Irid grabbed my shoulder like a bird of prey.

"Perfect timing. I have a favor to ask of you."

Those flashing blue eyes had that distinctive HR manager "I've got you now" look about them, so I raised both hands and explained my reason for visiting.

"Uh, I just came to deliver a gift. I thought it might be inconvenient and bothersome if I gave it during the wedding ceremony, so I'm doing a little early access..."

"I don't know what you were planning to give, but if you want to congratulate me on my wedding, I'd prefer you take on a job instead of giving a gift. There's something only you can do."

"Oh, really?"

Hearing his words, my curiosity suddenly piqued.

I'm now officially a butcher's knife. I may not have undergone Sublimation, but I'm essentially treated as Sublimation-level, and I've heard I'm classified under the Sublimation agent folder at Defense Bureau headquarters.

That's why I received an order document recently. It said that from now on, if I want to go somewhere, I should submit a location movement application first—for the sake of preventing cardiovascular diseases among the various lords.

So when he specifically picks me out and says he needs me, wouldn't you be curious about what kind of job it is? Has some pseudo-Evil Dragon been resurrected? Or perhaps the return of a Mecha Dark Mage?

"It's escort duty."

Escort?

"For this wedding, the Magic Tower Masters have also expressed their intention to attend. But as you know, the Sword Saint of the Empire, who was the core of imperial palace security... has retired. You're practically the only Sublimation-level security personnel we have."

"There's Lu-lu, you know."

"...Would she make a good escort?"

"Well, she's not really suited for escort duty, I guess."

She gives the impression she might accidentally blow up the very person she's supposed to protect. She also lacks fine control ability.

Moreover, thinking about it carefully, Illusion Magic is perfect for escort duty. Of course, there's the prerequisite that one must be sufficiently skilled, but isn't it a magic that's close to being all-purpose?

Good. I'll just prepare for the possibility of some crazy Sublimation user targeting Irid's neck at the wedding venue.

"And also, as an extension of the escort duty, there's one more task."

"Please tell me. I'm listening."

"On the surface, it's guest reception, but—"

Aha!

I got it. When it comes to reception, it must be about dealing with some crazy magician.

"You want me to bring out 『Heart』, right? You should have said so earlier! If His Majesty commands, I, Han Han-yul, will unleash the forbidden blade called 『Re-debut』 that I've sealed away—"

"No. Not that kind of reception. It's closer to surveillance, if anything. Surveillance. So put away that desire."

So it wasn't an "aha" moment after all.

"I wasn't really burning with desire... Who is it?"

"The person you need to mark is the Blue Tower Master."

"Oh."

The Blue Tower Master?

I've only seen her once. When all the Tower Masters gathered in one place to scout me, she talked about cutting down the Blue Dragon and recovering Atlantis.

Since then, I haven't heard any news about her, strangely enough. I've met the Red Tower Master directly, and I've heard about the Gold Tower Master secondhand. But the Blue Tower Master has been wrapped in mysterious silence.

"I've heard that the Blue Tower Master is quite powerful among the Tower Masters."

"Yes. The former Sword Saint... also evaluated her that way. He said she's the most combat-capable among the Tower Masters."

"Come to think of it, for someone so capable, she's been conspicuously absent. The Red Tower Master at least sent troops, and the Gold Tower Master provided financial support. The Blue Tower Master did nothing."

Tap. Irid snapped his fingers as if to say I'd made a good point.

"That's it. I've heard the Blue Tower Master is a bit... different. Like other Tower Masters, she's pursuing some secret wish, but her perspective is said to be misaligned. That's why my father has been treating her with something close to neglect."

"So... surveillance?"

"Yes. Actually, I didn't even expect her to attend the wedding. But they say she's coming. I can handle all the envoys from the kingdoms, local nobles, and other groups on my own. But I can't do anything about her. So—"

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a crazy person for a crazy person.

Since she's someone whose true intentions are unknown, he wants to throw me—a tool close to being all-purpose—at her as a safety measure. I understood perfectly.

I thumped my chest and nodded confidently.

"Yes, leave it to me! As long as she's not too strange, I can handle anyone!"

"You don't need to handle her. It's enough if you just prevent any problems from arising."

"I'll make her a person who's 120% loyal to the imperial family. Just watch!"

"I said that's enough."

With this genius brain of mine, I can instantly scan anyone's desires and emotions. So no matter who the other person is or what kind of character they have, as long as communication is possible, I have confidence that I can smooth things over just by wagging my tongue.

Besides, how peculiar could a person be? Let's do this. I'll blow away Irid's worries and help him focus solely on his wedding.

That's what I thought at the time.

......

"Alright. I accept that agreement. Now shall we go somewhere private? The bedroom would be appropriate."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question. The timing isn't right."

"...??"

I froze with my head awkwardly bowed in an attempt to greet her.

To avoid any misunderstandings, let me make it clear: I didn't express any intentions to her. I don't know what agreement she's talking about. I haven't even greeted her yet. I literally haven't opened my mouth. Understand?

Let's go to bed. That was her first utterance in our initial meeting.

"There's no need to be surprised. It was inevitable."

"......"

As I watched the Blue Tower Master haughtily brush back her white hair, I quietly thought to myself.

Is she insane...?

===============================================================

Time.

"I swear. I dedicate all my time to you who lies buried beneath the sea."

Let's assume there's someone who has obtained infinite time.

"My life is so thin and light, even if piled like a great mountain, would its weight amount to even a single grain? Sublimation, 『No-Oxygen Altitude』."

I'm not talking about immortality. This is an assumption about someone who can stretch one second into decades, allowing them to invest as much time as they want in every task in life and still have time to spare.

They have a lot of time that can be used whenever needed.

This person can spend ten years savoring a single dish, ponder for ten years on a single line of conversation, and cram for ten years just one second before an exam.

The density of their life is fundamentally different from that of ordinary people.

Here comes the question. If this person has become free from the constraints of time and has spent a long time becoming thoroughly familiar with their ability.

Then what kind of person would they become?

Knock knock knock.

"Tower Master. You need to leave now. You promised."

"There are still 15 seconds left until the promised time..."

The answer is "they become a terrible slacker."

Hands on hips.

Baek-seol, a magician of the Blue Tower, placed her hands on her hips and tilted her eyebrows sufficiently to outwardly express her displeasure.

But that emotional expression didn't reach the Blue Tower Master, who was wrapped up in her blanket. Baek-seol calmly explained why she needed to get up right now.

"Now there are only 10 seconds left. I have no intention of sharing the consequences of your tardiness, and punctuality is important as I promised to meet Selvia early. If you don't get up, I'll leave without you."

"But there are still 3 seconds left..."

"Three, two, one. Now those 3 seconds have passed. There's no time left, so get up."

"But there are still minus 5 seconds left..."

"......"

Boiling rage.

That's not what "left" means. You're late. Weren't you the one who asked to be woken up? Take that blanket off. Various things Baek-seol wanted to say bubbled up from within her like lava, but.

"Sigh..."

Baek-seol wasn't like Selvia, a child somewhat lacking in refinement, so she held back. Some people prefer to maintain the dignity placed on their shoulders rather than honestly expressing their emotions.

"Are you really not going to get up?"

"Mmm, there are still minus 30 seconds left, so I want to sleep a bit more..."

"......"

Baek-seol barely suppressed her cheeks that were about to puff up. She packed her things and went down to the first floor lobby of the tower. A coachman was already waiting on the first floor.

After climbing into her seat, she gave the signal to depart.

"Um, excuse me, Magician. The Tower Master hasn't boarded yet?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's go."

"...Yes."

Clippity-clop, clippity-clop. The horse's legs moved busily. The carriage began to move toward Crownhall. Baek-seol sat with her legs stretched out on the seat and opened a magic book.

But the magical formulas in the book didn't register well. It was due to the unresolved frustration. When your head becomes hot with anger or fever, study efficiency decreases.

It was annoying enough that she asked to be woken up and then refused to get up, but the truly irritating part was something else.

The fact that this whole process of waking her up, arguing, and finally giving up and leaving alone was actually completely unnecessary.

Tick.

As the second hand of the wristwatch moved one notch.

"Abandoning your master and leaving first, how cruel."

"......"

The Blue Tower Master appeared instantaneously on the carriage seat as if she had been there all along. And she was wearing only a robe over her naked body, even holding a toothbrush and a cup for brushing teeth.

That wasn't spatial movement. The technique the Blue Tower Master used was 『Time Extension』.

She had stretched one second like dough, taking time to bathe, remove eye gunk, brush her teeth, walk along the road, catch up with the carriage, board it, and close the door.

The eccentricities of the time-rich Blue Tower Master didn't end there.

"No."

"Please put on some clo—"

"No."

"Don't answer before I—"

A predictive ability close to future sight. The Blue Tower Master had the power to foresee others' next words and actions through various complex magical connections.

The crowning point was that only Baek-seol knew about this side of her.

The coachman, who had been anxious about whether it was okay to depart without the Blue Tower Master, turned his head at the voice from the back seat and checked inside.

"That voice, so the Tower Master is here. I was worried about departing first..."

"Of course. It's just a bit of playfulness between a cold-hearted disciple and her master, so please don't worry too much. Would you mind focusing on driving the carriage now?"

"Yes, of course."

In the brief moment the coachman looked back, the Blue Tower Master had properly dressed herself. Not a naked robe-wearing weirdo, but the dignified appearance of an intellectual grand magician.

This is why it's meaningless to tell anyone the truth. They would only accuse you of slandering the Blue Tower Master.

It's not that she disliked her. Baek-seol didn't dislike her. She intellectually understood that this behavior was a kind of expression of affection. It's just that there were too many incomprehensible and unnecessary aspects that irritated her.

If you like someone, you can just say you like them, and if you dislike them, you can just say you dislike them. Why does this grand magician have to be so troublesome?

Baek-seol asked the question that had been repeated many times before.

"—Why do you do this?"

And the answer that came back was the enigmatic response that had also been repeated many times.

"Because I enjoy 『Wasting Time』."

"......"

She couldn't understand it this time either. She could only vaguely sense that it contained something deeper than its literal meaning.

If it's a problem that can't be solved by pondering over it, it's a loss to cling to it. Baek-seol decided to think about the Emperor's wedding ceremony they were about to attend.

"Why are you attending?"

"Because the genius I failed to scout is there. It seems he's become an illusion magician now, but that talent wouldn't have gone anywhere. Yes, I'm going to the wedding to negotiate with the 『Mad Magician』."

The Blue Tower Master said, twirling her straight white hair around her finger.

That talent.

A talent that changes the world across nations and eras. The four Tower Masters who gathered in that small village in the mountains clearly saw fragments of it.

"The Red Tower Master and the Gold Tower Master were only full of thoughts about achieving their own 『secret wishes』. But I'm different. I know exactly what that fragment means."

"...If the Tower Master shows such interest—"

"If it's a subject I'm interested in, it must be related to dragons. Yes, you're right. And no."

"Please let me finish my senten—, ha..."

Baek-seol pressed her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.

The Blue Tower Master hummed a tune as she let time flow. She had been tracking the blue dragon of the deep sea for a very long time. That's why only she knew. The value of the Mad Magician.

Until now, the sky had been too dark to take action, but—

Now that half of the shadow covering the sky had disappeared, it was worth moving even if it meant taking some risks.

There was plenty of 『time to spare』. The groundwork for perfect persuasion was also prepared. The 『information gathering』 magic she had been devoted to in order to scrape together faint signals from the deep sea created tremendous synergy with her Sublimation ability.

『Complete Analysis』, which she mainly used to tease her disciple Baek-seol.

With this, she would insight into the 『Mad Magician』, read his next words and actions, analyze them with sufficient time, and create a 100% successful persuasion. That was her plan.

But there was a blind spot in the Blue Tower Master's seemingly perfect plan:

The Mad Magician's mind was a metropolis teeming with modules, occasionally visited by Aisha and Yuri, and even NPCs passing through from time to time.

Moreover, his computational power was comparable to that of a goddess.

Therefore, the 『Complete Analysis』 that the Blue Tower Master was confident in was imperfectly cast on the various personalities within MadMa, resulting in:

"I'm glad our negotiation ended successfully."

"What negotiation are you talking about...?"

"Hehe. Of course I'll keep our secret. We're both the same kind of serpent, aren't we?"

"No, I mean, there needs to be some conversation first before any secrets can be created...?! I can tell you're doing something magical right now, but Selvia! Selvia! Can you call Baek-seol for me...!"

A magnificent failure.

The Blue Tower Master herself thought she was having an intellectual and mysterious conversation typical of grand magicians—completing a book's worth of discussion with just a few short and strange sentences. But in reality.

"Ah, interaction between disciples would be good for strengthening relationships too."

"We need to have at least some millet-sized interaction between us first...?!"

It was the occurrence of a chaotic conversation where communication wasn't connecting at all.