Tia’s Smooth Life After Regression - Chapter 100

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Tiya’s Smooth Regression Life

Chapter 100

Among the group of filthy adult mages who approached Tiya, the oldest-looking mustachioed man cleared his throat with a cough and opened his mouth.

“You’re the young lady of Vladijef, correct?”

【Don’t deal with them. Pretend you didn’t hear.】

Winter advised her from the side, but it was already too late the moment their eyes met.

Unable to ignore an adult right to their face, Tiya nodded her head.

“Yes.”

Then the three or four mages gathered behind the mustachioed man began excitedly murmuring among themselves.

“Her eyes sparkle like gold coins.”

“Look at those limbs. Unusually sturdy for a mage, like freshly pulled radishes. That must be the build that money can buy, right?”

“And what about that necklace? Those are gold coins, aren’t they? What excellent taste in choosing accessories.”

“Though she’s young, she already seems more than qualified to join our research lab!”

“If that little one becomes master’s disciple, a huge pile of money will roll into our research lab!”

Tiya was the type to interpret even sarcasm as compliments and politely thank people, but she couldn’t bring herself to say thanks to those words.

【Looks like they’re approaching to take you as a disciple. You know you have to refuse, right?】

Tiya nodded at Winter’s words.

Shetbyeol Tower was basically operated on an apprenticeship system.

The basic principle was for mages of 3-star rank or higher to take lower-ranked mages as disciples and teach them.

The mustachioed man calmed down his disciples who were excitedly chattering about getting a wealthy junior, then cleared his throat again with another cough.

Now, before news of the Vladijef young lady’s arrival at Shetbyeol Tower spread throughout the entire tower!

This moment when an innocent child who would open her heart completely with just one candy and a word of praise was alone!

He had to coax this noble young lady into becoming his disciple to greatly boost his insufficient research funds.

Just as the mustachioed man was about to boast about what an amazing 3-star mage he was.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to.”

“…I haven’t even said anything yet—”

“Yes. But I still don’t want to.”

“If you listen to what I have to say, you might change your mind—”

“No, I still don’t want to.”

Thanks to Winter’s advice, Tiya crushed the mustachioed man’s hopes before he could even finish a single sentence.

Other groups of mages who had been approaching Tiya from a distance after seeing the mustachioed man make his move became discouraged and didn’t dare come closer.

That’s when it happened.

“Tiya, did you wait long?”

Rodion, having finished his conversation with the high-ranking mages of the tower, approached Tiya.

Among the mages with dark circles under their eyes and mostly skeletal frames, Rodion’s sturdy build stood out remarkably.

Compared to their pale faces from doing nothing but research in cramped rooms, it was almost embarrassing to make the comparison.

The mages scattered quickly like ghouls scorched by divine power.

Whether Rodion noticed those stares or not, he extended his hand toward Tiya and said.

“Let’s go up. There are people waiting who want to become your master.”

* * *

Rodion and Tiya were guided to the upper floors of the tower with an amazing view.

Surprisingly, the two hadn’t climbed a single stair to get here.

“This is the pride of our Shetbyeol Tower, the mana elevator! You can use this to get around.”

When they entered the narrow circular room as the mage had guided them, amazingly the entire room moved and transported them to the upper floors in an instant.

The mage winked at the amazed Tiya and added.

“You used it for free this time, but next time you’ll have to pay each time you use it. If you set up monthly automatic payments, you can use it unlimited, so please visit us again.”

Thanks to that, Tiya’s heart turned cold.

‘How petty.’

When Brother Lev said they were money-crazed mages, she thought he was being too harsh.

But it turned out to be an apt description.

Soon Tiya found herself standing before two middle-aged men and one middle-aged woman.

Before they could even introduce themselves, Winter whispered.

【Those are the elders of Shetbyeol Tower. Looks like Rodion pulled some strings?】

Tiya’s eyes widened.

Could it be…?

“Say hello, Tiya. One of these three will become your master.”

To think she’d get to meet the elders this easily!

Tiya’s eyes sparkled as she immediately introduced herself.

“I want to become a tower master! Astia Vladijef really wants to become one!”

Her words got tangled from overflowing enthusiasm, but at least two of them seemed to find Tiya endearing.

“She’s a rare type of mage. She’d create good synergy with my disciples. Let’s take the Vladijef young lady as my disciple.”

“Ahem, please restrain yourself. The young lady’s wishes are most important, aren’t they? For reference, I’d also like to accept the young lady as my disciple.”

While the two elders engaged in a subtle battle of nerves, only the elder sitting on the far right wearing a turban remained silent.

It wasn’t that he seemed uninterested though.

He was sneakily glancing at Tiya.

【The way he’s looking you over is too sinister. That turbaned guy is out.】

Tiya agreed with Winter’s opinion.

So she’d become the disciple of one of the remaining two?

Tiya was observing the two bickering elders and pondering who would be better when it happened.

Clink, clink.

The sound of thin metal pieces hitting each other began to be heard from somewhere.

Tiya and Winter’s heads turned toward the source of the sound.

At some point, a short and gaunt old man had entered, intently staring at something in his hands while gradually approaching.

Though he wore the black robes that mages favored, he somehow looked more like a stubborn craftsman than a mage.

“…?”

The old man’s steps, which had been turning this way and that without finding a clear destination, suddenly became purposeful.

Then he walked straight toward Tiya and stood in front of her.

Winter examined what the old man held in his hands. On a compass-like disc were three needles, all pointing at Tiya.

Meanwhile, Tiya saw the numerous toys and snacks hanging from the old man’s waist.

The mysterious noise from earlier seemed to be coming from those things bumping into each other.

The two elders who had been bickering among themselves belatedly noticed the old man.

The turbaned elder, who had been aware of the old man’s visit from the start, jumped up from his seat in apparent shock and shouted.

“Master Argon!”

Master… Argon?

Tiya and Winter’s heads turned back to the old man.

The old man’s gaze, which had been fixated on the compass the whole time, finally turned toward Tiya.

The old man looked back and forth between the compass and Tiya, then placed his hand on Tiya’s shoulder.

The Turban Elder was more startled by this than Tiya herself, his shoulders flinching.

“Everyone stop your chatter. This child will become my disciple.”

A calm declaration.

Before Tiya could even respond, the Turban Elder’s face turned bright red as he protested.

“How can you suddenly be so unreasonable! Didn’t Master Argon clearly say you wouldn’t take any disciples!”

However, the old man cleanly dismissed his opinion with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

“When did I ever say I wouldn’t take disciples? I said I would only take those with mana amounts that satisfy me as disciples.”

“So that statement means you wouldn’t take disciples….”

The Turban Elder, who had been persistently arguing, suddenly closed his mouth. His face began to turn pale.

“Don’t tell me that little brat possesses 1st-grade level mana… Is that what you’re saying?”

“I don’t know the exact numbers, but she has the most mana among all the mages in this room.”

Click.

The old man closed the compass lid and looked back at Tiya, asking.

“So, what are your thoughts?”

Tiya wasn’t particularly quick-witted, but she could tell that the elders’ attitudes were unusual.

Someone the elders spoke respectfully to within the tower.

“The Tower Master?”

Tiya asked innocently.

The eyes that gleamed between deep wrinkles were quite sharp, but to Tiya, who had been trained by Duke Vladijef and Count Valoz, he only looked gentle.

After a brief silence, the old man confirmed.

“That’s right.”

“Then please take care of me, Master!”

Tiya quickly seized this opportunity without letting it slip away.

Afterwards, a private meeting between Tiya and Tower Master Argon continued.

Thanks to Rodion stepping away, Tiya, now alone with Argon in his research lab, introduced herself once more.

“Hello, Master Argon. I’m Astiya Vladijef, who became your disciple starting today!”

“I’m not deaf. Lower your voice.”

“Yes!”

“…I can’t tell if you understand or not.”

The Tower Master clicked his tongue and surveyed the research lab scattered with all sorts of miscellaneous items and scrap metal, with no place to sit.

He pushed the objects aside and brought a chair with one short leg from somewhere.

And he even placed a cushion on top of it.

When Tiya just stared blankly, Argon’s nagging immediately poured out.

“What are you doing instead of sitting?”

Ah, he made this seat for me to sit on!

“Thank you!”

Tiya politely bowed and quickly claimed the chair.

The Tower Master, who had only seated his disciple while standing alone, coughed several times with a displeased expression before finally speaking.

“Let me be honest with you.”

“…?”

“I won’t teach you anything. I already have one disciple. I had no intention of taking more, but the reason I accepted you is….”

Suddenly, the Tower Master’s gaze turned toward empty space. As if wandering through an unreachable past.

“Purely because I need the vast mana you possess. So I plan to use you as a mana battery. Therefore, your job will be to pour mana into the golems I create.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————