Chapter 140
The time when the sun, rising over the mountain ridge, was slowly erasing the shadows of the night from the world.
Franz opened his eyes at his usual time.
“Ugh…”
Extreme fatigue washed over his body, along with the aftereffects of mana depletion.
It seemed to be the result of overexerting his body yesterday.
Even though he was the Magic Tower Master, he was still essentially a Mage, so he lacked basic physical stamina.
It was somewhat fine during his Hero’s Party days, but quite some time had passed since then, so it wasn’t strange that he was gradually growing weaker.
Soon, Franz groaned and got out of bed.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep a little longer, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do that today.
Because he had to buy this and that for the two who had to stay on the 5th basement floor for the time being.
Among those things, what they needed right away was, of course, breakfast.
And when it came to breakfast, there was only one option.
After suitably grooming himself, Franz headed straight there.
“Magic Tower Master, it’s been a while-.”
The middle-aged woman’s warm morning greeting.
Along with the appetizing smell wafting over.
It was a sandwich shop that ranked high on Franz’s personal list of good restaurants.
“Good to see you. I’ll have three of my usual, please.”
“Your appetite must have grown quite a bit lately. Yes, the Magic Tower Master needs to eat a bit more heartily.”
Saying so, the woman packaged three sandwiches with practiced movements.
It wasn’t exactly that his appetite had grown, but rather that the number of mouths to feed had increased, though Franz didn’t bother mentioning that.
They weren’t close enough to exchange such deep conversations, after all.
Of course, on the day this shop disappeared, he would probably be a little, no, very sad.
“Thank you as always.”
Having finished paying, Franz received the sandwiches from the woman.
And it was the moment he turned to head toward the Magic Tower.
“Magic Tower Master?”
Hearing a familiar voice from behind, he turned his head to see Arian approaching with her head tilted.
‘Why now of all times…’
If possible, he hadn’t wanted to run into her.
It was obvious she would ask questions if she found out he bought more sandwiches than usual, and if that happened, it would unintentionally turn into a difficult situation.
But since they had already met, it was no different from spilled water, so it was better to think of a way to wipe it up.
“You already bought sandwiches… You didn’t look well yesterday, so I was going to buy the Magic Tower Master’s share too.”
Arian smacked her lips as if it were a shame.
It seemed like it would pass without any major issues, so he tried to continue the conversation, but…
“Oh? Why did you buy so many sandwiches?”
Did they say ominous premonitions always hit the mark?
Exactly that kind of situation had unfolded.
“To save and eat later.”
“Then they won’t taste very good… Why don’t you just give one to me and we eat lunch outside together instead?”
If he gave one to Arian, there would be two sandwiches left.
After giving those two to Seria and Zenia one by one, there would be none left.
He was suddenly about to skip breakfast, but he had no other choice.
Because he couldn’t help but feel a bit hesitant to reveal the two of them to Arian right now.
“Alright, I’ll give you one. Let’s eat lunch outside.”
“Oh yeah-.”
When Franz handed over a packaged sandwich, Arian promptly took it.
Following that, the two began to converse as they walked toward the Magic Tower.
“But are you really okay? Your complexion looks really bad right now.”
“I’m fine. It’s not enough to kill me.”
“You’re not overdoing it again, are you? I know the plague is a big deal, but please take care of your own body first, Magic Tower Master.”
At the word overdoing, Franz felt a sudden pang of guilt for no reason.
Just yesterday, he had been severely scolded by Yustia for the exact same thing.
Strictly speaking, he should say he almost got scolded.
“I’m not overdoing it. I’m really fine.”
Having no intention of being scolded twice for the same thing, Franz decided to hide it appropriately.
The story would be a bit different if Yustia told Arian about what happened yesterday, but it wouldn’t be too late to think about that when the time came.
Anyway, just how did he usually look for them to keep telling him not to overdo it…
‘I feel like I’m just doing a moderately normal amount, though.’
It seemed that the “moderate” of a 21st-century Korean was quite spicy for the people of this world.
While conversing like that, Franz and Arian arrived at the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“Then I’ll see you in a bit.”
Arian greeted him while waving the sandwich for him to see.
Franz was secretly envious of it, but he didn’t show it outwardly and similarly waved his hand to see her off.
Arian entered the Secretary’s Office, and Franz moved his steps to the Magic Tower Master’s Office.
‘There’s a little time until Arian comes looking for me.’
The first thing she did upon coming to work was manage the clerks' attendance and check the suggestion box.
After that, she would come to the Magic Tower Master’s Office with the organized requests and suggestions.
So there would be time until then.
Franz immediately used Spatial Movement Magic to head to the 5th basement floor.
Of course, he had two sandwiches in his hand.
What greeted Franz upon arriving at the 5th basement floor was bright light.
It was a truly ironic thing.
Because Franz had definitely turned off all the power to the lighting devices when he left yesterday.
They were fairly outdated magic tools, so interfering with their circuits shouldn’t have been that easy…
“You’re here.”
“Zenia, did you turn on these lighting devices?”
“I turned them on because I hate the dark. Ah… was I not supposed to do that?”
“No, it’s fine.”
It would be one thing if a problem had occurred, but since she had only touched the lighting devices accurately, there wasn’t any particular issue.
It was just that her talent for properly manipulating magic tools that were like relics of a bygone era was simply astonishing.
Was this what it felt like to see a genius right in front of your eyes?
‘If taught well, she’d be the real deal…’
She was talented, overflowing with enough aptitude to awaken Unique Magic at such a young age.
Even though she was a half-Elf and a former Slave, finding a spot for her in the Magic Tower wouldn’t be that difficult of a task.
In the first place, the Magic Tower itself was a place where anyone could come regardless of status as long as they had magical talent.
It seemed to have deteriorated a bit recently, but if they actually saw Zenia’s talent, no one would be able to carelessly open their mouths.
Having finished his thoughts, Franz handed one sandwich to Zenia.
“Here, this. Breakfast.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”
“Bear with it for the time being. Once Seria’s physical condition recovers, I’ll let you stay in the Magic Tower.”
“…Is that really okay?”
Why wouldn’t it be?
The Magic Tower Master was saying he would do as he pleased.
Conveying those thoughts, Franz shrugged his shoulders and approached the magi-engineering device where Seria was.
“Seria, how is your body feeling?”
“Good. Much better than before. My stomach has healed a lot too, so now only a fist can barely fit in.”
Seria spoke in a playful tone, repeatedly putting her fist in and out of the hole in her stomach.
It was quite a creepy sight, but Franz decided not to show it.
Since it seemed she was trying to joke around in her own way.
“More importantly, take this.”
Franz unwrapped the sandwich and placed it inside the device.
“You want me to eat it?”
“Yeah, right now if possible.”
This had a meaning beyond a simple meal.
Because it was a process to check whether the formula imbued in the Mana Core was operating properly.
“I haven’t eaten something like this in a really long time.”
Seria looked at the sandwich this way and that, then soon brought it to her mouth without hesitation.
Munch, munch…
The food chewed and swallowed from her mouth traveled down her esophagus, naturally breaking down and disappearing.
It seemed the Mana Core’s formula was operating properly.
Just as Franz was about to feel relieved and move on.
Tears streamed down from Seria’s eyes.
‘A side effect…?’
Because inserting an Artificial Mana Core was a first-time occurrence, he couldn’t carelessly overlook anything.
Perhaps there was a side effect where tears flowed every time she ate food…
“It’s delicious…”
It seemed there was no such side effect after all.
His tension released with a short sigh, Franz turned his steps and approached Zenia.
Zenia was eating with sauce smeared all over her mouth, as if the sandwich was delicious.
“Seria seems to be fine. And I’ll be back at lunch. Even if you’re bored, bear with it and wait.”
“Ah, yeah. Buy this again when you come. It’s tasty, this thing.”
“Aren’t you demanding that a bit too boldly?”
“…Please. I want to eat more of this.”
Seeing as she even used formal language, it must have been quite delicious.
He had a lot he wanted to say, but Franz held it in and nodded.
If there was a sin, the sin lay with him for saving them.
‘…As if that makes any sense.’
It seemed he would have to educate them sooner or later.
Having finished his business on the 5th basement floor like that, Franz returned to the Magic Tower Master’s Office.
But why was that? Arian had arrived first and was waiting.
Tilting her head, she approached Franz, sniffed the air, and soon narrowed her brow.
“This is an unfamiliar scent. What woman is it this time?”