Chapter 26: The Elder of The Snow Tower

Grace and I returned to the Winter Palace, the northern duke’s fortress, after watching an ice magic demonstration

utilizing frost.

Before we left, Dariel, the master of the Snowflower Tower, approached me once again and expressed his interest,

which felt somewhat burdensome.

Still, I figured that building a connection with him would be more beneficial than harmful, so I decided to take it as a

positive.

‘But considering the stature of the Snowflower Tower, something like heat manipulation shouldn’t be that

extraordinary. Why is he so interested in it?’

If heat manipulation were an exceedingly rare ability, I could understand.

But honestly, it’s just a subset of fire magic, nothing too unique.

Although the Snowflower Tower specializes in ice magic, they’re all highly skilled mages. Naturally, they must also be

proficient in fire magic. Given that we’re in the cold northern region, there might even be many who specialize in fire

magic.

Moreover, all I can do is control temperature through heat; I can’t emit or launch flames, so it’s fair to call it a lower-

tier compatibility.

For someone like Dariel, the master of the tower, or elder-level mages, generating heat far surpassing my abilities

should be trivial.

‘Which is why I can’t understand this even more.’

No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason for the Snowflower Tower master to show any interest in me.

If they’re offering to send an elder to collaborate with me, they must clearly have an ulterior motive.

An ulterior motive, huh.

What could someone like me, a mere soldier, possibly offer to the Snowflower Tower master?

“Of course, you have something.”

Grace interrupted my thoughts with her comment, and I shared my concerns with her.

At her reply, I tilted my head in confusion.

What could I possibly offer to the Snowflower Tower master?

“Despite being a new recruit who hasn’t learned magic or trained as a knight, you’re not only able to handle mana

but also demonstrate elemental abilities. The Snowflower Tower might see you as a magical prodigy.”

“Oh.”

That’s a plausible misunderstanding.

Even if I tried to explain to the elder who would visit me, saying, “I can use heat manipulation thanks to the

Salamander’s Scale, but I’m no genius. Haha,” it wouldn’t work if this were a magic tower from a novel.

• “The Salamander’s Scale? Is that something on your body? Let me study it further!” –

They’d latch on to me with that kind of reaction.

They might even demand a pound of my skin containing the Salamander’s Scale for research purposes, like a twisted

comedy inspired by Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

In such a scenario, Elaine might step in to protect me, disguising herself as a judge like Portia, who saved the

protagonist in The Merchant of Venice.

“To put it simply, the Snowflower Tower master’s interest isn’t in your heat manipulation ability but in you as a

whole. If your magical potential turns out to be exceptional, they might plead with me to send you to the Snowflower

Tower.”

“So, they’d send an elder-level mage just to recruit talent?”

“To the master, it seems you’re not just any ‘talent.’”

Honestly, I was curious about my magical aptitude.

In a fantasy world, you can’t exactly take an MBTI test or an aptitude test to find out.

In modern terms, there’s no magic or mana test, so I don’t know what my potential is.

Who knows? Maybe I do have innate magical talent, unrelated to the Salamander’s Scale.

After all, people should always live with a sense of hope and dreams.

“If I do have magical talent, what will happen to me?”

“What do you think, Sir Elaine?”

“It’s not happening.”

Elaine’s immediate and resolute rejection, paired with her icy expression, left Grace shrugging.

“That settles that.”

“I see.”

I decided to keep the story about the Salamander’s Scale under wraps.

If the Snowflower Tower elder demanded a pound of flesh from me, Elaine wouldn’t just play the part of a kind judge

from The Merchant of Venice; she’d probably wield her sword directly.

That aside, now I not only have to avoid getting roped into the Third Platoon but also dodge recruitment attempts

from the Snowflower Tower.

It feels oddly satisfying to be so sought after, as if everyone’s trying to recruit me into their club, but the concern

outweighs the flattery.

I can only hope the elder visiting me isn’t some burly man with over-the-top muscles.

I’d rather not have overlapping character types.

Whether Grace’s speculation about the Snowflower Tower targeting me is correct or not, the next day, an elder

arrived at the Winter Palace.

I thought the conditions for this arrangement were strict, but judging by the speed, it felt like they decided the envoy

through a simple game of rock-paper-scissors.

Still, an elder from the Snowflower Tower is undoubtedly among the top mages in the northern region.

Considering the Snowflower Tower’s emphasis on offensive magic, their theoretical knowledge and practical skills

must be exceptional.

Additionally, having an elder stationed here would not only bolster the Winter Palace’s defenses but also foster

positive interactions with the knights who also wield mana.

Everything seemed to be moving in a favorable direction.

Even though I had approved the Tower Lord’s proposal, there were two personal difficulties I had to face.

The first was the attention from the escort unit.

Technically, the elder was someone I brought here.

Even though Snowflake Tower maintains closer relationships with local powers compared to other Magic Towers, it’s

still unlikely that they would readily send one of their core personnel unless they were absolutely confident.

Because of this, the escort unit was naturally curious about the elder being dispatched on my behalf.

Thanks to that, whether it was during training, resting, in the dormitory, eating, washing, or even during guard duty,

I was bombarded with endless questions.

Especially from the seniors in Unit 1, who kept asking what on earth I did during the expedition.

Fortunately, I had anticipated this, so the stress wasn’t too overwhelming.

Snowflake Tower’s interest stemmed from my proactive actions, and when I thought about Elaine’s well-being or the

massive ice crystal, I had no regrets.

In fact, imagining the announcement of my marriage to Elaine in the future made this level of attention feel like a tickle.

What really bothered me was the second reason—the elder sent by Snowflake Tower.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Since you’re not a knight, should I call you… Mr. Luke? Sir Luke? Lord Luke? Which title do you prefer?”

Contrary to my expectations, it wasn’t a rugged man with a bare torso like Kee.

Instead, the person who came seemed like someone whose bare torso might cause concern.

“…Just ‘Mr. Luke,’ please.”

“Understood, Mr. Luke. Allow me to introduce myself. I’ve been dispatched from Snowflake Tower to stay at the

Winter Palace for a while and study your heat manipulation abilities. I look forward to working with you.”

That’s right.

Instead of a muscle-bound man like Kee, it was a petite young woman who stood shorter and had a delicate build

compared to me.

She looked to be in her twenties at most, and even if she were older, she’d barely pass for her thirties.

“Pardon me, but is it appropriate to ask if you’re truly an elder?”

Just as knights must pass rigorous tests to earn their title, being recognized as an elder in a Magic Tower requires

extraordinary magical abilities, scholarly contributions, and notable achievements.

It’s not something one can accomplish at a young age under normal circumstances.

“Haha, I do seem a bit young, don’t I?”

“Well, elders are usually thought of as older individuals.”

“Technically speaking, I’m not a fully-fledged elder.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t worry. I’m fully qualified as an elder. Hmm, I suppose I should introduce myself properly since I know about

you, Mr. Luke, but you might not know about me.”

The young “elder” cleared her throat and began her introduction.

“My name is Sophia Xenon. You can simply call me Sophia. Although I meet the requirements to be an elder, I

haven’t officially assumed the title because I’ve yet to gain sufficient teaching experience as a lecturer.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t feel pressured. While I share the same surname as the Tower Lord, I’m not his biological child—I’m his

adopted daughter. It’s common for mages to adopt talented children.”

Wait.

Sophia Xenon?

Now that she mentioned it, I recalled her from the northern episode of Brave Road.

Sophia Xenon was a young female elder from Snowflake Tower, often featured in scenes involving the Northern

Alliance’s decision-making.

She was considered the second most talented mage in the north after Tower Lord Dariel and a strong candidate to succeed him.

With her wide-brimmed hat and no illustrations in the novel to depict her face, I hadn’t immediately recognized her.

But upon closer inspection, her round, cute face and intellectual aura matched her descriptions perfectly.

In the novel, Sophia expressed interest in the hero Aran’s powers, only to be met with jealousy from the women in Aran’s party.

Readers had even debated whether she was another heroine alongside Grace until that speculation quickly died down.

“I apologize. Although I’ve heard of you, meeting you in person caught me by surprise.”

“No worries. People often think I look even younger because of my youthful appearance.”

Sophia smiled warmly, reassuring me with her relaxed demeanor.

“The reason I was sent, despite not being a fully-recognized elder, is that the Tower concluded I was the most

suitable for this task.”

“Oh, you mean the condition I requested.”

“Yes. The reason I was able to become an elder candidate at a young age is due to my exceptional understanding of

magical energy flow. Do you see these eyes?”

Sophia pushed her hair aside and leaned her face closer.

Her round face and large eyes suddenly came into sharp focus, startling me for a moment.

But my attention quickly shifted to her unique eyes behind her glasses.

Sophia’s eyes were unlike any I’d seen before.

A mix of purple and blue, they shimmered like stardust scattered across the night sky.

“I have a rare constitution with an excess of magical energy in my body. It seems my eyes developed as a result,

allowing me to perceive the flow of magic in the air ever since I was a baby. Of course, I didn’t know it was magic

until I met my father.”

So this was the famed magical eyes.

Seeing them up close made them all the more extraordinary.

“But Sophia, are you also proficient in enchantment magic?”

“What do you mean? Oh, and just call me Sophia.”

“I heard you specialized in fire magic.”

“How did you know I specialize in flame magic?”

Oops, I’d been so curious about why she was here that I ended up acting like I knew too much.

“I’ve heard about your accomplishments since you’re one of the most renowned magicians from the Snowflake

Tower.”

“Hehe, I’m glad my reputation precedes me. As you mentioned, my specialty is flame magic. Currently, the Elder

who excels in enchantment magic is focusing on ice crystal research. As an Elder-in-training, I have some proficiency

in enchantment magic too. I heard your ability involves heat manipulation?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“In that case, I’d be more helpful to you than someone specializing in enchantment magic. When it comes to fire

among the magicians in the North, that’s my domain.”

Sophia flashed a sweet smile, but I didn’t feel the slightest emotional reaction.

Earlier, I was startled because she suddenly leaned in, but it wasn’t like my heart skipped a beat or anything.

Objectively speaking, Sophia’s appearance was like that of an adorable puppy.

Considering the statistics that men tend to prefer cute women over beautiful ones, anyone would feel flustered if a

woman like Sophia gave them such a smile.

However, her smile didn’t faze me in the slightest.

Because Sophia had a secret that shocked readers back then.

Ah, no, it’s not that she’s a cross-dressing man.

“Besides, there’s another reason I’ll be helping you.”

“And what’s that?”

“The Tower Master thought that, since we’re closer in age compared to other Elders, I’d be more comfortable to talk with.”

I could roughly guess Dariel’s intentions.

Even though she’s an adopted daughter, she’s still his daughter. And being in her twenties, she’s at an age where

marriage and the future are on everyone’s mind.

So when a magical prodigy (allegedly) of her age suddenly appeared at the Snowflake Tower, it was natural for him to

take an interest.

But Dariel’s ambition was doomed to fail spectacularly.

“At first, I was surprised to see a female Elder.”

That was my second concern.

Looking at the Milky Way confession incident last time, Elaine was a woman who even showed subtle jealousy

towards her superior and best friend, Grace.

Now, under the pretext of learning about magic and aiding in Snowflake Tower’s research, I was going to be alone

with a young female Elder.

Elaine wouldn’t take kindly to that at all.

But if the person in question was Sophia, there wouldn’t be any issues.

No matter how pretty or cute she was, she was harmless.

Even though Dariel sent her with grand ambitions, there was no reason to worry.

Because it was Sophia.

Even if I were to spend time with a charming and sophisticated beauty, I wouldn’t feel the slightest desire.

“I see. I look forward to working with you, Sophia.”

“Yes, likewise. I look forward to it, Luke.”

As we exchanged polite smiles, someone approached us.

“Nice to meet you, Elder of the Snowflake Tower. I couldn’t greet you earlier because of official duties, so I ask for

your understanding. I’m Elaine, His Grace the Grand Duke’s chief guard and Luke’s superior.”

Elaine stepped beside Sophia and greeted her courteously.

She must have come after hearing I was at the training grounds to formally introduce herself.

Sure enough, Elaine’s eyebrows twitched slightly upon seeing Sophia’s cute face under her wide-brimmed hat.

I could tell she was feeling wary, but I figured I’d subtly let her know it wasn’t necessary later.

“???”

This time, it was my eyebrows that twitched.

“Nice to meet you, Captain. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Unlike Elaine’s stiff expression, Sophia’s voice remained soft and kind.

But within that brief greeting, I felt a surge of unease—one different from earlier.

Sophia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Elaine.

Not because of her magical vision, but for another reason.

And that sparkle—I knew it well.

‘Wasn’t Sophia’s type a round-faced, soft, cute girl?’

Ah. I forgot.

Sophia’s type was indeed someone with a round face and a soft, cute demeanor.

But there was one more critical detail.

“Oh my, you’re truly stunning. I’d heard that the Grand Duke’s chief guard was beautiful, but I didn’t realize she was

this dazzling. As a fellow woman, I can’t help but admire you.”

“Pardon? Oh, thank you.”

That detail was someone with a figure where you could bury your face.

And Elaine…

Well, she had quite the figure.

How do I know? That’s not important right now.

“Hehe, let’s get along well from now on.”

It seemed that the person I should be worried about wasn’t Elaine.

It was me.