Chapter 23
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Daughter of the Tower Master
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"Here."
A moment later, the owner of the leg—a man in robes—tossed a pouch toward Philomel.
"Th-thank you."
Philomel caught the pouch and stammered her thanks in a daze.
"You wander around with your head in the clouds? Didn't you hear there are scammers lurking around here when you come to the Magic Tower?"
"I didn't know."
Philomel replied quietly.
"Just a naive kid who knows nothing of the world."
It stung, but she had no comeback—being clueless about the world was the truth, and that wasn't the kind of knowledge you picked up from books.
That's when the scammer seized the opening while Philomel and the man talked, crawling away on his belly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Thud!
The robed man stomped hard on the scammer's back.
"Argh! You little brat! Do you know how old I am? Don't you have parents?!"
The scammer shrieked even with his back pinned down.
"Unfortunately, my parents never taught me to respect my elders."
The robed man replied nonchalantly.
As more pressure built under his foot, the scammer started choking, his face turning yellow.
"You know this is Magic Tower territory. I'll handle you according to the Tower's laws, not imperial ones."
Philomel couldn't see his face clearly under the robe, but her instincts screamed it.
'He's seriously planning to kill him. Right here.'
Her body went rigid.
She'd never witnessed a murder before.
"Tch."
At that moment, the man glanced at Philomel's pale face, lifted his foot from the old man, and yelled toward the surroundings.
"Lexion! Quit spectating and get out here!"
"Oops, caught me."
Suddenly, a stranger popped up behind Philomel. A redheaded man wearing glasses.
"You just watch a visitor get scammed?"
"You jumped in first, so I figured I'd observe. But you playing the good Samaritan? That's new."
"Good Samaritan, my ass. I'm dragging this bastard to the disciplinary division. You figure out what this girl's here for."
With that, he grabbed the scammer by the collar and hauled him toward the Tower, the man limp and unconscious—likely from facing that raw killing intent head-on.
The intellectual-looking handsome man left behind greeted Philomel kindly.
"So, with that settled, tell me your business. I'll guide you with the utmost care."
Still dazed, Philomel pulled herself together and responded. This was a chance she couldn't miss.
"I'd like to see Tower Master Rguin. Could you arrange a meeting?"
"Ho. And why would you want to see him?"
The man adjusted his glasses as he asked.
"......Because I'm his daughter."
Philomel said it with a slightly trembling voice. She didn't know if he'd believe her, but it was the truth.
A glint flashed in the golden eyes of the man before her.
"I see. If that's your business, of course we should make it happen."
"......Pardon?"
Philomel hadn't expected belief and blinked in wide-eyed surprise.
"Follow me. I'll take you through the back gate."
But the man strode ahead casually, as if it were nothing.
Trailing behind, Philomel couldn't shake the unease.
His reaction wasn't what she'd anticipated. By all accounts, Rguin was a bachelor, yet this man showed no suspicion at the claim of a daughter.
He seemed surprised, but not overly so.
For a split second, the thought crossed her mind: maybe Rguin was married with kids.
Philomel called out to the red-haired nape ahead of her.
"Um, mage?"
"My name is Lexion."
"Uh...... then, Lexion?"
"Just Lexion is fine."
"Lexion."
"Yes."
"Is Tower Master Rguin married, by any chance?"
"Hardly."
Good. At least the affair with Katrin was off the table.
Philomel nodded with a stiff expression.
A moment later, Lexion traced a geometric pattern on a heavy iron door with his finger. The spot glowed red, and with a metallic groan, the door swung open.
They entered a stone building. The wide corridor had few people passing through.
"The building's huge, but hardly any people."
"It's still the dead of night for nocturnal mages."
A grotesque dragon statue. Someone dashing with a bubbling test tube. A tree laden with fruits of every color.
The place brimmed with bizarre and wondrous sights, but Philomel forced herself not to gawk.
The layout twisted like a labyrinth; one distracted glance, and she'd lose Lexion.
"Hey, Lexion, who booked Lab Six for today?"
"Cardin. But he bolted last week complaining of boredom, so he's got a ways to go before he returns."
Lexion answered a passerby's question leisurely.
He didn't forget to nudge a drunken mage sprawled on the floor with his foot.
"Go sleep it off inside. You'll twist your mouth like that."
He stopped Philomel in front of a room, then emerged ten minutes later with an old book in hand.
"Sorry. Took a while to find the old records."
"It's fine."
As he flipped through the pages, he said,
"I'll confirm a few details, then take you to see Tower Master Rguin. What's your mother's name?"
"Pardon? Oh, Katrin Hounds."
"Here it is."
"And her age? Height, weight, any other physical traits you recall."
Philomel stammered out what she remembered, and Lexion closed the book.
"Confirmed. Let's head to Tower Master Rguin's quarters."
It was an odd exchange.
'Does that book have Katrin's info written in it or something?'
Philomel tilted her head.
As they entered a vast hall, Philomel finally asked him,
"Um...... aren't you surprised?"
"About what?"
"That I'm Tower Master Rguin's daughter."
"A bit. I'm curious why you took so long to show up, though."
"Took so long? What do you......?"
"Watch your step."
"Eek!"
The floor shifted. No—what she'd thought was the floor moved. A circular platform detached from the ground and floated upward.
"......A Levitation Stone."
Philomel murmured, regaining her composure belatedly.
Levitation Stones, rocks that floated in the air, were familiar from the palace's tall buildings.
"You've used one before, I take it."
Oh no. Philomel hurried to cover.
Admitting familiarity with rare items like Levitation Stones could expose her.
"No way. I read about it in a book."
Philomel ignored Lexion's intrigued gaze.
"We're here."
They descended to the topmost floor and reached the innermost room. There, he eyed her hand.
"You might want to take that off. He doesn't care for divine power."
At the end of his gaze, the red gem of the Ring of Crimson Flame glinted.
"......I wasn't hiding my identity with any bad intentions."
Philomel slipped off the Ring of Crimson Flame and stowed it in her bag, offering an excuse. From Lexion's perspective, she might look suspicious for concealing herself.
"I know. About your identity too."
Yet Lexion scratched the back of his neck casually.
Philomel stared at him, eyes wide in shock.
"Unlike other mages, I read the papers religiously and keep up with current events. Princess Philomel."
"......Are you going to report me?"
She asked in a tense voice.
"Haha. If I planned to, I wouldn't have brought you here. No need to worry. Though one bit of advice: don't take what Tower Master Rguin says too much to heart."
With that cryptic remark, he opened the door.
"......Thank you."
Philomel bowed her head in gratitude and stepped inside.
The room brimmed with miscellaneous items, making even its ample space feel cramped.
As Lexion pushed through the clutter, Philomel stood by the doorway. After a week-long journey to reach this place, nerves hit her anew.
Her biological father was here.