Two hands shot out from the wall and covered Simon’s mouth.

"MHM?!"

[Quiet!]

But they were merely a ghost’s arms. They passed harmlessly through him, failing to muffle his gasp of surprise. The ghost pointed a spectral finger forward.

[That wall! Get to it!]

’The Ghost of Time!’

Simon did as he was told, sprinting to the wall and pressing his back against it.

The wall spun like a revolving door, depositing him in a new location. Startled, he scanned his surroundings.

[Hee hee hee! The Tower of Time is full of hidden passages and mazes!] the Ghost of Time cackled, phasing through the wall after him. [Passages known only to me, who has lived here for three hundred years!]

"Ah, thank you for your help." Simon pressed his ear to the wall, waiting for his pounding heart to calm.

The footsteps grew more distant. Girdon must have moved to another floor. His presence had vanished completely.

[Your next stop is Room 10, I presume? This way!]

"You read my mind."

Room 10 was just next door. Having reached his destination safely once more, Simon opened his briefcase and activated the artifact. Blurry, gray images swirled and merged before him.

[Well then, are you ready for this one?]

"Yes."

The scan was complete. It was time to witness the past again.

"But I have a question."

[What is it?]

"Will seeing Meirin and Serne’s past really help resolve this situation?"

[Hee hee! As I told you,] the Ghost said, spreading his hands. [You already possess everything you need. All that’s required now is the motivation for your judgment and actions once you learn the truth.]

"It’s like..." Simon mused, resting his chin on his hand with a small smile. "It’s like you said: the past, present, and future are all one."

[You catch on quick! A current student, indeed.] The Ghost waved his hand through the air. [Then let us begin.]

---

After overhearing the conversation between the Tower Master and Serne, Meirin found it nearly impossible to keep her composure.

"I promise. I’ll make you the Tower Master."

"Meirin doesn’t have the skill! I’ll be the Tower Master!"

Two promises. Two faces. Which was the lie, and which was the truth?

Meirin agonized in silence as the world around her shifted to favor Serne. The adults constantly sat them down to compare their black magic. The outcome was always the same: a torrent of one-sided praise for Serne. The adults were searching for a justification, a way to legitimize changing the tower’s ancient laws to install Serne as the new master. To soothe their own guilt, they shouted themselves hoarse, cheering and applauding her. Amidst the thunderous acclaim, Meirin could only bow her head, a silent sinner.

"It’s okay."

Each time, Serne would whisper to her.

"No matter what the adults say, you’re the Tower Master, Meirin."

Meirin still hadn’t confronted Serne about what she’d overheard. But those words filled her with a rage so potent she felt she might snap. Finally, after one of the magic demonstrations, Meirin summoned Serne to their secret spot.

"I heard everything, Seri," Meirin snarled, shoving Serne roughly against the wall.

"Wh-What’s wrong, Meirin? You’re scaring me." Serne shrank back, her eyes wide with fear. The sight of her feigned terror only fueled Meirin’s fury.

"A week ago, I was running an errand and overheard you talking to the Tower Master."

Serne’s face went pale.

"I’ll repeat it for you, word for word. ’Look! I froze the Orb of the Frost Emperor this much! Meirin can’t do this!" Meirin spat, her voice ice-cold as she stared into Serne’s now-pale face. "I’m going to be the Tower Master!"

Serne was silent.

"Those were your words, weren’t they? Go on, try to make an excuse."

Serne, who had been cowering, suddenly let out a long sigh. Her expression turned glacial, and the corners of her lips curled into a smirk. "Well, if you found out, it can’t be helped."

Meirin flinched. It was a side of Serne she had never seen, a mask stripped away after years of friendship.

"That’s right. I intend to become the Tower Master."

Meirin had prayed for an excuse, even a pathetic lie. She would have gladly been deceived again.

"Then your promise... that you would make me the Tower Master...!"

"You actually believed that?" Serne sneered. "I thought you’d have the sense to take it with a grain of salt. It seems you’re hopeless in more ways than one, not just your magic."

Meirin’s voice trembled. "Th-Then why were you friends with me? All that time we spent together...!"

"Oh, it was fun. I enjoyed it," Serne said with a cruel smile. "But that’s all. Besides, being friends with the heir naturally makes the adults see me as her equal. The real reason I’m still friendly with you now is—" Serne’s lips curled higher. "—because I wanted you to hand over the position willingly. It makes for a much better story, you see..."

Serne’s head snapped to the side from the force of a slap. Meirin’s hand trembled, her eyes bloodshot.

"Oh, my." Serne caressed her reddening cheek and laughed. "So you do know how to lash out when you’re angry."

"Serneeee...!"

Just as Meirin lunged—

"What’s going on here?"

Adults, drawn by the commotion, were rushing toward them. Panicked, Meirin hid her hand behind her back.

"Actually," Serne said, waving a hand dismissively, "there’s one more secret I haven’t told you."

Meirin watched, horrified, as a flurry of ethereal white feathers danced on the air at Serne’s gesture.

Just then...

The approaching adults froze mid-stride. Then, without a word of reprimand, they turned and walked away. A single white feather was embedded in the back of each of their heads.

"The truth is, I can control people as I please. It’s my Innate Ability. I was born with it."

"You...!" Meirin’s lips quivered in shock. "Don’t tell me you used that power to manipulate everyone and change the tower’s laws?"

"Who knows?" Serne turned, her ivory hair catching the light, and walked away with her hands clasped behind her back. She glanced over her shoulder with a foxy smile. "I’ll leave that to your imagination."

---

Everything was decided with unbelievable speed. The adults, who had always taught that the tower’s centuries-old laws were inviolable, changed them as easily as flipping a coin.

Time passed. Today was the day of Serne’s ’Official Heir Appointment Ceremony’.

Meirin stood behind the grand doors, gritting her teeth. Music and the aroma of a feast drifted from within. The tower’s nobles, drunk on wine and ambition, chattered excitedly about the new heir who would soon lead them to surpass Kizen.

And in the center of it all was the star of the day: Serne, radiant in a beautiful gown, charming the adults.

’I can’t let it end like this.’

She would expose her. Right here, right now. She would tell them all that Serne had been controlling them with her power, that they were all being deceived.

She strode forward and threw the doors open.

"Just a moment, everyone!"

All heads turned. The drunken nobles stared.

"I am Meirin Villenne, the former heir to the Ivory Tower, and I have something to say!"

With a confident stride, she marched toward Serne.

"I...!"

In that instant, her vision blurred.

She remembered nothing after that. When she came to, she was in the arms of servants, being carried to the infirmary.

"What... what happened just now?" she asked, her body trembling.

The servants repeated her own words back to her.

"I, Meirin Villenne, cleanly renounce my position as heir."

She saw a single white feather drift from beneath her clothes and land silently on the floor.

To the very end, Serne had played her.

---

Simon returned to his room in a foul mood. The journey back had at least been swift, thanks to a secret passage shown to him by the Ghost of Time.

Merida was fast asleep. Simon lay down on the other bed and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts a tangled mess. His stomach churned. He didn’t want to pass judgment on either of them, not yet.

So he focused on the mission.

Two days left. Something was about to happen. But aside from learning why the two friends had fallen out, he had no real clues. His only lead was the coded message from Kizen, but that would require a trip back to Kizen to decipher. He couldn’t contact them directly—he had nothing concrete to report, and the barrier around the tower made all outside communication impossible. Tearing it down with his Legion’s power would instantly alert the entire Ivory Tower.

’This is complicated.’

His mind was racing, but physical and mental exhaustion weighed him down. He couldn’t fight the pull of his eyelids.

’I still have two days. I’ll focus on recovering today.’

In the pre-dawn gloom, he was jolted awake by the familiar sensation of Merida’s sleep-curses. He blinked his eyes open.

His mouth fell open. Stuck to the ceiling of his room was the Ghost of Time’s rabbit mask.

’What the—’

Words were scrawled next to it.

[A SERIOUS PROBLEM HAS ARISEN!]

Simon shot upright. As if sensing his gaze, the words changed.

[THE FUTURE HAS CHANGED. SOMEONE FROM OUTSIDE HAS INTERFERED! THE TIMELINE HAS ACCELERATED! THE TOWER’S DARK FUTURE IS NOT THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!]

His eyes locked onto the final, chilling sentence.

[IT’S TODAY! ESCAPE FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!]

A sharp rap came at the door the moment he finished reading.

"This is the Ivory Tower! Dispatch students Simon and Merida, please open the door!"

A cold sweat broke out on his skin. He glanced at Merida, still sleeping soundly.

’The Tower Master’s men. I can’t go with them.’

First, he had to get Merida out. He tiptoed to her bed and cast several overlapping ’Sleep’ curses on her to ensure she wouldn’t wake.

’Sorry about this.’

"Student Simon! Student Merida! Open this door!"

It was no longer a knock. They were pounding on the door with their fists, kicking it.

’It won’t hold for long!’

Simon quickly scooped Merida into his arms and rushed to the window, summoning Akemus from his subspace.

’Akemus, take Merida to a safe room and return immediately.’

[Understood, Young Master.]

Simon pulled a notepad and quill from his pocket, scribbled a quick note, and tucked it deep into Merida’s pocket.

’I’ll join you soon. Go!’

[Yes!]

The noise from the hallway grew louder, punctuated by curses and threats to break down the door. Akemus slipped out the window and flew low along the wall. Simon slammed the window shut just as—

The door splintered inward, and Ivory Tower guards stormed the room, staves raised.

"Uuugh."

Lying in bed, Simon rubbed his eyes, feigning a groggy awakening. "What’s all this commotion?"

A guard with a stone-cold face approached him. "Why didn’t you open the door?"

"Ah." Simon held up his palm, a faint ’Sleep’ magic circle glowing on it. "I have terrible insomnia in unfamiliar places. I had to cast it on myself to get any rest."

The guard was silent.

"What’s going on?"

The guard, having been briefed on their unusual ’Sleep’ magic, didn’t press the issue. "Where is your partner?"

"I don’t know. The bathroom?"

Another guard checked and shook his head. "Not in there."

"Ah, then it must be her habit," Simon said, still looking half-asleep. "Merida specializes in ’Sleep’ curses, and her sleeping habits are... intense. She shoots curses in her sleep, sleepwalks, that sort of thing."

The guard glanced around the disheveled room. There were, in fact, marks on the walls and floor where curses had struck.

"It startled me at first, but I’m used to it now. She probably wandered outside in her sleep again."

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

"Not really. She’s probably just wandering around nearby in a daze." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The lead guard gestured with his chin, and the others rushed back out.

"So, what did you need?" Simon asked, scratching his messy hair.

"The dispatcher, the Tower Master himself, wishes to speak with you both. You will come with us."

The guard’s tone left no room for argument. No matter how powerful a Kizen student was, here he was a dispatch student, bound by the dispatcher’s orders.

Simon nodded obediently. "Of course. But I can’t meet the Tower Master looking like this. Could I just wash up first?"

"Now. We will depart immediately. The Tower Master is waiting."

The voice was forceful. Simon had no choice but to rise.

He walked out of the room, surrounded by guards. Fortunately, either because he was cooperating or because of his status, they didn’t lay a hand on him.

"Uhm, by the way," Simon said with a yawn as they walked. "It was incredibly loud upstairs last night. I even woke up once, despite the curse. Did something happen?"

"It seems Girdon, who was trapped on the 70th floor, went on a rampage," the guard replied, his face a mask.

"Don’t tell me he escaped?"

"He attempted to, but we stopped him. Do not worry."

"That’s a relief."

As he spoke, Simon surreptitiously opened his right palm.

’Ready.’

He had been warned repeatedly that the Tower Master was plotting something. This was the heart of enemy territory, and he had come prepared.

’Corpse—’

Simon clenched his fist.

’Poison Explosion!’

A chain of explosions erupted around them. The guards whirled around, staves at the ready.

"What the—!"

"Explosion! Be careful!"

This was no simple blast. A thick, toxic smoke made from Kabara poison instantly filled the corridor. Through the haze, ghouls Simon had placed on standby lunged forward, detonating themselves in another wave of Corpse Poison Explosions. The area was plunged into a blinding, choking fog.

"Clear the smoke!"

"Ugh, what is this stuff? My magic circles won’t form properly!"

"Just do something!"

The mages desperately swung their staves, conjuring gusts of wind. As the smoke began to clear, they realized something was terribly wrong.

Simon was gone.

A guard frantically raised a communication crystal. "The Kizen Student Council President has disappeared! I repeat! The Kizen Student Council President has disappeared!"

"Merida Hugh Ikel is also missing! Find them, quickly, before any of the other guests notice!"

The situation was spiraling out of control.