22. Should I Kill This Woman Here?
“Things had been quiet for a while—so why are you causing trouble again?”
Summoned to the Ministry of Magic, Gibnen avoided the question and idly fiddled with the cup of water placed in front of him. The investigator let out a sigh and began reading through the documents.
“You were told repeatedly never to remove the control pin under any circumstances.”
“I wanted to follow that instruction too. But do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is?”
“What’s uncomfortable about it? You just leave it embedded in your body. It doesn’t cause pain—what exactly is the problem?”
“You can feel it. Like a foreign object.”
“If you can’t even endure that level of discomfort, I really have nothing to say.”
“People have different sensitivity thresholds. I’ve said countless times that I was born exceptionally sensitive—unlike most.”
“That still doesn’t excuse illegal behavior.”
“That’s true.”
“Then what exactly did you go all the way to Lupra for? What business did you have there?”
Gibnen was already in a foul mood.
He had volunteered to appear for questioning, but the impatient investigator from the Ministry had insisted on formally summoning him anyway—early in the morning, no less.
Thanks to that, his promise to show Riley around Horizon had fallen apart. Gibnen preferred environments where everything stayed within his control, so the Ministry’s sudden summons irritated him greatly.
“Where I go is my own business. Do I need to explain my private affairs as well?”
“The control pin was removed in Lupra, and according to the local mana-measuring device, two strong mana surges were recorded. Both were powerful enough to seriously harm a person.”
“Are you suggesting I hurt someone with magic?”
“Not necessarily. However, you must explain why you removed the control pin there, what kind of magic you used, and for what purpose. It wasn’t a trivial spell.”
Investigations by the Ministry were always like this—
coercive, and quick to treat people like criminals.
Though, this time, it was true that he had broken the law.
“I went to Lupra to meet the woman who will become my wife. It’s not public knowledge yet, but marriage talks are underway. I’d appreciate it if this information didn’t leak outside. It would be quite troublesome if an article were published.”
“And who is this future wife?”
“Riley Aedalin. The eldest daughter of Baron Aedalin. He’s a minor lord governing the Lupra region, which falls under the Marquisate of Kiev. You’ll find it if you check.”
“Then what kind of magic did you use, and for what purpose?”
Gibnen answered casually.
“Well, it was my first time visiting the place, and it was far more underdeveloped than I expected. No teleportation devices, just rickshaws and carriages. The destination was far, and I wanted to see my wife as soon as possible. What else could I do?”
“So you used spatial movement magic? The mana fluctuations were unusually large for that.”
“It’s been a long time since my mana was suppressed. Using magic again after all that time made precise control difficult.”
“It’s hard to believe that someone like you—who was adept at mana control from birth—would struggle with it.”
“I’ve been under restriction for years. My body got used to that state. The recognition pin suppresses ninety percent of my mana, and I removed it. Isn’t it only natural that the overflowing mana became uncontrollable for a moment?”
“And then?”
“I used teleportation magic, but since it was my first time there, the coordinates went wrong and I ended up in the middle of a forest. Turns out, that forest was off-limits due to dangerous beasts.”
“….”
“The beasts there were enormous. By sheer bad luck, I ran into two bears the size of houses. So what was I supposed to do? I had to protect myself. And my life isn’t just my own, is it? I’m a national asset—I can’t afford to be careless.”
“So you used magic.”
“It was self-defense.”
“Judging by the mana output, it would have been enough to take down magical beasts, not just wild animals.”
“Then I suppose those bears were magical beasts.”
The investigator eyed Gibnen suspiciously, then recorded the statement anyway.
Afterward, he handed over a new control pin.
“Insert it.”
“I thought I’d finally get to enjoy some freedom for once. You’re being cruel.”
“The fine will be billed to Horizon. There’s no concrete evidence this time, so we’ll let it slide—but continued noncooperation will be problematic.”
“I really didn’t have a choice this time.”
“This investigation isn’t over. If we need additional clarification, we’ll summon you again. Please make sure to appear promptly.”
“As you know, I’m a very busy man. I’d appreciate it if you acknowledged that I’m doing my best to cooperate. And I’d like my voluntary compliance to be respected.”
“…You may go.”
Gibnen shrugged as he stood up, then offered an overly kind smile.
“Take care.”
The investigator remained stone-faced. After being fooled by that flower-like smile one too many times, he had sworn never to fall for it again.
There were countless suspicious points, but without concrete evidence, all he could do was accept Gibnen’s testimony. Since the magic had been used in a remote, underdeveloped region, finding witnesses or evidence was nearly impossible.
That snake would never spill the truth anyway.
And even if he tried to press a national asset like the Master of Horizon’s Mage Tower—
It’d only put my own position at risk.
The investigator stamped the report as closed.
Gibnen’s scandal didn’t just cause a stir outside—it was even louder internally.
Within Horizon, the organization he owned, speculation ran rampant over who the Mage Tower Master was dating this time.
Most dismissed the rumors of a sordid affair, but this time, unlike before, the woman involved was completely unknown. That alone was enough to send curiosity through the roof. People lose interest quickly when things are out in the open—but hide it completely, and curiosity goes wild.
That was why Sak felt utterly conflicted about the scene unfolding before him.
“You said you were taking the day off.”
“I am.”
“Then why are you here? And not alone, either….”
The man and woman at the center of the scandal arriving at work together.
Have you lost your mind?
Sak barely managed to keep his expression neutral.
“My wife wanted to see my mage tower. What else could I do? I have to show her around myself.”
He said something embarrassingly sweet with a completely indifferent face.
He really has lost it.
Sak forced his mouth closed.
“You’re the one who wanted to keep her identity hidden more than anyone. Why the sudden change?”
“If there’s anywhere better to hide her, it’s here.”
“There are too many eyes.”
“I don’t really care.”
“…….”
“Those eyes and mouths all belong to me anyway.”
“…That’s true, but still.”
Horizon’s mages were not loose-lipped—nor could they afford to be.
Security at a grand mage tower was strict. Employment contracts explicitly prohibited leaking any information seen or heard inside. Violating the contract triggered a spell that devoured the offender’s mana—and mana loss meant loss of life force.
Unless someone had no fear of death, they wouldn’t speak recklessly.
Even so, Sak couldn’t help worrying. The first floor was open to the public, including reporters hungry for scoops and spies from rival towers.
And above all—
Gibnen had never brought a personal acquaintance to Horizon before.
Even if Riley was practically his fiancée… still.
“They’ll assume Riley is a business guest I brought. Or maybe they’ll see her as my lover, like you said. So what? At worst, it’ll just be gossip. I’ve never acknowledged those rumors anyway.”
Sak sighed deeply, lamenting his fate of having to adapt to Gibnen’s relentless behavior.
“I’ll show Riley around the tower—excluding the first floor. Sak, go to the Academy.”
“The Academy? Why all of a sudden…?”
“Tell them to convene the council.”
“…Understood.”
The Academy, though affiliated with Horizon, operated independently. It was overseen by Gibnen’s younger sister, Livne, so he rarely got involved.
What on earth is he planning…?
“Shall we go, then?”
Ignoring Sak shaking his head, Gibnen took Riley’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Will you get into trouble if I’m here? If so, you don’t have to show me around. I can leave.”
“That’s not it.”
“…He looked pretty uncomfortable.”
“Most employees are on the first and second floors. The upper levels are restricted and sparsely populated. No one will think much of it.”
Riley nodded.
·
·
·
The Grand Mage Tower Horizon had twenty floors above ground and three underground.
The first and second floors were open to outsiders. Floors three through seven were departmental workspaces. Floors eight through thirteen housed residential facilities, while floors fourteen through eighteen were dedicated to education and research.
The nineteenth and twentieth floors contained executive offices, Gibnen’s private workspace, and guest reception areas. The higher the floor, the fewer people there were.
“Is this underground?”
“Third basement level.”
“What’s that massive magic circle?”
“A large-scale teleportation array. It can transport up to ten thousand people at once.”
The deeper they went, the more classified the facilities became—
including mana storage, the very core of the mage tower.
“This is the mana storage?”
“Yeah.”
“That entire thing… is mana?”
Gibnen nodded as he gazed at the massive crystal reservoir.
“Mana gathers here, gets refined, then redistributed to where it’s needed.”
“Do other mage towers have these too?”
“Yes. Mage towers originally existed to manage stored mana.”
“…It’s amazing. But there’s no one here.”
“There’s only one administrator. Not just anyone can handle this. He’s probably asleep in the resting chamber by now.”
“…It’s bigger than I imagined.”
Riley stared at the glowing crystal. Its blue light was breathtakingly beautiful.
Watching her in silence, Gibnen spoke.
“I heard Lord Raiston used to manage this place.”
“…My father?”
“Yes. Managing mana at this scale requires a grand mage. That position ranks just below the tower master.”
I can’t imagine it.
Her father—working here?
The man she knew was always dressed shabbily, covered in dirt, chopping wood, gathering herbs, hunting animals.
She couldn’t picture him here at all.
As Riley stared blankly at the mana storage, Gibnen lowered his gaze.
He remembered his master dying here.
“I never wanted to hand my position to you.”
“Yet you dumped everything on me.”
“Out of all my disciples, you were the one who stayed on my mind.”
“If that were true, you should’ve let me live freely instead of locking me in this prison.”
“Because I believed you could handle it.”
“I won’t live up to your expectations. Why did you trust me…?”
His master coughed up blood and died here.
“Raiston’s daughter keeps appearing in my thoughts.”
“Why did you keep delaying? No matter how busy you were, you could’ve honored his request.”
“Raiston overlooked one thing.”
“What is it?”
“That my capacity is small.”
“A grand mage who rules the empire says that? Then the rest of us are less than saucers.”
“I can’t handle him—or his daughter. But you can.”
“My capacity is just a saucer, Master.”
As he died, his master looked peaceful—finally free.
“Raiston was cruel. Leaving his child with me…”
“I can’t handle that child…”
He had wanted to kill her. Yet he couldn’t.
And now—
Riley Aedalin was here.
Standing exactly where his master had died.
Gibnen smiled faintly as he stared at her.
…So should I kill this woman here, Master?
