Chapter 4 (2)

A project related to magical research means that there is considerable information and money in the tower.

Therefore, it is no different from showing the status of the tower master themselves.

That's why all the tower masters always have one or two projects, whether long-term or short-term, and whether they fail or succeed, they tend to reach a conclusion one way or another.

It was always the case, but the Tower of Silence was a different story.

It had fewer floors than the other towers, fewer personnel, and the only thing it had was money – the lowest-ranked tower master.

Would such a tower master concoct false stories to try to make a leap in recovery with the 'Project: Flower Garden' to raise reputation? If it was a lie?

Then, as much as they had hoped, resentment would arise, and he would end up plummeting even further.

"It seems Roton has finally hit rock bottom."

A statement everyone had in mind, but couldn't dare to say out loud.

At that moment, they all silently agreed.

"Do you think Reed Roton is that kind of person? With that thick skin?"

Someone objected.

The blue-haired Tower Master stood up and countered.

Her tall stature, elegant uniform, and weighty gestures suited her well.

Her sharp gaze hid a pair of shining blue eyes.

It was Dolores Jade, the Tower Master of the Wallin(벽린의).

"He's not that kind of person. He is a person who embodies the word evil. Cunning, wicked, and malicious."

"Escolleia's childhood best friend steps up to defend him."

Freesia began to snicker and mock.

Dolores glared at Freesia, who was sitting across from her.

"I've told you to stop using that nickname, Black Sky Tower Master. Other than being classmates, we have nothing in common."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. Is that better?"

Although the blue-haired Tower Master glared menacingly, Freesia didn't budge. She flicked her ears and offered a half-hearted apology.

"So, does the Wallin Tower Master have a different idea in mind?"

"I think he discovered a dangerous magic that made him give up presenting the Flower Garden, which he had promoted with his reputation at stake. That's what I believe."

It couldn't be more of a reckless thought.

However, Reed was the kind of person one would not be at all surprised if reckless thoughts never crossed his mind.

"Well, if the Tower Master of Silence overturned the Flower Garden based on his personality... it can only mean something more important has come up."

"Does the Black Sky Tower Master know anything else?"

"I'm not carrying a universal information pouch on my belly. How am I supposed to know that?"

It was because even a magician working at the Tower of Silence wouldn't have the skills to access the exact contents of Project: Flower Garden, so they couldn't know the exact situation.

And so everyone fell silent.

They didn't speculate any further.

They all focused on what Dolores had said.

What if she was right and dangerous magic had been discovered?

'It makes me even more curious.'

'Even though it seems like it would definitely lack substance.'

Instead of the resentment and betrayal they felt from the Project Flower Garden, they became even more curious about the information the Tower Master of Silence had hidden.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time as the Tower Masters' discussion, at the Tower of Silence.

What Reed was doing was neither honing his skills nor researching forbidden dark magic.

"Do you know what this word is?"

"Wind!"

"How about this?"

"Apple!"

He was personally teaching Rosaria, the language.

The fact that Reed had taken her in as his foster daughter was still not widely known within the tower.

There wasn't much main work for him to do, and even when the project was underway, Phoebe had taken care of most of the operations, so Reed had nothing to do.

That's why Reed taught Rosaria, language in the Tower Master's library.

She absorbed and answered all the words Reed had taught her so far.

Except for just one.

"Alright, last question. Who am I?"

"Papa!"

"I mean my name."

"Papa!"

For some reason, only when referring to Reed himself, she didn't give the correct answer.

It was hard to say anything about her pronunciation, typical of a child, and her innocent response.

How could he scold her with a smile on her face?

"Yeah, I'm Papa, Papa."

"Hehe."

Rosaria laughed heartily.

She began to read a book with her pure ruby eyes.

The book she was reading was an encyclopedia with records of all things in the Cloud Continent.

There were no fairy tales or heroic epics in the Magic Tower, which was dedicated to magic research.

Among them, the only book with the most pictures and text was that encyclopedia.

'I can't believe she learned to speak and read in just a week.'

He didn't teach her strictly, and Reed's teaching method was not particularly extraordinary.

Reed would open a book, show her a picture, and say what it was.

In this way, he taught her words and letters as naturally as water flowing.

'It seems like she understands me perfectly even though I feel like I'm speaking horribly.'

It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, the girl had just tilted her head when Reed spoke.

'Even without the 「Master of Adaptation」 being manifested, she's like this?'

Reed checked Rosaria's status once again through the 「Talent Appraisal」 to see if he had missed anything.

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Name: Rosaria Adelheits Roten

Occupation: Tower Master's Foster Daughter

Age: 7 years old

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Health: 70/70

Stamina: 60/60

Mana: 40/40

[Traits]

「None.」

[Abilities]

<Assimilation Lv. 1>, <Purity Lv. 4>

[Unmanifested Traits & Abilities]

「Ruler of Magic」, 「Master of Adaptation」, 「Eternal Hole」

<Magic Lv. 7>, <Magic Studies Lv. 7>, <Mana Sensitivity Lv. 7>, <Elemental Sensitivity Lv. 7>, <Mental Strength Lv. 6> ... and 5 more.

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'None of them have manifested.'

It was only natural.

Hoping that magic would suddenly manifest when she had never been involved in anything related to magic was no different than wishing for gold coins to fall from the sky.

'It's about time to start teaching magic...'

He had somehow succeeded in teaching language, but how should he approach teaching magic?

He thought about it for a week, but couldn't find a proper answer.

In order to focus on that issue, Reed purposely did not participate in the Tower Masters' meeting.

'Participating in the Tower Masters' meeting creates an optimal situation where I can't do anything properly.'

He already knew that he had set up expectations for the other Tower Masters beforehand the meeting.

Disappointment comes in proportion to expectations.

Reed knew that feeling and also knew that he should officially apologize at the Tower Masters' meeting and respond like an adult.

'Well, thanks to avoiding it, I managed to teach her more lightheartedly...'

It wasn't very mature, but in the end, Rosaria successfully learned to read and write in just a week.

And now it was time to move on to the next step.

"Rosaria."

"Hmm?"

Rosaria, who was looking at a book, turned her head.

"Do you want to learn magic?"

At Reed's question, her red eyes began to sparkle.