Rosemary (1)
Humans dream.
Some dream of becoming an Archmage, while others vow to become the captain of a kingdom's knights, shining the honor of their family.
There are those who dream of the grandiose fantasy of becoming a hero, and there are also young boys who humbly acknowledge their current situation and simply wish to inherit their family business.
Freesia Vulcan's very old wish was death.
At that age, she longed for death more than anyone else when she was a small girl.
What she saw was always the same.
Dazzling light. A huge shadow surrounded by light.
- It seems this calculation is not working either. The subject's body cannot handle it.
- Damn. Wasn't she called a genius? Can't the genius who awakened her mana since she was 1 year old withstand this much?
- She's only 7 years old. She learned mana refining magic at 5, so it's natural that she's still far from enough.
- But it's not a complete failure. Her mana has expanded due to this shock.
They looked down at the girl, with their backs to the bright light.
Her restrained body shuddered and trembled as she convulsed.
Foam filled her mouth, and she was trying to suffocate, mixing with the moans that poured out.
They tried to wipe the foam, but they couldn't easily touch her.
- Why is that?
- ...I'm sorry. Her gaze is too...
- Is she just unconscious?
- No. Look at her eyes. She's staring at us, isn't she? She's moving with every word we say.
The girl's eyes were indeed moving as he said.
It was incredibly uncomfortable to think that the eyes shining red were looking at themselves.
It wasn't easy with the red pupils called the eyes of a demon.
Only the oldest magician among them was not afraid of those eyes.
- Let's try raising the output a bit more.
The man and woman were startled by the decision.
- What if the child dies because of that?
- Hehe, she won't die, look at those eyes.
The old man pointed at the girl's eyes with his finger.
When the old man stared straight at her, the other magicians couldn't bear to look and lowered their eyes.
It was not the eyes of a child.
What was in those eyes was a desire to kill.
A hatred filled with the desire to kill, as if looking at a seasoned veteran who had harbored the desire for a lifetime, was contained in those eyes.
- She doesn't cry at all, she clenches her teeth and endures it. Her desire for life is already no less than that of adults.
- They say humans adapt... it's horrifying. At such a young age, enduring such torture...
- It's the way the cruel ones survive everywhere. This child will survive whatever we do. It must be her fate.
The old man pushed the girl's eyelids down with his index and middle fingers.
Unable to resist the force, the girl lost consciousness.
***
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Dream big tl dot com
***
"Ah."
The girl let out a sigh as she woke up from her sleep.
She felt around for where she was lying.
It was a comfortable bed, not a cold operating table.
Only then did she realize it was a dream and let out a sigh of relief.
Despite the terribly long time that had passed, the events of that day tormented her mind as a nightmare.
"…Damn it."
The first word she uttered in the morning was a curse.
A shadowy hand crept up from the darkness of the girl's room and pulled back the blanket.
The girl got up from her bed as if accustomed to it, and the shadowy hand did not forget to neatly tidy the bed.
The girl first looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her cursed black hair, her piercing red eyes, and her body, which had not changed for over 100 years, were visible.
"Freesia."
She called her name softly.
That name was Freesia, a name she had given herself.
When she was living as a lab rat, she had never been called by a name.
It wasn't even given to her in the first place.
That's why hatred, an emotion, came to mind first.
She resented her blood relatives who had even left her to name herself.
However, the ones she hated were already dead.
The hateful memories tormented her mind, but they did not die.
She killed those who would be hated even before they were created.
Thus, only one thing remained.
Her insignificant childlike body.
Her mind kept flowing with time, but her body had not changed since that day.
The unchanging brought back the vicious memories vividly.
"Damn it."
Today, another hellish day began.
***
Reed hadn't been able to rest properly for a few days, so after finishing his work, he went on vacation.
He didn't have any plans to go anywhere specifically, he was thinking of resting and spending time within the tower.
'Should I go to the terrace and get some fresh air?'
The scenery that caught his eye was comforting, perfect for relaxing with a warm cup of tea.
It seemed that Reed wasn't the only one who thought so, as there was someone who had already occupied the terrace.
Phoebe and Dolores, the two of them were sitting there.
They seemed to be having a conversation between women, but instead of refreshments, documents were placed on the table.
Curious about the conversation, Reed approached them.
Dolores sensed his presence and greeted him first.
"Good morning, oppa."
"Wow, good morning."
"It seems a bit late for a morning greeting. What are you two doing?"
"This? Family planning."
"Family planning?"
Dolores looked down at the documents and spoke.
"Since there are now two women in the Adelheights family, we can't make decisions unilaterally. So, Phoebe and I are doing family planning."
"For example?"
"Inheritance of property, childcare, future career plans..."
Reed listened carefully to Dolores' words.
However, it was more like pretending to listen.
Dolores spoke earnestly, but it sounded like a foreign language to Reed.
In any case, he thought it was undoubtedly important, and since his lovely lady came up with the idea, he just needed to express admiration.
"…You don't seem very interested, so I'll put it simply. It's about organizing traffic before it becomes a mess."
"I'm very interested, though?"
"You have a certain expression when you lie."
Busted.
Phoebe grinned and nailed him, and he couldn't deny it.
Since she was good at catching one's eye when it came to Reed, he couldn't refute it.
So, he tried to change the subject.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"You just need to use your strength and stay healthy, okay?"
"Alright…"
Planning for children is a big issue.
As the conversation turned to using strength, Phoebe asked Dolores.
"How is Dolores planning for her children?"
"I want to have two daughters. That should be enough."
"Really?"
Phoebe raised the tone of her voice in surprise.
Dolores looked puzzled by her reaction.
"What's wrong? Do you think it's too many? Or should we just have one each...?"
"No? No, I just think that's... too few..."
"…Too few?"
"Too few?"
Dolores blinked and asked.
Reed also couldn't understand Phoebe's words.
Feeling like she was living in a different world, Phoebe blushed.
"How many are you thinking of, Phoebe?"
"Well…"
She stuttered as if embarrassed and blushed.
After hesitating for a while, Phoebe answered by spreading her fingers.
"Five?"
"Yes…"
"Five?"
"At least, that's the minimum…"
Not only Dolores but also Reed looked at Phoebe with a surprised face.
In a magician family, it would be considered quite unusual.
Even a knight family would think that three is appropriate, and five would be considered too many like Phoebe.
"Can't we have just three?"
"Is that not possible?"
"Well, I don't really mind, but, um…"
Dolores scratched her head and glanced at Reed.
At first, her eyes seemed to express pity, but as time went by, they became more and more distorted as if she found it ridiculous.
"It's the path you chose, brother."
"Yeah…"
You reap what you sow.
There's no need to suffer. Let's enjoy it.
Enjoying life is what it's all about, right.
'Two wives and seven children…'
Including Rosaria, it would be eight.
The tower seemed to be too small to live in.
'Retiring would be a good idea, right?'
He had been thinking about it for quite a while.
Once all seven disasters were gone, he planned to retire.
He had already designated Kaitlyn, the representative of magical engineering, as the next tower master.
Whenever there was a meeting in the tower, he asked how they felt about delegating to Kaitlyn, and everyone agreed.
There was no problem with retiring anytime.
'After all, I didn't have great abilities in the first place.'
Reed didn't intend to hold onto power all the time.
'Let's go back to my hometown.'
If there was a place for two wives and eight children, the mansion in his hometown was perfect.
Renovate the neglected mansion, bring in the necessary furniture, and hire servants.
'That would be enough for a retired life.'
Reed unknowingly smiled as he imagined the scenery.
"Why are you smiling?"
"It's nothing. I just laughed because I thought about the house we're going to live in."
"The house we're going to live in?"
"…Are you going to quit being the Tower Master?"
Dolores asked cautiously.
"I'm not quitting today or tomorrow, but when the time comes."
"I see."
Dolores showed a puzzled expression.
Did she not like the idea of retiring?
"Would you prefer it if I didn't retire?"
"I'm just worried that you might be thinking about it because of someone else…"
"Me too."
"No, it's not like that. There's no way it's because of you guys, right?"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, I just don't see any reason for me to stay in that position any longer."
"Hmm…"
"In case the family's status is a concern, should I just remain as the Tower Master?"
Dolores shook her head.
"No, there's no need for that. I think I can raise the family's status enough on my own."
"That's right! You were the Tower Master of the Wallin Tower and the future dean of Escoleia."
"I'm not dean yet, but you're giving me too much credit."
"Dolores, you're more than capable! I'm rooting for you!"
"Heh, I suppose so?"
Dolores accepted her praise with a proud smile.
Phoebe playfully touched Reed's hand and said.
"Then, I should retire following the Tower Master."
"What do you plan to do when you retire?"
"Well, I don't have any outstanding abilities… Since Dolores will be busy outside, I should take care of the house. I'm confident in protecting the house!"
Dolores nodded in agreement.
"I think Phoebe would take good care of the children… That should work. I'll handle the outside affairs, and Phoebe will take care of the inside."
"Alright."
It seemed that their future roles had been roughly decided.
'Are there only two left now?'
The father of the monsters, Maronie, and his failed creation, the Incomplete.
If they find and eliminate their traces, all seven disasters will disappear.
'The world will no longer face destruction.'
That would be another ending to this game.
Reed looked down at the family plan they had written.
'I have to do well to make their dreams come true.'
Let's regain focus and find a way to eliminate the remaining disasters.
With that thought, Reed returned his vacation and went into his office.
Standing in front of his office, Reed felt a chill just as he was about to touch the doorknob.
He shouldn't go inside.
Why?
Just don't do it if you're told not to.
His intuition seemed to be having a dialogue like this.
However, Reed was the Tower Master of this place.
The Tower Master was the person in charge of everything inside the tower, so he could go wherever he pleased.
His stubbornness led him to open the door and then he found the answer.
His ominous intuition was right.
"Hello?"
Freesia was sitting at the office desk, greeting Reed.
