The Magic Tower Lord Arrives! (5)
I nearly lost my wits at the bold line she dropped right from the start, but somehow I pulled myself together. We moved to another spot to continue the conversation.
"To think this lone wolf of a girl has found herself a master. What a surprise."
She stroked her chin with a thoughtful 'hmm, hmmm,' her gaze fixed on me the whole time. It was extremely burdensome. And where had the dignity of a Magic Tower Lord gone? Her overly friendly demeanor left me wondering how to take it.
"Master, please stop with the weird remarks."
"Weird remarks? I was just going off what I heard with my own ears."
"Haa..."
Neriel, who had been quietly sipping her tea beside me, finally drew a line, but it seemed to have zero effect on her my-pace master. Wow, to think I'd live to see someone who could make this girl sweat like that.
"Oh right, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Amelia Luminis, the current Magic Tower Lord."
"I'm Aren."
"Aren, huh. I thought it was a nice name when my disciple mentioned it, and it still rings true."
I awkwardly averted my eyes from the belated introduction and her heavy stare, only for her gaze to follow me. That perpetually satisfied smile of hers was messing with my head in the strangest way. Well, better than her looking at me badly, at least.
"Sorry for calling you out of the blue today. It was just so surprising to hear another person's name come out of this girl's mouth."
"No big deal. How often do I get to meet someone like you, Tower Lord?"
I wasn't particularly thrilled just because I'd met the Tower Lord or anything. If I had to compare it... it was like bumping into a celebrity on the street in my past life—someone I didn't care about. That sense of odd novelty.
"So, you're on good terms with my disciple?"
"Hmm... 'good terms' might be a stretch. If I had to put a label on it, maybe rival frenemies?"
It felt weirdly like meeting a friend's parent, so I answered with a sheepish grin. Things had improved a bit since the class competition—we'd exchange greetings in the halls—but actual conversation? We'd just end up growling at each other. Plus...
"And I want no part of being lumped in as friends with a monkey like you."
...yeah, no way this girl saw me as a friend. I'd preemptively called it, knowing full well. Frenemies seemed fair enough. Take it or leave it.
"As you can see, Neriel doesn't exactly like me much."
"Kuh! Is that so? From where I'm sitting, she doesn't seem to hate you."
"Really?"
"Master, please don't stir up trouble with idle chatter."
Ooh, dropping a line like that at her own master. Classic hotheaded purple-head. And yet, this woman didn't bat an eye at the rough words—her composure was even more respectable. Was that the kind of broad-mindedness you needed to be Tower Lord?
"The mere fact that this girl calls someone by name is shocking enough to me."
"Oh ho..."
"What're you looking at? It's annoying—turn your head."
No, she always called me 'monkey' this and that to my face, so of course I never expected her to use my name behind my back. Maybe she only did it because we were in front of others and it was awkward otherwise...? But knowing Neriel Marit, she'd never compromise like that.
"And I hear you even beat her one-on-one?"
"Yeah, well... I pulled some tricks."
I scratched my cheek, embarrassed to admit that a swordsman like me had won by chucking a pommel from the smoke at the end. I wasn't denying the win itself, but... bragging about it in front of her master felt off.
Maybe my words comforted her, because Neriel immediately puffed up with pride.
"That's right. If we fought again, I'd win for sure. His victory was pure luck..."
"...Neriel."
"...!"
But before she could finish, the warm air froze solid in an instant. Mana? No. It was just the friendly big-sis type across from us shifting her eyes, and the atmosphere flipped on a dime.
"I've told you before: seeking the reasons for defeat is proper, but making excuses for it is ugly."
"...I know. Sorry. That was out of line."
Even the mighty Neriel turned mute as a clam under the Tower Lord's icy rebuke. Her teaching style was stricter than I'd thought. She seemed so laid-back, I figured she'd let Neriel run wild without much intervention. Judging by appearances was hasty, huh. Made me see her in a new light—but the chill was getting too heavy, so I decided to back Neriel up a bit.
"Don't be too hard on her. Honestly, even I think losing then wouldn't have been weird. She's just pissed about it and let it slip in the heat of the moment."
"Heh, defending Neriel? You're sweeter than you look."
"Nah, not really..."
I was taking her side, sure, but only saying what I felt. I scratched my head awkwardly, and Neriel shot me a sideways glance from her seat.
"...Don't expect a thanks."
So consistent, this girl. I used to think she was just an annoying jerk, but now? This was just Neriel being Neriel. I hadn't said it for gratitude anyway, so I shrugged.
"Winning against Neriel aside, and noticing my power earlier... you've achieved quite a bit for your age."
"Eh, getting by."
So hardly anyone else had picked up on it, huh. I'd guessed from Theo's reaction, but yeah—she'd been testing me from the jump.
"Neriel, what do you think of his skills?"
"...Hate to admit it, but for a sword-slinger, he's top-tier. And his mana pool holds up to mine without much shame."
"Ho, if you say so, it's gospel. Still impressive. Among everyone I've seen, few can match you in mana."
Was my mana that abundant? All I remembered was scraping by in every fight; I'd never really clocked it as exceptional. But she wouldn't flatter me, so it must be legit. My shoulders lifted a tad.
"Having someone to learn from nearby is a blessing. Even if swordsman and mage are different fields. Please keep being a good rival to our Neriel going forward."
"You bet. Losing to her would suck, so she pushes me to work harder."
Probably not the ideal rivalry the Tower Lord envisioned. What drove me was not wanting to see her smirking if I ever fell behind. A bit twisted, maybe, but whatever—results are what count.
"You might be the one to break the chains binding this child."
"...Chains?"
"Master."
The Tower Lord, who'd been gazing at me approvingly, tossed out that cryptic line, and the thawed atmosphere iced over again. But this time, the chill came from Neriel, not her. She even blatantly released mana, glaring daggers at her own master—more murderous than in the class competition.
"Don't say useless things. Even from you, master, there are lines I won't cross."
"But it's not wrong, is it? Neriel, you agreed to this because you like him well enough."
That rang true to me. With her personality, if she truly despised me, she wouldn't have even relayed the request, master or not. The fact she did meant, in her own way, she didn't hate me. Maybe even thought decently of me.
"I only did it because you wanted to see him, master. Why would I ever..."
But Neriel drew a hard line and pressed on harshly. Then our eyes met, and she flicked hers down and to the left, lips pressed tight—like she had more to say but was holding back.
"You have other people to meet anyway, right? You're busy, so I'll head out."
She shoved her chair back with her hips, slammed the table, and stood. Total disregard for manners in front of her revered master, but the Tower Lord didn't seem fazed at all.
"...Yeah. Sorry for holding you when you're busy. I've seen my disciple's face after so long, so I'll call it satisfied and go."
She watched Neriel go with bittersweet eyes but held back any more words. As Neriel stormed out without farewell, I was stuck in the middle, wondering what to do. Ugh, this vibe sucked. But leaving her alone felt wrong too, so I nodded to the Tower Lord and chased after.
She'd flung the door open with a bang and was already in the hall.
"...What? Why're you following?"
Some thanks for chasing her. I didn't show it, just nodded with a grin.
"Why? Dude, your slave asked her master for a favor, and she made time. Least I can do is buy her a meal."
"......"
She stared up at me blankly, then...
"...Fine. I'll treat you to something luxurious—a feast your C-Class pocket change couldn't touch."
Back to the Neriel Marit I knew, she snorted and strode off. We ate together, but I didn't pry about the Tower Lord's words—just killed time with idle chat. I didn't want to meddle, and her eyes seemed to beg me not to ask anyway.