Chapter 16

Chapter 16

When Valeta looked around the room and realized there was no exit, she was forced to accept reality.

The top floor of the Magicians’ Tower...

This had to be Reinhart’s room. The room itself was mentioned in the novel a few times when Reinhart had remained there, enjoying his time sitting in a chair by the window, looking down at the human world beneath him, and relishing in the tribulations he had given them to deal with.

Although he was currently the head of the Magicians’ Tower, it wouldn’t be long before he would awaken as a transcendent—one who surpassed all human limits.

“I see that you’re awake.”

“Ah!” Valeta jumped. She stiffened at the voice, which sounded like grating metal, and forced herself to turn around.

A transparent figure clad in dark green robes stood before her, their face covered with a hood.

She took a step back, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“Please let me know if you are hungry. I will prepare something for you to eat,” the figure in green said.

“I want to leave this place.”

“That is impossible.”

“If you can come in here, then that must mean there’s a way out.”

“That is impossible.”

Valeta frowned when the man repeated his words as if he were a robot. She knew who this person was. He was the ghost, the watchman, the tower’s keeper, the gears of the tower, and a worthless being. He went by many names, yet was treated poorly.

There was more to that story, of course. He was one of twelve magicians who had built the tower, and having been so dedicated to its creation, had poured half his mana into it, turning himself into a being that was neither alive nor dead.

His name was Caspelios. It was only near the end of the novel that Reinhart discovered that this person, someone whose name had only been known from the history books, was still alive—and he saw him for who he really was.

Though that didn’t change how he’s been treated. Valeta sighed. She was confident that she could escape from this place, but she wasn’t sure if that was the safest thing to do.

“Are you going to keep me locked up like this?”

“That is for the lord to decide.”

“Even if it’s against my will?”

Caspelios watched as Valeta crossed her arms and said nothing. He continued to gaze at her, expressionless and silent, as if he were a piece of furniture in the room. In the end, she gave in first, unable to stand the silence.

“Let me out of here.”

“That is impossible.”

“Call Reinhart then.” Valeta had hardly finished her sentence when a flash of light emanated from the floor.

Reinhart appeared, clean and well-dressed, the blood stains on his hands and face long gone. He smiled brightly at her.

“You’re up earlier than I expected, master.”

His eyes crinkled beautifully as he smiled. He didn’t look that different from his time as a slave. He strode toward Valeta, but she stayed put, looking up at him as he approached.

“Let me go. I don’t want to be here.”

“I see that you’re as blunt as ever, master.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not your master.”

Reinhart chuckled at the icy tone of her voice. Of course, he already knew that. But Valeta seemingly wasn’t aware of the face she made whenever he called her master. She always looked at him with disdain, as if she was sick and tired of everything. It had always intrigued him.

“Get out,” he said while looking at Valeta, even though the words weren’t meant for her. They were directed at Caspelios, who was still standing behind Reinhart, and Valeta seemed to understand that as well.

“Yes, my lord,” Caspelios replied. He always obeyed Reinhart’s orders, not because of Reinhart himself, but because he was the head of the Magicians’ Tower. Valeta watched as the watchman faded away before directing her attention back to the magician.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Not really...”

“Then, would you care for a cup of tea?”

With a flourish of his hand, a round table made of white marble, along with a couple of chairs, materialized out of thin air and joined the lone bed in the empty room. He walked over to the steaming teapot and started serving the tea as if it was the most natural thing to do. After he poured two cups of tea, he languidly glanced back at Valeta before pulling out a chair for her.

“Please, sit,” he gestured.

Valeta looked at Reinhart’s crescent eyes and the smile on his face before taking a seat with a sigh. Reinhart smiled brightly at the sullen look on her face.

“Let me out of here.”

“But you have no place to go,” he said with a light shrug.

He was right. Valeta pursed her lips. There really was no place for her to go after what had happened at Delight Manor.

Reinhart slowly reached for his cup. His hand still bore scars from his days of slavery. The girl gazed at the wounds indifferently before glancing away, pretending that she hadn’t seen anything.

“Anywhere is better than here.”

“Come now, master. No place is better than here,” Reinhart countered, a smile playing on his lips.

Valeta was left speechless. It was true, she wouldn’t have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter if she stayed here, but she would constantly be at risk of losing her head.

“Do you want to know something, master?” He continued, “I was supposed to kill you. As the head of the Magicians’ Tower, I should have. I wanted to kill you from the moment we first met.”

Valeta, bearing a tired expression, lifted her head, as if she was fed up with the way Reinhart looked as he smiled and the way he talked about her death as though attempting to prove his innocence. However, his words seem to carry significance.

“So why didn’t you kill me?”

“You’re the only one who didn’t go down the given path.”

“What?” she asked sharply.

“You avoided creating... any reason to kill you.”

The implication behind his words started blurring. Valeta’s hand froze while reaching for her teacup. She could feel her throat burn but managed to pick up the cup while looking at Reinhart warily.

What is he talking about? Her mind was blank.

“So, why did you do that, master?” He smiled. “Why did you distance yourself from me and try to get rid of me?”

He reached out a hand, carefully tucking a strand of Valeta’s hair behind her ear. Although conscious of Reinhart’s hand, she was more preoccupied with what he had said. Only she knew how the story would unfold—there was no way he could know that. Yet the way he framed his question made it sound like he knew everything.

“I have always been sweet on you, master.”

“You were like that to everyone. That’s what you needed to do to survive.”

“But my feelings for you were genuine,” he replied.

Meeting his innocent gaze, Valeta swallowed hard. She didn’t believe him. It was true that he was kind to her, but she was sure that his kindness had only been for his own survival.

“You were locked up and starved for a whole day because you were foolish enough to use alchemy on a mere slave like me,” he said.

She didn’t respond.

“You ordered the people who harassed me to stop, but they didn’t take you seriously.”

“You...”

“You were hung upside down when you refused to do something you didn’t want to do. You were imprisoned for days because you snuck off somewhere without me. When you were caught taking care of an animal and were ordered to kill it, you refused and let it escape.

Valeta clenched her fists as Reinhart recited her past deeds, her eyes widening in surprise. Completely taken aback, she wondered how the man sitting in front of her could remember all that. Those were all embarrassing moments she wanted to leave in the past. She was trembling now and tried to pull herself together.

“You never complained, no matter how poorly you were treated, my sweet master. It’s like you were no different than a slave.”

Valeta blinked rapidly at Reinhart’s words. Sweet master? She couldn’t tell if he was praising her or mocking her. She rubbed her face a few times, frustrated.

“You were so indifferent… It was as if everything was happening to someone else.”

“That’s...”

“I wanted to chop off all their limbs while they were still alive and breathing. Then, I wanted them to watch, with only their heads on their shoulders, as I fed their limbs to the beasts.

Silence followed, his cruel description leaving her speechless.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said.

“What?”

“All of this was an unforeseen circumstance. These feelings that I have, even your behavior, all of this was unexpected.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Valeta asked.

Reinhart simply smiled at her question.

“That is why I tried to win your affection, but you wouldn’t even give me the time of day.”

“Look...” Valeta started.

“Reinhart,” he said, cutting the girl off. “I don’t know why you never called me by my name, but there’s no reason not to anymore, wouldn’t you say?”

He smiled once again.

“I think it’s time you call me by my name, master.”