Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Mage of the Mage Tower (4)
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I'm hungry.
That was something I absolutely shouldn't say in front of Grandma.
"Ugh..."
I rubbed my solar plexus and screamed internally.
My stomach felt so bloated it was about to burst.
What can I say? It felt like something alive was growing inside me...
It had been quite a while since we'd left the dining hall, but everything I'd eaten still hadn't gone down.
With meat crammed all the way up to the end of my esophagus, making me dry-heave, Grandma Eleanor clicked her tongue from the rocking chair across from me.
"Doesn't your mouth seem a bit too small?"
"...How many people can eat a whole cow in one go?"
I'd thought it would just be a decent portion sliced up for me—I had no idea it was an endless refill course where they kept bringing more every time my plate emptied.
From midway through, I couldn't even touch the food. No exaggeration, I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes for a moment...
"At your age, you need to eat a lot. I've prepared cake and pudding for dessert—want to have them with some tea?"
I frantically shook my head.
If I put anything else in here, I might actually give birth to something.
As I listened to Grandma's laughter, I slowly sipped the digestive tea.
Once my stomach settled a bit, I finally took in the room around me.
'This is Grandma Eleanor's magic workshop...'
For the room of someone at the pinnacle of the Mage Tower, it was surprisingly modest.
The sofa I was sitting on, the table in front of it. A desk lightly dusted with dust. And Grandma's rocking chair.
That was everything.
No walls lined with magic tomes or flashy magical tools in sight.
"Do you usually live here?"
"Yes, I do. Why, disappointed that there's nothing much?"
"No. It's not disappointment so much as..."
I fiddled with my teacup as I replied.
"When you think of a mage's lab, don't you picture it cluttered with all sorts of mess, mysterious magical devices rolling around on the floor?"
Just look at the professors at Elterion Academy.
Department Head Lilliana's lab is piled so high with junk you can't tell if it's a warehouse or a research room.
Department Head Raymond's is plastered with expensive ornaments—you can't tell if it's for magic research or luxury goods research—but anyway.
"Hehe. Well, the magic I research is a bit special."
Grandma rocked her chair with a creak-creak, wearing a relaxed expression that made the world seem carefree.
"I don't really need all that cluttered furniture and tools. A comfortable environment good for sleeping is far more important."
"Good for sleeping...?"
I perked up for a moment.
I imagined declaring no disturbances for important magic research and then just taking a nap.
...Wow, this is the best. A total dream come true.
"What kind of magic exactly?"
"Do you know about lucid dreams, Lunaris dear?"
"Lucid dreams? You mean... being aware that you're dreaming while in the dream?"
"That's right. My magic overlays the dreams in your mind onto reality."
Grandma traced a circle in the air with her finger.
A hazy mist rose, forming the shape of a small butterfly before vanishing.
"To brag a little, I can use any magic I can imagine in my head. Hohoho."
"Whoa..."
"I'd love to show you, but the biggest issue is it's a magic that can't be properly cast without falling asleep."
Grandma chuckled, saying an old lady couldn't snore shamelessly in front of you.
"It seems similar to the magic Vice-Captain Albert uses. That guy also turns illusions into reality."
"Hm? You know little Albert?"
"Yeah, well... we're connected through various events. Anyway, do you know the vice-captain too, Grandma?"
"Of course. I was his master when he was at the Mage Tower."
What an intriguing connection.
I hadn't realized we were only one degree apart.
The magic world really is small, isn't it?
"He was a sharp kid. Surprisingly sociable for a mage, too."
Grandma Eleanor's eyes narrowed as if lost in memories.
"But he was just as ambitious. I secretly hoped he'd succeed me and lead the Dream Illusion School, but he left for the Imperial Mage Corps to climb higher."
"...Unexpected."
I was pretty shocked inwardly.
That slippery vice-captain was actually Grandma the Tower Lord's disciple and an ambitious one at that?
Come to think of it, after joining the Imperial Mage Corps, he leeched off our Grandfather, who was the captain back then.
You really can't judge people by appearances.
'Anyway, magic that materializes illusions...'
I took a sip of tea and pondered deeply.
The more I thought about it, the more amazing it seemed.
"This is basically a magic that can endlessly produce content."
"E-eh? Content...?"
"Yeah. Turn old stories or cool scenery into dreams and show them—that's unbeatable entertainment."
Entertainment you enjoy from bed is almost as important as a good night's sleep.
Swiping through shorts before bed, then waking up and fiddling with your smartphone to shake off the grogginess.
This is perfect bed life.
"Hoho. That's a fun way to think about it—seeing dreams as entertainment."
Grandma Eleanor burst into delighted laughter at my quirky interpretation.
"Isn't that what it is?"
"Who knows. At least the kids researching magic in our Dream Illusion School don't think that way."
A faint shadow crossed Grandma's face.
"Not to badmouth, but illusion magic is fringe in the magic world. The Dream Illusion School isn't treated well either."
"Really?"
"I'm only keeping the lineage alive because I happened to become Tower Lord... Honestly, it's declining."
"Unexpected. I thought mages specializing in illusion magic, like Vice-Captain Albert, were doing pretty well."
"He's a special case. He only learned from me because I was Tower Lord."
Grandma set down her teacup with a wistful voice, saying he might have reached greater heights as a mage with other magic.
"Most who come to the Dream Illusion School are people fleeing real-world hardships."
To forget how painful reality is.
To escape into dreams.
That's why they learn magic.
And that's why it has clear limits.
"Hmm... I see it a bit differently."
I mulled over Grandma Eleanor's words before slowly shaking my head.
"The illusion magic I imagine isn't for deceiving people—it's for making them happy."
"Magic that makes people happy..."
"Yes. Not escaping reality, but making it a bit more fun—like the sauce you pair with a steak."
Grandma fell silent, as if chewing over my words.
Soon, a faint smile spread across her lips.
"Thank you. For saying that."
Her voice was so soft I had to strain to hear it, laced with regret.
"Grandma, could I learn illusion magic too?"
"That'd be difficult. You can't learn illusion magic, dear."
Grandma shook her head without a hint of hesitation.
"Your magic is for living in reality, not dreams."
"...?"
I tilted my head at the cryptic answer, and Grandma chuckled.
"Unlike the other kids who borrow spirit power, you've raised your rank the ancient way, so I can tell you this."
"...?"
"Dear, where do you think the root of your magic lies?"
"Laziness."
I answered without a second's pause.
"E-eh?"
"Magic exists for my own convenience."
A tool to skip tedious processes and get results easily.
What else could be the root of my magic?
"Hehe. So that's the answer you've found."
Grandma let out a small laugh at my bold response.
"But don't you think you've jumped to conclusions a bit too soon?"
"...Pardon?"
"To reach grand mage level anyway... You truly have remarkable talent."
Grandma marveled, saying one more proper enlightenment might let me see the end of magic.
"The root of magic is far more complex and subtle than you think. It's not just about personality or preferences."
My brow furrowed at the tough topic.
I pondered briefly, but it felt like walking through fog—nothing clear.
My usual intuition for magic matters was dead silent now.
"What do you think my magic's root is, Grandma?"
"Well... It's not a question with a right answer. You have to figure it out yourself, but..."
Grandma tapped the armrest of her rocker with a mysterious smile.
"If I had to say, I think your root lies in the stars, dear."
A bit vague.
Maybe from seeing traces of the starlight summoning spell I used in the meeting room.
"Stars can mean another world beyond the distant sky."
But her following words were profoundly meaningful.
"Magic that alters the world's laws, or talents that seem from another world—they can be seen as connected to the stars, in a way."
My eyes widened involuntarily.
It felt like she saw through everything about me, even things I'd never told anyone—my heart dropped.
I stared at Grandma Eleanor.
"You don't have to understand what I said. No need to take it to heart. Just let it pass and find your own answer. Hohoho."
But Grandma just smiled kindly and took a sip of tea.
"Now, the tea's getting cold. Drink up, dear."
As if she hadn't said a thing.