Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Elysia's Garden
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The man from earlier was standing in the corridor.
"Shall I bring your meal?"
"No, I'll go eat it myself."
Staying cooped up in the room was starting to feel stifling. Since this was the Magic Tower, I wanted to look around a bit.
"I'll guide you there."
He took the lead.
The Magic Tower's interior was fascinating as we walked down the corridor. Magical arrays were engraved into every wall, glowing orbs floated along the ceiling, and the stairs moved on their own.
It was a sight unimaginable back in the North.
"Um..."
He spoke up cautiously.
"Yes?"
"To get to the dining hall, we have to pass through the central research wing."
"Okay."
"In the research wing, just stick close to me. It can be dangerous..."
What did that mean?
He opened the door, and the research wing stretched out before us. Wizards crammed every desk, all engrossed in crystal orbs, magical arrays, and thick tomes.
But the moment I stepped in...
Heads turned.
One.
Two.
Three.
About twenty heads swiveled toward me in unison.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
Then...
"That's her..."
"The one from the VIP quarters..."
"From the North..."
The whispers began.
This felt familiar.
"Let's go."
I hurried across the research wing alongside him.
But the stares kept coming. From behind, the sides, ahead... from everywhere.
"Your mana circulation structure is quite unique."
A bespectacled woman trotting beside me piped up.
"...Pardon?"
"I can see the distinctive mana flow of Northern bloodlines. It has research value."
What was she talking about?
"May I observe it a little?"
"...No."
What the—
These people were weird.
Everyone's eyes looked a little... off.
"Just for a moment. With a crystal orb."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
"Sorry about that. The VIP is on the move."
We practically ran.
But footsteps echoed from behind. Several sets.
I glanced back.
Five or six wizards were following, crystal orbs in hand.
"I need to record that skeletal ratio."
"It's close to the golden ratio. Major academic value."
"A chance to collect physical data on Northern bloodlines."
"..."
What was wrong with these people?
"My apologies."
He bowed his head.
"Our tower researchers don't get out much."
"Pardon?"
"They've never had a chance to meet someone like you."
"..."
Someone like me?
"They say it's for research, but that's just... Sigh."
He let out a deep breath before continuing.
"Sorry."
"..."
The voices kept coming from behind.
"Let us observe your mana flow, please."
"Just a moment, for recording."
"It's for scholarly purposes. We really need this!"
I quickened my pace.
Then...
"Stop right there!"
A booming voice rang out.
I turned.
A young woman approached. Her robe bore a golden sash, marking her as high-ranking.
The manager?
"What in the world is this?!"
She glared at the wizards.
"Chasing after the VIP that the young lady herself escorted here! What does that do to the Magic Tower's reputation?!"
The wizards flinched.
"F-For academic purposes..."
"Academic purposes?"
She scoffed.
"Chasing someone with crystal orbs is academic? Back to your seats, now!"
"..."
The wizards slunk away dejectedly.
She turned to me and bowed politely.
"My deepest apologies. The researchers were rude."
"Oh, no, it's fine."
"On behalf of the Magic Tower, I apologize. You must have been uncomfortable."
"Really, it's okay."
She looked up.
Her eyes met mine.
"..."
Her expression hardened.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then panic crossed her face.
"Uh... um."
"...?"
She glanced around. The wizards were gone.
She lowered her voice.
"If it's not too rude..."
"Yes?"
"Could I get your crystal orb contact info...?"
"..."
"It's not for anything weird... I mean, really! For academic... No, I mean... for research collaboration..."
"..."
She was the same.
"I-I should get going..."
I backed away subtly.
"Ah, yes! The dining hall is this way!"
He hurried ahead. The manager woman tried to say more, but I pretended not to hear and sped up.
Behind me, I caught "research collaboration..." or whatever. I ignored it.
We reached the dining hall.
It was huge. The ceiling soared high, and sunlight streamed peacefully through the windows. Wizards sat at tables, eating.
The stares hit me the moment I entered. Again.
"That person..."
"VIP quarters..."
"From the North..."
The same old whispers. I ignored them and took a corner seat.
He brought food.
"I brought a light selection."
Soup, bread, meat dish. Looked decent.
I took a bite.
Delicious.
The capital really was different.
Back North, it'd be potato soup and hard bread.
I ate quietly. The stares persisted, but I was too hungry to care.
Then...
"0.7 doesn't make sense."
A voice from the next table.
"What's wrong with it? Run the numbers."
"The math checks out. But assuming 0.7 means errors accumulate after 3rd circle."
"How much error?"
"0.02."
"You're fussing over 0.02?"
"Small? Past 4th circle, it's 0.08. At 5th, 0.15. Are you even a real wizard?"
The voices grew louder.
I glanced over.
Two wizards faced off across the table, both bespectacled, eyes bloodshot. Looked like they'd pulled an all-nighter.
Food sat untouched; papers covered the table, dense with equations.
"And that formula's premise is wrong from the start."
A third wizard joined in. Where'd he come from?
"The version revised by the Fourth Tower Lord uses a variable coefficient."
"That's unverified."
"Unverified? You gonna verify the Tower Lord's theory?"
"Theories need verification. Tower Lord isn't infallible."
"You doubting the Tower Lord?"
"It's scholarly rigor."
"Rigor? Have you even read the Fourth Tower Lord's paper properly?"
"Of course."
"How many times?"
"Three."
"Three? I've read it twelve."
"Bragging about reading it twelve times?"
"Difference in comprehension."
"..."
The voices escalated. The other wizards ignored it like it was routine.
"......"
I kept eating.
What was with these people.
Scary.
I finished eating and stood.
"I'd like to tour the Magic Tower."
I told him.
"I'll guide you."
He led the way.
The interior was vast. Each floor had its own vibe.
"This floor is the elemental magic research wing."
He explained.
Passing a room, voices drifted out.
"The flame color shifts from red to blue at 1,200 degrees Celsius?"
"That's what the text says."
"That text is 200 years old. How accurate were measurements back then?"
"Then measure it yourself."
"I am. It's shifting at 1,180."
"20 degrees difference. Big deal."
"20 degrees isn't a big deal?"
Here we go again.
Up to the next floor.
"This is the magic array research wing."
Passing a room, two wizards glared at a single array.
"That line's off by 0.3mm."
"0.3mm? How can you even see that?"
"I can see it."
"Get a magnifying glass."
"Don't need one. My eyes are the magnifier."
"..."
Next floor.
"Mana theory research wing."
Three wizards debated in the hall.
"'Flows' and 'circulates' are totally different concepts."
"Similar enough."
"Similar? You pick words like that in papers?"
"'Flows' is unidirectional; 'circulates' implies regression. Fail to distinguish, and your mana theory foundation crumbles."
"Over one word?"
"One word changes the theory."
Fighting over sentences.
Over numbers.
Over lines.
Were all these people like this?
"...Is this normal here?"
I asked him.
He answered calmly.
"Yes. It's normal."
"..."
"You'll get used to it."
Get used to this?
The Magic Tower was fascinating but austere.
Cold stone walls, intricate machines, strange smells. Classic engineering vibe.
But then...
"The atmosphere changes from here."
He stopped before massive doors.
Vines and roses entwined the frame; the handle was a solid-gold butterfly.
"77th floor. 'The Spirit Garden'."
The doors opened.
"......"
I couldn't close my mouth.
This wasn't inside a tower.
Endless blue grass stretched out. No ceiling—just sky and clouds, with an artificial sun shining warmly.
A brook babbled; flowers bloomed in every color. Butterflies fluttered, small birds chirped.
"This is... inside the tower?"
"Yes. Extreme spatial expansion magic."
He explained proudly.
"Made solely for the Tower Lord's daughter, Lady Elysia."
"......"
"She loves playing with spirits. Barefoot in the dirt, splashing in water, feeling the breeze... So the Tower Lord remade an entire floor."
Insane.
I'd heard he was a doting dad, but this?
While other wizards hunched in cramped labs, his daughter picnicked inside the tower?
This was diamond-spoon life.
"She usually stays in that gazebo over there."
A white gazebo stood in the distance.
Amid the grass, surrounded by flowers and butterflies.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Then...
I spotted someone inside.
Violet hair swaying in the breeze.
It was Elysia.
Tiny spirits orbited her. Water, fire, wind, earth—each shimmering a different color.
She extended a hand; one spirit perched on her finger like a bird.
Elysia smiled.
"......"
Wow.
Like a fairy tale illustration.
Gazebo ringed by flowers. Violet-haired girl. Glowing spirits dancing around.
Unreal.
"That's her space."
He said quietly.
"May I go closer?"
"......"
He glanced at her far off, then nodded it was fine.
And so, as if drawn by some spell, I started walking toward her.