Episode 21
The Problem Child (4)
Temia stood in disbelief, ready to argue back, but the sharp-tongued magician quickly cut her off.
“Look. All I need is for you to harvest five mandragoras from that herb patch. As long as you get that done, I don’t care if you throw a party with the weeds or marry them. It’s your responsibility now—manage it however you like.”
“Even so, in the current situation—”
“Wait, don’t tell me… Are you the type who can’t pull weeds with your bare hands? You’re not a noble, right? You were the one who proudly declared yourself a commoner. Are you one of those who can’t stand getting a little dirt under your fingernails?”
A direct hit.
Temia couldn’t say a word in return. She needed to stay at the workshop long enough to gather evidence to report him, and for now, he was the one in charge.
She had no choice but to suppress the anger boiling inside her.
Thirty minutes passed. Then another ten.
With great effort, sweat, and gritted teeth, she finally managed to yank the squirming roots out of the soil.
At last, she could cry out in victory.
“I did it! I finally—!”
“Temia? What are you— Ah. You pulled it out?”
While she was still basking in her triumph, a cool voice that reminded her of an early summer breeze came from behind. Soft yet piercing—it could only belong to that infuriating man.
“…Didn’t expect you to actually do it with your own hands.”
“What did you say?! If you seriously thought I couldn’t pull out one measly weed, then you’re the one who needs your eyes checked. It’s just a weed. A weed!”
Temia rolled up her sleeves and shouted, still fired up from her accomplishment.
Her body was exhausted, face streaked with sweat and dirt, but she proudly raised her hard-won trophy.
This moment was precious. Before regression and even after, she’d never done anything like this. And now, not only had she endured hard labor, but she’d produced visible results. She felt proud of how far she’d come.
Unfortunately, her employer wasn’t the type to offer praise.
Lowell coldly pointed toward the other end of the garden.
“Then please take care of the patch in the back too. I think there are about five more over there.”
…What?
So this wasn’t the end?
Pulling out just one had nearly broken her. Removing five more meant she’d spend the rest of the day rolling in dirt.
Temia yelled in protest.
“The back garden?! You never said anything about that!”
“I just did.”
He smiled casually, standing with the sun behind him.
Then, as if to rub it in, he pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at the time before shrugging.
“Sorry, I’ve just been too busy to mention it earlier.”
Temia, covered in grime, was the polar opposite of the spotless magician. That contrast alone was enough to drive her mad.
For a brief moment, she wished she could use magic—any magic—just once, right on his smug face.
Just one good shot would make it all feel worth it.
Her glare sharpened, but she held her tongue. Barely.
She forced herself to stay silent.
Apparently pleased, Lowell adjusted his glasses with a quiet clink. Then, casually, he said something outrageous.
“Oh, by the way—I kind of… dumped some old experimental potion out the window last night.”
“What?”
“It was nighttime, and I didn’t feel like disposing of it properly. The patch was right below the window, so… I just poured it out. I figured it was like giving the plants some water. It was a liquid, after all.”
Now that he mentioned it, Temia remembered noticing some of the other plants starting to show red-tinged leaves. The potion must’ve splashed onto them too.
“Wait—so you’re saying the rest of the crops could also turn into… that? That means I have to pull out all of them today?!”
“Exactly. Oh, and I forgot to mention—”
“What now?!”
“That’s all your responsibility, of course. Like I said, as long as you can harvest five mandragoras, I don’t care what else happens. But if you want to save the rest of the herbs, you should pull out the affected ones and clean off the potion. Maybe even change the soil and re-water the beds.”
“Are you serious? It took me an hour to pull out one! You want me to save the entire garden before nightfall?! That’s impossible!”
Temia shouted in disbelief.
Lowell, unfazed, mimicked her wide-eyed expression and responded in a falsely sympathetic tone.
“But you’re my assistant, aren’t you? Helping with research includes all this kind of work too. Do you have any idea how expensive those herbs are?”
This lunatic magician…!
His nonchalant tone was infuriating.
He was obviously using her frustration for his own amusement. She was even starting to hallucinate that his hair—dark green like weeds—looked like the ones she’d just pulled up.
She felt an overwhelming urge to rip it out.
Lowell gave a mischievous smile, twirled his robe, and walked back into the workshop, leaving only the dirt-streaked Temia behind.
“Hey! Wait a second!”
But her shout was drowned in the closing door.
—
Recently, Lowell had been wandering the workshop with a blank, distracted expression. Ever since that strange letter from the Academy, his mood had been off.
He barely spoke, barely ate, and even his summon Lerry walked on eggshells around him.
Temia couldn’t understand it at all.
If he had just gone back to teasing her, she could’ve snapped back and let out her anger. But instead, he kept everything bottled up.
Still, when he casually mentioned dumping the potion after seeing her pulling weeds from the garden, something in her snapped.
Temia stormed toward the lab, hoe still clutched in her hand, not even caring about the dirt on her shoes.
A startled Lerry fluttered behind her, trying to stop her with panicked chirps, but it was too late—Temia had already lost control of her temper.
“Um… why are you holding the hoe like that? Are you… planning to hit me with it?”
Honestly, she was.
But she wasn’t going to say it out loud.
“No, no. I was just… working outside, so I happened to bring it with me. But I do have something to say about the work conditions around here.”
“Go ahead. I’ll listen.”
“You saw me battling that monstrous weed earlier. You clearly knew what was happening but still walked away. Isn’t that neglect of duty? I think you should help fix the damage—or at least consider modifying the ridiculous goal. I’d say that’s a very reasonable request, wouldn’t you?”
“Hm. That was quite the speech. You’ve improved.”
Temia finally let it out—the resentment, the stress, the frustration.
Words flowed naturally once she stopped caring about his reaction.
And while she knew he wouldn’t just fire her over this, it still felt risky. He was unpredictable.
“You’ve been moping for days. But now you’re suddenly in the mood to mess with me again?”
She glared, demanding an answer.
Sure, she was here to keep an eye on him—but she wasn’t going to keep getting dragged around like a fool.
If he was going to give her a name and responsibility, she had every right to demand an explanation.
Even Lerry seemed to agree this time, hovering close behind her in silent support.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means—after the headmaster’s letter, you completely shut down. No talking, no eating, Lerry was terrified of upsetting you, and the whole workshop felt like a funeral! And now—what, you’re back to pulling weird pranks? It’s exhausting to keep up with your mood swings! You should start being more aware of the people around you!”
“…You mean I should watch your and Lerry’s moods?”
