Staircase, next step.
Mira experienced the process of climbing the stairs with a unique sensation. It was a simple, ordinary action, but when she saw the exquisitely carved dragons on the banister, she instinctively felt something was off.
The original owner of the tower was human. Observing the design of the stairs, it seemed like the decor was meant for human use, so why were there so many dragons carved on the railing?
Was the original tower owner involved in some kind of dragon worship?
A strange thought flickered through Mira’s mind, and she quickly shook her head to dismiss it.
In truth, dragon worship wasn’t so unusual. Mira had once seen a book in the Magic Hub’s library about an evil necromantic magic, created by a group of demon worshipers who formed a wicked magical cube. She had stumbled upon that book by chance, drawn in by the demonic symbols on its cover, and it was filled with restricted content.
However, the next time she went looking for the book, it was gone.
Mira speculated that it had been misplaced. Judging by its contents, it was certainly a forbidden book. The magic described within was brutal, both in terms of its effects and its casting methods.
No one in the Magic Hub would use such magic, Mira thought. But even as she considered this, a wave of melancholy washed over her. She was no longer certain that this was true.
Mira shook her head, patting her cheek as if to clear the thoughts from her mind, and continued up the spiral staircase.
She was very curious about the magical structure of the tower. She wanted to know how such a structure was constructed.
Space-folding magic was a very advanced technique, and because folding space caused damage to dimensions, the magic involved was far more intense than most other spells. Only a skilled magician, with precise control over their magic and the use of appropriate media, could minimize the chaotic energy caused by tearing through space.
That was the most difficult part of building a tower.
Mira ascended the spiral stairs, completely absorbed in the smoothness of her movement. She didn’t even notice the awkward sensation that would usually arise from the forced merging of spaces.
It was truly impressive. The control over magic here was remarkable.
Mira was becoming increasingly certain—she, too, wanted to become a magician capable of building a tower of this caliber.
When she reached the three-hundredth step, Mira was beginning to breathe heavily, but still hadn’t seen the books that Lance had mentioned. She was starting to feel a bit tired, so she leaned against the banister for a quick rest.
The dragon carvings on the railing remained vivid and lifelike, not at all losing their detail as she climbed higher.
Mira reached out to touch the head of one of the dragons.
The metal didn’t respond to her touch, but Mira looked up at the top of the stairs. She didn’t know how much further she had to go, but the thought didn’t dull her anticipation.
After a brief rest, she resumed her climb.
When her internal count reached five hundred, a faint light appeared ahead, much brighter than the previous dimness, as though someone had opened a small window on the tower’s outer wall.
The light rushed in, gradually dispelling the darkness.
Mira felt a renewed sense of hope. Her weary legs regained some strength, and she quickened her pace, running up a few more steps. Soon enough, a wooden bookshelf appeared before her.
She exhaled gently and looked up, a new space revealed before her eyes.
The spiral staircase continued upward, but a new path also led forward to the library.
Without hesitation, Mira stepped forward, and as her feet left the staircase, the steps behind her vanished.
Such incredible magic.
Her attention turned back to the library before her.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Everything related to magic seemed inseparable from books. Whether in the tower or the Magic Hub, the quantity of books appeared to determine whether a magician had truly powerful magic abilities.
Almost every mage boasted an impressive library, even if they hadn’t read all the books. The shelves were always packed to the brim—this was what it meant to have substance. It was as if a magician’s strength was measured not by their own magical abilities but by the number of books they possessed.
However, this was just Mira’s strange thought. She actually liked this atmosphere—where books filled every shelf, and shelves filled every room. Especially when she walked alone into a library, it felt almost like stepping into the chambers of the gods.
The feeling of quietly immersing herself in her own world, hidden from the eyes of others, was simply wonderful.
Unfortunately, the Magic Hub’s library was huge, and there were many people borrowing books every day.
It wasn’t a place meant to be hers alone.
But now, it felt different. Here, she was the only one.
Mira wove between the narrow aisles of bookshelves. There was no musty smell from old books here, but rather a faint, pleasant fragrance in the air—something like ink, but also like blooming water lilies.
It seemed to be the work of magic.
Mira’s gaze moved from one bookshelf to another. The library appeared to have been untouched for a long time, yet neither the higher nor the lower shelves had any dust on them.
It was magic at work. A cleaning spell, one with an unusually long duration.
Cleaning spells weren’t particularly difficult, but to maintain their effect for more than half a year required great skill in spell control.
The tower was full of surprises.
Mira’s fingers skimmed the spines of the books, reading their titles.
She paused on one, blinking in surprise, then took the book from the shelf.
Magical Cooking.
It was just the kind of magic she needed. Mira flipped through the pages.
The book’s author had been a traveling and food-loving mage centuries ago. On his journeys, he had always struggled to find freshly cooked meals, and in a fit of anger, he created more than a dozen culinary magic spells. From then on, he dedicated his life to researching magical cooking.
This was so convenient, Mira thought. She definitely didn’t want to eat that bitter oatmeal again, like she had this morning.
Her cooking skills were too poor to make anything delicious. But the clever predecessors always solved these real-life problems with magic.
Mira closed the book, planning to go back to the tower’s bottom later to examine it more closely. She didn’t stop, instead continuing to wander deeper into the library.
She was looking for the room with the scrolls that Lance had mentioned.
As she moved through the library, Mira spotted a closed door on one side. There was a small nameplate next to it, with something written on it. She leaned in to read it, but suddenly, an energy force pushed her away.
It was a magical pulse.
Mira quickly reached for her medium crystal in her pocket, but the magic didn’t seem to be harmful.
“W-who are you?”
Mira jumped in surprise, scanning the area, searching for the source of the voice.
“Down here!”
The voice came from below.
Mira looked down and saw, standing on the floor, a white humanoid figure. The voice had come from it.
She blinked in confusion. It was a paper golem.
It was a creation brought to life through magic—Animation Magic, a very high-level spell.
The tower continued to surprise her.
The origami spirit stood with its hands on its hips, blocking Mira’s way.
It didn’t speak for a while, and when it did, its voice was dry and hoarse. But after a few sentences, it started speaking more fluidly.
“This is the master’s study. Who are you?”
The small creature, no bigger than the palm of her hand, looked fierce, but even if it was aggressive, it was just made of paper.
Mira stretched out a finger, and a gust of wind, seemingly created from nowhere, began to swirl around her. She controlled it to gently push the origami spirit’s body.
"Y-you... you reckless intruder, put me down!” the origami spirit protested, floating in the air in front of Mira.
“Your master?” Mira observed it carefully.
“You’re just a blank piece of paper. You don’t look very old.”
Old paper golems would turn yellow with age.
The origami spirit remained floating, its hands still on its hips.
“Who are you?” It didn’t want to discuss itself, but instead focused on questioning the girl in front of it. Why did she get to interrogate him?
Mira watched him.
“Is your master a dragon?” she asked.
The golem tilted its head, about to respond, but then a familiar voice rang out.
Fortunately, its paper face didn’t show any change in expression, or Mira would have noticed the surprise and excitement that flashed across its features.
Its master had been missing for almost half a month.
Following the voice in its mind, it answered weakly.
“What does that have to do with you?” It replied, its tone lacking energy.
Mira narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Alright, I see.” She held the origami spirit up, closely inspecting it.
“I’ll ask you one more question. Do you keep scrolls in here?”
The golem hesitated, then answered, “The scrolls are in another room.”
“Can you take me there?” Mira asked.
“Answer me first—who are you?” The origami spirit insisted on this point. Otherwise, hearing its master's voice, it would have used magic to obliterate this rude woman.
“Me?” Mira stepped closer.
“You’ve never seen me before. I’m new here.”
The origami spirit floated, avoiding Mira’s approach.
“Don’t waste time with useless talk. I know you’re new here.”
Having lived here for six months, it had never seen this woman before.
The fact that she managed to reach the upper floors of the tower meant she was no ordinary person. And somehow, her master was on her side.
“The king sent me here. He said I should marry the master of the tower.” Mira smiled. “I’m Mira, and I might become the new bride of the magical dragon.”
“The master of the tower...” The origami spirit murmured, repeating her words. “The bride of the magical dragon.”
There was only one dragon in the tower.
The little golem’s body trembled slightly.
“Take me to the scroll room,” Mira said.
Given its master's permission, the origami spirit could only reluctantly float before Mira.
Mira observed the tiny paper golem floating ahead of her, her expression turning serious.
Dragons couldn't create such exquisite works of paper with their terrifying claws.