Episode 12:
First Business Trip (1)
Time passed quickly, and it had already been a week since Temia began her apprenticeship.
During that time, she was able to grasp a few things.
Contrary to her confident belief that she’d memorize everything quickly, it actually took her three whole days to learn the names of all the materials in the workshop. It was far from something one could master in a single day.
So, even during work, Temia often found herself secretly gritting her teeth whenever she remembered how Lowell had sarcastically asked her to memorize everything in a single day.
> “You seemed so confident—I really thought one day would be enough.”
“Who on earth could memorize all this in a day?! You should’ve at least given me a cheat sheet!”
“Aren’t you glad I’m not a professor? If you were a student, you’d have flunked.”
Temia had never in her life been treated this way when it came to academics.
She knew well that her pride wasn’t baseless and had never looked down on others for her talents—but that didn’t mean she had to lower her own self-esteem either.
It was confusing and frustrating to watch the image she had of herself slowly getting chipped away.
Day by day, she began to understand why previous assistants had abandoned Lowell and run away. Even though he occasionally showed a surprising amount of consideration for someone with his attitude, his kindness felt awkward and unnatural. His bad temper and arrogance were easier to deal with—his kindness reminded her too much of men from her past, which just irritated her further.
By the end of each day working with Lowell, she was completely drained.
She told herself she could endure it because it was for Kaili—but if it weren’t, could she really put up with such a personality?
If it weren’t for Lerry’s cheerful chirping beside her, she might’ve quit in frustration or picked a fight with Lowell.
> “Master Lowell! Temia has memorized so much already! Among all the assistants we’ve had, she’s the fastest learner! She’s definitely a huge asset to this workshop!”
> “First time, huh? Are you ignoring the master right in front of you? I memorized everything in half a day.”
> “That’s because you’re the master. But for a human, Temia is one of the smartest I’ve seen. I swear on my gorgeous tail feathers!”
> “Is that so? Well, I didn’t actually expect her to memorize everything so quickly, so just keep supporting her slowly. She’ll eventually learn it by experience.”
In the end, that comment helped her. Temia was too competitive to be discouraged just by some dismissive remarks.
She reduced her sleep, pushed herself, and finally succeeded in perfectly memorizing everything in the workshop. Overjoyed at meeting her short-term goal, she grabbed Lerry and cheered.
> “You did it, Temia! That’s the fastest anyone’s ever done it! The previous record was a week. You should’ve seen the master’s face back then—he’s probably smiling proudly right now!”
> “Of course! My academic performance wasn’t too bad, after all. Haha! It’s all thanks to you, Lerry.”
> “No, it was all your hard work. I just cheered you on.”
While the two of them exchanged praise in a warm, happy mood, a passing man threw out a casual remark.
> “You might actually be more talented at chatting than studying.”
He didn’t seem to mean anything serious by it. He just tilted his head while staring at them and left. Temia blinked in disbelief.
> “He really knows how to ruin the mood with one word.”
> “Ugh… I apologize on his behalf.”
For some reason, Lerry’s soft fluff seemed to droop slightly. Thinking about how this poor bird was magically bound to such a man made Temia feel sorry for him.
The bird itself, apart from its owner, was actually quite cute. It was even helpful, staying by her side and keeping her spirits up.
So Temia gently lifted Lerry into her hand and stroked his feathers. His fluff slowly perked up again.
> “The master really isn’t great at dealing with people.”
> “Actually, one of the reasons he started hiring assistants was because he’s… well, not suited for living alone. As you’ve noticed.”
And this little bird had a knack for cheering her up as much as he received care.
A summoned spirit who boldly criticized his master in front of others.
Temia handed him a small seed and smiled.
> “That was a wonderful explanation, Lerry.”
Such elegantly delivered sarcasm—Temia thought this blue bird had real class.
After that day, she rarely saw Lowell around the building. Maybe he really was busy, as he claimed, since she became more familiar with her work and he spent most of his time holed up in his lab.
At first, she worried he might be plotting something shady in there, but Lerry assured her that he was too deep into magical research to do anything else.
Thanks to that, Temia gradually got used to the workshop life and learned more about how things worked.
After some careful observation, she realized that this workshop was quite different from others.
Despite being located not far from the city’s central facilities, very few people passed by. With products of such quality, it was strange not to attract more visitors.
And yet, profits weren’t bad. Customers who entered almost always left with a purchase. There were hardly any who left empty-handed unless the item they wanted was sold out.
Oddly enough, there were clear signs that something fishy was going on. Customers who entered the shop did so very cautiously, checking their surroundings before stepping through the door—almost as if they were looking for someone.
And when Temia made a sound, they’d flinch in surprise and only relax after confirming it was her. The same kind of nervous reaction you’d expect when visiting a house with a vicious dog.
Another week passed like that.
By now, she was sure—there was something going on that she didn’t know about. Seeing the same nervous reactions over and over solidified her suspicion, and Temia decided to get to the bottom of it.
> “Um… is there something about this place I should know?”
She finally asked one of the customers. The startled customer looked flustered.
> “Huh? W-what do you mean?”
> “It’s just… every customer seems nervous. Did the bird maybe do something wrong?”
> “Ah… You must be pretty new here. You’re a recent hire, right?”
> “Yes, it’s been about two weeks.”
> “That’s a while. You might’ve heard, but staff here change quite often.”
She thought it was probably because of the master—but didn’t say that out loud. She just held back a bitter smile.
Noticing that, the customer leaned closer and whispered.
> “The owner here is kinda… famous in this area. That’s probably why. People are nervous and try to avoid interacting with him as much as possible. But since this place is so good, they have no choice but to come.”
> “Famous? In what way?”
Could it be illegal activity? Was that why customers were so guarded?
Her suspicions grew until the customer abruptly cut off her thoughts.
> “The owner’s just… a bit peculiar.”
> “Peculiar?”
Not the products? That was unexpected. Still, anything was possible. Temia listened closely.
> “This workshop has been here for over two years, but no one knows where the owner came from or what he did before. Shopkeepers are usually social, right? They chat with customers, greet them, and build relationships. But this guy…”
Temia had also found it odd that he didn’t reveal his full name. He seemed to be hiding his identity, but not for any obvious reason.
His complete lack of interaction with townspeople showed either terrible social skills—or maybe he had ties elsewhere.
> “He’s an outsider, so people were cautious at first. But most tried to be friendly in the beginning. After all, someone with his level of skill doesn’t belong in a remote place like this.”
> “True. The quality is high, and the prices are cheaper than elsewhere.”
> “Right? So at first, people guessed he might be a criminal on the run or a noble’s son recovering from illness. He doesn’t look like someone who’s had a rough life, does he?”
> “He does look neat and clean, at least.”
The customer sighed and began to share more gossip.
Rumors of curious customers picking fights with the mage… people who insulted him behind his back and paid the price through magic…
> “Still, his personality is just… too much. So when we come here, we make sure to only buy what we need and avoid upsetting him. We check if he’s in before entering, stay quiet, and speak softly like this…”
BANG!
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a shrill voice pierced the building.
> “S-Someone help me!”
(to be continued…)