Chapter 58
A place where physical enhancement magic had been generously applied.
If training outside increased one’s abilities by 1, training here would increase them by 10.
Even if one were injured or severely wounded, they would heal in no time.
With her own healing abilities, she was confident she could save anyone even if they fell from the highest peak.
‘It was like this a long time ago too.’
Now, it seemed like a place no one visited anymore, but in the past, it had often been used for training knights under the Ellsia Count’s estate.
It was familiar, nostalgic, and bitter all at once. A flood of emotions washed over Ceres, making her close her eyes for a moment.
The place had been abandoned for so long that the path leading to the cave was completely overgrown with thick vegetation, to the point where even Ceres doubted her own memory.
‘Are they idiots?’
Why would they abandon such a valuable training ground?
Had they truly given up on swordsmanship entirely?
Clicking her tongue repeatedly, Ceres recalled the knights who remained at the Ellsia Count’s estate.
“Are we really supposed to climb that rocky mountain?”
“Yes. Once you get used to the rocky mountain, you’ll move on to that snow-covered mountain.”
“……”
Was she serious? Was she actually expecting them to climb that?
“What are you doing? Start climbing.”
…She was serious.
“I’ll give you exactly one hour. Whoever comes in last will have their training intensity doubled tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Get ready…”
“W-Wait! Sister!”
“Start!”
“……!”
At Ceres’s signal, they all instinctively dashed forward.
Their instincts screamed that they must not come in last!
***
“What’s wrong with them?”
“No idea. They’ve been like this every day recently.”
Iron, the leader of Group A, tilted his head as he looked at the students sprawled over their desks as if they had coordinated it.
All of them were from Group B, which only made him more curious.
For days, they had rushed off somewhere as soon as class ended, and when they returned, they were always like this in the classroom.
What the hell were they up to?
“Hey.”
“……”
Iron called out to Antonion, who was sitting closest to him.
But there was no reaction from Antonion.
Had he fallen into a deep sleep?
‘Still, ignoring me?’
Bang!
Irritated, Iron kicked the desk hard.
Only then did Antonion slowly lift his head to look at him.
“…What?”
Iron flinched unconsciously when his eyes met Antonion’s.
What was that lifeless expression?
He looked utterly drained, like someone whose soul had been sucked out.
For a moment, Iron was speechless.
He stood there, dazed, before regaining his composure and speaking after a long pause.
“What the hell have you guys been doing lately?”
“…Good question. What exactly are we doing?”
“You crazy bastard. What are you even saying?”
“Iron…”
Antonion called his name in a strangely wistful tone.
“W-What?”
Feeling a sudden chill, Iron frowned deeply as he looked at Antonion.
“You were… at least a decent guy.”
“What?”
“Just saying.”
He finally understood—what they had endured before was nothing more than childish bullying.
“Haa.”
With a long sigh, Antonion turned his gaze toward the far-off mountain that was barely visible.
Mountains… mountains… damn mountains!
Swish.
As if in agreement, the students who had been slumped over their desks slowly sat up one by one.
“……!”
Their expressions were just as hollow as Antonion’s.
“…You wouldn’t understand.”
“My body isn’t tired, but my mind is exhausted beyond belief.”
“If I could just collapse from exhaustion, that would be great, but this insane body won’t even let me fall. Why the hell am I still fine…?”
“Exactly.”
Had they all gone mad? What the hell were they saying?
Even as Iron gave them strange looks, the Group B students let out long sighs in unison.
“You know what’s even crazier?”
It was exhausting, draining, and maddeningly difficult!
‘And yet, we still want to go back there.’
Antonion and the others clenched their fists as they looked at their hands.
They could tell. Their stamina and skills were improving at an incredible rate.
They didn’t know exactly why, but whenever they followed Ceres’s training, their bodies changed.
For those who had been desperate for results, that place had become something they couldn’t give up.
“We’re heading to the snow mountain today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shouldn’t we at least bring scarves or something?”
“Scarves? Forget it. Even if you get thrown into the river and stay submerged all day, you won’t catch a cold. If you bring something like that, she’ll say your mindset is weak, and you’ll have to climb the snow mountain twice instead of once. You know how she is.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Antonion… what exactly is your sister?”
“…I don’t know either.”
The group let out another long sigh.
Watching them, Iron’s expression twisted in frustration.
What the hell? Were they ignoring him now?
“Hey!”
Swish.
“……!”
About a dozen pairs of lifeless eyes turned toward him at once.
Iron instinctively flinched.
“Iron, do you know how to clean?”
“What?”
“You should learn. You’ll be doing it soon enough.”
Leaving the dumbfounded Iron behind, Group B once again slumped over their desks to sleep.
They needed every bit of rest they could get before another grueling session.
***
“This is driving me crazy.”
Chaian, the Tower Master, sat perched on the windowsill, ruffling his hair in frustration.
He had been thinking about it for days, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find an answer.
“There really was no one, Luka?”
“No, there wasn’t. If the 21st door had been opened, word would have spread by now. Whoever opened it wouldn’t have just left the formulas and magical artifacts behind.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Annoyed, Chaian pushed back his messy hair.
It was beyond his comprehension, and it was making his head hurt.
A few days ago, he had successfully opened the next door in the small white tower created by the former Tower Master, Arthia.
He had found the answer to the 21st challenge in the first edition of Arthia’s autobiography at an old bookstore.
Excited, he had eagerly stepped into the room.
[Welcome. Congratulations on being the second person to enter this room.]
‘…Second?’
His joy was short-lived. Arthia’s words left him stunned.
He had been the first to enter the 20th room. So how could someone else have already entered the 21st before him?
“The magical artifacts were still there, too.”
If the door had been opened, shouldn’t the rewards have been taken?
Yet, the valuable artifacts in the 21st room remained untouched.
“Could it be an error?”
“Do you think someone as brilliant as Arthia would make a mistake like that?”
Chaian immediately dismissed the idea.
That Arthia?
The greatest mage in history, making such a sloppy mistake?
“Someone definitely entered the 21st room before me. Keep looking into it. Check everyone who has been coming and going recently.”
“Understood.”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out.
Why would someone leave behind those artifacts?
For any mage, they would be an irresistible temptation.
“Maybe they weren’t a mage.”
“……!”
A foreign voice suddenly cut into their conversation.
Chaian and Luka turned their heads sharply to see a man leaning against the doorway.
“You…!”
“…Frozen corpse?”
Kainel Persia.
Both men’s eyes widened at his sudden appearance.
“What the hell? How did you even get in here?”
To enter the Tower without permission, one had to bypass numerous protective spells.
The last time the Spirit King of Fire had attempted to force his way in, he had caused a massive uproar, proving that the Tower did not allow intruders so easily.
The Tower Master’s office was even more protected.
‘What kind of magic did he use?’
Rather than being surprised by Kainel’s presence, Chaian was more curious about how he had gotten in.
“Secret passage.”
“Secret passage? What do you mean?”
There was such a thing?
A passage the Tower Master himself didn’t know about?
Chaian was so shocked that he didn’t even realize he had dropped all formalities when speaking to Kainel.
“Do you want to know?”
“Yes!”
Chaian eagerly nodded.
Kainel stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
Seeing his superior show no wariness at all, Luka sighed and quickly moved to stand in front of him.
“What brings you here?”
Wasn’t this all too strange?
Not just the secret passage, but the fact that the Grand Duke of Persia had shown up at the Tower unannounced.
“I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Not something I need to ask you.”
“If I can’t answer it, then neither can Master Chaian.”
“What makes you so sure of that?”
“Good question.”
—
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