Chapter 30: Ghost Mansion (5)
"Nngh…."
The boy opened his eyes to the night air stinging his nostrils.
The sun was still beneath the mountains, for there was no light.
Only the refreshing air and the blue sky filled the surroundings.
But what surprised Sid was the noise.
"Come on, come on. Get it done quickly. Check if there's anyone left."
Dozens of people clad in red and blue robes.
A familiar head of red hair was visible among those restoring the mansion.
It was Eirena, the Academy's principal.
"Principal…?"
"You're awake? It was simple exhaustion. Get up slowly."
Warm hands welcomed the staggering boy.
It was Ruere, who had gone through a tiring night.
His hair, matted like wool, spoke of that day's nightmare.
Adjusting his glasses with one cracked lens, Ruere gave a bright smile.
"What about the crystal sphere? Who are these people?"
"The crystal sphere you destroyed was sealed by Leir. The people here are from the Academy and the Magic Tower. They sent people while you were asleep."
"The Magic Tower?"
The boy's eyes widened at the word he had only seen in books.
The supreme facility of mages who opposed the Kingdom Mages!
Because the building they gathered in was a tower, the facility was commonly called the 'Magic Tower.'
At the appearance of such 'Magic Tower mages,' Sid's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Over there. Check for traces of mana. We don't need recovery magic. Check the people first."
Dozens of mages moved under Eirena's command.
Every single window was shattered, the roof was half-destroyed, and even the main gate was broken—it truly looked no different from a 'ghost house.'
Before long, Eirena, who had been directing the people, approached them.
"You awake?"
"Yes……"
"Haah… what a mess since Sunday dawn. I shouldn't have given you a pass after all."
Her sidelong glance was piercing.
It felt awkward to be involved in something like this again when the mana burn incident felt like just yesterday.
"Hoo, fine. It's a relief no one was hurt."
Even in the deep darkness, her golden eyes shone.
Sweeping her red hair back, Eirena caught her breath.
Perhaps because she had come out in a hurry, there was no purple makeup around her eyes.
"Then a question. How did you break the crystal sphere?"
Her makeup-free gaze turned to him.
Eirena, who had tied her red hair roughly, extended a finger.
Without her trademark heavy eye makeup and red lips, she gave a soft yet familiar feeling.
"From what I saw, it wasn't a structure that would break with ordinary magic. Mana Burn was sealed, so you couldn't have used that. Lightning magic? That wouldn't have even left a scratch."
"Sorry, Sid. Hearing the story, it must have been vulnerable to Mana Burn. I dismissed your opinion without even knowing that……"
"Ruere. Step aside."
"Yes, ma'am."
At the principal's gesture, Ruere stepped back a few paces.
It was quite endearing how he scratched his tangled hair.
Anyway, now alone with the principal, Sid raised himself up.
Perhaps because he had channeled mana he had never experienced before, his arms and legs ached as if he had done intense exercise.
Seeing this, the principal made Sid sit.
"Speak while sitting. I'm not so inflexible as to stand on ceremony with a hurt child."
"I, well……"
Having learned that he couldn't deceive the principal with a half-baked lie last time, his head throbbed.
It was true that he had destroyed the crystal sphere, and it was true that the sphere had been reaching its limit and breaking.
But it was the passbook that had helped him pour mana to the limit, so that part had to be hidden.
Sid organized roughly only the truth and opened his mouth.
"Well… the crystal sphere broke while absorbing mana. It seems the mana it could handle on its own had reached its limit……. Right, I applied Mana Burn to pour in mana like a Level Card! I think that worked!"
"You're saying the crystal sphere broke because it reached its limit? And you poured in mana like a Level Card?"
Sharp golden eyes flashed.
They were scary eyes even when he wasn't hiding anything, so they were even scarier when he was.
Of course, his pouting didn't seem entirely like an impossible story.
Soon, the principal's suspicious eyes flashed.
"It shattered just from absorbing your mana? That's a bit strange."
"There was a crack from the beginning! It must have reached its limit after dungeonizing the mansion overnight and absorbing Teacher Bein's mana. You even said something about moving the vessel… I don't know what happened either……."
"Hmph?"
Sid played dumb brazenly.
Whenever he occasionally raised his head to check her reaction, the principal's gaze was piercing.
'Mana Burn,' which was effective against the crystal sphere, was sealed.
The 'passbook' that had made Sid powerful was confined to a drawer.
The passbook that should have been in that drawer was inside Sid's chest, but as far as Eirena knew, both were sealed.
That was why Eirena couldn't believe Sid's words.
Could a mere fifteen-year-old boy destroy 'Dragon God's mana'?
But just then, a shout defended his story.
"Principal! The Magic Tower confirmed there are traces of an explosion inside the crystal sphere! It seems the sphere absorbed mana to its absolute limit!"
"Hmph?"
Her twitching eyebrows spoke to her state of mind.
If it exploded from the inside, it meant the crystal sphere had collapsed due to an internal issue, not an external attack.
Then the story that the crystal sphere had collapsed while absorbing Sid's mana was also plausible.
"Hmph… then this brat's words are true……"
"Ehehe……."
Sid was relieved.
It seemed he had roughly wrapped up the story.
If he added anything else, the passbook might be discovered, so Sid awkwardly turned his head.
Anyway, once the talk of the crystal sphere ended, Eirena's gaze moved.
This time, to Sid's left.
"Are you awake, Hyung? Hehe. You've worked hard."
"Hiiiik, you startled me!"
Sid jumped in surprise at Leir, who had appeared suddenly.
The principal's interrogation turned to Leir, who had appeared noiselessly in a squat like a cat.
The principal, crossing her arms, lifted her chin.
Eyes that shone even in the darkness turned to him.
"Next is you. Ruere said you sealed the mana that came out of the crystal sphere. How did you do it? Did you do it properly?"
"Yes! I combined six sealing magics and sealed it in one go! Of course, it was possible because Hyung Sid stole the dragon's spirit!"
Leir answered readily.
Sid's eyes widened at his brisk reply.
Perhaps pleased with this appearance, the principal's questions continued.
"The sealed mana?"
"I put it in the half of the destroyed crystal sphere! A Magic Tower official just retrieved it?"
"Alright, I got it. Good work."
'Huh?'
Sid blinked.
Unlike when she had interrogated him, the principal accepted it far too easily.
She hadn't believed that the crystal sphere had destroyed itself, yet she believed that a mere twelve-year-old had sealed the Dragon God.
Sid raised his hand and shouted.
"Is this the end of Leir's interrogation? You asked me so many questions!"
"Of course. Because you're an idiot and Leir is a genius. He achieved the 3rd Circle at twelve and is the Academy's youngest student—do you think you're the same?"
"No, but… I'm a scholarship student too!"
"Rest, brat."
Smiling brightly, Eirena headed toward the mansion.
Soon, after speaking with a Magic Tower official, she boarded a luxurious carriage.
And as she waved from the carriage, Ruere and Leir bowed their heads.
Of course, Sid, who had just been called an "idiot" to his face, pouted, but that was that.
"Phew."
Thus, the commotion at the mansion came to a close.
It had been a short battle, but his mind was finally at ease.
Ruere let out a breath and looked over the two students.
Eyes with a kindly droop approached from behind the cracked lens.
"Restore."
He pinched the lens between his index finger and thumb and slowly pulled.
Along with a soft light, the broken pieces regained their original shape.
The man who had restored his glasses smiled brightly.
"Everyone worked hard. It was a dangerous situation. You suffered because of my inadequacy."
"Ah. We did it because we wanted to, didn't we? You're the one who worked hard, Teacher."
In truth, it was Sid who had been stubborn, but Ruere took it upon himself as his responsibility.
But Sid, who had forgotten the most important thing, looked around.
Liz, who had been unseen since the mansion was dungeonized.
Wasn't Liz's whereabouts unknown?
"Um… where is Teacher Bein? Where is his daughter? Is she alive?"
At Sid's words, Ruere's gaze turned.
Seeing Sid look for Liz even in this moment, Leir pursed his lips.
Ruere rose from his seat and ruffled Sid's hair.
Judging by his smile, there was nothing to worry about.
"Both are safe. They got in the same carriage as the principal just now. It seems they're going to the Magic Tower."
"Phew… thank goodness. But the Magic Tower?"
"Yeah, they need to talk about this incident and undergo investigation too. Nothing bad will happen."
"Phew……."
Sid patted his startled chest.
Even if they were going to the Magic Tower, he was relieved as long as Liz was safe.
He just wished he could have seen her face once…….
It was only that part he regretted, having come with such hopes.
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
In the predawn night air.
A carriage drawn by two white horses advanced.
It was the carriage Eirena had just boarded.
The carriage cut through the night air, racing across the plain faintly illuminated by starlight.
A lake wide like the sea, and a cluster of stars spread above such a lake.
It was as if stars floated upon the sky and the lake.
Clatter, clatter.
And the place this carriage headed was a tower that seemed to reach the heavens.
Watching the tower draw near, Eirena let out a breath.
She lowered the curtain she had tilted back.
"Idiot."
"……."
Even at the principal's harsh curse, the man could not open his mouth.
Bein, haggard and emaciated, and Liz, sleeping soundly.
Looking at the man who could not continue speaking, Eirena let out a breath.
His daughter, sleeping deeply, was reflected in her eyes.
"Are you out of your mind? How many protection spells did you put on your daughter? Did you know her circles were suppressed and couldn't develop because of this?"
"I knew. She couldn't have been without talent."
"Haah……."
Eirena let out a breath.
The gaze revealed between her strands of hair revealed fierce hatred.
Liz, sleeping soundly, was fine as could be seen.
The moment the red mana encroached, the dozens of protection spells placed on Liz activated.
Thanks to that, she hadn't been caught by Leis, but it seemed she couldn't wake up due to the aftereffects.
"What are you going to do now."
A girl hard to tell if she was asleep or unconscious.
The silently sleeping Liz reminded Eirena of someone in her memory.
That was why Eirena couldn't reveal her fiery temper.
"I must receive the Magic Tower's punishment. It's better than being dragged to the Kingdom."
"Hmph. Did you know the Dragon God got involved in your research? Or did you do it on purpose? To spite the Kingdom?"
"……."
Bein's answer did not come out.
He just looked at his sleeping daughter, his lips trembling.
Eirena no longer provoked him either.
"Fine. My farewell ends here. As you know, I'm not on friendly terms with the Tower Lord."
"I……"
"Shut your mouth. Don't speak anymore. Talking to you annoys me."
Eirena sullenly turned her head.
Bein stroked his daughter's hair with a trembling arm.
"……."
Outside the window of the carriage with its curtains drawn.
The long night ended, and faint light entered.
Over the plain that had endured the long night, the relentless sunlight rose.
And with its back to such sunlight, the white tower shimmered.
As if heralding the appearance of a new stage.
- To be continued in Chapter 31 -