Listening to her talking about his personality, Reed could roughly guess the reason for her visit.
She was suspicious.
'She must think that if Reed Adeleheights Roton didn't participate, there must be an important project that needs to be hidden, right?'
A discovery so significant that he was willing to accept the embarrassment of abandoning the Flower Garden.
With Reed’s sinister image and a mind honed through five playthroughs, he could deduce that much.
'How should I respond...'
Reed hesitated and took a sip of his tea.
He didn't particularly like black tea.
The tea time was the only moment he could wet his dry throat and buy some time, so he drank it diligently.
"At that time, I was educating a child."
Dolores' expression became puzzled.
Reed, who thought he had chosen the best response, hesitated for a moment after seeing her expression.
"…You mean Rosaria?"
"…You know about her."
"Every Tower Master would know. Around the time Project: Flower Garden was nearing its end, you took in a child through a slave trader."
"Then I don't have to explain it to you."
Reed, pretending to be relaxed, brought the tea to his lips again.
And then he was taken aback.
The warm tea had become cold in an instant.
This change was related to Dolores.
"Didn't you say you don't like children?"
Dolores' hand trembled.
Physiological aversion.
She felt disgusted by Reed's actions themselves.
"Then… was what you told me a lie?"
"…"
Reed couldn't answer.
He didn't know what he had said, so an apology would only backfire.
"I changed my mind after the Flower Garden project failed."
So, he awkwardly moved on.
"So, you're going to pretend to be a good person?"
"I've never pretended to be a good person."
"Right. If you had pretended to be a good person, you would have apologized to me first."
'Apologize?'
"For what?"
"The statement of breaking off the engagement that you unilaterally informed me of."
"…"
Reed nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.
Her expression was filled with hatred.
Thinking that she was a woman who had been broken off the engagement, everything began to make sense.
'This is crazy... this is more complicated than I expected.'
"Why... why didn't you think about how I had to give up Baldschmidt's name...?"
Of course. Reed was meeting this woman for the first time today.
He had no idea about the breakup or anything.
Her eyes, hidden by her eyelids, were trembling with rage.
'What should I do?'
Although he hadn't done it himself, it was something he had done.
In this contradiction, he felt stuck.
But he couldn't just stay like this.
The surrounding air began to freeze.
The teacup in front of Dolores was already filled with red ice.
A woman's coldness can bring frost even in the warmest months.
It was a situation that reminded him of that saying.
Reed carefully put down his teacup and looked into her eyes.
Her eyes were clearly filled with hatred for him.
It felt as if a laser beam could shoot out and burn his face.
"…Fine. After all, it's all in the past. I hope you can forgive me for being emotional."
"It's fine."
"Flower Garden was a significant project… what do you plan to do after that?"
It's unlikely that he would only educate a child.
As a Tower Master, she was asking about his role.
"I plan to study magical engineering."
"Magical engineering?"
The hateful gaze in her eyes flickered with curiosity for a moment.
"Is that so surprising?"
"Well, there are no wizards who like magical engineering. I thought you would surely dislike it too."
That's true.
Why would someone who loves pure magic more than anyone else stuff magical engineering books into their storage magic?
"Since nobody else is touching it, shouldn't I do it?"
"The wizards of the tower will undoubtedly resist."
"But they will eventually adapt. Those who resist will be expelled."
If their intentions don't align, he would have to let them go.
Reed had decided this when he chose magical engineering.
Dolores said nothing and looked at Reed with her blue eyes.
Since no Tower Master cared about magical engineering, she couldn't be certain about what would happen.
"If you want, I can show you the projects I'm working on right now."
"It's fine. It's not like we're close enough for that…"
Dolores, who had been relentless, stepped back.
The cold atmosphere had somewhat eased.
'It seems that her suspicions have somewhat subsided.'
However, she hadn't completely let go of her suspicions.
He could be researching new technology under the guise of magical engineering, so for now, she's just holding her tongue.
Reed took another sip of his tea.
The icy coldness made his teeth ache.
"The tea has gone cold."
"…Ahem."
Dolores coughed, gathering the cold air she had scattered.
Her face flushed with embarrassment at her inability to maintain her composure.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked from beyond the reception room.
"Come in."
At Reed's command, the door opened,
"Abracadabra!"
Rosaria barges in.
Reed turns his head to look at Rosaria, who is standing next to him.
"Rosaria, I'm talking with the Tower Master right now, aren't I? It's rude to burst in like that."
"Noona gave me clothes, and she said I absolutely have to show them off to you! So, I came."
The white dress she had been wearing was gone, replaced by a black dress.
The dress was voluminous and three-dimensional, adorned with Gothic-style frills and a headband.
A black dress.
Seeing it, an ominous alarm rang in Reed's head.
"Did Phoebe give it to you?"
"No!"
He knew it couldn't be Phoebe. She was a girl who only liked bright clothes in the first place.
"Then who?"
"I did."
A youthful third-party voice came from outside the reception room.
Looking up, a girl wearing similar clothes to Rosaria was standing there.
Reed had never seen Dolores before, but he knew this girl very well.
A black dress in the Gothic style, even darker black hair, and red eyes more intense than blood.
The Tower Master of the Black Sky, Freesia Vulcan Darkrider.
"Our dignified Tower Master of the Silent Tower, who doesn't skimp on money for his own dignity, has dressed the child in rags, so I gave her something to wear out of pity. Is there a problem?"
