‘Strange.’
“...”
“...”
‘This feels strange.’
I could feel something swell within me. Jung Ha-Yan’s words had touched me so deeply that, for a moment, I couldn’t even control my emotions. I couldn't deny that fact, and even I was a bit startled by it. The chocolate she pulled out from her pocket, her arms that hugged me so tightly that it hurt a bit... they were sincere.
She sympathized with the little mage's pain.
‘Maybe my method acting was a little too much.’
It was as if she had projected her own pain and offered a small comfort in return. Of course, her method was clumsy, but perhaps that clumsiness allowed it to move my heart. It wasn’t just an empty gesture of comfort. I could feel that she truly meant it. Naturally, my fingers fiddled with the chocolate in my hand.
‘It feels too precious to eat.’
For some reason, I want to keep and hide it.
Just as she consoled me, I, too, felt a desire to comfort her.
‘Is that why? Is it just because of this single piece of chocolate that I want to save Jung Ha-Yan?’
'Am I simply pitying her as a fellow human being?'
That could certainly be the case, but it wasn't entirely rational. Of course, it wasn't like I was unaware of her misfortune in the first life. Despite being cast aside by her family and summoned to the continent, she managed to climb to a position of power, yes, but even then, she remained alone.
“...”
“...”
The one she believed she loved had only used her, and even her only disciple lost their life soon after a conflict with her.
It wasn’t that there weren’t people who liked her, but for most, just goodwill wasn’t enough. She was too great a figure. What stood out wasn’t Jung Ha-Yan as a person, but Jung Ha-Yan the Archmage. Even in the Magic Tower, she was alone. Even the only friend she had, magic itself, had betrayed her. To be precise, she betrayed magic.
She, who had devoted herself to chasing and pursuing truth, used the very power she possessed to take lives. Only she would know the true depth of the despair she felt back then, and how much she agonized before deciding to take part in this war.
‘Damn it. Save people and they still curse at you.’
First Life Jung Ha-Yan was strong and mature, but not as resolute and numb as Second Life Jung Ha-Yan. On the contrary, she was fragile, easily shaken, and tender-hearted.
Just as she could readily empathize with the pain of others, she could also feel her own pain more vividly than others.
‘See?’
Even though I was the one receiving her comfort, her eyes were brimming with tears.
"It’s okay...” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“...”
“It’s okay...”
Her mumbling sounded less like words meant for me and more like something she was telling herself.
“From now on... from here on out, only good things will happen,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
“...”
‘She must’ve gone through a lot.’
“Miss Jung Ha-Yan... are you happy, too?” I asked.
“...”
“...”
“Yes,” she replied.
‘Lies.’
“The Magic Tower is a wonderful place,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
‘She’s bad at lying.’
It was the same in both the first life and the second life. Aware that her words carried no sincerity, she hurriedly scrambled to add more, saying, “O-Of course, not every single day is fun. Sometimes I clash with other mages... and when the formulas don’t work out the way I thought they would, I get stressed, too.
"But overall, it’s a good place to live. The food is tasty.. And I can read a lot of theses.”
“Ah...”
“To be honest, most of them are useless... Ah, no, no, I mean... just a little lacking. Still, working alongside passionate people, solving formulas alone in my lab, occasionally meeting mages from other places... they're fun.
"Even if it’s become a little corrupted now... it's a really fun place,” Jung Ha-Yan added.
“Corrupted?” I asked.
“Ah, y-you don’t have to worry about that. It’s not like I don’t understand why things turned out that way. There are some... unavoidable circumstances. Yes, some things just can’t be helped,” Jung Ha-Yan answered.
‘She does feel responsible.’
The spells she provided were now being used as killing spells. There was no way she could be at peace with that.
‘The old men of the tower must’ve pressured her every day, demanding nothing but more lethal spells...’
Some factions tried to protect her, but given the times, their strength was limited.
“A-Anyway, the point is...” Jung Ha-Yan paused.
“Yes?’
“That everything will be fine now. There’ll still be hard times... but your dreams will come true. You’ll be able to help people, and someday, you’ll definitely build a warp gate. The long war is over... and even though people say a new one might rise, we have to think positively. Things will change now. Hehe...” Jung Ha-Yan giggled.
‘Really?’
'But why do you look so gloomy?'
Even though she was the one who said it, her face still seemed dark.
“You’ll be happy. I’m sure of it,” Jung Ha-Yan said, reassuring me.
“O-Okay!”
Answering confidently was basically the unspoken rule here. Perhaps thinking her words had comforted me, Jung Ha-Yan patted my head.
“Heh... hehehe...” Jung Ha-Yan giggled.
‘She’s suddenly finding me cute.’
“Heh... hehehehe...” Jung Ha-Yan continued to giggle.
She seemed to be in a better mood now, and perhaps it was time for her to stop patting my head. We had been staying in the exact same spot for about fourteen minutes now.
Jung Ha-Yan focused on patting my head jumped slightly in surprise and quickly withdrew her hand, muttering something like, “Sorry, sorry.”
But by now, she had already satisfied her hidden desires. Feeling embarrassed by her own actions, she completely forgot about showing me around the tower and bolted away.
“I-I’m sorry!” Her words echoed like a shout. She even tumbled with a thud and rubbed her knees with her hands. Embarrassed, she dashed away at an even faster pace—an almost comical sight.
‘Has she always been funny and comical all this time?’
'You can’t just leave me alone here... There’s no one else here, so what am I supposed to do...?'
I looked around, but there was no one around. It seemed I had spent quite a bit of time with her, as the sky was starting to darken.
'Did Giena’s disciple think it was fine to leave me entirely in Jung Ha-Yan’s care?'
She seemed to have decided to do her own thing, which made the situation all the more ridiculous.
‘Actually, I like it.’
At least, I could look around freely now. I could even find clues related to this incident... and even though the tower had just been repaired, there could be hidden easter eggs somewhere. I was curious if the hexagram I saw when I first came here was still there.
After a nod, I wandered aimlessly.
‘Joint Research Lab.’
“...”
‘Mage Dormitory.’
“...”
‘Apprentice Mage Practice Hall.’
Up next was the upper floor... I quickly realized that the tower was much bigger than I expected. Perhaps thanks to spatial expansion magic, it was far larger than it looked from the outside. I could easily get lost if I wasn’t careful. The corridors were like a maze, almost as if they were meant to test my memory, and several illusion and trap spells were constantly active.
Even joking that someone could get lost here and starve wouldn't sound like a joke. It was entirely feasible.
On top of that...
‘The hexagram is still there...’
The hexagram hadn’t disappeared yet. The damaged parts remained damaged, but the hexagram was still there. I had known this in theory, but now, I finally understood what it meant when people said it wasn’t simply engraved on an object, but on the continent itself.
As I ascended the tower...
“Don’t move, kid,” a girl said.
Suddenly, I felt the cold touch of a blade pressed against my neck.
‘Wait, why is someone waving a knife around so openly here?’
“Slowly, raise your hands. Don’t say a word...” she instructed.
I could feel hands on my body, as if checking whether I was armed.
“Just answer my questions. Why are you here?”
“...” “Answer,” she demanded.
“T-To take the test...” I replied.
“What?”
“T-The apprentice mage test...” I clarified.
“I thought the exam ended a while ago. So why are you wandering around here?” she asked.
“H-Huh? I got lost,” I said.
“You got lost and ended up near Ha-Yan unni’s room? That’s ridiculous. Where did you come from?” she questioned.
“I-It’s true. I-I received an offer to join as Miss Giena’s disciple, and... suddenly Miss Jung Ha-Yan came looking for me and we talked briefly... and then she suddenly disappeared...” I explained.
“...”
“...”
Since she was holding me from behind, I couldn’t see her face, but when I checked through my Telescope, I saw her familiar face.
‘Kim Ah-Young.’
In the first life, she was someone pretty close to Jung Ha-Yan.
“Th-The Blue Guild sent me to the Magic Tower. I was being guided by Miss Park Joo-Hwa, but... suddenly, everyone disappeared... I searched around and even ran into a strange illusion spell. I was just going straight up, and then suddenly...” I paused.
‘How could she possibly mistake me for an assassin?’
Logically, how could a little kid like me even attempt an assassination? My nervous voice, hunched posture, and the stance I took showed that her blade was threatening me. Even I felt like I was rambling, but going with this attitude worked better.
Sure enough, I could feel her lowering her guard. The story of a powerless little mage infiltrating the tower alone to kill Jung Ha-Yan sounded less believable than the testimony that Jung Ha-Yan had simply vanished.
Eventually, she removed her dagger from my neck.
“Hmm... an apprentice mage, huh?” Kim Ah-Young asked.
“Yes.”
“Ha-Yan unni came looking for you?” Kim Ah-Young asked.
“Th-That’s right,” I stuttered.
“Hmm... that’s a plausible story. Doesn’t even sound like a lie... alright. I’ll confirm it later. I’ll also call for a mage who can guide you,” Kim Ah-Young offered.
“Ah... thank you!” I said.
“No need to thank me. If you really are an apprentice mage... I’m sure Ha-Yan unni will scold me, so this stays between us, got it?” Kim Ah-Young asked.
“Ah... okay!” I answered.
“Very good. I’m glad you understand,” Kim Ah-Young commented.𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
She grinned, and as if finally understanding the situation, she nodded and knocked on the door.
“Ha-Yan unni?” Kim Ah-Young called out.
“...” “Ha-Yan unni!” Kim Ah-Young shouted.
At last, the door creaked open.
“Unni...” Kim Ah-Young muttered.
“...”
“Unni?”
“...”
“...”
“AH! AAAAAH! Unni! UNNI!!” Kim Ah-Young shrieked.
I couldn’t see inside, but instinctively, I knew what had happened.
“Uh... uh... uh?”
Jung Ha-Yan had hanged herself.