April
Beyond the doorway lay the sunlight of late spring.
The external passage of the Magic Tower was paved with bluestone slabs, with dense trees on either side. Morning sunlight pierced through layer upon layer of branches, scattering mottled patches across the ground. Yet this long corridor of the Mage Tower was truly deserted; half the day could pass without a single person in sight.
Every now and then, a few people appeared around a distant corner. They were all busy people walking in haste, and none of them ever bothered to glance upward.
Standing at the stairway corner on the top floor, Romon silently gazed down at the spiraling stairs winding round and round below him, his eyes carrying a detached emotion that no one could quite decipher.
He turned and walked back into the corridor, heading toward the observation deck.
There, the wind blew softly. Beside the half-open transparent window, curtains of the same translucent hue swayed gently. Romon walked over and stood there.
Someone else was already there, having arrived before him. Hearing someone approach, Fafier, who had been standing there earlier, turned and looked at Romon.
"My lord, I heard you had arrived, so I came up to take a look."
Romon smiled faintly, his gaze passing through the transparent window toward the endless azure distance. "How was it? What did you think after inspecting the port defenses this time? Tell me."
"More or less satisfactory. The port's defenses are fairly well in place. Although some of the newly recruited soldiers haven't been fully trained yet, they can still obey orders and fight." Fafier shrugged. "As for the navy, that is Governor Shakat's and Governor Peke's responsibility. But I heard things are going well. Three warships have already been launched, and with the core personnel in