Chapter 73
“Of course. Not only that, but for those who want it, I’ll even write a letter of recommendation to another institution. For researchers, I can help you move to the Magic Device Management Association or the Imperial Magic Research Institute.”
At this point, the atmosphere shifted—there was no more need for hesitation. They could leave with a lump-sum severance payment and find new work elsewhere. If I were in their shoes, I’d choose to leave too.
“The period is three days starting today. Maids should go see Anise here, and researchers should come to me directly. That’s all.”
Anise was one of the few remaining senior maids. She usually assisted Eon closely. I saw a few maids following behind her.
Three days. It was an incredibly short time to decide on changing both workplace and residence. But many of the maids seemed to have already made up their minds.
Eon wanted to resolve things quickly, and the maids needed money—it was a satisfying proposal for both sides. If the Magic Tower were just a regular workplace, that is.
‘Were they always free to leave whenever they wanted?’
The idea of negotiating like this during what was effectively a hostage situation was unimaginable. Clearly, there were secrets I didn’t know. I had to uncover the truth from the maids before they left.
‘I need a chance to hear the truth—without breaking the rules of the tower…’
“Are you staying here?” Researcher Selly suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Well, it’s only natural since the Tower Master is here.”
I hadn’t even considered that Eon’s offer to resign might apply to me. So I had listened to his speech as if it were about other people entirely. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to—I was still under surveillance outside the Tower.
“What about you, senpai?”
“Oh please, do you even need to ask? Of course I’m staying.”
A mischievous smile crept onto her face.
“Something exciting is bound to happen. I can’t miss out on the show, can I?”
Her words were oddly unsettling.
“If he ends up clashing with other noble lords, maybe we’ll get to see the Tower Master unleash his true power.”
She leaned in and whispered.
“They say that what was in the exhibit room wasn’t a corpse, but a homunculus, right? I got chills all over when I heard that. Just how far does the Tower Master’s power go?”
“How did you know that?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? With all that commotion, of course I was eavesdropping. No need to look so worried. That information already leaked outside the Tower, so it’s not really a secret anymore, is it?”
I had no words to refute that.
“Oh, and the Tower Master’s nephew—that child was in the Forbidden Room, wasn’t he? Oh wait, maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Or maybe not? If he’s blood-related to the Tower Master, maybe he’s an incredible magician too? Now that I think about it, it makes sense that he’d be confined there.”
“Selly, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about that child so carelessly. I’m sure the Tower Master will make an official announcement when the time comes.”
That coveted homunculus was beyond my control. But I had to protect the child’s safety. Whether they were ally or enemy, that kid definitely held a secret I didn’t know.
“Oh my, are you protecting him because he’s the Tower Master’s family?”
I hadn’t planned that excuse, but the misunderstanding wasn’t bad. I nodded silently.
“All right. I’m not particularly interested in that child anyway. I’m more intrigued by the homunculus. I’ve never even seen that term in any book. I don’t even know where to begin the research.”
I was relieved that her interest was more focused on the homunculus. Watching Selly head up to the lab, I stationed myself at the spot with the best view of the Tower’s front gate. This was my only chance to speak properly with the maids.
* * *
“Excuse me!”
I ran after one of the maids leaving the Tower. Carrying a square bag and a large bundle, she clearly wasn’t just stepping out—she was leaving the Tower for good, as per Eon’s offer.
I didn’t even have time to feel envy. I hurried to stop her.
“Could we talk for a moment?”
“You’re…”
She hugged her bag tightly, eyeing me warily. I knew what kind of rumors were circulating about me within the Tower.
“I wasn’t sent by the Tower Master. I have no intention of taking your things, either.”
Of course, I didn’t expect a few words to win her trust. So I pulled out five potions and handed them to her—everything I could fit in my pouch.
“Healing potions. It’ll be hard to get these once you leave the Tower. You can use them when needed, or even trade them—they’re small enough not to raise suspicion.”
If she still considered this offering insignificant, then there was nothing more I could do. This was the best bribe I could offer. The maid glanced between me and the potions before snatching them up and stuffing them in her luggage with surprising speed.
I let out a silent sigh of relief. The deal was struck.
“Y-you must want something in return, right?”
She was sharp, but her guarded green eyes still showed distrust.
“Yes, but it’s nothing difficult. I just want to know how you came to the Tower.”
“T-that’s against the rules…”
“But you’re not a Tower maid anymore, are you? And we’re not even inside the Tower.”
She glanced around as if realizing for the first time that she was standing outside the Tower’s main gate. Still, she kept glancing back at the imposing structure behind her, as if uneasy.
I understood that feeling. She probably imagined that someone—Eon, or a senior maid—was watching her from somewhere. Honestly, I didn’t want to have this conversation in front of the Tower in the cold, either.
‘But if I go too far from the Tower, Eon will notice immediately.’
“The Tower Master isn’t watching you. He’s really busy with Tower matters right now—I know that well.”
“M-maybe the Tower Master isn’t, but…”
“The senior maids are busy filling in for the others who just left, right? You must’ve noticed the chaos too, didn’t you?”
I tried to sound as calm as possible. This was already my fourth attempt—three others had run off before I could even make an offer. They had fled as if I were some monster sent to capture them.
“Uuumm…”
She was cautious. Or maybe the Tower had made her that way. Only after I told her everything I could to reassure her did she finally agree to talk.
We stood under a large spruce tree next to the Tower wall—an attempt to hide from sight. It wouldn’t fool Eon’s surveillance, but the maid didn’t know that. Still, even I felt a bit more at ease under the tree’s wide shadow.
She introduced herself as Bianca and said she used to work on a temple-owned farm outside the city walls.
“It was Senior Maid Karen who brought me here. I was on my way home from the farm when she called me over to ask something.”
Bianca glanced at me when she mentioned Karen—perhaps aware that Karen had been close to me and had taken punishment in my stead.
I didn’t feel any particular guilt over Karen at this point. Too many things had happened since then. Still, I had to be careful not to seem too cold—or too emotional.
“Karen, I see.”
I simply nodded. So far, it was no different from Tara’s case, except her recruiter had been Marilyn.
“She said my brown hair and green eyes were beautiful and asked me to come with her. She said a maid position had opened up at the Gran Noir mansion, and she thought I’d be a perfect fit.”
“She offered you a job as a maid?”
That struck me as odd. I had to control my voice from rising.
“But…”
I barely stopped myself from blurting out the word kidnapping. Bianca seemed to shrink back from the tension.
“R-right? Isn’t it kind of strange to say brown hair is beautiful…”
Her voice dropped again as she repeated the word “beautiful.”
“What are you talking about? Your hair is beautiful. Not all brown hair is the same. Yours is thick, glossy, and very lovely.”
It felt like I had channeled Eon for a moment as I showered praise on her hair. It was easier than trying to explain why they had specifically recruited brown-haired girls as maids.
“I was just asking if you found the sudden job offer strange.”
Luckily, my compliments seemed to work—Bianca continued.
“Um… It wasn’t exactly normal. Usually, noble families post job notices in newspapers or hire maids through referrals. I had only ever worked on a farm, so I didn’t have any letters of recommendation.”
“Was there anything else odd about it?”
