Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wanderlust (3)
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Magical Tower Deputy Master Dmier.
She was utterly engrossed in the object before her eyes.
Even as her subordinate Meltas, the former tower master Palag, and her own master—the true lord of the Gray Magical Tower, Remier—opened the door and appeared right in front of her, she didn't notice a thing. Her concentration was nothing short of supernatural.
The entranced Dmier lavishly praised the wondrous creation.
"Ah... To think this is the last rainbow cake... What should I do... How am I supposed to survive... Can I even hold out until next week at this time...? Can I live through those eternal ages without this beautiful rainbow...? Shouldn't I stop right now!? Think about it, Dmier—if I ration this last piece over the next four days... It'd be so frustrating! I know! But still, that's better than nothing, right!?"
If she closed her eyes and just listened, the voice monologuing belonged unmistakably to a pure, lively young girl.
A girl in the full bloom of youth, like a fresh flower bursting into life!
Who would ever imagine such a girl as the magical tower's deputy master?
Who would guess she was a doppelganger modeled after the Wandering Star's youth?
Even more so when this girl appeared more mature than Remier did now.
Meltas and Palag were suffering severe cognitive dissonance at the sight.
And if there was one person in the room most shocked, it had to be no one other than Remier herself.
"Ah~ If only I could quit being deputy master and become someone who makes cakes like these... How happy would I be?"
Eh?
At that shocking statement, Palag and Meltas glanced nervously at Remier.
Her own ever-growing chronicle of embarrassments flashing before her eyes, she hurriedly spoke up.
"Dmier."
"Eek!?"
Dmier, her mind completely fixated on the rainbow cake before her, let out a shrill squeak and stumbled back.
Her arms hugging tightly to her chest in surprise were utterly adorable.
"Wh-who dares barge in without knocking—... Huh?"
In that brief moment, three expressions flashed across Dmier's face.
Eek, a stranger! The startled child.
How dare someone enter my office without permission! The deputy master.
And finally—
Huh? You...? The obedient creation.
"M-Master!!!"
Dmier's eyes flew wide as she clapped both hands over her mouth.
"Ah...!"
At that moment.
Dmier let out a sound like something had just occurred to her.
Her expression gradually clouded with anguish.
"Dmier?"
Remier focused all her attention on her creation's behavior.
She was certain.
This flow.
Her creation's next action would be a confession.
A doppelganger modeled after her master's youth—how had she ended up like this!
She was about to spill the unavoidable circumstances.
Remier fixed her creation with a stern gaze.
And soon enough—
The creation squeezed her eyes shut, as if steeling herself with great resolve, and cried out.
"M-Master, please take it...!"
What was she offering?
A log recording all the shocking events up to now?
The creation held it out to Remier.
It was the plate bearing the rainbow cake she'd just been raving about.
The very last piece!
How heartbreaking it must be to give it away—her body trembled visibly.
Tears seemed ready to spill from her tightly shut eyes at any moment.
She cherished it so dearly, yet handed it over without hesitation!
It was a moment that clearly revealed the creation's love for her master.
Dmier.
That said, alongside the fact that some issue had arisen during the creation process of the doll modeled after the Wandering Star's youth.
"..."
A hollow chuckle escaped the tower master's lips.
She accepted the plate from her creation and said,
"Dmier. Shall we share it? I'll prepare some tea—"
"Sh-share? With Master, the rainbow cake..."
Dmier.
Until recently, she'd been crushed under a weight of pressure.
Guilt over failing to fully carry out the mission and responsibilities her master had entrusted to her.
Back then, Dmier often thought:
If I face Master again, how should I show my face?
Can I make excuses?
Can I beg forgiveness?
As if.
She planned simply to bear it all.
The image her master desired of her. Expected of her.
As deputy master of the tower.
But now.
Dmier was free of all that pressure.
After her master had left the tower in her care.
The tower had enjoyed an unprecedented revival.
"Yes! I'm so happy!"
And so, the creation could comfortably reveal her true self.
The heavy fatigue and dark circles she'd forcibly added to her youthful face for gravitas had now faded.
The creation—
The girl flashed a bright, age-appropriate smile.
An expression the old Dmier could never have made.
It was the moment one of the creation's cherished wishes came partially true.
"Dmier. Eat slowly. That rainbow cake? I'll buy you as much as you want."
"But Master! Rainbow cake is a limited menu sold only on the last day of the week! I thought the same as you, but reality got in the way, leaving me to enjoy this joy just one day a week...!"
"And you were going to share that cake with me?"
"Because you're my one and only master, Lady Remier!"
Nom!
Dmier gazed happily at her master as she popped the fork into her mouth.
"But didn't you say you'd share it? Looks like you've already eaten it all."
"Pardon? Ah! What do I do! I did it without thinking!!! I'm sorry, Master...!"
Palag, watching their exchange from the side, spoke up.
"Looks like we'll have to stay at the tower until that cake-selling last day of the week. Right, Remier?"
"..."
Remier was confused.
Her creation Dmier's change was one thing.
But Palag—
Why had this grumpy old codger suddenly turned so human?
As if the shadows that had permeated his every inch had suddenly vanished.
And it wasn't just Palag.
Since entering Bondales—
And touring the tower.
It was brighter.
Remier felt that impression from them, endlessly.
Of course.
Separate from the confusion, it wasn't a bad feeling.
How could it be?
"Dmier."
"Eh? Ah, yes! Master!"
The creation hesitated over whether it was okay to scrape the remaining cream from her plate in front of her master before answering hastily.
"How old are you this year?"
"Fourteen! The precious identity you gave me, Master!"
The part that shocked her master most, after hearing the creation's story so far.
Remier rubbed her brow, reminded again.
What have I done?
First off.
Remier was deeply shocked at the fatal miscalculation during the creation of her life's masterpiece.
And even more so.
At entrusting such a heavy responsibility as deputy master to a mere fourteen-year-old child.
Remier recalled her own personality at fourteen.
Then imagined herself in that position back then.
"Hmm..."
The girl in gray.
A heavy sigh, unfit for her delicate lips, escaped.
"M-Master...?"
The gray lady.
She startled and checked on the girl's complexion.
"I'm sorry, Dmier. I can't even fathom how much you've suffered in my absence... I can't presume to measure it."
"N-no, Master!!! Please, don't apologize...!"
Her master in anguish.
The creation's eyes welled up at the sight.
Remier had no choice but to set aside her worries at such a display from her creation.
"...You're right. No point worrying now. It's too late, and besides, everything turned out too well."
There could be nothing more pointless than belated regrets after everything had miraculously resolved.
Thus, instead of regretting, Remier recalled what needed doing.
"Rishir..."
At the mere mention of that name.
The creation brightened.
"Ah! Does Master know Rishir too!?"
With her master broaching the topic, the creation excitedly launched into her tale.
How much he'd supported her during her hardest times.
Dmier could reveal her true self before her master now because she'd already practiced with him.
Rishir had embraced Dmier's true form.
Thanks to that, Dmier had gained courage and conviction in her own existence.
"If I'm reborn in my next life... I'd make this exact cake and serve it to Rishir and Master together...!"
"So we'd have to wait until our next lives for that?"
"Ah, well... Right now, I'm the deputy master, so..."
Dmier gave a wry smile as she said it.
It's tough, but what can I do!
It plainly showed the heavy sense of responsibility and burden a young girl bore as deputy master.
Remier looked at her creation and said,
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention. Dmier, soon I'll assign another child to assist you with your duties."
In truth.
Remier wanted nothing more than to pull Dmier from the deputy master role.
It was no position for a young girl to handle.
But she didn't say so because—
"Pardon!? Wh-why!? D-did I fall short of your expectations...!?"
She understood her personality.
Moreover, it was a skill she'd earned through her own hard efforts lately.
Wouldn't it be a waste to let that go to nothing?
"No. Quite the opposite."
"Opposite...?"
"Call it a reward for how excellently you've done, Dmier."
"A r-r-reward...!?"
"Yes. Now you'll have some breathing room, Dmier. You can even learn the pastries you've always wanted."
"Wow. Wow...!"
Dmier covered her mouth and stomped her feet in excitement.
"Thank you, Master...! I'm so happy!!! It feels like my wish came true!!!"
"Your wish?"
"Yes! Master and Rishir... and me. The three of us eating the rainbow cake I made—that was my wish!"
"Ah. So we don't have to wait for the next life after all?"
"Hehe, exactly!"
"Got it. I'll look forward to it, Dmier."
Her master's expectations!
The creation nodded with a resolute face.
"Heh heh. In that case, we'll have no choice but to stay at the tower until that cake is made. Right, Remier?"
Palag was now openly indulging.
Gazing at Dmier like a granddaughter, he wore a pleased smile.
That frozen breath of his.
Directed at the doppelganger that had inadvertently taken after his fourteen-year-old self.
"Ha."
A chuckle slipped from Remier's lips.
Now even she couldn't tell what was going on anymore.
But.
Amid it all, one thing was certain.
Rishir...
Remier recalled their talk of 'rewards'.
A reward for helping the tower.
Rishir hadn't cared much about the reward.
Neither had Remier, so the topic had fizzled out.
However.
Circumstances had changed.
Remier now felt she had to give him a reward somehow.
She consulted Palag about it.
At the end of that conversation, Palag had said,
"Heh heh. In that case, we'll have no choice but to stay at the tower until we can give that Rishir a proper reward. Right, Remier?"
"Have you finally lost it, you old coot?"
It was the morning after Rishir had spent the night in the tower room for the first time in ages.
He was greeting a sudden guest at his door.
"Tower Master?"
"A bit stiff. You're permitted to call me Remier."
"Ah, yes. Lady Remier... What brings you here? Please, come in."
"Mm."
The girl in gray entered with her hands clasped behind her back.
Tea was served before the seated girl.
Slurp.
She took a sip, then completely lost interest.
Not thirsty in the least, but it was her way of showing courtesy to her host.
Rishir thought nothing of it, but anyone who knew the Wandering Star would faint in shock.
"I heard from Dmier."
"Pardon? Ah, you mean the deputy master."
"She said you helped her a lot with tower business when she was struggling."
"Help is perhaps too strong a word. It was my own effort to earn the deputy's trust."
"What to call that humility of yours... It's got a cocky edge to it."
"Pardon?"
"I'm saying downplaying it ends up more effective than outright boasting."
"Ah. I do aim for that effect when I speak."
Rishir flashed his signature nonchalant smile.
The tower master eyed the young upstart with amusement, a pleasant smile tugging at her lips.
"Then I'll say it worked as intended, to some extent."
"Pardon?"
"Rishir. Today—perhaps the next few days—I'm planning to observe your daily life up close."
"Uh... May I ask why?"
"To find out what you need or what would suit you."
"...Ah! Is this about that? The extension of yesterday's reward discussion—"
"Quick on the uptake. Let me warn you upfront: no refusals. It's already decided. You've racked up too much debt to the tower to just brush off."
Faced with the gray girl's firm kindness, Rishir could only accept with a wry smile.
Especially since.
Rishir himself was intrigued.
For a tower master to personally observe and find something he needed as a reward.
What on earth...
Even Rishir, whose senses had warped through ordeals into forcibly adopting a carefree demeanor, couldn't help but be curious.
"So—"
The girl crossed her legs atop the chair, arms folded.
"Pretend I'm not here and go about your day."
"..."
The tower master.
A grand archmage in girl form staring intently nearby—and pretend she wasn't there?
This person...!
Rishir unintentionally realized the Wandering Star rarely bestowed rewards on others.
Her thoroughly skewed senses and methods were proof positive.
Should I feel honored?
In any case.
As per the tower master's words, Rishir decided to focus on his routine—
Continuing what he'd been doing before her arrival.
He stood in place, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
"What are you doing?"
The tower master immediately showed interest.
"Eh, the invisible person is talking...?! A ghost!?"
"..."
"Kidding. I was just contacting my little sister."
"Your little sister?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
How does one contact a sister with eyes closed in place?
Researching some new magic? Surprisingly quirky side to him.
Remier felt doubts but held her silence, not wanting to disrupt his routine further.
In truth.
Remier's plan to observe Rishir's daily life for the perfect reward held a touch of personal ulterior motive.
A man in his twenties who'd reached 7th circle—
Followed by a spirit even elves wouldn't permit.
The daily life of such a mysterious being was bound to brim with countless 'stimuli'.
Remier eagerly anticipated encountering those myriad 'stimuli' while observing Rishir.
But.
Was her expectation too high?
His routine was utterly ordinary, no different from any other young man his age.
"Hey, Rishir~ Long time no see~ Heard the news. They say you nearly joined the Starbirth Festival? Tell me all about it over lunch~ Fienne was curious too."
Meeting up with a male friend named Eron for lunch—
"Shooiny! Let's coconat together!!!"
"What? Now? Isn't it too bright for coconatting?"
"Daytime coconatting is still coconatting!!!"
"Philosophical."
Or napping with his spirit, who appeared out of nowhere.
"Hm."
Remier let out a groan as she watched Rishir actually start napping with the spirit.
Watching him sleep held no meaning.
She paused her observation and returned to her office.
"..."
Remier awkwardly scanned her office before sitting.
"Sigh."
Leaning back in her chair, she unwittingly sighed.
A sudden doubt arose.
Was it really okay to idle like this?
She pulled something from her bosom and set it on the desk.
This hourglass-shaped item symbolized the responsibilities and fate Remier bore as the Wandering Star—a kind of milestone.
Normally, it flowed from top to bottom like any hourglass.
But for Remier, that was a bad sign.
From her perspective, the ideal was sand flowing from bottom to top—reversing.
It signified she'd encountered 'stimuli'—
'Traces of fate'.
For some reason, Remier had to return all the sand pooled at the bottom to the top.
To do that, she needed countless stimuli.
As she wandered the continent without fail, her hourglass reversed without fail each day.
In that sense, yesterday had been monumental.
Rishir.
Ferrin.
Encounters with those mysterious beings had caused an unprecedented reversal in the sand.
The reason Remier could stay at the tower despite her restlessness.
And why she held such great expectations for traveling with Rishir.
"No more days like yesterday, I suppose."
In the end, those expectations were betrayed.
She stared coldly at the hourglass.
Checking how much of yesterday's reversed sand had flowed back down.
"...Eh?"
Her eyes suddenly widened.
The sand was reversing at a speed rivaling yesterday.
"...Why?"
Remier reviewed the day's events to find the reason.
Watched Rishir stand still claiming to contact his sister... Watched him have lunch with an ordinary friend named Eron... Watched him nap with a young spirit...
And fell into great confusion.
Small wonder.
All she'd done today was observe Rishir's utterly 'ordinary' daily life.