Chapter 9
“Serphine Mirabel.”
“……”
“You actually dared to run away while I was gone?”
A crooked, dangerous smile spread across Roakin’s lips.
At the same time, his deep violet eyes, simmering with fury, locked onto me.
The murderous glare was cold enough to send a chill down my spine.
“I didn’t run away…”
As I desperately searched for an excuse, I suddenly remembered the letter I’d left in the Tower Master’s office.
“I left a letter saying I was going on vacation. Didn’t you see it?”
“Oh? So it wasn’t running away—it was a vacation?”
“Of course. What kind of person do you take me for…?”
“Hah.”
My shameless reply made Roakin let out a disbelieving laugh.
“So? Did you enjoy your vacation? You looked awfully comfortable sleeping without a care in the world.”
Absolutely. I slept like a baby.
If not for you, it would have been the perfect vacation.
But I wasn’t reckless enough to mouth off to the Tower Master.
“What about the regular inspection? Why are you here?”
“It ended.”
“And how did you find this place?”
“That’s a secret.”
How Roakin had found me was a serious issue.
If he could find me, that meant someone else might be able to as well.
…Do I have to move?
I’d worked so hard cleaning this house.
I hated the thought of abandoning it after all that effort.
Whether he noticed my despair or not, Roakin lightly jumped down from the windowsill and landed gracefully on the floor before extending his hand toward me.
…And what exactly am I supposed to do with that?
As I stared blankly at his outstretched hand, Roakin grinned.
“If you’ve enjoyed your vacation enough, come back with me.”
Just moments ago he’d looked terrifyingly serious, but now he wore the bright, innocent smile of a carefree boy.
Don’t abuse your handsome face like that.
I wasn’t going to fall for a smile that charming.
This man was my boss—the very boss I never wanted to meet again, not even in my dreams.
Yet despite all those thoughts, my traitorous heart couldn’t help admiring how absurdly handsome he was.
As I finally snapped out of my daze, a magic circle suddenly began forming beneath my feet.
I recognized it instantly.
A teleportation circle.
And considering its size, it clearly wasn’t meant for just one person.
The intention behind it was painfully obvious.
“Roakin. I’m not going.”
A tiny crack appeared in Roakin’s composed expression.
Ignoring it, I continued firmly.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the Magic Tower.
This was my home.
There was no reason for me to back down here.
“You should leave now. Barging into someone else’s house in the middle of the night is incredibly rude.”
“Rude? You’re seriously saying that? Who was it that tossed down a single letter and disappeared?”
The smile vanished from Roakin’s face, leaving only icy indifference.
“You shouldn’t repay someone’s kindness like this, Serphine.”
As his chilly voice echoed through the room, the curtains whipped violently, as if they might tear right off the rod.
There was no way the wind had suddenly become this fierce.
The obvious culprit was the pouting man standing in front of me.
Ah… I worked so hard putting those curtains up…
At this rate he’d destroy all my furniture.
Once the raging wind finally subsided, I spoke again.
“Of course I’m grateful. But I’ve done more than enough in return.”
“With only three years? Not even close.”
“It may only have been three years on paper, but with how hard I’ve worked, I’ve done at least ten years’ worth.”
I wasn’t denying that Serphine had received tremendous help from the Magic Tower.
When she had nowhere to go because of her low mana capacity, they had been the only ones willing to take her in.
But that was one thing.
I deserved to live my own life too.
Only by leaving the Magic Tower could I even begin trying to change my fate.
“Serphine… I still need you.”
Roakin looked at me with pleading eyes.
Just how much more does he plan to overwork me if he’s looking at me that sincerely?
“Roakin. I’m not going back.”
At my unwavering refusal, he let out a slow sigh.
The teleportation circle vanished.
Instead, he casually walked into the room, sat down on my sofa with one leg crossed over the other, and snapped his fingers.
With a crisp click, the room became as bright as midday.
A floating orb of golden light hovered in midair, illuminating everything.
The sudden brightness was so dazzling that I could barely keep my eyes open.
He barges into someone else’s house in the middle of the night and even turns on the lights whenever he wants. Unbelievable.
Let’s calm him down and send him away.
Suppressing my irritation, I climbed out of bed, wrapped a shawl around my shoulders, and stood before him.
“I’ve been thinking about this carefully, but I honestly don’t understand.”
Roakin absentmindedly tapped his fingers against the table as he continued.
“I don’t understand why you’re trying to leave me.”
“…Is it because the workload is too much?”
I’d assumed he’d never given it any thought, but apparently he’d been thinking about it quite seriously.
Well… no matter how awful his personality is, I suppose he wouldn’t completely disregard me.
To be fair, I shared some of the blame for this whole situation.
I’d insisted on resigning without giving him any convincing reason.
“That is part of the reason. The work has been exhausting, and I think I really need a break.”
That was simply the truth.
Both I, who had literally worked myself to death in my previous life, and Serphine, who’d been crushed beneath endless work at the Magic Tower, desperately needed rest.
“You should’ve just said so.”
He answered as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
“Fine. From now on, only work as much as you want.”
“…What? Then what about my salary?”
“I’ll keep paying you the same. Does that solve the problem?”
That’s an incredible dea—
No.
Wait. That’s completely insane!
For a split second, I almost accepted.
Honestly, aside from the overwhelming workload, the job wasn’t bad.
The pay was excellent.
Room and board were included.
I even had my own private office.
Sure, my boss had a terrible personality, but he spent most of his time away anyway.
…This guy really knows how to negotiate.
Feeling myself being drawn in, I hurriedly searched for another excuse.
“A-And the food is terrible.”
It was an absurd excuse that I’d blurted out on the spot, but it wasn’t exactly false.
A company’s welfare was judged by its cafeteria.
And the Magic Tower’s food was genuinely awful.
Most mages possessed such abundant mana that they rarely felt hungry.
Because of that, the Magic Tower barely cared about meals, and the food was consistently disappointing.
“What an interesting perspective.”
As someone who practically never experienced hunger thanks to his overflowing mana, Roakin nodded thoughtfully.
“Perhaps I should replace the head chef.”
Please don’t take this so seriously…
“If you like, I’ll hire a royal palace chef instead.”
“No! That’s not necessary!”
Seeing him treat my desperate excuse with complete sincerity, I quickly cut him off.
“Roakin. You can just hire another secretary, can’t you? There are countless mages better than me. I’m sure you’ll find someone perfect.”
“Not yet.”
He answered meaningfully.
“Not yet.”
Would you mind explaining what exactly isn’t possible?
This was driving me insane.
My original plan had been simple.
Leave the Magic Tower peacefully and spend my days quietly experimenting with potions.
Who could’ve predicted the Tower Master would react like this?
Good thing I’d escaped before it was too late.
If I’d ended up receiving another request from the Empress…
I didn’t even want to imagine it.
“Why does it have to be me? Tower Master… why are you doing this to me?”
I finally decided to demand an explanation.
Roakin flinched slightly at my raised voice.
After a brief silence, he answered.
“My familiar only eats the food you make.”
…
…What?
…That was the reason?
The corners of my mouth twitched as I struggled to suppress the harsh words threatening to escape.
“You should’ve seen Lucifer. He’s gotten so skinny because he refuses to eat that it’s pitiful.”
Now even the cat was being stubborn.
Honestly.
Couldn’t it just eat regardless of who fed it?
As always, Lucifer and his master worked together with astonishing harmony.
No wonder they were master and familiar.
“Just leave him alone. If he gets hungry enough, he’ll eat eventually.”
“I’m disappointed, Serphine.”
Roakin shook his head.
“I didn’t think you were so cruel.”
This wasn’t the time to be arguing over cat food.
Unfortunately, the Tower Master showed no signs of giving up.
Which meant I had no choice.
I’d have to use that.
“Fine. I’ll tell you the real reason I’m resigning.”
He looked at me.
“I’m going to find my parents.”
“My… parents?”
Roakin repeated blankly.
It was the exact same expression he’d worn when I’d first submitted my resignation.
“So… that’s why you wanted to quit?”
“Yes.”
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of searching for my parents.
They had never really been part of my life to begin with, so I didn’t feel their absence.
Besides, I doubted a minor villain like me had some grand secret about her birth.
And with no memories or clues, how was I supposed to find them anyway?
I’d avoided using this excuse because I didn’t want pity.
But surely even Roakin wouldn’t stubbornly object if he heard something like this.
“…I see.”
Knowing a little about my circumstances, Roakin sounded strangely troubled.
…Did it actually work?
My conscience stung a little.
Still, if it was this effective, maybe I should’ve used this excuse from the beginning.
“If you find your parents…”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“Would you come back afterward?”
I hesitated briefly before answering.
“Yes.”
Right now, my priority was simply convincing the Tower Master to leave.
Besides, I had no intention of searching for my parents.
I could always use that as an excuse to buy myself more time.
“But… what if you can’t find them?”
“What do you mean?”
“Of course you’ll do everything you can. But… if, by some chance, you never meet them… would you still come back?”
For a moment, I worried he’d use that promise to force me back immediately.
He looked more serious than I’d ever seen him.
Every trace of playfulness had vanished.
Uneasily, I nodded.
“I will.”
“Good.”
At last, a satisfied smile appeared on Roakin’s face.
“Then I’ll leave for today.”
He rose from the sofa.
“But make sure you keep that promise.”
The instant he stood, darkness swallowed my vision.
When I opened my eyes again, Roakin was already gone.
