NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83
Raniel, the Ashen Master.
She was climbing the stairs of the Ashen Tower for the first time in a while. Unlike usual, she wasn’t walking with her head down. There were whispers here and there, but there was no need to pay attention.
She walked proudly. With her head held high and back straight.
As she climbed the stairs with wide eyes, she noticed the circuits engraved on the steps.
She placed her hand on the circuit and thought of the next floor.
There is no floor that the Ashen Master cannot climb. Thinking of the level right beneath the Elder’s floor, Resti took a step forward.
“·····.”
The former Master’s level.
It was the level where Raniel, the Ashen Mage’s office and personal laboratory were located. Naturally, there was no mage guarding this level.
‘He said all important documents were locked away by the Ashen Mage…’
The locking circuits on the shelves shone.
They were shelves that couldn’t be opened without the key held by the Ashen Mage. Reading the numbers engraved on the shelves, Resti wandered around the laboratory.
‘It’s tidy.’
Suddenly, that thought crossed her mind.
Since the Ashen Mage left, no one had managed this laboratory. It remained just as it was when he left, but…
‘Does anyone really keep things this tidy…?’
It was so clean that she started to wonder.
Passing shelves organized to an obsessive degree, Resti stood before the A-series shelf.
‘It was A3, right?’
The third drawer of the A3 line.
In front of that drawer, Resti pulled a key from the pocket of her robe. It was a key she had received from Professor Rania a little while ago.
Click.
She aligned the key with the circuit on the shelf.
As she turned the key, the locking circuit of the shelf disassembled with a crack. Then at some moment, she felt a tick as if something caught.
Pulling the key, the shelf opened.
Inside the shelf were a paper envelope and a rectangular magical device with circuits inscribed on it.
‘…What is this?’
The envelope was filled with encrypted documents. The rectangular magical device didn’t respond even when she infused it with mana.
‘Is it broken?’
That thought crossed her mind for a moment, but she shook it off.
This was something left behind by the great Ashen Mage. Not to mention that it had been requested from Professor Rania.
‘It’s a device made for future use.’
It couldn’t possibly be easily broken.
Resti squinted and began to read the circuits engraved on the surface of the magical device.
A platinum light flickered in her eyes.
In the illusion that the circuits were surfacing, she realized there was a twist in the circuit.
‘An intentional twist.’
She traced a line above the twist.
Once she finished decoding the circuit, the magical device emitted a gentle light. She looked in the direction it was pointing. The light was directed toward the Ashen Mage’s office.
It must be a heavily locked office.
However, as the light seeped into the office door, the click of the locked door opening was heard.
Resti entered the office.
The light emitted by the magical device was pointing to a paper neatly placed on the desk.
“…Huh?”
Resti blinked when she saw the writing on the paper. The document contained quite shocking content.
– The Ashen Mage said.
– If the Elder acts like a jerk, throw what’s in that drawer right in front of him.
Recalling those words, Resti lifted the paper.
“Throw this…?”
Resti smiled wryly.
She had information that could shake the foundations of the Ashen Tower before her.
– …This is the result of my investigation.
The document concluded with such lines.
As she read through the sentences, Resti suddenly tilted her head.
‘…This handwriting looks familiar.’
Feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, Resti placed the document back in the envelope. As she turned to leave the office, a picture frame on the desk caught her eye.
There were two frames on the desk.
One had a photo of the Ashen Mage in childhood with Rosel Elder.
And the other one was.
‘…Who is this?’
A boy she did not recognize, pictured with the Ashen Mage. The boy’s eyes in the photo were lifeless.
Eyes that sent chills down her spine.
At the very least, they were not the eyes of someone looking at the same person.
2.
“What…?”
While sorting out the curriculum in the mansion, Rosel raised his head. Blinking, he asked again.
“You mean you got assigned to guard the First Princess?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Suddenly?”
“Apparently, the Fourth Princess recommended me. She came by out of the blue and said that.”
“Hmm, hmm…”
Rosel rubbed his temples.
Who is the First Princess? A truly unique individual born with the spirit of a warrior. Even though he had no interest in or involvement with politics, he often heard rumors about Princess Lruiel.
‘…Why on earth?’
Rosel hesitated before speaking.
“Are you okay with that?”
“They said I only need to stay by her side for three days, so it shouldn’t interfere with my academy work, right?”
…That’s not what I meant to ask.
The princess directly gave the order for him to guard her; how insignificant could the academy be?
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Yes?”
“No, it’s fine. If you’re okay with it…”
Rosel sighed.
In reality, worrying seemed like a futile exercise. He thought about whether he should warn her about the treachery and intrigues of the royal palace, but…
‘Will that even have any effect?’
After a bloody battle with the mages from the tower, she had become the next master of the tower. While he wasn’t sure about her diplomatic skills, he doubted she would suffer from petty political squabbles.
‘Moreover…’
Rosel shot a glance at his disciple in front of him.
Having hunted numerous renowned figures in the Phantom Territory and survived facing disasters, she was no ordinary person.
It was not a den of monsters, but a realm of magic.
To give advice to a disciple who returned from such a battlefield seemed pointless.
‘Instead, I’m more worried about the other side…’
Rosel cleared his throat and spoke.
“Raniel.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Finish it quietly, as quietly as possible.”
“Yes?”
“If anything goes wrong, don’t even think about pulling off some shady move…”
At those words, Raniel flinched and trembled slightly.
‘Was that the right call…?’
Rosel sighed deeply.
These days, it felt like he was sighing more often. Really.
3.
Being assigned to guard First Princess Lruiel.
As I pondered over the task I was about to undertake, many memories from the battlefield flooded in.
‘I’ve hardly had any experience with guarding… right?’
That might be true.
My party of heroes often acted in a separate squad format. It was rare for us to be assigned a guard duty while wandering the front lines.
‘Being tied down like that is a huge disadvantage.’
Being stuck in one place was a loss in itself. Let alone being on guard duty.
‘Unless it’s a rescue operation or something.’
Though once, we did receive an order for guard duty. It was related to the ancient lich, Skebal.
As far as I remember, it was the task of guarding the Cardinal of the Deloheim Church, who maintained the holy barrier.
Skebal, who gave up on breaking through the barrier head-on, had attempted to invade by marking the residence of the Cardinal that sustained the barrier.
‘It was my job to protect the Cardinal from that intrusion.’
It turned out to be easier to face Skebal alone.
‘It was a nightmare.’
Recalling that time made me smile bitterly.
The corridors filled with circuits, endless barriers, and the magical beasts summoned from the summoning circuits were all exceptionally tiresome tasks.
I had to stay awake for three days and nights straight that time.
That crazy skeleton didn’t seem to sleep at all, attacking relentlessly day and night.
‘No wonder I started to dread guard duties after that.’
Also, my irritation toward Skebal increased tremendously. The next time I encountered Skebal on the battlefield, I had smashed his skull into the ground and crossed my base.
‘Damn skeleton bastard.’
I gathered my thoughts and exhaled sharply. Before I knew it, I was close to the royal castle. I didn’t head straight for the castle.
‘This isn’t where I received the orders.’
I headed to the location written on the note I had been given earlier.
– There are two trustworthy individuals for the princess.
There were two people waiting for me there.
– One is my guard knight, Rugran.
“Welcome.”
– The other is the head maid, Sarlaine.
“I will guide you.”
The place they were waiting was familiar to me, a place I could enter.
– The royal library.
Upon learning that I had an access card to that place, Princess Lruiel used it. The library, which hadn’t opened yet, held the head maid and a guard knight waiting for us.
“This way.”
I followed them, walking through a rather secluded corridor in the castle, arriving at a location.
“The princess is waiting.”
They pointed to a door.
As I opened it, a musty smell wafted out.
It wasn’t a proper audience room.
It seemed more like a storage room, yet a singular figure that didn’t fit in such a place welcomed me.
“Have you come, professor.”
The First Princess Lruiel.
She waved her hand at me while sitting on a barrel. As I blinked in surprise, she smiled wryly and continued.
“I would prefer to borrow a proper audience room, but there are many eyes and ears from my brother in the palace, so I chose this location. I hope you understand.”
As she spoke, the princess handed me some clothing that had been laid beside her.
“Take this.”
“…What is this?”
“Just take it.”
I glanced at what she pushed toward me, tilting my head in question. Seeing my bewildered expression, Princess Lruiel opened her mouth.
“I told you, there are too many eyes.”
“Yes.”
“So we need to disguise ourselves.”
She pointed at the clothes in my arms.
“They are for that purpose.”
She nodded, encouraging me to unfold the clothes.
I did so and found the attire to be neat.
It was a black outfit as a base. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary outfit, but the moment I spotted the white fabric that came with it, I realized what it was.
‘Is this…’
Isn’t this a maid outfit?
The white fabric was clearly an apron. Imagining what I would look like wearing this, serving tea or something, sent shivers down my spine.
I slowly lifted my head.
As I looked at her, Princess Lruiel was smiling.
“From today, for three days, you will be my maid.”
She wiggled her fingers.
“It will make it easiest to be right by my side and roam the Royal Quarters as you wish.”
That was true.
While it made sense,
‘Are you really asking me to wear this?’
There was an outfit in front of me I had absolutely no desire to wear. The thought of putting it on and serving tea flashed through my mind.
“Oooh…”
A gasp escaped me involuntarily.
‘…Should I just quit?’
I seriously began considering that thought.