Chapter 4
I didn’t even need to double-check whether I had seen wrong. There was no mistaking such brilliant golden hair and sapphire-like eyes.
Sensing Hamiel’s gaze, the man suddenly turned his eyes toward her. Then he smiled kindly.
Is there a problem?
His gently curved eyes seemed to say just that.
Only then did Hamiel realize she had been staring at him rudely. She quickly looked away, but her neck and below were already burning hot.
She heard a faint sound as if the man was chuckling. For the first time in her life, she felt like she wanted to die.
Whether it was because of her embarrassment or if it was just the way it was, the elevator was extremely slow. The man showed no sign of getting off first.
When they finally reached the 7th floor in that unbearably awkward atmosphere, Hamiel dashed out of the elevator as if escaping a trap. She then walked briskly down the hallway, trying to cool her flushed face.
It had been a brief incident, but an incident nonetheless. There was no need to get so flustered. Right now, she needed to focus on something far more important.
Hoo.
Taking a deep breath, Hamiel quickened her pace again.
There were many doors along the hallway she walked, but Hamiel knew exactly which door to go to. Without hesitation, she nearly ran across the corridor and stopped in front of a heavy oak door.
Calm down.
Standing before the door, Hamiel clutched the notebook in her arms tightly. Her heart was pounding so fast, as if it might burst, though for a different reason than before.
She closed her eyes, took one deep breath, and opened them again. Then she raised her hand to knock.
“Are you not going in?”
“Kyaak!”
Startled by the sudden voice from behind, Hamiel nearly fell to the spot.
She whipped around, and sure enough, it was the same man from before. He was very close—so close that he must have followed her closely even as she walked down the hallway at a fairly brisk pace.
“Uh, well, that is…”
For a while, she just blinked, unsure of what to say. Noticing that Hamiel was more startled than he had expected, the man gently stepped back and showed her his palms.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Um… Who are you?”
Hamiel finally managed to ask, her face still pale. The man glanced briefly at the door in front of her.
“Do you have business with the Patent Office Director?”
“…Yes, I do.”
“Then you may speak with me.”
“…?”
Hamiel’s eyes clouded with confusion. The man smiled faintly, took a business card from his pocket, and held it out.
She took the card almost like a mechanical doll and examined it front and back. It was an ordinary business card: on the front was the Kiphrix logo embossed in gold leaf, and on the back were brief personal details.
Baron Rosen Hazel: Kiphrix Lord Assistance
“…You’re a secretary?”
The man named Rosen nodded.
“The Director’s?”
Rosen nodded again.
Hamiel looked at the card and fell into thought for a moment.
Her issue was something that required meeting the Patent Office Director in person. Of course, if she told the secretary, it would surely reach the Director’s ears, but hearing his answer directly was another matter.
“Lady.”
Rosen’s call brought Hamiel out of her reverie. She looked up. Rosen smiled apologetically and asked,
“Excuse me, but I do have to start my work. If you don’t mind, could you please step aside?”
Hamiel nodded and moved to one side. Rosen gave a slight nod and then unhesitatingly grabbed the doorknob and opened it.
Inside was an ordinary office. The walls were adorned with carved wood, which was fancy, but that was all. There was a sturdy, large desk, piled high with documents, and neatly arranged business cards on one side. On one corner of the desk was a telephone charging with magical power, and the trash bin was clean without a single piece of paper.
Is this the Director’s office?
Just as she was about to wonder at the unexpectedly modest interior, she noticed another door at the back of the office. It looked just as large and sturdy as the door she had entered through.
In the center of the door, the Kiphrix logo was elegantly embossed in gold leaf.
Only then did Hamiel realize that this was the secretary’s office. The actual Director’s office was structured so that one had to pass through the secretary’s office to reach it.
“Let’s see…”
Rosen picked up the schedule sheet lying on the desk.
“Hamiel Orte Valter. Appointment with the Director at 11 AM to seek consultation regarding patent overlap. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“Please, have a seat.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hazel.”
Hamiel responded calmly.
“I requested a meeting with the Director, not with you. I personally called the Director via telephone a week ago to request a meeting, and I made an appointment for this time today.”
Having said that, Hamiel quietly looked at Rosen. Rosen, who had plopped down in his chair, rested his chin on the desk and looked back at Hamiel with interest.
“So?”
“I want to speak directly with the Director.”
“Unfortunately, the Director came down with a sudden severe cold yesterday and cannot come in today. So just tell me.”
Hamiel stared at Rosen with a firm expression. Rosen stared back at her.
His smiling face was beautiful yet brazen. Hamiel could clearly tell what those gently curved eyes were trying to say:
You think I haven’t seen kids like you before? State your business and get out.
“…Fine.”
Hamiel shrugged and perched on the chair across from Rosen. Rosen’s smile deepened.
“So, what is your business?”
Without a word, Hamiel pulled a stack of documents from her notebook and held them out. Rosen took them, flipped through a couple of pages, then looked up at her again.
“This is a compilation of the patents filed by the Price Guild related to Melteor.”
“I know. I schedule the patent examination timelines.”
“Price Guild has filed a total of thirty-two patents. Among them, only six in the past three years are related to Melteor. The guild itself is fifteen years old, but apart from the last three years, they’ve produced almost nothing in the field of magical engineering.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Hamiel again pulled out a bundle of letters from her notebook and held them out. These were the letters she had received from Kiphrix regarding the invalidation of her patents.
While Rosen took the letters and scanned them one by one, Hamiel continued calmly.
“These are letters sent to me. You can check the dates by the postmarks.”
“……”
“Once or twice would be nothing unusual. Price Guild is a very large guild, and under the support of Marquis Restvin, they continue to produce excellent research. I don’t mean to disparage the guild’s research itself. But…”
“But?”
“All six times I applied for patents, they were invalidated because they overlapped with Price Guild’s applications at the same time. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but six times over three years is impossible unless someone is stealing my research.”
“So you’re saying the research was stolen and you want it invalidated?”
“Yes.”
Hamiel answered without batting an eye. Rosen smiled a little.
“I understand your frustration, but…”
“This is my research notebook.”
Hamiel finally held out the notebook she had been clutching to Rosen. Seeing the worn notebook, Rosen’s expression hardened slightly.
It was the first time Hamiel had seen Rosen flustered.
“It’s a record of every study I’ve done from five years ago to the present, not just three years. I’ve even noted down the dates and the weather, so proving that I am the rightful owner of these patents shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Despite his agitation, Hamiel continued speaking.
“There are two things I want to know. First, is it possible to invalidate Price Guild’s patents? Second, if it’s not possible, what would need to be done to make it possible?”
“So… you’re saying there’s no other answer except to ensure the patent invalidation goes through?”
“Yes.”
Hamiel answered briskly. Rosen looked down at the notebook as if troubled.
“Unfortunately, if the opponent is the Price Guild, it will be a difficult path. It might even go to the Supreme Court. Is that alright with you?”
“That’s fine. Even a difficult path is still a path. I’m only here to ask for advice on direction. I won’t ask you to hire a lawyer for me. I just wanted the Director’s opinion.”
Hamiel’s voice was calm and earnest.
Rosen looked at her silently for a while, then let out a short sigh.
“You don’t seem like you’re going to leave until you hear a yes.”
“I wasn’t planning to. I can always come back.”
Rosen sighed again. Then he gathered the documents and letters Hamiel had given him.
“I’ll hold onto these and pass them to the Director.”
“Just a moment.”
Hamiel lightly grabbed Rosen’s wrist. Rosen looked up as if to ask what was wrong, and Hamiel glanced meaningfully at the notebook under his hand.
“This is mine, so I’ll take it.”
“You’ll need it if you want to assert your patent rights to the Director.”
“I can show it to him in person. I hope his cold gets better soon.”
Rosen pulled his wrist free from Hamiel’s grasp. Then he smiled, as if admitting defeat.
“He’ll probably be better by next week. I’ll make sure he gets the letters.”
“Thank you.”
“Go safely, Lady Hamiel.”
Hamiel stood up and gathered her notebook. Rosen kindly held the door open for her to leave easily.
She heard the door close behind her. Walking alone down the quiet hallway, Hamiel slowly organized her thoughts.
Not being able to meet the Patent Office Director was unexpected, but it wasn’t a problem.
After all, patent invalidation is not easy. She hadn’t even expected it to work in the first place.
Hamiel had come to Kiphrix today because she wanted to check even the slightest possibility. If there was a way to protect her research without directly confronting Halo, it would be less tiring for her to resolve things without a major conflict.
But…
Judging by Rosen’s attitude today, it seemed that possibility was clearly off the table. Hamiel clicked her tongue.
The thought that she would probably have to come back gave her a headache. She had gone out today under the pretext of visiting Fosbender, but she had no idea how she would sneak out next time.
Except for Halo, Hamiel had always been holed up in the lab. If she suddenly started going out often, everyone would find it strange.
No choice. I’ll say I’m going to Kirgis…
Hamiel, who had been waiting for the elevator dejectedly, suddenly lifted her head.
She had forgotten something very important!
