No.

Selvier logically deduced that the mad wizard was not his childhood friend. The two were fundamentally different in character.

When you compare them one by one, it becomes really clear. Truly.

First of all, the childhood friend was an incredibly kind person who never left someone in trouble. They always helped others in any way possible.

“I guess I have no talent for fire magic; I’m just a human block of ice. A useless existence with no place to contribute to increasing firepower…”

“There’s an aesthetic even in low-temperature flames. There are many things you can’t do at high temperatures. Like cooking. Let’s look for magic that can only be done at low temperatures!”

“…Now that you mention it, that seems right…?”

Yes, that kind of encouraging advice…

No, anyway, no. While he was a bit similar in the way he approached others without hesitation to solve problems, if he were truly a childhood friend, he would have been more perfect.

Then secondly, the childhood friend would have shown concern when Selvier was in a difficult situation. Not just meddling, either.

“Oh, this is solving that problem from the bulletin board, right? For things like this, it’s important to broaden your thinking. Even if the basics are calculations, sometimes knowledge that seems completely unrelated can be helpful.”

“…Don’t meddle! I have to solve this by myself!”

“I know, I know, it’s like a former quest or something. But if I told you how to catch fish…?”

In this way, he would subtly encourage Selvier to think for himself and challenge himself… Yes, I could say that this princely consideration for others is somewhat similar.

Finally, third.

The childhood friend never backed down from any injustice or pressure for what he believed in.

Even in the terrible one-eyed village, he stood firm, claiming he was right. He insisted that children should have a happy childhood and never stopped opposing adults, even with his small body.

For a child to take on an adult is an incredibly difficult task. The childhood friend would sometimes get caught by adults and suffer merciless beatings.

Even while bones broke and blood flowed, his spirit never wavered.

He always did so much for me. No matter how much, even in this regard…

“Oh, the Red Tower Lord has placed regulations on this? Hah, this won’t do. I’ll just go up for a moment. I’ll negotiate and get the regulations lifted.”

“Hey, you crazy b*stard—!!”

Selvier grabbed a broom and ran to beat the mad wizard. No matter how much of a master he was in fantasy magic as an academy professor, wasn’t the tower lord’s name not just some pet name?

Moreover, the Red Tower Lord was quite the emotional and eccentric person.

—

No matter what kind of mischief he commits, it wouldn’t be strange; one could easily laugh off the mad wizard’s cheerfulness… but perhaps he might erupt in fiery anger and deliver a terrifying punishment.

So I physically intervened.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

“It hurts, it hurts!”

“I’m hitting you to make it hurt! There’s a hierarchy in the tower, and how can you, still an apprentice, think of meeting the Master of the Mage Tower?!”

“Well, there’s a hierarchy at the academy too, so is it okay for a student to hit a professor?!”

“Ugh…! Just listen to me!”

This could be seen as similar, but it wouldn’t be.

My childhood friend had a steadfastness rooted in conviction that was admirable, but this was more like a reckless fool jumping into a burning house just to be stubborn.

So, in any case, it’s not the same.

It absolutely shouldn’t be.

Yet, somehow…

“What’s wrong? Why do you look so down? Are you hurt? Should I walk you back to the dorm?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I found myself repeatedly trying to see my childhood friend in that man, while simultaneously wanting to deny that fact, and I felt a bit disgusted with myself.

A spoonful of patheticness for not even recognizing the sun I had longed for all my life, and for being so lost, unable to tell what was real and what was fake.

If it were real, I should be happy about the reunion, but thinking of the two women beside him… I boiled over with another spoonful of patheticness.

If it’s a matter worth this much contemplation, wouldn’t it be nice to just ask him outright if we’ve met somewhere before? Yet, I hesitated, afraid to open the box, another spoonful of patheticness.

In total, three spoonfuls, making me utterly pitiful.

Still, I must move forward someday. That’s what my childhood friend taught me.

But she needed time to sort her thoughts. She needed evidence. What if I thought the mad wizard was my childhood friend, only to find out he wasn’t? That would be a terrible betrayal for both sides.

Nothing is certain. Isn’t that right?

So, I must be cautious──.

——–

I trailed after Selvier.

“Do you want to take a quick trip to the academy with me?” I thought about asking for an escort, about 30% of the time. The remaining 70% was driven by a strange impulse.

It felt like reuniting with a cute cousin I had met a long time ago. The child who used to follow me around had hit puberty and now seemed to be sulking, saying they wouldn’t play with their uncle anymore.

Somehow, it felt oddly endearing.

It was strange, considering I shouldn’t have had any connection with Selvier. Her hometown was Sanjevi Village, and mine was the same… could there have been a meeting with her in my lost memories?

Or was it just the joy of meeting someone from the same region?

I stared intently at Selvier’s profile as she gazed fixedly at the “Dragon Gate.” Her red hair, reminiscent of the sun, and her slightly fierce eyes. And the way she had her hair braided and let it fall forward in a peculiar manner.

—

For reference, the chest size is average.

“Hey.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Very perceptive.

To distance myself a bit from the awkward atmosphere, I shifted my gaze in the direction Selbier was looking. Her eyes were fixed on a task in a corner of the “Gate of Ascension.”

[Practical Section – Eliminate the Exiled Mage Kravellin Render.]

It’s a name I vaguely remember. An exiled mage, a fire mage, and if I recall correctly… wasn’t he a candidate for the Hero Selection Tournament?

Since the exiled mage was going around using magic without any issues, I thought the exiled mage’s tower might be a bit soft, but it seems they just couldn’t catch him.

He probably got caught up in the “Forced Exile” and crash-landed somewhere on the continent.

“⋯⋯I have no intention of choosing that. Professor, there are many other tasks in the ‘Gate of Ascension,’ so please don’t choose that one.”

“Why?”

“Many mages from the tower have challenged it, but they all returned as ashes. Eliminating Kravellin Render is the most difficult task in the Gate of Ascension. You could pass it easily, so…”

You’re telling me not to take the hard road.

I never intended to go after Kravellin anyway, but I nodded in agreement. I had no hobby of enjoying an exam that could be passed easily in hard mode.

I also had no desire to pass the exam.

Even now, secretly exploring fire magic, I could feel Yuna’s watchful gaze in my heart, and if I were to secure the position of the tower master’s apprentice… Yuna might seriously kidnap and confine me.

And Yuna would probably cry her eyes out in front of me until I reflected on my actions. My heart would break, and I wouldn’t be able to endure it.

I subtly asked Selbier.

“Did you say your goal is to become the tower master’s apprentice?”

“Yes. The tower master grants each of his apprentices a wish.”

“Then you’re more interested in the ashes than in the fun of magic. Is there a wish you want to make…?”

“⋯⋯Yes, I want to find my childhood friend whom I lost touch with.”

A childhood friend.

I’ve occasionally heard about Selbier’s virtuous childhood friend. That was when I had clung to her and requested advice.

The quotes he left behind are truly precious words.

Emotions should be accepted as they are, without questioning or cutting them off.

Just because you were rejected by someone you liked, you shouldn’t deny that love as if it never existed.

The wise words conveyed to me through Selbier have been very helpful. And upon reflecting on my memories, it seems I haven’t yet paid her for the consultation.

When was that, you ask…?

It was when I heard the shocking news that Pingvallez was unconscious, and I was already half out of my mind at that time.

Selbier advised not to be swayed by emotions and to devise a plan, saying that if I succeeded and returned, I could boast to her. At that time, she would even cancel out calling me a fool.

Perhaps now is the opportunity.

Having received something from Selbier, I must return the favor. As it happens, I am currently an apprentice of the Red Tower and have gained a bit of proficiency in fire magic. There couldn’t be a better time to help her with her difficulties.

Her ambition sparkles and is impressive, so even if I don’t solve everything for her, I can at least lessen the hardships that don’t need to be endured.

Yes. I’ll just help Selbier break through the “Gate of Promotion” and then return to my tower. By then, I should have grown enough to be capable of solo-killing an ogre. I nodded to myself in determination.

And while I was at it, I casually mentioned, “Oh, right. Thanks to you, I ended up with two girlfriends.”

“……… Why are you bragging about that to me right now?”

“No, you said I could boast if I succeeded in the operation…”

“Bragging about having a girlfriend in front of someone who’s looking for childhood friends means you’re prepared to pay the corresponding price, right?!”

Selbier’s grip on the broom tightened. Even in a state of diminished cognitive ability, I could instantly grasp what that meant. It meant she was going to hit me hard.

As I pondered whether I should raise my Celestial Guard or run away with Celestial Running, a sudden alarm blared.

Bee-bee-bee-beep-!

The portable thermometer given to the Red Tower mages shot up to 43 degrees in an instant.

Sizzle…!!

The sound of steam boiling and evaporating filled the air. I felt an abnormal heat source approaching from behind. And an immense magical power that felt like a towering mountain.

It was a level of magical power comparable to Yuna. I turned around.

Her red hair flowed like lava, and her eyes resembled a blazing sun. Her skin was flawlessly white and smooth, without a hint of tan, and her attire was absurdly light.

It was closer to being draped than actually worn.

Her fox-like eyes had a certain cuteness, and the tear-shaped glimmer at the corners of her eyes added to her enchanting aura. She was draped in a charm that could shake an entire nation, but from the perspective of someone who could wield magic…

Fear and dread took precedence over lust or admiration. If a volcano in human form were walking towards me, no matter how beautiful its colors, wouldn’t it be terrifying?

I had never met her before, but I immediately knew who she was.

The Master of the Red Tower.

Selbier’s expression was tinged with longing and tension as she bowed at a right angle to greet her.

“Um, hello, Master of the Red Tower…”

“Oh my, it’s been a while. I thought you had gone to your tower, but have you finally realized the benefits of fire magic, even if belatedly?”

“………?”

After a brief moment of silence.

I realized that the Master of the Red Tower had ignored Selbier’s greeting and was speaking directly to me. Selbier, too, was dumbfounded, alternating her gaze between me and the Master.

I frowned slightly and asked, somewhat hesitantly.

“Do you know me?”

“That’s disappointing. You even went so far as to ask me directly… Am I supposed to pretend I don’t know? Huh?”

“No, I have a bit… of an illness. Yes. I have amnesia.”

Her fiery gaze narrowed slightly, sweeping over my entire body in an instant.

“Hmm… it seems you’re not in a normal state. The output of your magical core is completely shattered, and the wisdom reflected in your eyes has dropped to the level of an ordinary person.”

Did she just discern my specs with a single glance?

And, does she know me? Of course… When the masters of each magic tower came to scout me. I definitely saw her then. She saw me too, so she must know.

But my memories from that time are vague, leaving me without a sense of reality. I can’t even be sure if we really met; I was at a loss for words asking if she knew me.

The red tower master glanced back and forth between me and Selvier, then smiled slyly like a fox. She raised her index finger to her lips as if to say she would keep the secret.

“Alright. I’ll keep quiet about the private matters of that day. But… even now, you do intend to help Selvier, right?”

“…Well.”

“That’s not fair. If someone with the talent to tilt the world shows favoritism towards one person, the meaning of the ‘Gate of Promotion’ is lost.”

As the red tower master lightly waved her hand, a parchment hanging at the top of the ‘Gate of Promotion’ fell and was drawn into her grasp.

The subjugation of the ripple magician, what’s-his-name. It was the task that Selvier had said was ‘the most difficult.’

“Now, I’ll acknowledge this if you do it together. If Selvier wants to become my apprentice from now on… she’ll have to capture Krabellin Render.”

“…?!”

Selvier froze in shock as the difficulty of the former quest was suddenly set to extreme. I tried to cover for her, opening my mouth.

“You just saw it, Red Tower Master. If I were fine, that would be one thing, but I’m not joking when I say I’m in a state of being shattered into 30 pieces.”

“I’ve taken your poor condition into full consideration.”

“What if I decide not to help Selvier even now?”

“Then, poor Selvier will forever remain unable to become my apprentice.”

It didn’t connect.

A mischievous glint sparkled in the red tower master’s eyes.

I understood immediately. Before considering that helping Selvier was unfair, she wanted to toy with the grudge that I had chosen to abandon the red tower for my own tower… that bitterness.

But on the other hand, she seemed to think that ‘it really is balanced.’

If Selvier and I, with our broken specs, joined forces, it would be a suitable difficulty adjustment to challenge the highest difficulty task of the ‘Gate of Promotion.’

…Isn’t that a bit much?

To summarize the content of the task at hand in one sentence: ‘Two rank twos vs. a fable magician.’ It’s obvious that the latter would win.

Am I overestimating my own talent too much? I’m already nerfed and struggling as it is!

“Are we underestimating ourselves, I wonder?”

“Thank you for believing in me, but if this is confirmed as it is, I think I’ll be in a lot of trouble. Right now, that…”

Selvier was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

Her eyes were itching to tear apart the increase in the difficulty of the Red Tower.

The master of the Red Tower smiled brightly and said,

“Oh dear. That’s unfortunate. But I’ll reward you according to the increased difficulty. Selvier, you too. You have something you want to find, right…?”

Whoosh!

And then, didn’t she just vanish into flames!

I froze like someone hit by a sudden bomb, then turned my neck with a creak to look at Selvier. She was now almost like a beast.

“Because of you, the difficulty…!!”

“No, I was just trying to help. It was pure goodwill. It’s not my fault!”

“Then why on earth is an academy professor disguising themselves as an intern to infiltrate—!!”

Bang bang bang bang—!

I had to withstand the unreasonable rage of the broom with my body.

Still, I could see that she was trying to hit me as lightly as possible, so I pretended to be in unbearable pain while secretly laughing. Isn’t this situation a bit amusing?

To Selvier, who had been shouting that trials are necessary for academy students, her own words had come back to her!