Chapter 250: Father-In-Law
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 250: Father-In-Law
Questions plagued my mind.
Late at night, I lay in bed beside Hilde, who had tucked herself against me in her small dragon form.
The dark ceiling filled my vision as my thoughts drifted through a labyrinth of mysteries.
The contents of the book left by Dorothy Gale.
Aria Lilias’s secret.
The game developer, Higgs.
The system.
The unknown entity residing within me.
And finally, the message the Primordial Ice Sovereign had left for Hilde.
Each of these enigmas felt like a single step in a long, calculated process leading toward an inevitable conclusion.
[Agu…]
Hilde murmured in her sleep, leaning her small weight against me.
The message she had relayed only served to further muddle my already chaotic mind. No matter how much I tried to organize my thoughts, the answers remained out of reach. I could do nothing but let out a long, heavy sigh.
Tap, tap.
Suddenly, a bird carrying a small satchel landed on the windowsill and tapped against the glass. It was V, the messenger bird.
V was a docile magic beast frequently employed by those who needed to send urgent correspondence with haste.
I slipped out of bed and cracked the window open. V reached into its bag with its large beak, pulled out a letter, and handed it to me. Once the delivery was complete, the bird let out a sharp squawk and took to the sky.
I examined the wax seal on the envelope.
“…It’s here.”
The seal of the Hegel Magic Tower.
The letter was from Aria Lilias.
*
The Imperial Magic Tower was a city unto itself, a sprawling complex of spires and laboratories radiating outward from a central hub.
At the heart of the towering main building, Aria Lilias had rented an entire laboratory to devote herself to her research.
The Academic Forum of the Imperial Magic Tower was a prestigious, spontaneous event held once a week over a two-month period. The attendees were almost exclusively Tower Masters, and even then, only about twenty who were recognized for their exceptional abilities were permitted to participate.
In preparation for her upcoming presentation, Aria had been focused on dissecting the research disclosed by other Tower Masters in previous sessions.
It was during this time—exactly one hour before she sent her letter to Isaac—that a wizard from the Imperial Magic Tower visited her lab.
“Tower Master Lilias, you have been summoned.”
“Summoned?”
The wizard wore an elegant robe trimmed with gold. As a member of the Zelver Empire’s elite, the authority held by the Master of the Imperial Magic Tower was immense. The person summoning Aria was undoubtedly the Imperial Tower Master herself.
Aria followed the wizard to the Imperial Tower Master’s office. Upon entering, she couldn't help but think the room was far too opulent for a single occupant.
Seated in a chair at the center of the office was an elderly woman with long, flowing white hair. This was Johanna Calix, the Imperial Tower Master.
Aria stood before her and bowed respectfully.
“We have two matters to discuss,” Johanna said, skipping the pleasantries. She was a woman who loathed wasting time.
Familiar with her bluntness, Aria raised her head without much of a reaction.
“First, why have you not reported the research you are conducting in secret to the Imperial Magic Tower?”
Aria fought to keep her expression neutral, but Johanna didn't miss the fleeting flicker of unease in her eyes.
“…Because it is not a major project,” Aria replied.
She was on high alert. Had she been found out?
She was dealing with the Imperial Tower Master, after all. It wouldn’t be surprising if the woman had caught wind of something. The real question was what Johanna intended to do about it.
“The law states that ‘small-scale personal research does not need to be reported.’ However… are you certain this truly qualifies as small-scale?”
“In my judgment, it does.”
Aria remained evasive under Johanna’s scrutiny.
“I see… I will keep that in mind for now. But be warned: if it turns out your research exceeds the established criteria, you may face severe punishment depending on its nature.”
“…”
It was a clear warning.
The Imperial Magic Tower sought to monopolize information. Unless a project was utterly trivial, all research conducted within any Magic Tower in the Empire was controlled and managed by the central authority. A single genius could bring about miracles that changed the era, and the Empire intended to control those miracles.
In that sense, the Imperial Magic Tower was undoubtedly wary of Aria’s work.
However, Aria realized they hadn't actually discovered the specifics of her research yet. They must have detected subtle, strange fluctuations of mana blending into nature near the Hegel Tower—a minor oversight on her part.
If the Imperial Magic Tower had the authority, they could have investigated the Hegel Tower immediately. Why hadn't Johanna done so?
The answer became clear a moment later.
“And secondly.”
Johanna produced an envelope.
“A letter has arrived for you.”
“A letter…? Why is it in your possession, Tower Master Calix?”
“Because the sender is the Ice Sovereign.”
Isaac.
Aria was momentarily confused. She couldn't fathom why Isaac would be sending her a letter here.
“Under normal circumstances, personal correspondence is prohibited within the Imperial Magic Tower for security reasons. However, since matters involving the Ice Sovereign take precedence, I personally took the time to examine it.”
“How did you confirm it was from him?”
“It was identified as being sent by Isaac of Märchen Academy. By analyzing the fingerprints on the envelope, such things are easily verified. All Academy-related data within the Empire is shared with our Tower.”
The Imperial Magic Tower possessed the technology to detect and match fingerprints instantly. Johanna lightly shook the envelope.
“I checked to see if the Ice Sovereign had placed any spells or traps on the parchment. It turned out to be a perfectly ordinary letter.”
“…What does it say?”
“Nothing much. He simply asks that you return to Märchen Academy as soon as possible. Here.”
Maintaining her expressionless mask, Aria stepped forward. As Johanna went to hand over the letter, she suddenly leaned in close to Aria’s ear.
“You… aren’t involved in something with the Ice Sovereign, are you?”
The reason the Imperial Magic Tower hadn't raided the Hegel Tower was now obvious. Even with the might of the Empire behind them, there was someone they couldn't afford to provoke—someone closely connected to Aria.
The Ice Sovereign.
If Aria’s research were truly dangerous, the Ice Sovereign would have noticed and dealt with it himself. He was, after all, the most powerful archwizard in human history.
For wizards driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, it was only natural to take an interest in the Ice Sovereign. Johanna was no exception.
Was Aria an exception? Certainly not.
Therefore, it was only logical to suspect that the Ice Sovereign and Aria were conducting secret research together.
Aria allowed a flash of displeasure to cross her face.
“It is nothing like that. I have no idea why the Ice Sovereign is looking for me.”
Johanna scrutinized Aria’s face for a long moment. She wasn't lying.
“…I see.”
Johanna handed over the envelope, and Aria tucked it into her robe pocket.
“The Imperial decree is to accommodate the Ice Sovereign’s wishes whenever possible.” Johanna reached out and straightened Aria’s collar. “Return, Aria Lilias.”
Aria nodded, bowed, and left the office.
Back in her laboratory, Aria read the letter and quickly penned a reply. The letter had been delayed because of the Imperial inspection, so she had to move fast.
I will depart at dawn.
She sent the reply back to Märchen Academy via the messenger bird, V. Despite the great distance and the high cost of the service, she didn't want to keep the Ice Sovereign waiting.
*
The next morning.
Having packed her belongings, Aria departed the Imperial Magic Tower by carriage.
“What on earth is that?”
“…?”
Sensing a familiar mana signature, Aria opened the carriage window to look outside.
Roughly ten Düpfendorf soldiers were forming a defensive perimeter around her carriage. Each one of them possessed a level of power that eclipsed even Aria, the Master of the Hegel Tower.
[Greetings, Tower Master.]
Morcan, the knight captain clad in platinum armor, rode up to the window and saluted. Aria stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.
“Is this an order from the Ice Sovereign?”
[Yes. He ordered us to escort you safely to your destination.]
The entry procedures for the Imperial Magic Tower were incredibly rigid. It was the Empire’s sanctum of knowledge and information. Even though the Düpfendorf soldiers were allies and permitted to travel within the Empire, entering the Magic Tower itself would have caused a diplomatic incident with the Imperial authorities.
Thus, the soldiers had waited outside the Tower gates to meet her.
“…Heh.”
Aria let out a small, satisfied smile. Having someone like the Ice Sovereign send his personal elite to look after her put her in an exceptionally good mood.
“I’ll be counting on you, then.”
[Understood!]
Morcan saluted again and returned to the formation.
Aria turned her gaze back toward the Imperial Magic Tower.
Are you watching, Imperial Tower Master? This is the kind of power I have behind me.
The carriage, flanked by the formidable Düpfendorf soldiers, set off for Märchen Academy.
Meanwhile, Johanna Calix watched the scene from her office through the Tower’s external surveillance network. The sight of the Düpfendorf soldiers stepping in to escort Aria was a clear message.
Aria Lilias was under the direct protection of the Ice Sovereign.
Though there were only ten soldiers, the Tower’s mana detection system easily picked up the immense power they radiated. And those ten were merely a fraction of Düpfendorf’s terrifying military might.
Düpfendorf, the Ice Kingdom. And the man they served as King was Isaac, the Ice Sovereign.
His every move held the power to shift the political landscape of the entire continent.
“Truly…”
Johanna realized with a chill that the man was a genuine threat.
Meanwhile, back at Märchen Academy.
“Father, we have arrived…”
A carriage bearing the crest of the Astrea Duchy passed through the guard post and entered the Academy grounds.
Inside the carriage, Kaya spoke in a low, timid voice.
Gerald Astrea, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.