Alon had already accomplished everything he came to the Blue Tower to do.
His goal had been simple—obtain the artifact hidden deep in the tower's underground chamber. Now that it was safely in his possession, there was no reason to remain any longer. In fact, he wanted to leave quickly. Penia, who was already irritated, might suddenly cause trouble if he lingered. Though Alon knew she wasn't the type to lose control without reason, the possibility of something unforeseen happening was enough.
Thinking so, Alon let out a quiet sigh of relief after securing the artifact.
But then—
"What is… this?"
"It's a potion I made."
Penia's voice interrupted what would have been his peaceful departure.
Alon glanced toward her. Forcing a polite smile despite his sharp gaze, he picked up the potion bottle on the desk. The liquid inside was a deep, rich blue—and when shaken, it gave off a soft white glow.
'…A magic recovery potion. And a ridiculously valuable one, at that.'
In this world, potions didn't instantly refill mana the way they did in games. Their effects appeared gradually over time. Calling them "Magic Recovery Enhancement Potions" would have been more accurate.
Yet the five bottles Penia laid before him were different.
These—and only these—were true Magic Recovery Potions, capable of recovering mana immediately upon drinking.
Alon knew exactly how rare they were. There was a time he had desperately wanted a magic potion after realizing he could only cast magic once a day… until he saw the price and nearly fainted.
'Just these two bottles alone are worth enough to buy a small villa…'
After staring at the potion for a moment, he shifted his gaze to Penia. Her awkward, nervous smile twitched the moment he looked at her.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"I understand it's a high-grade potion," Alon replied, "but why are you showing this to me?"
"I'm giving it to you."
"You're giving me this potion?"
"Yes."
"…?"
Alon blinked.
He could understand Penia's attitude change right after he closed the artifact. She might have felt awe or gratitude. That was reasonable.
But this?
This wasn't awe.This wasn't gratitude.
This felt more like pure… fear.
'Is this another misunderstanding? Like that wizard with Lady Zenonia last time?'
Thinking so, Alon spoke carefully.
"…Just to clarify, I'm a Second Rank Wizard."
"Yes, I know. Of course, you're a Second Rank Wizard."
Penia nodded immediately—eagerly, as if she had waited for him to say it.
Alon stared at her, more confused than before.
She clearly wasn't mistaken about his rank.And she clearly wasn't calm.
"I swear I'll keep what I saw earlier a secret. Absolutely—without any exceptions," Penia said suddenly.
"There's no need to make such a promise—"
"No, please! Make me promise. I want to promise. If necessary, I'll even swear on my magic. Right here, right now—!"
"Wait, hold—"
Before he could stop her, Penia gathered her magic power. The air trembled with overwhelming force. Alon's heart skipped a beat.
And then—
She declared a magical oath.
Alon stared at her blankly.
'She's really going this far to keep the method of closing the artifact a secret? I mean… yes, it's a mystery to them, but this is…'
Penia was clearly misunderstanding something. He just didn't know what.
"You see?" Penia beamed nervously. "I'm good at keeping promises. I'll keep this secret. Absolutely…!"
"…Alright."
Seeing that she might break down in tears if he disagreed, Alon simply nodded.
There was no chance her misunderstanding would clear up anytime soon.
And so, Alon left the Blue Tower with five bottles of magic recovery potion—and the artifact he had come for.
On the Road Back
Inside the carriage bound for the Palatio estate, Alon instinctively looked at the bracelet around his wrist. Penia had let him take it after the artifact was resolved.
This was the reason he had come to the Blue Tower.
The Bracelet of the Impure.
It didn't look impressive—cheap, even. Something that could be bought for a few thousand won at a street stall. Its only notable feature was the black gemstones embedded along the band, stones that seemed to devour light.
But appearance meant nothing.
The bracelet compensated for Alon's small mana pool.
He slowly turned his wrist, examining the gems. If one looked very closely, faint blue ripples of energy shimmered inside the stones.
'It's working well.'
The bracelet absorbed ambient mana and stored it, allowing the wearer to draw upon it later. The amount wasn't massive—but it held more mana than Alon himself.
"…"
For a moment, Alon felt an odd, indescribable shame.A tool meant for beginner wizards stored more mana than his body could.
He took a deep breath.
'It's fine. I'm not planning to enter battle anyway.'
He sought this artifact solely to improve his study efficiency and ensure he had a means of defense in emergencies.
For that purpose, the Bracelet was more than enough.
Of course, having more mana would always be better.
"There was supposed to be a technique among artifacts that regulates mana consumption… I should study that later," Alon muttered as he relaxed. As he turned to gaze out the window, Penia's final bow before he left came to mind.
'What on earth was that about…?'
He shrugged.
It wasn't his concern anymore.
The forest outside shimmered under the warm spring sunlight. Leaves fluttered gently. It was peaceful, almost drowsy.
Meanwhile… at the Altia Duke's Estate
While Alon made his way home, two women sat facing one another in the office of the Duke of Altia's manor.
One was Roria, the current Duchess of Altia.The other was Kalia, the effective ruler of the Zenonia family—even if she had not officially inherited the title.
"It's been a while," Kalia said calmly.
"Indeed," Roria responded.
Their casual tone was unnatural given their positions. Roria was a duchess—a rank above Kalia's county. Normally, informal speech was unthinkable.
But Roria did not mind.
She knew Kalia held complete control over Zenonia.And more importantly—
They both served the same person.
Count Palatio.
They did not need to measure each other. Regardless of who ranked higher between them, they both answered to an absolute superior they could neither defeat nor defy.
Their unexpected meeting today began when Kalia pulled out a folded letter.
"He sent a letter, so I came," she explained.
"…This?" Roria asked, taking it.
The contents were simple. Ordinary greetings. Mentions of nobles. A casual closing line:
"There aren't many nobles who get along well with me."
Alon had sent it a month ago, feeling mildly guilty for treating Kalia coldly. His intended message was:
"It wasn't personal. I'm curt with everyone."
For any normal noble, that intention would have been clear.
But Alon overlooked three facts:
These two women were leaders of the underworld.
They believed the Palatio Count was an untouchable being.
Therefore, they assumed everything he said held hidden meaning.
And so, naturally, they began deciphering secret commands that did not exist.
"Kenia Baron is part of the aristocratic faction… Marantino Marquis is one of the leaders of the royalist faction," Kalia murmured.
"Viscount Vilanda is with the royalists. Duke Paldion is a major figure among the aristocrats," Roria added.
As they categorized the nobles mentioned in the letter, they quickly drew the same conclusion:
"In short… he doesn't favor either faction."
For a moment, a far more violent idea came to mind:
Does he want to kill them all?
They immediately shook their heads. Too extreme.
The next possibility, however—
"Does he want to dismantle the current noble system and construct a new regime?"
Silence.
Under normal logic, this was absurd.
But to Roria and Kalia—political predators accustomed to reading between lines—it was possible.
Difficult, yes.But not impossible.
"Aha…" Roria murmured.
Everything Alon had done suddenly made sense to her.
If he intended to overthrow the current order, then elevating her to Duchess was necessary. Forming an alliance with Zenonia was essential.
Everything aligned.
"…So that's what he plans," Roria whispered, trembling slightly.
And thus, in the dim glow of twilight—without even a lamp lit—they began discussing the future of the kingdom.
Their delusion became a plan.The plan became a resolve.And the resolve began to move.
At that exact moment, elsewhere…
At That Exact Moment…
"Hm. Hm…?"
Alon stood in the forest, the early sunset cooling the air around him.
He took a bite of a roasted sweet potato.
"Tasty."
Unaware of the chaos being woven in his name, his small satisfied murmur disappeared quietly into the trees.