23.
“Take it.”
A moment later, the man in the robe tossed a pouch toward Philomel.
“Th-thank you.”
Philomel caught the pouch, her mind still reeling from the encounter.
“Are you always this absent-minded? You come to the Magic Tower without even knowing that swindlers haunt this place?”
“I didn’t know.”
Philomel replied quietly.
“A child who knows nothing of the world.”
A surge of resentment pricked at her, but she couldn’t refute it; it was true that she was ignorant of the world’s harsher edges. Such things were not the kind of knowledge one found in books.
Just then, the swindler tried to crawl away, seizing the moment while Philomel and the man were distracted.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
*Crunch—!*
The robed man stepped down hard on the swindler’s back.
“Ugh! You little punk! Do you know how old I am? Don’t you have any parents!”
The swindler screamed at the top of his lungs, his body pinned beneath the man’s boot.
“Unfortunately, my parents didn’t teach me the virtue of respecting elders.”
The robed man replied in a nonchalant voice.
As he applied more pressure, the swindler’s face turned sallow, his breath coming in wheezing, ragged gasps.
“You should know that this is the territory of the Magic Tower. I will deal with you not by imperial law, but by our own.”
Philomel couldn’t see his face beneath the hood, but she felt it in her gut: he genuinely intended to kill the man right there.
Her body stiffened. She had never witnessed a murder in her life.
“Tsk.”
Noticing Philomel’s pallor, the man removed his foot and shouted into the air.
“Lexion! Don’t just stand there watching—come out!”
“My, you caught me.”
A stranger popped out from behind Philomel. He was a red-haired man wearing glasses.
“Do you just watch when a visitor gets swindled?”
“I was merely observing the situation since you intervened first. Besides, it’s quite rare for you to perform a good deed.”
“‘Good deed,’ my foot. I’m taking this bastard to the disciplinary department. You handle the girl—find out why she’s here.”
He grabbed the swindler by the collar and dragged him toward the Magic Tower. The man seemed to have fainted, perhaps from the sheer weight of the killing intent he had just endured.
The intellectual-looking man remained, greeting Philomel with a pleasant smile.
“Since that is the case, pray tell me your business, and I shall guide you with all sincerity.”
Still dazed, Philomel collected herself. This was an opportunity she could not miss.
“I would like to see the Tower Master, Leguin. Could you arrange a meeting?”
“Ho-ho. And why would you wish to see him?”
The man pushed up his glasses.
“……Because I am his daughter.”
Philomel’s voice trembled. She didn’t know if he would believe her, but it was the truth.
A glint of intrigue flickered in the man’s golden eyes.
“I see. If that is your business, then of course I must grant you an audience.”
“……Yes?”
Philomel, who had expected skepticism, widened her eyes.
“Please follow me. I will lead you through the back entrance.”
The man began to walk away, his face perfectly composed. As she followed, Philomel couldn’t shake a sense of incongruity. His reaction was not what she had anticipated. According to common knowledge, Leguin was a bachelor; yet, this man hadn’t shown a shred of doubt at the mention of a daughter.
He seemed surprised, but only mildly so. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind that Leguin might have a secret family after all.
Philomel spoke toward the back of his red head.
“Excuse me, Mage.”
“My name is Lexion.”
“Oh…… then, Mr. Lexion?”
“Just call me Lexion.”
“Lexion, then.”
“Yes.”
“By any chance, is Leguin married?”
“Of course not.”
Thank goodness. At least the possibility of him having an affair with Katherine was gone. Philomel nodded, her expression tightening.
A short while later, Lexion drew a geometric pattern on a locked iron door with his finger. The air turned red, and the door groaned open with a metallic shriek.
They stepped into the stone building. The wide hallways were strangely empty.
“The building is massive, yet there are so few people around.”
“For mages, who are nocturnal creatures, it is still the crack of dawn.”
A dragon statue that looked almost comical stood in the foyer, while a passerby sprinted past clutching a bubbling test tube. A nearby tree bore fruits of varying, unnatural colors.
Though the place was filled with wonders, Philomel kept her eyes forward. The layout was a tangled maze; if she let her attention wander, she would lose Lexion.
“Hey Lexion, who reserved the 6th Laboratory for today?”
“Cadin. But he ran off last week out of boredom, so it’ll be a while before he returns.”
Lexion answered the query of a passing mage with ease. He didn’t even break his stride as he gave a light, disciplinary nudge to another mage who had collapsed in the hallway, reeking of alcohol.
“Go inside and sleep. You’ll catch a chill out here.”
After leaving Philomel in front of a heavy door, he returned ten minutes later with an old booklet.
“My apologies. It’s an archival record, so it took a moment to locate.”
“It’s alright.”
He flipped through the pages.
“Once I confirm a few details, I will let you meet Leguin. What is your mother’s name?”
“Pardon? Ah, Katherine Hownz.”
“It’s here.”
“What is her age? Her height, weight, and any other physical characteristics you might recall?”
Philomel stammered out the answers to the best of her memory, and Lexion closed the booklet.
“Confirmed. Let’s go to Leguin’s room.”
It was a strange interrogation. *Could it be that Katherine’s information is stored in that booklet?* Philomel wondered, tilting her head.
By the time they reached a grand hall, Philomel finally ventured a question.
“Um…… aren’t you surprised?”
“Surprised by what?”
“That I am Leguin’s daughter.”
“Not really. Though I am curious why you waited so long to come.”
“Late, what do you mean by that……?”
“Watch your step.”
“Eek!”
The floor moved. No, the object she had assumed was the floor was a circular platform that had detached and begun to rise.
“……It’s a levitation stone.”
Philomel realized it belatedly, whispering the words. Levitation stones were rare, used in the high buildings of the Imperial Palace.
“It seems you have experience with them.”
*Oh no.* Philomel tried to recover. If she revealed she had seen something as precious as a levitation stone, her true identity might be at risk.
“Not at all. I read about them in a book.”
She stubbornly ignored Lexion’s amused gaze.
“We have arrived.”
They disembarked on the top floor. Before they reached the final room, Lexion fixed his gaze on Philomel’s hands.
“And why don’t you take that off? He doesn’t particularly care for divine power.”
The red gem of the ring glittered under his scrutiny.
“……I didn’t hide my identity with any malicious intent.”
Philomel excused herself, removing the Solar Flare Ring and tucking it into her bag. To Lexion, she must have appeared a suspicious intruder.
“I know. And I know your identity, too.”
Lexion said this nonchalantly, his hands laced behind his neck.
Philomel froze, staring at him in shock.
“Unlike other mages, I read the newspapers diligently and take an interest in current affairs, Princess Philomel.”
“……Are you going to report me?”
Her voice was tight, thin with tension.
“Haha. If I intended to do that, I wouldn’t have guided you here. Rest easy. One piece of advice: don’t take everything Leguin says too seriously.”
He opened the door while saying something nonsensical.
“……Thank you.”
Philomel bowed and stepped into the room.
It was packed with miscellaneous artifacts, making the large space feel cramped and stifling. Philomel stood in the doorway while Lexion navigated the clutter. Despite the week-long journey that had brought her here, her nerves finally frayed.
Her biological father was in this room.