NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51
EP.51 Resti Elenoa (2)
Suddenly, an old memory came to mind.
Memories start with a single question.
“What do the elders of the Tower want?”
“Yes.”
Once, I had asked my Master such a question.
It wasn’t hard to recall the occasion.
‘It was when the elders were causing a ruckus.’
I disliked the elders of the Tower. Especially the ones who were in power when I was about to become the next Master of the Tower.
“What on earth makes those old farts think they can mess with me…”
So, this would likely be a question I asked during my early days as the newly appointed Master of the Tower.
‘What did my Master answer to that question?’
Perhaps.
“…Raniel, first of all, I’m also an elder.”
“Of course, I’m talking about other elders besides you, Master.”
“Hmm…”
I remembered it was a slightly different topic than what I had asked.
At that time, my Master had seated me on the sofa and began to explain.
“First, Raniel. Let me correct one thing.”
“Yes?”
“The elders treating the next Master with such contempt isn’t a new occurrence. Since the construction of the Ashen Tower, no one besides the first Master, Armiel, has ever received the support of all six elders.”
In other words, my Master continued.
“That doesn’t mean your background is an issue. The elders fundamentally believe that the Master of the Tower isn’t necessary.”
“…Why’s that?”
“There’s a reason for it. Do you know the characteristics of the Ashen Tower, Raniel?”
“Um… that there’s no fixed school of magic?”
“Right, the Ashen Tower has no fixed school. It was founded with the purpose of restoring the magic of a kingdom reduced to ashes.”
With a sigh, the story continued.
“For example, the Black School studies spell inscriptions, and the White School studies elemental magic. Typically, a tower starts research with a set subject. However, the Ashen Tower is different.”
Snap, my Master spread two fingers.
“This has its pros and cons. The advantage is that it doesn’t discriminate against mages, so individuals’ abilities are excellent…”
“The downside is that everyone is working separately.”
“Correct, that’s the first characteristic of the Ashen Tower.”
My Master folded one remaining finger.
“The second feature is that these unruly mages are managed under six factions. Those are what you call the elders of the Tower.”
“Ah…”
“Now do you understand? It’s natural for the elders to be wary of the Master. If a mage from a specific faction becomes the Master… it would disrupt the balance between the six factions.”
I nodded, and my Master smiled bitterly.
“Of course, I don’t intend to use you to grow my faction. From the start, I’m quite skeptical about faction fights. What qualifications do I have to manage young mages? All I can offer is advice.”
What a funny thing.
So said my Master as he stood up.
“Thus far, every Master of the Tower has been elected through fights among the factions, but…”
“…”
“It won’t be the case for you, Raniel.”
My Master approached me.
“The Elder personally recommended you. He said you have the potential to unite the six divided factions. This hasn’t happened before.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
“We saw potential in you, both me and the Elder.”
A hand with the right amount of weight, neither heavy nor light. That hand patted my shoulder a couple of times.
“I’m telling you to be confident.”
“Still, the elders…”
“The elders… Well, it’s a bit ridiculous for me, an elder, to say this, but…”
My Master spoke with a smile.
“The elders are just remnants.”
Things that have been drained of all usefulness, having been sucked dry of every bit of significance.
My Master described the elders in that way.
“Don’t be swayed by their words, Raniel.”
As he said that, my Master gripped my shoulder.
And then, he grabbed the badge that adorned his robe and tore it away.
Riiiiip.
I remember that touch.
“The elders, including me, have already stepped back from the front lines.”
The badge he adorned my chest with.
And I still recall the warmth of the badge today.
“When they laugh at you, you laugh back. If they cling to my achievements, you can question and topple their achievements as well.”
Recalling those words, I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw after opening my eyes was the badge pinned to my chest.
I tore my gaze away from that badge.
I lifted my head to look straight ahead.
There sat an elderly man.
That face was familiar.
“Rania van Trias.”
He called my name. A name that had changed over time, pronounced by that old man.
I knew him. There’s no way I wouldn’t.
‘Gileon.’
The oldest elder of the Tower.
My gaze naturally narrowed as I looked at the old man.
2.
The position of elder of the Ashen Tower is quite convenient.
Gileon knows that.
And he knows how to wield his position.
Gileon rented out a café entirely, sending the owner briefly outside. In that now empty café, Gileon finished his tale.
‘I won’t disclose everything.’
He only shared the information helpful to the conversation. For now, that was enough. What Gileon was about to propose was something any mage would surely crave.
‘An opportunity to become the owner of the Ashen Tower.’
No mage would resist that temptation.
Confident of that, Gileon presented what he had prepared.
“This is that recommendation letter.”
He placed a black letter on the table.
The letter was embossed with the emblem of the Ashen Tower.
‘Recommendation letter for the next Master of the Tower.’
While every elder freely wasted their recommendation letters, Gileon had been saving this for a moment like now.
“This is my recommendation letter, Gileon.”
Gileon emphasized his name and leaned back in his chair.
‘With this recommendation, there’s no need for lengthy discussions.’
It was an item of considerable value.
Gileon thought that way.
However, after quite some time, there was still no response.
“Um.”
Gileon cleared his throat lightly and narrowed his eyes.
He glanced at the girl sitting in front of him.
Rustle.
Ashen hair flowed down over her shoulders.
Her blue eyes, hidden behind delicate lashes, did not meet Gileon’s.
“…”
She was staring at the sediment at the bottom of her coffee cup. Or perhaps she seemed to be staring even further away.
‘…An inscrutable impression.’
That’s what the girl’s impression was.
It was hard to guess what she was thinking. There were numerous things that grabbed his attention.
Among them, what bothered him the most was.
‘She isn’t even giving me a glance.’
The fact that the girl wasn’t even looking at the recommendation letter struck at Gileon’s pride.
‘What is she so engrossed in?’
The girl was staring only at the sediment sitting at the bottom of her coffee cup.
“…”
That fact raised questions for him.
Any mage should understand the value of this recommendation letter. Especially someone associated with the Ashen Tower.
‘If she was raised under Elder Rosel, she should know the value of being here, right? Didn’t she hear the story?’
The grip on the tip of his staff tightened.
“Huh…”
Gileon let out a short sigh.
Then, he bent his pride and opened his mouth again.
“Did you not hear my proposal?”
He pushed the recommendation letter with his fingers as he spoke.
“I’m suggesting that you become the next Master of the Tower….”
“Then.”
Cutting off that sentence, the girl spoke up.
After an hour of dialogue, Gileon finally heard the girl’s voice.
“To summarize.”
The girl’s blue eyes remained transparent.
Still holding the same vacant gaze she had while staring at the sediment, she looked at Gileon.
She began to speak.
Her voice held not a hint of excitement.
“Currently, the next Master of the Ashen Tower lacks support from the elders.”
She tilted her coffee cup.
“The current Master lacks the ability to unify the Ashen Tower, so you want to bring in a completely new candidate to fill that gap.”
The coffee cup shook.
The sediment inside danced with the water.
“For that role, you must be suggesting that someone like Raniel… has a Master, and I, who hold that legitimacy, would be the most suitable. Is that what you’re saying?”
She was accurate.
‘…I didn’t disclose that much information.’
So she connected the dots, inferring the current situation from the information. Gileon admired that insight internally, but nodded outwardly.
“You’re quick to understand; it’s true, as you said.”
Gileon smiled.
“You needn’t worry about the future. I, Gileon, the oldest elder, recommend you as the next Master of the Ashen Tower…”
“No, thank you.”
With a thud, the girl pushed her coffee cup away. The sediment spilled out along with the black liquid.
The spilling liquid soaked the letter.
The black paper soaked with the ashen emblem turned dark. The emblem symbolized Gileon’s faction.
“Why should I?”
A black stain settled on the table.
Having glanced at the sediment, the girl then looked back at Gileon, with contempt in her eyes.
3.
Resti recalled her name.
Resti Elenoa.
More precisely, the surname that follows it.
‘…Elenoa.’
The surname given to Resti when the elder of ashes adopted her. Remembering the weight of that ‘Elenoa’, Resti let out a sigh.
“…Huh.”
The sigh she breathed out was deep.
Her steps carried no strength. The research report she held felt heavier than usual.
‘It’s exhausting.’
It was like this for every evaluation meeting.
Although it was called an evaluation, it felt more like a place where people criticized her.
‘No matter what research I submit, they’ll find some reason to nitpick.’
If there’s nothing wrong with her research, they will find fault with Resti’s behavior. This was a recurring situation for several years. Since they couldn’t drag down Resti, who had been recommended by the Elder, they hoped she would step down on her own.
‘I want to quit too…’
But Resti didn’t want to disappoint the Elder who had taken her in.
-You have talent, Resti.
She remembered that gentle voice.
Though currently bedridden, when that person arises one day…
‘I want to welcome them as the Master of the Tower.’
That was Resti’s wish.
No one sees her.
But that’s fine. Someday, when the Elder rises, he would notice her.
That was enough.
Just that fact alone allowed Resti to endure a little longer.
“…”
The grip on the stack of papers tightened.
Resti moved her steps again. Though it was a holiday, she headed toward the research lab in Apuria.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the Tower’s research facilities.
But it was definitely better than conducting research under scrutinizing gazes.
‘Dean Aaron tends to give a bit of leeway too.’
Let’s do our best.
If she works harder, maybe they’ll acknowledge her.
Lost in thought, as Resti walked through the quiet Apuria, something caught her eye.
“…?”
Suddenly, something entered her field of vision.
She turned towards a café. It was a café often favored by a rather eccentric professor.
Sure enough, she saw ashen hair through the glass window. Even from a distance, that ash-blonde hair caught her eye.
‘Professor Rania?’
Was she working even on her day off?
As that thought crossed her mind, Resti instinctively began walking towards the café, but she abruptly stopped.
She recognized the figure sitting opposite her.
An elderly man dressed in a suit.
And the cane he held.
‘…Elder Gileon?’
Resti tilted her head.
‘What is he doing here?’
Elder Gileon was one of the few elders who didn’t oppose her. While not openly, he had encouraged her from behind.
The elder who occasionally smiled at her.
Though she would usually look away when making eye contact with elders, Gileon was the exception. He was among the few who treated her kindly.
‘He didn’t appear for the evaluation meeting today, so why is he here…?’
With that thought, Resti stared blankly at Gileon.
It was a natural progression to notice what Gileon pulled out next.
A black letter.
An elegant letter adorned with the ashen emblem.
The moment she saw it.
“…”
Resti’s expression froze.
There was no way she wouldn’t recognize that. She had received the letter before.
‘A recommendation letter.’
But for what position?
‘For the next Master of the Ashen Tower.’
And that letter was directed towards.
‘Professor Rania.’
Thud.
The paper that Resti had held fell to the ground.