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I knew it would be a disaster if I made a sound while lurking around, so I carefully moved to the sofa Axel had pointed out and sat down cautiously. There was a slight rustling sound, which made Axel furrow his brow slightly, but fortunately, Eugene didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.

“This way,” Axel said, leading Eugene to a spot far from where I was seated.  

“You said it was urgent?” Axel asked, perching lightly on the edge of the desk.

He looked so dignified, playing the part of a master, that I almost burst out laughing. But I held it in—actually laughing would cause bigger problems. I clamped my hands over my mouth and barely managed to stifle it. Meanwhile, the conversation between Eugene and Axel progressed.

“Yes. Actually, I’m here to discuss something with you as the Tower Master, not just as my mentor.”  

“The Tower Master?” Axel tilted his head slightly, clearly not expecting this.  

Although Axel had risen to the highest position in the Mage Tower after the defeat of the Mad Dragon, he wasn’t involved in its day-to-day operations.  

‘If they had actually expected Axel to run things, he wouldn’t have accepted the position,’ I thought.  

Axel wasn’t interested in power. He had only joined the dragon-slaying expedition on a whim, following his friend Kirke. Even now, despite the fact that the eldest heir of the Elpinard family had been exiled to the countryside, making Axel the next in line for succession, he had subtly passed the responsibility on to his nephew, Noah.  

The Duke of Elpinard didn’t seem surprised, clearly understanding his son’s character.

“I’m only the Tower Master because the Mage Tower begged me to take the role. I’m not very involved in their affairs,” Axel said plainly, not even bothering to dress it up. He didn’t need to lean on his title as Tower Master, since he had built his own reputation through personal achievements.  

“If it’s the Tower’s resources you need, I can connect you with someone in charge.”

Just as Axel was trying to offload the responsibility, Eugene shook his head slightly.  

“It’s not the power of the Mage Tower I need. I need the Tower Master’s approval.”

“The Tower Master’s approval?” Axel crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.  

“Has there been anything related to titles that requires such approval?”  

Without answering, Eugene handed Axel a thick book. Even from a distance, I could see it was extremely old. As soon as Axel opened it to the red-marked page, the leather cover made a creaking sound, like it was about to tear.  

“The title… ‘How to Survive as a Mage?’ Where on earth did you dig up such an ancient book?” Axel muttered as he skimmed the pages, a bemused look on his face. But then his lips clamped shut, and his eyes lit up, clearly intrigued by what he was reading.  

Seeing Axel, who rarely took an interest in anything, react this way made me wonder what on earth the book contained. I cautiously rose from the sofa to get a better look.

I didn’t forget the rustling sound I made earlier when I sat down, so this time I firmly held onto the hem of my skirt. Lifting my heels, I tiptoed carefully toward Axel, standing beside him. I could see the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. He must have sensed my presence right beside him. The way his lips trembled seemed to shout, “You really couldn’t wait even for a moment, could you?”

‘What’s he going to do about it anyway? It’s not like he’s going to smack me in front of Eugene, right?’  

Whistling inwardly, I stretched my neck and scanned the book laid open before him. The content wasn’t complicated. Just as the title *How to Survive as a Mage* suggested, the book detailed various career paths a mage could choose. Among them was a section about the Mage Tower.

According to an agreement with the Imperial Family, all mages ranked A or higher in the Mage Tower were recognized as nobles, regardless of their birth. They took the surname “Deuitio,” named after the first Tower Master, similar to how all the clergy of Kydsha took the surname “Hermote,” after their patron deity. Though it was an honorary title without land, it granted them the privilege of being invited to royal banquets.

‘Wow, I didn’t know there was such a regulation.’  

If this were true, then as long as Eugene became an A-rank mage within the Mage Tower, the Kreutz Duke’s justification would crumble.

I quickly turned to look at Axel, staring at him intently. My gaze was filled with the question, ‘How could you, as the Tower Master, not know about this rule?’ He sighed deeply and flipped to the last page of the book. The publication date was stamped several hundred years ago, around the time the Empire was first established.

“Mages are notoriously solitary and don’t engage much in social activities. Forgotten privileges like this tend to slip through the cracks. Most people in the Tower, and even the Imperial family, probably don’t even know this agreement exists anymore.”  

Come to think of it, I’d never met a mage who introduced themselves with the name “Deuitio.” It was entirely different from how the clergy of Kydsha always introduced themselves as “Hermote.”

“You found an outdated rule like this in such a short time?”  

“I was lucky. Since I started staying at the Elpinard estate, I’ve been reading through the books in the library one by one, and I found this among them.”  

“…You remembered this tiny detail from a book you read a while ago?”  

Axel seemed even more astonished by Eugene’s modesty and clicked his tongue in disbelief.  

‘Eugene never forgets anything once he’s seen it!’  

Although it was Eugene’s brilliance, I couldn’t help but feel proud, a smile of satisfaction creeping onto my face. But just as I was basking in that pride, Axel’s cold voice interrupted.  

“The real issue is whether you can actually become an A-rank mage. You’ve only just started learning magic—do you really think you can reach that level?”  

It was a clear line in the sand, showing that even though Eugene was his student, Axel wouldn’t give him any special treatment. Given Axel’s principled nature, this response was expected. Eugene, already knowing Axel wouldn’t bend the rules, nodded calmly.

“Master, or rather, Tower Master, the favor I wanted to ask is for a chance to prove myself. I never wanted any special treatment. After all, I passed the Ivory Tower exam on my own merits.”

“Opportunities are always open. For mages, skill is what matters most.”

“The Duke has given me one week. If you allow me to take the test within that time…” Eugene spoke humbly, bowing his head. But suddenly, he trailed off and sharply lifted his head. His gaze, though slightly off from Axel, was directed precisely where I was standing. 

It felt like he was looking right at me.  

‘Wait… did the invisibility spell wear off?’ I glanced at Axel to gauge his reaction, but his calm demeanor suggested there was no problem with the magic.  

‘Maybe it’s just my imagination?’  

Perhaps Eugene was staring at something behind me? I turned to check, but there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy behind me. Just as I was feeling uneasy and confused, Eugene reached out his hand in my direction.  

‘Gah!’  

I reflexively stepped back, narrowly avoiding his hand by mere inches. Axel, who had been observing the situation, seemed slightly startled and instinctively stepped in front of me, firmly pushing Eugene’s hand away.  

“What are you doing all of a sudden?” Axel asked, his tone firm.  

“No, it’s just… I smelled something familiar from over here,” Eugene replied, looking down at his now-empty hand with a puzzled expression.  

“It’s a sweet, candy-like scent… Master, didn’t you notice it?”  

‘The scent?!’  

I had been careful about making noise but hadn’t even considered the scent. I quickly sniffed my sleeve, and sure enough, there was a faint, sweet smell. The maids always decorated the rooms with fresh flowers, and it seemed the fragrance had lightly clung to my clothes.  

But it wasn’t a strong scent—how sensitive was Eugene’s sense of smell?  

Amazed, I peeked out from behind Axel’s back to take a better look at Eugene, only to find him still staring right in my direction.  

‘Yikes!’  

This time, I was certain we had made eye contact. At that exact moment, Eugene furrowed his brow and, with a serious tone, said to Axel,  

“Master, I believe we may have an intruder.”