Chapter 42
“Then, I’ll be off. I have a lot to do.”
“Yes, see you next time. Please be sure to convey my regards to Lord Aserian.”
The master of the magic tower and the most cherished younger brother of Aserian the Crown Prince.
Although he has lived solely as the master of the magic tower, having left the royal family long ago, those who know him are aware of this fact.
Chaian, whose words are never ignored by the Emperor or the Crown Prince, and who still receives boundless affection from both of them.
The only person who can influence both of them.
That person is none other than Chaian.
“Of course.”
And no one is more aware of this fact than Chaian himself.
He fully understands that their attempts to approach him aren’t solely due to his position as the magic tower’s master.
This is why he maintained his practiced, mask-like smile today as well.
“You seem to know each other well.”
It was only after the head of the Ellsia family had left that Ceres spoke.
“Well? We’ve just seen each other’s faces a few times.”
“Still, that seems closer than just a work relationship, doesn’t it?”
“…What?”
“But then again, I’m not sure what work we’re supposed to be doing. Or is it just me who didn’t know?”
“Wait, wait! That’s not—!”
Chaian, recalling his recent conversation with Creel Ellsia, hastily began to explain.
“I said that to keep him from bothering you!”
He knew too well what kind of situation Ceres might find herself in if Creel discovered their connection.
“Enough. Why are you so defensive about a mere work relationship?”
…Ceres.
“Let’s make sure we don’t get too close in the future. After all, we’re just work acquaintances.”
…You really hold grudges, don’t you?
Leaving the flustered Chaian behind, Ceres turned her gaze toward the departing head of the Ellsia family.
“But…”
“Hm?”
“Why is he wearing a fake?”
“A fake? What’s fake?”
“Never mind. Forget it.”
Despite Chaian’s confusion, Ceres continued to observe Creel Ellsia, or more precisely, the ring on his right hand.
“That’s strange.”
The ring of the head of the Ellsia family.
Only by properly inheriting that ring from the previous head does one become officially recognized as the family’s leader.
It’s a law of the Ellsia family that even the imperial family cannot dispute.
‘If I’m not mistaken…’
That ring is fake.
***
“Did you hear about it?”
“Hear about what?”
“You know the Bakura boss that was caught recently? They say no one knows who dealt with it.”
“Yeah. And apparently, they didn’t even take the magic stone.”
“Wait, that rumor’s true?”
As usual, Where Your Feet Rest was bustling with people.
Today, the mercenaries’ conversations revolved around one topic.
The Black Forest incident that occurred a few days ago on Delasi 1st Avenue.
Who exactly had defeated the Bakura boss, the ‘core’ of this Black Forest?
The identity of the person who had taken down the boss remained a mystery, and curiosity and speculation only continued to grow.
“Are they insane? Do you know how much that thing is worth?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“How much is it worth?”
“How much? At least fi—”
“Fi—? How much is fi—?”
“Five?”
“Five what? Five gold? Fifty?”
Suddenly, a voice naturally joined the conversation, and the mercenaries turned in surprise.
Without them noticing, Ceres had drawn close, wearing an unusually tense expression as she stared at them.
“How much is the magic stone from the boss worth?”
For some reason, her gaze was filled with urgency, leaving the mercenaries stunned as they muttered,
“Well, it’s worth at least 5,000 gold.”
“Yeah. If it finds the right buyer, it could go for even more.”
“…How much did you say?”
“F-Five thousand?”
“That five thousand… Is it the five thousand I’m thinking of?”
“Uh, probably.”
…5,000 gold.
For a moment, Ceres looked like she’d lost everything in the world.
Slowly, she turned away and stumbled toward the kitchen, leaving everyone puzzled.
What’s wrong with her? Is she upset because the owner hasn’t shown up to claim it?
5,000 gold…?
Ceres’ eyes began to glisten as she entered the kitchen.
“That can’t be right. It’s just a rat boss, just a rat boss…”
She couldn’t have imagined the magic stone from the boss she’d discarded would be worth that much.
Since when did rat bosses become so valuable? Rat, Were you always this expensive?
“Ceres, are you alright?”
“No.”
Not at all!
In response to Jay’s concerned question, Ceres harshly wiped her face.
As Grace, she had never felt the slightest pressure when it came to money.
That was because the Ellsia family itself was wealthy, and the money she earned from treating nobles and royalty was astronomical.
On top of that, the annual sponsorships from the family elders were said to rival the nation’s budget.
So, even when she defeated magical beasts, she had never cared about the value of their magic stones.
She simply let her subordinates take care of it.
“But 5,000 gold?
That’s enough to cover this month’s interest and still have plenty left over.
Should I go claim it now and say it’s mine?
I mean, I killed it. Give me the magic stone right now!
“…I’d be lucky if they didn’t think I was crazy.”
Who would believe that? Even she wouldn’t believe it.
If only my butler knew about this, he’d probably weep tears of blood.
How could I leave something like that behind, especially when every penny matters right now?
‘Grace would do that, wouldn’t she? That’s why I always tell you to pay attention to things like this!’
She could almost hear her disciple’s exasperated voice mocking her. Damn it.
“C-Ceres, should I do it?”
Mark, whose arm had almost healed, spoke up nervously as he noticed her stumbling around in distress.
“Yeah. You do it.”
Tossing aside her apron, Ceres trudged to a corner of the restaurant and collapsed onto the table.
Life just doesn’t feel worth living right now.
My 5,000 gold…
A tear silently fell.
“Hmm?”
Hearing someone sit across from her, she slowly lifted her head.
There, Chaian was resting his chin on the table, blinking his large eyes at her.
Meeting her gaze, he broke into his usual bright smile.
Even in this infuriating moment, why does this guy have to look so annoyingly pretty?
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you like this?”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m too drained.”
“Are you sick?”
“No, my heart hurts. It aches so badly.”
Try losing 5,000 gold in an instant. Let’s see how motivated you’d feel about life after that.
“Why does your heart hurt?”
“Chaian.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have 5,000 gold?”
“Of course. Why? Do you need it?”
“…Annoying.”
Of course. You’re a rich tower lord.
Watching him casually reach for his pocket as if he’d hand over the money, Ceres slammed her head back onto the table.
God, he’s so infuriating.
He probably walks around with 5,000 gold in his pocket, doesn’t he?
“Why? Do you need money?”
“Money is always needed.”
“How much? 5,000 gold? I’ll give it to you.”
“…Forget it.”
Even if I don’t know much about the world, one thing I’ve learned is that there’s no such thing as free money.
Whether it’s a debt of gratitude or something else, you’ll always end up paying for it.
“Ceres.”
“What?”
“Do you remember the promise you made to me before?”
“What promise?”
“You know, when you broke my Recording Orb.”
“Oh.”
She remembered.
In exchange for breaking it, she had promised to grant him a favor later.
For the record, she did fix the Recording Orb afterward. Reversing time made it easy.
But the problem was that the magic stone embedded in the recording was no longer there.
Of course, I erased it.
If he showed that recording to Kainel again, she’d be in trouble.
If he found out she erased it, there’d be hell to pay.
“Okay. What’s the favor?”
“Will you be my secretary?”
“Nope. Not happening.”
Without listening any further, Ceres rested her head back on the table.
“Aw, why not?”
“Why do you think?”
She already knew he was the type to live however he pleased.
A secretary isn’t a name for some random kid, and you can’t just hire anyone off the street.
Especially as the secretary to the tower lord, no less.
“At the very least, shouldn’t your subordinates be competent?”
You’re the one who said before that the tower runs better without you.
So shouldn’t you hire someone capable?
What’s the point of bringing me in, someone who doesn’t even know the first thing about magic?
—
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