The return of Stella Varnicion, the Master of Astron Magic Tower.
The fact that the Archmage, who had been away from Astron for a while, was returning was a big event in itself.
Everyone, from the elders of Astron, high magicians, to the servants working in the tower, came out to the floating island to welcome Stella.
Given that it boasts the largest force among the six major towers, the number of people was also enormous.
“Master of the Tower! Congratulations on your return!!”
“Please look this way once!”
“Master Stella! I’ve always admired you!!”
“Thank you, everyone.”
They weren’t just standing on the road; they welcomed her in various ways, including flying through the sky.
However, despite the enthusiastic support, Stella’s expression was somewhat subtle.
Originally, she enjoyed and subtly encouraged such events that boosted her self-esteem.
But now, she had just experienced a bitter failure.
‘Already annoyed, and now this just makes it worse?’
She had tried to forcibly stop Olfin by pulling out Kyle Byron, but it fell through due to the sudden appearance of a big shot from the Everts Duke’s House.
Instead, as a backlash of that force, she had to bow her head even to a magician named Adela and Olfin.
Even after doing all that, she didn’t gain exclusive rights, let alone a transfer. No matter how much it was self-inflicted, it was impossible not to feel boiling inside.
At least she knew this hospitality was for her, so she just smiled.
Most magicians and the crowd responded enthusiastically.
But the expressions of the elders and some high magicians who had known Stella for a long time were filled with terror.
“……Dismiss the kids.”
“Huh? But.”
“Can’t you see the Master’s mood……? Quickly! Just tell everyone to leave appropriately!”
“Ah, understood!”
Thus, the welcome ceremony ended much sooner than expected. With the excuse that the Master would prefer to return and focus on research rather than such a welcome ceremony.
As soon as Stella, still smiling, entered the Master’s office on the top floor.
The restless elders hastily bowed.
“”””Congratulations on your return, Lady Stella!!””””
“Let’s skip the unnecessary talk. Skolla?”
“Yes! Master of the Tower!”
“If there have been any financial changes or peculiarities during my absence, report them immediately. Leda? Angril? You’ve prepared the backlog of documents, right?”
“Of course!”
“Here it is.”
“Hmm………Reject this investment plan, and tell the Walton Count’s House that unless the Count himself comes, don’t even dream of cooperation. And what’s this, an outsider intrusion?”
“They didn’t enter the tower, but there were traces of someone passing by the very top of this Master’s office.”
“……No need to investigate further; I have a hunch who it might be. More importantly, this artifact production plan───”
Even though she had just returned from a long journey, Stella immediately started handling the piled-up work as soon as she arrived at the Master’s office. The elders, familiar with this, assisted her by reporting various documents and peculiarities.
The reason Astron Magic Tower continues to maintain its power is partly due to her abilities and her workaholic tendencies.
Unlike other tower masters who usually handle only really important matters, Stella takes on and handles all sorts of trivial tasks in the tower.
Despite her emotional fluctuations and the hassle of serving her, this was why Stella could reign as a respected tower master. Moreover, the elders could guess why Stella was in a bad mood.
It was undoubtedly because of Olfin.
It must be because of meeting Glassburn.
Everyone knew that the wisest thing to do now was not to stir up trouble and to help Stella with her work.
In the midst of all the hectic work, Stella suddenly looked up and gazed at everyone.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Please, say anything.”
“Although I didn’t attend today’s welcoming ceremony, a noble from Arkhé accompanied me here. Please give him the best and largest room in the tower.”
“Understood.”
The elders didn’t pay much attention to who exactly this noble was. After all, if Stella brought him personally, they would find out sooner or later.
However, they couldn’t help but tilt their heads at her next words.
“And… no matter what happens in that room, do not intervene.”
“Huh? Lady Stella, what do you mean…?”
“I will periodically inspect, so nothing dangerous will happen. But only I can do that. No one in this tower, including the elders gathered here, should interfere with the noble or his room. Understood?”
“Under…stood.”
It was a somewhat strange order—not to intervene no matter what the noble did.
Although Stella herself would inspect, it still felt unsettling.
Even Stella herself seemed somewhat doubtful as she spoke.
Why was that?
To the elders who had served Stella for a long time… she clearly trusted that noble, even if she seemed hesitant.
And at the same time…
“Among the items I brought, there’s a board game called ‘Bang.'”
“‘Bang’? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Regardless, treat that board game as if it were a top-tier artifact.”
“Pardon? Did I hear that correctly?”
“Apply all possible protective magic at the tower’s level, layer hardening magic on it, and preserve it semi-permanently. Oh, no need to put it in the treasury… What’s that over there in the display case?”
“T-that’s a jeweled necklace gifted by the royal family.”
“Put that in the treasury and handle the board game as I instructed, then display it in that case. If even the slightest scratch appears… you know what will happen, right?”
“Understood!”
Even as she spoke, Stella still seemed in a bad mood.
But somehow, the atmosphere had softened.
The elders looked at their tower master, who seemed somewhat changed, with puzzled eyes.
“What are you staring at?”
“Nothing!”
…They quickly bowed their heads, though.
*
Three days after Stella Varnicion returned to Astron Magic Tower.
Only after three days did the chaotic atmosphere in the tower settle down. It was rare for Stella to leave the tower for so long—over a month.
Naturally, rumors began to spread about what she had done at Arkhé Magic Tower.
“She definitely went to put those arrogant Arkhé folks in their place. No doubt they tried to stop her from leaving in a disgraceful way.”
“…Why would Arkhé do that? The Archmages from Terra Magic Tower and Glesia Magic Tower were there too. If the tower masters of all four towers clashed, Gias Territory would’ve been destroyed by now.”
“So you’re saying Lady Stella lost?”
“All I’m saying is she went for reasons other than establishing hierarchy. Like a pact, maybe? Arkhé Magic Tower’s influence is no joke right now…”
“No way. You know our house is from the Eastern Baron family, right? I’m debating whether I should even go all the way to the Western side from our house.”
“………Is that Abracadabra thing really that amazing?”
“My cousin went and came back, and they were shouting that it’s a must-go. I’m planning to visit once I get my vacation.”
“Really……?”
Rumors are flying—about Stella subduing Arkhé, or how she went there as a warning because of Arkhé’s prestige, or maybe it was due to some treaty.
As all sorts of stories pour out, naturally, word about Arkhé Magic Tower’s Abracadabra starts spreading to Astron as well.
And of course, the VIP who accompanied Stella couldn’t escape the chatter.
“They say his name is Kyle Byron.”
“What kind of guy is that………Wait, Byron? The Byron family I know?”
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“……It’s a well-known family, but still, not the kind to be treated as a VIP by Lady Stella……?”
“Apparently, that Kyle Byron is the creator of Abracadabra.”
“What? Seriously?”
“It’s already a famous story in the West. They call him a genius board game creator.”
“Hmm………That’s it? Just some board game or whatever?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
But even after his identity was revealed, the reception wasn’t as good as expected.
In Gias Territory, where board games like Abracadabra have already become a cultural phenomenon, it might be different. But for the mages of Astron, far removed from the West, board games were nothing more than something like Kill the King.
Sure, he’s a noble, but not a mage. A genius board game creator? Fine, but to be treated as a VIP by an Archmage? That’s laughable.
Moreover, that VIP hasn’t even left his room, staying in the largest guest room.
It’s no wonder the mages’ opinions aren’t favorable.
“Ugh, if it weren’t for the elder’s warning not to touch him, I’d have figured out what nonsense he spouted to the Tower Lord.”
“Hold on. He’s just some guy making board games, right? That’s all those incompetent guys can do.”
“Now I see the level of Arkhé, promoting someone like that to Honorary Elder.”
“It’s annoying that they’re even considered one of the Six Great Magic Towers.”
As Kyle Byron’s reputation plummeted, so did the mockery toward Arkhé Magic Tower, to which he belonged.
Their relationship was already strained, and many mages found it pathetic to be obsessed with something as trivial as board games.
Above all, Astron, the top-ranked Magic Tower, always looked down on the others. Especially when it was Arkhé, the lowest of the Six Great Magic Towers, which was on the verge of collapse not long ago.
So, while many mages ignored and ridiculed Kyle Byron and Arkhé…
At the same time, a strange rumor began circulating in Astron.
“Huh? Where’s Senior Crowd? He’s always here researching magic at this time.”
“Senior Crowd? He hasn’t been here since yesterday. Maybe he’s in his room?”
“Really? Have you seen Telos, by any chance? I need him for something, but I can’t find him.”
“If it’s Telos, check with Euphemia. She’s in charge of him.”
“Euphemia’s nowhere to be seen either……….”
“………What?”
Mages from the tower are disappearing.
The high mage who always researched in the same spot, the newbie who just joined, and several other mages from the tower.
Not a huge number, but still…
The mages always lived in the Magic Tower and shared a communal life, so they couldn’t help but quickly notice the empty spots. Yet, at first, there was no commotion.
Maybe they went on a silent vacation, or perhaps they were just busy with other tasks or resting in their rooms. So, everyone just shrugged it off.
A day passed, then two, then several days, and then a week.
Still, the missing mages rarely reappeared.
In fact, even more mages started disappearing.
“Where’s Giovanni?”
“Gone!”
“What about Gunther?”
“Gone too!”
“Damn it, what about Crowd!?”
“As for Senior Crowd… he was the first to…”
“Where the hell did everyone go!?”
Most mages were still in the tower, and overall, only a handful had disappeared.
But the gaps were undeniably growing.
Sometimes, the missing mages were spotted at night. They all looked emaciated, yet…
“…They were smiling?”
“Y-yeah! Last night, I spotted Senior Crowd and rushed over… but he was walking weakly, smiling! It was definitely a ghost!”
“What the…?”
…They were smiling, they said.
Before anyone knew it, whether it was Kyle Byron or Arkhé Magic Tower, the only thing circulating in the tower was talk about the missing mages.
And then, at some point.
A mage searching for the missing ones finally uncovered the truth.
“The day the mages started disappearing… was the same day that noble, Kyle Byron, arrived…?”
“…You’ve figured it out.”
“S-Senior Crowd───”
“You… are coming here too.”
“AAAAAH!!!”
On the night lightning struck, the mage who uncovered the truth also vanished.
For some reason, no matter how much people talked, those in power like Stella or the elders didn’t budge.
Then, the missing mages suddenly reappeared.
“C-Crowd! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? What the hell have you been doing all this time!?”
“Ah, my dear Alice. My friend.”
“C…Crowd?”
“It’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing at all. I just have one thing to tell you.”
“W-what’s wrong with you? You’re not like this! I know I shouldn’t say this as your friend, but you’re being rude and stubborn… Didn’t you say you were harassing that Kyle Byron guy? What happened to that?”
“My friend, take this.”
“…What is this?”
“Just a very, very minor…”
“…Board game.”
