Around the time Ophelia had gotten completely used to living in the magic tower,

And around the time she was no longer unfamiliar with the feeling of waking up next to someone in the same bed every morning.

That was when Ophelia performed the magic affinity test just as scheduled.

“I’m just telling you in advance, but the magic affinity test is literally testing quality— quantity, I say. Most people can belong to certain levels of affinity, but only a few people get to the level of absolutely abysmal. That’s why, Ophelia, this is really just a formality so that you can start learning magic and—”

“How many times have you said that already, huh. My ears are bleeding— bleeding!”

Cornelli’s words barely stopped after Yennit, couldn’t bear to hear it anymore, smacked him right on his back. Even so, the restless atmosphere remained.

He’s afraid that Ophelia would be disappointed if it turned out that her magic affinity would be low.

Smiling, Ophelia calmed Cornelli down.

“It’s okay if my affinity is low, calm down.”

“If you say so, Ophelia..”

“You’re not even a kid anymore, geez.”

Muttering about how annoying he’s being, Yennit pushed Cornelli away and clicked her tongue. Then, she guided Ophelia to the designated place where her magic affinity would be tested.

“It’s just an assessment. Cornelli ran his mouth dry already, so I’ll spare you the details.”

“Mm-hmm. He told me to go inside the circle and place my hand on the measurement stone.”

“That’s right. Then, something like a sign will appear in your mind right away. It doesn’t have to do much with your affinity, but it’ll usually determine what kind of path you’ll take as a mage.”

Not all the mages specialized on just one area of magic as a whole.

Some would specialize in healing magic, while others specialized in severance magic.

“Cornelli said that he saw snow falling during his assessment.”

“What about you, Yennit?”

“What I saw isn’t something very pleasant, so I’d rather not say. For a case like mine, the usual path is attack magic.”

Yennit continued to chat while saying that’s why she focused on telekinesis, though it was limited.

As she heard this story, Ophelia’s mind drifted.

‘What did Alei see?’ she thought.

But before she could ask Yennit, they had already arrived at their destination.

“Now, for the next step, you’ll have to go in alone.”

“It’s darker than I expected here.”

She really hadn’t. She couldn’t see into the room Yennit had pointed into even though it wasn’t night time right now. It’s completely dark in there.

But she couldn’t let herself be afraid now. Ophelia left Yennit behind and entered the room.

Surprisingly, she felt that the structure of the room was still intact despite how very much like a void it was.

Rather than saying that she saw it with her eyes, it’s more accurate to say that she felt it.

‘I heard that I’ll be fine inside, but I guess that’s right.’

It was the first time Ophelia had grasped the space around her with her senses other than sight. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but she soon approached the platform located in the center of the room, where the measurement stone was.

‘I think the air is different only around this area..’

Was it just a feeling?

Ophelia shook off the brief sense of apprehension. Then, she placed one hand on the measurement stone.

At that moment.

As if the ground beneath her shook, all kinds of sensations surged like a tidal wave and rushed right into Ophelia.

‘What’s going on?’

Evidently, she didn’t hear something like this happening in the other mages’ experiences.

It was difficult to even stand upright, and she was hit with whiplash, as if her surroundings had changed in an instant.

Was it after this that the sign would appear, the one she was told about?

As she asked inwardly, she closed her eyes.

Then, when she opened her eyes—

[ We meet at last. ]

A whole new landscape appeared before Ophelia.

It was a space wherein there was no distinction between the floor and the ceiling, and there was no end in sight.

The stark sensation she could feel was the pink water splashing gently over her feet.

“..Who are you?”

There, a beautiful person stood before her.

* * *

Ophelia immediately realized that this was not reality.

Just like that, this space was much too unrealistic.

Even though Ophelia was a novice when it came to magic, she found it impossible that such a pink, flowing stream could exist inside this space in real life.

‘A hallucination?’

[ Doubt is a great virtue, but you should not dismiss everything you have not experienced yourself. ]

“Seeing as how you can hear my innermost thoughts, it seems like this place is my subconscious.”

[ ..Usually, people think it is because I’m omnipotent. Do you not think the same? ]

“I’m not very devout.”

As Ophelia replied, the one opposite her turned to face her.

This person was truly very beautiful. That is, there’s just no other way to say it.

The person before her had the appearance that perfectly matched what Ophelia considered to be beautiful, the voice was

The person in front of her had an appearance that perfectly matched what Ophelia considered to be beautiful, and their voice was like a harp gently playing a melody in a dream. Both that person’s appearance and voice did not lean towards just one side of the gender spectrum to another.

Their hair was long, but Ophelia could feel that it was only because they knew it’s her preference.

“You can read my thoughts and your appearance perfectly suits my preferences, so it’s a reasonable inference to think that this is my subconscious.”

As if challenging that person to say she was wrong, Ophelia stared at them, but they soon burst into incredulous laughter.

[ I was looking forward to seeing your baffled face, but what a shame. ]

“I apologize for not meeting your expectations.”

[ No, no. I’m just happy to see you. ]

Right then, a tea table appeared out of thin air, and they sat there as they waved Ophelia over.

[ I’ve been waiting for such a long time to meet you. ]

“You seem to know who I am.”

[ My young lord went against providence because he loves you, so how can I not know who you are? ]

As Ophelia heard their answer, she narrowed her eyes.

“I did already expect that it was something like that, but..”

[ Are you surprised to face me? ]

“I’m more surprised that you have memories of the other timeline.”

[ My young lord said something similar, as if he doesn’t even know who he’s made that deal with. ]

Conditional magic was like a transactional deal. However, it was not known who you’ll be having that deal with.

As Ophelia listened to what the person in front of her—the Siren Tower—said, she suddenly asked back.

“By chance, may I ask if you’re a god?”

[ You said you’re not devout. ]

“It doesn’t hurt to bluff.”

The honest answer made their smile grow wider.

[ I’m afraid I don’t deserve such an almighty title. No matter what any mortal calls me, I am still only just tied to this tower. ]

Their answer was neither an outright denial nor affirmation.

[ But you can be sure of one thing—I can remember the time of you all. That’s why I’ve been waiting for a long time. ]

“May I ask why?”

[ Because of the spell that’s still hanging onto you, and compared to that, because of the wish from further back in the past. ]

After saying so, they pointed towards the place where Ophelia stood.

There, at the unrealistically pink waters reaching her ankles.

[ The object you call the measurement stone is a medium that connects my consciousness to your subconscious for a short while. That’s why usually, people would say they could see something for a brief moment. ]

And that glimpse is the nature of each individual that lay dormant in one’s subconscious, the magic tower further explained.

Perhaps it was only obvious. If the sign was from the subconscious, then it would be closely related to one’s career path.

[ Then, I have one question. What does your subconscious look like to you? ]

“..The sea. Isn’t this the sea?”

There was nothing on the floor that could be called sand, and its characteristic smell of salt couldn’t be found here, but somehow, Ophelia’s first impression as she entered this space was that this was the sea.

It’s just that she couldn’t focus on it first because she found it to be too unrealistic.

[ If that is how you feel, then that is the right answer. Because this space is yours. ]

“What does that have to do with—”

[ When my old friend passed away, I made a vow on that person’s remains. That I’ll protect the child that’s been left behind. ]

As the words were uttered, so did the space around her change. It soon revealed a memory that Ophelia had forgotten. No, not just forgotten, but desperately repressed.

“Mom, Mom..!”

A memory of a woman lying in a bathtub as a child cried right beside her.

A memory from Ophelia’s childhood.