After a full day of traveling by carriage, we finally arrived at the nearest magical tower.
The tower stood atop a small hill, surrounded by scattered houses.
When I asked Harvey about them, he explained that these houses were originally shops selling goods to visitors and members of the magical tower. Over time, the merchants brought their families and settled around the area, gradually turning it into something resembling a town.
> "Although there is no lord of the city, the magical tower manages the place."
I still remember his explanation clearly.
Now, we were resting in a small hotel room after exhausting travel, having avoided long stops along the way to reach here as quickly as possible.
---
An Unexpected Encounter
Just as I was about to take a short nap and closed my eyes, a light knock on the door woke me.
I sighed and went to open it, only to find a stranger standing there. Before I could ask who he was, Harvey shouted enthusiastically:
> "Hello, Mike! Come on in."
The man entered, ignoring my presence, gave Harvey a quick greeting, and then… sat on my bed!
I shouted in annoyance:
> "What's wrong with you, damn it? Ignoring me and sitting on my bed like that!"
He finally turned to me, staring blankly:
> "I feel like you're more upset about me sitting on your bed than about me ignoring you."
I paused, realizing he was right. Ever since childhood, I hated anyone touching anything I considered mine. How many times had I fought with Jake over this habit? But what surprised me was that this stranger immediately recognized the reason for my irritation.
Harvey quickly intervened before I could respond:
> "Wait, wait… no need to fight. Mike, this is Arin, the one I told you about. And you, Arin, this is Mike, one of my acquaintances from the global academy. He's a year older than me, graduated this year, and now works at the magical tower. I asked him to help you."
I looked at him carefully—he seemed like a handsome young man with blond hair and sharp eyes.
Curiously, I asked:
> "I didn't see you send a message to anyone… when did you tell him?"
Harvey laughed as usual:
> "You fool, have you forgotten my invention? The Harvey Phone!"
I nodded, remembering what he said. It turned out he had messaged him earlier. I hadn't expected he had planned it all along… I admired him a little more.
Mike muttered, nodding:
> "The Harvey Phone… better than the previous name. I think it would be even better if you just called it 'the phone' instead of that silly name."
Harvey responded with childish stubbornness:
> "Impossible! I won't give up my name. It's my invention, and I have the right to put my name on it!"
Mike didn't argue further. Instead, he turned to me, inspecting me as if I were a product under evaluation.
I said sharply:
> "Why are you staring at me like that?"
He smiled lightly:
> "It seems you have great magical potential. I understand why Harvey is interested in you. I can feel the particles of ice magic around you… but…"
Curiously, I asked:
> "But what?"
He hesitated slightly, then said:
> "I sense another element around you. Can you tell me how it went during the compatibility test?"
I answered with what I remembered:
> "The test was just blue. That's all I know."
He shook his head unconvinced:
> "Say dark blue. You should be specific in these things, but still, that's not enough… it seems the test device used on you was low quality. When we reach the magical tower, we can check again. I'm sure you carry another element."
I nodded, feeling an inner joy. Having another element is a rare advantage. I felt sorry for the system being gone; perhaps I would have learned more from it.
---
Harvey sat on his bed and lazily said:
> "I feel like you're excluding me from the discussion… Mike, tell me, what about the thing I asked you?"
Mike replied calmly:
> "Don't worry, I've prepared a room for both of you. No need to book or wait."
Curiously, I asked:
> "Booking?"
Mike explained:
> "Mana training rooms are usually occupied. So a reservation is required in advance to avoid problems. Especially at times like this, with entrance exams approaching… ambitious students are countless."
He added with a mocking smile:
> "You should know you're lucky… rooms like the one you'll train in today are usually booked a month in advance."
I realized then the value of what Harvey had arranged. I eagerly looked forward to experiencing the mana room myself.
While Harvey and Mike continued talking about academy memories, I sat silently on my bed, having removed Mike from the immediate space, listening in hopes of learning something useful. But after half an hour, boredom began creeping in.
---
Arrival at the Tower
Finally, we moved toward the magical tower. The city seemed mostly ordinary, slightly chaotic, but we didn't stop long. Mike led us directly to the tower.
Seeing it up close, it looked impressively huge. But after my previous experience in the palace, I learned to control myself to avoid looking awkward.
We entered the ground floor, which was crowded with visitors. Mike guided us through the crowd while explaining:
> "Most of these are merchants. They buy magical items and enchanted tools crafted by the tower's wizards."
We continued walking, but an argument caught my attention:
> "This is mine, I was first!"
"No, I was first! I want to send it to my son; he's about to take the global academy exam!"
I paused to listen, but Harvey pulled me aside, saying:
> "Ignore them. It's none of your business; focus on your training."
I nodded slowly, but for some reason, felt a hidden sadness watching the man who wanted to buy the item for his son.
We used a magical elevator, and Mike took us to the seventh floor. He explained:
> "Usually, magical towers have ten floors. Except for towers in the capital cities, which go up to fifty floors. The main tower in the capital has one hundred floors."
I nodded; I already knew this from the story.
When we arrived, the seventh floor was a long corridor lined with doors on each side. Mike explained that each door led to an independent training chamber.
He opened an empty room for us… and I was surprised.
It was tiny, barely two by three meters.
I said disappointedly:
> "This is a training place? It's far too small!"
Mike looked at me with disdain:
> "Do you think it's a battlefield? It's only for meditation. If you saw the cheaper rooms on the sixth floor, you'd really regret it!"
Even Harvey didn't defend me this time… he seemed to agree with Mike.
Then Harvey placed his hand on Mike's shoulder and said:
> "Alright, I'll leave little Arin in your care. Call me when his training is finished."
Mike replied coldly:
> "You're putting the burden on me directly? At least tell me… how much mana knowledge does he have? He looks noble, but his behavior is completely different."
I shouted in annoyance:
> "Oi! What do you mean by that?"
Harvey laughed as he closed the door behind him:
> "He's not noble. I taught him some basics and gave him simple books to make it easier for you. But it's better you teach him everything from scratch. Don't worry… I won't forget our agreement."
I was left alone with Mike, who muttered sarcastically:
> "Another way of saying he doesn't know anything…"