Reformation (1)
"......"
After that single word, the conversation did not continue, and they stared at each other.
The one to give up first was Freesia.
"Boring."
The chair Reed was resting his hand on boiled and melted.
Similarly, the seven projects Reed had presented also melted away.
Freesia stood up from her seat.
"I'll drop by next time. Tower Master of Silence."
"Excuse me?"
"If our conversation is over, shall we go together? Let's take a walk, just the two of us women."
"I, um..."
Dolores swallowed her words.
What else was she going to say? She had even forgotten that.
Not wanting to show her pitiful appearance any longer, she stood up from her seat.
"See you next time, Reed."
Freesia called him by his name, not as the Tower Master of Silence.
Leaving those words behind, Freesia and Dolores exited the reception room.
"Phew..."
Reed leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers against his eyes.
He utilized the cool air remaining from Dolores as a form of cold compress.
'I never thought she would target Rosaria...'
What would Reed have done originally?
If he had been carrying out Project: Flower Garden and had suggested exchanging the girl for the seven projects?
If they had switched, his garbage-like nature would have been exposed.
'Rosaria is my daughter.'
She is not Codename: Cosmo, nor an intended failure of Project: Flower Garden, but Rosaria Adeleheights Roton.
So he had no regrets about this decision.
"Tower Master......"
With a drawn-out tone, Reed turned his head.
He saw Phoebe, who was peeking her head through the door gap.
The half-dragon girl, like a frightened puppy, was asking for permission from Reed.
"Come in."
Upon receiving permission, Phoebe cautiously approached.
She squatted down and looked up at Reed.
"I heard everything you said about the young lady."
"Did you hear it all?"
"It wasn't like I was trying to eavesdrop..."
Phoebe mumbled with a sullen expression.
Seeing her worried face, Reed said to her.
"Don't worry. Even though Black Sky came out so forcefully, the tower is still intact."
"But my clothes are like a beggar's rags..."
"......"
So that's what she was worried about.
He had thought she would be shocked.
But comforting her at a time like this would be foolish.
"Focus, Phoebe."
"Yes......"
Phoebe, who had been making a heartbroken expression, lifted her head again.
"Starting today, our tower will implement a reformation."
"Reformation?"
"Yes, there will likely be some resistance this time that we haven't seen before."
Upon hearing that, Phoebe's gloomy expression instantly disappeared.
Resistance meant standing against Tower Master Reed.
To Phoebe, the Tower Master's proxy and secretary, those who would try to take her life were no different from bandits.
"What should I do?"
"Prepare a summary of the current status of the projects we're researching and how many people are involved in each."
"Understood. What do you plan to focus on for the reformation?"
"Magic engineering."
Upon hearing that, Phoebe hesitated with her mouth slightly open.
"Magic engineering... You've decided for sure."
Her expression was one of satisfaction as if watching a lost child find his way.
It seemed she knew why there were books on magic engineering on Reed's desk.
"Yes."
"Understood. I will push forward with magic engineering!"
Phoebe's face seemed strangely excited.
* * *
The Tower of Silence, elevator.
Two people, the Tower Master of Wallin and the Tower Master of Black Sky, were on it.
Contrary to the tense atmosphere earlier, they didn't even look at each other.
They waited for the elevator to reach the first floor.
"It's so slow."
"......"
"Jumping down would be faster."
"......Of course."
As Dolores glanced at Freesia with disbelief, she giggled and laughed.
"What's the reason for that?"
Dolores asked Freesia.
"What?"
"I'm talking about offering seven projects to Reed, or the Tower Master of Silence. It's a big deal that could turn the Black Sky Tower upside down."
"What if it turns upside down? If they're only rebelling that much, they don't deserve to be in the tower. I can't tolerate those people being under Black Sky Tower."
As expected of Black Sky Tower.
She was a ruthless person when it came to rebelliousness.
Why did Reed leave her alone on such an issue?
As Dolores pondered, Freesia opened her mouth again.
"About your fiancé..."
"I've told you many times, he's not my fiancé."
"He's quite handsome."
"......Why did the conversation go there?"
Dolores wore a flabbergasted expression.
She thought she might have misheard Freesia.
However, Freesia looked at Dolores seriously and said,
"He may have looked like a parasitic worm, but he surprisingly had a manly side. When he secretly approached me, I couldn't help but watch in a daze, you know?"
"......Is that what made you lose your mind?"
"I may be old, but I still like handsome men."
From their expressions, they seemed to have had a battle of nerves on both sides.
'Ignorance is bliss...'
Dolores clicked her tongue.
"Well, if that worthless parasite had done that to me, I would have turned his face into ugly orcs and castrated them. I liked him because he had conviction."
"Conviction, as in... not giving up on the child?"
"If it were the old Tower Master of Silence, he would have definitely given up on that child. He had an excellent vision for talent, but still, he was a person who valued profit and honor more."
"......"
Dolores didn't respond, but she agreed with the opinion.
Freesia's smile did not disappear from her face.
