When I arrived at the meeting place, Mira was standing alone.
She looked quite different compared to before, as if she had bought new clothes.
I recalled hearing in the canyon city that one had to dress differently in each town.
It seemed to be the same here.
Her deep purple velvet coat, rich in color, wrapped around her body, making her white hair shine even more brilliantly.
Passersby stole glances at her as they walked by.
“You’ve arrived?”
She looked at me and smiled.
I bowed my head slightly in response.
Looking around, I noticed she was alone.
“Where is Cassian?”
“She ran away. She was too fast, and I lost her. I had so many more outfits I wanted her to try on, too. Such a shame. Then I thought of you, Evron, and decided to reach out instead.”
Mira placed a finger on her chin, looking slightly disappointed.
Then she glanced at me and smiled before twirling in place.
As she moved, her coat flared out dramatically.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it suit me well?”
“It suits you perfectly. You have an excellent eye for fashion.”
“Hehe, right? I really liked this color—it flows like blood. Now, shall we get going?”
With that, Mira leaned against my arm.
Her heartbeat resonated through my arm, a rhythm she had been sharing with me ever since we synchronized our heartbeats.
It was as if she wanted to remind me of that moment.
“So, where are we going? You said you had somewhere to visit.”
“Hmm… You could call him a mentor. I need some advice about dolls.”
“Then let’s hurry. Dolls, huh? Sounds interesting.”
With Mira clinging to my arm, we moved through the crowd and headed toward the secluded part of the city.
***
Eventually, we entered the Dollcraft District.
The bridges, mostly deserted, were lined with dolls hanging lifelessly, welcoming us with their eerie presence.
The scene was exactly as I remembered it from my first visit—unchanged.
As we crossed the bridge, Mira brushed her fingers against the hanging dolls.
But since they lacked magical energy, they remained stiff like mere statues.
After crossing, we entered the first shop that caught our eye.
A sign reading [On’s Doll Workshop] greeted us.
It had been a long time since I last visited.
Stepping inside cautiously, a soft chime signaled our arrival.
Yet, there was no response from within.
I could sense magical energy inside, but no one acknowledged us.
Curious, I walked further in and found Mauro tinkering with a doll.
He was so engrossed in his work that he hadn’t noticed our presence.
His movements were incredibly delicate.
Even the slightest tremor could disrupt the circuit he was assembling.
I held my breath, watching in silence.
After a while, he exhaled deeply and placed the doll onto the worktable.
It seemed to be complete.
Despite the intricate craftsmanship, the circuit itself was simple—just a single, flowing line.
He studied it for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.
I quietly flared my magic to get his attention.
He finally looked up, chuckling awkwardly as he started tidying up his desk.
The doll he had just been working on moved to the wall, hooking itself onto a rack before going limp, ceasing all movement.
His control over magic was incredibly precise.
“Good day. It’s been a while.”
“You should have said something. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“I saw you were focused. How could I interrupt? Besides, watching you work was fascinating in itself.”
Mauro paused for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh.
With a relaxed smile, he turned to Mira, glancing at her curiously before giving a slight nod.
“You’ve brought along an interesting young lady. Well, come on in. Let’s sit and talk.”
With that, he led us deeper into the shop, beyond the walls lined with dolls.
He gestured for us to follow, and we stepped inside.
Mira ran her hands over the dolls as we walked, while I scanned them with my eyes.
It had been about two years since my last visit.
I had gained considerable skill in dollcraft since then.
Yet, seeing these dolls still left me in awe.
I now noticed details I had previously overlooked.
The efficiency of their construction was astonishing.
The more I examined them, the more I felt a deep respect for Mauro—not as a magician, but as a craftsman who had mastered his art.
‘Just how many dolls had he carved to reach this level?’ It was beyond my imagination.
A small table was set up in the back.
Mira and I took our seats.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll prepare some tea. There’s a type of magic that’s become quite popular in the city lately.”
With that, Mauro disappeared into another room.
Mira watched him go, her gaze unwavering.
Once he was completely out of sight, she turned to me, her eyes gleaming.
“That man… No, ‘that’ would be a more fitting term. That thing is really interesting.”
I frowned slightly.
Calling him ‘that’ seemed rude.
But I had never known Mira to speak thoughtlessly, even in jest.
She must have noticed something the rest of us couldn’t.
I shifted closer to her, lowering my voice.
“What do you mean by ‘that’? What’s so interesting?”
“He’s in pieces. His entire body is fragmented—so how is he still alive? It doesn’t make sense.”
I blinked at her words.
Mira tapped her nose lightly.
“He looks completely natural, but my senses never lie. His body carries a faint, decaying scent. A scent of a body that should have rotted away long ago.”
I nodded slightly.
‘Mira’s senses were reliable—she could always detect talent and potential.’
‘If she was saying this, then there was truth to it.’
‘His entire body is fragmented?’
Now that she mentioned it, something had always seemed off about him.
Mauro was only at the Sapling level of magic.
Yet, he had an incredibly aged appearance, meaning he had been at the university for a very long time.
In all my years there, he was the only one who had ever looked that old.
I glanced around.
Mauro’s dolls filled the shop.
He must have spent countless hours crafting them.
For someone with his level of skill to still be at Sapling rank… It couldn’t just be due to a lack of talent.
“Hmm… But that scent is quite sweet. It must have been an impressive body once.”
Mira chuckled.
Just then, laughter echoed from the next room.
Mauro returned, carrying a tray.
His amused gaze landed on Mira.
He smiled before setting the tray down on the table and taking a seat.
He studied Mira calmly.
“You figured it out right away. You’re quite the fascinating one yourself. So, what do you think? Am I that strange?”
“Hehe, the more I look, the more interesting you become.”
“Haha, and now that I take a closer look, you’re quite the peculiar one yourself.”
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
Caught between them, I let out a small sigh.
I had a vague idea of what they were discussing.
It was rare for Mira to take such an interest in someone.
“Are you saying… your body is a doll?”
Mauro nodded lightly and handed us teacups.
“That’s right. Quite convincing, isn’t it?”
I gave a slight nod as he poured tea into the cups.
“It’s my masterpiece. I wouldn’t have revealed it, but this strange young lady saw through it immediately.”
He let out a hearty laugh.
Mira, watching him intently, licked her lips, a thin thread of drool slipping down.
“The more I look, the more delicious you seem. Since you’re a doll, would you mind if I had a little taste?”
Mira asked with a smile.
I wiped the drool from her chin with a handkerchief and quickly apologized.
“Forgive her. She has quite the appetite. Please don’t take it seriously.”
At the same time, I studied Mauro’s body closely.
Even Mira had some telltale signs of being a doll, but he had none.
‘Had he retrieved a corpse from outside the university?’
“It’s nothing like that. This was my body to begin with,” Mauro said as if reading my thoughts.
He took a sip of his tea.
“A lot happened. Just like everyone, I went through events that led me here—to becoming a doll. And one day, I’ll grow old and die, just like this.”
He smiled faintly.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what had happened to him.
“Enough about me. I’m just a low-tier magician who makes dolls. You must have come here for a reason. Let’s talk about that instead.”
He took another sip of tea.
I followed suit, lifting my cup.
Inside, a few flowers floated—proof of my perfect tea magic.
“Let me show you something.”
At my signal, the small turtle hanging on my chest opened its mouth and spat out several dolls.
As their size restoration magic lifted, they expanded to the length of my forearm.
The doll’s heart began to beat as it received the command.
It took a step forward.
With each step, cracks formed along its body.
On the ninth step, it shattered.
Clicking my tongue lightly, I observed the remains.
This one contained only a fraction of Cassian’s information—barely a sliver.
While it had managed four more steps than the previous attempts, it still couldn’t go beyond that.
This was why I had come.
Mauro narrowed his eyes as he examined the scattered fragments.
Of course, he wouldn’t know what was contained inside.
I had deliberately encrypted and fragmented the information.
All he could tell was that something was inside and that the doll couldn’t withstand the burden.
This valuable information was not something I could reveal carelessly.
“No matter how many times I try, this is the limit. I was hoping to find a way to improve it. Regardless of your answer, I’ll compensate you for your time.”
Mauro gestured with his fingers—telling me to activate the dolls again.
Following his signal, another doll stepped forward.
It reached the ninth step before shattering.
The same happened to the others.
Mauro stroked his chin, glancing at me with a faint smile in his eyes.
“You already know the easiest solution, don’t you?”
I nodded.
Changing the materials would solve the problem.
If I spent more points on higher-quality materials, the dolls could withstand the load.
But then, efficiency would become an issue.
I glanced at Mira—at her body.
To contain Cassian’s power, a vessel of that caliber was necessary.
Even that wasn’t enough.
‘How much had her body cost? Several million points, at least.’
Even with that, it could only store about one-fiftieth of Cassian’s full essence.
His body had undergone strange, unfathomable changes.
There was a reason Mira coveted Cassian’s body.
Even just containing his information required this much effort—how much greater would the difference be if one could possess the body itself?
That was why I had come here.
I had never met anyone as skilled as Mauro in maximizing a doll’s efficiency.
Mauro studied the remains of the shattered dolls in silence before finally speaking, his expression apologetic.
“Hmm… With your current capabilities, this will be difficult. It’s beyond me as well. Sorry, kid.”
“It’s fine. I came here on the off chance that you might have a solution.”
I shook my head.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
So, in the end, the only answer was to spend more points.
I had imagined handling hundreds of these dolls—but perhaps that had been nothing more than wishful thinking.
“Still, this is incredible. I can’t believe you managed to pack this much inside. Your dolls have changed significantly since I last saw them. Hard to believe you’re only five years into this. I’m looking forward to seeing how far you’ll go. Have confidence.”
He patted my shoulder lightly.
I nodded. He was right—there was no choice but to keep improving.
“Hmm, come to think of it…”
He studied me for a moment before standing up and disappearing into the back of the workshop.
When he returned, he was holding a peculiar card.
“This should do.”
He tossed it to me, and I caught it reflexively.
A faint warmth of magic pulsed from the card.
“What is this?”
“Since I couldn’t help you, consider this my way of making up for it. It might lead you to an answer.”
Mauro chuckled.
I frowned slightly and looked down at the card.
It was pure white, with only one word written on it—On.
The magic flowing from it was incredibly refined.
“That’s the business card of Professor On, the founding chairman of the guild. If you take that, you’ll be able to attend one of his lectures. He’s the reason we were able to establish ourselves here.”
I stared at him, mildly surprised.
‘A dollmaker… was a professor? I had no idea someone like that existed at the university.’
Information about professors was notoriously difficult to come by.
“He mentioned that he’d be holding a lecture this year or next. If you bring that card, he’ll accept you immediately. He used to personally teach all the newcomers.”
I carefully placed the card on the table.
The more I thought about it, the more I hesitated.
“Shouldn’t you give this to one of your guild members instead? I’m not even part of this guild.”
Mauro burst into laughter.
Deep wrinkles formed on his face, casting shadows as he grinned.
“This is an opportunity, kid. Just take it. If dollmakers don’t help each other, who will? Besides, like I told you before, it’s been ages since we had a new recruit. You’re the only one who’d even consider it.”
I looked down at the card in silence.
He was right—it was an opportunity.
‘But was it a trap? The timing felt almost too convenient.’
As I hesitated, a pale hand casually reached out and picked up the card.
Mira.
She held it in her fingers, smiling at me.
Her leisurely demeanor made me chuckle.
Yeah, if an opportunity comes knocking, take it.
‘What was there to hesitate about?’
“Then, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
I bowed deeply in thanks.
Then, I took out a mirror beetle.
The tiny creature fluttered into the air and flew toward Mauro, who glanced at it curiously.
“What’s this?”
“A token of my appreciation. Place your ring against it, and I’ll transfer some points to you.”
“I won’t say no. Points are always in short supply.”
Through the ring embedded in the mirror beetle, I transferred 10,000 points to him.
It was most of what I had earned in the canyon city.
A small price to pay for this favor.
I glanced at the card in Mira’s hands.
If it was genuine, then 10,000 points was a bargain.
If it was fake, I’d be collecting that debt tenfold.
After that, we spent hours discussing dollcraft.
It was an enjoyable time.
Mauro’s knowledge was vast and deep.
Just listening to him was enlightening.
“Oh, I see…”
I nodded as Mauro demonstrated a doll’s arm movement.
“I struggled a lot with this part. Simply twisting the circuit wasn’t enough to establish the connection. So instead, I reversed the magical flow, using the resulting shockwave to—”
Mira listened intently.
Occasionally, she interjected with questions about Mauro’s body.
He simply smiled and deflected them.
I was curious as well, but it was clear he didn’t want to talk about it.
And so, the conversation continued for quite some time—until, from beyond the wall, a slumped figure entered the workshop.
***
“I’m hungry…”
Cassian, hanging limply from a bear doll, stumbled into the room.
Her dull eyes were slightly teary as she looked at us.
“I had no points left, and you weren’t answering my messages. I didn’t even know where you were.”
She sniffled.
The bear doll she clung to pulled out a handkerchief wrapped around its neck and offered it to her.
A blood-red dagger flower was embroidered on the fabric.
Cassian blew her nose lightly before turning to glare at me.
“If my bear hadn’t tracked down your location, I would’ve collapsed on the streets. And here you are, just chatting away.”
‘Messages?’
I glanced at my mirror beetle.
There were several missed messages.
I looked at Mira.
She merely shrugged, her lips curling into a smile.
“Hehe, isn’t she adorable?”
She whispered playfully.
So, she had deliberately ignored them.
I stood up and approached Cassian.
“As if I would forget about you. Mira told me you had left on your own, so I assumed you had already returned. Come, have some tea first. Mauro, is that alright?”
Mauro simply chuckled.
It took quite some time to console Cassian.
Even on the way back to the tower, she remained completely silent.