Chapter 99: Arrival at the Tower of Dawn

Rain and Haven offered me an exceptionally favorable deal, yet I couldn’t bring myself to say that I would follow them to the Magic Tower.

“What are you so conflicted about?”

Haven’s questioning gaze landed on me. I stabbed a small potato on my plate with a fork and took a bite before answering.

“I heard from Rain. The mages of the Magic Tower must regularly carry out missions assigned by the Tower. On top of that, unless it’s for a mission, they rarely get to leave the Tower, right?”

“That’s true.”

“I don’t like that. Rather than being tied down somewhere, I want to freely explore this world.”

“I figured you’d say that. I’ll make accommodations for you.”

Haven spoke lightly, as if my concerns were no issue at all. Tilting my head slightly, I asked again.

“Accommodations?”

“I’ll assign you long-term missions. The duration will range from two to three years at most, and I promise to select tasks that aren’t too difficult. All you have to do is return to the Tower just in time to report back. It’s a simple arrangement.”

At Haven’s response, Rain, who was sitting beside him, frowned and questioned him.

“Is that even possible?”

“I’d just be extending the mission period a little. It’s only natural, isn’t it?”

“Then why didn’t you do the same for me?”

At Rain’s question, Haven fell silent. Rain, seemingly incredulous, kept glaring sharply at his mentor.

Letting out a small sigh, I spoke.

“I understand that Haven’s offer is incredibly generous. But there’s still something I’m curious about.”

“And what might that be?”

“What do you see in me that makes you extend such an offer? Have you even seen me use magic before?”

“These eyes see more than you’d expect.”

Haven answered as he pointed at his own eyes. The intricate symbols within them continued to spin, slowly but ceaselessly.

“And what exactly are those eyes?”

“They represent my way of perceiving the world. You know the saying—change the way you see things, and the unseen becomes visible.”

“…Then what exactly do you see?”

Without a word, Haven looked up. His gaze landed on the spot where my horns should be.

Curious, I reached up and touched my head—nothing was there.

Could his eyes truly see my real form?

I studied his eyes with suspicion.

But there was no way I could easily believe him.

After all, I had once revealed my true form to a mage from the Magic Tower.

Recalling my encounter with Leonis, I asked Haven another question.

“You didn’t just obtain information from the Tower, did you?”

Haven merely smiled silently and extended his fingers.

A small ripple of mana was felt, and moments later, a thin flame flickered to life above his fingertips.

The tiny flame stretched out and traced a circle, almost as if mimicking the one embedded in my heart.

“Y-You can see it all…?”

“Not everything. Just a vague outline.”

Feeling unsettled that one of my deepest secrets had been exposed, I instinctively pulled back and placed a hand over my chest.

“Do others in the Magic Tower have those same eyes?”

“These eyes? Of course not.”

Haven let out a small chuckle at my question.

“What… What exactly did you see? Tell me too!”

Rain, who had been watching from the side, interjected. It seemed she was feeling left out of the conversation.

However, Haven coldly ignored his disciple’s question and turned back to me.

“Have you made your decision?”

After a long moment of hesitation, I cautiously asked him,

“To be honest, I still find this suspicious. What exactly do you gain from this?”

“If I told you this was simply an act of kindness with no strings attached, would you believe me?”

“No.”

At my firm response, Haven chuckled softly and continued.

“Just one thing. I want you to become my disciple.”

“A disciple…?”

“Of course, it’s enough if it’s only in name. But if you wish, I can also teach you my magic.”

“And if I were to become your disciple, what do you gain from it?”

“Honor.”

The conviction in Haven’s gaze was undeniable.

He truly believed that if I entered the Magic Tower, a new era for the Tower would begin.

I averted my gaze slightly before responding.

As long as I could put up with a little inconvenience, this wasn’t a bad deal. If I could officially operate under the Tower’s name, my future travels would become significantly easier.

“Can I have some time to think it over?”

“Of course. Are you planning to stay at this inn?”

“I am, but…”

“Then take the room next to mine.”

“Are you trying to keep an eye on me to make sure I don’t run away?”

“What a hurtful thing to say… I simply want us to grow closer.”

Two days passed after that.

While I occasionally ran into Haven and Rain around the inn, neither of them brought up the subject of the Magic Tower again.

Instead, Rain frequently sought me out to ask about my past experiences.

Rather than trying to drag me to the Tower, she seemed more interested in my adventures.

I approached the two and spoke.

“Alright. I’ll go to the Magic Tower.”

“Good to hear.”

With the two mages, I left the city. Haven, gazing at the Nightmare I was riding, marveled in pure astonishment.

“Is that really… a horse?”

Rain was just as surprised.

Watching their reactions, I cautiously asked,

“Um, Haven?”

“What is it?”

“Are we just going to walk all the way to the Magic Tower?”

“Hmm, should we have gotten a carriage? That would have been faster, after all.”

I gave the two mages a peculiar look.

They were simply trudging along on foot. That’s right. A mage was walking.

Recalling the image of a grand mage in my mind, I asked Haven,

“Isn’t there some kind of magic that lets us travel directly to the Magic Tower?”

“You mean teleportation? Sorry, but it’s impossible to teleport from here to the tower.”

“Why not?”

“The distance is too far. And it requires a complicated preparation process, so not many mages actually use it.”

“Hmm…”

“You must have met a mage who uses teleportation before?”

At Haven’s question, I recalled Leonis and nodded.

Throughout the journey to the Magic Tower, I engaged in brief discussions with Haven about magic.

I wanted to learn how mages in this world trained their abilities, but he refused to tell me.

“The reason I won’t tell you? Because it’s a method you don’t need. Stay confident in the path you’re already on and keep moving forward.”

Haven said that magic was a mystery born from belief.

That mages were creators who brought forth what they firmly believed in, writing new laws into existence.

“Of course, not all mages can create new laws. Most lack unwavering belief, so they choose to follow the paths already paved.”

One month and two weeks. That was how long it took to reach the Magic Tower. Most of that time was spent at sea.

“…”

I let out an exclamation of awe as I took in the sight before me.

Beyond the massive walls, towering spires rose high, piercing through the clouds.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?”

“It’s amazing…”

Haven and Rain chuckled at my reaction.

Beyond the great walls, around the soaring tower, lay various buildings, both large and small.

Within the fortress walls, a city had formed around the central spire.

“Uh, by the way, is there a stable at the tower?”

As I stroked the Nightmare’s mane while following Haven and Rain, Haven furrowed his brows in slight distress.

“There’s no stable, but… we can arrange a room for that creature to rest.”

As we entered the area beneath the Magic Tower, countless gazes turned toward us.

I could feel the movement of mana behind those stares as I looked around.

Most of the people here were mages who could wield mana.

As we approached the largest tower, Haven suddenly changed direction and said,

“Not that way.”

“Oh, is it another tower?”

Following him, we arrived at the rearmost tower. Unlike the others, it didn’t seem to attract many visitors.

“Come on in.”

Fortunately, the entrance to the tower was large—big enough for the Nightmare to fit through.

The moment we stepped inside, numerous mages turned to look at us, whispering among themselves.

“The Vice Tower Master…? And that behind him…”

“Goodness… isn’t that a Hyran breed horse?”

“The Vice Tower Master has returned?”

Then, as he walked leisurely, Haven suddenly stopped and spoke.

“Looks like everyone is rather idle.”

The murmuring mages, hearing his words, went pale and quickly bowed their heads before scattering.

Watching this unfold, I turned to Rain and cautiously asked,

“Haven is the Vice Tower Master…?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know?”

“Well, he never told me…”

At that moment, Haven turned back and lightly spread his hands. With that simple gesture, a massive surge of mana rippled outward, distorting the surrounding space.

“This is…!”

“Allow me to formally welcome you, Seris. Welcome to the Tower of Dawn.”

Haven’s words faded into the air. But rather than his voice, my focus was on the rapidly changing surroundings.

The walls, floor, and ceiling—everything transformed. Even the mages wandering around began to blur and disappear.

Flustered, I frantically looked around. Seeing my reaction, Haven chuckled.

“This is the teleportation magic you were so eager to see. Now that you’re experiencing it firsthand, how does it feel?”

Still dazed, I turned to Rain. She let out a small sigh, as if accustomed to this, and casually tossed her bag into a corner.