Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Eloise Arin (1)
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“Excuse me, but you can’t go up there.”
21st-floor magic library.
A woman who appeared to be the librarian blocked my path.
“From the 22nd floor onward, only those with permission from the Tower Lord or elder-level professors are allowed entry. You seem to be a new professor, but... even professors can’t make exceptions.”
“......”
Whoa.
What was this?
Things were going wrong from the very first step?
I glanced up at the staircase leading upward.
Up there.
Somewhere in the 22nd-floor library was Boneo’s secret chamber.
“Excuse me.”
Did she notice my gaze?
The librarian asked sharply.
“You’re not thinking of sneaking in, are you? Don’t even think about it—that would be a disaster. The entire 22nd floor is protected by the Tower Lord’s magic, so anyone without permission trying to enter... would be turned into a charred electrocution victim on the spot.”
The librarian shook her head.
“It happens sometimes with new professors who try to sneak in to browse forbidden books and cause accidents. Just in case...”
“Ah, yes.”
Truth be told.
I already knew without her saying.
Never mind the blue barrier installed between the stairs.
‘That’s an incredible aura.’
I could sense the powerful magic emanating from above, which felt out of place.
‘In that case.’
What should I do?
“By any chance.”
I stared into the librarian’s eyes and asked.
“Do the heirs of the Eloise ducal family have access to that area?”
“Eloise?”
The librarian met my gaze.
“Hmm, probably? From what I know, students from the four great ducal families can use it. It’s pretty ridiculous, right? Professors can’t enter, but students can... Well, that’s life for you. Power rules everywhere.”
“The four great ducal families...?”
“Yes. As you know. Fire’s Eloise, Water’s Patrick, Life’s Haim, Earth’s Noah. Those four houses. They’ve shared history with the Magic Tower.”
Is that how it is?
Monopolizing knowledge like this.
To maintain their power indefinitely...
‘Jeez.’
This place or Earth.
In the end, the world works the same everywhere.
‘For now.’
I need to get in there to complete the quest.
It’s one or the other.
Either I go in.
Or Eloise comes out.
“Anyway, thank you.”
After thanking the librarian, I stepped out of the library.
For the time being, it was a tactical retreat.
* * *
A week passed.
I’d asked around everywhere during that time, but there wasn’t much progress.
Meeting Gospelheim, the Tower Lord who wielded near-absolute power, was next to impossible.
Naturally, I couldn’t access the 22nd floor either.
I considered using the emergency passage Boneo had found.
But without disarming the traps set by the Tower Lord, it wouldn’t mean much.
So even now.
‘Hmm.’
20th-floor personal lab.
I sat in the room, racking my brain.
‘When my head’s this cluttered.’
Time for training.
I absentmindedly extended my hand.
Whoosh!
Now, flames easily burst from my palm.
And that wasn’t all?
Whoosh, whoosh!
The surging firepower danced gracefully, like an Eastern dragon in flight.
My steady practice had raised the proficiency of my sorcery to a new level.
I deployed sorcery across the five elements.
Fire, water, wood, metal, earth.
Elements similar to the essences I possessed, which still showed no signs of awakening.
I’d trained with the old man since morning.
And just as I was about to rest in the lab.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked.
‘Students?’
Truth be told.
I’d told those who needed instruction to come to me directly.
But not a single student had shown up so far.
Well, anyone with enough zeal to seek out a professor wouldn’t be failing in the first place.
“Are you in, Professor?”
The knocker was Silvia.
A professor from another class, and my mentor.
What brought her here?
Creak!
I opened the door, and Silvia entered.
“What brings you here?”
“Well...”
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“You haven’t attended any classes for the past week, right? ...A few of the students gathered their strength and submitted a petition to Elder Alpen.”
“......Huh?”
Those guys?
I’d left them alone because they weren’t worth dealing with.
And they struck first?
Seeing my reaction, Silvia let out a deep sigh.
“It’s not entirely unexpected, but this is a bit serious.”
According to her.
A kid named Andrew Patrick was the ringleader.
With the immense power of the Patrick ducal family, it was too much for a mere professor to handle?
If no action was taken, the family might step in directly.
“Failing students pulling this crap? What a joke.”
“Truth be told... it happened to me too.”
“You too, Silvia?”
“Yes. Before you arrived, I was briefly in charge of F-Class as well.”
Wow.
That was surprising news.
“Andrew’s a truly scary kid. He’ll drag down anyone who doesn’t suit his fancy, no matter what.”
“Not just some punk riding on family power?”
“He’s got real skill, enough that ‘punk’ doesn’t fit. Embarrassingly, I underestimated him and got burned badly.”
“Whoa.”
Even a professor got taken down?
Well, Silvia might be my senior, but she was still a young professor.
“And it’s not just that. Even after causing trouble and failing, the Patrick family won’t let him be expelled. He’s actually enjoying being in F-Class...”
“The Magic Tower’s prestige is weaker than I thought? Shaken by a single family.”
“You’re mistaken. The heads of the four great families are the pillars of the Magic Tower, aside from the Tower Lord.”
“......”
It wasn’t that the Tower’s prestige was weak.
The kid was practically the Tower itself?
“It might be meddling, but you should attend classes... and try to appease that kid as much as possible.”
“Hmm, not really my style.”
Me, who never catered to the whims of giant dragons or Aranbalon.
Catering to some angsty teen punk?
Even a passing Shadow Shepherd would sigh.
“Anyway, be careful. You applied here to last a while, didn’t you...? No good comes from crossing the four great families.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“Oh, and.”
Silvia turned serious.
“You were looking for the Eloise family in the library?”
“That... made it to your ears too, Silvia?”
That librarian.
Must have a loose tongue.
“Why are you looking for the Eloise family? You asked me about them before too.”
“Hmm.”
“And if it’s the Eloise holed up on the 22nd floor of the library... it has to be Eloise Arin.”
Eloise Arin.
The moment I heard that name.
Thump!
My heart pounded hard.
“Eloise Arin...”
It was instinct, intuition.
A gut feeling that she was connected to Boneo’s past.
“Could you tell me more about her?”
“Arin?”
“Yes.”
“Why her...”
Silvia looked puzzled.
“She’s called the library ghost, and known to have been abandoned by her family. No one pays her any attention.”
“......Really? As a professor and mentor, how could I ignore such a child? That only piques my interest more.”
“......?”
It might sound like nonsense.
But I was dead serious.
Reading my expression, Silvia let out a soft sigh.
“Sigh, Arin is the shame of Eloise. She’s the only one in the family without talent, stuck in F-Class.”
“......”
“How little do they care? Andrew openly bullies her, and no one from the family steps in.”
Oh ho.
Andrew Patrick.
That thug punk shows up here too?
“Her holing up in the library? Rumors say she can’t adapt to the Tower. I’ve tried meeting her a few times myself... but she’s hard to find.”
“......I see.”
A talentless Eloise.
Hmm.
That didn’t add up.
If Arin was Boneo’s past.
She’d be an absolute among absolutes, rising to one of the four Tower Lords.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Silvia clapped her hands.
“Right! There is a way to see her.”
“Really?”
My eyes lit up.
“Yes, come to think of it, tonight there’s a regular Eloise family event on the 18th floor. Even Arin couldn’t skip a family event.”
“......Family event?”
They have those too?
Whatever.
All the Eloises would be gathered there?
Nice one, Silvia.
Great intel.
* * *
From the 16th to 20th floors of the tower.
All five floors could pass for a massive community center.
Shopping streets, huge plazas, buildings for cultural activities, various taverns.
Spaces for the Magic Tower members’ convenience.
Bustling.
I arrived at the crowded 18th-floor plaza.
With the old man summoned in the air beside me.
“What’s this? Calling me out in the evening for once?”
I could summon the old man for 12 hours a day.
I’d used 8 for morning training, so 4 hours remained.
“Didn’t you say it yourself, Elder? If something big happens, summon you without fail.”
Surprisingly.
The old man enjoyed watching my affairs more than training.
Said my actions were more entertaining than unraveling his ‘one’.
“Hoh, is today the day? Well, you wouldn’t come to a place like this willingly otherwise.”
The old man looked around.
Clearly inside the tower.
Yet the sky was visible above, a river flowed beside.
Even a cozy evening glow was depicted.
Was this the power of magic?
Dong~ dong!
Someone strummed a guitar on a bench.
Another strolled along the river eating ice cream.
All Magic Tower members taking a break.
“So, what are you planning here?”
“Looking for Boneo.”
“Boneo?”
“Yes.”
Silvia had told me.
Didn’t know the exact spot, but somewhere on the 18th floor was the Eloise family gathering.
And.
Finding that Eloise was simple.
I closed my eyes and lightly placed my hand on the ground.
Woooong!
I drew up my internal energy.
Activation of the Taecheong Heart Method (S-Grade).
‘Find the strongest person around here.’
Shhhh......
The energy I infused into the ground spread thin and dense in all directions.
Like a net.
How much time passed like that.
“Hup!”
At the edge of the energy, something snagged.
A rod-like, blazing hot energy.
‘Incredible.’
Just a brief check made my skin tingle.
Roughly gauging it.
‘Sophia Silverstone.’
Yes.
The sensation when facing her head-on.
An aura that dominated the surroundings and pressured the space just by existing.
‘Impressive.’
If an elder from the four great families was on Sophia’s level.
How strong was Tower Lord Gospelheim?
I slowly retracted the densely spread energy.
Carefully, so as not to be detected.
‘Anyway.’
I’d pinpointed the location.
Shhh!
I withdrew the spread energy back into my body and stood.
Step, step.
Then walked slowly.
“Keek keel.”
Watching me, the old man grinned like he was dying of curiosity.
And added.
“This is gonna be fun again.”