Adopting Disaster

"Tower Master!"

As soon as he decided on the path he needed to take, Phoebe's voice came from outside the door.

However, her voice was not as relaxed as usual, but rather urgent.

When he glanced up, he could see traces of dampness that had just dried from Phoebe's hair.

"I've bathed the young lady as instructed."

She entered with a cheerful smile, accompanied by the girl.

The girl, who had been quite impressive with her pitiful appearance, was now radiating light.

Her slender and lustrous white hair, as if freshly spun silk, and moist ruby-stone eyes.

Wearing a light white dress, she looked almost like a doll.

"Where did you get the clothes?"

"I have so many dolls, hehe... It just happened to fit the young lady perfectly."

"Hmm..."

It wasn't just a coincidence that she felt like a doll.

"Well done. Since she'll be living in this tower from now on, I'll ask you to find more clothes."

"Yes, yes! Leave it to me!"

"Now, let's go out."

Phoebe grinned happily at the praise.

She carefully stepped back, leaving Reed and the girl alone in the room.

"Uh, um..."

"..."

"I just realized I don't know your name."

"..."

"Do you know your own name?"

"…?"

She cautiously looked up at Reed.

And then lowered her head again, fiddling with her fingers.

It seemed she was claiming not to know who she was.

As her codename was Cosmo, the name Cosmo could have been familiar.

But that was the name of the insane woman who was the final boss.

No, it wasn't even a name.

A code name is just that – a code name.

It's nothing more than a simple string of characters with no room for affection.

So, what would be a good name for her?

'I've actually thought about it before.'

While thinking about the final boss of <Disaster 7>, he had wondered what he would have called Codename: Cosmo if he had raised her.

And now he tried calling her that name.

"From now on, your name is Rosaria."

With that declaration, her eyes grew even larger.

As if she liked the name, a message appeared in front of Reed.

[The name has been changed. Unknown. → Rosaria Adeleheights Roton]

[The occupation has been changed. Orphan → Daughter of the Silence Tower Master]

Along with the message of the change, her occupation also changed.

Now, she had become Reed's daughter in every sense.

'But... would a child who doesn't even know her own name understand this?'

Since she didn't speak, he couldn't tell yet.

While he was pondering, Rosaria turned her gaze elsewhere and examined Reed's study.

"Rosaria."

"…?"

She turned her head back to look at Reed.

It became clear that she knew it was her name.

"Yes, your name is Rosaria."

Reed stroked her head.

Rosaria smiled quietly.

***

The magical factions on the Cloud Continent were divided into two main categories.

There are the so-called official mages, who belong to an empire or kingdom.

And there are the tower mages, who draw mana from ley lines for magical research and local security.

Both hold a belief in the peace and development of magic, but their goals in development are significantly different.

If the official magicians prioritize white magic, which focuses on healing and defensive magic from the belief that they should benefit humans, tower magicians tend to prioritize black magic, which places more emphasis on curses and offensive magic.

That's why the towers were portrayed quite negatively in <Disaster 7>.

There are a total of 13 magic towers on the Cloud Continent.

Every month, they hold a "Tower Master Conference," to share information that can be used to counter the workshop magicians and strengthen their unity.

The stronger the conflict between the officials and the tower, the more necessary it is to confirm their bonds through the Tower Master Conference.

Thus, at times like these, absence itself was almost taboo.

The conference venue was decorated with antique furniture.

Thirteen chairs surrounded a large round table with a map of the Cloud Continent engraved on it.

However, only 12 of the 13 tower masters were seated.

The empty seat had the name "Reed Adeleheights Roton" engraved on it.

"Is Roton absent today?"

A large man glanced at the empty seat and muttered.

Then, everyone started adding their comments as if they had been waiting.

"It's surprising that the person who should be the protagonist of this conference isn't here."

"Wasn't the project named Flower Garden? I heard a lot of rumours, and the Master of Jade Tower said it was a very satisfying idea."

[T/N: For now I will use the temporary names of Towers. I might change it in future.]

"Oh, my! What are you talking about? Wasn't the master of Greenwood Tower the one who jumped the gun?"

Although they gathered under the pretext of friendship and information exchange, the fierce rivalry was inevitable.

The large man intervened to stop the emerging fight.

"Are you still thinking about having childish arguments at this age?"

"My apologies."

"Anyway, does anyone know the reason for the Tower Master of Silence's absence?"

Everyone fell silent at the large man's words.

Reed Adeleheights Roton was the Tower Master of Silence. The Tower of Silence was the weakest among all the towers.

Reed was in a position where he had to reach out and expand his network first, but that was not his character.

He was a twisted person who didn't know when to bend or what to say when he needed to.

So, there wouldn't be anyone who could communicate with such a Tower Master, let alone know the exact situation.

...That's what everyone thought.

"I heard the project was overturned."

All eyes focused on the person who uttered those words.

There sat a woman with the physique of a girl in her early teens.

Black hair, a nonchalant expression that seemed annoyed by everything, and a bold appearance.

Wearing a revealing dress instead of the neat uniform like the other tower masters, and rudely putting her feet on the round table, yet no one was scolding her.

Tower Master of the Black Sky, Freesia Vulcan Darkrider.

"It seems the Black Sky Tower Master knows something."

"I didn't really want to know, but a fledgling working at the Tower of Silence told me."

"The project was scrapped?"

"Yes, a young mage working at the Tower of Silence said that, for some reason, the project, which had established all theories, was suddenly discarded."

"Discarding it means... the project must have been worthless."

"Or it could be a lie."