The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 68
“What, you went to the Magic Tower?!”
“Ugh, you’re going to make me go deaf.”
Why was he shouting so loudly? Maili grumbled irritably. But Yoseph, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot veins faintly visible, completely ignored her complaints and yelled at his sister.
“Why are you only telling me this now, you witch?! I’ve been suffering in this office while you were off having fun, making friends, and touring the Magic Tower?!”
He threw his quill and let out a screech. Maili looked at him, utterly baffled.
“Wow, you’re getting real cocky these days. Tired of life? Should I put you out of your misery?”
“Of course not! What are you saying, dear sister? I would never!”
The moment she raised her fist, Josefsuddenly sat down properly in his chair like a model student. He had the scholarly temperament through and through, and he knew full well that, among the knights, his sister’s combat skills were far beyond anything he could ever match.
“That barbarian.”
“I can see exactly what you’re thinking, even as you deny it. If I dig a little, it’ll all come out.”
“Sister, I strongly oppose violence and coercion.”
“For the love of everything, act like a civilized person, you brute.”
Maili shrugged.
“Are you that jealous that I went to the Magic Tower?”
“Obviously! Do you not remember that my major is magical studies?”
“You keep treating your own major like it’s your personal identity. How am I supposed to keep up? Wasn’t it economics, history, and what else?”
“To be precise, national economics, imperial history, ancient linguistics, and magical studies. It’s only four—try to remember them properly.”
Josefpushed his glasses up as he corrected her, the small motion betraying his exhaustion. It was enough to make Maili wonder if she had been pushing her little brother too hard.
“Having four majors is what’s abnormal. Doesn’t all that studying make life boring? You should get some sun once in a while.”
“I’m already getting the minimum necessary amount of sunlight and exercise.”
He swallowed back the words “You should try feeding your brain some knowledge instead—it’s completely empty.” Because Josefwas a teenager who valued his life.
“There are barely a handful of people in history who have ever stepped inside that place. There’s almost no record of it! Ugh, I’m seriously jealous.”
In general, only the Great Archmage could wield magic as naturally as breathing. The so-called mages were, in reality, scholars who studied and combined pre-existing ancient magical formulas, painstakingly drawing them out through complex and time-consuming methods.
For people like them, witnessing the Great Archmage’s ability to wield magic freely was a once-in-a-lifetime event—one that could shake the entire academic world.
Among them, the Magic Tower was the very cradle of spatial magic, a field whose theories had yet to be properly uncovered by the world. While records stated that every aspect of the tower—from its entrance to its structure—was built upon the refraction, distortion, and seamless stitching of space, no researcher had ever been able to study it firsthand, as none had been granted entry.
Just imagining himself inside the Magic Tower, researching new magical formulas, made Joseffeel exhilarated.
“But only those who are invited can enter….”
And thanks to his forceful sister, who had taught him the virtue of quick resignation, he muttered in a slightly dejected voice.
“Ah, come on, why is he acting like this? It doesn’t suit him at all.”
Maili felt a heavy pang of guilt as she watched her brother, who had been so full of excitement and anticipation, deflate like a balloon losing air. Truthfully, she had been dumping all the groundwork and family affairs on Yoseph—everything except the external engagements she hated—while she enjoyed her own freedom.
“Well, uh. I’ll ask if you can go.”
“Sister, is there something you want in return?”
“Hey!! Even when I offer to do something, you assume there’s a catch?!”
“Oh, like you’ve ever done something for free?!”
Hearing the commotion, the marquis, who happened to be passing by, shook his head and walked on. His gesture carried the unspoken sentiment that they were hopeless, yet a satisfied smile lingered on his lips.
“It’s a relief to see them both so full of energy.”
They were young, truly young. As long as they were both healthy, he had no worries about the future of his heirs.
Though the looming challenge against imperial authority was a weighty matter, they showed no hesitation in facing it. He couldn’t help but wonder whom they had inherited such boldness from.
The more allies one gathered, the greater the risks became. The empire had nearly a thousand years of history, and the imperial family’s authority, surveillance, and influence reached unfathomable depths.
As a knight, he had already sworn loyalty to the Emperor and was prepared to lay down his life to uphold his oath. But his beloved son and daughter had no such obligation.
“If trouble arises, may it end with me alone.”
Precautions had been taken, but when it came to his children, a parent’s heart could not help but worry. He let out a deep sigh, unheard by anyone else.
