Caroline immediately removed the robe and handed it to Aster with both hands.

Aster glanced at the name embroidered on the robe, then angrily tossed it into his spatial pocket.

Caroline and Lowell, who had witnessed a High Circle spell at close quarters, looked astonished for a moment, but quickly lowered their gaze before Aster could notice.

Moments later, Lowell stepped forward, stood properly in front of Aster and bowed deeply.

“Tower Master, I sincerely apologise for this incident. The Seyerd household will see to it that Caroline is punished appropriately, and we will fully compensate for the damage done to the Tower’s honour.”

Lowell’s intention was clear: to defuse the situation before it escalated. But Aster waved him off.

“That won’t be necessary. She claims the robe was borrowed on a paid basis, so the blame isn’t all on one side. And don’t throw around talk of the honour of the Tower so lightly. The honour of the Tower is directly linked to me, the Tower Master. It can’t be tarnished by such a trivial matter.

There was an air of unshakable superiority in his words, laced with a sharp warning. The sheer weight of his presence pressed down on them, as if they were standing in front of an immense, unyielding wall. It was an experience unlike anything Lowell had ever felt before. 

To feel such an imposing presence from someone other than his own master, the Grand Duke Seyerd, was a rare experience for Lowell.

He slowly lifted his head, realising once again that the person before him was not just a mage, but a Grand Mage – one of unparalleled power, the Tower Master himself.

“My apologies.”

Aster looked at the visibly tense Lowell for a moment before softening his expression slightly and speaking.

“Let’s consider this matter settled here. However, there is something I don’t understand.”

“Pardon?”

“As I understand it, the Duchess Viasteus is the Grand Duke’s godmother. So why exactly is her maid resorting to such a ridiculous disguise to be here?”

Aster didn’t bother to phrase his question politely. Having spent an entire day trying to find out what had happened to Lady Blante, he was both exhausted and out of patience. When he wanted a proper answer, directness was always the quickest way. 

Lowell hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It seems that, given the unfortunate circumstances here, His Grace the Grand Duke has requested that the Duchess remain at her estate and await further updates.”

“And yet?”

“It seems the Duchess was too concerned for His Grace and secretly sent her head maid to discreetly gather information on the situation.”

Lowell explained, choosing his words carefully to put the matter in the best possible light.

He was well aware of the rift between the Duchess and the Grand Duke, and he knew that the cause of the conflict lay in what the Duchess had said to Lady Blante.

But both the Duchess and the Grand Duke were members of the Imperial family. If the truth came out, it could tarnish the reputation of the Pentium Royal House. Lowell couldn’t afford to share the unvarnished reality.

Of course, Aster, sharp as ever, saw right through it.

‘So the Grand Duke has forbidden the Duchess to come. Their relationship had clearly broken down.’ 

‘Could it be Lady Blante?’ 

Aster wasn’t quite sure, but he had a strong feeling that it could be. After all, the Duchess’s maid had gone to such lengths to disguise herself and come to this very place – the shores of the Cascade – where Lady Blante had attempted suicide.

Aster shifted his gaze from Lowell to Caroline, studying her carefully. The moment their eyes met, Caroline turned awkwardly to agree with Lowell’s explanation.

“Yes, he is absolutely right,” she said hastily. “The Duchess was deeply concerned about the Grand Duke, who has been here all night, and she ordered me to assess the situation quietly.”

“Hmm.”

Caroline continued quickly, her voice full of feigned regret.

“However, access to the area was restricted and I didn’t want to disturb him unnecessarily, so I made the poor decision to negotiate with one of the mages. It was my mistake and I apologise again, Tower Master.” 

Caroline’s explanation sounded plausible, but she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as Lowell. Aster could clearly see her glancing at Lowell from time to time, looking for reassurance.

‘This one might be easier to crack than Lowell.’

Aster thought and decided that pressing Caroline further would yield more.

Just as he was about to step back and reconsider his approach, the red glow of his earring caught his attention. A communication spell had been cast.

The message was from the Tower.

As Aster lightly touched the glowing earring, Seoden’s voice flowed into his ear.

-“Tower Master.”

“Speak.”

-“She has regained consciousness.”

Aster’s blue eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.

“I will return immediately.” 

Before Lowell could even try to stop him, Aster cast a teleportation spell and disappeared.

—

The Tower, Aster’s chamber.

Inside, Lady Blante, now conscious, sat in silence, guarded by Seoden.

But no words were exchanged between them. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, weighed down by an unspoken tension – especially from Seoden.

He sighed softly and looked at Lady Blante, who was staring out of the window with an unreadable expression on her face.

At first he had been relieved that she had regained consciousness so quickly. It had seemed like a stroke of luck.

But the relief was short-lived. A new problem had arisen – one as significant as her previous unconscious state.

And the problem was Lady Blante herself.

‘If the Tower Master finds out…’

Seoden couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that things were not going as Aster had hoped. A return to normal seemed increasingly unlikely. 

But if things didn’t go as planned… what would come next?

Seoden bit his lip hard, a nervous habit that appeared whenever he felt anxious.

Just then, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“I told you to get rid of that habit. You still haven’t, have you?”

Startled, Seoden jumped and turned his head. There was Aster, staring at him with a look that asked why he seemed so surprised.

The Master of the Tower, who had left Seoden with Lady Blante, had returned.

Aster had said he would come immediately after the earlier communication. His almost immediate arrival was not surprising, but Seoden was still taken by surprise.

After a moment, Seoden answered slowly.

“I was just… lost in thought.”

“What could you possibly be thinking that the Grand Mage of the Tower is losing track of magical energy? Pull yourself together!”

Aster said, giving Seoden a light tap on the shoulder as if to scold him.

Then he shifted his gaze to the bed – to Lady Blante, who was staring silently out of the window.

“She’s really awake.”

He had been secretly worried, fearing that, like Faelin, she might remain unconscious indefinitely. The possibility had lingered in his mind.

But now she was awake, much sooner than he had dared hope – and apparently without a single injury.

‘That is a relief,’ he thought sincerely. As he began to approach Lady Blante, his steps faltered halfway.

“Something feels…”

He stopped, his instincts sharpening.

‘Strange.’

There was an inexplicable uneasiness emanating from Lady Blante.

Although she was clearly conscious – sitting upright against the headboard, eyes open, gazing out of the window – something was wrong.

Despite Aster’s arrival and his brief exchange with Seoden, she hadn’t even glanced in their direction. Her gaze remained fixed on the night sky beyond the window, completely motionless.

Were it not for the subtle signs of life – her open eyes and steady breathing – she could be mistaken for a lifeless painting.

Her stillness wasn’t natural. The vacant, dazed expression on her face suggested that she wasn’t acting of her own free will. It was as if she was under the influence of something – a powerful calming spell.

A spell strong enough to strip her of any independent thought.

Such a powerful sedative wasn’t used lightly. It was usually reserved for criminals, as its effects could severely damage the mental structure of the person subjected to it.

For this reason, one of the highest punishments within the Tower was the Illusion Sentence – a form of magical imprisonment that completely dismantles a person’s mind.

Trapped in a shattered mental world, living an eternity of torment in a nightmarish illusion – that was the purpose of such magic. And yet this spell had been used on Lady Blante.

Aster turned to Seoden, his expression as cold and rigid as ice.

“Seoden. I specifically told you to protect Lady Blante. What does that mean?”

His voice, deep and razor sharp, cut through the air, stinging Seoden’s ears. A shiver ran down Seoden’s spine.

He’d expected Aster to be angry, but he hadn’t expected the sheer intensity of the rage that radiated from him.

Aster had never shown this level of anger before – not even to Seoden. To feel that raw, overwhelming power was to be in the presence of something unstoppable.

‘So this is what the aura of a 9th Circle Grand Mage really feels like.’

Seoden’s chest tightened like a vise around his lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe, let alone speak.

But he had to explain. He had to tell Aster why he had cast such a powerful soothing spell on Lady Blante.

Using every ounce of his strength, Seoden forced the most important information out first.

“…Amnesia.”

Instantly, the oppressive force surrounding him dissipated.

“What did you say?”

Aster’s tone was sharp and disbelieving.

“Ah…ha…ha…”

Seoden gasped, finally able to breathe freely. But Aster, unfazed by his struggle, continued.

“Amnesia? What do you mean by that?”

Still gasping for breath, Seoden nodded weakly, trying to compose himself.

“As I said… she has amnesia.”

Seoden exhaled deeply before speaking clearly to Aster.

“Lady Blante currently remembers nothing – not even who she is.”

Aster’s expression changed to one of disbelief.

“Absolutely nothing? Not her name, her background, her age… nothing at all?”

Seoden nodded grimly, his face darkening.

“Yes. She really is in a state of complete amnesia. At first I thought it might be a symptom of some unnoticed head injury, so I tried to use healing magic. But it had no effect.”

“What about hypnosis magic? Did that fail too?”

Magic was constantly evolving, and recently hypnotic spell techniques had been developed to help those who had lost their memories through trauma or accident.

The magic worked by penetrating the unconscious mind and retrieving buried memories.

In most cases, such hypnotic magic had successfully restored lost memories.

But Seoden shook his head.