Chapter 43
But Ceyan didn’t care at all about Ceres’ indifferent reaction.
“Just for a month.”
“A month?”
“Luca will be away for a month.”
Luca? Who’s that?
Ceyan realized Ceres looked puzzled and quickly added an explanation.
“Luca is my secretary, and he has a younger sister.”
“And…?”
“So, once a year, he gets to spend a month with his sister.”
“So?”
“So every time that period comes around, I need a temporary secretary, and I thought you could do it.”
“No. I won’t.”
“That’s exactly why! Why not?”
“Seeing how you act, I feel like I’d explode if I worked as your secretary.”
How could anyone handle taking care of a Magi Tower Lord who constantly runs off like this? Just imagining it made his stomach churn.
“Think carefully. Your secretary isn’t sick, is he?”
“Why would my secretary suddenly be sick?”
“I meant, is there anything bothering him internally?”
Ceyan was checking if the month-long trip Luca was taking might actually be for recuperation. When Ceres’ face lit up innocently, clearly considering it a real possibility, Ceyan immediately shut his mouth.
“…I’ll behave.”
“……”
“I won’t make it hard for you.”
If he had dog-like ears and a tail, they might have drooped right now. Why did he look so perfectly sulky, as if daring anyone to tease him?
“I’ll even pay you.”
“…Pay me?”
“Yes! 5,000 gold!”
…5,000 gold.
“Just for a month. Okay? You promised to do me a favor last time.”
Watching Ceyan whine while grabbing his arm, Ceres kept repeating “5,000 gold” in her mind.
“You won’t have much to handle personally. All urgent matters have already been dealt with, and the small things will be taken care of by others, so don’t worry about them.”
She had never paid much attention to first impressions in her life, but looking at this man made it impossible not to.
‘He looks really cold.’
Was there anyone who could pull off glasses as well as he did, yet look so icy?
Ceres immediately realized when she saw Luca: this person is wary of me.
Perhaps that was why his tone also felt unusually cold.
Well, it wasn’t her problem, anyway.
“For the next month, there is only one task you must do.”
“One task?”
“Just make sure this man doesn’t cause any major incidents.”
“……”
“The standard for a major incident is simple. If more than half of the residents of the Magi Tower are startled, it’s a major incident; if not, it’s just ordinary noise.”
…So if less than half are startled, I just leave it alone?
“Everyone’s already used to Ceyan’s antics, so they’re not easily surprised. You don’t need to worry too much.”
“Hmm.”
So, all I have to do is stick close to Ceyan, eat, and play? And get 5,000 gold for it?
That’s… kind of…
‘Too good, isn’t it?’
For something like this, she could do it endlessly. Doing it for only a month would almost feel like a waste.
Ceres decided to take the temporary secretary position that Ceyan had offered her before.
She hesitated a bit at the idea of staying in the Magi Tower for a month without returning home.
‘Oh… 5,000 gold?’
‘Yes.’
‘Just one month working in the tower?’
‘But he’ll be away from home for a month. I’m worried about Yulia… maybe I should refuse…’
‘What are you talking about! Refuse? Don’t worry about that! Just trust me and go!’
…Honestly, it was a little scary.
When money is involved, the look in our housekeeper’s eyes changes completely.
“Luca, why are you nagging so much? I’ll handle everything, don’t worry.”
“No need to handle anything; just don’t cause accidents.”
“Someone hearing you would think I only ever cause accidents.”
“……”
Luca, looking like he had more to say, simply adjusted his glasses and held his tongue.
He originally intended to cancel his leave because of the situation. With daily royal meetings and the Black Forest appearing in the capital, leaving now seemed like a bad choice.
But…
‘Do you think I’d attend royal meetings if you were here?’
‘No.’
‘Do you think the Black Forest would not appear just because you’re here?’
‘No.’
‘Do you think if it became known your leave was forcibly canceled, your sister would try to hang me?’
‘No.’
‘Then why don’t you go?’
As he said, there was nothing pressing she needed to do immediately.
She just had to assign tasks according to urgency when requests came to the tower, and submit them to Ceyan for approval.
The remaining staff could handle it easily. A thorough handover really shines in places like this.
So she decided to keep her leave request as it was.
“Ceres! Want a snack?”
“No.”
…Is it really okay to leave him like that?
The first time she met Ceres, Luca was quite surprised.
‘She’s nothing like I imagined.’
Her behavior and aura were far too indifferent to fit a merchant. Basically, she didn’t display the usual kindness toward people that a merchant normally would.
“Then want something to drink? Maybe tea with lots of honey?”
“Drink it yourself.”
…She’s basically a dog.
Watching Ceyan cling to Ceres and chatter reminded him of a playful puppy. Ceres seemed like a master constantly pushing the dog away in mild annoyance.
“Haah.”
Luca let out a long, unintentional sigh.
Is it really okay to leave this man like this? He should have suspected it when Ceyan insisted on finding a temporary secretary herself.
“Well then, I’ll be counting on you for the next month.”
She didn’t know if the Magi Tower would collapse while she was gone.
“Ceres, there are lots of cool things over there! I’ll show you!”
…Even if it doesn’t collapse, that woman might completely mesmerize him.
Luca let out one last silent sigh and quietly left.
Whatever happens, he desperately needed to leave work.
‘It’s been a while.’
He hadn’t come since falling ill.
Ceres looked around the Magi Tower, feeling nostalgic.
This was the place she had often visited as a child, following Artia around.
At six years old, Artia already demonstrated exceptional talent, freely manipulating magic. To him, the Magi Tower was both home and playground.
Ceres and Kainel, who were his friends, also came and went as if it were their own home.
‘Nothing has changed here at all.’
Even though the path to Count Ellesia’s mansion had changed significantly, somehow the scratches on the walls here remained untouched by time.
“…What’s that?”
Her gaze, brushing against the wall with inexplicable nostalgia, drifted outside.
A tower she had never seen stood there.
It looked plausible, though calling it a tower was almost embarrassing. People constantly went in and out of the building.
“What are they doing here?”
At that moment, Ceyan approached and also looked out the window. His expression was curious, wondering what she was so intently observing.
“What’s that?”
“What? That white building?”
“Yes.”
“Another Magi Tower.”
“Another Magi Tower? What’s that?”
She had never heard the term before.
When did that appear? It wasn’t there when Artia was around.
“It was created by someone who was the Magi Tower Lord long before me.”
“Magi Tower Lord?”
“Yes. Inside that small space exist countless areas with no end in sight.”
…What does that mean?
Seeing her confused look, Ceyan shrugged and added:
“Simply put, there are multiple magically-created spaces inside. There are countless doors, and to open each one, you must solve a problem. Only then can you proceed to the next door.”
So if you enter the building and open the first door, someone magically appears and gives you a problem. You can only open the next door if you solve it.
“Do you have to open the doors?”
“You can obtain magical formulas that disappeared long ago. Sometimes rare magical items are placed inside too.”
Every time you open a door, you can access rare magical formulas or hard-to-find magic items.
“That’s why everyone gets so excited and tries to tackle it. The problems… are tough, so no one has ever completed it.”
“So maybe really difficult magic formulas appear?”
“If that were the case, people could solve them together somehow.”
Ceyan shook his head lightly.
“Most of the problems are extremely personal.”
“Personal problems?”
“Yes. Very personal problems about the Magi Tower Lord who created the building.”
Problems like favorite foods or favorite colors—things impossible to know without being close—prevented people from advancing easily.
Feeling a strange sensation, as if she could almost grasp something, Ceres frowned.
“I haven’t opened past the twentieth door myself.”
“Magic that exudes self-love…”
Wait.
Ceres turned her gaze back to the white building.
She knew a Magi Tower Lord with a strong ego and a penchant for such tricks.
“Could it be… the one who made this building is—”
“Artia. A long time ago, he was considered as much of a genius as I am now.”
