“Today, I would like to inform all the distinguished guests in attendance: The inauguration ceremony of Senior Magus Aria Radner as the Tower Master will soon take place, so please gather around the central podium.”

The resonance filled the Tower with magical vibrations.

As the nobles and wizards gathered one by one upon hearing the voice, the area around the podium buzzed with activity.
Watching from the sidelines, Aria, her heart pounding, steadied her nerves.

“I’m nervous.”
“It’s alright. Just express your thoughts briefly.”
“But that’s what makes me nervous.”
“Then simply say ‘thank you,’ and then go down.”
“That’s not dignified.”
“……. ”

The assistant smiled faintly.

“Just be natural. You only need to fulfill the formalities anyway.”
“Alright.”

Aria took a deep breath and slowly ascended the podium.

Seeing the nobles and wizards in front of her instantly made her head spin.

But from today onwards, she was not just a mage of the Tower, but its master.
She ascended to a crucial position, one of only nine on the continent.

‘So I need to stay focused.’

Despite being only nineteen, her appointment as the Tower Master meant she had gained the trust of the mages.
She didn’t want to betray that trust.

Aria calmed the flow of her mana and began to speak slowly.

“Hello. I am Aria Radner, the newly inaugurated Tower Master of the Southeastern Tower.”

Applause erupted.
All eyes were on her.
“Today, I would like to express my gratitude first to all the distinguished guests gathered here for my inauguration ceremony.”

The words she had prepared came to mind clearly.
Aria calmly expressed her thoughts as per the script.

“…And thus, I firmly believe that magic should always be used for everyone’s happiness. I will strive to create a better world. Thank you!”

As Aria respectfully bowed, applause erupted once again.

“Phew….”

Aria descended from the podium as if escaping.

Done.
She did it.

It was a perfect expression of gratitude.

As she hurriedly walked with trembling emotions,
Aria staggered with a dull feeling in her head.

“Uh…”

At that moment, she bumped into someone’s chest.

“Aria.”
“Oh, Brother.”

Edward was looking at her.
Pulling her chin up, Edward smiled faintly.

“You need to look ahead now. You’re now a Tower Master.”
“Yeah.”

But for some reason, he was trembling.
Contrary to his smiling lips, Edward’s eyes were trembling.

“Aria.”
“Yes?”

Edward looked into Aria’s eyes.

“Were you the one who did it?”
“D-do what?”
“Did you invite Ania?”
“…Yes.”
“Is that so?”

Aria bowed her head.
Edward’s hand gently stroked Aria’s chin.

“Why did you do that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m asking for the reason.”
“That…”

Aria felt the anger flowing from Edward’s affectionate gaze.
His mana was slowly growing turbulent.

“It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Yeah. I’ve been too busy lately… I didn’t realize.”
“I see.”

As Aria looked at Edward, who nodded in understanding, she realized something.
The emotion hidden in his eyes wasn’t just anger; it was also mingled with sadness deep within.

Aria gently took hold of Edward’s hand and asked softly.

“Brother.”
“Yes?”
“I’m curious… Did something happen between you and Ania?”
“We were just divorced.”
“Just?”
“That’s how noble society is, isn’t it?”
“Then…”

If that was the case, why did he have such sad eyes?
Whether it was a look of longing,
Aria wanted to ask but couldn’t find the words.

“Okay, I understand.”

There was nothing more she could do besides nodding her head.

“Congratulations.”

At that moment, Edward’s hand gently stroked Aria’s hair.

“Thank you.”

Seeing her brother for the first time in two years, Aria felt he had changed.

A successful businessman.
The heir to a viscount.
From the well-combed hair to the slightly hollowed cheeks and chin due to the loss of baby fat.

Feeling like she was left behind, Aria felt oddly melancholic, as if he had suddenly become an adult without her.
She felt even more like a child trembling whenever she stood before people.

“You’re truly magnificent. A Tower Master… You’ve become an adult before I realized it.”
“An adult?”
“Yeah. I always thought of you as a child, but suddenly, you’ve grown up.”
“Really?”
“Really.”

Aria nestled into Edward’s body. Edward gently stroked her back.

“I should probably start heading back now.”
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
“Just a little longer.”
“Sorry. My schedule’s tight.”
“Did you deliberately schedule it like that because of me?”
“No. It was cleared in advance. I’ll always make time for you.”

Aria bid farewell to Edward as he descended the Tower, waving her hands lightly in response to his casual goodbye.

“I’ll be in touch!”
“Yeah. See you soon.”

The fact that this remarkable person was her blood relative secretly made Aria proud.

***

As I stepped out of the Tower, all that could be seen was the mist thickening around me.
The eerie atmosphere and the peculiar ecology around the Tower made it quite mysterious.

If that was all, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but my forehead naturally furrowed with the rain coming down.

I had to change my schedule to attend Aria’s inauguration ceremony,
I encountered a woman I didn’t want to see,
And the weather was not cooperating either.

After erecting a barrier with magic, I hastened toward where the car was parked.

‘I need to move quickly. Time is money.’

As I approached where the car was parked, I saw the driver sweating profusely.

Wondering what was wrong, I approached him, and he jumped in surprise and turned around.

“What’s wrong?”
“Milord… it’s, it’s…”

The hesitant driver soon confessed that there was a problem with the car.

“No need to apologize.”

There was no need for apologies. The internal combustion engines in this world were still in their early stages, so breakdowns were natural.

“Let me take a look.”

Although I initially thought it was a minor issue, the situation was far more severe than I had anticipated.

Smoke billowed from the four-cylinder engine powered by magic, indicating magical saturation.

My head throbbed painfully.

‘Why didn’t I think of this earlier?’

The area around the Tower was more magically abundant than elsewhere in the empire. Naturally, an internal combustion engine powered by magic couldn’t handle it.

“I’ve arranged for another car.”
“When will it arrive?”
“It should be here within 30 minutes.”
“Nothing we can do about it.”

The driver hurriedly took out an umbrella from the car.
It was unnecessary since I was blocking the rain with magic, but I accepted it lightly and opened it.

“Milord, I’m truly sorry. It was my fault.”
“No, it’s okay. Take a break. We’ll need to hurry once the car arrives.”
“Thank you!”

Leaving the bowing driver aside, I hobbled towards the back of the Tower.

Although this situation couldn’t be helped, my head throbbed painfully, so I felt like I needed to smoke a cigarette to ease my mind.

I took out a case made of brass from my pocket and put one cigarette in my mouth.

Then, using fire magic, I created a flame at my fingertips and lit the cigarette before taking a light puff.

The hesitant white smoke mingled into the mist.

It’s truly an unfortunate day.
A terribly unfortunate day.

As I expelled the smoke from the cigarette, using the rain as background music, another sound caught my ear.

“Sob….”

I heard a sound resembling someone’s ragged breath.
I slowly turned my ear toward it and realized it was sobbing.

Even if my heart was shattered, how could I not be affected by someone’s genuine tears?

Curious, I turned my gaze. I saw a silhouette by the bush-covered Tower.

“…Sigh.”

Seeing that silhouette made me sigh.

Why will you not leave my sight?

“Sniff…”

I plugged one ear to block out the unpleasant sound of crying, but it still reached me.

I looked to the side again.

I saw a woman leaning against the Tower’s wall, her golden hair soaking wet in the rain.
She seemed to have collapsed, her appearance disheveled from the rain.
Although she appeared to be laughing, there was no smile on her lips.

I took another sip and exhaled. The white smoke rose high into the sky.

“Edward, please don’t leave me.”

Although I intended to leave after finishing the cigarette, my steps unconsciously moved.
Toward the bushes where the sobbing could be heard.

“Please….”

Could there still be a trace of meager compassion left?
Even though I thought I had completely emptied it, could a shred of kindness still be left in my heart?

No.

This is merely an action befitting of a noble’s status.
It’s just a minor consideration to stop the crying of a woman caught in the rain while she’s struggling.

As my feet came to a halt, I brought my umbrella over the woman with her head in her hands.

“Ania Brontë.”

I slowly rolled the sweet-sounding name on my lips.
I know that the rich fragrance spreading like candy is permeating like poison.

Ania Brontë is poison.

Although she may seem beautiful on the outside,
What lies within her is poison.

Yet, knowing that she’s poison, why do I go back to her…
What am I even thinking?
Have I truly gone mad?

“Take it.”

I lowered my body and handed her my umbrella.

Ania’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s as she took it.

‘Why are you crying?’

I was curious, but I didn’t ask.
Because the moment I voice that question, I’ll be crossing a bridge I can never return from.

“Edward….”

She looked like a drenched mouse in the rain, but I couldn’t look away.

In that moment,
It was just…
Incredibly quiet.

As if the sound of the rain around us had stopped.
As if only she and I remained in the world.