Merrien abruptly stood up.

“I’m sorry, but we have to leave first because the Tower’s affairs are urgent!”

“Did you want to be alone with me in the Tower Master’s room? You could just say—”

“Your mouth, your mouth!”

As Ariel leisurely stood up following her, Merrien hastily covered his mouth.

Then she laughed awkwardly and bowed her head to the nobles as if telling them to carry on with their business.

Where the two disappeared through teleportation, a gentle breeze briefly remained before vanishing.

“…The Tower must indeed have many affairs.”

“Leaving in such a hurry. Well, I’ve heard the Tower has been extremely busy since that incident.”

“It’s truly a pity…”

“I heard the Saint is also busy healing the injured. Seeing how she only mentioned the Tower’s affairs, she’s truly humble.”

The oblivious nobles couldn’t hide their regret as they stroked their beards.

***

‘…Was I deceived again?’

After all that talk about the Tower Master’s room.

The place Ariel teleported to was the first floor, where magicians were bustling about.

Merrien glared at his hand wrapped around her waist.

“Ariel.”

“Yes, Merri.”

“What are you doing?”

“Why? Disappointed?”

“Wha… No, take your hand off.”

Slap! After striking his hand crisply, she felt relieved.

While dusting her hands with satisfaction at his dejected expression, Merrien suddenly paused.

‘…Everyone looks too normal?’

The magicians before her were busy as usual, with shadows under their eyes.

Rather, the Tower’s walls were not just gleaming but polished, and the ceiling seemed higher.

Ariel had said everyone was safe and it was time to visit, but she hadn’t expected everything to look so… undisturbed.

“Did something actually happen?”

“Hmm, something did happen.”

Ariel scratched his forehead. His response was ambiguous for such a matter.

At that moment, Seren’s voice was heard.

“Tower Master! Saint!”

Somehow knowing they had arrived, Seren appeared, squeezing through the black-robed magicians.

With documents in one hand, he waved the other in greeting.

Judging by the dark circles under Seren’s eyes, who usually looked fine despite his research, he must have been quite exhausted.

Seren seemed to welcome them, but as he approached, he immediately fumed:

“That junior whom I praised as a genius was under mental control, wasn’t he?!”

“…Could you explain more clearly?”

“A junior under mental control ended up… making a huge mistake in gate calculations!”

Seren painfully clutched his head, too overwhelmed to mention what troubled him.

“In all my time at the Tower, I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing! I’m truly too ashamed to face the previous Tower Masters!”

“How would you face previous Tower Masters? By opening their coffin lids?”

The actual Tower Master, Ariel, didn’t care at all.

According to Seren’s explanation, absurdly, the gate count error was indeed a calculation mistake by the Tower.

A junior had been studying ‘B’ found inside a top-tier magical beast, fell under mental control, and deliberately miscalculated.

Of course, there was only a communication problem, and the matter was well handled.

“But… weren’t the magicians collapsed?”

“Ah, because of that calculation error, the Tower was turned upside down, and everyone went without sleep for a week checking if there were errors elsewhere. Those were probably people drunk with sleep that day.”

“…And the blood on the walls?”

“That wasn’t blood but energy replenishment potion. Thanks to that, we renovated the Tower’s walls.”

“……”

Ah, so that’s why the walls looked different.

As Seren pointed to the wall and explained brightly, Merrien closed her mouth.

“Saint, were you… worried?”

Without waiting for a response, Seren dropped the documents he had been clutching like his life and covered his mouth.

His eyes reddened as if about to burst into tears.

“…No. We’re not that close.”

Despite her cold response, Seren wiped the corners of his eyes, ignoring her.

Even though no tears were flowing.

“As expected of the Saint. I understand why the Tower Master fell for you.”

“Don’t even think about falling for her. I’ll kill you first.”

“…Yes, sir!”

“Sigh.”

Ariel, who had been quiet until now, growled, causing the nearby temperature to drop dramatically.

Merrien decided never to worry about the Tower people again.

She had heard in passing that the Tower’s magicians were incredibly strong individuals who simply enjoyed research and accumulating knowledge.

Seeing them make such a fuss over trivial matters, that claim seemed completely unreliable.

More importantly, if left alone, the Tower itself might freeze solid. Merrien grabbed Ariel’s arm.

“Seren, the noble trial is over, and I wanted to share the results. The Tower has agreed to help repair the Imperial Palace. And the festival streets when time permits.”

Although she had already coordinated with Ariel, Seren was effectively in charge of the Tower’s management, so she felt somewhat nervous.

“Well, everyone will be setting foot on Imperial land after a long time.”

Fortunately, Seren showed no displeasure as he picked up the fallen documents and wrote something down.

“Since Master Agnes is now at the Tower too, repairing even the festival streets should be quick.”

As Seren spoke, someone began approaching with heavy footsteps.

“Didn’t you say you disliked the boring Tower people?”

“It’s time for me to live quietly, too.”

The figure emerging from the shadows was Agnes.

Ariel crossed his arms askew as he watched the confident Agnes.

“That’s true. It’s about time you became more modest. Modest men are trending in romance books these days.”

…How do you know that?

He shouldn’t have had time to read them. Merrien glanced up at Ariel, but he was busy mocking Agnes first.

“But who let you into the Tower? Mental control— mmph.”

Agnes, who had been quite far away, used teleportation to rush over and hastily covered Ariel’s mouth.

“Keep it a secret, friend.”

Ariel looked down at the large hand covering his mouth and frowned.

“…Don’t… want… lick… hand…”

“…What?”

Agnes removed his hand and carefully leaned his ear closer.

“I don’t want to lick your hand.”

“You crazy bastard.”

So does that mean he wants to lick Merrien’s hand?

Agnes briefly looked at Merrien beside him, but when their eyes met, he awkwardly turned away.

Things had become awkward after he made something resembling a confession due to heightened emotions on the banquet day.

“Mr. Nes, ah. I should call you Mr. Agnes now. It’s been a while. First time since the Imperial banquet.”

Merrien, however, didn’t seem bothered at all. She spoke to him just like usual.

“…Ah, yes. It’s been a while.”

He couldn’t even say her name, ‘Merrien.’

Ariel was watching right beside him with a menacing face that promised death.

Meanwhile, Seren seemed to have finished his paperwork and smiled with satisfaction.

He then took out an amplification magical tool and shouted so the entire Tower could hear:

“Alright, everyone! Let’s prepare for an outing after a long time! We need to go repair the Imperial buildings.”

Ah, I’m busy…

Grumbling voices immediately came from here and there.

“This is the Tower Master’s order. He’s right beside me now.”

But at those words, which sounded like a threat, everyone straightened their hunched backs like zombies.

As they looked around and spotted Ariel, their eyes widened.

Soon they froze stiffly as if seeing a ghost and even gulped down the liquid on their desks as if it were the elixir of life.

“…The Tower Master is truly the Tower Master, I guess.”

Merrien observed the magicians’ behavior and glanced awkwardly at Ariel with an uncomfortable smile.

“No, why are you nodding in approval?”

He was smiling contentedly.

Seeing that, Merrien let out a deep sigh.

Anyway, she couldn’t go a day without sighing.

And there wasn’t a day she visited the Tower without using Holy Power.

Merrien rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. Then she raised both hands toward the Tower’s high ceiling.

‘Isn’t this déjà vu?’

Feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, Merrien hesitated briefly.

‘Still… since they’re helping repair the Imperial buildings, I should gladly use it.’

Having made her decision, she shot Holy Power toward the sky.

The Holy Power burst like fireworks and scattered over the magicians.

As life returned to the faces of the dying magicians, Merrien, having completed her task, turned around.

Her pink hair slowly found its place.

“Meanwhile, I’ll go to the temple and look after the injured with Charlotte.”

Merrien smiled brightly.

“……”

Ariel was momentarily dazed at the sight. His mouth even opened unconsciously.

Before he turned ten, he had come to the Tower with his father, the previous Tower Master.

His father showed him around the Tower and taught him magic. Later, he proudly said that Ariel would become the Tower Master.

But not long after that, Ariel’s father left his side due to magical power overflow.

Perhaps that’s why. Ariel, despite being the Tower Master, instinctively disliked coming to the Tower.

However, the Tower was no longer a space he wanted to avoid.

Merrien standing under the white light falling like snowflakes. That scene alone would remain in his mind.

“Okay. I’ll come pick you up when we’re done.”

Ariel smiled exactly like the one he loved. Very brightly.