CH 110

Alejandro’s return was enough to sweep the magic tower into a flurry. No, it was already noisy as he returned.

“Lord Alejandro!”

“We’ve been waiting for your return!”

“The magic tower finally roused! Where on earth have you been, how have you been…!”

The grand hero’s welcome made Ophelia look at Alejandro in surprise.

However, Alejandro just continued to smile as if he was already familiar with this kind of reaction.

“We can catch up later. Why don’t you greet our guest first?”

“Ah, yes! Of course. If you don’t mind, may I know your name…?”

“You can call me Ophelia.”

The person who asked Ophelia smiled brightly and nodded.

It seemed like he was the caretaker of the tower, and so he showed Ophelia to her room with a friendly smile.

“Then, this way please. Follow me.”

“Alright.”

As she followed him, Ophelia glanced back.

It was as if Alejandro was a general who had just returned from a great war that he had won, along with Yennit and Cornelli as his soldiers. She saw them shrug proudly at the clamor.

“Yennit! How did you meet Lord Alejandro when you were already living outside?!”

“When you left, Cornelli, I really wasn’t expecting that Lord Alejandro would be at the place you’d go to. Who would have thought that the magic tower would wake up though? Tell us everything that happened.”

“Ahem, ahem. Well, my throat is rather parched, so how can I tell the story.”

“I, I’ll go get some water for you!”

“I want to drink something sweet though.”

“Do we have any juice?”

“Ah, my legs hurt after such a long journey.”

“Sofa!”

Cups and chairs flew around Cornelli as he demanded.

The other mages were young, perhaps around Cornelli’s age, and they looked like they’d go as far as offer their livers and gallbladders just to listen to Cornelli’s tales.

“You stupid punks…”

Yennit looked like she was already fed-up as she watched this happen. Still, she didn’t reject the ice water that was being held out to her.

‘They did say that they’re the youngest of the high mages.’

After they graduated from the advanced course, they were able to enter the highest floor of the magic tower.

There was a system in the tower where those who had graduated from the advanced course would become high mages, thereby treated separately as managing officers.

And among them, Yennit was the first to graduate, and Cornelli was about to graduate as well.

So, the other young mages wouldn’t even have a chance to come near Alejandro.

While they were envious of Cornelli and Yennit, it was also natural for them to pester the two about these things.

‘It’s good that they’re so warmly welcomed.’

Ophelia’s gaze shifted to Alejandro.

He seemed to be talking to another higher up, leaving the young mages gathered there as they pouted.

“Congratulations on your safe return, Lord Alejandro.”

“You must have had a hard time without me, Meruzia.”

“Naturally. Now that you’re back, however, I’ll look forward to my long-awaited vacation.”

With a pleasant expression, a young man named Meruzia smiled and caught up with Alejandro.

At first glance, it would be difficult to point out anything strange with this sight, but Ophelia felt that something was off over there.

‘The young mages ran out just like that.’

Why was it that the only person with a high position who came out to welcome them was that man called Meruzia?

Ophelia had personal experience of something like this in the past, so the sense of incongruity was even more clearly felt.

There was this one moment some time ago, she was forced to follow Cadelia on an outing, and it was when they returned from that.

There was one handmaiden from Ophelia’s palace there to greet her, as if only to keep up appearances.

—Welcome back, Your Highness! I’ve already warmed your bed.

—It would be best to take a bath first! The bath has already been prepared, Your Highness!

A whole crowd had greeted Cadelia with such vigor, and then there was only one yawning handmaiden waiting for Ophelia.

Despite the humbling contrast, it didn’t feel desolate at the time. However, now that she was faced with this similar situation, she wondered why the memories of that time were rushing back to her.

‘I heard that they’re mistakenly thinking that you dabbled in black magic.’

Even so, the misunderstanding would soon be cleared up after he had returned like this. Above all, Alejandro safely returned to the tower in the previous life as well, and he was able to continue living well.

‘Everything’s going to be alright…’

Ophelia shook off the bad feeling and tried to turn back again. The problem was that she was a bit too late.

“……!”

She made eye contact with Alejandro. Of course, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t met gazes when she’d been staring all this time.

As Alejandro met her gaze, he smiled. His cheeks rose to curve over his eyes, and his lips drew a soft arc.

Her face grew flushed just because of something that wasn’t even a big deal. Why?

‘Is it because I’m more used to seeing Alei be gloomy?’

Her cheeks and nape felt as if they were burning. Ophelia forgot to smile back as she turned away hastily.

Just in time, the person who was guiding her to her quarters was already a few steps ahead, so it was reason enough for her to leave in a rush.

So, Ophelia ran away urgently.

* * *

Tak, tak, tak.

As Ophelia ran down the stone floor and disappeared, green sprouts popped up one after another, following after the distant figure’s steps.

This was the work of the magic tower.

Furrowing his brows slightly, Alejandro spoke to the tower.

‘Siren Tower, do you like Ophelia, too?’

[ What’s there to like? She’s the woman who made you sin. ]

‘Then what’s with the sprouts? Do you think I don’t know how you only make those things when you’re in a good mood?’

[ Because she’s the woman who made you come back. ]

‘You really can’t be more honest with yourself, huh.’

Alejandro grinned inwardly. Even though the magic tower had lived for a long period of time, it had a hard time expressing itself.

But because Alejandro shared all thoughts and feelings with the tower, finding out its innermost feelings was easier than counting his fingers with his eyes closed.

The tower was more powerful than anything else, but without its master, it would not be able to act on its will.

That’s why the magic tower had no choice but to be put into endless sleep whenever the tower lord was away. Right now, the tower was very happy that his imposed slumber was finally over.

[ I didn’t sleep all that long, but the tower is in a terrible state. Do you even realize what you left behind when you abandoned your important duties and ran away? ]

‘This happens every time there’s a generational change anyway—you sleep. And you nag a lot, too.’

The tower’s brief expression of joy turned into a round of scolding.

To commemorate his return, Alejandro would have wanted to tease the tower because of this, however Alei wasn’t thinking about this at all.

Because right now, Meruzia was still in front of him.

There’s no way Alejandro wouldn’t feel the same discomfort that Ophelia had felt.

‘I’m more well received by people my age anyway, but.’

This didn’t change the fact that this kind of welcome was a slap to the face, being that the only person from the higher ups who greeted him was Meruzia.

But up to this point, it was something that he had already experienced in the previous life. This was nothing new.

There was one difference that caught him off guard.

‘The letter from the tower that was sent to the temporary temple.’

Who could have been the sender?

When he asked the magic tower, it didn’t answer him.

Of course, there weren’t many things that could threaten Alejandro now since he’s back at the tower.

Even if there was a misunderstanding that he had used black magic before, it was a problem that would soon be solved over time.

However, if there was someone out there who was a threat, then this was a different matter altogether.

Alejandro himself was much too powerful to threaten, that’s why it’s only natural to think that Ophelia would be used to harm him, if it ever came to that.

‘First, it would be better for me to distance myself from Ophelia.’

Alejandro came to this conclusion, albeit reluctantly.

He didn’t want to be away from Ophelia at all, but sending her to her new quarters on purpose was an extension of this active decision.

The magic tower itself was an enclosed space, so rumors tended to spread rampantly while outsiders received a lot of attention.

Expressing his curiosity, Meruzia also broached the topic.

“Come to think of it, who’s the woman who came with you, Milord?”

“A person I received help from while I was outside. We’ve got nothing to do with each other, but I invited her here because she needs a place to hide.”

Alejandro replied stiffly. He even drew a firm line between them and said that he and Ophelia had no connection at all.

But the problem here was this: it backfired.

‘So, there is something between you two.’

‘You smiled brightly just now though.’

‘Are they dating?’

‘I’m betting all my mana stones that there’ll be a wedding soon.’

‘I’ll even bet my own graduation thesis on this.’

Everyone who heard Alejandro had the same train of thought.

And these thoughts soon fueled this very rumor that started spreading throughout the tower.

That the lord of the magic tower brought home a fiancée.