Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Ch. 146 .｡.:✧ What it Means to Face Someone (3) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Magic Tower.
The undisputed pinnacle of magical research and the forefront of human knowledge. Yulia-level geniuses were a dime a dozen there.
New magic was constantly being developed, refined, and discarded.
They readily adopted any useful magical applications, not just fundamental magic, such as magical stones, magical tools, and magical engineering.
The mages of the Magic Tower had no use for petty pride. Their sole criterion for judging anything was its usefulness in magical research.
Egotism had been discarded long ago.
Everything was evaluated based on skill and results. Those who had visited the Magic Tower often described it as a place filled with emotionless monsters.
“It looks so… bleak.”
This was my second… no, my third visit.
Considering I had regressed twelve times, it wasn’t that often. There weren’t many opportunities to come here.
There were no special encounters to be had, and no exceptionally powerful individuals resided here.
There was little benefit in befriending these mages who locked themselves in their rooms for days on end, researching.
“The White Magic Tower Master, huh…”
There were four types of magic towers, the Red, the Blue, the Black, and the White.
The names didn’t hold any particular meaning, they were simply based on the color of the towers’ exteriors.
The Tower Masters were the rulers of their respective towers, wielding absolute authority within them.
The White Tower Master, in particular, was shrouded in mystery.
The White Magic Tower was known for its secrecy, even more so than the other towers.
Its research topic was unknown, it had the smallest number of researchers, yet it received the largest research budget.
Strangely, despite the lack of information, it continued to attract funding from various sources, even from the other towers. While the White Tower had the least prominent reputation, its financial structure suggested it held the highest position among the towers.
There was a rumor, half-jokingly, that the White Tower was developing magic to destroy the world.
Of course, that was impossible.
If it were true, the other Tower Masters wouldn’t stand idly by. It was well-known that they planted spies in each other’s towers to gather information.
“Wow… this is the White Tower…”
“Wooow…”
Undecided and Nameless gasped in awe as we looked down at the tall, cylindrical white tower from the mountain ridge.
The Red, Blue, and Black Towers were also visible not far away, connected by a network of roads within the same basin. Despite their rivalry, they often collaborated.
‘What should I say? I don’t really want to mention Alicia’s name.’
Alicia had gone to great lengths to return to Yerina’s side.
If I mentioned her name here, it would all be for naught.
I wanted to meet the White Tower Master without revealing Alicia’s involvement, but… it seemed unlikely.
“Did you come to meet the Tower Master?”
“Yes. Could you-“
“I’ll guide you.”
A robust mage in a robe approached us as we reached the entrance, as if he had been waiting for us.
The main doors opened with a creak, revealing a long, marble-lined hallway.
“Are you not coming in?”
“I’m coming.”
The mage strode forward without hesitation.
We exchanged glances and followed him.
“How did you know we were here to see the Tower Master?”
“I didn’t. The Tower Master instructed me to let you in. This is an elevator-”
“I know what an elevator is. They’re not exclusive to the Magic Tower.”
“Is that so? I thought it was a recent invention… When was it? Imperial year…”
“The elevator was invented twenty years ago.”
“Ah, twenty years already? Then it must be quite widespread…”
The mage mumbled to himself, seemingly losing track of time. His eyes were sunken and lifeless.
Was he… controlled by Luna?
“What… are you doing…?”
“I apologize. It’s a habit of mine to check people’s heartbeats.”
I had unconsciously placed my hand on his chest, checking his heartbeat and the flow of magical power.
It was normal.
I guess people like Yulia and this mage were just naturally like this.
“By the way, I received a general notice. All entrants to the tower are to be checked for a heartbeat. If there’s no heartbeat, we are to immediately detain them and send them to the Papal Office…”
“Hmm. I have nothing to hide.”
It seemed countermeasures against Luna were being implemented, even reaching the Magic Tower.
It was a simple but effective method, checking for a heartbeat, so Luna couldn’t impersonate high-ranking officials anymore.
“And… are you perhaps… related to the Tower Master?”
“What?”
“Ah, no. My apologies. The Tower Master rarely receives visitors, so I just assumed…”
He seemed to think Undecided and I were the Tower Master’s children.
Undecided, for some reason, puffed up her cheeks and clung to me, her hand gripping mine. Her cool touch spread through my fingers.
“This is the Tower Master’s research lab. Don’t knock, just go in. To go down, press the arrow button on the elevator. When the doors open, go inside and press the button marked ‘1’-”
“I know, I know. You can go back to your research.”
“Ah, you know how to use it. Well then, it was nice meeting you.”
The mage bowed and quickly walked away. It was obvious. The only thing mages in the Magic Tower stopped for was death.
‘It was easier than I thought.’
The White Tower Master.
He said he already knew I was coming. Alicia couldn’t have informed him beforehand.
Did he read my mind with magic, or did he see the future?
I felt a bit nervous.
I grasped the doorknob and stepped inside.
The room was filled with strange machines, large magical stones or perhaps monuments, and piles of books.
Deep inside, I found an old man wearing an eye patch, sitting in a recliner. He looked familiar.
“You took your sweet time. I almost fell asleep. They should really replace that slow, old elevator.”
“Have we… met before?”
“Hmm? I don’t think so. I haven’t left this tower in over a decade.”
He removed his eye patch, revealing his face.
I remembered.
This old man… I had met him in my second loop. He had taught me magic.
[T/N: NO FUCKING WAY it’s the old scammer dude!!!]
“Why are you staring? Come, sit. It’s not often I have guests.”
“Did you know I was coming?”
“Of course. If you weren’t here to see me, there would be no reason for you to visit the Magic Tower.”
The old man evaded my question with a vague answer. He sat at a worn wooden table and poured me a cup of oolong tea.
As I watched him, I was struck by a sense of déjà vu.
Yes, the way he poured the tea… It was the same as the old man from my second loop. But how could that be?
He was a back-alley vagrant mage… unless he was secretly the White Tower Master all along?
‘What is this old man’s true identity?’
There were many suspicious things about him. It was one thing that he pretended to be a vagrant in my second loop, but the biggest question was, why did he only appear in my second loop?
From the third to the twelfth loop, I had searched for him every time, on the same day, at the same place, but I never found him or any trace of him.
It was as if someone had deliberately placed him there in my second loop, knowing I would regress. Or perhaps… he knew about my regression?
‘Is he sensitive to changes in the timeline?’
Perhaps he was sensitive to even the smallest changes, which was why I only encountered him in the second loop, a chance encounter triggered by a specific set of circumstances.
And in all the other loops, he had remained hidden in the tower. Or… did he remember the regressions?
‘That’s impossible.’
That was absurd.
Even though the system had malfunctioned, causing the main heroines to remember previous loops, there was a clear pattern. The system’s ‘relationship chart’ could prove it.
[Jill Diner: 벫붳뷻뷝뷻뷝…]
[Yulia Petenburg: 벫붳뷻뷝뷻뷝…]
[Yerina Frost: 벫붳뷻뷝뷻뷝…]
[Tay: 벫붳뷻]
The relationship charts for the main heroines – Jill, Yulia, and Yerina – were ridiculously long, filled with gibberish, while Tay’s was short.
The relationship charts for non-heroines like Cornelia, Alicia, and Mia were also short.
My conclusion was that the memories of previous loops, and the relationship values from those loops, had combined, causing the main heroines’ charts to become so bizarrely long.
Then, what about this old man’s relationship chart?
[Temulen: 벫붳]
It was short, even shorter than Tay’s.
If he remembered the second loop, it wouldn’t be this short. He had treated me quite harshly when he taught me magic back then.
It seemed he didn’t remember previous loops. Perhaps he had used magic to read my mind or see the future.
I felt relieved.
“You have two unusual companions… I’m not particularly fond of having them in my tower…”
“…”
“…”
The old man stared at me, then at Undecided and Nameless, who was hiding behind me.
He could see through Undecided’s nature as a blood ghoul, and even sense Nameless, despite her attempts to hide. It seemed nothing could be hidden from this old man.
“Yes.”
“Did you come here because of Alicia’s referral?”
“That’s right. You’re an expert on memories…”
“Ha ha ha!”
The old man suddenly burst into laughter.
He stroked his beard for a moment, then looked at me with bright eyes.
“That child still doesn’t understand me. Memories? That’s not my specialty. My, and the White Tower’s, area of expertise is the soul.”
He stared at me, or rather, at something inside me.
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