“Dog greetings are welcome. Doesn’t a dog wag its tail at its owner?”

Caspellius fell silent. Despite being thoroughly treated like a dog, he kept his mouth shut.

Reinhardt simply treated him as a real dog, not belittling or abusive. He was much more generous than the other magic tower lords of the past who did everything they could to relieve their stress. At least that was Caspellius’ point of view.

Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Caspellius, who was not talking as much as he was used to.

“If you don’t like me calling dog, then give me a name. I know you don’t like Caspellius either. It’s long and tedious for me too.”

Caspellius flinched and his shoulders trembled loudly. At the same time, Barrio’s eyes grew so large that they couldn’t get any bigger, and even the veins hidden by his eyelids could be seen.

“Pell…..”

There was a small voice that sounded like it was scratching iron.

“You can call me Pell”

“Hmm, okay, Pell.”

Reinhardt flicked his fingers lightly. In a flash, a book came to his mind. Reinhardt, who had been sitting on the floor, rose from his seat. His silver hair swayed as he moved.

“Where is the taboo book?”

“It’s been destroyed.”

“That would be the answer as a manager, and honestly.”

A sweet voice whispered soothingly.

Reinhardt’s half-moon eyes reached Caspellius. Caspellius clenched his mouth shut and did not reply.

“If you don’t answer, I’m going to destroy these towers one by one and check.”

Exactly as soon as Reinhardt finished speaking, the ice arrows filled the large library.

Reinhardt’s gaze still contains affection. He reached out and patted Caspellius on the cheek lightly.

“Are you nice, Pell?”

Barrio gulped as he seemed determined to deceive people. He had never thought of people having a halo, but at least it was clear that Reinhardt did.

“Impossible.”

“They didn’t discard it.”

‘I guessed it.’

Reinhardt smirked and stepped into the library entrance. Again, with the sound of footsteps, the ice arrows that covered the library shattered into small pieces in the void and flowed down in shards.

Reinhardt walked through them was nothing short of graceful. Caspellius was rendered speechless for a moment by the same sight of the twinkling star dust falling in the night sky that covered the ceiling of the library.

“Pell! This is our starting point.”

“I’ll give you the top room. It is the room of the master who will take care of the magic tower from now on, so decorate it well.”

Caspellius slowly closed and opened his eyes to friend in the memories that were already too faded to even be memories.

He rushed after Reinhardt.

“Didn’t you know that before I asked?”

“I was just thinking.”

“Ancient magic is a Pandora’s box that can never be opened. It is literally taboo. I cannot show it to the master.”

Caspellius spoke at an unusually long length. He strode forward, blocking Reinhardt’s path.

As Caspellius stood in front of him, Reinhardt stopped and smiled at him.

“You don’t have to show it to me, I can find it.”

“Impossible, I’ll block it.”

“Why?”

Caspellius was silent for a moment. Rainhardt tilted his head and lightly walked past him. Caspellius hurried after him.

Barrio also followed, watching the two of them as they fought.

‘Is Caspellius really is the keeper of the magic tower?’

He was one of them, called the Wizards of the Beginning, the Twelve Greatest Wizards. Barrio shook his head in disbelief. It was funny how narrow-minded and foolish he was.

“…… Black magic can be deceptive. It is especially easy for those who cannot control their emotions and live with madness to fall into it. Unstoppable black magic can cause wizards to run amok.”

“Am I going crazy?”

“Not necessarily, but the probability is more than fifty percent. Again, it’s impossible.”

Reinhardt sighed exaggeratedly. He had no sense of danger. The whole thing felt like a prank.

Caspellius fell silent.

“Can’t we really do it, Pell?”

Reinhardt chuckled as he changed his attitude. He grabbed Caspellius’ hand and brought his face close to his nose.

Caspellius’ body trembled loudly and then reflexively stepped back.

“Huh?”

The beautiful looking man’s eyes warped. It was as if he was trying to win his opponent over.

Caspellius quickly glanced at him with a sharp gaze.

This……

“It was your way of survival.”

“……..”

Reinhardt smiled with his eyes and brushed himself off quickly. Then, after taking a step back, he quickly approached, kissing the back of Caspellius’ hand as he gently bent over, then looked up at him.

“You’re still beautiful today, Pell.”

Caspellius’ shoulders stiffened. The eyes of the watching Barrio grew big as a lamp.

Barrio moved closer to stop his action, but Reinhardt bent down a little more than before. He looked up at him with a lower posture.

“I’ll be careful from now on. I’m sorry for blocking the way.”

When he had finished speaking, Reinhardt knelt down lightly this time.

His face was still smiling. But Caspellius’ face stiffened at the action, and Barrio stopped moving.

“Thank you for letting me throw away the trash.”

“Master, stop……”

Undeterred, Caspellius shook his head. But Reinhardt lowered himself a bit more, still in his kneeling position. His red tongue could be seen between his lips, which opened slowly like a slow screen.

Caspellius came to his senses and stepped back, almost pushing Reinhardt aside. At the same time, Barrio grabbed Reinhardt’s collar from behind and pulled him back.

“……God, why are you looking so tired, Pell?”

“…….”

“Weren’t you curious?”

Reinhardt stuck out his red tongue and lightly licked his lower lip.

“I wasn’t curious.”

“Then, shall I say it differently?”

Reinhardt, who had been tapping his chin lightly with his index finger as if contemplating, chuckled.

“You made it this way.”

His curved eyes eventually glowed viciously. Caspellius’ back stiffened. His mouth hung open, speechless. He was staring at his lips and clenched his fists.

Reinhardt’s eyes, which were watching the change in emotion, slowly became stained with boredom and weariness.

Reinhardt turned his body toward the entrance again.

“So, you killed them all?”

Reinhardt took a few steps without replying, then stopped immediately.

He blinked slowly.

“…… No one was helping.”

“…….”

“No one treated me like a human being.”

When he closed his eyes, he could clearly hear breathless cries coming from the darkness. It was still lingering in Reinhardt’s mind. Perhaps this memory would never go away.

“I still don’t see what the problem is with slaughtering the pigs.” (Reinhardt)

“What are you trying to do with black magic?” (Caspellius)

“Ummm. …… A game of finding the culprit with Master*.” (*Valletta.) (Reinhardt)

At the word coming out from Reinhardt’s lips with round arcs, Caspellius stood in there for a long time with a stupid expression on his face.

****

“I knew this was the place.”

“I didn’t know there was such a place in the magic tower.”

Reinhardt rolled his eyes slowly.

Barrio, who was moved along with Reinhardt, opened his mouth, not hiding his surprise. It was a small space that was only half the size of the Magic Tower Library they were in earlier.

The old books were kept neatly under preservation magic. All of the books, including the ones that were packed tightly together, were written in ancient languages. In the middle of it all, an old bed was placed alone with some traces of life. Caspellius, who had followed, eventually touched his forehead.

“…… How in the world did you find this place?”

Listening to a voice mixed with rough metal, Reinhardt did not blink. It was like that from the first meeting. He did not evaluate Caspellius by any standard. He didn’t frown once, saying he was offended, and he just treated him thoroughly like a dog after hearing the explanation.

“A weird guy.’

But what happened in front of him was a shock. He didn’t want to know how he had survived. It was shocking to see a man who never seemed to bow acted without a care in the world.

“I looked through the entire tower with my power.There were no doors, but there was one empty space, and it was about the height of a library.”

Reinhardt said as he slowly looked at the bookshelves one by one. He looked through the whole tower with his power? Caspellius swallowed his breath, which may be the fewth time, at the opponent’s endless potential.

“There is a reason why black magic is designated as a taboo subject. It is a magic that should not be used.”

“Hmm, why is that?”

Reinhardt stretched out his hand and took a book, flipping through it.

Caspellius wrinkled his brow, but he did not sanction it. More than anything, Reinhardt’s movements were nothing short of natural.

“It’s because there’s a price you have to pay for using it.”

“Black magic, or human life?”

Caspellius’ expression hardened at the question, which was met with a smile. He nodded, his face scrunched up, and his lips quivered.

“Yes, I can accept the life of a person as payment. But it’s that powerful.”

“Have you ever used it?”

“I’ve seen people get destroyed after using ……. Black magic can attract people. Even a drop of blood left in the body will be offered as a price.”

Tak. Reinhardt folded the book and pushed it back to its original position. He took out the book next to it and slowly scanned it with his eyes. Anyone could tell that Caspellius’ words went to Reinhardt’s one ear and came out the other one.

“When people like you run amok, nothing can stop them.”

“Someone will stop me. In times of crisis, heroes always come out, right?”

Reinhardt replied routinely, flipping lightly through the book. His eyes moved fast as he read the contents. Black magic could certainly outdo himself in magic.

‘To mess with such an ancient thing….’

Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed. The opponent seemed to have been a fairly good researcher. Ancient magic, especially hidden black magic, would be impossible unless he delved deeply into the study of magic.

“Please don’t start now.”

“If it’s a small magic, can I pay for it with blood?”

Reinhardt, who was about to read the story, murmured in a low voice. He held the book in one hand and lightly scratched the index finger of his other hand in the air. Then the finger, which was white, split open with red blood, and the blood oozed out.

“Next is …….”

“Master…..!”

Caspellius raised his voice. He was clearly angry, but Reinhardt just glanced at him.

‘Memorize spells in ancient language….’

****