It had already been five days since the message was sent out.
Yet the kingdom remained eerily calm, as if the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the elves had never even existed.
But those who were in the know understood the truth—either their enemies were preparing something in the shadows, or they had accepted the harsh reality.
Whichever it was, for the moment, it had nothing to do with Ethan Hayes.
Right now, he was soaring through the air using wind magic, heading toward his destination.
"A year and a half, huh..."
Landing gently on the ground, Ethan looked up at the tall, chimney-like structure before him with a touch of nostalgia.
This was the Grimoire Tower.
A year and a half ago, it was here that he had received his two four-leaf clover grimoires.
Back then, he was just a commoner from the borderlands. But through relentless effort, he had become one of the most sought-after figures in the Clover Kingdom.
His strength had grown from the Eighth Realm to the Third Realm.
The speed of his rise was like strapping himself to a rocket.
Of course, Ethan knew very well—had he been an ordinary person, none of this would have been possible.
What truly set him apart was the divine blood flowing in his veins.
"No guards… just as I thought..."
Glancing around the tower's perimeter, Ethan silently confirmed his suspicions.
Every grimoire in the kingdom came from this very tower.
This included those of the captains of the nine squads, and even the Wizard King himself.
One could say this tower was like a heavily guarded military base filled with magic missiles—or even atomic bombs.
It was the core of the Clover Kingdom.
And yet, such a crucial place had no stationed guards.
Despite being located on the border, there were no precautions against enemy forces storming in or destroying it outright.
To Ethan, this meant only one of two things:
The tower was inherently indestructible or nearly so.
It was protected by a powerful guardian.
Of the two, he believed the second to be more likely.
Creak—
He pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
The interior was just as he remembered.
But this time, he noticed what he hadn't before—there was more to this place than met the eye.
From the outside, the tower looked about 50 to 60 meters tall.
But once inside, when he looked up…
He couldn't even see the top—it stretched straight into the heavens.
Shelves spiraled upward in a circular pattern, filled with grimoires as far as the eye could see.
"Anyone here?"
He wasn't here to steal anything, so Ethan called out politely.
But only his echo answered.
"No one? Then I guess I'll help myself…"
Still getting no response, he shrugged and moved on.
With wind magic cloaking him, Ethan floated gently into the air like a feather.
He drifted over to a bookshelf and randomly pulled out a grimoire.
"A three-leaf… but…"
The cover bore three clover leaves, yet the pages inside were blank—not a single word or symbol.
He pulled out another. Same result.
And another. Still blank.
Some grimoires were thick, others thin. Some were large, others small.
But all were completely empty—no words, no magic, no energy, nothing.
"Looking for something, young man?"
A calm, aged voice echoed through the grand hall, making Ethan freeze.
He wasn't some amateur anymore—his senses were incredibly sharp.
Yet he hadn't detected anyone until the voice rang out.
"Magic Domain!"
He instantly expanded his magical domain, enveloping the entire hall.
Still nothing. Just books and shelves.
No trace of the speaker.
"Oh? A Magic Domain? For someone your age, your magic control is truly impressive."
The voice sounded surprised. But despite scanning the area again, Ethan still couldn't locate the source.
Even his ability to "read ki" came up empty.
"So I was right…"
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
His suspicions were confirmed—there really was a guardian in this tower.
But just how strong was this person compared to Wizard King Julius?
Tap.
His eyes flicked downward. A hand had gently tapped his shoulder.
Ethan vanished in an instant, reappearing several meters away with a grim expression.
Whoever this was had approached him completely undetected.
"Hehe, no need to panic, young man. I'm just curious why you're here. It's not grimoire-granting season yet. Besides… you already have yours, don't you?"
This time, Ethan saw him.
Floating in the air where he had just been, stood an old man dressed like a wizard, with a long white beard and aged face.
This was the same man who had presided over the grimoire ceremony a year and a half ago.
No—likely, he'd been the Grimoire Tower's Keeper all along.
"So it really was you."
Ethan smirked.
He'd suspected this man for a long time.
The Grimoire Tower was just too important to leave unguarded. Any noble or royal with a shred of ambition would've tried to take control of it long ago.
If you controlled who got grimoires and who didn't, you controlled the future of the entire kingdom.
It could be used to suppress enemies and empower allies.
But instead, this old man had maintained a neutral, almost invisible presence, allowing anyone to receive a grimoire once they came of age—regardless of bloodline or status.
"So, what brings you here, young man? Not happy with your grimoire and want to trade it in for a new one?"
The old keeper chuckled.
He'd encountered such people before—those who were unsatisfied with their grimoires or refused to believe their worth matched what they received.
But that had been many decades ago.
Everyone now understood—once chosen, a grimoire could never be replaced.
"Go home, kid. Grimoires can't be—uh..."
He trailed off mid-sentence.
Because in Ethan's hands were two grimoires—each bearing the unmistakable mark of a four-leaf clover.
"…You're not satisfied with those?"
The old man's voice faltered.
Was this brat seriously trying to exchange two four-leaf clovers?
Did he want to trade up to two five-leaf grimoires next?
Unbelievable.
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