Professor Mary Vandervite of the First magic tower was a respected Fourth-class mage, and had been so for the last decade.

This was a considerably high-rank when considering how mages were classified.

If warriors ranged from Novice, Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, and Transcendental master,

Then mage ranks went as so;

Apprentice - A mage who had begun studying the world of the arcane

Initiate - A mage who had cast their first spell using their internal mana

Magus - A mage who had learned to sense and use the mana in the air. It is divided into seven individual ranks, from first-class to seventh-class mage.

Then, there were of course the ranks of Archmage, and Sage, but these were such anomalies that they were often disregarded when evaluation the power of a mage.

In fact, a mage who reached Third-class magus in their youth was already considered talented and meant for greatness, whereas the mages who reached fifth-class or above in their lifetime had the power to sway wars and the balance of countries themselves.

For reference, the first mage that Verity had fought was a second-class mage, and she had already been a terrifying experience for poor Verity.

So, while she was not a continental-threat level mage, Mary was indeed very powerful. What's more, the name of Vandervite, granted her considerable pull within the tower.

No matter how disconnected mages tended to be from the outside world, to learn and to research, they needed money and connections, and that, Mary had.

Or at least, she did, until recently.

Until she had received a letter from the main house of Vandervite, authored form her patriarch himself, which detailed that her funds would be pulled and her supply chain cut indefinitely.

The letter was short, cordial, and it listed only one reason for this catastrophe; Dreadmoore.

The house of the most influential Duchess on the entire continent.

Mary could do nothing but clutch her hair and mutter incomprehensibly to herself for days.

"Dreadmoore…Dreadmoore…Dreadmoore…!!"

Today, she had finally decided to leave her desk cluttered with broken quills, stacks of unread documents, half-written letters, and overturned books to clear her head.

When walking past the reception hall, she heard thundering laughter, and could not help but approach it. Perhaps it would help her terrible mood, she thought.

There, two boys, no older than sixteen, laughed hysterically as they spoke into a communication orb. Mary recognized them, these two boys were out of place. At this time, they should have been in Professor Reymund's magicraft class.

Had they taken over for someone else? Or were they simply fooling around?

Not that she cared, really. Their parents paid astronomical sums for them to learn magic here; if they wished to waste it, it was none of Mary's concern.

Still, curious, "What are you boys doing? You're not even on gate duty," she asked

And it was then that the boys revealed just who was on the other side of the orb. In a fit of rage, Mary used basic telekinesis to pin the two boys against the wall, spoke into the orb, and prepared to meet the visitors herself.

Dreadmoore, it was Dreadmoore!!

And not any Dreadmoore at that, the Duchess herself was here!

If it had just been Dreadmoore, it would have been Mary's personal problem, but that the Duchess was here made it the entire Tower's problem.

She still remembered the emergency meeting with all professors that the Tower Master had called yesterday in the dead of night.

A-Ahem, listen, all of you Professors. Tomorrow, a, uh, a friend, yes, a friend of mine is to visit this Tower. Ensure that it is spotless you hear me!? Oh, and when she does arrive, escort her to our finest waiting area and inform me immediately! There will be hell to pay if she is displeased with anything, is that clear!??

The new Professors seemed confused, but those who had been there as long as Mary had knew that such an attitude from the Tower Master could only mean one thing.

She gnawed on her fingers furiously as she used the floating platform to storm down seventy-seven floors. Greeting guests was not within her job description, and she had really planned to avoid the Duchess if she were to show herself, but now she had no other choice.

Offending her would be a catastrophe, so Mary going down herself was the least she could do, and now that she was able to think clearly, this could have even served as a chance to change the Duchess' perspective on the Vandervite.

Mary grit her teeth, but a flicker of hope danced within her. 'Those old farts were aware that the Duchess was coming today and they allowed these two idiots to take charge of the orb!?? When I find the person who did this I'll burn them to a crisp!'

Fixing her hair, and flattening the creases of her robe, Mary allowed the gates to open and released the layers upon layers of defensive and concealing magic protecting that region of the tower.

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Though she had steadied herself, ready to plead with the Duchess, or her aides at the very least, she almost fainted when her eyes landed on the individuals standing across the gates.

The first one she noticed was Irina of Dreadmoore, a commoner who had attained a martial rank equivalent to that of an Archmage. She was the commander of the renowned Dreadmoore Dragon Knights, and a living nightmare for demons and enemy nations alike.

Her fame was no joke, to the point even Professors of the First magic tower knew of her.

Still, she was not comparable to the one who stood behind her.

Seeing that person, her legs went weak, and any hope of negotiation crumbled as quickly as they had formed.

The being before her was Evangelina Dreadmoore, present in the flesh, blinding in beauty, and crushing in presence. The aura surrounding her alone was enough to make Mary's chest tighten and she instinctively understood that a fate worse than death awaited if she dared anger the Duchess.

Oblivious to Mary's internal conflict, Irina smiled. "Mary! It's been some time! Please, escort us to our room!"

Mary made use of all that she had to not turn into a mess right then and there. As per noble customs, she bowed and greeted the guests. "Y-yes of course. I, Mary del Vandervite, greet the esteemed guests…! Please follow me."

Verity smirked. "Heh, young master, and now it's esteemed guests, huh. I really have made it far."

Evangelina remained silent, uncharacteristically so. Verity was certain he should have been hit for that, but when he glanced at Evangelina, she had not even acknowledged his existence.

Rather… She seemed to be heavily focused on something.

Verity narrowed his eyes as they followed the professor onto the floating platform.

He stared at her intently, and when no hit came for staring at her that much, his suspicions skyrocketed.

He smacked his lips. "Master, are you perhaps nervo–"

THUD

The floating platform shuddered.

"You never know when to shut up, do you?" Evangelina growled before turning away.

The blow was so painful Verity could not even make a sound.

Irina smiled awkwardly. "You were really looking for that one, young master…"

Verity held his head and kept his mouth shut for the rest of the ride. Even he, as much as he enjoyed teasing his master, was unsure whether he would be able to endure the next hit.

—

The four of them sat in silence in one of the finest rooms Verity had ever seen in his life. Simply the embrace of the couch he sat on was enough to make him want to never leave. Truly, it was worlds apart from his master's quarters.

Tea served in expensive porcelain tea cups was placed before them, soothing music Verity had never heard before was playing, and a strong, yet strangely calming aroma was floating through the room.

Seeing all of this around him, Verity wondered why a noble like Evangelina would ever decide to live so shabbily.

"What's this smell? It's–"

Irina covered Verity's mouth, pleading for forgiveness with her eyes. She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I apologize, young master, but as I am unsure what you will say, this is necessary for your safety. This scent is of the Duchess' favorite flower. One that grows only in the northernmost reaches of the continent and blooms only twice every decade."

Verity's eyes widened.

He thanked Irina with his eyes for stopping him.

'I guess whoever we're here to see likes master as well…' Verity thought to himself.

At last, two sets of voices could be heard approaching the room.

The first one belonged to a young woman. "Master! Let me go! I do not wish to meet this lover of yours! I have more important matters to attend to!!"

The other voice, high-pitched, and unidentifiable, responded with fury. "The Master says not to be so crude, you rascal!"

Hoshino battled against her master's iron grip. For a mage, he was surprisingly physically strong. "It is of no importance! Duty calls, master! My Knights need me!! Allow me to depart at once!!"

Mary sighed softly, and turned to the guests. "The Tower Master is arriving, p-please rise…if you wish," she said meekly.

The three of them rose.

Then, the two voices turned the corner, and they stepped into the room.

The high-pitched voice belonged to a bird-like creature which flew around a tall man with slicked-back golden hair and a striking, imposing frame.

He wore a flowing robe of white and gold that shimmered with every step, perfectly complementing the radiant hue of his golden eyes. His skin held a warm, sun-kissed tan, adding a touch of vitality to his otherwise noble bearing.

And most importantly, he was incredibly handsome, almost mind-numbingly so.

Verity's eyes widened upon seeing him, but not because of his handsome face, but rather the deep scar etched across his neck. It spanned the entire thing horizontally and necrosis grew from it, threatening to corrode it.

He wondered who could have done something like that to him.

And then Verity's eyes widened some more when he noticed who was beside him held in his iron grip.

"...Hoshino?"

Hoshino turned toward him. "...Knight of Truth?"

And then, in the next moment, she jumped into his arms. "You're alive!!! Haha!! The stars have not forsaken me!"

Verity reeled under the impact. There was a lot of strength contained in that little frame of hers.

"I had planned to search far and wide for you! I had everything prepared, but it seems fate has brought us together instead!" Hoshino exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air.

She hugged him tighter as she went on with the monologue, but she was promptly interrupted by Verity.

His face was slightly flushed.

"C-can you get down first?" He asked.

It seemed even Hoshino was not without shame, as her face flushed and she promptly jumped down. "H-Haha! Of course, my Knight! It was simply a form of greeting, n-no need to get all w-worked up over it!!"

The Tower Master raised an eyebrow and the bird next to him spoke. "The Master wonders how you two know each other!"

Evangelina was the one to reply. "He's my stupid disciple, and who's the energetic little lady?"

The bird pecked at Hoshino's head. "This is the master's direct disciple, she is stupid as well! As well!" It replied.

Then, as if forgetting the point of the conversation they were having, their eyes locked onto each other, and a silence ensued. Neither really knew what to say, and none of the onlookers dared to disturb this moment.

How long had it been?

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity the Tower Master cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. He looked Evangelina up and down, took a step forward, and brushed her hair aside.

There was no way for him to voice the words that raged inside of him, but his eyes said everything that needed to be said. This time, his bird like familiar did not need to interpret his meaning.

As his hand caressed her cheek, Evangelina's heart raced, and she couldn't help but look away. "...You're still as annoying to look at, Aurelius."

No matter how many years passed, Aurelius always appeared the same in Evangelina's eyes.

Aurelius smiled, and Evangelina clicked her tongue as her heart skipped a beat.

Verity found his own heart racing as he witnessed the tension between them.

Hoshino's eyes widened. "Oh my, is this… the flower of love blooming before my very eyes!?!"

Both Mary and Irina locked eyes, and they acted quickly. Without making a sound, they dragged both Verity and Hoshino out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Soon Verity and Hoshino were thrown into another, far away, waiting room. Verity was under the impression that the mage Professor and Irina would wait here with them, but they left this one as well, slamming the door behind them.

Verity only heard a few words escape Irina's lips as she left. "How regrettable… it seems my daughter never had a chance to begin with…"

Verity stretched his arm as the door closed. "W-Wait… it's not like that!?"

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