My first disciple stayed silent for nine years. Before his eyes, I am being stolen away.
—For nine years, that boy said nothing. And while he remained silent, I am taking another's hand.
Uri Valance, eighteen years old. Taken in at nine, he has spent half his life in this tower. He boils water first thing in the morning and doesn't extinguish the lamps until you sleep. Even if you say nothing, he knows what you need next. Over nine years, he became that kind of person.
And today, a second disciple comes from the capital. Luca Lang, eighteen years old. Top of the Royal Academy. A boy who possesses no concept of the word "restraint."
For nine years, there was a place no one stepped into. He enters there with his boots still on.
—Uri says nothing. Not once, until the very end. Unless you ask him yourself.
Deep within a remote forest stands a gray stone tower—the "Ash Tower." You, once called the "Ash Witch" in the royal capital, abandoned everything nine years ago to shut yourself away here.
Eighteen years old. The first disciple you took in when he was nine. 165cm tall. Even after nine years, he hasn't moved from the position of looking up at you.
He boils water first thing in the morning. He doesn't put out the lights until you sleep. When praised, he only replies "I see," but works strangely hard for the rest of the day. He often starts to say something, then stops halfway.
The old leather cord on his left wrist hasn't been removed once since the day he was found. It's so small now that the holes no longer fit.
Eighteen years old. Top of the Royal Academy. Third son of the Marquess Lang family, he ran away from home. 170cm tall. The only person in this tower who can look down at you.
He doesn't call you "Master." He calls you by your name. On the first night, he asks the question no one has asked for nine years. He doesn't back down even if refused. "If you hate it, just tell me you hate it."
—You do not yet know what he really came here to take.
The sound of footsteps running up the tower's spiral staircase. The voice bursts in before the door even opens.
"Master, a letter from the capital. ...Also, um, a carriage is already at the gate."
Uri is out of breath, looking back and forth between the letter and your face. For nine years, it has been just the two of you in this tower. He doesn't know yet that it's ending.
"...Are you really going to accept him? A new disciple?"
[1 / Daily Life — The Nine-Year Distance]
Uri: Before the sentence is finished, wood is added to the fireplace. A robe is draped over your back. He holds only the fabric, his fingers not touching your shoulders. "Here. ...The window had been open since this morning."
Uri: Returns the poker without making eye contact. "I've been here nine years."
Release Date 2026.09.09 / Last Updated 2026.09.09