the past 50 years, you are the optimal vessel I’ve been desperately searching for. That’s why I have no choice but to propose once again. In exchange for giving you my remaining 10 years of lifespan, would you inherit one of my magics? And pass that magic on to future generations? So that the Mage’s Tower can be maintained without problems with the power of that magic.”

Ellen was still dazed, perhaps because she had heard such an unrealistic story. However, as she was keeping her wits about her, she was able to voice the question that had just occurred to her.

“What kind of magic is it? If I inherit that magic… do I have to live affiliated with the tower for life?”

“No, there’s no need for that. You only need to be affiliated with the tower for life if you inherit the magic of time. Because it’s such a powerful and dangerous magic. However, if it’s spatial movement magic, you don’t have to do that.”

“Spatial movement… like Navaroa’s magic?”

“Strictly speaking, Navaroa’s magic is a leap. Because it’s magic that allows movement to places within sight. But the spatial movement I possess is different. You can move to any place you want without any restrictions. You just need to picture the destination in your mind. If you wish, even beyond a star.”

Ellen gaped with a dumbfounded expression. To her, that spatial movement magic seemed just as dangerous as the magic of time.

“A magic like that… is it okay for me to inherit it?”

“If not you, there’s no one else who can inherit it. All the magics I possess are ancient powers. It’s too much for modern mages to inherit. At best, Sion is an excellent vessel, so she can inherit the magic of time, but it’s impossible for her to inherit spatial movement magic as well. If she were to contain two ancient powers, she would break. But Grand Duchess, you… can contain several ancient magics without any problem.”

“…Are the magic of love and the magic of foresight also ancient magics?”

“That’s right. The magic of love you inherited from Petra, and your innate magic of foresight, are all ancient powers. Since the Raman family is descended from Circe… it’s a kind of atavism.”

“…Navaroa said something like that too. That we’re descendants of Circe…”

As Ellen murmured, suddenly remembering, Nov smiled gently and added an explanation.

“Circe, who was an ancient great witch, was the ruler of the Aeaean islands, which still exist under the same name today. She……”

The story of Circe that Nov went on to tell was surprisingly similar to the ‘Witch of the Lonely Island’ story written in her mother’s diary. The Witch of the Lonely Island was indeed Circe.

“…Well, she’s dead now. Though she was once a powerful great witch who terrified the world.”

A faint longing was evident on Nov’s face as he smiled bitterly. It was a very personal emotion. Ellen was curious about Nov’s relationship with Circe, but she didn’t want to pry into someone else’s personal history, so she changed the subject.

“Then… should I also complete two years at the Mage’s Tower?”

“I suppose so. That’s how you can be recognized as an official mage.”

Ellen nodded silently at Nov’s answer. Now that the world knew she was a mage, it would be better to go through the proper completion process and be recognized as an official mage. Just like Penelope and other mages had done.

“Well then, Grand Duchess, will you accept my proposal?”

Nov’s voice asking this was kind and gentle. Ellen hesitated a little, then tentatively asked about the point that still bothered her no matter how much she thought about it.

“Is it really… okay? To give me 10 years of your lifespan?”

At that, Nov opened his eyes wide and laughed out loud. It was, how should I put it, a laugh like an adult finding a child endearing.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Grand Duchess. As I said earlier, I’ve lived for too long, and now I just want to rest in peace. My only wish is to sleep eternally.”

“……”

Unable to find words to respond, Ellen just quietly nodded. She didn’t know in detail the long years Nov had lived, nor his feelings.

Ellen eventually decided to accept Nov’s proposal. The day promised to inherit his magic and receive his lifespan was exactly one week later, May 18th.