Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 89 - 88 - Tower Master Vernix.

The top floor of the Red Flame Tower was strangely quiet.

The moment Raven and his group stepped inside the Tower Master’s chamber, the air turned thick—not with tension, but with magic.

It was old, ancient, and settled magic that hung on the walls like sleeping dragons.

The room was circular, with domed ceilings covered in moving flame runes.

Shelves packed with tomes towered in the corners, and the central platform held a single massive, molten-red table made of living lava crystal.

Behind it sat a man whose presence could smother suns.

Tower Master Vernix.

An eight-circle fire mage, his beard shimmered like burning coal, and his eyes glowed faintly with embers.

He wasn’t just powerful—he looked like he owned the concept of fire. And the tea on his table was actually boiling from the ambient mana in the room.

He didn’t speak right away.

Instead, his eyes moved from one person to the next, measuring them—not like a hostile enemy, but like a teacher checking if the kids had cheated on a test.

Raven kept his head low. ’Don’t speak, don’t blink, and don’t think about slapping anyone else today.’

If he wasn’t wrong, then this guy was someone who would give people third-degree burns just for staring too long into his eyes.

Of course, it was what the rumors said, but Raven didn’t want to verify their credibility.

He preferred staying away from trouble, so unless asked, he wasn’t going to say anything.

He had silently advised the same to others before entering this chamber.

But, of course, one person didn’t follow that advice.

And unexpectedly, unlike what one would expect, it wasn’t Alex, but someone else.

Prince Lio—Princess Lia, technically—stepped forward with perfect poise.

"Tower Master Vernix," she said, her voice smooth, calm, and carrying a royal presence. "Thank you for allowing us to visit."

The old man raised a brow, vaguely amused. "Prince Lio Hector, I presume?"

He didn’t bow or show flattery to even the princes since it wasn’t necessary.

With his power and position, other than a selected few people, including the king, no one else could make him bow his head—not even the prince or princess of his kingdom, much less another kingdom.

"I am," Lia, on the other hand, said with a smile that could pass for princely or princessly, depending on your angle. "We’re here unofficially, I must admit. I asked my companions to accompany me because I’ve recently taken an interest in studying magic outside my affinity."

The way she spoke was enough for Raven to realize that he had been underestimating her all this time.

She wasn’t a timid person; she just chose not to appear strong before him.

’Is it a protagonist privilege?’ Raven wondered.

The chamber, however, was covered in silence until Vernix stroked his ember-colored beard. "You are a water mage, are you not?"

Lia nodded. "Yes. I have been stuck at the second circle for a frustratingly long time."

Raven coughed quietly, making Lia’s expression twitch, but she controlled it in time.

"...So I thought," Lia continued smoothly, "perhaps exploring water’s opposite—fire—might offer insight. Understanding opposition sometimes reveals the self."

’Damn, that was deep,’ Raven thought.

The Tower Master, on the other hand, considered this for a moment, then chuckled.

"You sound like a philosopher, Your Highness. Not something I expected from the famous prince known as the ’delicate flower’ of the Hector Kingdom."

Jake’s mouth twitched.

Jessy pretended to cough to hide her laugh.

Even Siris tilted her head like a curious cat hearing a bell.

But Lia didn’t flinch. "Delicacy is an illusion, Tower Master. Just like strength."

That earned her a glint of interest from Vernix.

"...Very well. You are welcome to observe the workings of the Red Flame Tower as you wish. Ilzara will guide you further."

Ilzara bowed. "Of course, Master."

"Though," Vernix added with a faint smirk, "try not to break any more walls while you’re here."

’Of course, he knew.’

Raven’s left eye twitched because he knew those words were for him.

Before Raven could make eye contact and dig a deeper grave, Vernix clapped his hands once, and a robed mage walked in, bowing toward Vernix.

"Take them to their guest quarters."

With courteous nods, the group followed their new escort out.

.......................

The door closed with a low thud, and the air grew still again.

Ilzara stood in the center, her head bowed.

Vernix, eyes no longer glowing but oddly calm, turned away from his desk to face her fully.

"...So," he said. "Tell me what really happened."

Ilzara hesitated only briefly before beginning.

"Elder Galeon intercepted us on the fifth floor. He... was unpleasant, as usual."

"Specifics," Vernix said dryly.

Ilzara sighed. "He insulted me. And one of the visitors."

Vernix narrowed his eyes. "Which one?"

Ilzara hesitated.

"...The dark-haired boy who remained silent most of the time. The one who looked like he was deciding whether to nap or kill someone."

"...Ah," Vernix muttered, leaning forward. "That one. Isn’t he the greatest genius of the Vaise family?"

"You know him?" Ilzara’s eyes widened by a fraction.

"Everyone in the kingdom knows him; they just haven’t seen him," Vernix replied, and Ilzara nodded with a sigh.

She thought that Vernix knew Raven on a more personal level, but it seemed like he didn’t.

Verniz then tilted his head. "So? What happened after that?"

Ilzara continued her report. "Elder Galeon called him names. Crude ones. He told him to apologize and step aside."

"And?"

Ilzara’s lips twitched. "Raven slapped him into the wall."

There was a long, heavy pause.

Then—

"...Just the wall?"

Ilzara blinked. "What?"

"I would’ve aimed for the ceiling. Galeon’s too used to looking down on people."

Ilzara bit her lip. ’Did he just make a joke?’

Was Vernix, the man known for melting a mountain because someone interrupted his research, joking?

What she didn’t know was that this one action from Raven had made him happy, as Raven did something even he couldn’t do.

He was bound by responsibilities as the tower master, so despite knowing that his daughter was being harassed by someone within his magic tower, he couldn’t do anything.

All because Galeon never harmed her physically, and there were never any witnesses who could vouch for Ilzara.

He was a father, after all.

Although Ilzara couldn’t tell since she rarely talked to her father, who was always busy and stern, he loved her more than anything in this world.

He had already decided that the day he left the Tower Master position, he would kill Galeon, but it seemed like he didn’t need to think of such things anymore.

He could hire someone else to do that job. And he had found someone very suitable for it.

Vernix poured himself another cup of tea from a floating kettle. "Hm... You look strangely pleased."

Ilzara raised her head, staring into Vernix’s eyes before she lowered her head again. "...I’m not sure what I look like."

"You look like a woman who just watched someone tear a hole through a Chapter of her life she thought she had to endure forever."

Ilzara stared at him again.

"I wasn’t going to say anything," she finally said. "But... I don’t think he did it for me."

"Oh?"

"I think he did it because Galeon insulted him. But then—after—he noticed I looked at him, and I think he regretted stepping in."

Vernix chuckled again, then sighed.

"...You’re not planning to fall for this boy, are you?"

Ilzara blinked. "What? No—"

"He’s good-looking," Vernix interrupted casually. "He’s strong. He slaps like a champion. He carries an aura like he’s both tired and dangerous. And I noticed he didn’t once look you in the eye after the fight. Which means either guilt... or experience."

He didn’t realize how wrong he was, but who was going to tell him?

Ilzara opened her mouth, closed it, and then crossed her arms, flustered. "I’m not interested."

"You will be."

Ilzara flinched.

"That’s how it starts," Vernix said with a sigh, now watching the flames dance along the ceiling. "A moment of relief, a sudden defense, a glance that says ’I didn’t ask for this’—and suddenly, you start dreaming of asking him anyway."

"I—I don’t dream," she muttered.

"You will," Vernix said again, almost like a curse.

Ilzara turned, stiff as a board. "I’ll return to my duties."

"Very well," Vernix replied, raising his cup. "Oh, and Ilzara?"

She paused at the door.

"If Raven slaps anyone else while he’s here... make sure to write it down. I’d like a collection."

"...Understood."

.......................

Meanwhile, back in the guest quarters...

Raven stared at the ceiling of his room.

He had a bad feeling.

A very, very bad feeling.

"...I think I just got flagged again," he muttered.

From the next room, Jessy’s voice replied, "You mean the Ilzara kind of flag or the Clara’s-going-to-find-out kind of flag?"

"...Both."

Siris appeared beside his bed, blinking down at him with that same blank devotion. "You should’ve let me kill him."

Raven threw a pillow at her. "Go away, blood gremlin."

Siris caught it and hugged it, sitting on the floor like it was her new favorite plush.

"...Ugh." Raven pulled the blanket over his face. "This tower’s gonna kill me."

Outside the window, Nibbles sat on the railing, squeaking as Alex stood beside him, staring out of the window.

"Don’t worry, partner," he whispered. "We’ll fix the bond."

But just then, Lia, who seemed to be holding something in her mind for some time, spoke up.

"Say, Raven..."

"What’s it now?" Raven groaned without looking, and Lia, despite being hesitant about it, asked.

"Why are you so scared of Clara?"

Alex, who was busy with his world, flinched, while Jake raised a brow.

Rufus, on the other hand, stared at Lia—or Lio for him—as if he had grown an extra head.

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