Clues in the Magic Tower
The Magic Tower stood tall in the heart of the Royal Capital—a thirteen-story structure built from an unknown ivory material. From a distance, it resembled an inverted scabbard thrust into the earth. Numerous windows lined its facade, and terraces jutted out at irregular intervals where mages occasionally appeared. As the tallest building in both the capital and the entire kingdom, rumors claimed that no matter where one stood in the Royal Capital, the tower’s white pinnacle was always visible. Yet despite its secretive appearance and the mystical aura the name “Magic Tower” evoked, the place was neither particularly secretive nor mysterious. The first and second floors remained open to the public at all times, and during major events, most floors were accessible. To most citizens of the capital, the Magic Tower was simply a place worth visiting occasionally—or merely the tallest building in the city.
Beneath the ivory spire stretched a vast plaza paved entirely in marble. The mages maintained it meticulously, transforming it into something resembling a garden or park. Thanks to the plaza’s popularity, the tower itself was often treated as little more than an accessory to the square below. If the tower was merely a sightseeing spot for the capital’s residents, the plaza served as a place of rest, a renowned promenade, and a common meeting ground.
“Mother! There are butterflies even in winter!”
“I told you not to run.”
Warm family conversations and children’s laughter formed a gentle backdrop as couples strolled hand-in-hand through the plaza. It was the peaceful, everyday weekend scene typical of the Royal Capital.
“Achoo!”
A guard stationed at the tower’s entrance sneezed loudly as a cold wind swept through. The weather was only moderately chilly, but his irritation at working on a weekend, combined with the sight of happy people enjoying their day off, made the cold feel twice as biting.
“What kind of suffering is this on a weekend…”
His grumbling drifted into the empty air. Of all days, why did his shift have to fall on today? Though the air was crisp, the sky was clear, and with a thick coat, it would have been perfect weather for a walk. Today, however, the tower had quite a few visitors. Because it was the weekend, he at least avoided the boredom of standing guard alone, though his complaints continued to pile up.
“Tomorrow, I’m just going to sleep at home.”
Even with advanced security magic, human oversight was still required. It had given him a job, but that didn’t mean he could always enjoy the work. The guard comforted himself with these thoughts while continuing to observe the passing crowd.
“…Hm?”
As his gaze wandered, a particular pair caught his attention.
“That must be exhausting.”
Not far from the tower, a man and woman were walking across the plaza. The man was strikingly handsome at first glance. His sharp features were marked by a scar across the bridge of his nose, but aside from that, he was flawlessly good-looking. Of course, the guard’s remark wasn’t directed at him—it was aimed at the woman walking beside him.
She had uncommonly deep navy-blue hair. One hand gripped a cane, and her eyes were tightly wrapped in a black cloth, obscuring every other feature. The combination of a blind woman and a tall, handsome man was eye-catching enough that passersby couldn’t help but glance their way.
A blind woman. The guard took note of the unusual visitor. The pair chatted as they circled the plaza once before turning toward the tower’s entrance. The guard straightened his posture, shedding his languid stance as they approached.
“Excuse me.”
The man in front spoke first. The blindfolded woman stood quietly behind him, as if waiting. The guard’s eyes lingered on her briefly before shifting to the man addressing him.
“Is it possible to enter the Magic Tower right now?”
The guard replied in a businesslike tone. “The tower is open to the general public until six in the evening. If you’d like to look around, you may enter.”
“I see. Let’s go in.”
The man took the woman’s hand and led her forward, offering the guard a smile. She nodded and followed, tapping her cane as she walked. The guard, still curious about the pair, called out to the man’s retreating back as they passed through the open doors.
“Though it’s open to the public, the tower contains many unknown objects. It could be dangerous for someone like the lady, so please keep a close eye on her.”
The man turned and nodded. The faint curve of his lips seemed different from the smile he had given earlier. The guard had no way of knowing what that change in expression meant.
“Thank you for your concern.”
With that, the pair disappeared into the tower’s interior.
==
“Did that bother you that much?”
Maxim asked Adeline in a low voice. She had been twisting her lips in displeasure. Adeline slowly shook her head. The cane in her hand moved naturally across the floor ahead of her. Maxim had deliberately held her hand when entering the tower to maintain their cover, and he had been worried it might have bothered her, but Adeline seemed unconcerned.
“It’s not that. I simply didn’t expect this method to actually work.”
Adeline gripped her cane tightly. Though her mana-sensing abilities were highly developed and she didn’t truly need the cane, it was the perfect place to conceal a sword—ideal for a blind person’s walking stick. She continued rubbing the tip of the cane with her palm. Simply knowing she carried a weapon seemed to give her some comfort.
“People are surprisingly weak to kindness. Thanks to that, we’re prepared for any unexpected situations as well.”
Suggesting they bring the cane had been Maxim’s idea. Adeline hadn’t seemed particularly fond of the plan at first, but she had eventually accepted the disguise once she realized it would allow her to carry at least one sword into the tower, where weapons were otherwise prohibited.
“You seem to be making very good use of the fact that my eyes are blind.”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement, so Maxim offered no reply. Instead, he lifted his head and began carefully observing the first-floor lobby of the Magic Tower. Somewhere in this building, he believed, lay the clue that would lead them to Christine. His heart raced with tension.
“…Are you nervous?”
Adeline, who had noticed immediately, asked. Of course, with them standing this close, even someone with ordinary senses would have picked up on it. Maxim answered in a voice that sounded calmer than he felt.
“Now that we’re actually doing it, I’m a little shaken.”
“Do it properly. It was your plan, after all.”
Her response was hardly comforting. Adeline let out a dry laugh and resumed tapping her cane, playing the part of a frail woman once more. Maxim had no energy to retort and simply shrugged before resuming his surveillance of their surroundings.
Just then, a mage who appeared to be a guide or assistant spotted them and approached.
“Welcome to the Magic Tower.”
Maxim accepted the greeting somewhat awkwardly. The mage gave off no particular aura—just an ordinary one. On a hunch, Maxim lightly touched Adeline’s arm, but she shook her head, confirming his suspicion was correct.
“What brings you here today? The magic experience we’re currently offering is an enchantment experiment, which you can see on the second floor.”
The mage, who had kindly offered information without being asked, was now staring at Adeline with open curiosity. Maxim subtly blocked the gaze and responded. Even if the man only looked like an assistant, prolonged interaction with a mage could lead to unforeseen complications.
“My sister wanted to visit the Magic Tower, so we’re planning to start from the first floor and take our time looking around.”
The mage studied Maxim’s face for a moment before nodding.
“Haha, my, you two seem to get along very well. That’s quite a rare sight. Would you like a guide?”
The mage’s attitude was quite enthusiastic. Mages were the type to throw themselves headfirst into anything that piqued their curiosity, and his eyes were now sparkling with it. Maxim had no desire to drag around an annoying tail, so he flatly refused the offer.
“No, thank you. It’ll take a while to look around anyway, so it’ll be much more comfortable if we do it just the two of us.”
The mage clicked his tongue with a disappointed expression. Maxim felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine at the man’s blatant demeanor. He was probably already lost in some deep fantasy, wondering why the woman had gone blind and imagining all sorts of things.
“Well then, please take your time. Even though the first floor is open to the public, there may be dangerous objects, so do be careful.”
After offering the same warning as the guard, the mage quickly moved toward another group of visitors. Maxim let out a short sigh.
“The seniors will probably begin their investigation within the hour. If there’s any movement on the first floor then, we’ll need to observe carefully. Until that happens…”
“Until then?”
Maxim rolled his eyes and shrugged. “It would be good to get a sense of the first floor’s layout. Should I describe how it’s structured?”
Adeline’s lips tightened in clear reluctance. She tilted her head halfway before eventually nodding.
“…Please do.”
Maxim raised an eyebrow at her unexpectedly cooperative attitude. Without further comment, he began describing the first floor’s layout and the people moving about.
“There’s a massive stone monument in the center of the lobby. It’s covered in dense writing—apparently, the mage who founded the tower inscribed his insights and the attitude a mage should maintain.”
“I see. I thought I sensed something like intense mana. So that’s what it was.”
“…The ceiling is completely open. You can see all the way to the top of the tower.”
“Skip the unnecessary details and just explain the structure.”
The curt reply made a vein throb at Maxim’s temple, but he suppressed his irritation and kept walking. Moving deeper inside, Maxim and Adeline continued their slow exploration. Maxim kept describing the layout—how the rooms were arranged, where the stairs to the second floor were located, and where each exhibit could be found.
As they walked, Adeline’s expression hardened. It seemed something in Maxim’s explanation had caught her attention. She stopped in place, as if expanding her senses to investigate. No—it looked more like she was deep in thought, frozen in place. Maxim stopped beside her and asked quietly.
“…Did something catch your attention?”
Adeline shook her head. It wasn’t a confident gesture, so Maxim found her reaction puzzling.
“No, it’s nothing.”
She continued looking around with her lips still pressed tight. Maxim found her demeanor suspicious, but he couldn’t press her for answers—the entrance to the first floor had suddenly grown noisy.
“Think about it later. It looks like the seniors are arriving right on schedule to begin their investigation.”
Adeline replied in her usual chilly tone. “You didn’t need to tell me. I already heard everything through the sound.”
Maxim’s gaze shifted toward the lobby. Several mages had rushed out and were now confronting people who appeared to be Denis and Charlotte. They were trying to block the knights from entering, waving their hands and pushing back.
“What kind of financial investigation are you conducting at this hour? What could there possibly be to investigate in the Magic Tower?”
“Bring a warrant. Even if you’re knights of the royal guard, this is nothing short of illegal trespassing!”
“Let’s talk outside for a moment, Sir Knights. There are ordinary visitors inside right now. It’ll be troublesome if you act this way.”
“Now, now! Take your hands off your swords before you speak. Why so frightening? Let’s talk this through—through dialogue.”
“Show us that evidence you mentioned. If you won’t show it, how can we just let you in?”
Denis and Charlotte’s voices were barely audible over the mages’ clamor. The noise was so grating that even listening for a moment made Maxim’s ears ring. He frowned. Adeline, who had been listening intently, let out a low hum and slowly shook her head.
“…It’s a good thing we chose to sneak in.”
Maxim shrugged. If the mages responded this aggressively to people arriving with proper evidence for a financial investigation, he didn’t even want to imagine the chaos that would erupt if someone tried to investigate research records or laboratories based on mere suspicion. Before any proper investigation could even begin, all the important materials would be hidden away, and they’d be left conducting a search with all their strength already drained.
So this is what the mages residing in the tower are like. Obsessed with their research, shameless, greedy, and cunning. There must have been a reason Christine had left the tower behind. Maxim shook his head inwardly at the thought.
Regardless, while the seniors were occupied at the entrance, they needed to observe the mages’ movements. Maxim tried to expand his senses as much as possible to detect any suspicious activity.
“Well? Do you sense anything unusual?”
In response to Maxim’s question, Adeline raised a finger and pressed it against his lips. Startled by the sudden touch of her index finger, Maxim stiffened and turned his head rigidly.
“Just a moment.”
Maxim fell silent. Adeline kept her hand pressed to his face as she carefully observed the flow of mana and presence around them. Maxim, his upper body frozen, slowly turned his head to survey the lobby and the now-chaotic first floor. Everyone was busy. When the visitors’ attention focused on the lobby, some mages tried to redirect their gazes by claiming nothing was wrong, while others hurried up and down the stairs with anxious expressions. Some were rushing off to summon professors, while others clutched stacks of documents as they ran somewhere.
Over there. Maxim’s eyes locked onto the mages carrying piles of documents. They headed toward roughly three locations—some entering rooms on the first floor, others lingering in corners. None could be ruled out.
“…I’ve found it.”
At that moment, Adeline pointed toward a spot on the first floor. Maxim turned his head in the direction she indicated. A door stood slightly ajar, as if someone had failed to close it properly. Adeline added in an uneasy voice.
“It gave off quite an ominous feeling… but I believe what we’re looking for is probably over there.”
Before Maxim could even commit the location to memory, a mage came running toward where he and Adeline stood. Adeline quickly withdrew her presence, and Maxim met the man’s gaze.
“Um, guests, I’m sorry, but… some people from the royal palace have arrived at the tower, so we’ll have to close for the day.”
The mage practically herded them toward the entrance. As he led the way, Maxim’s eyes met Denis’s as the knight entered. How did it go? Denis mouthed. Maxim shook his head. We don’t know yet. Denis glanced briefly at Adeline walking beside Maxim before turning back to resume his conversation with Charlotte, following the mages deeper into the tower to begin their investigation.
Once Denis had moved away, Maxim looked back at Adeline. Her face was noticeably paler than usual, her expression faintly tense. Though she couldn’t see, Maxim could clearly tell that her expression was one of unmistakable fear.