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Chapter 34: I wonder how much of a busybody this is.
When, long ago, several great mages gathered to build an academy on the peninsula, people were perplexed.
That place wasn't a powerful country, nor was it rich in resources; it was just a land reduced to rags after the Second Great Magic War.
Why build magic towers and schools in a poor country with no apparent advantages?
When asked, the great mages answered:
"Because we feel like it."
People criticized them for such an insincere response, but the great mages proved themselves through results.
Through the towers and schools they built with their own hands, they turned the poorest land in the East into a country of learning.
As the wise gathered and worked together, the ignorant were finally able to rise above the level of beasts and enjoy the education befitting ordinary people.
Seeing this village overflowing with wisdom, people from all over the world marveled and rushed to it.
Among them was the young Elneor Grants — future Blue Tower Master — who headed for the peninsula, heart pounding with excitement.
After the Magic War had left every country in ruins, education everywhere was in shambles.
Amidst such times, the cradle personally built by the great mages was not something to miss.
Thus, the young girl mage Elneor Grants became a student at the peninsula’s magic academy.
It would later become the predecessor of the Seoul Academy of Supernatural Abilities.
Decades passed after that,
Elneor Grants, having received the teachings of her seniors, rose to become an archmage and built her own tower, passing down her knowledge to juniors.
She was greedy.
One day, she would leave her name in history, to be remembered as a mage as great as her predecessors.
She wanted to surpass humanity and become a star.
She wished not merely to be a seeker of magic, but a transcendent observer who records the universe.
And yet, she was an utterly ordinary human being, desiring admiration.
Elneor was greedy.
She didn’t want to die.
So, she decided to close her eyes — just for a moment — and break the sacred taboo she had once learned about in school.
She considered devouring a student — her own protégé — with an elixir.
The Blue Tower’s master, Elneor Grants, who had lived past one hundred years, saw it.
Creaaak──
The door opening carefully — and there stood her junior mage, severely ill.
Seeing Seol Yeonhwa, her face paler than usual and breath labored, Elneor smiled kindly.
See, Erneon.
There’s no such thing as "slowly" when things are this urgent.
To a high mage who had spent a lifetime studying countless spells, even a fleeting intuition worked like magic.
"You must be very sick, Yeonhwa."
She can't die yet.
There are things she still has to offer.
Dying alone would be troublesome.
Elneor’s eyes flashed as she grabbed her protégé’s hand.
"Should Grandma take care of you?"
Indeed, the poor girl’s body was so frail and cold that urgent care was needed.
The hand she held was cold — almost icily so.
But to Elneor, Seol Yeonhwa’s hand only felt pleasant.
"Let’s go together, okay?"
So she gripped the hand tightly, making sure she could never let go.
* * *
There were no school notices to deliver, but there was a potion to gift, so I stopped by the department office to get the home address.
-Oh, right, we live in the same apartment complex, don’t we?
Honestly, I wondered if I should really be given this information, but it had already been three days since she had missed school.
She might actually be dead.
So, as a neighbor, I agreed it was best to quietly check on her.
When I looked up the address, it was just a five-minute walk from my place.
If not for waiting for the elevator, it would have felt even closer — practically like visiting the corner store.
Anyway, to quickly finish the potion, we held an emergency party after school and cleared the dungeon.
Kueeek! Squeaaal!
Groooar!!
I usually just defended, but this time I actively jumped in, defeating orcs and trolls.
We reached the treasure room in no time.
Thanks to Maho’s ultra-lucky hand, we drew every material we needed — gathering all the ingredients took less than an hour.
‘...This is already amazing, but can luck even get better than this?’
I marveled again.
I didn’t know how incredible a mage she might become in the future, but honestly, even just dragging her around as a porter would be great value.
If I ever formed an official party later on, I swore to recruit this lucky girl no matter what.
For reference, Emir, as usual, stayed in the rear documenting our progress, and Sephine couldn't make it in time because of the sudden call.
Later, I heard she screamed her head off through texts for some reason.
Well, it was an emergency summon, so if she had prior plans, it couldn’t be helped.
There was no reason to resent her or glare about it.
Besides, the draw results were so good.
Whooosh──
After returning home, I added the newly acquired ingredients and completed the Elixir of Vitality.
A liquid glowing brilliant red like the sun.
Packed with nutrients and vigor, strawberry-flavored, and scented with citrus — a perfect ultimate healing potion.
Of course, it wouldn’t magically make someone spring back to their feet after just one dose, but with some help, it would dramatically improve their condition.
"Alright then, shall we go?"
[The goddess nods with a proud expression.]
Holding the completed potion, I headed to Seol Yeonhwa's house, the address given to me by the department office.
Normally, visiting a girl's house in the evening might be considered extremely rude, but hey, this was a reversed world.
It probably didn’t matter.
Besides, I was technically the 'female' side in this position.
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[The goddess tilts her head, questioning if that's really the case.]
One minute on foot.
Four minutes up and down the elevator.
In total, I arrived at her doorstep in about five minutes and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—
Ding-dong—ding-dong—
Even after pressing the doorbell several times, there was no sign of anyone inside.
"Hmm?"
It wasn't like the house was so big that I couldn't sense her presence.
I unfolded my aura, which I had kept suppressed for privacy reasons, and realized — the place was completely empty.
Feeling a bit guilty, I analyzed the surrounding magic traces and suddenly came to a realization.
"She’s definitely been kidnapped!"
[The goddess widens her eyes and demands to know what clue led to that conclusion.]
"I was joking."
[The goddess scowls deeply, contemplating how to dispose of this hero.]
Come on, that's a terrifying thing to consider.
"I don’t know if it's a kidnapping, but someone visited recently."
Apart from Seol Yeonhwa's presence, there were traces of someone else at the door.
A similarly cold but much deeper magic, and an orderly aura.
In short, it was someone with considerable skill — likely a high-level mage.
Maybe someone from the same organization had come to visit on some matter.
'Maybe it’s because of that... thing?'
Still, no matter how important or urgent it is, shouldn't a student at least notify the school if they're going to miss classes?
Well, I did skip a day myself, but it was neatly processed as medical leave.
[The goddess jeers, calling you a teacher's pet.]
'Isn’t being loved a good thing, regardless?'
[She frowns even more and boos you further.]
In any case, since the resident wasn't home, I thought about leaving — but something didn't sit right.
The intuition honed over countless life-or-death experiences over decades was not something to ignore.
Sometimes it's just a shiver down your spine, but when it's right like this, it leaves a nasty aftertaste.
You always end up regretting not acting when you had the feeling.
'Hmm, I wonder how much of a busybody I’m being here.'
After tapping my chin in thought, I quickly made a decision.
"It's the weekend tomorrow anyway. I can spare a little time, right?"
Besides, it’s about helping someone.
If she’s not sick, then that’s good news too.
As a same-age friend, visiting her workplace wouldn’t be such a major offense.
Probably?
[The goddess gives a benevolent smile and nods.]
Even the goddess approved, so there was nothing more to hesitate over.
* * *
"...You're being way too hasty."
When Archmage Elneor Grants brought back the pale and trembling Seol Yeonhwa, Doctor Erneon frowned deeply.
Elneor, her expression colder than usual, simply stared at him and said,
"If we dawdle too long, we might miss the chance altogether."
"It's not just about being slow — there’s a proper procedure for this."
"Following every procedure to the letter would kill her."
As she placed Seol Yeonhwa onto the operating table without hesitation, Erneon blinked in disbelief.
Had this crazy old woman eaten something bad?
Just a few days ago, the atmosphere between them had seemed good, but now, even toward him — supposedly an ally — she was giving off an icy, hostile vibe.
"Look, to perfectly transfer a constitution, you need time. Time for the patient to accept you as a trusted ally. The magic circuits inside her need to recognize you like part of her own body, okay?"
"If we proceed that slowly, I’m the one who’s going to die. Erneon, you’re not planning to continue the experiment after both of us are dead, are you? If we don't want to be late, we need to start warming things up right now."
"...Tch."
It felt like getting smacked in the back of the head.
This old woman was so consumed by the fear of her dwindling lifespan that she no longer trusted anyone.
Even the ones she'd agreed with in advance — now she was looking at him with that cold, suspicious gaze.
The desperation of an aging monster trying to stave off death was truly hideous and pitiful.
Erneon began to reconsider his plans.
'...Maybe it’s already time to overturn the whole board.'
Looking back and forth between the groaning Seol Yeonhwa on the operating table and the old mage before him, Erneon frowned and twitched his fingers.
Fine, reshaping the board wasn’t such a bad idea.
As Doctor Erneon, a high-ranking black mage himself, began to gather his magic—
Beep!
With the first alarm sound,
WEEEOOOO!!
Suddenly, the tower’s emergency alarm system blared to life.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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