The Master's Gift
Aren knocked on the door of the office on the 30th floor of the Magic Tower. Knock, knock.Whoosh! Before his hand could even touch the handle, an earthen hand rose from the floor, flung the door open, and vanished.
“You’re here. Come on in!” A deep, elderly voice called from inside, and we stepped through without hesitation.
The interior was far larger than any ordinary office; space magic had clearly been cast over the entire room. A dwarf mage? No… was he even a mage to begin with?
The sight of the Earth School’s master, standing in the center with arms crossed, completely eclipsed the room’s appearance. Though short and stocky like any dwarf, his massive muscles, meticulously groomed mustache, and solid, mineral-like gaze were striking. Every detail made it easy to mistake him for a warrior rather than a mage.
“Thanks for accepting the unreasonable request. Heinz, you may return now.”
Heinz, suppressing a tremor in his voice, spoke carefully. “It may sound presumptuous coming from a mere mid-rank mage, but he is my comrade who stood with me on a battlefield where life and death hung in the balance. He is also the client of a personal request and a guest who visited my laboratory.”
“Hmm. I already said I was grateful you fulfilled the request. So what exactly do you want to say? That was quite the long preamble.”
“Please give your word that you will not bring any harm to him in this place. I beg of you.” Heinz bowed his head.
“How arrogant. Truly arrogant.”
Whoosh!!! In that instant, an overwhelming presence erupted from the master as he stroked his mustache. The very ground around him began to sink.
Crack. Crackle. Rumble.
“…But I don’t dislike that kind of spirit.”
With those words, the pressure vanished as quickly as it had come.
“Huff… hah…” I shook my head to clear it. Heinz, who had kept his head lowered, gasped for breath and looked up.
The master placed both hands on his hips and burst into hearty laughter as if nothing had happened. “Hah-hah-hah! Where did that usual meek look go? So you can change when it matters. Very well! I’ll keep my word exactly as you asked. I’m not a dwarf who says one thing and means another.”
Snip! He flicked his fingers at Heinz.
“Ah, one more thing. I liked your spirit, Heinz. It’s lit a fire in this old man’s chest! I’ll increase the support heading to your laboratory soon, so keep that in mind.”
“Th-thank you. Then I’ll take my leave. Aren, please come to my personal laboratory once you’re finished here.”
“I will.”
Heinz met my eyes, bowed to the master, and left the office.
…It was awkward. Now alone with me, the master stared intently.
Might as well check my status window while I have the chance.
Earth Magic Mastery • Unarmed Combat Mastery • Excellent Dexterity • Vein Detection • Mana Affinity • Sturdy Physique • Small Giant • Ancient Dwarven Geoleech • One-Sided Assault • Rampaging Locomotive • Armor of Great Evil
Small Giant (A) [P]
Though born a tiny dwarf, a giant far greater than any other dwells within him. A spirit forged through an unyielding life steadies his core, while a body tempered by bone-carving training and asceticism supports the whole. There is nothing to fear.
— Strong resistance to mental attacks at all times.
— When fighting larger enemies, grants resistance to being pushed back and to fear.
— Physical damage reduction increases the more damage taken (has a cap).
— Can accumulate received damage and expend it all to enter Gigantification state for a set duration.
This was the Magic Tower’s elder. After Vincent Jordic, the gatekeeper, here was another person of such strength. There were probably multiple elders—First Elder, Second Elder, and so on. I was reminded once again just how formidable the Tower’s foundation was, enough to dominate the area between districts.
Anyway, if he called me here, he should just state his business. Why is he just staring in silence? Is he trying some kind of wordless pressure?
“You. Your name was Aren—”
“I-I’m late! Sorry!”
Crash! Just as Galdan broke the silence, a woman burst through the office door and tripped spectacularly. Rumble. Earthen hands surged from the floor, lifted her in one motion, set her down beside me, and disappeared.
“Ow… that hurt. Elder, I was a little late, wasn’t I?”
“A little? You were so late I was about to head back up.”
“Eek! Th-that means I won’t get away with just a scolding. Please go easy on me.”
“Excuse me, what exactly is going on right now?”
The woman brushed off her clothes and straightened her robes before looking at me. “I’ll explain… huff.”
The braided-haired female mage in thick glasses and robes tried to speak, then sucked in a sharp breath and made a strange face. She’s not having a seizure… is she sick?
“I-it’s beyond imagination. So this is the level needed to match that person.”
Her lips moved as she muttered something, but her voice was too quiet to hear.
“Are you all right? You don’t look well. Would you like me to take you somewhere to rest?”
“Yes! Then to my laboratory! No, no! Pretend you didn’t hear that! I’m not in pain at all!”
“That’s a relief. By the way, it seemed like you had something to say to me. You mentioned explaining something earlier.”
After a deep breath to compose herself, the mage spoke. “P-please take this child and raise her! Her name is Eira! Sh-she eats mana instead of food, so she won’t cost anything, she listens well, she’s cute and smart! Here, take her!”
“…?”
She fired off the words like a machine gun and thrust something toward me. It was… a bird. After all that talk about food and mana, it wasn’t alive—just a doll? Hmm.
[Chaos frowns, displeased that you’re getting tangled up with another strange woman.]
“Sorry about that. She’s considered an eccentric even in the Fire School, but I never expected her to act like this after giving such a sharp theory presentation. I’ll explain the situation in her stead.”
“Please do.”
Galdan launched into a long explanation.
“So, in short, this is a gift from a high-ranking member of the Fire School who has taken an interest in me. A familiar created from mana, you said?”
Beep!
I looked down at the unfamiliar sound.
[Chaos says it is quite a cute creature.]
The doll I had set on the floor was gone. In its place, a tiny bird the size of a fist was rubbing its cheek against my foot.
“Beep? Beep-beep!”
The little thing tilted its head, then rubbed its cheek against me again. I carefully picked it up with both hands.
Damn. It’s way too cute.
It looked like a red-and-white chickadee. Its tiny body and bright, round eyes gave it the appearance of a fluffy cotton ball radiating lethal levels of cuteness.
No status window appeared even when I focused on it, but I could easily guess whose familiar it was. A high-ranking member of the Fire School? Obviously Scarlet. She was supposedly receiving direct instruction from the Tower Lord and the elders on the top floor. She must have sweet-talked Galdan somehow. Was that woman earlier an acquaintance? A subordinate?
I’d been too flustered to even glimpse the mage’s information before she left.
“She asked me to look after you. With this, you’ll be able to come and go from the Magic Tower freely, even without any particular purpose.”
◈ A token signifying that Galdan Turgun, First Elder of the Magic Tower and Master of the Earth School, permits the adventurer Aren’s entry and personally guarantees responsibility for any issues that may arise.
◈ Bound magic prevents anyone but Aren from possessing it.
◈ Return magic causes it to automatically return to Aren’s possession if lost.
If I refused the familiar and the pass, saying I didn’t want to be swayed by “that person”—Scarlet—what had he planned to do? This all felt far too sloppy.
No. From an elder’s perspective, promises and guarantees meant nothing; he could simply crush me with force if needed. There had never been any need for him to rack his brains. The moment I stepped into the office, I was already trapped with no way out.
It was fortunate the familiar was cute enough that I felt no resistance to accepting it. Since I couldn’t resist without invoking my master’s name, the only option left was to accept quietly.
“It also serves as a guarantee that I will take responsibility for any problems your visits to the Tower may cause. That said, you shouldn’t abuse it if you want to live a long life.”
“I’ll keep that in mind every time I visit.”
“Good. You don’t seem the type, but be careful anyway. It’s a permanent pass that others would kill to have.”
Recalling Vincent’s ironclad screening, I could easily imagine its value. Galdan watched me nod, sighed, and spoke again.
“I was planning to have a proper, unhurried conversation and learn more about you, but I’m too drained. I need to rest. Let’s meet again when you have time.”
It was a clear dismissal. The whole exchange had felt strangely hollow, leaving me uneasy, but there was nothing more I could do. I simply left in silence and headed back to Heinz’s personal laboratory on the 27th floor.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
***
Click.
When I quietly opened the door, Heinz, who had been tapping the table while seated, greeted me. “Aren! Nothing happened, right? What did the elder say—huh?”
Beep!
Eira, perched on my shoulder and chirping proudly, cut him off. Heinz’s lips moved soundlessly, clearly stunned by the unexpected sight.
“Th-that… what is this tiny bird? Did the elder entrust you with a pet or something?”
“Haha. It’s not the elder’s pet. It’s someone else’s familiar, and I somehow ended up taking care of it.”
“Ah, I see. Now that I look closely while calm, there’s definitely residual mana. Whew… Anyone can tell at a glance that it belongs to a Fire School mage.”
He shook his head in distaste. Even among the powerful, mana this distinctive was rare, he said. Though he’d only seen it briefly, he could tell it possessed a violent yet tenacious nature.
“Anyway, I don’t know the details, but I’m glad nothing happened there. I was quite flustered when they suddenly told me to come up with you. Masters of a school aren’t usually people you can meet so easily.”
Heinz adjusted his slipping glasses and looked at Eira. “Beep?”
“Honey is practically dripping from the bird’s eyes. It seems to like you too. Well, at least you won’t be bored alone anymore.”
Pat, pat.
“Beep-beep. Beep!”
Cute. Eira wore a languid expression and pushed its head forward, clearly asking for more. I stroked its soft feathers as much as it wanted and spoke.
“Now that we’ve caught up and handled the sudden matters, all that’s left is deciding which item to apply the enchantment reward to, right?”
“Ah, right. I was about to mention that earlier when the crystal ball rang. It looks like you already have something in mind. Go ahead and tell me. Just so you know, it’s impossible on high-grade equipment like A-rank.”
When I’d first heard about the option-granting process and its examples, one thing had immediately come to mind. Armor. What if I enchanted the armor Hewton is currently making?
No matter how much more valuable it was than the four gold coins I’d paid, a set of armor crafted by a city blacksmith over three weeks would never reach A- or S-rank performance. Choosing one of my existing weapons or other pieces felt awkward too. Giving an offensive enchantment to Leihagen, which I mainly used against small monsters or as a shield substitute, would be a waste.
“Just to be sure—can you enchant unique items as well?”
Heinz rolled his eyes in thought before answering. “I can attempt it, but I can’t guarantee success. Failure won’t add any penalties to the equipment, but losing the opportunity is painful enough.”
He added with an awkward cough, “At my current level, C-rank is the limit. Even if I use up some contribution points for assistance, B-rank is the highest I can confidently succeed on. Choose carefully.”
The earrings were A-rank. The gloves and one-handed sword were unique. The greatsword and Frostflower—now just a pretty ring—were out of the question. I asked Heinz if he could perform the enchantment around the 28th, once the armor I’d commissioned at the forge was finished.
“Hmm. That should be fine. Our party decided to take a month off after that big haul.”
Right. They did say they hit the jackpot after taking down that special species.
Heinz straightened his robes, smoothing out the wrinkles, and spoke while preparing to leave the laboratory. “I’ll keep my schedule open from the 28th to the 30th, so don’t forget. Now! Since the important matters are settled, how about we grab a meal together before you go?”
He gave me an uncharacteristic playful grin. “Heh. I distinctly remember you saying you’d treat me to a proper meal after we parted ways following the floor guardian hunt. I trust that wasn’t just empty words.”
He remembered that, huh. Fine! I’d spend some real money on food today. It wasn’t like one fancy meal would cost gold.
“Ha! Of course. Let’s go. Time to fill our stomachs with some high-class cuisine.”
Ding!
The place he took me to—after claiming it was a joke—was the mages-only restaurant inside the Magic Tower. For roughly the same amount I’d paid at the last inn, the quality of the food was in an entirely different league.
Wow. Living in the Magic Tower really does mean you eat well. Being a mage really is a high-class profession, even in small ways like this.
After a satisfying meal filled with light conversation, we said our goodbyes and left the Tower.
“Riding a carriage will take half a day again. What now? I already told them I’d be staying out overnight, so I should find an inn, right?”
“Chirp! Chirp-chirp!”
Eira flew up, rubbed its cheek against mine, and pointed in one direction with its head.
“You cute little thing. You want to go that way? All right. Let’s skip the bumpy carriage ride and spend a comfortable night before heading back.”
“Beep-beep!”
I followed Eira’s lead.
***
Creak—
“You’re back.”
The next day, when I arrived at the inn by carriage, it was already nearly noon. The problem was that Lumia’s appearance looked far from well.
…It seemed we would need to go out after all.