"That's ridiculous."
Endymion answered without blinking an eye. Julia, feeling uneasy, calmly cleared her throat.
"You misunderstood Lord Magic Tower. I am a lieutenant wizard..."
"Child, I told you to speak comfortably. And lies like that won't work on me."
His arms flapped cheerfully.
"You're still going to claim that you're not a high-ranking wizard with that kind of power? Of course, the magic you feel right now is quite weak, but you probably took action. Maybe that ring you're wearing?"
The arm pointed precisely at the left ring finger. It was a very ordinary, but magical ring that held Julia's magical power in check.
"The pride of the magician is there. I can see through such tricks while sleeping."
Pal smiled meaningfully. Julia bit her lips nervously. Then Pal continued speaking in a friendly manner as if there was nothing to be afraid of.
"But since the aura was so perfectly hidden, I was confused as to whether it was a mid-level one or not. A high-ranking magician's magical power can't be reduced by a ring or something. Well, when I touched your hand earlier, my guess was correct."
Pal had sharp eyes.
"The rumor from 14 years ago that Princess Ametrine was loved by God was true?"
Before he could finish speaking, Endymion's momentum grew sharper. Julia tightly grabbed his hand.
"Everything got caught."
It was dizzying, but now that everything was revealed, the trembling had lessened and she felt more detached. Julia forcefully closed her eyes and quietly steeled herself.
"It's 14 years late, but I forgive you since you came to me on your own. We'll be a family now, right?"
Pal that looked like a little girl spoke generously and smiled.
Julia shook her head, meeting his gaze. Then, Pal's eyes lit up. There was still a hint of laughter, but the air was tense.
"As anyone may wish."
Endymion confronted him sharply, and the pressure grew even stronger. Boris, who was standing awkwardly behind him, looked like he wanted to faint right away and wake up tomorrow.
"Do you think I will just hand over my Queen?"
"Of course it should be. Otherwise, there would be no way to avoid becoming an enemy of the Magic Tower."
Pal spoke proudly, and a meaningful voice answered back.
"I wonder if that's true."
"What?"
Pal tilted his head, looking at Endymion with cold eyes.
"I propose a revision of the agreement. I have heard that impure forces are threatening the Magic Tower. I will actively cooperate in eradicating them, except for my Queen's safety."
Endymion spoke calmly, without wavering at all. Pal listened quietly then smiled, rubbing the rim of the teacup with his hand.
"That's fun. But why should I do that?"
The cold Endymion and the gleaming arms clashed tautly.
"All wizards must belong to the Magic Tower. It's a pact that Semele has been enforcing for hundreds of years. Do you think it's possible to revise it now?"
"I have to do it."
Pal flicked the teacup, causing the cup to crack.
"Hmm. If you think that the Magie Tower doesn't have the strength to fight a war just because of a few impure elements, you're mistaken..."
"No. It's not the magic tower."
As an ominous aura was about to rise, Endymion's deep voice broke it.
"The Tower Master. He has no strength."
What are you talking about? Julia looked at Endymion in confusion. Boris was also looking at him with his eyes wide open.
Endymion, who was calm and composed, crossed his arms confidently and continued speaking.
"If you had the power to force them... You would have taken them away immediately. And even though you knew that the communication port was broken and the Gate Magic Stone was stolen, you didn't take any action."
The face on his arm froze in a smile.
"Since you can recall the incident from 14 years ago, I guess you must have had some suspicions back then. But even if you weren't sure, you left the person who had a decisive rumor going around. It would have been understandable if you hadn't noticed it."
Endymion, who had pointed out the weak point, soon drove the wedge in.
"The conclusion is that the owner of the tower doesn't have the power to step forward himself."
Eventually, the freedom in Pal's face cracked. His hands tightened, and the glass shattered with a loud crash.
"Oh, Lord Magic Tower! Are you okay?!"
"Ah... It's broken."
Boris quickly put the teacup away. Pam became cheerful again and he smiled brightly.
"Wow, that's amazing. I thought you wouldn't notice because the situation was so urgent."
Pal snapped his fingers again, and the table was completely cleared, and new refreshments appeared again.
"Yes. Let's start after having a snack."
Pal held out a steaming cup to Julia. Julia took it absentmindedly, and Pal magically pushed the cup to Endymion and Boris as well.
As everyone took a cup of tea, Pal pulled his knees up onto the sofa and opened his mouth.
"Well, let me get to the point. You're right."
And the story that followed was unexpected.
"I'm nearing the end of my life. That's why I look like a child. It's easier to live like a child than to be my true self. The further I get from this room, the younger my mental age becomes."
Julia opened her eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected confession.
"Then, just now, you weren't pretending to be a child, but really..."
"Yeah. That's more efficient. It saves energy and is natural!"
Pal nodded in agreement and began to explain in detail.
"My job is to protect the Magic Tower and maintain the balance of magic. Those who have left the Magic Tower with impure intentions have been around for about 15 years. At the time, I thought it was just a deviation, and since my power was starting to decline, I didn't pay much attention. I thought it was more important to protect my children than a few rebels."
Pal nodded to Boris as if to ask if he was okay.
"That's right. It's been 15 years since the Lord of the Tower changed his appearance, and since then he hasn't been going out much. The punishments have also become much more severe... Hic!"
Boris hastily covered his mouth. Pal grinned and glared. Julia was startled and grabbed him, so Pal turned his head sharply and stared at her.
"Ah. I'm sorry. It was a mistake..."
"You can take it. I like Julia."
Pam was friendly to Julia as if they were outside. Boris's face was round and sullen.
"You told me that if I made a mistake you would send me to be a slave in the mines..."
"If you keep making a fuss, I'll send you away right now?"
"Oh, no!"
Boris quickly lowered his tail. Only then did Pal, satisfied, move to Julia's side.
Suddenly, Endymion, who was sitting across from Julia, frowned. However, he stuck his tongue out and hugged Julia's arm.
"Anyway, that's how it happened. The pyramids got together and became wolves."
Pal gave a brief explanation of the impure forces. It was the same gist as what Boris had said.
The appearance of wizards who are dissatisfied with living a restricted life while loyal to the Magic Tower. And that they dream of enormous desires.
"According to recent information, they are creating conflicts, big and small, behind the scenes. They are trying to start a war and use magic to make a killing in the chaos."
An organization that calls itself the Black Wolves.
There were already a few who had become immersed in that ideology and had run away from the Magic Tower. It was said that they were secretly infiltrating the Magic Tower step by step, although they were still too weak to be caught.
"It's highly likely that the Black Wolves were responsible for breaking the Boris communication tunnel and stealing the magic stone. Their goal is to shake the magic tower."
"Something felt suspicious! There's no way the stationary communication port and magic stone would suddenly do something like that!"
Boris was furious, saying that he almost got into trouble for nothing.
"That guy who stole the magic stone and sold it to the pawn shop! He must be a member of the Black Wolf!"
Endymion narrowed his eyes, and Julia blinked in confusion.
'It was much closer than I thought.'
Julia muttered her thoughts, one after another, as if they didn't end at Chiara but were spread out everywhere.
"So did they know we were heading to the Magic Tower, or was it just a coincidence?"
"I don't know about that, but I'm sure they're greedy kids. I want to cleanse them and give them a sharp mental shake-up, but As I said, I don't have much time left to live. It'll be hard to catch them outside the Magic Tower, and for now, the best thing to do is to protect the Magic Tower from being tainted."
As the story ended, Pal hugged Julia's arm tightly. Perhaps because he was small, Pal looked very tired.
Julia looked at Pal, speaking warmly without realizing it.
"We will help you."
The grumbling arm cutely asked Julia back.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. But only if you guarantee my Queen's safety."
Endymion didn't miss the opportunity and intervened. Pal who had been trying to seduce Julia with cuteness clicked his tongue.
"I've been thinking about this for a while, but you're really boring. How can you not have any way of giving in?"
"Take it as a compliment."
Endymion responded bluntly. However, the initial brutality had disappeared.
Julia calmly explained with a sense of relief.
The Black Wolves have caused trouble in Semele and have become public enemies. So let's join forces and eliminate them.
Julia's arms were entangled with Pal as she listened to the suggestion carefully, thinking.
"Hmm. Not bad. I can't stand seeing someone using sacred magic to gain power or make money."
The trembling Pal muttered wistfully.
"Yes. I agree. I do want Julia though, she's so pretty."
Done! Julia, who had been feeling nervous, met Endymion's eyes with a smile.
Endymion, who had been silently staring at Pal, relaxed his gaze and raised the corners of his mouth.
"Is it true, Lord Magic Tower?!"
Boris also smiled brightly at the decision that was surprisingly easy to make and asked again. Pal nodded and got up from his seat.
"Yeah, at this age, I get tired of fighting. You too, when you get older."
Pal sighed, patting his waist as if he had seen everything in the world.
'It doesn't really suit you to have that kind of face...'
Julia smiled and covered her mouth.
The mood was greatly improved when the urgent problem was resolved. Endymion immediately demanded a revision of the treaty, and Pal, grumbling that he was impatient, meekly took out the documents.
"Oh, right."
Pal that was about to sign the new agreement stopped the quilt.
"What?"
Endymion looked at Pal who had suddenly stopped suspiciously. Now, all they had to do was sign and stamp their seals, but the way their eyes were shining seemed to indicate some hidden agenda.
"Yes, of course, I know Semele's power."
"However?"
Semele had the greatest military force on the continent. Pal twirled the quill and his eyes blinked.
"Black Wolves, they're pretty big guys. It might be okay inside the tower, but I'm a kid once I leave my room, so it's hard to support you outside. I'm putting all my effort into keeping the tower strong."
"What's the point?"
Endymion demanded the main point in a fierce tone as he continued to spin his wheels. Pal grumbled and clung to Julia.
"Julia, he's scary. He's so stiff."
"Pffft."
Isn't he really like a child? Julia held back laughter at his natural childishness and gently stroked his soft hair.
"You're not a kid in the room, so stop pretending to be one."
Endymion, who noticed that Julia was secretly weakening despite her appearance, erected a wall like a sword. Finally, he opened his mouth while Pal purred like a fox cub.
"That's the price you pay for not summoning Julia. I want you to show me that you have the power to defeat the Black Wolves."
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