“Ah...”
So it really was Artia after all?
“What? You know that name?”
Cheion’s eyes widened when he saw the faint smile forming on Ceres’s lips.
This woman... so she could smile like that too?
“I’ve heard of him.”
“As expected. He’s probably the most famous Tower Master in history.”
Cheion nodded as if that made perfect sense.
Even now, there were countless people, both ordinary folk and mages, who named Artia as their favorite magician. Cheion himself had once dreamed of becoming a mage after reading Artia’s autobiography as a child.
“But the problems are too difficult. I went through his autobiography and all sorts of records, but I couldn’t get past the twentieth door.”
“......”
You troublesome punk. What kind of building did you even make? Still pulling ridiculous stunts even after I’m gone.
“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go eat.”
“Alright.”
Ceres couldn’t take her eyes off the white tower, but at Cheion’s words, she finally turned away.
I wonder if Kai knows.
That Artia’s traces were still embedded in this place.
Ceres slowly closed her eyes. For some reason, she found herself missing Kainel.
***
“...What is going on?”
Mark, the only employee and head chef of this shop, couldn’t hide his confusion at the unfamiliar situation.
What is this? Why did all the mercenaries suddenly run off like that?
Just moments ago, they had been chatting noisily while enjoying their stew, yet in the blink of an eye, they all rushed outside like startled colts with their tails on fire.
The sight of the empty dining hall, without any customer left, was something Mark had never witnessed since he began working here.
“Ah, so this is your first time seeing this, Mr. Mark.”
Jay, a maid from the Drow baron’s household who had experienced this several times, nodded as if she understood his confusion.
Soon, her gaze shifted toward the center of the shop, where a single man sat calmly.
“This is what happens whenever he shows up.”
Glancing briefly at Kainel, Jay lowered her voice.
“Whenever he comes, everyone runs away. Strange, isn’t it?”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know the details either, but I heard he’s incredibly frightening.”
At her words, Mark swallowed dryly. If even those rough mercenaries were afraid of him, just how dangerous could he be?
With Jay busy clearing the tables, Mark hesitated for a moment before carefully carrying the tray of stew over to Kainel.
“P-Please enjoy your meal.”
After setting the bowl down as quietly as possible, Mark bowed and stepped back.
“......”
Kainel didn’t spare Mark a glance as he picked up his spoon.
Ceres had told him before not to come during busy hours, but today he had no choice. He had been so busy lately that he barely managed to stop by.
“Your Excellency, please at least eat something. I’ll take care of the rest of the work somehow!’”
This was the only place that had brought his appetite back, but lately, he had been buried in work again and barely ate. If his aide Del hadn’t stepped in and dragged him out, he would’ve spent the whole day working without eating a single bite.
“......?”
But when Kainel took a spoonful of the stew, his brow twitched. He tried another bite, then set the spoon down on the table.
Mark, who had been watching him anxiously, finally gathered the courage and approached him.
“Is... is it not to your liking?”
“Yeah. It’s not.”
“Pardon?”
Was there something wrong with the food? The mercenaries had all been eating it just fine a moment ago.
“Why does it taste different?”
“I-It tastes different?”
“It does.”
Kainel’s expression dimmed slightly, so faint that no one around him would’ve noticed.
It wasn’t the same stew he had been eating until recently. The difference was small and almost unnoticeable, yet something felt off.
Why? Why did it suddenly taste different?
Come to think of it...
She wasn’t here.
Kainel found it strange that Ceres, who always wore that peculiar expression whenever he visited, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is the owner?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t see her.”
“Ah, Lady Ceres doesn’t come out anymore.”
“...She doesn’t?”
“No. She has other work to attend to...”
“.....”
Kainel’s gaze shifted toward the kitchen. She had always been outside whenever he came.
So she really wasn’t here.
After staring at the stew in silence, he placed the payment on the table and stood.
“Y-you don’t have to pay...”
Seeing the barely touched stew, Mark tried to return the money, but Kainel left the shop without a word.
“Ah...”
Mark could only stare blankly after him.
Picking up the money left on the table, he looked at the untouched stew beside it and sighed.
“Do you think he’ll come again?”
“No. I don’t think he will.”
Jay shook her head as she cleared away the dishes he had left behind.
“Right...”
At her words, Mark nodded.
For some reason, a faint sense of regret lingered. He kept glancing toward the direction Kainel had disappeared.
***
“Cheion.”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you working?”
“I’m working.”
“...I never imagined the Tower Master’s main job was sweeping the floor.”
“Well, now you know! It’s fine!”
“......”
Ceres sighed quietly as she watched Cheion sprawled on the floor, lazily sweeping here and there out of sheer boredom.
She felt like she finally understood why everyone going in and out of the office tried so hard to avoid meeting his eyes. It was irritating for no reason.
Tsk.
Clicking her tongue softly, Ceres flipped through the documents on the desk that Luca had been urging Cheion to read.
“If possible, please make him handle at least one of these.”
Before leaving, Luca had asked her the same thing. His tone made it clear he had little hope it would actually happen.
“Cheion.”
“What? Are you bored? Want to go out?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
“Really? Where?”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Cheion jumped to his feet. Ceres held out a single document toward him.
“To the Imperial Palace.”
It was a request to attend a meeting at the palace.
“No, no. That’s not going out!”
When Cheion shook his head vigorously, Ceres pushed the document closer to him.
“This sounds fun.”
“No, it doesn’t. Meetings are never fun!”
“When else would I get the chance to look around the Imperial Palace?”
“I can show you around later as much as you want—”
“Cheion.”
Her voice dropped slightly.
“If you’re not going to work, then I don’t see any reason for me to stay here.”
“Huh?”
“I’m getting paid 5,000 gold. I’d feel guilty just sitting around doing nothing.”
In truth, she had long since thrown away her conscience, but she decided to do Luca a favor just this once. At this rate, he would end up living on stomach medicine.
“If you’re just going to slack off, there’s no reason for me to stick around.”
At Ceres’s firm expression, like she might leave at any moment, Cheion’s eyes wavered.
“You’re going home?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine! Let’s go! We’ll attend the meeting!”
“Good.”
Ceres nodded as if satisfied. She chuckled to herself.
He really is just like Artia.
Artia had hated official duties just as much. Every time, she had to coax him, persuade him, and try all sorts of things.
Not that she had any intention of going that far for Cheion.
As Ceres skimmed the attendance list attached to the request, her gaze stopped at a single name.
<Creel Ellesia>
The name of the current head of the Ellesia family.
She recalled the man she had met in front of the temporary clinic right after the Black Forest was cleared.
Something about him still bothers me.
The fake ring had been on her mind ever since.
Why? Why would he wear a fake ring?
I couldn’t be mistaken, could I?
There was only one way to get rid of that unease. She would’ve to confirm it herself.
***
“Hello, Father.”
“...Cheion.”
“Hello, brother.”
“You...”
“Can’t you all try coming a little earlier? You act like you’re the main characters of some novel. Why do you always come in last?”
...Was that really something to hear from someone who never attended meetings?
Crown Prince Aserian, who had arrived early, found Cheion already seated and casually waving at him. He was at a loss for words.
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