363 – Preparations of the Amethyst Tower

The year 454 of the Lion’s Calendar dawned anew.

The New Year, a day when the calendar resets. December 31st magically transforms into January 1st. The year’s first light ascends…

From the planet’s perspective, far more remained unchanged than changed. The sun was the same, the clouds were the same, the earth was the same. After all, dates were merely arbitrary distinctions imposed by humans.

And so, as arbitrarily as they were imposed, humans celebrated them. Though only time had passed and the year had turned over, they celebrated the sensation of a new wind somehow blowing. Yet, that sensation was surely not meaningless.

Where the heart leads, the actions follow.

If one felt as though the world had been utterly transformed, and acted accordingly, then the New Year would surely serve as a magnificent prologue to some tale.

Families with the leisure to do so, would modestly celebrate the New Year by preparing special dishes. Some would set goals like succeeding in their diets, while others would vow to slay a dragon within the year.

And here.

“Uh, yeah. Lauren. Sis is…kinda busy, so I probably won’t be home for a while. Yeah. Some crazy junior dumped a ton of work on me…”

There was one poor mage, suffering through New Year’s Eve overtime.

On the balcony railing of the Purple Magic Tower’s 20th floor, Lorelei, a wizard, leaned, clutching a communication crystal, looking utterly harried.

She was a woman with a prominent scar on her face, a skilled Illusionist known in certain circles as “Puppet Lorelei”.

“Cake? You baked it yourself…?”

But right now, she was just a pathetic, miserable human, stuck at work late, missing out on her younger brother’s massages, and failing to partake in his New Year’s homemade cake.

Alas, cruel time!

How could there be so much to do, yet so little time to do it?

“Ah, yes, I’ll try my best to get home next week. I’m sorry, Lauren. Your sister will try harder… Yes? Okay, I won’t overwork myself. Sleep well, Lauren. My sweet brother. Love you.”

*Muah, muah, muah.*

Lorelei planted a barrage of farewell kisses on the crystal before ending the call. Then, she lit a magic herb behind the door. A soft *whoosh* of exhaled breath sent a cloud of pearly smoke billowing.

Just one hit before going back in. She needed to finish her work quickly, so she could see her younger brother’s face next week, at the very least.

“Haa…”

With eyes heavy with fatigue, she stared blankly at the sky. As she watched the dissipating smoke, another wisp floated up from below.

*Peek.*

Lorelei cautiously leaned over the balcony, peering down. She saw a newcomer with a sullen expression, a cigarette dangling from her lips. And those bouncy, spiraling sausage curls.

“Hoo… life is so darn tough.”

Her name was Jewel Yurensto. The Purple Magic Tower Lord’s younger sister.

The meandering path that led Jewel to the Purple Magic Tower went like this: her clothing brand, launched at Crown Hall, had spectacularly failed. In just three days, no less.

Had there been a speedrun competition for store closures, a certain crazy mage commented, she might have been a contender for the top prize.

It wasn’t that she lacked ability, or so it seemed. Jewel was currently working as the Purple Magic Tower’s administrator, and since her arrival, wasted money had plummeted. She knew how to manage finances.

Already, some wizards trembled at the mere rustle of Jewel’s garments. She was ruthlessly rejecting all shoddy research proposals.

So, why did the clothing store fail, then?

*Glance.*

Jewel looked up. Their eyes met. Lorelei gave an awkward nod of greeting, then offered a standard, if perfunctory, inquiry.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m not doing well. I never imagined the Tower would be run so haphazardly. The research is so weird… Isn’t designing women’s underwear a tailor’s job, not a wizard’s?”

“Still, I think that’s better than the truly ghastly research. And even if you say that… I’ve heard that as long as the proposal is properly written, even somewhat eccentric research gets funded.”

Jewel scoffed, causing her sausage curls to bounce.

“I heard it from my sister. She told me not to interfere with the research. That the Purple Magic Tower should be a place where people can do the research they want… So, I’m just cracking down on waste.”

Respecting the Tower Lord’s wishes, Jewel didn’t dwell too deeply on the research topics. Whether some crazy person was trying to switch bodies with their younger brother, or trying to conjure a fictional, short-pants-wearing boy to date…

After all, the research funds were being brought in by a crazy wizard mysteriously beloved by the Imperial Family, so there was no need to force them to only pursue research that was likely to be profitable.

“But not interfering with research is one thing; catching wastefulness is quite another.”

Yes, waste.

Juel felt the heat surge, pulling her cherished handkerchief from within her robes to gnaw on it. A stream of bogus research proposals flashed through her mind. Especially that blockhead Melberton.

“How is Melberton, that dimwit, even a mage? Is it because he makes money disappear like magic? Do you know how I felt when I saw an infinity symbol scribbled on his research proposal’s budget request?!”

“Even so, Melberton junior’s Aim Reduction Field is a Violet Tower bestseller, you know.”

“It’s not about the product! That numbskull—he hasn’t even secured proper suppliers and buys all his materials from the nearby market, getting fleeced at every turn!”

No wonder he seemed perpetually broke, despite his earnings. There was a reason his wealth never accumulated.

Listening any longer would surely devolve into a 30-minute Juel-rant-compilation, so before she truly got going, Loray interjected.

“I’ll head in now, Lady Juel.”

“…Y-yes. Good work to you as well.”

Loray tapped the ash from her cigarette into the ashtray, carefully gathering it so the wind wouldn’t scatter it, then tossed it into the trash. Stretching languidly, she gave her smoking companion a final glance.

The research had to be finished. That crazy junior mage wanted it completed by at least February. That meant the Tower mages would have to be grinded to dust.

Work hard. For tomorrow.

Loray ascended to the Violet Tower’s highest floor.

—

*‘I can’t live in debt,’* Juel Urensto thought.

Debt was tormenting. Especially to the heart. Becoming bound by debt meant an explicit hierarchy formed until it was cleared, a notion she particularly loathed.

*’I gave birth to you as a noble, you know.’*

How much had she had to suppress with those simple words? She’d refuse a repeat, thank you very much. Even now, having escaped her family thanks to her sister, that mindset remained unchanged.

She had to repay her for the rescue. (Though it was unlikely) What if, someday, her sister used that debt to demand something unreasonable of her? For example, hmm, becoming a mistress to some crazed mage.

Of course, in a situation where everyone was happy and well, such a request wouldn’t happen. Rather, right now, she probably wished she could tell her to quit bothering the crazed mage. Especially with two rivals in the picture.

But what if her sister suffered some unfortunate accident that rendered her unable to bear children? Yet she desired a child so much that she asked Juel, a close blood relative… ?

To firmly reply ‘NO’ at that time, she had to settle her debts beforehand.

And so she ambitiously started a clothing business in the Imperial Capital. But who would have predicted that the sudden fashion boom—the magical girl craze that started in the Redburn Duchy—would tank initial interest?

A desperate attempt to shift the clothing designs in a different direction ended abruptly when the hired seamstress bailed. All that was left were bulging stockpiles of unsold clothing and even more debt.

And so, Juel Urensto was re-employed as the Violet Tower’s head of administration.

Debts from a failed business, debts from rescue. She had to tighten her belt to shake off those two burdens. Within the limits of preserving the Violet Tower’s identity, of course. Because the Violet Tower Master wasn’t Juel, it was Yuna.

She stubbed out her cigarette on the balcony railing and entered the Tower. Today, she would ignite her steely gaze to root out those wasters throwing money to the wind.

“Oh, she’s coming! Chief Juel is coming!”

“Everyone, quickly turn off the lights! Save those magic stones!”

“Hmph, are you fools? If we don’t use the lighting, efficiency will only drop and eyesight will deteriorate quickly, ultimately becoming a waste! This is just an attempt to gloss over things for appearances. You, get a one-point deduction on your performance evaluation.”

“KRaaahhh—!!”

Juwel had defeated yet another Illusion Mage today.

Thanks to her efforts, the Violet Magic Tower’s fiscal efficiency had soared by 30%. Yuna was so thrilled she was jumping up and down, showering Juwel with cheek-kisses.

But it was still not enough. What was lacking? She lacked specialized knowledge. To reduce waste, one must first understand properly. If she didn’t get closer to the practical workers, sooner or later, even more waste would occur.

And so. She didn’t skip her studies.

She sought a mentor who could kindly teach the uninitiated about Illusion Magic, hoping to accumulate knowledge, even if she couldn’t cast the spells herself.

As luck would have it, there was a perfect mentor. One who, though reliant on artifacts due to their own lack of magical power, was exceptionally knowledgeable about Illusion Magic. A mushroom-headed shorty.

“Ahem, welcome to the Illusion Magic beginner’s class today. I am the ‘Hypnotic Detective,’ and today we will be studying the three types of mental barriers… Hey Juwel, do we really have to do this?”

This lecture could even generate added value.

*Beep.*

Juwel paused the mana-powered video recording device—the camcorder—and said,

“The Magic Tower’s education system is chaotic enough as it is, so I determined that it’s best to leave behind educational videos for beginners. Stop interjecting nonsense into the recording and start the lecture.”

“…Alright. First, let’s check the homework. Juwel, of course, will have done it. What about Alice?”

Alice, the other woman taking this beginner’s class, crossed her legs and placed them on the desk, declaring confidently.

“It was boring, so I didn’t do it. I didn’t think I needed to practice that much either…?”

“That’s what I figured…”

Alice, a victim of experiments that took place in the old Violet Magic Tower and also Yuna’s friend. Thanks to a crazy mage, she had miraculously survived.

However, she wasn’t quite right in the head. Perhaps because she had been used as a vessel for an evil god and resurrected, her body was close to being an information lifeform, sickly, and she dreamt a lot. But instead, her aptitude for Illusion Magic had greatly increased.

So, even with just a little bit of practice, she progressed rapidly. Thus, the Hypnotic Detective’s teaching style, which allowed even people without talent to steadily build up from the ground up, had some boring parts to it for her.

It wasn’t that she lacked enthusiasm. She was excited and jumping around at the practical training. But only when it came to the practice and not the repetition for homework.

“Mental barriers are generally classified into three types. Defensive, trap-based, and recovery. I’ll start by explaining the characteristics of each one. Defensive barriers are designed to block intrusions from the outset, preventing them from even entering…”

…….

The short, two-hour class was over.

—

The ‘Hypnotic Detective’ was organizing the class materials when he called out to Alice, who was packing her bags and preparing to leave. Because she had an appointment.

“We have to go together today. You didn’t forget, did you?”

“…Was today the day?”

“Today was the day. If you postpone it again today, no matter how much of a saint Lorelei-senpai is, she won’t just let it slide.”

“The dream was just so sweet at that time, so it couldn’t be helped.”

“While we were at it,” Jueel interjected. Her violet eyes held a subtle sparkle, as if catching a whiff of romance in the air. Like her sister, she had a fondness for love stories.

“Where are you two off to?”

“Ah, well…”

Alas, it was hardly a tale of budding affections. *Hypnotic Detective* considered for a moment, then decided it couldn’t hurt and extended an invitation to her as well.

“Care to join us, Jueel? We might even have need of you.”

“…What’s the matter, that requires my presence? I’ll take a look, I suppose.”

Alice gave a sly smile.

“Once you see, there’s no escaping…”

“……?”

The three moved to the topmost floor of the Violet Magic Tower. This was Yoona’s office. But upon touching a certain mirror near the wall, another staircase, previously hidden, revealed itself.

A secret floor, built in utmost secrecy. Ascending the long, winding stairs and opening that door—

“Lorei, tighten C-3, it’s protruding! We’re feeding in additional Phantasm Stones!”

“Yes, Junior’s Daughter.”

“…While I’m not particularly bothered by how you address me, don’t you think that’s a bit convoluted, Lorei?”

“But you didn’t tell me your name, back in the Holy City.”

Under the direction of Aisha, practically the Number Three of the Tower, the elite mages of the Violet Tower were gathered, erecting some gargantuan *something*.

A pitch-black pillar. Sharply pointed at the tip.

Jueel, upon beholding the ominous black pillar, instinctively recoiled. A certain oppressive feeling, dredging up deeply buried fear, permeated the air.

“…What in the world is that, Lorei?”

“That mad Junior commissioned us to build it. Using *Phantasm Stones* as the core material, and concentrating all of the Violet Tower’s resources and manpower… a continental ballistic spear for the annihilation of minds.”

It was, in effect, a colossal *Heart-Shattering Dark Arrow,* bestowed with the name.

“*Longinus*.”

A single shot, destined to eradicate a fiendish dragon.