# 51
* * *
Legas appeared when Jin-ha had finished searching through his luggage and found everything he was looking for. Just as Jin-ha, who had placed the pen that matched his notebook in his jacket’s chest pocket, was about to pick up his empty coffee cup, the window behind him burst open.
“Mr. Lee Jin-ha!”
“…Legas.”
“What in the world happened?”
Jin-ha stared at Legas with narrowed eyes as the latter urgently tried to climb through the windowsill.
The claim that Riyekan was sick had been a lie, and naturally, the excuse about being busy was also a lie. Yet here he was, appearing without even an apology when he needed something—he was as shameless as his idol.
“Is it true that the Master appeared on the first floor?”
“You must have heard the details from the wizards who were there.”
“Those bastards only talk nonsense! What did he say? Why did he come down?”
His excited demeanor suggested he genuinely didn’t know what had happened. Noticing something unusual about Legas’s agitated state, Jin-ha promptly opened up.
“I don’t remember the exact details, but those people were saying things to insult me. Then at some point, lightning… lightning struck.”
“And then?”
“Riyekan hit the wizards, and then he ran away.”
“Ran away?”
“When I called out to him, he fled.”
“Did he say anything else?”
At the seemingly desperate question, Jin-ha searched his memory once more. Riyekan had simply said his piece and left abruptly, causing Jin-ha to hurry back to the annex.
Before that, what Riyekan had said was…
“Ah, he made excuses that what he did was a matter of authority.”
“Pardon?”
“I suppose he meant that deliberately coming all the way down there and punishing the wizards wasn’t for any other reason but simply to punish those who challenged his authority. How kind of him to explain, so I wouldn’t misunderstand.”
As Jin-ha smiled bitterly and spoke sarcastically, Legas gripped the windowsill tightly.
“That’s absolutely not what he meant!”
After shouting like that, Legas seemed to swallow many thoughts, his face showing he had much to say. Watching the change in expression of the young man who usually maintained a picture-perfect smile, Jin-ha thought it was about time to “prepare” and send him away.
“Legas, that’s enough—”
“Since that day, the Master has been sitting in his room like a doll, lost in thought.”
“…What?”
“Not eating, not drinking, not sleeping. Just sitting there, deep in thought.”
Jin-ha’s face contorted.
It was Riyekan’s bad habit to starve himself and postpone sleep when something troubled him. No wonder his personality was deteriorating when he paid so little attention to his health.
“So it was true that his condition wasn’t good.”
“Why would I lie—”
“Because you’re the type who would do anything for Riyekan.”
“…The Master being sick wasn’t a lie. How else could I describe that state? It’s not that he’s never been like this before, but this time it’s particularly severe…”
Swallowing hard, Legas glared at Jin-ha.
“Would someone like him deliberately go down to the first floor for such a trivial reason?”
“What are you trying to say? If the reason wasn’t to punish wizards who disrespected his authority, then…”
Legas cut off Jin-ha’s words and said sharply:
“If the Master had wanted to, he could have punished them in a more elegant way, more simply. This is the Noon Moon Tower, where his will directly becomes reality.”
* * *
After appearing suddenly, interrogating, explaining, and then making excuses, Legas disappeared, saying he needed to check on the Master. He left with words of regret, saying he would apologize for the wizards’ rudeness but that there had never been any intention to neglect Jin-ha.
“……”
Jin-ha wasn’t oblivious. By now, he could guess that Riyekan had come down to protect him but had made excuses because he didn’t want to acknowledge or speak of it.
But what difference did that make?
Legas seemed to be misunderstanding something, but Jin-ha had never thought that Riyekan had come to dislike him in the first place. In fact, Riyekan’s obsessive feelings toward him were merely desperate attempts to regain his own soul, so discussing likes and dislikes seemed ridiculous.
It was just a pile of coincidences that had led to the current situation. The fact that he had developed feelings for Riyekan in the process was unfortunate, but since he himself didn’t approve of this love either, it might actually be for the best.
Yes, it’s for the best.
Jin-ha thought as he drank his lava-hot coffee.
“Section Chief!”
“Yes. What is it?”
Young wizards who had finished their classes and returned to the annex crowded around Jin-ha.
“We asked the teacher today.”
“He said he’ll continue teaching us magic even if the Master’s interest fades.”
“So you don’t have to worry about messing things up!”
“Since you found the Master burdensome, this might be for the best.”
“That’s right. Your complexion would darken every time you went to the tower.”
It seemed today’s incident hadn’t spread as rumors. The person responsible for that was certainly Legas. Until now, he hadn’t cared whether useless rumors spread, but this time, it seemed he had properly silenced everyone.
Jin-ha nodded, saying, “That’s fortunate.”
“We won’t learn high-level magic, but he’ll guide us enough to build a foundation. After that, we have to follow the tower’s instructions, but if we pass the test, we might be able to take more advanced classes.”
Jin-ha gave a light applause to the young wizard who was speaking proudly.
“That’s excellent.”
“Thank you!”
“Now please write a report.”
“…What?”
“You need to document the fact that you received such an answer, so it can be properly utilized when the time comes.”
They shouldn’t have asked. The children’s expressions were screaming in protest.
“Though you are students, you’re also public servants. And reports are?”
“A public servant’s basic skill…”
The children answered in unison, then dispersed to their rooms with slumped shoulders. One child declared, “When I get a higher rank, I’ll make my subordinates do all the reports…” Unfortunately, in the Republic of Korea, every public servant except the president had to master report writing. Otherwise, they were destined to create embarrassing moments during presentations.
When only the two of them remained, Seo Ji-seop approached as if he had been waiting, bent his already short figure lower, and spoke in a hushed voice like he was sharing a secret.
“Jin-ha, something’s strange about the tower.”
“What… do you mean?”
“I’m not sure exactly what’s happening, but somehow the first floor feels different, and the way people look at us seems subtly wary…”
Jin-ha, who had momentarily doubted Legas’s control, was impressed by Seo Ji-seop’s beast-like intuition.
“And now that I’m back, you seem a bit off too…?”
“Your intuition is uselessly sharp…”
“That’s right, I have good intuition. So tell me. What is it?”
Jin-ha stood up from the table where he had been sitting and changed from his slippers to the shoes he had placed against the wall. After folding the notebook he had spread on the table and putting it in his chest pocket, his preparations were complete.
“I’m planning to sneak into Riyekan’s room.”
“…What?”
Startled, Seo Ji-seop seemed to realize something and made a lewd expression. This man, obsessed with others’ love lives, was clearly thinking something unnecessary. Jin-ha struck Seo Ji-seop’s shoulder in disgust.
“What are you imagining? It’s not like that, I’m just talking about regular breaking and entering.”
“Breaking… Love is not a crime, Jin-ha…”
“…Hah… Fine. Just take care of the kids. Understood?”
“Sure. It’s okay to stay out overnight! Have a good time!”
Ignoring was the best response at times like this. Jin-ha silently ignored Seo Ji-seop, who was dramatically waving his hand, and left the annex.
Recently, the children had been studying late into the night in classrooms with non-removable magic books, returning only very late. The moon was at its highest point, and the stars were shining brilliantly.
At this hour, even the Noon Moon Tower was asleep, filled with darkness and silence. As he passed through the quiet hall and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, familiar confusion greeted him—stairs and pillars standing in positions that defied common architectural sense. Legas had said that up to the second floor was safe, but by Jin-ha’s standards, even the second floor was incredibly dangerous. The corridor was flanked by sheer cliffs on both sides, and the staircase in the middle of the corridor was surrounded by clouds from halfway up, making it impossible to guess where it led.
“Ah.”
Noticing a rope he hadn’t seen before hanging down, he looked up and saw a door floating in midair.
“…Isn’t this too obviously a trap?”
It seemed suspiciously like something terrible would happen the moment he climbed the rope and went through the door—like falling from 2,000 meters up. Were there really thieves who fell for such traps?
Jin-ha headed toward his destination, carefully avoiding the gently swaying rope. It was the abruptly ending corridor ahead.
* * *
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
