Mage Community.
Originally, there was a tower.
It was known by the name of the Mage Tower, but when the Empire of Kapatia was founded, a law was enacted declaring that no building could be taller than the imperial palace, resulting in this situation.
ㅡAnd now.
The height of the imperial palace is eight stories.
It’s an ambiguously low height, causing complaints from those who have to build lower, but they can’t dare express those grievances to the royal family, so time just passes by.
Still, as a town where mages gather, although it may be low in height, the town itself is quite spacious.
“What the heck is that smell?!”
Alex grumbled.
As they got closer to the town entrance, a strange musty odor filled the air.
Yona’s face was tense with anxiety, and she couldn’t quite get used to the smell.
At the town entrance, there was a large archway.
The words “Welcome to the Mage Community” were inscribed on it, making it quite ambiguous whether this was even a mage’s town.
Near that entrance, Kaiyak suddenly came to a stop.
“Kaiyak?”
Yona quickly asked as Kaiyak turned to her with a grin.
“Well, this is where I part ways.”
“Huh? Oh.”
With that statement, Yona finally realized that their journey together ended here.
Originally, Kaiyak’s destination wasn’t the Mage Community, but to continue past Lake Kantasia and head up to the North Kantasia River.
It seemed he had no intention of entering the Mage Community.
“Are you leaving right away?”
“That would be best. You guys go on into the town, and I’ll head that way.”
“Is that so…”
Yona looked towards the direction Kaiyak was pointing.
A path branching off from the community entrance.
That path was still shrouded in a hazy mist.
“So, how long will you be there?”
“Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. I’ll just go see the chief’s face, check in on my family, and see how the kids are doing.”
“…The kids?”
Both Yona and Alex wore perplexed expressions at his words.
Kids, really?
“Are you talking about your kids?”
“Yeah, of course, who else would it be?”
“…Wait, you’re married?”
“Been married for 50 years now.”
Fifty years have gone by, and how many of those years has he spent wandering around foreign lands?
Yona’s perplexed expression shifted to awkwardness.
“…So your wife is raising the kids by herself?”
“Exactly. Kids are usually raised by their mothers. That’s how it is with humans too, right?”
“Seriously, what are you talking about? How can a mother raise kids all on her own? That makes no sense at all!”
Yona whipped around to glare at Alex.
It’s not like Yona could ever be called soft-featured, but with her eyes raised high, she looked even fiercer, causing Alex to instinctively shrink back at the sight.
“Hey, baldy. What do you think?”
“W-what?”
“Do you think a kid is raised by their mom, or do you think both parents raise them together?”
‘What nonsense is this crazy girl spouting now?’
Alex, while baffled, started to reminisce about his childhood.
His father and grandfather were always out harvesting herbs, leaving the house empty more often than not.
As a result, Alex spent way more time with his mom during his childhood.
All those little tricks on how to handle his monstrous strength, or how to react in emergencies during adventures—all of that he learned from his mom.
And he had heard back then that his family was traditionally matriarchal.
“…So, the mom raises them?”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
Thanks to that, Yona raised her eyebrows even higher.
“Wow, this is just ridiculous. I traveled with people like this? If I had known earlier, I would’ve ditched them all!”
Only then did Alex realize he had chosen the wrong answer, but it was already far too late.
“Anyway, take care of yourselves. If you finish early, I’ll drop by first. If I don’t show up, feel free to come over. Everyone will welcome you as Kaiyak’s companions.”
“Make sure you treat your wife well!”
“Got it, got it. Alex, you’re going to have a tough time.”
“What nonsense is this!”
With Yona grumbling behind him, Kaiyak turned away.
Alex waved lightly at Kaiyak and then yanked Yona’s hair to forcefully turn her around.
“Stop making a racket and let’s get inside already. Who’s going to appreciate us making all this noise near the village entrance?”
“But Kaiyak—!”
“Every family has its own circumstances. Just let it go.”
But Yona kept grumbling, and pulling her hand, Alex headed toward the village entrance.
Then, feeling her grip suddenly slip away, he turned back to see Yona waving her hands as if to signal him to lead.
‘What’s with this sudden hand-holding ruckus?’
Shrugging, Alex glanced back at Yona as she pouted and followed behind him.
There were no guards or barriers around the village, and it didn’t seem to have any checkpoints or fences.
Instead, as they stepped through the entrance, it only felt like something was brushing against their bodies.
But the moment they stepped inside, the scenery drastically changed, leaving Alex and Yona gaping in surprise.
There was a tower.
A colossal tower that looked to be at least thirty stories tall loomed before them.
It was a tower so high and massive it seemed to proclaim that the laws of the empire did not apply here, for this place was not the human world.
From the first to the fifth floor, it was shaped like a round disc.
It was towering.
After the fifth floor, the width of the floors shrank significantly, stretching upward like a column. It rose high for a while before widening again at the top, where the final floor was noticeably narrower.
Surrounding the tower, shops like general stores, clothing stores, tool shops, and restaurants formed a rounded barricade, bustling with many people actively moving about.
“Wow…”
It felt like stepping into another world.
On the outside, it didn’t look like a tower at all; it resembled a village, where finding tall buildings was a challenge. But the drastic change in scenery upon entering was incredibly fascinating.
Alex, with his mouth agape, was poked in the ribs again by Yona.
“Ow! Why?”
“Hey, don’t act like a country bumpkin! You’re embarrassing me!”
Faced with Yona’s disapproving glare, Alex cleared his throat and shut his mouth.
But the amazement was undeniable, and he couldn’t help but keep glancing around.
“…So, Yona, where do we start?”
Yona couldn’t answer.
He was turning back into a man. For that, he would undergo magical procedures.
That was the plan, and all Yona had heard from the Alebians was to check out the Mage Community.
Since it was a Mage Community, she thought she could just waltz in and talk to the reception—she had to admit that was way too naive.
“Let’s go to the tower. We should probably tell them we’ve come for the procedure.”
After a moment of contemplation, Yona made her decision.
She wasn’t here just for fun; she had a purpose, so she didn’t need to worry about anything else.
“Then that must be the entrance over there?”
Pointing to where Alex indicated, there stood a massive glass door that looked like the entrance to the tower.
Such a big glass door—how much would that cost?
Yona swallowed hard and approached it, with Alex hurriedly following behind.
The most noticeable race was clearly the fairies.
With their long ears and attractive features, fairies had the advantage of studying magic for as long as they lived, seemingly making a considerable impact in this Mage Tower too.
Among the people coming and going, one in three appeared to be a fairy, but seeing so many fairies made Yona gasp in surprise.
“Why are there so many Alebians…?”
Each one had a somewhat dizzy look in their eyes, which reminded her of the Alebians, leaving Yona with an uneasy feeling.
Especially recalling that she had a kiss hanging over her head as a debt with an Alabian made her shudder.
“Is it… here?”
“Looks like it.”
Yona and Alex stood before the entrance of the Mage Tower, staring at the door.
People passing by shot them glances, occasionally snickering, but they seemed oblivious to it, just locked onto that door.
Staring at the door without daring to step in.
The door is truly gigantic—
It looks about twice the size of Alex.
Made entirely of transparent glass, it reflects the passing people inside, and the busy hustle and bustle of the crowd slightly overwhelmed Yona.
“…Let’s just go in. If we don’t, we won’t be able to do anything.”
“Do you realize you’ve said that five times already?”
Yona couldn’t respond to Alex’s jab.
Though she kept repeating that they should go in, she hesitated because, well, it was a bit frightening.
“Hey, let’s go. I’ll lead the way. Don’t be such a scaredy-cat, geez.”
Seeing her stand there, Alex stepped up and marched forward, prompting Yona to reluctantly follow behind.
As soon as Alex touched the wooden handle on the transparent glass door, it slid open automatically.
Alex was taken aback, but Yona surprisingly remained calm.
She had seen automatic doors like this plenty of times in her original world.
Once they stepped inside, it was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
The lobby was so spacious that it seemed bigger than the dining hall of Ceres’s mansion, and from the high ceiling hung numerous chandeliers, with luminescent stones the size of adult fingers embedded, casting beautiful colored lights.
The crowd moving about was so abundant that each person rushed by, clutching parchment and books, while Alex and Yona stood amidst them, gazing around in awe.
The walls were adorned with grand murals depicting legendary creatures, making the opulence utterly overwhelming.
On either side were rows of chairs, suggesting that this mage tower accommodated not just residents but many visitors from outside as well.
At the center of the lobby was the reception desk.
It looked like a series of large brown wooden desks pushed together, with pairs of receptionists at each one, smiling and assisting those who approached.
And among them, one desk stood out— it was the only one empty.
Moreover, two women who appeared to be human stood at that desk instead of fairies.
Alex pointed towards the desk.
“L-Let’s check it out. They have a reception desk over there.”
“Y-Yeah, let’s do that,” Yona replied, and the two hurried towards it.
“Welcome to the Mage Tower. How may I assist you?” A young lady with a friendly smile asked Alex.
From here on, it wasn’t Alex’s turn to speak, so he nudged Yona’s waist with his elbow.
“Ugh, I get it… don’t rush me.”
With a stiff face that looked like it might crack at any moment— or twitch like it was about to have a seizure— Yona forced a smile and opened her mouth slowly.
“Um, I’d like to turn back into a man, please.”
Alex let out a long sigh.
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