Chapter 53
He was born as the Second Prince, and as he grew, he became the Master of the Magic Tower.
Though he had lived his entire life among the most glorious and noble individuals, even Chaian de Devrica had never encountered a Spirit King before.
Faced with such an overwhelmingly powerful presence, even he found himself at a loss for words.
‘But you… you weren’t like that at all.’
What was with that natural composure?
“Were you already acquainted with the Spirit King?”
“No.”
…How does our temporary secretary maintain her expressions so perfectly? She’s so convincing it almost seems real.
“It’ll be a month soon.”
“Yeah.”
Luka would probably return tomorrow. That meant Ceres’ time as a temporary secretary was also coming to an end.
“Ah, how boring.”
“What is?”
“Should I give you another month of leave?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”
“Oh no, you don’t.”
“……!”
Just then, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.
Leaning against the doorway, staring at Chaian with an incredulous look, was Luka.
Unlike the startled Chaian, Ceres remained completely unfazed, as if she had known all along.
“What, you’re back already?”
“Yes, my apologies for returning so soon. Perhaps I should have stayed away for another month?”
“Haha…”
…He heard everything. He definitely heard everything.
“You have sharp ears.”
“And I assume you are fully aware that, thanks to my sharp ears, I heard everything just now?”
Watching Luka glare daggers at him, Chaian simply smiled. In moments like these, smiling was the best strategy.
“Was everything alright while I was gone?”
Ignoring Chaian’s attempts to lighten the mood, Luka turned to Ceres.
“At least half the people in the Magic Tower didn’t end up in shock. As you can see, the tower is still standing.”
“That’s a relief.”
People slacking off and causing problems was an everyday occurrence at the Magic Tower, but as Luka had warned, no major incidents had occurred.
“You’ve done well.”
Luka gave a light yet sincere nod.
From what he had heard, Chaian had even attended the imperial meeting.
Of course, he had likely caused some unnecessary trouble while he was there, but the important thing was that he had gone.
Having received multiple reports before arriving, Luka was quite surprised.
‘It must have been because of her.’
Otherwise, there was no way to explain how that stubborn man had attended the imperial meeting.
Just what kind of magic did she use?
“Have you considered working here longer?”
“Longer?”
“Yes. Not as a temporary secretary, but as a permanent one.”
Having another secretary at the Magic Tower wouldn’t be a problem.
It seemed like a waste to let Ceres go after just a temporary role.
“That’s a great idea!”
Chaian beamed at the suggestion, clearly approving.
“No.”
“Ah, why?!”
“It doesn’t suit me.”
Ceres shook her head immediately.
She had taken the job for money, but it turned out that assisting and managing someone wasn’t a good fit for her.
She had thought working beside someone with little to do would be a great time, but in reality, it was more exhausting than expected.
“Then are you going back to the restaurant?”
“Our staff can handle that just fine.”
Maybe she would just drop in occasionally to check on things.
“Then? What are you going to do next?”
“Not sure.”
Ceres fell into thought for a moment.
The biggest nuisance recently—the head of the Ellsia family—had been replaced.
‘That child.’
If it was Herion, she would likely lead the family well.
Of course, it would be difficult at first. She had been looked down upon within the family for a long time.
Many people would struggle to accept her as the new head of the family.
But she had an incredibly powerful ally by her side.
[From now on, I shall accompany you. Serve me well.]
‘Huh? Do I have to serve you? Can’t we just be friends?’
[Friends?! How dare a human consider themselves my equal?!]
‘The weather’s nice today. Want to go for a walk?’
[Are you even listening to me…?!]
‘There’s a beautiful garden over there. Let’s go together!’
[…]
…She’s the type to just push ahead in her own way, isn’t she?
Even the foul-tempered Spirit King of Fire, Jubellios seemed at a loss for words.
She’ll probably do well moving forward. She also had an exceptional understanding of healing arts.
Yet, despite that, something still weighed on Ceres’ mind…
“If the essence of something changes, what would be the reason?”
“I can’t keep up with your train of thought, Ceres…”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting you to.”
Chaian shuddered at the way she changed topics so abruptly and then pressured him to answer immediately.
But since he knew Ceres wouldn’t say something meaningless, he puffed out his cheeks in frustration before reluctantly opening his mouth.
“If something’s essence has been forgotten, either enough time has passed for it to be lost, or it’s been lured by something enticing enough to abandon its long history and traditions.”
“Such as?”
“Money?”
…That actually made sense.
Without realizing it, Ceres nodded.
Of course, the healing arts would have to generate significant income.
Thinking about the roots of the Ellsia family, she held back a sigh that threatened to escape.
Swordsmanship.
When Ceres had gone to check for herself, she had been stunned.
The once-proud swordsmanship family, once called the Empire’s Sword, had fallen into disgrace.
The state of the knights under the Ellsia Count’s Estate had left her speechless.
‘Even a random bunch of thugs would be better than that.’
Recalling her disappointment back then, Ceres’ lips curled into a bright smile.
Seeing that, Chaian felt an inexplicable chill and rubbed his arms.
He didn’t know why, but something about her expression unsettled him.
“Power and honor could also be reasons, but they don’t produce immediate results like wealth does. Money directly impacts survival.”
“Well, just look at the Ellsia Count’s Estate.”
“Hm?”
“Their knights’ swords are practically gleaming. It’s strange, considering it’s been less than a month since the Black Forest appeared near the capital.”
When she hinted that they might be regularly supplying new swords, Chaian, oblivious to the deeper implications, simply laughed and shook his head.
“The Ellsia Count’s Estate does have a lot of money, but that’s definitely not it. They’re not even skilled enough to hunt monsters!”
‘Unbelievable.’
So, they really did abandon their swordsmanship.
Were they planning to become military band knights instead?
The image of those knights, all appearance and no skill, made Ceres chuckle.
It was she who had introduced healing arts to the Ellsia Count’s Estate.
In other words, she bore some responsibility for the fact that the Empire’s once-great swordsmanship house had now reduced itself to focusing solely on healing arts.
‘What should I do?’
Of course, continuing as a healing arts family wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
But something about it felt… off.
If this had happened due to someone else, she might have ignored it. But knowing that it all started because of her made it harder to dismiss.
Could she really just stand by and watch as a family once called the Empire’s Sword disappeared?
Boom!
“……!”
A deafening explosion rang out.
Turning to the window in alarm, Ceres immediately frowned.
What the hell was he doing?
“What’s going on?”
The one breaking through the barrier surrounding the Magic Tower…
Was none other than the Spirit King of Fire, Jubellios.
“That damn bird! What the hell is he doing?!”
“Yeah, seriously.”
Had he gone insane?
Seeing Jubellios actively destroying the barrier he himself had put up, Chaian reached out as if ready to cast a spell.
“Don’t.”
“Why not?! That half-roasted chicken is tearing down my barrier!”
…He didn’t use to talk like this.
Chaian, you need to stop going to the stew shop. You’ve picked up bad habits from those mercenaries.
“Just wait a bit.”
Pushing Chaian back a step, Ceres leaned out the window and shouted.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you damn bird?!”
[Ah! There you are. This thing is blocking my way.]
“And so you just destroyed it?”
Still as brute-force and reckless as ever.
Letting out a short sigh, Ceres had Chaian deactivate all the barriers.
“Can’t you go about things more quietly?”
A crowd had already gathered, staring at Jubellios in fascination.
Why was it always her who had to deal with the embarrassment?
[How could I possibly be any quieter than this?]
“…Forget it. So? Why are you here?”
[Take this. It’s a letter from Herion.]
…Wait. Are you playing messenger pigeon now?
Watching Jubellios pull out a small letter hidden beneath his wing and drop it in front of her, Ceres was left utterly speechless.
—
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