Having devoted the whole night to reading Idred's Tome, I realized morning had already come.
"...Ah, no more pages?"
The next page was blank.
I wanted to keep reading, but I couldn't.
Could there be anything sadder than this?
"3rd Circle…"
To read beyond page 31, I needed to reach the 3rd Circle.
[If you have fully entered the realm of "Resonance," place your hand on page 210 and move your mana according to the principles of Resonance.]
[That is the page of the second trial.]
[If your Resonance is even slightly imperfect, the page of the second trial will not respond, so be careful.]
To reach the 3rd Circle, I must refine Resonance, the mark of a 2nd Circle Master, to its utmost limit.
"How long will that take…"
I wanted to challenge the page of the second trial right now if I could.
Unfortunately, I hadn't mastered Resonance yet.
No—calling it "not mastered" was generous. I hadn't even grasped the proper clue to begin with.
"Connecting the Ring of Mind and the Ring of Echo organically, huh…"
The theory was clear in my head, but I couldn't figure out how to actually link them.
It was like having two different engines placed in front of me and being told,
"Now, combine them into one."
What was I even supposed to do?
"I'm going to need to do some research."
The theory was still vague, so I'd have to look into it more seriously.
Time to dig through the library.
"Ah, but first—I need to go to work."
It was already 11 a.m.—time for my part-time shift.
Now that I'd returned to the Magic Tower, I no longer had financial worries,
but I still needed to finish the shifts I'd already agreed to.
"To give my last goodbyes too."
With that thought, I left the dormitory for my final day at work.
"See you next time!"
"Bye, Hayul~ Work hard at school!"
"Yes, I'll visit again sometime."
10:20 p.m.
After finishing my last shift and a late meal with my coworkers, I headed home.
As I walked, feeling the cool early May breeze, I unexpectedly ran into someone near the dormitory convenience store.
"Adela?"
"Ah."
Adela Stairt.
She must have stopped by the convenience store; she held a bag labeled CS24 in one hand.
"Hey."
"Good evening." Adela bowed politely.
"Late-night snack?"
"No, um… I forgot to eat dinner…"
"Ah, you were too focused on studying magic and missed mealtime, huh."
"...Yes."
Her cheeks turned pink, embarrassed.
"I do that a lot too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. When I find a good old grimoire, I lose track of time—and when I finally notice, it's already dawn."
"Right? Right?"
Adela nodded eagerly in agreement.
"But you're still better than me. If I miss dinner, I just skip it because it's a hassle."
Since delivery food was banned in the dorms, the only option for a late meal was a trip to the convenience store,
but most nights I was too lazy to bother—and too stingy to spend the money anyway.
"That's not good. You have to eat properly."
"Hmm?"
"If you don't eat, your brain slows down, your muscles don't grow, and you'll have nutritional deficiencies—
that's critical during adolescence, when you're still developing."
"..."
She wasn't wrong.
Skipping meals at our age definitely wasn't healthy.
But still…
"Isn't that a bit hypocritical coming from you?"
I wasn't expecting a lecture from someone holding a plastic bag of instant food at 10 p.m.
"I'm still eating, even if it's late."
"...Show-off."
We both laughed quietly at that.
"Want one?"
She pulled out a banana milk from the bag and handed it to me.
"Thanks."
She took out the other one for herself, poked in the straw, and began sipping slowly.
She looked completely content.
"You still only drink that?"
"Yes. It's the greatest beverage humanity has ever created."
"That much, huh?"
I couldn't deny it—it was good.
I stuck in my straw too and enjoyed the overly sweet artificial flavor.
"Stayed in the dorm all weekend?"
"Yes. I reviewed all my midterm assessment footage. There was a lot to do."
"So it's not just because your parents told you to?"
"That too."
Having known Adela since childhood, I knew well what her parents were like.
They must have scolded her endlessly for losing to me in the Round of 16.
She probably stayed in the dorm to avoid that.
"I heard you went home," she said.
"Yeah, just for a bit yesterday."
"Are you returning to the Magic Tower?"
"Already did."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly—whether in surprise or happiness, I couldn't tell.
Outside of magic, her expression rarely changed enough to read.
"...That's good."
"Yeah. I was worried about the money—it'll cost a fortune from second year onward."
Starting next year, practical training would increase,
and the expenses for materials and equipment would skyrocket—way beyond what my part-time pay could ever cover.
I was really relieved that issue was solved.
"Your dream… Is it still to become the master of the Magic Tower?"
"Where's that coming from?"
"Oh, nothing… I just remembered something you said before."
"Something I said?"
"Yes. Just in passing."
"...Did I?"
I didn't remember saying that.
Maybe it was such a fleeting moment that it slipped my mind.
"If that was too personal, you don't need to answer."
She must have taken my silence as discomfort and quickly backtracked.
"No, it's fine. It's not like my dream is something to be ashamed of."
There's nothing to hide.
"Hmm. So you're a little different than before, huh?"
"...Different?"
Adela looked a little disappointed.
"So… you compromised with reality after all?"
"Huh?"
"You said becoming the family head was too hard, so you set a more realistic goal…"
"Wait a minute."
I knew what Adela was thinking.
"Wrong, wrong."
"Wrong?"
"Yeah. Saying my goal changed doesn't mean I compromised with reality."
"Then…?"
I looked at Adela, who cocked her head, and said proudly:
"My goal is higher now. Becoming the head of the Magic Tower is just a waypoint at this point."
"A waypoint?"
"Yeah. A waypoint. A place I'll pass through."
My dream wasn't something as small as that.
"To become the owner of the Magic Tower, to become the greatest mage, to stand above all magic towers — that's my ultimate goal now."
Adela's eyes went wide.
That was a noticeably astonished expression.
"Putting every magic tower beneath you… that's an unimaginably big goal."
She smiled, as if she found something especially pleasant about it.
"It's almost uncomfortable to be the one following you…"
It was the kind of smile that said she couldn't wait for what was coming next.
Meanwhile, at that time.
The Shin family mansion.
Shin Ji-han and Shin Se-ah were talking together.
"I didn't expect this, no matter how you look at it."
Shin Ji-han, sitting with one leg crossed, tapped the side of his chair with his index finger — a habit he had when sorting his thoughts.
"...Don't meddle with Ha-yul, he said?"
Shin In-hyuk ordered his children, including Shin Ji-han, not to interfere with Shin Ha-yul.
His reasoning was that Ha-yul was still a minor and had only recently returned to the family, so he wasn't prepared to join the successor competition yet.
There was also a one-year gap to consider; he thought Ha-yul should be given at least two months to adjust to the family.
That was what Shin In-hyuk said.
But the servants at the Magic Tower could tell that was only a nominal explanation.
"Why would he say that?"
Shin In-hyuk wouldn't do something just for that reason.
He wouldn't suddenly exclude someone from succession because they'd been gone for a year and needed an adjustment period. If that had been the real issue, the In-hyuk a year ago would have declared the gap a result of Ha-yul's lack of qualifications and told him to endure it.
And "he's a minor" — protection for the young only applies until imprinting AI at seventeen. At eighteen, Shin Ha-yul was outside that range.
"Oppa. You don't think Father actually anointed Ha-yul as the successor, do you?"
Shin Se-ah bit her nails and spoke with a serious face.
To any observer, Shin In-hyuk's actions looked like favoritism toward Ha-yul.
If he didn't intend Ha-yul as successor, there wouldn't be special treatment like this. That was Se-ah's thinking.
"No. That's not it."
But Shin Ji-han saw it differently.
"If he'd decided that, he'd have acted openly a year ago. There's no reason to do this now."
Even if Shin In-hyuk had favored Ha-yul a year ago, he hadn't formally chosen him as successor. It was possible but not likely that he'd suddenly anoint Ha-yul now.
"Then what is it? Why tell us not to meddle with Ha-yul out of the blue?"
Se-ah snapped in an acidic voice.
"For now, maybe Father saw something in Ha-yul."
"A something?"
"What exactly, I don't know. I don't have Father's eyes."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to credit Shin In-hyuk's discernment for bringing the Magic Tower to its current standing.
"Anyway, he might have seen some potential and decided to observe a bit longer. That could be his judgment."
Given that In-hyuk had shown favoritism, he might be inclined to be more lenient.
"He might have been intrigued by Ha-yul's magic system and wanted to watch it a little more," Ji-han continued.
Mages are researchers by nature. Especially high-level mages like Shin In-hyuk tend to be more curious — seeing an unusual magic system in Ha-yul could have sparked his interest.
"Or—"
A glint passed through Ji-han's eyes.
"Ha-yul could've offered Father some kind of deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"That I don't know. Like I said, it's just speculation."
Ji-han shrugged.
"Ha-yul returned to the family so quickly, and there's this two-month probation. It doesn't look like Father made the decision alone. That's what makes me suspect something."
It had been quick and decisive — the kind of move that suggested Ha-yul's involvement.
"Or—"
Ji-han uncrossed and re-crossed his legs, laced his fingers behind his neck.
"It could be all three."
"...What does that mean?"
Shin Se-ah, exasperated, watched Ji-han and he smirked.
"In any case, the important thing is: Father hasn't named Ha-yul the successor."
Even though his smile was bright, it carried a strange unease.
"Well, it's unfortunate but nothing we can do. We watch for two months. We can't afford to be on Father's bad side."
"...Ugh, this annoys me. Should I call everyone off who was assigned to watch him?"
"If you're sure you can avoid the Shadow, keep them on."
The Shadow.
Shin In-hyuk's direct intelligence unit — the covert arm of the Magic Tower's power structure.
They do everything from infiltration to intelligence gathering and escorting. It's impossible to place an eye on Ha-yul without the Shadow noticing.
"…Ugh, seriously annoying."
Shin Se-ah made a hysterical face and picked up her phone.
"I'm telling you. Stop the Ha-yul surveillance. Cancel everything and pull them back."
Ji-han left her and moved to the window.
'…Two months. Se-ah can do what she wants, but I can't just do nothing.'
If Ji-han's suspicion was right and Ha-yul had struck a deal with In-hyuk for some purpose, he couldn't just let him roam free.
'Should I hire the Black Magic Tower?'
If it were the Black Magic Tower, they could discreetly solve it beyond the Shadow's notice.
'Even if it's discovered, there won't be proof tying it to me.'
A corner of Ji-han's mouth curled up.
Looks like I'll have to use a secret line today after all.