Chapter 85 – What Do You Think of Me?
2024.01.24.
After grumbling for a while, Candias seemed to have exhausted his anger. This time, he leaned in close to Cordelia, letting out a sly laugh as he asked,
“Oh, right. Did you show him that bracelet? What did he say? That he’d cut your wrist off? Kill you?”
“No. Master just told me to keep wearing it.”
“Really? That’s unexpected. Not like he could do anything anyway. Once you put that bracelet on, you can never take it off. Hah! I really like you. You even smell nice.”
“Smell? Wait—do I smell?”
Cordelia, caught off guard, pressed her nose to her arm and sniffed. Candias looked at her as if she were a little slow.
“You think I meant I literally smelled you? I’m talking about the feeling you give off. How should I put it…? A demonic scent. Like the fragrance of home.”
“M–Me?”
A demonic scent? What was that even supposed to mean?
She would be coming to this lab regularly from now on, and while getting along with Candias wasn’t a bad thing, it still felt a little strange to be on the receiving end of kindness from a demon.
“If you ever want to make a contract with a demon, let me know. I’ll introduce you to a decent one.”
“Stop saying weird things to the kid and move.”
“Weird things? This is an incredibly rare opportunity!”
“What’s so great about a demon contract?”
“Don’t you know what a contract is?”
“You don’t need to know. Not about this.”
Leonard pushed Candias aside, frowning. But Candias, eyes blazing, tried to move back toward Cordelia.
“Why shouldn’t she know? Any mage should! You made a contract with me yourself!”
“And that’s the one thing I regret most in life. You’re nothing but a loud, obnoxious doorkeeper.”
“I didn’t come to the human realm to be some doorkeeper! Have you forgotten? I am the 132nd demon! Do you have any idea how much the others will laugh if they find out I’m wasting away here guarding a door?”
Candias was clearly full of resentment, yelling louder and louder. Leonard, however, didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.
“Not my problem. You should’ve made a better deal. You’re the idiot who ended up a doorkeeper—don’t blame me.”
“Arghhh! I’ll kill you!”
Candias exploded into curses, but Leonard simply ignored him and turned to give Cordelia a tour of the lab.
“This is the library, where most of the research materials are. If I tell you to fetch something, this is where you’ll find it.”
When she had first visited, she’d only sat on the sofa and left, so she hadn’t noticed before—bookshelves lined the walls further in. Beyond that, there was a small room with a bed for napping and a little hearth for making tea.
Compared to Maximilian’s lab, it was small, but just the right size for two people to work in.
“Since I’ve been using it alone, I took down all the partitions. Tomorrow I’ll get someone to put up a wall so you’ll have your own space.”
“Is this tiny kitchen all there is? I remember seeing steaks being grilled in Maximilian’s lab before.”
“And who do you think cooked those steaks?”
“Well, the cook…”
She trailed off—of course, there wouldn’t be a dedicated cook in the Mage Tower. Even the lamb steak… Karon had made it himself before…
The memory of Karon’s gruesome end flashed in her mind, darkening her expression. Leonard immediately noticed the change.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Actually, it’s better without a kitchen—at least there won’t be any steak to grill.”
“Anyway, meals are at the communal dining hall on the first floor. Just give your faction name and you can eat for free.”
“Who does the cooking?”
“Apprentice mages take turns. They get paid, so it’s usually commoners who need the money.”
“Ah, I see.”
After all, even if magic was said to be equal for everyone, nobles who could study without worrying about their livelihood and commoners who struggled to make ends meet couldn’t compete on equal footing.
Cordelia brushed her hand over Leonard’s desk and asked,
“So… what do people usually do here?”
“What do you think? Research magic. You need to publish at least two papers a year, and there’s a monthly academic meeting. There are also occasional events you have to attend.”
“Wow, that’s more than I thought. Then… what about me?”
“Don’t think about doing anything—just don’t cause trouble.”
“Tch. I’m not some seven-year-old.”
She pouted, clearly annoyed. Her master still saw her as a reckless child.
“Really? I just saw people outside working in groups and doing research…”
“Once you’ve settled in, you’ll be so busy you’ll beg me to reduce your workload, and I won’t.”
“Well, I don’t want to be that busy…”
Feeling awkward, she shut her mouth. Leonard then showed her the small side room behind the library.
“You can sleep here tonight. Your permanent room in the Tower will be assigned soon.”
“Am I… going to live here forever now?”
She looked around at the cramped space that barely fit a bed.
“What, are you scared now that I said forever?”
He had been about to tell her she could step out into the capital or anywhere else if the Tower felt stifling. But Cordelia flopped onto the bed, looking up at him.
“No. I’m actually excited. It feels like I’m a real mage now—like I’ll stay up all night working in the lab and then crash here for a nap.”
“Unbelievable.”
Leonard let out a deflated sigh. She still had that idealized image of mages from books. Soon enough, she’d probably be crying from exhaustion, but for now, he decided to let her keep the dream.
The only light in the little room came from a small oil lamp, casting a flickering shadow across half of Cordelia’s face.
“Master.”
“…What?”
He answered quietly. He had only let his mind wander for a moment, but now he couldn’t take his eyes off her face—more precisely, her green eyes, half-hidden in the shadows.
“What do you think of me?”
“…What?”
The question threw him completely off guard.
What was the right answer? You’re my only disciple? No, that sounded too flat.
Maybe You’re my most cherished and beloved disciple? Wait, was it too soon to say beloved?
Or should he just admit he didn’t see her as just a disciple, but as a woman?
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Hold on, I’m thinking.”
Wouldn’t it be too sudden to just blurt out a confession? Maybe he should set the mood first. Should he bring flowers? Would proposing right away be too much?
“What’s taking so long? You do think of me as your disciple, right?”
“Be quiet. I’m still thinking.”
“What’s there to think ab—yawn…”
Cordelia cut herself off with a big yawn. Leonard ignored it, still deep in thought.
What kind of flowers should he give? He didn’t even know which ones she liked. Roses were safe… but white flowers would suit her better. He’d noticed earlier during the ritual that white looked good on her. What white flowers were there, again?
In all his twenty-six years, he had never felt this way about anyone, nor tried to put such feelings into words. He was floundering.
His imagination spun further and further out, until finally, he decided on his answer.
He wanted to add some grand, poetic phrasing—but he’d never done this before, so nothing came to mind.
Taking a steadying breath, Leonard spoke slowly. His heart pounded over a few simple sentences.
“What do I think of you? Cordelia, I think of you not just as my disciple, but as something far more… precious—no, important. Someone I’d want to stay with for the rest of my life. I mean, what I’m trying to say is… ah, damn it.”
“…”
“Let me start over. I’ll say it from the beginning. Wait… are you sleeping?”
To his disbelief, Cordelia’s head was bobbing ever so slightly—exactly the way a sleepy person would. His tense, nervous excitement deflated instantly.
“This is my disciple? Nodding off while her master is saying something important?”
“…Huh? No, I wasn’t sleeping.”
At his irritated voice, she quickly lifted her head.
“You were. What did I just say, then?”
“That you were saying something important?”
“…Forget it. Just go to sleep.”
Roughly running a hand through his hair, Leonard left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Cordelia waited until the door was fully closed and the outside went silent. Then she buried her face into the bed and let out a silent scream.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?!
She couldn’t possibly have missed it—he was right in front of her.
She’d been distracted for the first few seconds, but as soon as his tone became far too serious, she’d frozen. Thank goodness she’d been looking down.
Precious? Does he mean like family? Or does he mean… something else?
His words were too vague to tell exactly what he meant.
Rolling back and forth on the bed, she racked her brain.
Important? For life? What is that supposed to mean?!
It sounded far too meaningful to be something a master would say to any disciple. But since he hadn’t outright said anything, she couldn’t tell if it was just his occasional kindness or something more.
“Well, so much for sleeping…”
She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. And sure enough, as if fulfilling a prophecy, Cordelia didn’t get a wink of sleep before the sun rose the next day.
