Tia’s Smooth Life After Regression - Chapter 102

—————
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 102

* * *

The floor directly below the top floor of Shetbyeol Tower where the Mage Lord resided.

Elder Volkner, who occupied one section of the room divided into three areas, was having trouble falling asleep.

It wasn’t because his current magical research had hit a dead end, nor because his brilliant disciple was causing him trouble.

Rather, it was because he was burning with rage inside.

Volkner, who had been quietly suppressing his anger in front of his mahogany desk, finally exploded and slammed his fist down on the desk.

“That damned old fool, taking on a disciple at this point!”

Volkner Praauchti.

He was a man who was always just one step short of being the best.

The second son of the Praauchti Baronial House.

A 2-star mage who fell just short of becoming a 1-star by a hair’s breadth.

The second-in-command of Shetbyeol Tower.

Even his residence was right below the top floor!

His life had always been marked by second place.

Volkner firmly believed that the reason he couldn’t become the best was because luck hadn’t followed him.

So he always waited for the fortune that would make him number one, and eventually that waiting was rewarded.

Specifically, he managed to take on as his disciple a prodigy with talent that appeared perhaps once every twenty years.

From that day on, Volkner’s goal was to carefully nurture his disciple and make him the next Mage Lord.

If that happened, he would become the master who raised the Mage Lord, essentially the true number one of Shetbyeol Tower.

The only stroke of luck given to him was that after losing his cherished disciple in an accident, the old man had declared he wouldn’t take on a new disciple unless they possessed 1-star level mana.

A mage with 1-star level mana.

Finding such talent in his lifetime was at least an impossible task.

He had been waiting for the old man to simply age and die.

“This girl is exactly the child I’ve been looking for.”

The sudden appearance of the Vladijef family’s child, who was revealed to possess tremendous mana capacity, had turned all his plans to bubbles.

Far from subsiding, his anger kept boiling over, and he frantically threw whatever objects he could see in front of him.

Then he belatedly noticed an elegant letter envelope placed on his desk.

It was a message from his patron.

In the field of creation magic, which required a lot of money to make golems, his ability to reach even the second-place position was all thanks to his patron.

To pay the price to his patron, he had been creating and delivering many illegal golems.

Though he belatedly realized he had become vulnerable to his patron, he thought they maintained a reasonably good symbiotic relationship.

Therefore, even in this moment when anger had reached the top of his head, he tore open the envelope to check his patron’s message.

What kind of golem would they ask him to make this time?

Volkner’s face, which had been scanning the letter with a bored expression, showed confusion and shock the next moment, then soon spread with satisfaction.

Drive Astiya Vladijef out of Shetbyeol Tower. Don’t be particular about the means and methods.

Even if your actions come to light during the process of eliminating the target, don’t worry.

I, and the Royal Court, will defend you.

What a trick of fate.

His patron was also targeting the newcomer who had just arrived.

Unable to hide his excitement, Volkner rubbed his hands together and read through the letter contents once more.

Only then could he accurately understand his patron’s wishes.

What his patron wanted was, on a small scale, Astiya Vladijef’s expulsion, but on a large scale, the elimination of her very existence.

Immediately racking his brain to formulate a plan, Volkner could think of a most unfortunate but natural accidental death method.

“It will be too harsh a situation for a young child.”

At first glance, his words seemed to contain sympathy for Tiya.

However, the corners of his mouth reflected in the mirror were raised with satisfaction.

* * *

A leisurely afternoon.

Tiya’s face, sitting across from Princess Anaël, was blank as if her soul had left her body.

Anaël, who noticed that Tiya’s attitude was different from usual, tried several times to catch Tiya’s attention, but it only worked momentarily.

Finally, Anaël asked directly.

“Tiya, do you have some worry?”

At those words, Tiya rolled her eyes around.

【Right. Tell us this time. What on earth happened that you’re walking around with such a vacant face.】

Winter, who usually avoided the area when Tiya was having conversations with Anaël, sat right next to Tiya and scolded her.

She had definitely been fine until just the day before yesterday.

Whatever conversation she had with the Mage Lord, the child kept falling into other thoughts and sighing heavily whenever she had a chance.

Because she couldn’t concentrate at all during magic lessons with Winter, Winter had temporarily suspended not only their private lessons but also learning sealing magic using Noir’s spirits.

Winter had hoped that meeting Anaël, whom she followed like a sister, might make her open up about her inner thoughts.

‘Has puberty already arrived?’

It was when Winter, who had no way of knowing Tiya’s heart, let out a deep sigh.

“I want to talk with Your Highness alone!”

As if having made some decision, Tiya squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“There are only the two of us here.”

Anaël tilted her head and whispered.

Since she had dismissed everyone in advance, there were only the two children in the garden.

So this wasn’t something she was saying to Anaël, but to Winter.

Winter, who realized this fact, quietly crossed her arms and looked at Tiya.

【Understood.】

An indifferent voice.

After just saying that, Winter moved away as far as the limit that allowed her to distance herself from Tiya.

Confirming that Winter had moved away, Tiya hesitated before finally opening her mouth.

“Your Highness… when you suspect that the person you trust most seems to have lied to you, what would you do?”

At this suddenly thrown heavy question, even Anaël’s expression became serious.

The person I trust most lied to me.

‘So if Tiya lied to me, or if I realized that Empress had deceived me…’

Anaël’s hand unconsciously moved toward her abdomen.

Just imagining it made her stomach start to ache.

As if she had truly put herself in Tiya’s position, Anaël’s complexion turned pale.

“The, the reason for lying?”

Tiya shook her head.

“I’m not sure about that…”

For several days, she had pondered until her head felt like it would burst.

She thought she was clumsy at thinking deeply about things, but the magical thinking she learned from Winter seemed to have helped a little.

If her master’s words were true, then she, with her excessive magical power, could never have become a Spirit Mage from the beginning.

And Winter’s confidence that she would become a mage could also mean, in other words, that she had already seen that result in the future.

‘The future me that Winter knows might have been a mage, not a Spirit Mage.’

And Winter had hidden that.

A deep shadow fell across Tiya’s face.

It was such a dark expression that Anaël had never seen before, making her heart sink without realizing it.

A heavy silence fell over them.

Tiya struggled to open her mouth.

“…When I asked why you lied to me, what if you lie again?”

Anaël blinked blankly at the unexpected question.

“Master is really good at lying. I might get fooled again!”

“That’s what… you were worried about?”

“Yes? Yes. It would be unfair if I got tricked again!”

What should I say? Tiya is truly different.

‘If it were me, I would have been hurt and disappointed that the other person lied.’

Anaël gently rubbed her stomach and talked about what she learned in yesterday’s lesson.

“There’s a tactic I learned in class recently. To drive the enemy where you want them, block all escape routes and leave only one path open. Then the enemy will have no choice but to flee down that path.”

A distinct gleam sparkled in Anaël’s pink eyes.

“Astiya, why don’t you try that too? When you ask for the truth, block all the holes they could escape through. Then they’ll have no choice but to tell the truth, right?”

Tiya’s face gradually brightened as she pondered Anaël’s words.

“So they can’t run away! I’ll try that!”

Finally, as a smile returned to Tiya’s face, Anaël’s stomach began to gradually regain its peace—

“That’s why I’m asking. Before, Your Highness was about to say something about Vladijef relatives, right?”

“Huh…?”

“I need information about my relatives!”

“…”

Once again, she began to let out agonizing screams.

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