"Luna, have you been well?"

"Yes! Rudy, you've been well too, right?"

I went to the Magic Tower to greet Luna.

Then, Franz, the Empire's head wizard, walked up from behind.

"Rudy's here?"

"How have you been?"

"Would an old man's life suddenly change? As usual, I've been busy with my research. Now, take a seat."

Franz extended his hand towards a chair in front.

I sat down and looked at the table in front of me.

I had been curious about it since earlier.

The snacks laid out on this table.

"...What's all this?"

"Ha, just some snacks. Prepared them for you to enjoy with tea."

Franz spoke as if it was nothing, but the snacks in front of us were not just any ordinary level.

They were almost like something you'd see at a party.

Cookies and cakes piled up like Towers, almost overwhelming in their abundance.

And they were not cheap snacks either.

At a glance, they were obviously from a high-end bakery.

"Help yourself."

Franz said with a hearty laugh.

What is this old man thinking?

Franz, who could be considered the owner of the Magic Tower, was treating me.

"I don't particularly enjoy sweets..."

"Is that so? Then, do you prefer snacks that aren't sweet? Do you have a favorite bakery?"

"No, I don't particularly enjoy snacks in general. Just a cup of tea would be..."

Then Franz turned his head towards the door.

"Is someone out there?"

"Yes! Master of the Tower!"

As if he had been waiting, a man entered.

"Bring out the finest tea in the Tower!"

"Understood!"

The man quickly moved out, closing the door behind him.

I smiled awkwardly at his attitude.

It was puzzling to be welcomed this warmly when I was no longer the heir to Astria.

It had been strange from the beginning.

When I tried to enter the Magic Tower, the guards greeted me with respect.

Every wizard I met greeted me with a smile.

Now, when there's no benefit to be had from me...

"By the way, you came to see the item Ian passed on to you, didn't you?"

I nodded vigorously.

Talking about work was more comfortable than continuing in this awkward situation.

"Is the analysis finished?"

"It's not finished, but you'll be able to get the information you want. Someone who has seen it in use is here, so analyzing the information should be easy."

"Can we go see it right away?"

"Let's. It's better to finish work and then rest."

Following Franz's words, we stood up from our seats.

As we were moving, I pulled Luna to my side.

"...Huh? Rudy?"

"Luna, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are they all doing this to me?"

I looked around.

The wizards around me smiled brightly at me, as if they were welcoming me.

"I don't know...?"

"Really...?"

Luna pondered for a moment, hand on her chin.

Then, clapping her hands, she looked at me.

"Now that I think about it, it is a bit strange."

"Strange how?"

"People kept giving me snacks and asking about Rudy."

"About me?"

"Since Rudy is so amazing, I thought it made sense they'd ask me. But now that I think about it, it's weird."

"What's weird?"

"The snacks were too delicious...!"

"You always liked snacks. Didn't you just eat them because you were hungry?"

"Is, is that so? Anyway, they tasted better than usual!"

"Really...?"

More delicious snacks...

Asking about me and offering tributes to Luna...

Whatever was happening in the Magic Tower, it was clear there was something suspicious going on.

As Luna and I conversed, we quickly arrived at the laboratory.

Franz handed me a report from the lab.

"Here are the documents we've researched. They're well organized, so it should be easy to understand."

"Thank you."

I began to skim through the report.

The report speculated not only on the capabilities of the magical device but also on the intentions of the rebels.

What could be done with this magical device, and where they intended to use it.

The details were thoroughly noted.

I quietly recited the contents of the report.

"...A tool that substitutes for the human body."

This magical device could sustain life even if the body disappeared.

As long as the mana stone is replaced, one could live without a body, not dying.

Of course, this doesn't mean one can live forever.

Although the device can substitute for the body, it cannot substitute for the mind.

Over time, the mind would wear out.

While not actual death, it would be close to death.

"Can this device be used to create an army?"

"It's impossible to reach that level. This magical device prevents death but doesn't enhance individual strength. Plus, its weaknesses are clear, so it can't be distributed to soldiers."

"Weaknesses?"

"If the device itself is destroyed or if the person's head is blown off, survival becomes impossible. Also, this device enables 'survival,' not the ability to regenerate the body."

"I see."

I listened to Franz's explanation and looked back at the report.

A tool that can substitute for the human body.

The rebels don't actually need such a device.

Aryandor is a user of time magic.

Venderwood has the ability to heal the body to an almost unlimited extent.

Daemon can utilize corpses with necromancy.

It was clear how this tool could be of use to the others.

Therefore, this tool was not meant for the rebels.

Aryandor's purpose.

Why he incited a rebellion and for what purpose remained a mystery.

I heard about it from Haruna.

His sister, Beatrice, was the former Saint and the one who summoned me.

Aryandor lives for her.

Although she has already vanished and died, Aryandor dedicates everything to her.

The resurrection of Beatrice.

That was Aryandor's ultimate goal.

The methods and intentions behind such a goal were unknown.

Still, knowing his goal provides an advantage in understanding him.

The magical device Raven researched was undoubtedly created for the resurrection of Beatrice.

Two elements are necessary to resurrect someone.

One is the person's body, and the other is their spirit.

Beatrice has died, and it's unknown where her body is.

Given the time since her death, even if her body were found, it wouldn't be in its normal state.

Therefore, something to substitute for her body was needed to resurrect Beatrice.

I was confident this magical device was created to substitute for Beatrice's body.

Then the question arose.

How do they intend to resurrect Beatrice's spirit?

Thinking with modern science in mind, a brain would be necessary to resurrect a spirit.

A person's spirit returns with their brain.

But, is such a thing possible?

Even in modern times, not everything about the brain is understood.

Could replicating a dead person's brain be possible in this world?

In a world of ordinary science, it might be impossible, but here, there is 'magic.'

I pondered slowly.

What magic could be used to replicate a dead person's spirit...

Recovering a dead person's memories is impossible even with necromancy.

Necromancy doesn't actually resurrect the dead but uses their bodies like puppets.

Even with a corpse, it's impossible to revive a person's memories.

"Hmm..."

As I furrowed my brows in thought, Luna looked at me with concern.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing..."

I tried to say it was nothing.

Luna glared at me as I spoke.

"You always say it's nothing."

"Cough..."

"I know there's something bothering you."

Luna said this and came closer to me.

"So, let's think about it together. I don't want to pretend I don't know you're troubled anymore."

"..."

"I've really become strong. Maybe not as strong as Rudy, but I won't just fall over with a flick anymore. I'm confident I can survive, no matter who I fight or who attacks me.

"So, let's think about it together."

I looked at Luna dumbfoundedly.

While I had been striving and growing, Luna had been growing too.

The once naive and cute Luna was now asking me to rely on her.

"Huh?"

I smiled and placed my hand on Luna's head.

"Ah! What...! Rudy!"

Then, I tousled her hair vigorously.

Her neatly combed hair became a bit disheveled.

Luna looked at me with surprise.

"Thanks. I'll explain everything."

I was grateful to Luna.

Grateful for her saying this and proud of how she had grown.

I took Luna's hand.

"Ru, Rudy?"

"Let's talk over dinner."

I held Luna's hand and walked out of the laboratory.

"Rudy Astria?"

Franz looked at us puzzledly.

"Ah, thank you for the report. I'm planning to leave now. May I go with Luna?"

"Ah, yes..."

Franz wore a confused look, but I ignored it and walked out.

"Ru, Rudy! People are watching..."

Luna gestured around us.

Other royal wizards opened their eyes wide at us.

I walked through them, taking Luna with me.

"Let them see."

What if they do?

It didn't matter.

That's how I led Luna out of the Magic Tower.

After Rudy left the Magic Tower.

"Head Wizard!!"

Many wizards gathered around Franz.

"Did you see that? Luna and Rudy Astria..."

"I saw it... Hmm..."

"Their relationship seems to be very good. Seeing Rudy leading her..."

"Hmm... I saw it too, I know..."

"Then...! Could it be...!"

Franz shook his head.

"I didn't even get a chance to bring it up."

"Ah..."

"What a missed opportunity...!"

The surrounding wizards exclaimed.

Their plan was to attract Rudy to become a royal wizard.

Rudy was an immense talent.

From his time at the academy to now fighting the rebels, he has shown incredible abilities.

Yet, people only watched him.

After all, he belonged to the Astria family.

But now, it's different.

Rudy has essentially become a free agent, able to join any side.

With such a tremendous talent unaffiliated, now was the opportunity.

The Magic Tower did not miss this timing.

They did their best to appeal to Rudy.

"If the Head Wizard doesn't make an offer, it all means nothing!"

"...Did I know he would leave like that? Still."

"Still?"

"He's Rudy Astria, after all. Do you think he doesn't know why we acted this way?"

Rudy Astria was astute.

Rudy was known to anticipate moves several steps ahead, not just when dealing with the rebels, but also when facing Perrian or Ian.

"So..."

"He's probably assessing the situation. Seeing if we are people who can handle him."

"Oh..."

The wizards nodded at Franz's words, finding them to have a point.

"He's a clever one. We just need to focus on our work. Then Rudy Astria will come to us in his own time."

"Indeed... We will trust and follow the Head Wizard."

"Good."

With that, the wizards returned to their posts, leaving Franz alone.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

'Rudy Astria wouldn't know.'

Franz felt that admitting he missed the timing to speak would diminish his dignity, so he brushed it off.

He knew a lot about Rudy.

There were stories he heard from Robert and things he had seen himself.

Rudy Astria was astute, but there was a screw loose somewhere.

A lack of everyday awareness.

He was strangely oblivious in certain situations.

His gentle nature didn't make it overly apparent, but when you spent time with him, there were moments where things seemed off.

Franz had skirted around the issue to maintain his dignity, but...

"I'll have to make him an offer in person later..."

For now, Franz had managed to sidestep the situation, but if he couldn't get a proper response from Rudy later on, he was sure to catch flak from the others.

So, he planned to make the move later.