The Future Has Changed
Two hands shot out of the wall and clamped over Simon's mouth.
"?!"
But they were only a ghost's arms, so they passed straight through without sealing his mouth at all. The spectral hands pointed ahead.
[That wall there! Press yourself against it!]
The Ghost of Time!
Simon sprinted exactly as instructed and pressed his back against the wall.
Shrrrrrrk!
The wall spun around like a revolving door, and Simon tumbled through into a new space. Startled, he glanced wildly around.
[Hehehe! The Tower of Time is full of hidden passages and mazes!]
The Ghost of Time emerged through the wall right behind him, chuckling merrily.
[A route known only to me, after three hundred years of living here!]
"Ah... thank you for the help."
Simon calmed his hammering heart and stood still with his ear pressed to the wall. Thud. Thud. Thud. Footsteps were gradually fading into the distance.
Had Girdon gone up to another floor? His presence had vanished entirely.
[Our next stop should be Room 10? This way!]
"At this point, I'm not even surprised anymore. You're always one step ahead."
Room 10 was right next door.
Having arrived safely at his destination once again, Simon spread open his briefcase and activated the artifact. Faint gray images churned and blurred, merging and separating in endless succession.
[Well then, are you ready again?]
"Yes."
The artifact scan complete, it was time once more to peer into the past.
"There's something I've been wondering, though."
[Which is?]
"Is watching Mayrin and Serne's past really going to help with this whole situation?"
[Hehe! Did I not tell you already?]
The ghost spread both hands wide.
[You already possess everything, and you can already do everything. All that remains is the motive behind your judgment and your actions once you learn the truth.]
"So it's like... that."
Simon rested his chin on his hand and smiled.
"The way you said the past, present, and future are one."
[Quick on the uptake! You truly are a student of the present day.]
He swirled his hand through the empty air.
[Then we shall begin.]
After overhearing the conversation between the Ivory Tower's Master and Serne, Mayrin had struggled to keep her sanity in the days that followed.
— I promise. I will make you the Master of the Ivory Tower.
— Mayrin doesn't have the skill for it! I'm going to be the Master of the Ivory Tower!
Two stories. Two faces of Serne.
Which one was the lie, and which one was the truth?
Mayrin spent her days wracked with silent anguish. And all the while, everything around them was shifting in Serne's favor. In particular, the adults were constantly summoning the two of them, seating them side by side, and putting their dark magic on display for comparison.
The outcome of these contests was always a foregone conclusion, and one-sided praise and cheering showered down upon Serne.
The adults were searching for something — a justification for going so far as to rewrite the Tower's laws just to enthrone Serne as the Master of the Ivory Tower. Legitimacy for their own actions. If nothing else, they wanted to absolve their conscience and their guilt, and so they shouted themselves hoarse, cheering for Serne and applauding until their palms burned.
Amid the adulation erupting from every corner, Mayrin could only keep her head bowed in silence, like a criminal awaiting sentence.
— It's all right.
Each time, Serne would soothe her in a quiet voice.
— Whatever the adults say, the Master of the Ivory Tower will be you, Mayrin.
Mayrin had not yet told Serne about the things she had witnessed. But that single remark sent a fury through her so hot it nearly blinded her.
When the magic demonstration finally ended, Mayrin summoned Serne to a place only the two of them knew.
THUD!
"I heard everything, Seri."
Mayrin shoved Serne roughly against the wall as she spoke.
"Wh-what's wrong, Mayrin? You're scaring me."
Serne hunched her shoulders with frightened eyes. Even the sight of her cowering like that struck Mayrin as detestable, and the anger surged up hotter.
"A week ago, I came here on an errand, and I happened to overhear you talking with the Master of the Ivory Tower."
"......!"
"I'll recite it for you, word for word. 'Look at this! I froze the Orb of the Ice Emperor this far! Mayrin could never do this!'"
Mayrin spat the words out coldly, straight into Serne's deathly pale face.
"I'm going to be the Master of the Ivory Tower!"
"......"
"That's what you said, isn't it? Go on, then. Let's hear some excuse from you."
Serne, who had been shrinking back in fear, suddenly let out a long, deep sigh. Then, with a face as cold as sheet ice, she curled the corners of her mouth upward.
"Well. Can't be helped if I got caught."
Mayrin flinched despite herself.
It was the face behind Serne's mask — one even she, who had shared every hardship and every triumph with her for so long, had never once seen.
"Yes, that's right. I'm going to take the Ivory Tower."
Part of Mayrin had almost wished Serne would offer some excuse — even a shameless, flimsy lie would have done. Let her deceive her again, let her use her again.
"Then that promise — that you'd make me the Master — it was......!"
"You believed that?"
Serne sneered.
"I thought you'd know better than to take it at face value. Honestly, there's just no hope for you, is there? Your magic, your thinking — lacking across the board."
Mayrin's voice trembled violently.
"Th-then why did you get so close to me all this time? All that time we spent together......!"
"Yeah, it was fun. I enjoyed it."
Serne smiled thinly.
"But that's all it was. Besides, when you're friendly with the Ivory Tower's heir, the adults naturally start treating you as an equal. Even now, the real reason I stayed close to you was—"
Serne lifted the corner of her mouth.
"—because I wanted you to hand over the Ivory Tower seat to me entirely. That would have made for a much prettier picture, after all......"
SLAP!
Serne's head snapped to the side.
Mayrin stood there with bloodshot eyes, her outstretched palm trembling.
"My, my."
Serne touched her flushed cheek and smiled.
"So you do know how to hit someone when you lose your temper."
"Serneeeee......!"
Just as Mayrin lunged at her—
"What is going on here!"
The adults, drawn by the commotion, came flooding in. Panicked, Mayrin rolled her eyes and hid her palm behind her back.
"Actually."
Serne waved her hand.
"There's one more secret I've been keeping from you."
Mayrin saw it.
At her gesture, strange white feathers scattered and whirled on the wind.
And then—
"......"
"......"
The adults stood rooted to the spot, dazed, and then, without scolding either girl or trying to stop the fight, turned and trudged back the way they had come.
White feathers were jutting from the backs of every single one of their heads.
"The truth is, I can control people however I wish. That's my ability — I've had it since the day I was born."
"You......!"
Mayrin's lips trembled at the staggering revelation.
"Don't tell me you used that power to move the Tower's people and rewrite its laws?"
"Who knows?"
Her ivory hair streaming behind her, Serne walked away with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling like a fox.
"I'll leave that to your imagination, shall I?"
Everything was decided with unbelievable speed.
Contrary to the adults' own teachings — that the Tower's laws, maintained for hundreds of years, were sacrosanct and would never change no matter what — they flipped those very laws as easily as turning over their palm.
Time flowed on, and today was finally the day of Serne's 'official succession ceremony.'
"......"
Mayrin stood behind the door, grinding her teeth.
Music drifted through from the other side, along with the mouthwatering smell of a lavish feast. The Tower's nobles, deep in their cups, were drowning in talk of the new Ivory Tower heir who would carry them past Kizen in the near future.
And at the center of it all stood today's star. She could see Serne, dressed beautifully, chatting pleasantly with the adults.
I can't let it end like this.
She intended to say it clearly, right here and now — that Serne had been controlling the people of this place with her power, that everyone was simply being deceived by that girl.
She strode forward, shoved the door open roughly, and stepped out.
"One moment, everyone!"
Every head turned. Even the wine-soaked nobles fell silent and looked at Mayrin.
"I am Mayrin Villenne, the Ivory Tower's original heir. I have something to say!"
Then, with a proud, unhurried gait, she walked forward and planted herself in front of Serne.
"I......!"
At that very moment, Mayrin's pupils clouded over.
She remembered nothing after that. The next thing she knew, she could see herself being carried in the servants' arms toward the infirmary.
She asked, trembling all over,
"Did... something happen just n... now?"
The servants dutifully repeated back to Mayrin the words she had spoken earlier.
— I, Mayrin Villenne, hereby cleanly and irrevocably renounce my claim to the succession.
She saw a white feather slip loose from beneath her clothing and drift down to the floor.
Right up until the very end, Serne had deceived her.
Simon returned to his lodgings in the foulest of moods.
The trip back, at least, had been easy, thanks to the route the Ghost of Time had shown him.
Hooo... hooo...
Merida was fast asleep in bed, blissfully unaware of the world. This room had two beds, so Simon lay down on the opposite one and stared at the ceiling.
His feelings were a tangled, churning mess. His stomach turned.
He didn't want to pass any kind of judgment — not on the two girls' past, not on what they had done — not right now. So he made himself think about work instead.
Two days remained. Something was about to happen in the Tower.
But beyond the fact that the two of them had fought, Simon had found no other clues. His only real gain was the message sent from Kizen — and even that would need to be brought back to Kizen headquarters to be decoded. Even if he wanted to contact headquarters directly, he had nothing decisive enough to warrant Kizen moving openly in the first place, and the barrier stretched around the outside of the Tower of Time made all communication with the outside impossible.
And if he were to tear through the barrier with the power of his Legion, the Ivory Tower would notice immediately.
What a mess.
His mind was a whirl, but physically and mentally, the exhaustion had piled up too deep. Simon couldn't fight down his drooping eyelids any longer.
I have at least two more days. Tonight, I'll just recover my condition.
And so, in the small hours before dawn had even broken, Simon stirred and opened his eyes — a curse from Merida drifting his way in her sleep.
'......!'
The moment he woke, Simon's mouth fell open in shock.
Stuck to the ceiling of the lodgings was the rabbit mask the Ghost of Time always used.
What now?
Writing was scrawled beside the mask.
[We have a serious problem!]
Simon bolted upright. As if aware of his gaze, the writing changed.
[The future has changed. Someone from outside has entered the Tower and interfered with events! The timeline has been pulled forward! The Tower's darkening will not come the day after tomorrow!]
Simon's eyes dropped to the final line.
⚠ [It is TODAY! Escape from there this instant!] ⚠
Knock knock knock.
Barely had he finished reading when the knocking came.
"From the Ivory Tower! Dispatched students Simon and Merida — please open the door!"
Simon broke out in a cold sweat and glanced to the side. Merida was still sleeping, oblivious as ever.
The people the Master of the Ivory Tower sent — do NOT go with them, no matter what!
First things first — he had to get Merida out of here. Simon crept over to her bed and cast Sleep on her again and again, making sure she couldn't wake.
I'm sorry.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Student Simon! Student Merida! Open this door!"
It had long since stopped being mere knocking. They were hammering the door with their fists, kicking at it with their boots.
That won't hold for long!
Simon swept Merida into his arms and hurried to the window. At the same time, he summoned Akemus from his sub-space.
Akemus — take Merida to a safe inn room, then come back for me.
[Understood, my young lord.]
Simon pulled his notebook and pen from his clothes and scrawled a message in Continental script, then tucked it deep into Merida's pocket.
I'll rendezvous with you shortly. Go!
[Yes, my lord!]
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The noise outside grew louder still. Over the pounding he could hear coarse swearing and shouts that they would break the door down.
Akemus slipped out through the window and flew low along the wall, and Simon shut the window at once.
And in the very same moment—
CRASH!
The room door exploded inward, and the Ivory Tower's guards, wands raised, swarmed into the room.
"Mmmph."
And there lay Simon in bed, blinking blearily and rubbing his eyes with a half-asleep expression.
"What's all the commotion about?"
One of the guards approached him with an icy face.
"Why did you not open the door?"
"Ah."
Simon held out his palm, revealing a Sleep magic circle.
"Every time I come to an unfamiliar place, I get terrible insomnia. I'd cast Sleep on myself, you see. I was fast asleep."
"......"
"Is something the matter?"
It was already known that Simon and Merida used a peculiar form of Sleep, so the guards let it pass without much suspicion.
"Where is your partner?"
"No idea. Isn't she in the bathroom?"
Another guard opened the bathroom door, then shook his head.
"She is not in there either."
"Ah, then that must be it."
Simon went on, still looking half-asleep.
"Merida's a necromancer who specializes in Sleep, so her sleeping habits are a bit... strange. She'll fire curses at thin air while she's asleep, and she sleepwalks on top of that."
"......"
The guard surveyed the state of the disheveled room. There really were marks where curses had struck the walls and floor.
"It startled me at first, but I've learned to live with it. She's probably wandered outside again."
"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"
"An idea? She'll just be wandering around in a daze somewhere nearby, same as always."
The guard signaled with a jerk of his chin, and the guards behind him poured back out of the room.
"By the way, what exactly is going on?"
Simon asked, scratching his tousled hair.
"The requester herself — the Master of the Ivory Tower — wishes to speak with the two of you directly. You will have to come with us."
However immense a Kizen student's power, during dispatch evaluation season a student was still a dispatched student, bound to follow the requester's orders. The guards put it that way, cutting off any refusal before it could even form.
Simon nodded along obediently.
"Still, meeting the Master of the Ivory Tower looking like this would be a bit...... could I at least wash up first?"
"You will depart this instant. The Master has already arrived and is waiting."
The voice was flat, coercive.
Simon had no choice but to rise from his seat.
Shuffle. Shuffle.
And so Simon and the guards left the room and started walking. Whether out of gratitude for his cooperation or on account of his status as Kizen's Student Council President, they did not drag him along by force or lay a hand on him.
"Mm, by the way."
Simon yawned once as he walked along after the guards.
"Things were awfully loud up top yesterday. I woke up once even after casting Sleep. Did something happen?"
The guard answered with a blank expression.
"Girdon, the one confined to the seventies floors, apparently went on a rampage."
"Oh no — did he escape?"
"He attempted to, but we stopped him. There is no need to worry."
"That's a relief."
And as he chatted with the guards, Simon quietly spread open his right palm.
All set.
He had been warned a hundred times over that the Master of the Ivory Tower was plotting something. This was enemy territory, and deep in enemy territory he had made his own preparations.
Corpse—
Simon clenched his fist tight.
Poison Explosion!
Explosions erupted one after another from every direction — BOOM, boom, BOOM. The guards flinched, wands raised, glancing wildly around.
"What the—!"
"Explosions! Watch out!"
These were no ordinary blasts. A gaseous mist brewed from Kavara poison dyed the interior hazy in an instant, and through that smoke, the ghouls Simon had positioned in advance came leaping in — and each one detonated in another Corpse Poison Explosion.
In the blink of an eye, everything around them was swallowed by smoke.
"Clear the smoke!"
"Gah — what is this stuff? My magic circles won't unfold properly!"
"Do something, anything!"
Vreeeeee!
The mages groaned and whipped their wands about, raising wind magic. As the smoke thinned and drifted away, they finally realized something was terribly wrong.
Simon was gone.
Kzzt—
A guard snatched up his communication crystal in desperation.
"Kizen's Student Council President has vanished! I repeat — Kizen's Student Council President has vanished!"
"Merida Hugh Ikel, who accompanied him, is also missing! Find them both at once — and keep it out of the other guests' sight!"
The situation was now spiraling into a phase no one could hold back any longer.