“Top Master, huh?”
Top Master.
The master of the Magic Tower.
No further explanation is needed. The title “Top Master” alone sufficiently describes what kind of being he is.
He is not merely the administrator of a tower, but rather the symbolic pinnacle of the magical world.
“That’s right! Top Master! I just felt it instantly. Child, you are a being several dimensions above others. You can achieve it!”
Edmund’s expression was similar to that of a believer witnessing a god, while Mirabel’s reaction was indifferent.
“I’m not really interested.”
“Child, you are still young and don’t understand. It’s the Top Master! It means becoming the pinnacle of mages.”
Mirabel pondered for a moment.
Top Master? She still had no interest in such things. Finding Carami was her top priority.
But even if they meet again, what would change? She had disappointed herself by not being recognized for her worth. In a situation where nothing had changed, meeting again would only lead to further disappointment.
By then, there would be no more opportunities.
She didn’t want to be abandoned.
She needed to raise her value before their reunion.
“If I become the Top Master, will my value increase?”
“Value? Discussing the value of the Top Master is something only foolish people do. All mages in the world will look up to you.”
Top Master.
Yes, being a Top Master would allow her to confidently say she is Carami’s slave wherever she goes.
And the miracle that Harold dreamed of. A world where witches can live without hiding. If she becomes the Top Master, perhaps she can create the world her family longed for.
“I’ll do it. I want to be the Top Master.”
Determination sparkled in Mirabel’s eyes.
“… So, I, Edmund Alexius Wilmore, recommend this child as the Top Master.”
The elder council was held for the first time in ten years.
The five elders and the candidate Mirabel gathered in the conference room.
The elders sat around the round table. As expected, the seat of the Top Master is currently vacant.
To be precise, the position has been vacant since the day the mysterious building known as the Magic Tower was revealed to the world, following the death of the first Top Master who discovered it.
To become a Top Master is not something one can just decide to do.
The admission method is fundamentally based on recommendations. Furthermore, one can only ascend to the position of Top Master if all five elders unanimously agree.
In other words, it means that a Top Master has never been elected even once.
The reason is surprisingly trivial.
It’s good enough to not place someone weaker than oneself in a superior position.
It would probably be boring.
Old age is unpleasant.
Being ugly is off-putting.
Baldness is undesirable.
And so on.
Due to all sorts of nitpicking, the Top Master was not elected for hundreds of years. The affairs of the Magic Tower can be managed among the elders, so it was not problematic to leave it vacant.
Thus, for such a long time, under tacit agreement, the delicate balance of the five elders was maintained in the Magic Tower. Even if Mirabel had steeled her resolve, it was uncertain whether she could become the Top Master.
“So, there is such a thing as a Top Master…”
Darethnor said.
An elder Dark High Elf who has managed the Magic Tower since the time of the first Top Master.
The Magic Tower discriminates against none, regardless of species, gender, or age. It is purely meritocratic. Anyone who is an outstanding mage is given the right to become a mage of the tower.
Mirabel being a young girl is not an obstacle. Rather, her abundant potential for growth is an added point.
“Indeed! It was you who recently shook the Magic Tower!”
A boy suddenly jumped up, excited. Every time he did, the black wings on his back fluttered.
The rascal of the Magic Tower.
Zakariel Vermor.
A demonic being born in the Demon Realm, located on the opposite side of the continent.
He may appear to be around the same age as Mirabel, but in reality, his soul carries the weight of near-immortal years.
Having come to tear down the tower out of boredom, Zakariel became an elder of the tower just for fun. To him, Mirabel appeared to be a toy that had rolled in.
The corners of Zakariel’s eyes twisted mischievously.
“You’re strong, aren’t you? How strong are you? Play with me!”
In an instant.
The surrounding area was engulfed in darkness.
A radiance akin to a black sea.
The black sea ominously surged.
With a sharp sound, swarms of sharks emerged from the depths of the sea.
They seemed to possess substance yet shimmered like mist.
As if sensing the scent of blood, they circled Mirabel as prey for a moment.
Parting the waters, they rushed fiercely, sharp teeth glinting.
However, the sharks’ teeth never reached Mirabel.
A dark-clad Death God emerged from the void, brandishing a scythe. He sliced through the shark bodies that should not have existed.
“Whoa!”
He struck his staff twice.
The serene waves rippled, calming the angry tide.
The shark that had risen beneath Mirabel clashed onto the surface with a thud, as if an invisible barrier had been unfurled.
The black sea grew calm.
Temporary pause.
Zakariel bounced around, applauding.
“Wow! You’re the first to stop my little prank! Everyone else panicked and couldn’t cast magic, ending up eaten.”
“I’m not that amazing.”
“Haha! That’s the first time I’ve heard such a thing. You’re really fun! I feel like exciting things will happen if I’m with you. Good, I’m in favor!”
She had passed the rascal’s first test.
Edmund let out a small sigh and scanned the elders.
“What do you all think?”
“They’re just humans anyway. Not long before they are swept away in the long river of time. If needed, we can just choose again in a hundred years, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Karshisa, what about you?”
Karshisa flicked his long serpent tongue. Then he slithered back into his laboratory.
It meant he didn’t care either way.
Four of the five elders, including Edmund, had agreed. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to the last one.
The recommendation for the Top Master is mainly divided into two gateways.
The first is to play with Zakariel. Most came seeking to become the Top Master, only to perish, unable to withstand his tricks.
Once they pass that, seeking agreement from the other elders is not difficult; they were all somewhat indifferent.
Nevertheless, the position of Top Master had not appeared.
The reason lies in the final gateway.
“Whoo…”
A large, wide-brimmed, pointed hat.
A dress that boldly reveals a curvaceous female figure, clinging tightly to her skin.
A woman holding a thin, long pipe.
The final elder.
Morgana Sherisain.
She was the elder who has repeatedly dismissed Top Master candidates for their appearances. No matter how excellent their skills were, this aspect could not be overcome.
Morgana exhaled deeply as she pulled the pipe from her mouth. The magically infused smoke billowed upwards.
As the smoke slowly dispersed…
“Passed.”
“Hmm? You’re serious?”
“Yep. Isn’t it cute? Adorable little ones are always welcome. It will bring some vitality back to this dreary Tower. And besides…”
Morgana’s half-lidded eyes, hidden beneath her hat, landed on Mirabel. The gaze had a mix of feelings like colors on a palette.
“As an adult, I should take care of this young witch.”
Winking, Morgana shot a playful wink.
Edmund sighed.
It was more a sense of disillusionment than relief.
The requirement for becoming the Top Master was appearance?
Still, the fact that all five elders, regardless of their different reasons, agreed remained unchanged.
It was the moment a new master of the tower was born.
But she was a slave.
Even though the Top Master had appeared, there were no dramatic changes within the tower.
Ultimately, mages value their magical research above all else, more than what is happening in the world. They each shut themselves away in their laboratories like cockroaches.
Mirabel was similar.
Currently, Mirabel was in the exact center of the Magic Tower. She was lounging in the ‘air’, deep in reading. Surrounding her were hundreds of magical books orbiting at a steady pace, like the rings of Saturn.
Each book was more impressive than the books filled with the best tips from her oh-so-great mentor. As the new Top Master, Mirabel was qualified to read them.
In the blink of an eye, she skimmed through one and tossed it aside.
She repeatedly grabbed a new book in her hands.
To others, it may seem like a pointless act, but Mirabel was diligently mastering magic. She was transcending beyond a witch, becoming something extraordinary.
No one would imagine that she was not trying to grasp the world but simply trying to catch the eye of her master.
Swish.
In the bunker of books Mirabel had created.
The space distorted, and the Death God appeared.
“Welcome.”
The Death God nodded.
Having become the Top Master, Mirabel momentarily paused in her pursuit of Carami.
Though she had become the Top Master, she was still inexperienced.
She would meet Carami after sharpening her magic further.
However, Mirabel wasn’t thinking of waiting idly. She had a secret plan she had been devising.
She had traced a trace amount of Carami’s magical energy that she originally possessed. She succeeded in locating Carami.
Carami was currently in the Beastman country of Vestia.
And as expected, the slaves around him.
She envied those surrounding Carami, but Mirabel held back. It wasn’t time yet.
Instead, she indulged in a small desire. Using the Death God, she severed the bonds that trapped their souls. The magical energy of Carami entwined within the shackles was her aim.
They were no longer Carami’s slaves, but that was irrelevant.
She was in greater haste.
Mirabel checked the magical energy retrieved by the Death God. It was a meager black magical energy. But to Mirabel’s eyes, it seemed more precious than anything in the world.
When she severed their shackles, jealousy had surged within her, wondering, ‘Why were only your shackles tied by the Master?’ But now, that was no longer the case.
Gathering Carami’s magical energy,
She poured it into her soul.
She shaped the magic.
The form was shackles.
Mirabel conjured black shackles in her mind.
With her own hands, she bound her own soul with shackles.
Click.
It seemed as if she heard that sound.
Once successful in tightening the shackles with great effort, a melted smile appeared on Mirabel’s face. Her body trembled with elation, and she let out a long sigh of “Ahhhh….”
“This is it…”
Bound by the soul, the sensation that everything she was belonged to her Master without resistance.
This pressure.
This sense of security.
It was indeed the best feeling in the world.
Since parting with Carami, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly, but tonight she felt she would sleep deeply.
‘I should dream of playing with my Master since it’s a rare occasion.’
Hugging tightly,
Enjoying fried slime,
Mirabel cast a simple spell on herself, holding her wand close and closing her eyes.
