Ghosts of the Past (4)
Reed had returned to his original place.
Kaitlyn, who had been anxiously pacing around the area, was relieved to see Reed return.
"Ta, Tower Master, I thought you were dead! I was so worried that you might have been blown away into a gap in space or something...!"
"I'm sorry."
"Where have you been?"
"I was in Escolleia, at the assistant's office where Dolores is, for a while."
"…For an hour?"
"Yes."
"A man and a woman in one room?"
As Kaitlyn began to snicker like a shady old man, Reed made an incredulous face.
"I don't know what you're imagining, but I just had a cup of coffee and a chat."
Dolores needed some healing time, and Reed appeared at the right moment.
After an hour of drinking coffee and sharing various stories, Reed returned to his original state.
She couldn't even ask about teleportation.
No doubt, when he returned, she would have realized her mistake.
Reed was utterly innocent, but Kaitlyn's gaze remained unwavering.
Worried that she might start gossiping, Reed quickly changed the subject.
"The performance of this crystal teleport is definitely good. It's enough to penetrate Escolleia's magic circle."
The secret lay in the extremely short casting time.
Most local defensive magic prioritizes detecting mana rather than blocking it primarily.
When magic enters from the outside, a magic circle is deployed to detect and then block it. In Reed's case, he could move so quickly that as soon as it was detected, it was cast immediately.
In other words, if it's an area where mana doesn't fully pass through, it would be difficult to break through and escape on one's own.
Reed created his strategy after checking various conditions.
First, he practiced moving his body.
The practice was simple. The principles of activation were similar to runes.
As soon as he thinks he wants to go somewhere, the “Teleport” magic is activated.
Still, it wasn't as simple as runes.
The place to teleport to had to be seen by Reed at least once, and he had to know the exact location.
Reed began to devise a strategy based on the acquired information.
The center of the strategy was two items: runes and teleportation crystal.
He wondered if he could do something with magic, but only the casting speed of beginner magic was fast.
For more powerful or wide-range magic, at least 3 seconds were needed.
Three seconds were more than enough time for a Swordmaster to approach Reed and cut him into 17 pieces.
'Only when it's really safe... No, not even then.'
As a seasoned swordsman, he was skilled in fake patterns.
Reed continued to think about what to do.
He thought, found weaknesses, and continued his training through repetition.
Finally, he was able to fully acquire the teleportation ability.
* * *
Sunday.
Dolores began her education at the Silence Tower.
Although she could make it possible for children to access Escolleia on weekends, Dolores did not accept the convenience.
That's because Dolores' enjoyment of the weekend started with going to the Silence Tower.
"Why are your lips pouting like this today?"
Dolores asked as she pressed Rosaria's small lips with her index finger.
"I don't like it because Dad's been very busy lately."
"Really?"
"When I sneak into where Dad works, I can never see him. He always goes downstairs."
"Downstairs... that must be the research building. Didn't you used to go there often?"
"Now Rosaria can't go in there. Dad said he's angry because I keep going on adventures!"
"Oh, I see."
Though she seemed sympathetic, Dolores secretly thought that Reed had made the right decision.
Curiosity can lead to knowledge from unexplored areas but always involves risks.
She had the potential trait of "Sense of Curiosity," which allowed her to do anything, and it wouldn't have been surprising if anything happened if she was left to her own devices.
Besides, scolding was not Dolores' role.
"Miss Rosaria, Tower Masters are always very busy. They have to deal with many people's tasks every day, so they have no time to rest!"
When Yuria spoke loudly, Rosaria turned her head and asked.
"Is the assistants busy too?"
"Of course. Captains are the busiest."
"It seems like Phoebe is the one doing the most work..."
"Because Miss Rosaria always goes to play when she's there, it looks that way! In reality, she must be incredibly busy!"
"That's right."
She seemed genuinely shocked and convinced.
"In the end, work is the worst thing."
Rosaria frowned and then nodded as if she had made up her mind.
"I want to be Dad's hero. I'll become a hero and blow Dad's work far, far away!"
"But then the Tower Master would have to work even harder to clean up those tasks. It would be difficult for him."
* * *
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***
"Then I'll take down everyone who gives Dad work! Because they're bad people!""That... sounds like murder?"
"I won't do that because murder is bad. I'll just make an X on their eyes."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like this!"
When Rosaria showed Yuria the drawing of 'X _ X' she had made with her hands, Yuria tilted her head, wondering if there was something else.
"That means they're dead."
"No, it means they're knocked out! It's different from dying."
"What's the difference?"
"Heroes don't kill people!"
Rosaria turned her head and looked up at Dolores.
Dolores, who had received the baton, smiled and stroked Rosaria's head.
"Isn't that so?"
"See, I'm right."
Rosaria proudly puffed out her chest, as if she had won.
Not wanting to lose, Yuria pouted and began to solve the problem again.
'A hero...'
Dolores also liked the story of heroes.
It's rare for someone not to like the story of heroes who perform good deeds and judge evil.
However, if it's reality, it's never a simple story.
'And it's still the same now.'
The man who attacked Reed was the hero.
At first, Dolores didn't believe him, thinking he was just teasing her, but when she realized he was serious, she knew she had to take it seriously.
'Otherwise, the long-dead former president wouldn't have attacked me.'
Realizing that she was lost in her own thoughts, Dolores poked at Rosaria's notebook, which was idly doodling.
"Don't scribble in your book, solve the problem quickly."
"Okay."
Rosaria began to solve the problem as she quickly erased her drawing with an eraser.
As Rosaria flipped through her notebook, Dolores inadvertently caught sight of a drawing on one side of her notes.
Unable to ignore it, she pointed to the page and asked.
"What's this?"
"When Dad was sick, I tried to make a spell for him."
"A spell?"
"Yes!"
"You made a spell?"
At the word "spell," Yuria also turned her head to look at Rosaria's notebook.
Rosaria proudly showed her drawing.
Shapes and lines filled in a crooked circle.
Seeing that, Yuria snorted and acted superior.
"You can't draw magic circles like that. It's not something you can just scribble."
"How do you do it?"
"Hehe, you have to be able to draw like me!"
Yuria showed her a magic circle she had drawn once before.
A neatly drawn circle and shapes, and even the incantation activation characters were meticulously copied.
"How about that, Master?"
"..."
"Master?"
Dolores, who had been looking at Rosaria's drawing, finally came to her senses and turned her head.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. It's a barrier magic used in the Empire, right?"
"Yes!"
As the Master showed interest as she wished, Yuria began presenting the important elements of the barrier incantation with a bright expression.
Dolores already knew the story, and Rosaria didn't know anything about it, but they both reacted as much as possible to satisfy Yuria.
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