The Seed Thief

Vol. 3 Chapter 9.1 - Side Story 1



The Magic Tower, soaring into the heavens, was said to be the tallest structure on the continent.

Its imposing presence, overlooking everything, served as a symbol of the mages’ arrogance.

However, no kingdom dared to challenge that arrogance, for they knew the true extent of its power. Centered around the Magic Tower, the mages, belonging to no kingdom, were the ones who held sway over the outcome of the various wars that erupted on the continent.

Lulu’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the towering structure, its floors intricately intertwined with magic, so much so that even mages couldn’t tell exactly how many there were.

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything so amazing!”

The elders of the Magic Tower, eavesdropping on Lulu’s exclamation through magic as she arrived with the kingdom’s army, scoffed. A country bumpkin marveling at the sight of the Magic Tower. The mages ignored Lulu and turned their attention to the handsome man beside her.

Prince Ervandas Richard Arsipen.

“That’s him…?”

“He was the former commander of the Temple Knights, wasn’t he? They say the High Priest showered him with countless blessings. We needed a test subject who had been exposed to holy power for a long time, and he’s the perfect candidate.”

“Look at his physique. Even better than that beastkin slave we captured last month.”

“His face is the real prize.”

The elders, both men and women, gazed at him with greedy eyes. They peeked at Ervandas with their magic, muttering things like, “If only I were 50 years younger, I would have taken him as my 52nd night slave,” or “He has two of those beautiful eyes, I’ll gouge one out and make it into an ornament.” Insane ramblings.

Then, they heard Lulu’s voice again.

“There are so many interesting spells cast here. It’ll be fun to break them all!”

“What?”

The chattering mages turned their heads in surprise.

“Is she saying she figured out the spells cast on the Magic Tower from outside?”

“That’s impossible! She must be bluffing.”

At that moment, Lulu raised her hand and began to draw intricate magic circles in the air.

“She’s drawing magic circles directly? Without even sketching them on paper first?”

“And she’s effortlessly shaping and maintaining the form of flowing mana? Even the former Master struggled with that…”

Their astonished murmurs ceased. Dozens of massive fireballs appeared in the sky as Lulu cast her spell.

Lulu surveyed the fireballs she had created with a satisfied expression and then looked at the Magic Tower.

“Alright…”

“W-Wait!”

The elders, sensing the danger, finally tried to initiate a conversation. They leaned out of the window and waved their hands, but Lulu ignored their pleas.

“Here we goooo!”

With Lulu’s joyous shout, the fireballs hurtled toward the Magic Tower with tremendous force.

* * *

The elders resisted with all their might. For eight and a half hours.

Most mages, known for their individualistic tendencies, stepped back, unconcerned about the fate of the Tower. But the elders couldn’t afford to do that.

Each with their own independent space beneath the top floor, they were practically high-ranking nobles within the lands ruled by the Magic Tower. In other words, they wielded power within the Tower and engaged in all sorts of illegal activities.

If a new Master took over, especially an outsider with no prior connection to them, their misdeeds would be exposed. And to make matters worse, Lulu’s husband, the infamous Prince Ervandas, formerly of the Temple Knights, was known for his rigid adherence to principles.

‘If she takes over, we’re all doomed!’

Lulu, who had launched a fierce assault from the beginning with her barrage of fireballs, relentlessly attacked the Magic Tower. Especially when one of their spells grazed Ervandas’s face, she practically breathed fire.

But it wasn’t just Lulu who was angry. Ervandas, who had maintained a calm demeanor while commanding the battlefield, suddenly asked Lulu to stop her magic.

Lulu, surprised, wondering if he had been injured, stopped her spell. Ervandas, swift as the wind, leaped over the collapsed wall of the Magic Tower and began to ‘physically’ dismantle the magic.

“Is that even possible?”

The mages from the kingdom’s army, as well as those who weren’t participating in the battle, gaped at Ervandas as he obliterated magic with his sword.

Lulu was just as surprised. She was the one who had taught Ervandas how to dispel magic with physical force. But still…

“…Why are you so good at it?”

 

What had he been like before they came to the Magic Tower?

 

She had said they needed to practice how to fight against magic since they would be facing mages. Lulu diligently drew various magic spells and cast them on Ervandas. Each time, Ervandas was easily caught by her magic. Bound by her binding spells, he would collapse to the ground and plead with Lulu to release him.

And Lulu would put her hands on her hips, her expression serious.

“What are you going to do if you can’t even break such basic magic? No, this won’t do. We need to practice more.”

“Yes, yes, now please come and untie me, Lulu.”

“No. Er, you have to figure it out yourself.”

“I can’t. Please.”

He’d smile up at her, his eyes twinkling, even as he struggled against her magic. Lulu was a sucker for his smile. And with him smiling and pleading like that, she couldn’t bring herself to be strict. In the end, she would grumble and release the spell.

“Look here. This part of the magic circle is susceptible to physical force, and if you touch this symbol like this… Hmph, stop it…”

Lulu’s grumbling trailed off. Ervandas was peppering her cheek with kisses, having moved closer.

He was always clinging to her, and now, he couldn’t even bear to be separated from her during practice. As if kisses on her cheek weren’t enough, he nibbled on her ear playfully.

“Release the spell, I said… Hmph…”

It was only natural that their breathing would become ragged.

When Lulu came to her senses, they would be rolling around in bed. Ervandas, nestled between her legs, would whisper the things Lulu had explained earlier accurately into her ear, and Lulu, dizzy and breathless, would nod.

But the next day, when asked to repeat it, Ervandas would give a completely different answer, claiming that he needed to practice again.

Watching Ervandas get caught by her magic every time, Lulu had thought to herself,

‘What can I do? I guess I’ll just have to be better.’

As long as she was powerful enough, it wouldn’t matter if Er was a little weak.

 

But now, seeing Ervandas flying through the air, shattering magic, Lulu realized she had been under a huge misconception.

‘He could do that all along…’

“…Were you pretending you couldn’t do it?”

As Lulu’s betrayed sigh echoed, Ervandas continued to gleefully pummel the mages. How dare they scratch his face while he was with Lulu, making her worry? They were really pushing it.

Ervandas shattered everything up to the 48th floor of the Magic Tower, where physical force was effective. Lulu, who had been sitting and yawning during that time, finally got up from her seat when they reached the 49th floor, which could only be accessed through magic.

“Just need to destroy this floor, and it’s over.”

Lulu grinned, looking at the top floor where the former Master had holed up.

And an hour later, the ownership of the Magic Tower changed hands.

That was a year ago.

Now, the Magic Tower was entering a new era under Lulu’s rule.

* * *

“Hmm…”

Standing at the top of the Tower, with even the clouds beneath her feet, Lulu stared at the invitation to the banquet in her hand, lost in thought.

“Master, what’s the matter?”

Sharia, Lulu’s assistant, craned her neck, trying to get a glimpse of the invitation Lulu was holding.

Sharia was a mage Lulu had rescued from one of the elders’ rooms when she took over the Tower. She possessed a vast amount of magic power but wasn’t yet proficient in handling magic circles, so she couldn’t use powerful magic.

One of the elders had coveted her magical power, confined her to his quarters under the pretense of an accident, and used her for various illegal activities. Just as Sharia was about to give up on life, Lulu rescued her.

Perhaps because of that, Sharia was incredibly devoted to Lulu. Even Ervandas had no doubts about Sharia’s loyalty to Lulu.

Besides Sharia, many others who had been saved by Lulu wished to stay by her side. Among them were many elder-level mages, and with their help, Lulu was able to smoothly fulfill her duties as the Tower Master after taking over the Magic Tower.

Looking at the clouds outside the window, Sharia thought about how much the Magic Tower had changed. The space they were standing in now was a prime example. It used to be a space only the Tower Master could use, but Lulu had declared, “That means other people can’t see this place!” and then used magic to create a staircase, breaking through the floor. Thanks to that, other mages, like Sharia, could freely come and go.

Lulu smiled wryly at Sharia’s question and showed her the invitation she was holding.

“An invitation came from the royal palace…”

“Are you going straight to the palace? Shall I make preparations?”

“…I’m still thinking about it.”

“What? Why?”

Sharia’s eyes widened at Lulu’s reply. Thinking about it? An invitation to a royal banquet, and she was thinking about it?

“If you don’t go, Lord Ervandas will be disappointed.”

Sharia knew very well that Lulu loved being with Ervandas. And banquets were, without a doubt, one of Lulu’s favorite events.

Lulu was easily swayed by beautiful things. Sparkling chandeliers, gorgeous clothes, delicious food. She had been indifferent to the top floor of the Magic Tower, which others drooled over with envy, but when she discovered the banquet hall, she immediately grabbed the doorknob and declared, “I want this place!”

Naturally, perfectly prepared royal banquets were events that Lulu always looked forward to. And yet, she was hesitant about attending this one. Why?

“Master Lulu! A gift from Lord Ervandas has arrived.”

Just then, the things Ervandas had sent arrived.

Ervandas always chose the clothes and accessories Lulu would wear to banquets. When they were at the royal palace, they would be prepared in the villa where the two of them stay, but if Lulu were at Magic Tower alone, like now, he would meticulously pack everything and send it to the Tower.

Sharia laid out the boxes the mages had brought before Lulu and began opening them one by one.

“Oooooh!”

“Woooow!”

“Kyaaaa!”

Exclamations filled with pure delight burst out. Unpacking the gifts Ervandas sent was actually one of the pleasures of the mages who took care of Lulu.

As expected of the infamous love-struck fool of the continent, Ervandas always sent Lulu the most beautiful and precious things. Moreover, he understood Lulu’s tastes perfectly. Thanks to that, Lulu’s heart always fluttered with anticipation, even though she received gifts frequently.

This time was no different. Lulu beamed as she looked at the beautiful clothes and accessories in the boxes, as well as some books she had never seen before. Her joy was so genuine that even Sharia and the other female mages couldn’t help but smile.

They were all happy, seeing the Lulu they adored so happy, but suddenly, Lulu’s face darkened. She closed the box, slumped her shoulders, and murmured,

“Maybe I shouldn’t go…”

The mages exchanged worried glances. Good heavens. This had never happened before. They nodded at each other. Time to act!

Sharia cautiously approached Lulu. Another mage used magic to fetch Lulu’s favorite snacks and tea from the dining hall and placed them beside her. Sharia first shoved a chocolate-chunk cookie into Lulu’s mouth. She figured they needed to alleviate her gloominess with sweets before Lulu would open up.

As Sharia expected, Lulu’s face brightened slightly after eating the chocolate and apple jam cookies and drinking the tea. Sharia carefully asked,

“Master, do you not want to go to the banquet?”

“It’s… It’s not that I don’t want to go…”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“Well…”

At Sharia’s persistent questioning, Lulu’s face became clouded with complexity.

“…I don’t want to see Er.”


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