Episode 20
The Problem Child (3)
Useless Silences
After an unusually long pause, the first response Lowell gave was… a sarcastic one.
Even when others criticized him—or even when he generously handed out rare medicinal ingredients without notice—he never frowned. Instead, he was always amused by the reactions of others.
Yet now, he was visibly irritated.
Temia tilted her head, puzzled. She recalled the impeccably dressed deliveryman from Therium Academy who had handed her the documents. She couldn’t think of anything in the interaction that would’ve upset him… Was there some kind of hidden message or code that she simply didn’t understand?
Temia glanced at the envelope, trying to sneak a peek. If she just leaned in a little closer, she might be able to—
But before she could get a glimpse, Lowell swiftly raised his hand and summoned a burst of flame. The documents instantly caught fire and were reduced to ashes.
Temia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Why would you burn that?! What did it say?!”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Doesn’t seem like it. You clearly weren’t happy. What, did you get into a fight with the headmaster or something? I heard you were his student?”
“…Whatever it is, it’s none of your concern. You can go.”
Of course, he wasn’t going to tell her.
Still, Temia was taken aback. She had never seen the magician so visibly shaken and emotional. Something was definitely wrong.
Despite his words, she didn’t leave. Instead, she lingered in the hallway, pacing back and forth, unsure what to do.
Maybe it was his sharp words. Or maybe… it was the hardened expression on his face. For a moment, he looked like he did back then. Like the man she remembered from the past.
Lerry must’ve felt it too. The little bird flapped her wings nervously but stayed close to Temia, clearly worried about its master, but too frightened to approach him.
“If you’re not going to help, then at least stay out of the way. I’m going back inside.”
Lowell let out a sigh and disappeared behind the door, shutting it firmly. The opportunity to ask him anything was gone.
Temia stood there, disappointed and more curious than ever.
What could’ve upset him so much? Could it be a weakness? A sore spot? If it is, maybe I should dig a little deeper…
While she was still mulling it over, Lerry whispered to her nervously.
“Was it… because I used that name?”
Temia stared at the bird, wide-eyed. At last, she could piece it together.
So that was it. The ridiculous title hadn’t been made up by Lowell—it had been Lerry’s doing.
“Wait… you’re the one who wrote that?”
“…I wouldn’t say culprit exactly. But yes! Master is the ‘Super Ultra Glorious Perfect Unbreakable’ magician, after all!”
“That’s not the issue here! It wasn’t a joke letter—it was for an official academic journal! Why would you use something like that as the author’s name?!”
“Well… Master has to submit his research anonymously, so I had to come up with a pen name…”
“Even so! I thought he came up with it himself…”
Temia looked down at the little bird, who somehow appeared sulky despite having no facial expressions.
Its feathers seemed duller than usual. Temia let out a sigh and gently stroked it. What kind of situation requires a mage to submit academic work under an alias?
Still… he was smiling a bit when that silly name was mentioned. His face only darkened when he read the very end of the letter…
She didn’t have the courage to ask. Seeing his hardened expression had brought back memories—and a wave of instinctual fear gripped her body.
He’d behaved so lightly lately that she had begun to lower her guard, thinking maybe he’d changed. But just one serious expression from him was enough to send her spiraling back into the past.
It made her feel foolish and contradictory, and she just wanted to bury her face in her hands.
But life doesn’t stop for your emotions.
She still had work to do—she hadn’t even harvested half of today’s required mandragora. The empty potion bottles needed refilling, the inventory had to be counted…
The day was long. The labor was longer. Watching over the magician might’ve been important, but her actual duties were what let her stay in the workshop.
“What if I end up working like a mule and still gain nothing from this?”
With that frustrated thought, Temia trudged out into the sun again.
Time passed quickly, and it had already been a week since Lowell started acting strangely.
—
“Finally!”
Even while that situation brewed, Temia was outside, buried in manual labor.
She yanked the hoe, and thick roots came up in long tangled strands.
But her joy was short-lived. The more she pulled, the more roots there were. There seemed to be no end to them.
Sweat dripped from her forehead, ran down her chin, and smeared the dirt on her cheeks.
The sun blazed mercilessly above her with not a single cloud in sight, as if the sky itself had a personal grudge.
At this rate, I’m going to sweat out a gallon before I’m done.
Temia dug harder, gasping for breath. Her heavy breathing sounded like she’d just run a marathon, but it wasn’t from exhaustion—
It was rage.
She was furious at the never-ending weeds and her cursed fate for having to deal with them.
She’d been at it for thirty minutes, and somehow the roots were growing larger and deeper. They had even started choking out nearby plants, absorbing nutrients and spreading.
The once-green herbs were now shriveled and wilting. These weren’t normal weeds.
The red-tinted leaves were squirming, as if alive. They reminded her more of kraken tentacles than actual plants.
Temia gripped the hoe tighter.
“Damn that magician… Retreats to his room and leaves me to deal with this disaster alone?!”
Her hands, swollen and calloused from unfamiliar labor, trembled on the handle.
She didn’t want to believe this was her reality. Since that day, Lowell had barely left his research room. Yet he had no problem assigning her work like nothing was wrong.
Today’s task? Weed removal. Just simple weeding.
Except the weeds she encountered were monstrous in size.
I got duped again.
Lowell, with his twisted personality, had once again thrown Temia into a trap.
Her lips puffed up in frustration. Her hands throbbed. Her back ached.
“They say leaving home leads to misery. And it’s true—there’s no benefit to this!”
But still, returning home wasn’t an option. She’d come this far with a clear goal, and she wasn’t about to turn tail and run.
She wasn’t a failure. She wouldn’t let some dirt and weeds break her.
Temia was determined to face this beast head-on. This enormous… kraken-weed.
Even if it looked ridiculous.
—
One Hour Earlier
It was another scorching midday sun, no different from the rest.
Temia had been organizing a stack of medicine orders and tying her hair back tightly.
She had only planned to step out briefly and check the herb garden.
The “garden” was just a small test patch, about the size of her palm. She had planted some test herbs there—just something simple. A little water, a bit of fertilizer, and done.
That was her mistake.
Among the regular plants, one stood out with vibrant red leaves. It was a species she’d never seen before.
More importantly, it wasn’t something she had planted.
The intruding plant grew rapidly, spreading fast and wide. By the time she went to grab the watering can and came back, the stem had already thickened to the size of her thumb. Nearby herbs were already drooping, drained of energy.
Temia’s heart began to pound with anxiety.
She ran to Lowell, panic in her voice.
“Huff, huff—something’s wrong! Huff!”
But Lowell, ever indifferent, responded nonchalantly.
“Ah, that? It’s just a weed. Don’t worry about it.”
Just a weed? Your precious herbs are dying!
Temia clenched her fists and forced herself to speak clearly.
“Your herbs are withering! There’s this weird red plant I’ve never seen before, and it’s sucking the life out of them! And I didn’t plant it—I swear! It’s growing super fast! Are you even listening to me?!”
Lowell casually flipped another page of his book.
“I told you—it’s nothing serious. If it bothers you that much, then just go dig it up yourself.”
With an expression that clearly said, That’s your problem, not mine.
