Interference? Leo contemplated this power he found. A very unique power no one had ever had. He scratched his hair in confusion, then heard something.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Leo spun his head toward the door and calmly walked toward it. Grasping the doorknob, he turned it slightly and looked out through the gap. It was a girl in a mage's robe with short silver hair, bright orange eyes, and bronze skin.
The Mage Tower's Vice President—Dark Elf Vonica. Leo had to remain focused and act normal.
'How do I act as Leo?'
He asked himself, his thoughts whirling like a tornado.
"Vonica, why have you come to my abode?"
Vonica remained expressionless and calm before replying, "I heard something shatter. A very peculiar sound. I predict it was the ink jar."
"Yes, yes it is. No worries, I have concluded that dilemma. And, ummm... gather the mages to the Library Hall at noon."
Vonica nodded and left, stepping softly on the floor.
Leo closed the door and sighed.
"Noir," he softly called out.
The ever-energetic spirit cat jumped out of his chest, swirling around in a circle.
"Could you explain what is happening, or what you are?"
Noir kept his paw-like hands to his mouth, giggling.
"I am Noir. Think of it as you wish. I have the power of elements, and that is all."
Leo put his thumb and index finger above his eyebrows, circling them. Sigh.
'For now, I should figure out some clues.'
He turned toward the desk to the right of the room with parchment and ink. His fingertips grazed the goatskin parchment.
'Wait… this language…'
This language was called Mycondian. It was similar to Turkish and Chinese writing. The parchments explained magic circles, but one had something else. Leo returned to the couch in the center and placed the parchment down and started reading.
"If you are reading this, I, Leo Vlaniz, am dead. I can't take it anymore—all these murmurs from animals, my illness, and the fake persona. It's time I die, and Vonica must adhere to my will and become the Mage Tower's President."
That was all the information it contained. Leo put his head back, tired.
It seemed that Leo had some special illness—hearing murmurs from many things—and a talent for absolutely nothing, which was all Vonica using her magic to make it look like Leo's, he thought.
Now, to really understand where Leo was, he quickly stacked books on his table from the bookshelf on the right. It was going to be an arduous night.
Leo blinked three times before waking. His head, placed on a book, slowly rose back. He stretched his arms out wide, yawning. He clicked his tongue.
After hastily reading many things like geography, language, religion, powers, government, economics, and history, he had one goal in mind: to somehow return to Korea.
With that in mind, Leo processed the information again. He lived on the northern continent Kyroniv, in a country named Myconia.
It also had strange geography, like the World-Dividing Range, which differentiated East and West, totaling over 23,000 feet. Located in that mountain range was an unexplored continent named Fuldtion. Its sea routes were quite perilous, as sea monsters blocked the path.
Its culture, based on Leo's analysis, seemed to be in the Victorian era before industrialization. The government was a mix of monarchy and parliamentary systems. The language: Mycondian.
The religion was perplexing. The vast majority worshipped the omniscient and omnipotent God, but some also worshipped others. Their units of currency ranged from minos, lisos, and conde, in ascending order.
They also had a king a hundred years ago—very benevolent, who gave people hope during the dark ages—named King Amandelt.
When the Descending Chaos, a catastrophic disaster that killed millions, occurred, he sacrificed himself for the people. They said a sleeping dragon in Fuldtion was the cause.
And finally, they had mages and swordsmen like in novels. Some noble knights could even receive blessings from gods.
With this deep understanding of the world, Leo planned to survive—and try to ask the Dimensions to return him back home.
As he finished his routine by washing his hands, he looked into the mirror, checking his Mage Tower robes. He caressed his face with his finger.
He opened the door to let a ray of light seep in. As he walked through the halls, he finally reached the stairs descending downwards.
'According to my memory, the library should be on the sixth floor'
His footsteps were near silence.
He finally arrived at a door made of dark wood with an ivory frame. He hesitantly touched the doorknob, debating whether he should go in. In the end, he twisted it and opened the door.
There, he saw endless bookshelves. In front of them, Vonica was sitting on a chair, sipping her tea with grace. Leo tilted his head sideways and then clapped his hands.
Vonica, startled, put her teacup back on the plate, trembling. She clapped her hands and stood up.
"Master Leo, all mages are going to gather in a few minutes or so. Would you like some tea?"
Leo kept a poker face and replied, "Yes. Three teaspoons of sugar."
He sat down on the opposite chair. A maid hurried over and poured the tea with a wry smile. Leo observed her expression. The maid picked up the spoon and spilled the sugar into the cup, stirring it gently.
He signaled with his hand for her to go away. As she stepped out of a three-meter radius, he started to sip his tea. The tea was hot, steaming upward and sweet. He placed the cup down on the plate.
There was an awkward silence between them. An atmosphere mixed with confusion. Vonica chose to break the silence.
"Master Leo, I was caught by surprise by your statement of calling all mages to gather here. So may I question why?"
Leo gulped down his saliva, hesitating in his response. The reason he had made such a request was because of the assassin who appeared in the night. He gave a faint smile and replied:
"You know how our mage faction is still one of the lowest-ranking factions. I suppose that Mother and Father wouldn't be delighted."
Leo sighed and continued his reasoning.
"So I was going to propose a promotion campaign."
He turned down to the papers held tightly at his waist in a pouch. He slid out a stack of around 10–20 pages and delivered them to Vonica's side.
'My idea was for everyone in the Mage Tower to have a promotion—meaning more guards and no assassination—resulting in me being able to get back home.'
Vonica read through the lines swiftly, her eyes focused. Her jaw almost dropped. She then sighed and slipped her fingers through her hair.
"This could result in more military force, but money could still be a problem. It seems you have rejected the idea, I suppose."
Leo chuckled and took a slip of folded paper from his pouch.
"I implore you to read the following—though it is still a plan which has yet to be in motion."
Again, Vonica began to read. Leo walked away to the middle of the library.
A pedestal stood, covered in gold. As he walked toward it, many eyes shined with greed, happiness, and glee.
Leo coughed and covered his mouth. He eyed his surroundings: mages, both male and female, maids, workers, and guards had all arrived.
'Vonica must have taken the opportunity to call everybody.'
"I have an announcement to make, everybody."
As everyone's gaze and attention turned toward Leo, eyes glistened with shock. Inwardly, he sighed.
What type of bastard was Leo Vlaniz?
"I am proposing a promotion campaign."
Gasps spread around the room. Whispers of gossip. Even the maids seemed shocked. Workers whispered to each other.
'I knew this was going to happen.'
Because of the mages' arrogant attitude, they wouldn't want to be compared to mere maids or workers.
"All people are able to participate. The campaign will start roughly three days from now. To apply, you can go to Miss Vonica's office."
With this, three days passed in a jiffy.