Russell dragged Carpenter into the hall and cut off all outside communications directly from the control center.
"Will that do?" Carpenter was still a little uneasy.
"Ah... luckily, a month has already passed." Russell worked out the dates. "They've actually achieved their goal, so they won't come looking for you anytime soon.
"After a while, Wester might come calling."
Carpenter tilted her head, then quickly caught on. "They were testing whether you had control of the Side Tower?
"Can this place only be controlled with an Official Mage's mental power?"
"Mm." Russell nodded slightly. "So you don't need to worry about anyone coming to our door, or about our family.
"This probe of theirs wasn't necessarily aimed at us."
What... did that mean?
Carpenter couldn't make sense of it right away. "Was the Hainalson Family worth all that trouble?"
"The Side Tower has been sealed for over a month." Russell smiled. "Whatever they do now, it's too late... at most, they could interfere with our teacher's advancement, but what good would that do?
"Our teacher isn't Archmage Rute's only student.
"Once a surprise attack won't work, those people won't try to drag our Side Tower into this anymore.
"But the Hainalson Family probably has some other use.
"Not just that Standard Rune Mental-Power Cultivation Method, which must have spread everywhere long ago."
Russell couldn't help curling his lip. "Once even one outsider learns that thing... heh, knowing those people in the Hainalson Family, they could probably sell it all the way to the Undead Tower!"
"What else could the Hainalson Family be good for?" Carpenter asked vaguely. "As long as Ulrich can hold out... whatever those people do, they can't affect us here, can they?"
"Maybe it has something to do with the Defense Tower?" Russell suddenly chuckled. "Hey, hadn't