"Is this your answer?"
"…Yes."
"Hmm."
Renovan scrutinized the response sheet Luin had submitted, letting out a peculiar sound.
A moment later, he spoke again.
"Not bad. It was a simple question, but it couldn't have been easy for someone your age to come up with an answer."
Through a few carefully prepared questions, Renovan had tested Luin's talents.
Now, with a deep, piercing gaze, he stared at the boy sitting before him.
'Who is this kid, really?'
Though he had called the questions simple, Renovan was, after all, known as the greatest sage on the continent. Naturally, the questions he posed to gauge someone's ability were neither light nor straightforward.
And yet…
'His answers were oddly vague yet clever. Almost as if he did it on purpose.'
Luin's responses were just a touch more insightful and intelligent than one might expect from a child his age, but they seemed to deliberately leave gaps. It was as if he was aware of those gaps, knew the answers to fill them, but chose to stop at a certain point, deeming it sufficient.
"…"
Luin maintained an expression of innocent ignorance, but Renovan, who had long possessed the discerning insight to separate truth from falsehood, could sense something hidden beneath the surface.
'Interesting.'
Having lived for over a century and amassed nearly all the world's knowledge, Renovan rarely encountered someone who piqued his curiosity. Yet here was a boy who did just that.
And so, he pressed further.
"This answer to this question—how did you arrive at it?"
"Uh, well, it's like this…"
Luin began explaining, animatedly using his hands and feet, while Renovan closely observed every detail—his eyes, his expressions, even the smallest gestures.
Eventually, Luin concluded, "…and that's why I answered that way."
"And this answer here, what led to it?"
Renovan continued probing, challenging Luin's responses with follow-up questions. By the time Luin had answered them all, Renovan nodded slowly, muttering under his breath.
"You're a kid worth teaching."
"Pardon?"
"Ever thought about coming to the Magic Tower?"
"What?!"
To anyone listening, it was a shocking proposal from Renovan.
"If the talent I've seen in you is real, you could one day become the master of the Magic Tower. So…"
Renovan's eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity as he looked at the ten-year-old boy, causing Luin to feel an inexplicable chill.
'If I get dragged there, I'm done for.'
"Uh, thank you, sir, but I can't decide something like that on my own. I'd need to discuss it with my mother first…"
"Right, of course. That comes first. Daisy!"
Thud!
Renovan promptly stepped outside, calling for Luin's mother. Luin, feeling cold sweat trickle down his back, muttered to himself.
'Did I mess up?'
He had tried to come across as a vaguely talented genius, but somehow, it felt like Renovan had seen right through his act.
'Damn it. Am I really going to get dragged off to the Magic Tower? That'd be the end of me…'
As his mind raced with worst-case scenarios, a voice cut through.
"No way!"
Daisy's firm rejection of Renovan's proposal rang out.
"What do you mean, 'no way'? You asked me to teach your kid, and now that I'm offering to take him to the Magic Tower, you're refusing?"
"That was then, and this is now. I'm not sending Luin to the Magic Tower."
Her resolute tone left no room for argument, forcing Renovan to back down.
"Ugh, I have to get you to the Magic Tower somehow…!"
'Thank you, Mother!'
"I'm sorry, sir. I'd like to, but my mother said no."
"Sigh, fine. If your guardian is so adamantly against it, I can't force you. But from now on, I'll take you on as my official—no, my named disciple. Prepare yourself for some rigorous training."
"Named disciple?"
"That's right. From this day forward, you are the named disciple of Renovan Versaten."
"Th-thank you."
"No need to thank me. Your talent has proven itself."
As Renovan spoke casually, Daisy, upon hearing the news, let out a scream of joy.
"Kyaaa! Luin, I knew you could do it! A named disciple! My son, the disciple of Master Renovan!"
She hugged Luin tightly, her voice practically a shriek. To be recognized as a genius and named disciple by the continent's greatest sage, the Three Saints—any parent would be overjoyed.
But Luin had his doubts.
'Is this something to be happy about?'
With the memories of his past life as Number 1872 still intact, Luin cautiously recalled a well-known adage that circulated across the continent.
'Those with secrets to hide should never get entangled with the Magic Tower.'
[Tch, tch. What did I tell you? I said to go all out and show your full potential. You can't fool an old fox like him with half-hearted tricks.]
'I tried, okay?'
Luin silently shook his head at the grumbling voice of the Sword Spirit, muttering to himself.
If the Magic Tower ever discovered that Luin carried the memories of his past life as Number 1872…
'I might actually get kidnapped and dissected.'
But regrets wouldn't change anything now.
"I'll send you letters every week, Luin. You must respond to each one without fail."
"I understand."
"And I'll visit you on the last day of every month."
With those final words, Renovan Versaten returned to the Magic Tower.
Thus, Luin, heir to the bloodlines of Linegrime and Kaftalen, became the named disciple of Renovan Versaten, one of the Three Saints of the Magic Tower, and began receiving his teachings.
Time passed, and the seasons shifted.
"Hmm, time to head out."
Thud, clink!
An elderly man placed the monocle he'd been wearing on the desk, muttering in a dry voice as he rose from his seat.
At that moment, a voice called out from a framed portrait on the wall.
"Where are you off to these days?"
The old man shook his head and responded lightly.
"What is this, voyeurism? Have you been watching me from there the whole time?"
"Ahem, voyeurism? Hardly. I'm just curious because I've heard you've been going out a lot lately, Master Three Saints."
"Forget it. Focus on teaching the kids. Leave an old man like me alone."
"As the Tower Master, shouldn't I at least have a rough idea of what's going on?"
"Tch. If you were going to act like this, you should've done so back when you were a student, Adorno."
"What? Why bring up the past now?"
The voice from the portrait, tinged with indignation, belonged to Adorno Kxante, the current master of the Cerion Magic Tower—and one of Renovan's former disciples.
"I'm just saying," Renovan replied. "Aren't you busy enough dealing with that troublemaker these days?"
"Troublemaker? She's not a troublemaker, just… free-spirited."
"Hah, still covering for your granddaughter, huh? Word about her antics has spread through the entire tower."
"Hmm, is that so? Well, her skills are exceptional. Other council members and honorary professors keep coming to me, begging to take her under their wing."
Adorno's voice carried a hint of pride, prompting Renovan to recall a certain red-haired, troublemaking girl who had once visited him. He quickly shook his head and exclaimed, "Ugh, I wouldn't take that disaster even if you paid me."
"That's because you're so particular, Master…"
"What?"
"I mean, you have such unique vision and skill!"
"Save your silver tongue for the other council members, Tower Master."
"Haha, noted. But you still haven't answered my question."
Adorno deftly steered the conversation back, and Renovan gave a light chuckle, nodding.
"I've been making regular visits to Shairan Village."
"Shairan Village? The one east of the Great Forest, where the free folk live?"
"That's right. The only human village closest to the Great Forest."
"The Great Forest is one of the Seven Forbidden Zones, isn't it? Why are you going there?"
"There've been reports of magical beasts, the kind you'd only find deep in the Great Forest, appearing near the village. I went to investigate, but…"
"But?"
Adorno's question hung in the air. Renovan briefly thought of Luin, his named disciple, before responding in a cold tone.
"Do I need to report my every move to you?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant! It's a misunderstanding. You don't need to report your personal research to me."
Adorno hurriedly backtracked, then asked in a more serious tone, "But if beasts from the Great Forest are showing up near a human village, could there be an issue with the seal on the evil dragon Beremos?"
Renovan let out a small laugh at Adorno's quick change of topic, shaking his head.
"No need to worry about that yet. If there were a problem with Beremos's seal, the other dragons would've come to us by now."
"Ah, true."
"So, are you done with your pointless curiosity?"
"Haha, I've taken up too much of your time. My apologies."
"…We'll talk more later."
"Yes, Master Renovan. Until next time."
The presence in the portrait faded, and Adorno's voice fell silent. Renovan let out a quiet sigh.
"Why is everyone so nosy? Maybe it's a good thing that kid didn't come here. I nearly threw him into the heart of chaos out of my own greed."
Renovan was one of the few who knew about the marriage between Kabel and Daisy, despite opposition from the Linegrime and Kaftalen families. If a child bearing the blood of both families entered the Cerion Magic Tower…
"Ugh, just thinking about it is horrifying."
Renovan shuddered at the thought. Luin already carried the weight of two of the Four Heavenly Pillars. Adding more power and influence could be poison rather than medicine.
'The others wouldn't stay quiet.'
There might even be dangers within the Cerion Magic Tower itself. The title of Three Saints carried immense weight and authority.
Still…
"Well, being a named disciple should be fine. A bit of a shame, though…"
Muttering to himself, Renovan scanned his office once more before speaking softly.
"Teleport!"
A brilliant white light enveloped him, and soon, he vanished from the room.
A heavy silence settled over the now-empty office.
Or rather, it should have.
Creak.
The wardrobe door, previously shut, swung open, and an unexpected figure emerged.
"A named disciple, huh?"
A red-haired girl tilted her head, muttering with a scowl.
"Who's the jerk who cut in line?"
Grind.
"I'm gonna kill them. They're so dead!"
The mysterious girl clenched her teeth, her anger flaring toward an unknown target.
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T/N:
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