Four days after returning from the sea monster subjugation mission—
Deep within the Magic Tower’s underground training hall, a thunderous crack echoed through the chamber.
It sounded as though a massive boulder had split in half.
Smoke billowed through the air.
At the center of it all, a mage sprawled on the ground struggled shakily to his feet.
Watching him, Kade lazily crooked a finger toward the area beyond a line he had drawn across the floor.
“Next.”
“Eek!”
Another mage was abruptly yanked across the boundary by an invisible force and stumbled into the training area.
At Kade’s silent gesture urging him to begin, the mage hurriedly gathered his mana.
BOOM!
Crack—
Before the smoke could even clear, he was already face-down on the floor, creating an entirely new cloud of dust.
Barely conscious, the mage dragged himself out of the ring.
The others waiting for their turn helped him to his feet.
“You should at least pretend to dodge. Next.”
The coldness in Kade’s gaze sent chills down every mage’s spine.
The intervals between monster subjugation missions were growing shorter and shorter.
They couldn’t keep sending the same group every time.
The combat abilities of the remaining mages needed to improve—and quickly.
Watching Kade personally spar with them, Ben thought:
He really has absolutely no talent for teaching.
Geniuses were often like that, but Kade was especially bad.
In the past, whenever someone asked how he could cast spells so quickly, his only answer had been:
"Just calculate the magic circles faster."
The skill gap was enormous, yet he never adjusted to his opponents’ level.
There was practically nothing for them to learn from watching him.
And today, the atmosphere was worse than ever.
The mood that had been unsettling for days had reached its peak.
It barely looked like training anymore.
It looked like stress relief.
He seemed fine on the day of the banquet...
But the more he thinks about being forced to attend through threats, the more irritated he must become.
Especially since they even used Lana.
As Ben suppressed a sigh while watching Kade’s brutal training session, one of the mages quietly approached him.
“Vice-Captain. That government official is here again.”
Ben turned around in disbelief.
“Now?”
Of all times.
The Tower Master’s temper was at its absolute worst today.
Not even Lana would be able to stop him.
This official was unbelievably unlucky.
“Who’s here?”
“AAAH!”
Ben nearly screamed.
Kade had appeared beside him so suddenly that it felt as though a ghost had materialized.
“I asked who’s here.”
“T-The official who came before is asking to see you, Tower Master.”
“Take her to my office. Training’s over.”
After brushing the dust from his robes, Kade disappeared via teleportation.
The remaining mages stared after him with pale faces.
Every single one of them thought the same thing.
He’s really going to kill someone today.
As I waited in the lobby, a mage named Ben arrived and offered to escort me to the Tower Master’s office.
He introduced himself as Kade’s aide.
For some reason, however, he kept glancing back at me nervously.
“Mr. Ben? Is something wrong?”
“...Sigh. Never mind.”
“...?”
He stared at my face for several seconds before letting out another sigh.
It was uncomfortable.
At least he wasn’t treating me like a curiosity the way the other mages had when I first visited the Tower, but his behavior still bothered me.
Determined not to lose, I stared right back at the back of his head.
Suddenly, Ben spun around.
“Aren’t you afraid of the Tower Master? Aren’t you worried he’ll kill you?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You somehow survived your last visit, so why are you back?”
Apparently, he saw me as some clueless fool who didn’t understand the danger she was in.
To be fair, if I hadn’t been transferred departments, I never would have set foot anywhere near the notorious Tower Master.
Especially considering that said Tower Master happened to be my ex-boyfriend.
“I wouldn’t say we’re close, but I trust that he won’t kill me. Things weren’t bad the last time we met, so don’t worry.”
“...”
Ben looked at me as though he were witnessing a tragedy.
Then he clicked his tongue sympathetically.
What was that reaction supposed to mean?
I followed him up the stairs while rubbing my tired eyes.
Do I really look that awful?
Like I’m about to die if the Tower Master so much as raises his voice?
I was somewhat conscious of the dark circles beneath my eyes that makeup hadn’t fully concealed.
Soon, though, another problem occupied my mind.
Every step up the staircase made her exhaustion feel heavier.
I’m an idiot.
Why did I ever think that?
A few days ago, she had thought she would rather work overtime than visit the Magic Tower.
I never expected that to turn into three straight days of overtime.
Including the weekend.
Apparently, whenever a sea monster subjugation fleet returned from the open ocean, the Marine Observation Office became much busier than usual.
The mages would roughly mark the locations of unusual weather patterns they had encountered.
Her first task was comparing those reports against observation records.
After that, she had to update magical beast distribution maps by cross-referencing them with beast sighting reports.
And that wasn’t even all of it.
Choosing overtime over the Magic Tower? What a ridiculous thing to say.
The Tower is obviously better.
At least she had been given today off as compensation for working through the weekend.
Otherwise, she might genuinely have collapsed.
Even now, the combined effects of sleep deprivation and overwork left her head pounding.
She had spent the previous night sorting through documents, trying to find official paperwork that had nothing to do with the Imperial Family.
Still, it was worth the effort.
Surely Kade will find these acceptable.
Knock. Knock.
“Tower Master, I’ve brought the investigator.”
After Ben knocked, a voice from inside told them to enter.
The door opened.
Standing before the window with his hands clasped behind his back was Kade.
As they stepped inside, Ben suddenly froze.
“When did he change clothes?”
The muttered question made Vivian flinch.
You only noticed his clothes changed now?
And why are you saying that while looking directly at him?
Are you trying to draw attention to my appearance too?
Today, she wasn’t wearing the government uniform she had worn to the banquet.
Instead, she wore a simple dress.
Kade turned around casually—
and froze.
Vivian immediately straightened her clothes.
...Does it really look that inappropriate?
Technically, visiting the Magic Tower was official business.
Even on a day off, she should have worn her uniform.
Unfortunately, she had been leaving work late and arriving early for days.
She hadn’t even had time to send it out for cleaning.
The modest dress was far more comfortable, but it did make her feel less professional.
Apparently Kade thought she looked as though she had come to visit socially.
There was nothing she could do about that.
“It’s been a while. I wanted to come sooner, but work has been overwhelming.”
Conscious of Ben’s presence, she acted as though she and Kade were complete strangers.
“...”
If he was going to criticize her clothes, she wished he would at least send his aide away first.
Instead, Kade continued staring at her in silence.
The atmosphere in the office grew increasingly strange and uncomfortable.
Then Kade slowly raised a hand.
“Tower Master!”
Ben suddenly cried out in alarm.
He even stepped subtly in front of Vivian as if shielding her.
“W-Well, hahaha. This investigator seems very different from the officials who came before, don’t you think?”
“...?”
Vivian looked at him in confusion.
“From what I’ve heard, unlike the others, she doesn’t seem interested in getting close to the Imperial Family. And she only brings documents that are unlikely to cause trouble for us—”
Ben was clearly exaggerating the conversation they had shared on the way here.
Vivian had no idea why.
But as Kade’s expression gradually darkened, Ben quickly lost momentum.
Kade idly toyed with the ornate cuff at his wrist and let out a laugh.
“You seem to know her pretty well.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Have the two of you been meeting in private?”
“W-What?! Of course not!”
Ben nearly jumped out of his skin.
“I’m your aide, Tower Master! I would never leak information about the Magic Tower or secretly meet with officials like some rat!”
The conversation had taken such an unexpected turn that Vivian’s dress and dark circles no longer seemed important.
Did someone leak Tower secrets to a government official before?
If that were the case, Kade’s sensitivity made sense.
Ben desperately defended himself.
Kade’s expression remained cold.
Unable to watch any longer, Vivian stepped forward.
“T-Tower Master. Today is the first time I’ve ever spoken with Mr. Ben.”
“...”
“He hasn’t said a single word about the Magic Tower to me.”
Kade stared at her.
Then he laughed in disbelief.
“Leave.”
“T-Tower Master...!”
At a flick of Kade’s hand, Ben was literally pushed out of the office.
The door slammed shut behind him.
No matter how helplessly he looked back at her, there was nothing she could do.
Now only Vivian and Kade remained.
There was a question she had asked herself countless times whenever she dealt with him.
This time, she couldn’t keep it inside.
“Are you insane?”