***
And there, beyond my heart, on a foundation built of mana—
I found my tree.
“Shall we go, then?”
I reached out my hand to Mira.
She smiled and took it.
Below the sphere, just like before, a single transparent step appeared.
It was an invitation to step inside.
Slowly, we ascended the stairs together.
The other students were nowhere to be seen.
They must have already gone inside.
Unlike me, who had to manage the tower, they were probably continuing their training here.
Maybe they had even found the answer to the assignment while discussing among themselves.
We opened the door and stepped into the tower.
Once again, we were greeted by noise.
Someone shouted, others bustled past me, brushing against my side.
The tower was as lively as ever.
We stood in a massive corridor, watching as the people—no, the dolls—moved about busily.
It was hard to believe that all of them were dolls.
The corridor was packed with dolls, each moving with a clear purpose, hurrying somewhere.
A mirror beetle floated into the air, reflecting my will as it displayed the time.
I nodded slightly.
There was about an hour left until the lecture.
It had been worth hurrying the turtle along to get here early.
Now, we had some time to explore the tower.
Carefully, Mira and I merged into the flow of moving dolls.
The corridor was vast, stretching in all directions.
The paths were intricate and complex.
Countless doors lined the hallways.
Just then, a nearby door swung open, and a doll emerged, clutching a small bundle in its arms as it hurried away.
I glanced beyond the open door.
The space within shimmered briefly, revealing the scenery beyond.
A vast meadow stretched out, with numerous cows grazing peacefully.
So, the dolls were raising livestock as well.
“Oh my, those are dolls too,” Mira said with a smile.
I blinked at her words, then turned back to the cows.
They moved languidly, yet there was an undeniable vitality in their motions.
‘Are those really dolls?’
The scene beyond the door gradually blurred, and soon, the door closed.
Looking around again, I saw more dolls coming and going through various doors.
The views beyond them were all different—one led to a household, another to what seemed like a massive training ground.
We continued walking down the corridor.
The dolls laughed and chatted like people.
Many of them also exuded faint traces of magic.
It was believable that each one could be a full-fledged magician.
It was still difficult to accept that they were merely dolls.
As I observed them, I kept asking Mira if they were truly dolls.
Each time, she shook her head lightly.
She meant that they didn’t carry the scent of humans.
Time passed quickly.
The corridor seemed endless, as did the countless doors along its length.
Each door connected to a different space, their number immeasurable.
‘Then just how many dolls are spread throughout this entire tower?’
The scale of it was beyond my imagination.
“Hmm, aren’t you going to step through one of the doors?”
Mira leaned in slightly and asked.
It was because a young man was rushing toward us from the opposite direction.
I gently pulled her aside and pressed us against the corridor wall.
The young man dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment as he passed.
I nodded in return before resuming our walk.
That young man was undoubtedly a doll as well.
Beyond the door he had exited, stacks of books were visible.
The magic emanating from them was quite powerful.
I felt curious about their contents, but I didn’t step inside.
Glancing down at Mira, I shook my head slightly.
“Professor On warned us. This place is meant only for the dolls. There’s no need for us to intrude on their space.”
I watched the dolls moving through the corridor.
Yes, this tower was a world of its own.
A world created solely for the dolls.
I was beginning to understand the nature of this place a little better.
The tower wasn’t just a device to gather magical energy.
It was a small, self-contained world crafted by each magician.
Just as Professor Heisen had created a space for shadows, Professor On must have made this world for the dolls.
Of course, our tower was a little different.
A dry chuckle escaped me.
Professor Irien didn’t seem to care about the tower at all.
Until now, it had simply been used as a storage space.
At first, I had found it odd, but now, I was beginning to understand.
To her, there was probably no point in creating such a world.
Though, the things stored in that “warehouse” were a different matter altogether.
“You’ve made a wise decision. Some others let their curiosity get the better of them and stepped through the doors… only to be punished for it.”
A voice, like a whisper in my ear, made me jump.
I turned quickly and saw a transparent carriage.
It was the same strange carriage that had transported us before.
Until it spoke, I hadn’t even noticed it was there.
The surrounding dolls also seemed oblivious to its presence, walking past it naturally.
“The time has come. Please board. The professor is waiting.”
The carriage door opened silently, and the magic within gently pulled us inside.
An hour had already passed.
Inside, I saw the other students.
Eleven of them.
Everyone except me was already here.
I greeted them with a slight nod before taking my seat.
Since they had remained here, they must have all boarded together when the time arrived.
The door shut, and the carriage began to move.
Looking through the window, I saw the surroundings gradually blur.
The carriage passed through dolls, through walls, and headed somewhere.
At the journey’s end was the lecture hall.
The carriage deposited us there and then vanished.
It had certainly existed just moments ago, yet it disappeared as naturally as if it had never been there at all.
‘Was that a kind of treasure, too?’
I felt a surge of curiosity.
At the center of the lecture hall stood Professor On.
Beside him, a woman smiled at us.
Tiena, if I remembered correctly.
She was the one Mauro had called “Madam.”
I needed to be more careful around her.
I bowed deeply to them before finding my seat.
Professor On quietly watched as we settled in.
Then, he finally spoke.
“Hmm, everyone’s here. The number of students attending is twelve… no, was it thirteen?”
As he spoke, Zero emerged from my shadow and raised his hand.
Professor On nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Zero solidified his form and sat next to me, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
It was understandable.
He had grown a lot since the last lecture.
When he sculpted my likeness, he had even added several new stars to his consciousness.
Of course, he would be looking forward to this class.
And so was I.
‘What kind of lesson awaited us today?’
My heart pounded in anticipation.
“Nice to see you all again. It’s time for another lesson. I hope your dolls have improved since the last class. And I hope they’ll improve further with today’s lecture.”
Professor On manipulated his magic.
The air distorted, and a black line formed in space.
It was a kind of spatial rift.
With a flick of his hand, several books flew out from the rift and hovered before us.
I carefully took mine and read the title.
[On’s Fundamentals of Dollcraft.]
It was the same as the one I had received before.
A copy also floated toward Zero this time.
He took it, a smile forming on his lips.
“This will be our textbook. I’ll explain things more simply this time so that you all can understand better. So make sure to—”
He tapped his head lightly.
“—Engrave it in your minds.”
Professor On looked at us for a moment, then pulled Tiena into his arms before continuing.
“Before we begin the lecture, let’s check your assignments. You were supposed to create a doll, right? Bring them forward.”
Ah, it was finally time.
I gently tapped the head of the turtle clinging to my chest.
It responded to my signal, hopped onto the desk, and then bounced toward the platform.
The other students’ dolls also began to appear one by one.
A quick glance revealed a variety of creations.
One was an armored figure adorned with countless gemstones.
Another was made from the corpse of a magical beast.
I turned to look at Zero.
He had also presented a miniature version of my doll before the professor.
A diverse collection of dolls gathered before the podium.
Tiena met the turtle’s gaze, and it let out a soft, “Meeeng.”
She smiled gently at it.
Professor On glanced at it with a slightly narrowed gaze before clapping his hands.
“Now, let’s evaluate them. Let’s see if you’ve succeeded in your assignment.”
The students all wore confident smiles.
So did I.
But one by one, those smiles began to fade.
Their faces gradually turned pale.
For good reason.
Another doll melted before our eyes.
This time, it was the gemstone-encrusted armor.
Any doll that failed Professor On’s evaluation simply dissolved.
He stood before the melting doll, tilting his head.
“Hmm, this one failed too. Next.”
Next?
The turtle trembled beside the dissolving armor.
It turned to me with a tearful look.
I nodded at it.
I was sure of my answer.
So, the turtle would be safe.
‘…Probably.’