Chapter 56

Riana, the words of Ronos, who told her to follow her master and pursue the purple flames.

Taking that as the decisive clue, all the pieces finally fell into place.

And the conclusion I had to deliver to Riana, after piecing everything together, was something she would find hard to accept.

Perhaps it would leave a deep wound, or even a scar that would never fade.

Or maybe it would become a burden so heavy it would weigh on her for the rest of her life.

“Riana. You need to listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. Understand?”

But I had to say what needed to be said, and tell her what she needed to know.

Especially since it was Riana.

Because she was someone I cared for, I steeled myself even more.

It was about shattering Riana’s dream of becoming a magician, but for the sake of a better future, not one that would end in ruin like in our past lives.

It was something that absolutely had to be done.

“When you saw the purple flames your master conjured, you said you felt an indescribable fear and discomfort. You even said you got goosebumps all over.”

“Yeah. It was a really strange feeling, hard to put into words.”

“And that’s understandable. If you ask why you felt that way, the answer is simple. It’s because those flames don’t belong to this world.”

“Not of this world?”

“Right. That purple hue isn’t just any color—it’s the color of the flames of the demons our Vanguard fights.”

Now was the time to reveal the cold truth.

“It’s the color of demonic flames.”

“……?”

Riana’s eyes widened, then narrowed as she started to laugh.

“Come on, stop joking. The flames of demons and my master’s flames are different. My master is a human living in this world, right? So how can his flames not belong to this world? That’s just wordplay.”

Riana spoke as if I was saying something ridiculous.

To add weight to my words, Abelin chimed in.

“Lady Riana, it’s hard to believe, but everything Kairon is saying is true. I didn’t believe it at first either, but I had no choice but to accept it.”

“Lady Abelin……?”

“Right. What we’re saying isn’t some kind of joke, Riana. Even Abelin, who looks as serious as ever, is saying it.”

“Wait, Kairon. What exactly do you mean by that……”

“You know, right? To enter the Magic Tower, you have to convince the strict Gatekeeper.”

At my serious expression and tone, Riana also stopped laughing and nodded seriously.

“Yeah, I know. Visitors are only allowed in if the Gatekeeper thinks it’s beneficial for the Magic Tower, or if he feels it’s necessary. So I was curious. Come to think of it, the Gatekeeper seemed unusually anxious and restless. What kind of value did you present to get in?”

“Well, that’s because……”

I glanced at Abelin, wondering if I was saying something unnecessary.

But Abelin nodded, affirming that what I was doing was right.

“We sensed the presence of a demon in this Magic Tower, and we’ve figured out who it is.”

“A demon in the Rostia Magic Tower……”

Then, being as sharp as ever, Riana naturally drew the next conclusion.

“Then, don’t tell me, my master, who conjures flames from another world, is that demon?”

“Bingo. That’s exactly the ‘don’t tell me.'”

“But how? I’ve spent a long time with my master. We’ve eaten together, trained magic for days on end. I never felt anything strange during all that time.”

“Of course not. Do you think a demon hiding among humans would go around saying, ‘I’m a demon!’?”

“Well, that’s true, but… do you have proof?”

A magician is also a scholar.

Even though it was me, her close friend, saying it, Riana didn’t believe it right away.

With a mix of doubt and surprise, she calmly pressed for more.

“Even though I’ve always been dragged around by my master, he’s still someone who acknowledged me and raised me as a strong candidate for High Magician. Without proper evidence, I won’t just sit back and let you doubt him, even if it’s you, Kairon.”

“Proof, huh…”

Honestly, I was at a loss when she said that.

Every time we’ve hunted demons, the only way to identify them was through my senses.

And the only way to force them to reveal their true form was to stab them with a sword.

If I tried to show proof by stabbing Ronos with a sword, it would lead to irreversible consequences.

‘This is tough. I can’t lend my eyes to Riana for a moment, so what should I do?’

“See? No proof, right? If there’s no proof, then I…”

Knock knock-

“Huh?”

The sound of someone knocking on the inn door.

And as soon as she heard it, Riana’s face lit up.

“Riana, were you expecting someone else besides us?”

“No. But there’s only one person who visits me at the inn from the Rostia Magic Tower. And that person doesn’t make appointments before showing up.”

“Oh no… who is it?”

“You’ll definitely be surprised when you meet them!”

Riana, who had been down just moments ago, suddenly brightened up and rushed to the door.

When Riana opened the door, there stood a small girl.

At first glance, it was impossible to tell why this little girl was such a special guest.

Even though Riana had said, ‘You’ll definitely be surprised when you meet them.’

“Welcome! I was wondering when you’d come!”

“Long time no see, Riana. Have you been well?”

“Yeah! Thanks to you always looking out for me!”

Her childish voice, even her lisp.

She was the perfect image of a little girl.

Except for one thing…

“Abelin, do you feel it?”

“Of course. How could I not feel that…!”

Seeing her, Abelin and I instinctively shrank back.

“Early guests, huh? Aha, so that’s why the lower floor was noisy earlier! Welcome to the Rostia Magic Tower!”

The little girl, unfazed by our towering presence, laughed and approached us.

Her carefree tone contrasted with her childish voice and lisp.

Her large, sparkling blue eyes were beautiful, and her bright, warm smile was healing.

Her lively, warm voice as she approached us was comforting, but…

Step by step-

Abelin and I instinctively stepped back.

“Why, why are you stepping back, Kairon?”

“Why are you?”

As we both stepped back, the little girl boldly approached us, as if she’d found something amusing.

“Big brother, big sister, what’s wrong? Are you scared of me?”

Honestly, we were terrified.

We’ve faced waves of demons stretching from the horizon without flinching, but this little girl was a completely different case.

The eerie and dangerous demonic aura was something only I could sense, but this time, both Abelin and I felt it.

First, the little girl’s clear, deep blue eyes.

These weren’t eyes just anyone could have.

They were the result of countless years, an unimaginable amount of time spent training mana—a crystalline, gem-like blue.

Moreover, with every step she took, every word she spoke, the surrounding mana vibrated faintly.

Eventually, we backed into a wall.

With nowhere left to run, the little girl approached us with a mischievous smile.

But that smile wasn’t the kind a little girl would have.

“Haha, now you can’t run away! Come on, greet me properly!”

“…Reveal your identity.”

Now, there was no choice but to face her head-on.

“Who are you, with such an overwhelming amount of mana that even we, who can sense mana, feel dizzy?”

“…Pfft.”

At my words, the little girl puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

“I wanted to have some fun with you interesting folks, but you’re not playing along. Warriors are so rigid.”

Her tone made it clear—she had ‘experience.’

“Big brother Kairon, Lady Abelin. Let me introduce you.”

Riana, who had slowly approached behind the little girl, smiled brightly.

“This is Lady Rostia de Medici.”

“Rostia?”

“De Medici…?”

‘Rostia’—that name was the name of the Magic Tower.

And ‘Medici’ was the surname of the most pragmatic family in this world.

So the small, cute but experienced little girl in front of us was…

“The Lady of the Magic Tower!?”

“Tch.”

Once her identity was fully revealed, she no longer hid her true self.

The angelic, radiant smile was gone.

“Sigh. Kids these days are no fun…!”