## Ch-106.
—
Lacy Yuzuha.
She stood before the Dercia Magic Tower, letting out deep sighs.
It had been an eventful journey.
When she first set out for Alderan, she had thought it would be a pleasant trip like last year’s.
At the exposition, she would admire creative and fascinating magic and items. In the city, she would engage in inspiring exchanges with young mages. That had been what last year’s exposition meant to her.
This year had been dreadful.
An unexpected encounter along the way had prevented her from properly enjoying the exposition, and she had even been caught up in a terrorist attack. Because of that incident, there was a real possibility that the Magic Exposition would not be held again for several years.
The aftereffects of the Akashic Records had been longer and stickier than she had anticipated. She had lain in Maybeld’s estate for an entire week.
Her body had recovered—but the return journey had been difficult. Her heart felt heavy and unsettled.
Even now.
The reason she could not bring herself to step into the Dercia Magic Tower—a place that had always filled her with excitement and anticipation—was the letter tucked inside her robe.
‘How am I supposed to explain this?’
It had not been a prearranged meeting, but a chance encounter. Truly so.
But would Elena believe that?
Lacy knew Elena’s mental state was unstable. If she were to misunderstand…
‘What if she thinks I’m a possessor too?’
That was what frightened her most.
No matter what excuse she gave, as long as she concealed the truth about possessor, she would inevitably be branded a liar.
‘The letter’s a problem too.’
She had not even dared to secretly open it, so she did not know its contents. She could only hope it would not further agitate Elena’s fragile state of mind.
“It’d be strange if it didn’t.”
Considering their history and relationship, it was bound to be a stimulus in some way.
Sighing endlessly in front of the tower would change nothing. Lacy forced her heavy feet to move.
Still, she could not go straight to Elena.
First, she headed for Orca’s room at the very top of the tower.
“Out?”
“That’s right.”
She was intercepted midway.
An elderly mage of the tower, face tired and beard unkempt, sipped his pitch-black coffee and replied,
“Recently, it seems Orca has had some inspiration. She’s been going outside the tower frequently.”
“Inspiration?”
“She’s conceived a new spell.”
“That’s… rare, isn’t it?”
Ora, who was presumed to have long surpassed Seventh Rank and perhaps reached Eighth Rank, had set her ultimate goal upon the Akashic Records.
It was a path unimaginably distant.
And yet, a new spell? One that even required leaving the tower?
Lacy blinked in disbelief.
‘What is she working on while I was away?’
Surely she wasn’t abandoning the Akashic Records now?
If that were the case, Lacy would not hold back from advising against it. She had willingly offered her own body for the sake of completing the Akashic Records, even endured the humiliation of vomiting in front of that infuriating man.
‘If she gives up now, that means she tested it on me and judged it unviable!’
Though it had been Lacy who volunteered for what could be considered a clinical trial of an incomplete spell, she felt she at least had the right to complain.
“Did Elena go out with her?”
“That child… is still in the tower.”
The answer came with a wry smile.
Lacy let out another heavy sigh.
“How long?”
“She hasn’t returned home in the past ten days. Ah—but she hasn’t locked herself in her room the entire time. Until three days ago, she went out to eat with Orca every meal.”
“Until three days ago?”
“Orca left three days ago. We other mages went to check on her at mealtimes, but… we couldn’t even see her face. And we can’t exactly force our way in.”
Of course.
Within the Dercia Magic Tower, the only two who could spend time with Elena outside of magical research were Orca and Lacy.
“Ah… right. I heard you reached Sixth Rank. Impressive.”
“I was in a situation where I would have died if I hadn’t surpassed my limits.”
“Not everyone can break their limits in such circumstances. Sixth Rank at twenty-nine… Heh. Elena’s remarkable, but you’re no less.”
“Thank you.”
It was offered as praise, but it felt uncomfortable.
As though he were implying that she, not Elena, ought to have been the Tower Master’s disciple.
It could not be helped.
Most mages were eccentric and closed off—yet somehow expected admirable character from others.
Some of the elder mages privately thought that Lacy, gentle to everyone and gifted besides, was more suited to become the next Tower Master than Elena, who neither guided juniors nor respected seniors.
Lacy hated such evaluations.
She feared her very existence might become yet another pressure upon Elena.
It had been Lacy who declined becoming the Tower Master’s disciple.
“Elena?”
Her chamber occupied the entire floor just beneath the topmost level.
As soon as Lacy stepped off the lift, she saw the door—tightly shut.
She glanced at the food placed beside it. The lunch delivered earlier had already gone cold.
“Elena? It’s me, Lacy. Are you asleep?”
Knock knock.
Not long after she knocked lightly, the door opened.
“Ah, Senior.”
Disheveled golden hair. A face thinner than before she left. Hollow eyes.
“When did you get back?”
Still—perhaps thanks to Orca making sure she ate—she looked better than Lacy had imagined.
“Today.”
“I heard you went through a lot. Did you come straight to the tower?”
“I rested a lot in the carriage on the way back. Can I come in?”
Elena gave a faint smile and stepped aside.
The room was spacious enough to endure three days of seclusion without major discomfort. It even had a bathroom and bath.
But it was far from tidy.
Spellbooks and research papers were scattered everywhere. The bed and sofa areas, in particular, were a mess.
Lacy’s gaze moved between the dolls collapsed on the crumpled bed and the pillows and blankets strewn across the sofa.
“I couldn’t sleep on the bed.”
Elena said it like an excuse.
She would lie on the bed every night, tossing and turning, clutching the doll she had brought from the orphanage.
Still unable to sleep, she would eventually curl up on the sofa instead.
In the past, she might have drowned herself in alcohol—but after speaking with Orca, she had stopped drinking.
As advised, she chose to rely on magic rather than liquor.
“Have you been eating—”
Lacy stopped mid-sentence.
She had spotted the crumpled wrapper of a calorie bar on the floor near the desk.
Dry, tasteless.
Lacy sighed and shook her head.
“If Orca sees that, she’ll scold you.”
“She’ll say my brain won’t work properly.”
Elena chuckled.
Dragging her feet, she went to the sofa and sat down, hugging a pillow to her chest as she stared at Lacy.
“Are you okay, Senior?”
“Me?”
“A lot happened in Alderan. Oh—congratulations. I heard you reached Sixth Rank.”
“I never went around announcing it. How does everyone know?”
“Orca told me.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret.
Lacy cleared her throat and sat opposite Elena.
“In Alderan… well, I nearly died. But I’m fine. Not even injured.”
Why aren’t you going home? What is this state of your room? Were you alright while I was gone?
There was so much she wanted to ask.
But the answers were too predictable.
Home? Just because. It’s more comfortable here.
The room’s messy? It can’t be helped. I didn’t let anyone in to clean. And it’s more comfortable like this. Even if I tidy it, it’ll get messy again.
I was fine without you. My days are always the same.
I’m glad you came back safely. I was really worried. But Senior—about Alderan—
“A lot.”
The voice cut in suddenly.
“I heard he was hurt. Very badly.”
Lacy blinked at Elena.
“Um… me? I wasn’t physically hurt. Maybe internal injuries—I struggled a bit with that—”
“I mean Yuri.”
She said it with a smile.
“I heard his injuries were severe. After everything ended, he staggered while talking. And in the carriage, he fainted outright?”
“…”
“Oh, Senior wouldn’t have seen it. Orca was moving your body then. I heard it from her.”
“…I see.”
How should she answer?
After hesitating, Lacy nodded.
“Yes… it was serious. The opponent was too strong. He couldn’t run. He was protecting me while fighting, so he couldn’t properly evade the attacks—”
“There was no choice, was there?”
Lacy’s words cut off.
“If you hadn’t reached Sixth Rank, Orca couldn’t have teleported. In that situation, no matter who the opponent was, he would’ve had to fight while protecting you.”
What…?
Lacy stiffened.
It was a logical statement.
Yet something about it—
It felt like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard, grazing the surface of her emotions.
“How was Haryeong?”
“She was injured too.”
“Did she seem to be getting along well with Yuri?”
“Ha…? I don’t know. We didn’t talk enough to tell.”
That was a lie.
It was true they hadn’t spoken much, but she could tell whether the two were getting along or not. Especially at the exposition—the hostility Haryeong had openly shown—
“Did it look the same as two years ago?”
Elena asked with a smile.
“Back when Haryeong was my guard, and Yuri was my childhood friend, living together in my house.”
Lacy couldn’t answer immediately.
After a moment’s hesitation, she forced her voice out.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what it was like two years ago.”
“Didn’t she ask about me?”
“Haryeong… asked if you were doing well.”
“And Yuri?”
That faint smile looked like cracked glass that could shatter at any moment.
No matter what she said, it felt as though her words would fall into some black void. Lacy’s chest tightened.
“I received a letter.”
In the end, Lacy sighed briefly and pulled the letter from her robe.
The moment she heard the word letter, Elena’s eyes widened.
“It’s from Yuri. He asked me to deliver—”
Elena slid off the sofa as if tumbling and reached for it.
Startled, Lacy stepped back—but Elena was faster, grabbing her wrist.
“Ah…”
Elena’s trembling eyes fluttered.
“I’m… sorry.”
“It’s… fine.”
Lacy composed herself and handed over the letter.
Elena placed it on her lap, shoulders shaking faintly.
Her dull golden eyes darted between the letter and Lacy’s face. She clearly wanted to tear it open immediately—but with Lacy standing before her, she restrained herself.
“There’s something Yuri asked me to tell you.”
“To… me? Directly?”
“Yes.”
She shouldn’t stay any longer.
Feeling as though thorns were digging into her skin, Lacy stood.
“He said he would wait.”
“…?”
“I don’t know what he’s waiting for. I’ll be going now. Like you said… I think I need some rest.”
The carriage ride had not been uncomfortable.
This place was.
“Yes. Please rest well, Senior.”
After seeing Lacy to the door—
Elena stood there and almost tore the letter apart on the spot.
But she stopped.
This was a letter written and sent by the Yuri of ‘now.’
The letters they had exchanged in the past were with the real Yuri.
This was the first letter she had received from the current Yuri.
Thinking that, she could not tear it.
Biting her lip, she hurried to her desk.
The letter was sealed with wax.
If she forced it open, the envelope would tear messily. But tearing the other side would ruin its appearance if she wanted to preserve it intact.
So she carefully slid a knife beneath the seal and cut it cleanly.
As the envelope opened neatly, her heart pounded with a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time—anticipation.
The letter was not long.
She did not feel disappointed.
It was the first letter. It had taken two years for contact. Rather than pouring out all the accumulated stories, there would naturally still be awkwardness.
To Elena.
.
.
.
After reading it several times, Elena suddenly sprang to her feet.
As expected, it was very different from the letters she had exchanged with the real Yuri.
The handwriting was different.
The way he structured his thoughts was different.
The emotions were different.
Of course.
The one who sent this letter was not her childhood friend.
It was not the Yuri she had last seen ten years ago—the one whose letters lacked sincerity, whose emotions were absent, whose replies were infrequent, who had once said he would rather she stop writing altogether.
‘In the end… he’s someone else.’
The body was the same, but the soul inside was different.
That was what possesion meant.
That difference was the root of Elena’s tangled love and hatred.
Grief for the childhood friend who had died.
A wish that the possessor inhabiting his body might truly be her Yuri.
The fact that she had come to like him.
And the guilt that followed.
“Letters…”
She still had the letters she had exchanged with her childhood friend long ago.
‘Yuri… what did you say to me back then?’
She remembered the impression—cold, insincere, sparse replies.
But she could not recall the exact contents.
Yuri rarely wrote about himself.
Most of his replies were simply responses to what she had written.
Elena staggered to her feet.
For the past two years, it was the possessor Yuri who had tormented her.
It was because of him that she had resolved to throw herself into magic.
The real Yuri…
…was fading from her memory.
‘No…’
She decided she had to read the old letters again.
It had been two years since she last thought that.
She had been too afraid, too pained to open them—but she had never thrown them away.
Elena pulled her robe over her head and left the room.
Mages she passed spoke to her, but she ignored them.
With her hood drawn low, she left the tower and returned to the estate for the first time in a week.
“Letters… the letters…”
Under the bed.
She opened the box she had sealed with magic.
Ten years’ worth of exchanged letters.
As she overturned the box to sort through them, she realized something.
‘There aren’t many.’
She understood immediately.
Two years ago, when she went to Aldor to bring Yuri back.
The second floor of that shabby apartment building—his room.
—We can swap and read them.
They had agreed to exchange letters and read each other’s.
Afterward, at the estate… as they grew closer, they had swapped them.
And never returned them.
“…”
Elena swallowed and stood.
When she pushed open the door after two years, it was lighter than she expected.
It opened smoothly, without even a creak.
The room was spotless. Thanks to magic, not a speck of dust had gathered.
Elena pressed a hand to her churning chest and stepped inside slowly.
She did not want to stay long.
First, she went to the desk.
The first and second drawers held only writing tools and blank paper.
The third drawer.
Neatly arranged letters—and a worn book.
“…?”
She had only meant to take the letters.
But her hand had already picked up the book.
“A diary…?”
From the handwriting—it was the real Yuri’s diary.
Elena flinched.
It was someone else’s diary.
She shouldn’t read it.
That thought followed one after another.
But she bit her lip.
This was the last relic the real Yuri had left in this world.
Yuri had no family.
Among all who had known him, only Elena knew he had died and been replaced.
‘I have the right.’
Forcing her trembling emotions down, she opened the diary.
—Another letter came from Elena.
He had begun writing this diary at seventeen, when he left the orphanage.
It wasn’t written every day.
Only sometimes.
When he couldn’t sleep. When he hated lying blankly on his bed in that environment. When he wanted to write something. When something swelled in his chest or head and had to be poured out.
It wasn’t really a diary.
It was a trash bin for emotions he couldn’t write in letters.
—This bitch filled another letter with bragging I didn’t even ask for. Big city life, magic, whatever.
Rotten, festering feelings.
—What am I going to do after leaving the orphanage? Something, I guess. Why does she always have to write about how well she’s doing?
Inferiority twisted into hostility.
—Why would I go find you? So I can run errands for you? How much of a loser do you think I am? Fucking bitch.
—Mages die all the time from experiments. Can’t this bitch die already? How long is she going to keep sending nothing but bragging letters? The girl who used to just cry with snot running…
Elena clamped a hand over her mouth.
Her stomach and head churned violently.
—Do you remember what you said the day you left Aldor?
The words from Yuri’s recent letter echoed in her ears.
—You said, “You’ll think it was luck that I came to get you today.”
She felt like she might vomit.
—You were right. Meeting you that day was the greatest stroke of luck in my life.
Elena collapsed to the floor, gasping.
The headaches that had subsided in recent days surged back.
Crack—crackle!
Emotion surged like electricity.
The current swelled and swelled.
At this rate, the room—the estate—would burn to ash.
—Wouldn’t that be fine? Why endure it? For two years, this place hasn’t been home. Since Haryeong left, she had spent more time at the tower than here. If the house burned down, what would it matter? If necessary, she could always obtain a better one.
This was heart-demon.
Emotion encroaching upon reason, whispering destruction.
Smash everything that hurts. Be free.
The diary. The letters. The memories. The house.
All of it.
“N-no…”
Elena clutched her head, as though being electrocuted.
It couldn’t burn.
There were things here that must not burn.
The doll she brought from the orphanage.
The doll the Yuri who wrote that he wished she would die had given her as a gift.
The letters they exchanged.
The half-year she had not been alone.
The hairpin she had received.
“…”
The swollen current was drawn back into her.
*
*
“Hoo.”
Returning after four days, Orca found her disciple waiting—different than usual.
Instead of her customary robe, she wore a white dress.
Her hair, long and overgrown, was not cut—but neatly combed instead of wild.
“You look pretty.”
Orca smiled as she removed the vest she had thrown on.
It was different from four days ago.
Not just her appearance.
Something inside her had changed—and it was in the direction Orca had hoped.
“Master.”
Elena, who had been turning the blue hairpin over on her knee, spoke.
A twisted smile spread across her pale face.
“You once said that if one reaches the extreme of magic, all problems that cause suffering can be solved.”
“I did.”
Orca gazed at her with eyes brimming with affection.
“You also said I could become as strong as you. No—stronger.”
“I did.”
At the end of the letter—
He had written that he feared rejection, but wanted to see her again.
He had asked her to leave a reply at the Adventurers’ Guild.
—Wait for me.
She did not write back.
There was no need.
Some emotions could not be contained in letters.
To convey them properly, they had to meet in person.
“I want to grow stronger.”
Strong enough that Yuri would not need to protect her.
Strong enough to protect Yuri.
Strong enough to grant Yuri’s wish.
“As fast as possible. As fast as I can.”
The letter she had reread dozens of times overnight rested against her chest.
She gripped the hairpin she had yet to wear.
“Good.”
Orca smiled brightly and nodded.
Before that joyous madness faded, she would need to complete the Lightning Prison quickly.
